Internet Awareness for Parents/Users
For the parents:
The internet can be a scary thing to allow your children to just run wild with. The Family Research Council has an article that every parent should read and be aware of! Explains things you can do to protect your kids from online predators/pornography. Download the article here.
Even though Google, Ask, Yahoo, Bing, etc have safe search options there are many times images, videos, etc slip through the cracks. There are safe search engine alternatives for kids to use. Ask Kids; Kids Yahoo; and OneKey.
If you are not for sure if you have safe search enabled on yahoo, google, or ask here is a site that explains how to enable it.
Microsoft has a list of 4 things you can do to protect your kids online. Most are listed in the article but a good quick read. Microsoft also has parental controls built into windows to limit the time your children can use the computer and restrict them as to some of the things they can do.
You will read in the article several sites that allow you to track and see what your child has been doing on the internet. They can report any obscene language or material viewed. Check out Filterview.
It is recommended not to allow a pc in the child’s room but keep in a family area. Explain to them what they can and cannot do on the internet. Explain the dangers of pornography, giving personal information, etc and such things will not be tolerated resulting in loss of privileges. Let them know about child predators and you cannot trust every person you meet or everything you read online.
For regular users:
Microsoft has a new free Antivirus tool called Microsoft Security Essentials! You can download it here. It guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software. I have not tested it but I am hoping it will prevent all Windows Security 2007, Windows Antivirus 2010, and all other variants from being downloaded to your computer. You still have the free AVG, Panda, Malwarebytes, and more available to download and install if you do not like Microsoft or it doesn’t catch or remove something you need it to.
Search Engines - Remember those annoying rogue “virus scanners” that tell you your computer is infected with x virus’ click here to remove are the MALICIOUS SOFTWARE! IMO the best thing to do if it pops up is hit Ctrl+Shift+Esc, click the Applications Tab, Highlight your browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, etc) and Click End Task. It might pop up another window saying end now…click end now. Then reopen your browser and start fresh again.
In saying all that, when using search engines be careful of the sites you click on. A lot of the Malicious software are hidden in PHISHING sites. You search “how to change a light bulb” and it can be one of the listed result sites. Try to look for sites you know or have been on before. If it is installed DO NOT PAY!
Email - You have been told a million times but do not open attachments or click links on email from people you do not know.
To take it one step further pay attention to the content of the email. If it is something you receive from a buddy or family member doesn’t seem like something they would send, do not open attachments or click links until you confirm they meant to send it. Their account could have been jacked and emails are being sent without their consent or knowledge. This will continue until they change their password…that is usually all it takes to resolve the issue.
Internet Browsers - all those fancy toolbars at the top of the browser can slow performance of your computer/internet. To remove them click start>control panel>add remove programs (windows xp) or Programs and Features in Vista or 7. Find the toolbar in the list. Highlight it and click uninstall.
Free office tools - As many of you know Microsoft Office is very expensive and you have some quirky teachers at times that want something typed up in WordPerfect or something like that. OpenOffice is a free office suite that allows you to open and save in multiple formats…there is another but I cannot remember the name of it.
