Online
Security Issues
Don't
get tangled in the Web! Following a few simple rules will keep
you and your family safe while surfing.
Five
Secrets for Parents to Help Encourage Responsible Use of the Internet
Internet
Safe Shopping
When
your PC Backup is not enough
Just
How Vulnerable Are You?
More
Security Resources
Five
Secrets for Parents to Help Encourage Responsible Use of the Internet
by
Marty W Stewart
Children
are increasingly using the Internet for schoolwork, research,
communicating through e-mail and live chat, and downloading information
like music files and streamline video. As technology progresses
and children find even more need to use the Internet, parents
must develop clear-cut and consistent rules while children are
online.
Establishing
these rules can be quite a challenge for many parents. Since most
children over the age of 10 or 11 probably know more about the
Internet than mom or dad, it's imperative that parents continue
to absorb what's available to children and communicate and teach
responsibility while spending time online.
Many
parents want to rely solely on content filtering software or kid-safe
Web sites, but many times this is just not enough. As children
grow with the ever-changing online landscape, parents must make
sure children are prepared to handle the content increasingly
available to them. Here are five secrets parents can use to encourage
safe and responsible use of the Internet:
Place
your family's computer in a room in the house that is centrally
located and easy for parents to walk by to monitor or participate
in what a child is viewing. It is recommended not to let a child
have a computer in his/her room or behind closed doors. This will
only contribute to a child's false sense of security while on-line
and hinder parents' efforts to stay involved in what children
are doing while using the computer.
Limit
the amount of time a child spends on-line.
Like any other activity, using the Internet should be done in
moderation and not interfere with other healthy activities for
children. Once a child chooses to spend time on-line rather than
interacting with other children face-to-face, or his/her other
interests seem to always come second to the computer, then it
may be time to review with the child how important is to show
moderation while enjoying the Internet.
Spend
time with children online. Get involved with a child's interests
on the Internet. If a child is chatting with friends, e-mailing
jokes back and forth, or playing on-line games, a parent must
keep up to date on the various goings on. Sit down next to the
child and observe what they are using the computer for. Parents
need to help children explore the vast resources of the Internet,
and educate them (and themselves) on what the Internet has to
offer. Surfing the Internet with a child or establishing a joint
e-mail account between parent and child will also help parents
stay in touch.
Monitor
what your children are doing and where
they are going while online. This can be the trickiest of challenges
for parents, but it is so vital to make sure children do not stray
into areas of the Internet that contain inappropriate (even harmful)
material. If a child strays from pre-designated safe Web sites,
parents should use healthy parenting skills such as reinforcing
agreed upon parameters (even taking away online privileges as
a consequence of not following rules).
Set
up a "responsible use contract"
between parents and children. Using e-mail, surfing the Web and
downloading flies are all activities that children will be using
while connected to the Internet and parents need to make agreements
with children on responsible behavior. By establishing the rules
of responsible use early, there should be no confusion as to what
is considered responsible and safe use of the Internet. A FREE
"contract" is available at http://www.ResponsibleKids.net/contract.htm.
The Internet offers children unprecedented access to incredibly
valuable information and it's up to parents to promote responsible
online use.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marty
W. Stewart is the author of "How to Survive the Internet
With Your Kids" and "101 Tips on How to Survive the
Summer With Your Kids."
Have
questions about parenting and the Internet? Email Marty: Marty@ResponsibleKids.net
FREE Family Internet Survival Guide Email: safekids@sendfree.com
"How
to Survive the Internet With Your Kids" http://www.ResponsibleKids.net/internet.htm
It's
been called the BEST Internet Glossary: http://www.ResponsibleKids.net/glossary.htm
This
article extracted from the UltimateProfits.com Archives at: http://www.marketing-seek.com
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Internet
Safe Shopping
by
Julie Reuter
Do
you ever wonder how you can tell if a company on-line is going
to be nice to work with? Are you afraid to give them your credit
card number because you're just not sure if you'll hear from them
again? While there is never a guarantee that a business is going
to be honest and reliable, there are precautions you can take
before making a business transaction. Here are some simple tips
to help you feel comfortable in conducting business with companies
on the internet. Ask yourself these questions:
1.
What kind of guarantee does the company offer? Look for full
refund/money back guarantees in case you need to return an item.
This way you can shop elsewhere if you don't see anything else
you like at that particular store. Some businesses offer credit-only
which forces you to buy from them exclusively.
2.
Look for testimonies from past customers. Read what other
people are saying about the company. Were they satisfied? Were
their needs handled in a professional manner? Sometimes you can
contact past customers and ask for their opinions personally.
