Family and Child Online Safety Blog - SafetyClicks

Do you know where your kids are online?

Karen Diro — 2010-08-05T14:43:00+00:00

Filed under: Online Safety Tips, Safety News, Parental Controls, Articles of Interest

Wouldn't it be nice if your kid or teen always checked with you before they went online or tried to visit a questionable website? Even better would be if you were able to control the types of sites they could visit on the vast World Wide Web! The reality, sadly true, is that the Internet makes it so easy for kids to browse freely and access sites with content that may or may not be appropriate for them. Besides, our lives (which gets busier every day) make it more and more difficult for us to constantly watch over where our kids are going online. As moms, we want to trust our kids online, but it's even better if we can use tools to help use keep the bad influences at bay.

The AOL Safety Toolbar is an alternative to traditional heavy parental controls PC software. It's a light-weight web filtering toolbar that filters inappropriate content and provides built-in "family-friendly" search results. This free toolbar is designed for parents who want to safeguard and monitor their children's Internet browsing and works with both Internet Explorer and Firefox.

The AOL Safety Toolbar's dynamic filters evaluate sites in real time helping to ensure that most objectionable content is blocked even if it was just posted to the web minutes ago. With its dual filtering mode (strict & moderate), the AOL Safety toolbar allows for flexible family settings, and parents have the ability to customize their own list of "blocked" sites. The family-friendly search box built into the toolbar provides only family safe search results.

The AOL Safety Toolbar is also the only parental controls toolbar to offer a "warning" mode instead of just a "blocking" mode. If a parent selects this option, a child who encounters a page that may have inappropriate content sees a warning that the site may not be appropriate for them, and then the child can choose whether or not to continue on to that site allowing for uninterrupted web browsing. The toolbar will report the site visit so parents know where their children have been on the Internet. Detailed activity reports provide information about which sites your kids have visited, sites that have been blocked/ warned, and sites to which your child has requested access. Parents can view reports directly from the toolbar or via email. This serves as a great conversation starter if you notice that your kid is visiting or being blocked from sites that they shouldn't be trying to visit.

If you're looking for an easy way to monitor and safeguard your child's web browsing experience, you may want to check out the AOL Safety Toolbar. Since every family's needs and values are different, only you can determine what type of parental controls tool is right for you and your family. The AOL Safety Toolbar delivers a light-weight web filtering product with detailed reports on web activity. Parents looking for a more robust parental controls solution may want to use a full-featured parental controls software solution such as AOL Parental which provides web filtering, Activity Reports on the web as well as via email, time limit controls, and contact controls for AIM and AOL Mail. You can see more about parental controls options in our article "Parental Controls Basics".

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Social Networking On the Move

Francis Duncan — 2010-07-14T06:43:00+00:00

Filed under: Social Networking, Technology, Articles of Interest

The internet has been at your fingertips everywhere you go with your cell phone for a while. However, it is no longer just the techno-guy in your life, it is seemingly everyone. For example, the iPhone came out with the next version in early July, people stood in line for hours to make sure they got the latest and greatest. Not that the old iPhone was going to stop working, but people wanted the newest version. People I know, who have never been particularly techno-savvy were talking about how excited they were to get the new gadget. Anne Collier at NetFamilyNews.org hit the nail on the head - people are not carrying cell phones anymore, they are carrying full blown computers that are connected to the internet. She highlights a few statistics from Pew research:These numbers account for all cell phone owners:

* 34% record video, up from 19% (the biggest year-to-year jump: 15%)
* 38% access the Net, up from 25% (the 2nd biggest jump: 13%)
* 76% take photos on their phones, up from 66% a year ago (10% jump, tying with...)
* 30% send/receive instant messages, up from 20% (10% jump)
* 34% send/receive email, up from 25% (9% jump)
* 34% play games, up from 27% (7% jump)
* 72% text on phones, up from 66% (6% jump)

What does this mean for your family?

- Technology is moving faster now than ever before and people are adopting the new technology at much faster rates. Keep technology a conversation in your family, asking often how everyone in the family is using it. For example, yesterday's cell phone is today's computer.

