By CAROLYN OLSON

For the Tribune

Rocking slightly back and forth in an oversized leather chair, Caitlin Hagarty lets her fingers fly. A few keystrokes later, a Web page bearing a striking resemblance to the vintage T-shirt she's wearing fills the computer screen in front of her. The popular 1980s band Duran Duran graces both canvases. "I like '80s music," she smiles, switching the automatic playlist of the band's hits to "off."

From her family's computer room in north Bismarck, 16-year-old Caitlin has just arrived at her online home. In a matter of seconds, she's settled in, effortlessly navigating the contents of her very own Weblog, or blog.

Caitlin's blog is a highly stylized and personalized corner of the World Wide Web. From its loud teal background to boxes littered with words, this is the spot in cyberspace where friends share stories, vent frustrations and get creative. It's a whole new world with a brand new culture, and it's happened so fast, many parents - and even Merriam and Webster - don't know it exists.

"I think I mostly started because I knew some of my friends had them," Caitlin muses as she scrolls through comments like, "I totally know what you mean," and "LOL hey … some of us are emo, ok?" left on her site by fellow bloggers. "It's kind of snowballed."

That may be putting it mildly.

The Pew Internet and American Life Project estimates one in every five teenagers on the Internet keeps a blog. That translates into nearly 4 million teens talking about interests, writing about feelings and sharing personal information via dozens of popular online journaling Web sites like Xanga.com and MySpace.com.

Laurie Braun had no idea her daughter Caitlin was one of the millions managing an Internet blog. "I did not know she had one. No, I didn't. I think there are a few things she doesn't tell me," Braun says, casting a wry smile at her daughter, seated just a few feet away.

"That wasn't on purpose at all," Caitlin responds quickly, meeting her mother's gaze. "It's just because I don't think it's a big deal."

For most teens, a blog is just a part of life, a creative tool used to carve out a little corner of the world. For some adults, it can be reason for concern about teen safety on the Internet.

After getting a glimpse of her daughter's online world, Braun is satisfied. "I don't worry about it because I trust Caitlin," she says. "I don't understand why they really feel a need to do that, but I don't have a problem with it."

But not all parents share Braun's sentiments. Take, for example, Susan Skalicky.

The mother of four daughters ages 10-16, Skalicky has firm rules about Internet use in her home. The girls are allowed only 30 minutes of Internet in one sitting, preferably once a day, and must ask permission before logging on. While they use instant messaging to chat with online buddies, none of the girls have blogs.

Skalicky, who teaches English and journalism courses at Century High School, says the reason for her clear-cut rules at home is simple. "I have just heard too many horror stories - there are Internet predators out there."

Bismarck school resource officer Perry Lauer knows danger lurks on the Internet and says many teens don't realize how vulnerable their blogs can make them. "The Internet is a great tool, but there are a lot of ways to get yourself in trouble out there," he said. "A lot of these kids don't realize what they're doing when they're putting all this personal information (online)."

Add to that parents who aren't sure what blogs are - let alone aware their kids may have one - and Lauer says the potential for problems grows. "As a parent, you need to get informed," he said. "It's important that you find out what your kids are doing when they're out on the Internet."

CHS senior Allison Slavik isn't sure if her parents know about her two blogs on Xanga.com and MySpace.com, but she's not worried. "It's just kind of a journal, like 'Here's what I did today' or 'I got a new boyfriend,' stuff like that," she said. "After what I've seen and done on the Internet, I don't think it's really all that scary to put my name on the Internet."

And with endless possibilities in the blogging world - both in content and design - many teens see managing their sites as an outlet for creativity.

"It's kind of nice to post something I've written or some artistic photos I've taken," Slavik said. "It's cool to see how people actually comment back and give you feedback."

Michael Taffe, professor of child and adolescent psychology at the University of Mary, says that, for many teens, using blogs for self-expression can be vital to developing identity. "That's really a great thing, to be creative," he said. "That's part of how you show the world who you are."

Lauer wants parents to be sure their teens aren't showing the world too much. "I'd prefer the kids talk to their friends and parents rather than put the information out on the Internet for everybody," he said.

Taffe says, ideally, parents and teens should explore the ins and outs of Internet culture together. "One thing the parent can do is ask permission to read the blog," he said. "Bring up some interesting topics they've read, offer some interesting topics they can write about."

Caitlin Hagarty keeps a close eye on what she reveals about herself online. "I know that people are going to read (my blog), so I wouldn't put something on I wouldn't want people to read."

And enough trust has built up between mother and daughter to alleviate any concern about Caitlin letting too much information slip into cyberspace.

"She hasn't ever given me any reason not to trust her," Braun says, as Caitlin nods her agreement. "I trust her judgment."

(Carolyn Olson is a senior at the University of Mary. She developed this story as an advanced reporting project.)<$t$>

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