3.
Is customer service a priority for the company? There's no
better way to turn a customer off than with terrible customer
service. Customer service is the backbone of all businesses. Is
the customer service personalized? Do they respond to each buyer's
individual needs? Are customers' questions answered in a timely
manner? Ask the customer service department a question and note
how long it takes for them to answer you. This will give you an
indication of how long it will take for them to get back to you
if you had a problem with a product. Do they use autoresponders?
Autoresponders in my book are not personalized service although
some businesses can use them very effectively. Is the company
easy to contact? Are there various payment methods to satisfy
each buyer?
4.
Is the merchandise quality? There's no way of telling the
quality of the merchandise by looking at a picture on the internet,
but sometimes you can tell by the way it is priced. Although a
sale or discount is great, sometimes products are reduced so low
it is ridiculous. Watch out for these kinds of reductions. Although
the low price is inviting, there is usually a reason the items
are priced so low. You get what you pay for. Also, pay attention
to what the product is made of. It may raise a red flag.
5.
How are purchases handled? Do you receive
a purchase confirmation or a thank you note? Do they follow-up
with you to see if you are satisfied with your purchase or do
they just assume you have received your product and never speak
to you again. A good business should make you feel as though they
appreciate your purchase.
These
are just a few tips for you to think about the next time you go
on-line to make a purchase. Most businesses are legitimate and
nice to work with but once in a while you may run into a company
that just doesn't meet these standards. My advice to you is if
you have any hesitation what-so-ever, move on to the next company.
You'll be glad you did. HAPPY SAFE SHOPPING!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright
2000 Julie Reuter. Contact her through her website at http://www.giftsbyjulie.com.
FREE monthly drawing and FREE "Gifts-Plus Newsletter"
just for registering with us! All gifts are 15%-40% off retail
prices. Julie Reuter is the owner and webmaster of Gift Expressions.
This article provided by the Marketing-Seek Archives at: http://www.Marketing-Seek.com
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When
your PC Backup is not enough
by Harvey Segal
If
you are dependent on your PC for running a business venture on
the Internet then it is vital that the loss of your PC does not
damage or cause the downfall of your business. In other words
you must make sure that you regularly backup the data on your
PC.
Now
this should not be news to you, but here are two vital warnings.
#1
It is NOT SUFFICIENT just to backup your data. How do you know
you can RECOVER it ? Have you ever tried ? Yes, I know it’s
meant to work but who knows what can go wrong.
When
my car once failed to start the mechanic correctly identified
that the battery needed replacing. Did he check that the car would
start after fitting the new one ? No need - it’s "supposed"
to work Did it start ? No!
So
are you going to take the RISK that something will work because
it is "supposed" to work - and say goodbye to your online
business if it doesn’t. Because you’ll have lost all
your data - gone forever. So test out the recovery option - NOW.
#2
If you make backups of ALL of your hard disc (maybe you have a
high capacity backup unit) - then skip this section.
The
rest of us are making copies (hopefully) of our CRITICAL data
to floppy disc. So if your hard disc crashes you will be up and
running in no time ? Afraid not.
*
What about the programs and utilities that you regularly use
- do you have the original discs ?
- if you downloaded them from the Internet do you remember the
source ?
*
Can you recall the personalized configurations that you have applied
to your software or those simple shortcut keystrokes which you
use so often that it’s hard to recall the original method
?
*
Can you remember all the passwords you are using - for connecting
to your ISP, retrieving your POP mail, checking the statistics
on reseller sites set up for you ?
*
Do you have vital contact information such as your ISP dial up
number ?
*
Are there files, not directly under your control, which need to
be part of your critical data - for example address books embedded
in your Email software ?
Imagine
this situation. Your computer has been wiped out, stolen, gone
up in flames. All you have left is a backup copy of your critical
data. (And, by the way, you are keeping a spare copy in a separate
building - aren’t you?)
In
your hour of need when you are desperate to get back online and
attend to a mounting army of Emails or orders the last thing you
need is to struggle to connect to the Internet, to find your passwords,
to be deprived of the tools which simplify your PC work.
What
is the solution? You need to keep a RECORD of all the vital information
mentioned above (passwords, configuration details etc). Put this
into a file which is part of the critical data that you regularly
back up. Keep a PRINTED copy handy - and another one in a REMOTE
location. You can even copy the file to your web site.
And
also review the backup content of your critical data to check
for any other files, such as address books, that need to be included.
Do this NOW.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't
miss Harvey's FREE book The SuperTips Book ofInternet Marketing.
