This Week's Herman Trend Alert Women---Expanding their Sphere of Influence

The Herman Trend Alert March 10, 2010 Cyberbullying---a Growing Problem In previous Herman Trend Alerts, we have discussed "digital dirt", negative information about an individual posted online. Now, we discover a related problem, "cyberbullying", or Internet bullying and unfortunately, in Sweden about 10 percent of all adolescents in grades 7 to 9 are victims. According to the United States website iSafe.org, in the 2003-04 school year, 42 percent of US children in grades four through eight had been bullied while online and one in four had it happen more than once. Cyberbullying occurs when people, often adolescents, use electronic technologies, including computers and mobile phones to harass or bully another. The bullies often use SMS, e-mail, chat rooms, and the website Facebook to spread their negative messages. Victims of cyberbullying have no refuge from their attackers. At times, they are harassed continuously via cell-phone text messages and websites. The information spreads very quickly and may be difficult to remove. Moreover, the perpetrator is often difficult to identify, due to their ability to post negative messages anonymously. The system also "makes it possible for a weaker person to bully a stronger, which is uncommon in conventional bullying". A recent study by Ann Frisén, Professor of Psychology at the University of Gothenburg, draws attention to this global problem. 'This type of bullying can be more serious than conventional bullying, says Professor Friesen. "At least with conventional bullying the victim is left alone on evenings and weekends", she continues. There appears to be a clear connection to school life, since cyberbullying lessens in the summer. According to Frisén, parents have an important role to play in helping their children handle the situation. She believes rather than forbidding children from visiting certain websites, they should instead teach them how to act when they are there. "It is also important not to blame victimized children, since it's really not their fault. Our job is instead to help them end the harassment." Not only will cyberbullying intensify, but it will also proliferate into new media, as they emerge. Governments will attempt to crack down on this problem, however only a system of transparency will truly help. © Copyright 1998- by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists. (800) 227-3566 or http://www.hermangroup.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc." EMPLOYERS AND JOBSEEKERS: MARK YOUR CALENDARS Advertise at or attend VetJobs Virtual Career Fairs. VetJobs, the top veterans' job board, and PSI, the premier diversity job fair producer, are teaming up to launch these VeteransCONNECT events. Employer registration is now open with loading by February 15th. Candidate loading begins March 1st. Expect 25-30 employers and an attendee goal of 2,000 skilled jobseekers. Promoted extensively, early registration begins NOW. To register or request additional information, contact VetJobs at 877-838-5627 or email info@vetjobs.com; Employers: Mention the Herman Trend Alert to receive a Bonus. LOOKING FOR A UNIQUE VALENTINE’S GIFT? Give the gift of leadership advice in our weekly Lessons in Leadership to help your supervisors and managers remind your leaders about what’s really important The 52-week subscription is only $47, a bargain when you think about the savings to your organization in reduced turnover. Quantity discounts available by emailing Joyce at joyce@hermangroup.com. http://www.hermangroup.com/store/subscription_all.html#3 Order today! PREVENT EMPLOYEE TURNOVER IN 2012 Yes, you can prevent costly employee turnover, when you train your supervisors, managers, and executives. They will learn dozens of low and no-cost strategies and tactics that they can implement right away. We have an impressive track record and stand ready to help you. Call Carl at 336-210-3547 for a no-obligation conference call. Herman Trend Alerts are produced by the Herman Group, strategic business futurists, Certified Management Consultants, authors, and professional speakers. New subscribers are welcome. There is no charge for this public service. The Herman Trend Alert is received by over 30,000 subscribers in 78 countries, in addition to other websites and printed magazines. Do you enjoy receiving this weekly e-mail update? Contact us about our co-branded Trend Alert service. Click here to sign up for the Herman Trend Alert. Subscribe or Unsubscribe to weekly Herman Trend Alert View this week's Herman Trend Alert Archived Weekly Herman Trend Alerts

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