- There are parental controls for many devices and systems. They will help, but no program is going to keep your family as safe as you will. Depending on the device and the individual child, know what they are doing any time they connect to the internet (even if it is via a cell phone).

- The social networking fad seems to be sticking around long enough to no longer be considered a "fad". Sign up to the services your kids use (or want to use). See for yourself what they want to do. You will be better suited to understand what the kids are talking about when you have gone through the process.

How has technology changed your life? Do you look forward to new techno-gadgets? Has technology changed your family in any way?

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Back to Basics

Francis Duncan — 2010-07-13T04:13:00+00:00

Filed under: Parental Controls, Articles of Interest

We are half way through 2010 and solidly into summer vacation. How are the settings on all the parental control devices you use working for your family? Strange question for July? Maybe - but as our children grow, their needs change. Your parental control settings you have on the computer might still make sense, but they might not. Instead of waiting for the end of the year or for birthdays to modify the settings, take the time to check now without the hustle and bustle of the holidays taking all of your time.

Look at the parental controls on the computer. Do the settings make sense for each user of the computer. You can normally have logins for each user of the computer. That way you don't have to have the same restricted settings as your 8-year-old son, and you can allow your teen more freedom.

Is your gaming system connected to the internet? If so, make sure the parental control settings make sense for each person who plays.

Most cell phones can both take pictures and connect to the internet. Luckily, most cell phone companies also have some level of parental controls on them. Like computer parental controls, the settings for cell phones will also change over time. Maybe the setting you wanted to use last time wasn't there, but it is now? Maybe it is time to allow more freedom than you had before?

Each child is different and every family is certainly different. There will never been a technical solution that is better than parenting. But sometimes parents need technical help with parenting situations. Enough.org has a check list of Rules 'N Tools that you can use to help in the decisions for you family.

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Adult Industry Booming on Cell Phones

Francis Duncan — 2010-07-12T04:47:00+00:00

Filed under: Internet Safety Tips, Technology, Articles of Interest, Sexting

According to Enough.org, the mobile phone is not only a communication device; it is a $1 billion adult industry fueled by users accessing adult content via the cell phone. This is not counting the user-generated adult images that are being sent over and over and over again using cameras that are built into most cell phones. Yes, I am talking about sexting.

Sexting isn't making anyone any money (that I know of), but 3 in 10 young people report being a part of some kind of naked sexting (either sending or receiving). One in 10 report sending a naked picture of him or herself. This translates into more people sexting than using their cell phone to access pornographic web sites.

Parents are shocked by this, but some teens just see it as a part of life or no big deal.

So what now? We educate the youth. We (as parents) spend time talking with our kids about the realities in the world. We incorporate the new technology into the teachings at school, and we hope for the best. All we can do is teach them about using technology responsibly and the risks that they face. It is up to the youth to decide what to do with the information.

What are your thoughts on how to best educate the youth about the dangers of sexting?

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Textual Harassment

Francis Duncan — 2010-07-09T16:40:00+00:00

Filed under: Cyberbullying

The school-yard bullies that I knew stayed in the school yard. Now the territory reaches much further. The bully is likely to attack via a social networking site, possibly via instant message or email, and sometimes through the cell phone. Some experts are calling the bullying via cell phone 'textual harassment'.

The questions stand - What do we do about it? Who is accountable?

Dr. Elizabeth Englander suggests the answer to both questions. I particularly like her suggestions of how to work with school administrators. Too often, I read about parents who are blaming the schools, the schools saying they can't be responsible for things that happen outside school grounds and the child in the middle wondering how to get back to a sense of sanity in his/her world.

The fact is the responsibility is on the bully. Learning how to deal with the school-yard bully is hard, both on the victim and on the parents who want to help. It is also hard on the school who wants to help. There is no easy answer that fits every situation and we can't expect one. As a parent, you are in the best position to help your child because you know them best. You can help your child with the tips given by Dr. Englander and tips previously posted here.

Have you had to deal with a bully who has used technology to further harass your child? How have you coped?

