Top online safety tips for participating in the Zune Social
Zune Social is an online community web site that gives people a place to share their music tastes, knowledge and experiences with others. Powered by what the music the community is listening to, Zune Social extends the connection between Zune customers.
Follow these tips to help keep the Zune Social an exciting place to discover and explore music.
NOTE: At this time, the Zune Social is not for use by anyone under the age of 13.
If you think there's a problem, report it immediately
Keep in mind that all the information on your Zune Card can be public
Anybody can read what you post in Zune Forums
Keep identifying details to yourself
Know who your friends are
Never meet an Internet "friend" alone in person
Be cautious about sharing your feelings
Check out comments others make on your Zune page or their own
Be smart about your Zune Card background and picture
Do not post anything that you might regret later
Do not lie about your age
If you think there's a problem, report it immediately
It doesn't matter if you did something a bit off-base in the process. If you're feeling uncomfortable, tell someone right away. Never gamble with your safety.
No one has the right to threaten or upset you. Ever. Report the problem online or talk to an adult you trust if anyone (even someone you know):
To report abuse, select Report Abuse on the bottom of any Zune.net page.
Keep in mind that all the information on your Zune profile can be public
Think of a sliding scale: The more personal or identifiable the information you share, the fewer people you should share it with. If you want your Zune profile to be viewable by everyone, remember to share only what you want everyone on the Internet—friend or not—to know. Otherwise, limit access to your friends only. For more information, see Privacy Settings.
Anybody can read what you post in Zune Forums
Zune Forums are open for everybody to read and contribute. Just like your Zune profile, exercise caution related to the kinds of things you post to the Zune Forums. Don't post anything you wouldn't want the world to know (e.g., your phone number, address or IM names).
Keep identifying details to yourself
Be careful when putting details that identify you personally. People may be able to use this information to steal your identity or locate you. A good rule of thumb: If you wouldn't give certain details about yourself, your family, or your friends to a stranger on a dark street, don’t share them in the Zune online community.
Here are some other tips for Zune profiles that everyone can see:
Don't post your real name (or anyone else's either). When you create a Zune Tag, use one that doesn't attract unwanted attention or help someone find you—footballfan or musicfreak are good choices john14, sexysue, and gustavosydney are not.
Don't include any information that puts you on the map. Don't mention your home address, phone number, the name of your school, where you hang out or work, or even the name of your town.
Never give out your birth date, graduation year, or any other information that gives away your age or information useful to identity thieves. Click here to learn more.
Know who your friends are
On the Internet, people can pretend to be anyone they want, so make friends only with people you or your friends have met in person.
Just as in real life, everything someone tells you may be completely true—or only part of it may be true, or maybe none of it. You might meet someone who pretends to be friendly but really wants something else, from predators searching for victims, to thieves looking for a racy car or an empty house.
Also, be cautious about those who might try to exploit or control you. If anyone feels creepy, they probably are.
Never meet an Internet "friend" alone in person
Remember: Your online "friends" may not be who they say. (Pictures are no proof, either.)
You may not know that some people troll the Internet looking for kids they think they can control—kids who are sad, lonely, hurting, or angry. They'll work hard to get your trust using information you and your friends share in your Zune profiles. Then gradually they'll try to seduce you with attention, kindness, and even gifts.
If you feel you must meet someone in person, stick with the following rules.
Always go (and stay) with an adult you trust
Meet in a busy public place, and stay there. Don't go anywhere alone with this stranger.
Keep your radar on. If anything makes you feel even the least bit uncomfortable, leave.
Check out this short student-made video, Predator!
Be cautious about sharing your feelings
Your Zune profile and the comments you post can tell a lot about you. Does this snapshot of you show how you feel about yourself? Keep your radar on. If anything makes you feel even the least bit uncomfortable, leave.
Check out comments others make on your Zune page or their own
Keep an eye on what others are saying about you on their Zune pages. For example, a friend may share your address or real name. Or they may comment on their Zune page that they'll miss you because your family is going on vacation—and you may come back to a burglarized house.
Check the comments your friends leave you, too—and make sure they don't give false or personal details.
Be smart about your Zune profile picture
What does a picture show about you? Does it attract the wrong kind of attention or help someone find you?
