Are you one of the 70 million Americans who has a profile on a social networking site like MySpace or Facebook? While all may seem fun and harmless, there are risks. There are serious risks to your safety if you get hooked up with the wrong people. You can find suggestions on how to stay safe at the Web site netsmartz.org. This focuses mainly on kids, but the same advice applies to adults.

But there are also financial risks - and the good folks at scambusters.org have put together a list of the top 5 social networking scams. This isn't mentioned in the article, but monitor your kids' online activities - they could easily compromise your computer security or give out information. Either one puts you at risk for identity theft.

One other note: if you use Web sites to meet potential dates, check out our cautions against dating scams.