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Supreme Court Decision on Sexting Case

Francis Duncan — 2010-07-06T02:06:00+00:00

Filed under: Articles of Interest, Sexting

About a month ago, I posted an article about the U.S. Supreme Court hearing a case about texting and if a California police officer should have privacy relating to his texts sent on a department issued pager. As expected, the case was decided in June before the break. The court found that the police department did have the right to review the texts of the officer who was using a department pager to send sexually explicit texts to another person.

Just like the fact that schools have the right to search lockers and companies have the right to read employee email, the decision is not limited to communications via company email.

The next time I use company email to confirm dinner plans with my husband, I will keep this decision in mind. Even though it isn't too personal, I know that my boss could read the mail if she had cause to check my mail. Will this decision make you change your behavior with company cell phones, pagers or email?

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Parental Controls Follows Teens to the Car

Francis Duncan — 2010-06-29T06:30:00+00:00

The 2010 Ford Focus has a new feature that is designed for the new teen driver. More specifically, the parent of the new teen driver.

The "MyKey Safety System" allows you to assign a key to individuals. The key has a chip that tells the car which driver is in the car and sets specific safety features such as a seat belt reminder, a reduced top volume for the audio system, and what is sure to be the parental favorite, a device that limits the top speed.

Would features such as these encourage you to buy a Ford Focus for your teen driver? What do you think about this kind of parental control?

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Summer Games - Turning Advice Into Practice

Francis Duncan — 2010-06-22T04:25:00+00:00

Filed under: Technology, Video Gaming

Games, both online and through consoles like the PS3 or Wii, have never held much interest for me. Because I never paid much attention, I don't know much more than what I see in the news about what they are capable of. When I go to conferences about online safety, there are always people talking about how to keep kids safe on the gaming systems. This summer, I have some young family members (8 and 10) coming to visit and they are bringing their Wii. I am looking forward to trying it out (I've heard that Rock Band is a lot of fun!), but I am also now faced with a reality of having to make sure that they are safe while using the gaming system while they visit. In addition to talking to their parents about the do's and don'ts, I want to know what to be aware of.

I first checked this blog. I found that Holly posted some good tips for gaming safety of the Wii. I also found some helpful things at the manufacturer's web site (in my case, Wii). I searched the web site for "parental controls" and familiarized myself with how to use them and know to ask Mom and Dad what their password is so I can use it if needed.

Since they are likely going to also want to use my computer, I am also checking my settings on my own computer and installing parental controls. Enough.org, whom I've mentioned before, has some good resources from which parents can learn for all topics technology and safety related. I am more familiar with these topics, but since I haven't had children in the house for any length of time before, I am brushing up.

A few other resources that can help:
ESRB: This is the group who rates all video games by age group and tell why the ratings were chosen (violence, language, etc.) They can tell you

Internet Safety 101 is a resource for all things internet safety related. Since most gaming systems use the internet as part of the play, I am refreshing my knowledge here as well. You can order the entire program for yourself.

Do you have any more tips for my upcoming visit with kids that I may not have thought of?

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Where Are You?

Francis Duncan — 2010-06-15T06:23:00+00:00

Filed under: Internet Lingo, Sharing Info Online, Social Networking, Technology

One of the popular tools hitting social networks lately are location applications such as FourSquare. When you register with one of these applications, it will update the social networks of your choosing with locations as you arrive at them.

I don't want to get into all the details about how to sign up and how it works. You can go to the site for those details. Instead, I wanted to share this with you in the interest of sharing knowledge of new uses for existing technology. I don't know how many teens are using this kind of technology, I only learned about it through a few of my friends (all adults).

The basics premise is that you use your cell phone to announce where you are at any given time to your friends on social networks. Here is an example of FourSquare in action when one of my friends went to a local restaurant. (His name and pictures covered for privacy).

Since my friend registered with FourSquare, he has "checked in" 103 times. This means that he posted that he was at a specific location on Facebook and Twitter 103 times.

The badges represent various things including how frequently you go to a specific location and if you have any friends that recently checked in at the same location.