What's in the picture? Does the photo show your house number, a street sign, a license plate, a local mall, your school, or another landmark?
What's on your shirt? The name of your school, sports team, or club? Your name?
Who's in the picture? If it shows friends or family members, you may be putting them at risk, too.
Don't post anything that you might regret later
You may think that only people you know are looking at your profile page, but everyone can see it if your privacy settings allow it. Think twice before posting a potentially embarrassing photo or information you wouldn't want others to see, including potential employers or colleges.
Don't lie about your age
Your Zune account might be deleted if we believe that you are less than 13 years of age or if we believe you are 14 through 17 years of age and you represent yourself as 18 or older.
Understanding noise-induced hearing damage
Exposure to loud sounds can damage your hearing, causing hearing loss and tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ears). While a variety of things can lead to hearing loss, including aging and side effects of certain medications, the most common cause of non-age-related hearing damage is loud noise. Extremely loud sounds, such as gun shots or firecrackers at close range, can cause immediate hearing damage. Hearing damage can also occur over time due to repeated exposure to loud sounds such as industrial noise or loud music. Like many other sources of sound, Zune can be loud enough to permanently damage your hearing.
Temporary and permanent hearing damage
Noise induced hearing loss and tinnitus may be temporary or permanent. Ears typically recover from temporary hearing damage in a short time. However, ears may not recover completely, and some damage may be permanent. While the permanent hearing loss from a single exposure to loud sound might not be noticeable, repeated exposure to loud sound can cause more and more damage, and eventually lead to serious hearing problems.
Loud sounds + time = hearing damage
The more time you spend exposed to loud sounds, the more likely you are to damage your hearing. All of the sound that you are exposed to during a day adds up - continued exposure to loud sounds can prevent your ears from recovering and also cause additional damage.
Louder sounds can cause hearing damage more quickly. To determine the risk of hearing loss, sound is measured as a sound pressure level, in A-weighted decibels (dBA).
Sounds under 85 dBA do not usually present a risk of hearing loss. Typical comfortable sound levels fall into this range.
Normal conversations in a quiet place are about 50 to 65 dBA.
Many household appliances such as vacuum cleaners, hair dryers, washing machines, and garbage disposals produce sound around 70 to 80 dBA.
Sounds above 85 dBA can cause hearing loss if you are exposed to the sound for enough time. Exposure to 85 dBA noise for 8 hours a day over many years can cause permanent hearing damage. Louder sounds cause damage in less time.
Many motor vehicles, like trucks, motorcycles, and snowmobiles, can produce sound levels greater than 85 dBA.
Music at rock concerts, dance clubs, orchestra performances, or on headphones is often louder than 85 dBA.
Avoiding hearing damage
It is usually not practical to measure the decibel levels of the sounds that you hear, and accurate measurement usually requires a trained professional. However, you can follow these simple rules to identify hazardous sound levels and avoid hearing damage from loud sound:
Avoid sound that drowns out normal speech. If you need to shout to talk with someone a few feet away, then the sound level can cause hearing damage. This applies to all sound, including sound from your headphones. Use hearing protection, move to a quieter area, or turn down the volume.
When using headphones, keep the volume low. To safely use personal music players with no time limit, keep the volume low enough that people do not have to shout for you to hear them. Some sealed or noise-canceling headphones block out nearby conversation even with the music off. With these, set the volume so you would be able to hear people talking if you were using regular headphones.
Do not turn up the volume on your headphones to drown out outside noise. If you want to use a personal music player in a noisy area, use sealed or noise-canceling headphones that reduce outside noise so that you don't have to turn up the volume. The combination of outside noise and sound from your headphones can damage your hearing.
Reset the volume when using replacement headphones. Some headphones are louder than other headphones, even if the volume control setting is the same. When you change headphones, always reset the volume starting from a low level.
Be aware of hearing damage symptoms. If you experience temporary hearing damage after exposure to sound, the sound was loud enough to eventually cause permanent damage. Minimize your time exposed to such sound levels. Have your hearing checked if you repeatedly or persistently experience any of these symptoms:
Additional information
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) provide detailed standards and guidance for occupational noise exposure. This information may also be useful for people who are exposed to loud sounds in a non-occupational setting. For more information, see:
The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders provides helpful information about noise induced hearing loss and other hearing disorders:
