Internet and Technology Training for Parents/Caregivers

Please friends .... Do not let this opportunity go by to learn how to protect your kids online.

KIDS Center is offering a two hour training to help parents and other caregivers protect children online. The training is only $10 and will be a very valuable tool for keeping kids safe with technology. Scholarships are available.

Internet and Technology Training for Parents/Caregivers

kidscenter.org

FACEBOOK SAFETY TIPS

Contributed by Veronica Schneider, Little d Technology

Facebook is a social networking site used by more than 500 million people in every country on the planet, so far in 70 languages. The site’s minimum age is 13, but teens represent only a minority population on Facebook. It’s used by a lot of adults, certainly including parents.

So how do you keep your kids and yourself safe when using Facebook? According to Anne Collier and Larry Magid the Co-Directors of ConnectSafely.org, who wrote a 34 page guide on Facebook safety, the top safety tips are:

• One way to monitor your child’s Facebook activities, is to “friend” them and get them to friend you – then you can establish a family rule that says something like, “No one can block other family members from content any of us posts in Facebook.”

• Use your real age when setting up only. Facebook provides additional protection for users under the age of 13.

• Choose your friends wisely. If you choose not to accept someone as a friend they will not know.

• Do not use your picture for your profile. Instead choose a cartoon character or image that you really like.

• Never put your address, place of birth, phone number, date of birth or email address on Facebook for public viewing.

• Go to www.fbparents.org and look at the Parents guide to Facebook to find out more info on Facebook safety.

But the number one tip is to talk to your kids and set some rules about socializing online and even using the internet. The more you talk the more you will both be on the same page!

NOTE: Veronica Schneider has been with Little d Technology for three years. She is currently a freshman at Central Oregon Community College studying for a business transfer degree, and is a co-facilitator at the Ford Leadership program La Pine Cohort #2. This talented young lady teaches clients of all ages how to use their computers effectively. If you are interested in a computer tutoring session with Veronica, give her a call at Little d Technology at 541-536-1079.

Top Safety Tips for Protecting Digital Image Files

With the advent of digital photography and flash memory, a whole new set of potential problems has evolved for photographers. DriveSavers Data Recovery Engineer, Chris Bross, has assembled the following list of tips on how to handle flash memory cards properly and help prevent the potential loss of precious photographs.

• BACK UP YOUR IMAGES! Protect yourself and your irreplaceable images by backing up onto CD, DVDs, tapes, online storage or an external hard drive. This will help guard against data loss when (not if) your hard drive crashes unexpectedly.

• TRANSFER YOUR PHOTOS. Copy the image files from the camera's flash memory to a computer's hard drive a soon as you can. We recommend not deleting images or reformatting the memory card while it is still in the camera. Wait until all photos are transferred and verified.

• FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS. Take care when removing flash memory from the camera or card reader. Avoid deleting or corrupting images by using the eject command on the computer or moving the card icon from the desktop to the trash/recycle bin before physically removing the card.

• VERIFY THE TRANSFER. Open the images on the hard drive before reformatting the card.

• MAKE MORE THAN ONE COPY. Back up your backup media and keep a duplicate offsite in a secure location.

• PROTECT YOUR FLASH MEMORY CARDS. Use the plastic holder when carrying them around. Simple static buildup can zap the card and make it unreadable. There are other dangers as well, such as breaking a card in your pocket or putting the card, along with your clothing, in the wash.

• REPLACE YOUR FLASH MEMORY CARDS. Typically, flash memory cards can be used about 1,000 times before they start to wear out.


• AVOID EXTREME TEMPERATURES. Heat, cold and humidity can wreak havoc with digital equipment, especially flash memory.

RAID Systems Are Not Infallible

by DriverSavers.com

Many businesses and organizations of all sizes rely on RAID(Redundant Array of Independent Disks) systems that distribute data and parity across a set of disks, protecting files held on the array against the failure of any individual disk. Unfortunately, even these redundant systems are not completely infallible. Initial failures sometimes go undetected until a secondary failure has occurred. A RAID 5 configuration can only offset the failure of a single disk drive, but cases of multiple drive failures happen more frequently than one might imagine.

To help you avoid catastrophic data loss we've assembled a few best practices:

• Never upgrade any system without a verified backup.
• Use up-to-date hardware and software utilities for data security, such as firewalls and virus protection.
• Scan all incoming data, including packaged software, for viruses.
• Use ventilation, fans, and/or air conditioning to keep servers at the proper operating temperature.
• Connect systems to an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to protect against power surges.
• Power down and take extreme caution when moving computers.
• Avoid static electrical charges when touching or handling the media, especially in arid environments.
• Maintain an alternate and remote data center with "real-time" copies of corporate applications and data.
• Train users to report any unusual noises and power down immediately if a drive makes scraping, tapping, clicking or humming sounds.

Virus/Malware

So many of our customers come in with viruses. The question is usually "What did I do to get this virus?" The answers are varied. Here is an email I received today from a fellow technician. This is a common way to become infected. Please use caution when clicking on links contained in an email message. Especially if you do not know who the sender is.

Here is the message my friend received today, please read and take notice:

"If you receive an email, from anyone, with the subject line of “Here you have” it will contain a link to a malicious website that will infect your computer with a virus/malware. The email is not stopped by virus/malware filtering because the email doesn’t contain the virus/malware, but only a link to a website containing the virus/malware. The email is poorly worded yet tens of thousands of people have clicked on the link and infected their computers. This is not a new attack per se, the same subject line was used in 2001 with the Anna Kournikova virus. The virus/malware has already taken on new variations, and the subject line can be different that what is stated above. I’m trying to institute some additional measures here to protect us but the first line of defense belongs to the users. Remember, do not blindly follow links in emails, no matter who the sender is. Remember, most viruses and malware use the address book of the infected person to send itself out to other potential victims. This is why you can get an infected email from someone you actually know.

Currently NASA, ABC News, Wells Fargo, Procter & Gamble, Disney, Florida Dept of Transportation, and Comcast are battling infection because some of their users followed the link and infected their networks."

HP Expands Recall of Notebook Computer Batteries Due to Fire Hazard

This recall involves many different models of notebooks sold under the following brands: HP, HP Pavilion, Compaq Presario and HP Compaq. Several other HP battery recalls preceded this one, dating to 2005. You can find out if you have a battery from this recall or from one the older recalls on HP's recall site, which also has details about how to get your free replacement battery if you have one of the recalled units. HP also has an FAQ regarding all the battery recalls.

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10240.html

A Great Example of using Social Media

One of my favorite websites is All-Star Basketball Academy's site. You can find it at http://www.ababend.com/index2.html. Here, Daniel integrates his Constant Contact Newsletters as well as his blog link into his site. I love the way the website is at the center of all this.