Once you "check in", it shows up on the social networks that you specify. Here is what the check in looks like on Facebook.

And here is what it looks like on Twitter

While there are some benefits to using applications like FourSquare, you want to be careful how you use it. I think it is obvious that you wouldn't want to post your home address. What may not be obvious is that there is some level of risk that if you post your location and often visit the same locations at the same times.

The purpose of this article is to simply show you how existing technology is being used in new ways. It is up to you to decide if and how to use it for yourself and your family. What are some of the benefits you see in using FourSquare? What are some of the risks you see?

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Texting Teens

Francis Duncan — 2010-06-08T05:11:00+00:00

Filed under: Technology

I've mentioned before that my only daughter is too young for many of the technologies we talk about on SafetyClicks. I am focusing more on her not putting my cell phone in her mouth than debating if she can have her own. With that said, it is sometimes hard for me to visualize statistics like texting has become the #1 form of communication among teens. I don't have the teen in my house sending thousands of texts per month and can't seem to actually look up from the phone.

This year my nephew, who is 15, got a cell phone. He, of course, had been asking for a cell phone for a long time, citing that all of his friends had cell phones (which is true). One of the contributing reasons he got the phone was that he began to miss out on various messages from his friends because of his lack of a cell phone. He missed messages such as a change of location for whose house everyone was going to, where they were going to eat lunch, etc. These are huge things to a 15-year-old.

The question hasn't changed much since I was a teen. How much is too much? My mother used to worry if I was spending too much time on the telephone (attached to the wall). Now the phone travels with teens. It travels with them when they are driving, in school, at the dinner table.

Do you text? Has the age-old worry just been slightly changed with new technology? Or is this just a matter of teaching cell phone etiquette, but the amount of communication is OK?

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June Is Internet Safety Month

Francis Duncan — 2010-06-01T02:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Internet Safety Tips, Online Safety Tips, Safety News

June is Internet Safety Month. There are several measures you can take to help keep your family safe while still getting the most out of the Internet. I think that knowledge is a great place to start.

NetSmartzKids is a great resource for younger kids. There are games, videos and trivia that are made for the younger users.

Related to NetSmartz, NSTeens.org. This is made for the teens in the house and includes comics, videos and games.

Parents are invited to read past entries on SafetyClicks, learn about the internet safety program from Enough.org and simply talk to your kids about what they do online.

Internet Safety Month may not be the most glamorous celebration this summer, but I think it is one worth celebrating. What do you think you can do to mark the occasion?

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Simple Is Better

Francis Duncan — 2010-05-25T07:37:00+00:00

Filed under: Internet Safety Tips, Sharing Info Online, Online Safety Tips, Social Networking

Recently Facebook has been under fire for a variety of reasons relating to privacy. For the record, I still have my Facebook profile. I do, however, treat Facebook like I do my personal blog, like I do any other place online where I can share a piece of myself. Anything I want to be kept private, I simply don't put online. I have posted tips on keeping yourself and your family safe while online, but I think CommonSenseMedia summed it up quite nicely:

3 Simple Rules to Keep in Mind

Stick with your friends. Have your teens limit their privacy settings to Only Friends. That'll restrict who sees your kids' information, including pictures, videos, and applications they use.
Keep private information private. When filling out their bios, teens can leave fields blank. There is no need for your teens to post their phone numbers or addresses. These features are optional and aren't required to create a Facebook account.
Don't let your information get away from you. If your teens haven't restricted who can share their information, their personal data can end up in the hands of marketers. Also, advise your teens to be on the lookout for personal information requests -- like their birthday or music playlist -- from third parties. And make sure your teens uncheck the public search results box so people can't find their Facebook page through a Google search.

What are some simple tips you have to keep yourself and family safe while online?

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Parental Dilemma, Technology Answer?

Francis Duncan — 2010-05-18T03:06:00+00:00

Filed under: Technology, Video Gaming, TV & Video

A recent question to a parents group I am a part of asked how to control time spent on both the TV and the video game system. While many suggested various parenting techniques, there were some technology answers posted as well.