And there's more great articles, ideas and tips at the SuperTips
website http://www.supertips.com
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Just
How Vulnerable Are You?
by
Heather Colman
The
subject of Internet Security continues to be of interest to most
netcitizens. There is always the concern that some "hacker"
will get into your computer without your knowledge and utilize
personal information about you to do only God knows what. In this
world of technology we are vulnerable in ways we are not even
aware of. Most of you probably visualize a hacker as some sort
of "geek" that sits on his computer breaking into big
main frames, government computer systems and such. We need to
change our mental picture of what a hacker really is and how easy
it is to get into anyone's computer.
Everyday
we engage in activities on the Net that make us vulnerable to
breaking and entering without even knowing it. No.. I'm not talking
about breaking into your home. I'm talking about our online habits
and how much information is available about you online without
your knowledge or permission. What kind of information is available
and how do they get it? More than you know and a lot easier than
you think. You are actually giving it to them and don't know it.
Have
you ever used a "freeware" program that is supported
by advertising? You know the kind I'm talking about. They usually
have a banner rotating at the top during use or some pop-up banner
that comes up from time to time. These advertising spots are sold
to the advertiser on the basis of usage. They must be able to
disclose to the advertiser how many times the banner was viewed,
clicked on etc. In order to do this your usage of the program
must be monitored. What's the big deal Heather? Stick with me
here... this gets better. What you don't know is a parasite is
written into the program that gets placed into the background
of your system when the program is installed.
This
parasite monitors your activities and reports this information
back to the program owner. Even when you are NOT using the program
the parasite has the ability to attach itself to your web browser
and ride along with you the entire time you are on the web. Now
they know what you do and everywhere you go online.
Now
this may not be a big deal to some of you, but for others it's
a big invasion of privacy. But wait... before you uninstall that
program that's carrying the banner ad, you might want to know
that even when you UNInstall the program, the parasite stays in
the background of your system. This type of invasion is not the
only way private information is transmitted to others without
your knowledge.
I'll
bet you have several doors open on your computer right now that
make it easy for the experienced hacker to walk right in and grab
what they need. Any information you have stored on your computer
is at risk. The sad part is the more technical we get, the more
vulnerable we become.
The
good news is there are ways to close all the open doors in your
system. The Gibson Research Corp. (no we don't have any affiliation
with them) has developed a site called "Shields Up"
which is a terrific website actually written in plain english.
It explains in much detail about Internet Security, who is at
risk and how to resolve it. The information is presented by Steve
Gibson who is extremely knowledgable and considered an expert
in his field of security. Steve walks you through the process
step by step of closing all the open doors and ports on your computer.
He makes sense out of all the confusion.
Please
don't misunderstand me. This is not a service he is selling. The
information is listed on his site and available for anyone who
wants to use it. It's 100% FREE. Once you have gone through the
process of tightening up your security and all the loop holes
have been locked down tight, (which by the way can be done within
30 minutes or less) he gives you a tiny utility program that you
can use to re-check your system. That program is also FREE. I
have it right on my desktop. Everytime I install or uninstall
a program of any kind, I quickly do a check with this utility
to make sure my settings are still the way they should be. This
gives me the piece of mind to know not only is my personal data
safe but also the important information my customers entrust me
with is safe too. Click on this link have your system tested.
It takes less than 5 minutes to check.
http://www.roibot.com/w.cgi?R267_ShieldsArtVulnerable
Steve goes into much detail (don't worry about the technical stuff,
he makes it easy to read and understand) about security issues
that you probably aren't even aware of. He also lists the software
programs that are known to carry the parasites along with other
information he has discovered in his research. If nothing else
the "Shields Up" website will be a real eye opener for
you. A link you can't afford not to click on! http://www.roibot.com/w.cgi?R267_ShieldsArtVulnerable
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Article
by Heather Colman. Get YOUR eBook listed in the Net's Fastest
Growing eBook Search Engine. http://ebooksearchengine.com. Subscribe
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News" and get tips, tools and "proven" marketing
strategies to maximize your ebook profits. To subscribe, send
a blank email to: ebsen-on@ebooksearchengine.com. Permission is
granted to reprint and distribute this article as long as it remains
unedited and includes both the resource box above and this authorization.
:webmaster@ebooksearchengine.com. This article extracted from
the Marketing-Seek Archives at: http://www.marketing-seek.com/
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More
Security Resources:
The
World Wide Web Security FAQ
Internet
Firewalls - Resources
SecureZone,
En Garde Systems' computer security information center
Security
Jump Site
Security
Product Resources:
eSafe,
by Aladdin
BlackICE
Defender
The
DoorStop Firewall
The
FireWall Toolkit
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