- The Time Machine Children's Time Management System
- Time's Up! TV and Gaming Time Limiting Device

I have not used, nor can I endorse these items, but I am intrigued by them. Have you ever seen something like this in use? What do you think of them?

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Shock and Awe Isn't Shocking Enough

Francis Duncan — 2010-05-11T07:57:00+00:00

Filed under: Articles of Interest, Sexting

Most parents are still shocked by the sexting reports involving teens, but this Australian report says that they may not be registering with teens in the same way.

This leads to another question of mine. Are teens, and eventually society, going to be so desensitized to what is now considered to be shocking behavior online? 150 years ago it would have been shocking to see women wearing pants in public. 100 years ago it was shocking that women were fighting to vote. Couples being divorced was shocking in the 1950s.

What do you think? Will hot news stories about teens sharing inappropriate pictures online even be newsworthy in the future? Or is this something that will still be shamed in years ahead?

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White House Computer Policy

Francis Duncan — 2010-05-04T08:13:00+00:00

Filed under: Technology, Articles of Interest

When Obama was first elected President, he made big waves by insisting on keeping his BlackBerry. He won that battle and became the "first e-mailing President". The next logical battle in the White House was bound to be how much time the first daughters can spend online.

First Lady, Michelle Obama told CNN that in their household, there is no TV, Internet or phones for the kids during the week. I am curious how Sasha (age 9 this year) and Malia (who turns 12 this year) feel about this policy.

What are the rules in your house about Internet, TV and telephone use?

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Sexting Case Heard by the Supreme Court

Francis Duncan — 2010-04-27T07:08:00+00:00

Filed under: Social Networking, Articles of Interest, Sexting

My name is Francis Duncan. I have been guilty of using company time, the company computer and even company e-mail to send personal e-mail. That last one to my father about his up-coming trip could have waited until after hours, but I sent it during office hours.

According to this MSNBC article, I am not the only person to use company resources for personal reasons. This one more personal than my example: "Jeff Quon, a California SWAT sergeant, was given a pager from his employer, the Ontario Police Department. He was later found to have used the device not only for work but also for pleasure, often sending sexually explicit text messages to his wife and his mistress."

Quon's employer found out by reading the texts, siting that the pager was "owned by the department". Quon felt that it was a violation of his privacy. The courts were brought into the mix and it is now going to be escalated to the Supreme Court to determine if the department had the right to read the texts.

The Supreme Court heard the case last Monday and a decision is expected by the end of June.

Regardless of how it turns out, this will effect most workplaces. What do you think the outcome should be? Should the messages be kept private? Or did the department have the right to read them?

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Surf Safely Out There

Francis Duncan — 2010-04-20T04:50:00+00:00

Filed under: Internet Safety Tips, Sharing Info Online, Definitions

Here are 10 tips to help you surf the Web safely. Share any other tips you have in the comments.

10 - Who Wants To Know? When you are registering with web sites that ask for information that you don't think it makes sense for them to have, double check it how that informaiton could be used. For example, most of the time when you are commenting, or interacting in some way, it is normal for a site to ask for your email address. But if you are not buying anything, it is not normal to ask for payment information.

9 - Who Are You? It is important to not lie about your identity, but also not reveal too much. It is OK to tell your real first name and age. It is normally OK to share your home state. It is a bad idea to give your address, phone number, or any personally identifiable information to people you don't know in real life.

8 - Sticks and Stones: I have been called many names, by many people - some not so flattering. Many times the best way to stop a bully is to ignore them. Reputable communication tools have the ability to block or ignore users including AOL's Instant Messenger (AIM) and e-mail systems, Facebook, Bebo, MySpace and Twitter. Use them. Love them. It can help save your sanity.

7 - Just Say No: Kids should be taught to get an adult whenever they see something online that makes them uncomfortable. Whatever makes you uncomfortable should be reported, then you blocked so that person cannot contact you again.

6 - Keep It To Yourself: Never share your password (the ONLY exception is that young children should share passwords with their parents). Best friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, or neighbors should not know nor be able to guess your passwords. Passwords should include numbers and letters and be strong enough that no one can guess it (birthdays, pet names and school mascots are popular passwords). It is also a good idea to have a different password for each login you have. Then if one is guessed, all logins are not at risk. Here are some tips on making a strong passwords.

5 - Don't Get Caught In Phishing Scams: some web sites are trustworthy, some are not. If you are shopping, sites that have a physical location (such as Target.com) and popular sites that you have heard a lot about (such as Amazon.com) are generally more trustworthy than a site you have never heard from. If you want to buy something from a site you have never heard of, it is a good idea to use paypal.com or a similar service that works as a go-between for you and the site you are buying from. You share your financial information with paypal (a reputable site) and they get the money to the person on the other end - instead of you sharing your financial information with someone you don't know. Buying from that person might be 100% safe, but there is no way to be certain without experience. Here is a video from McAffee that may also help.

4 - BFFs: Social networking sites are great places to keep in touch with people you already know in real life. If you choose to communicate with people online that you have only talked to online, that can be safe. Just remember that you don't actually know them in real life and it is very easy to hide behind a computer screen and not tell the whole truth. If you (an adult) do choose to meet someone that you've only met online previously, make sure it is in a public place and you bring along other people with you , or that you at least let someone trustworthy know your plans. Kids should probably not meet someone in person and if they do, parents should always be involved.

3 - Don't Get Sick: In an effort to steal your password or just to be malicious, people send viruses through email, social networks and on web sites that are made to look legit. To protect yourself, make sure you run an anti-virus scan very regularly and be careful about what you download and what you click on. If you get a "special message" from your Facebook friend or an e-mail from your Aunt Trudy, and it is out of character for him/her to do it - it might not be legitimate. It is best to not download the file or click on the link until you check. For more information, you can also check out AOL's security offerings.

2 - Who Are You? User names can be almost anything you want it to be, but you aren't as anonymous as you think you are. People who know you, know it is you with just a few comments. Also, every time you sign in, you are linked into an IP address. This address is just a series of numbers, but it points to where in the world you are connected to the Internet.

1 - Just Think: Your best tool for online safety is using good old fashioned common sense. Nothing I write about on this blog is earth shattering. It is the same things we all know - we just need to be reminded every once in a while.

Do you have any other ideas on how to keep safe on the Internet?

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Family Social Networks

Francis Duncan — 2010-04-13T07:20:00+00:00

Filed under: Social Networking, Articles of Interest

I have a cousin who lives in Alaska. I have known her mother, but various circumstances have prevented my cousin and I from meeting in person. Especially in the last couple of years, I have talked to my cousin over the phone and through letters several times. When she found out I was on Facebook, she immediately sent me a friend request. Since then, we share pictures of our expanding families and keep in touch pretty regularly.

Apparently this is not uncommon. According to this article from the U.K., one in five families keep in touch via social networking sites.

Many decades ago, families didn't stray go far from home as they grew. Now, a very large percentage of people I know have moved far from their hometown. As people are more and more mobile, the Internet is being used to keep families together. It may not be as good as the family dinners, but it is better than nothing.

Do you keep in touch with family online more than you do in real life?

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National Broadband Goals

Francis Duncan — 2010-04-09T15:57:00+00:00

Filed under: Internet Lingo, Technology

Among the many goals put forward by President Obama, one goal is to have affordable broadband available to at least 100 million U.S. homes. According to the previous census, there were 110 million houses in 2007, so this is a bold goal.

The specific action items are: (From broadband.gov)
Goals & Action Items Highlights
Goal No. 1: At least 100 million U.S. homes should have affordable access to actual download speeds of at least 100 megabits per second and actual upload speeds of at least 50 megabits per second.

In order to be a world leader in access to broadband by 2020, the plan has recommendations to foster competition, drive demand for increased network performance and lower the cost of deploying infrastructure. These will help inform consumers about broadband performance, expand services and infrastructure, and reform access to rights-of-way to lower barriers to entry for firms.

Goal No. 2: The United States should lead the world in mobile innovation, with the fastest and most extensive wireless networks of any nation.

Without enough spectrum, the wonderful potential that wireless and mobile broadband promise will remain unrealized. The Plan recommends making 500 megahertz of spectrum available by 2020, including 300 megahertz within the next five years, for both licensed and unlicensed use. In addition, the Commission recommends initiatives to ensure greater transparency and access in allocating spectrum for various uses.

Goal No. 3: Every American should have affordable access to robust broadband service, and the means and skills to subscribe if they so choose.

Not only is our world increasingly accessible online, but Americans have more opportunity for civic engagement than ever. But for these exciting online tools to be useful, every American must: have access to a network; be able to afford that access; and have the opportunity to develop digital skills. The Plan proposes reprioritization of resources and strategic targeting of efforts in order to achieve the goal of a 90% broadband adoption rate by 2020.

Goal No. 4: Every community should have affordable access to at least 1 gigabit per second broadband service to anchor institutions such as schools, hospitals, and government buildings.

The plan makes recommendations to upgrade the E-rate and improve the Rural Health Care support programs. Reforming incentive structures, licensing, and data interoperability, ensure that public priorities take advantage of the benefits broadband networks offer. And once community anchors are connected to gigabit speeds, it will become less expensive and more practical to get the same speeds to homes.

Goal No. 5: To ensure the safety of American communities, every first responder should have access to a nationwide, wireless, interoperable broadband public safety network.

Often, first responders from different jurisdictions cannot communicate effectively with each other at the scene of an emergency. A nationwide broadband safety network should be robust enough to maintain performance in the aftermath of a disaster, and should allow every first responder to communicate with each other and share real-time data over high-speed connections.

Goal No. 6: To ensure that America leads in the clean energy economy, every American should be able to use broadband to track and manage their real-time energy consumption.

The United States must lead by encouraging renewable power, grid storage, and vehicle electrification. Real-time data can also inform automated thermostats and appliances, allowing consumers to save energy and money while reducing the need for expensive new power plants. Consumers should be able to access real-time usage information from smart meters and historical billing information over the Internet.

What do you think about these goals? Do you think it is about time? Or would you change it?

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Spring Cleaning Your Computer

Francis Duncan — 2010-04-02T07:48:00+00:00

Filed under: Technology, Articles of Interest

In honor of the season, and to procrastinate the Spring cleaning I need to do on the house, I did some research to find out what I should do to keep my computer clean. Here is what I found (and links to the sources). Disclaimer: I am far from a technical expert. These are general tips, but if you have specific questions, it is best to ask a computer technician.

- Rearrange Files: PC Magazine describes how to defrag your hard drive (PC users). This process will take apart files and put them back in order to maximize space on the hard drive (kind of like what I should be doing in my hall closet).

- Back Up, Back Up, Back Up: Thriftyfun.com reminds us to back up important files regularly (before losing that irreplaceable picture of your kids). You don't need to back up programs if you have the original disks, but do back up the files you created. This would include pictures, documents, etc. and put them all on an external hard drive, CD or some other system. This is also a good chance to delete the duplicate files you have and getting rid of the pictures you don't want to keep.

- Dust Off the Computer: This one is also from Thriftyfun.com. I won't tell you how much dust and who knows what I had on my top of the computer tower in my office. I'll just remind you that this is also good to do a couple of times a year. Maybe more.

- Out With the Old: Microsoft lets us know that it is OK to delete that program that you got a few years ago, tried once and never used again. Really - it is OK. Even if you did need it in the future, it has probably been updated so many times it is worth starting from scratch anyway.

- Don't Forget the Kids: SafetyClicks reminds you to review the parental controls you have for your kids. Look through sites the kids request access to, see what they have been doing. Is it time to adjust the limitations now that the kids are getting more mature and their needs are expanding?

- Nothing Replaces You: Again from SafetyClicks. Talk to your kids about how to be a responsible digital citizen and what you expect of them while they are online. Even if they roll their eyes, you can make sure your kids get the message about online safety if you tell them.

Do you have any other Spring cleaning tips for the computer or online safety?

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