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The right knowledge of computer along with internet use can better make it easier to safeguard yourself as well as your laptop or computer.  Are you aware that the web browser like Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Safari, Opera etc. which comes standard, has Internet safety control features that just needs to be activated?  A couple of simple steps and you can have specific websites blocked which might have harmful or malicious code.  However, you will not understand this if you do not know all that you may learn about the computer or the internet.

Now you are aware the significance of staying prepared about the internet safety and a computer in general, you may be curious about tips on how to start to do so.  Thankfully, there are a number of ways which you can learn all you’ll want to find out computer and internet use.  Some of these approaches are discussed below for your benefit.

An easy way to learn about Internet safety and about your computer is to teach yourself. In fact, what better way is there than to jump on your computer and open Google to look for resources to educate yourself. Most of the companies like Microsoft are providing information online to protect users online.

Friends, colleagues and relatives are another way to learn about Internet safety. Look for persons you feel who are good at computers and online world. Take advice and tips from them, meet them to learn how to enable Internet safety settings on.

You can take a course on computers and Internet. These courses are sometimes offered freely or for an very affordable fee by computer institutes in your locality. Look for classified in your newspaper to know such kind of courses.

We can not avoid to use Internet, so better to keep yourself updated to avoid becoming victim of cyber threat. We will be posting more tips and article related to online safety. Post your comment to share your thoughts and ideas on Internet safety.

As it was previously stated, numerous situations can develop online that contain the potential to be risky. One particular situations is when sensitive information is exchanged with a stranger. Has your youngster recently given away your phone number, address, or their email address to someone who they don’t really know?

If so, be sure to change as much information as possible. This may involve changing your home phone number or your child’s cell phone number or email address. Be sure to take additional safety steps, for instance always being aware of your surroundings, locking your home and car, and you may also want to contact your local authorities. Be sure to talk to your kids about the risks of changing personal data online.

In keeping with exchanging personal data online, your kid may end up talking to an adult, thinking that they are another teenager or close to their age. If that is the case, your child is likely dealing with an internet predator, who can be old enough to be a parent or a grandparent.

If your kid has made contact, intentionally or unintentionally, with an older person online, has any personal information been exchanged? If so, change that information, like your child’s email address, cell phone, or even if your home phone number. Make sure that the contact stops immediately. Contact the authorities, school officials, and make sure that all family members know. Get as much information you can about the real person behind the computer. The police may be able to help you do so.

Many school and junior school students use social networking websites, like Orkut, bigadda, Facebook, Hi5, MySpace etc.. Unluckily, many also mistakenly believe that it is a good idea to try to look cool, online and at any cost. Your youngster may post pictures or videos of themselves online doing illegal activities, like smoking or drinking underage, stealing, or doing drugs.

If this is something that your kid has done, be sure to remove the pictures or videos right away. If your child’s pictures or videos have been viewed by school officials or authorities, they may be facing punishment. A lawyer should be called if your child is arrested. If your son or daughter is suspended from school or extra curricular activities, speak to school officials. What can be done by both you, the parent, and your kid?

Online harassment is another common problem that kids, namely junior school and high school kids face. This harassment can be done by a complete stranger, an online friend, or a friend right at school. When friends have a falling out or even just a simple disagreement, many turn to the internet to seek revenge, as it is possible to hide behind a computer.

If your youngster finds themselves a victim of online harassment, the authorities should be contacted. This is particularly important if your son or daughter does not actually know, personally, the person who is making threats or spreading harmful rumors. If the average person doing so is a former friend or another individual at school, there are a number of steps that you can take. If you know the child and their moms and dads, consider arranging a meeting, but be aware and use your best judgment. Alternatives involve contacting the authorities or the school.

Essentially, there are many of eye opening and very dangerous situations that your youngster can find themselves in online. Just ensure that you, as the parent, make a move to help and protect your child.

In a previous post , I had talked about how to identify if your child is in trouble online, or might be getting stressed due to his or her lifestyle on the internet.

We might want to believe that the Internet is as safe a place as can be, but for children, or far that matter, the less learned, it can turn out to be quite a nuisance. Here, we talk about what should one do incase, inspite all the precautions, your child has run into trouble online.

In the previous article about your child addiction to the Internet, I had stated that there could be various situations where your child could get caught in. One of them was sharing personal information with strangers on the internet. Has your child recently given away your adress, email or postal, or your phone number to someone he doesn’t know?

Make it a point to talk to your child about dangers of exchanging information online. If your child has made contact, intentionally or otherwise, has any personal information  been exchanged? If so, change all means of communication and make sure that all contact stops immediatly. Contact school officials, authorities and make sure all family members know.

For school children, posting of videos where they are doing daring things, like taking drugs or alchohol could be posted online, as a part of looking cool. If you find out about any such thing, make sure you take it off the internet immediatly and get in touch with a lawyer if your child is arrested.

Another common problem is online harassment or better known as cyber bullying. This could be done by a stanger, an acquaintance, or someone right from school with whom your child may have had a fallout. The reason for this is simple; it becomes very easy to hide behind a computer.

If your child finds themselves as a victim, its time to contact the authorities. This becomes more important when your child does not know the person making threats. If the person is a former friend or someone from school, there are a number of things that you can do. You could arrange a meeting, be cautious and use your judgement. An alternative could be getting in touch with school authorities.

As one can see, the internet could turn out to be anything but safe for your child. Your duty as a parent is to make sure that you take steps and keep your child safe online.

• They get online the same time everyday.

Some predators act the same age as the child. Then , they get to work to win the trust of the one targeted. The process for the same could last from a few days to weeks. You may figure out something if your child chooses to get online at the same time, every single day.This may be a sure sign that they are communicating with someone who may not hold good intention towards your child.

• They don’t want you to see when they use the computer .

Does your child avoid you while using the computer? Do they try to keep their online activities a secret?If they automatically shut down the computer or put a game on, they may not want you to see whats going on. This may be a sure sign that they are doing something online that they shouldn’t, like having a direct conversation with a stranger who maybe a child predator.

• They are very low.

As I said before, your child could be happy using the internet, but another tell tale sign is that they are depressed when they sign off the computer. Many parents don’t realise that a lot of kids use the internet for harassment. If your child has a fallout with a friend, the harassment might be happening online. In this case, your child would appear to you as being extremely low and depressed.

• They are happy to get off the internet.

If your child is very happy when getting off the internet, it might be a cause for concern. They maybe on the verge of a relation which they are happy about. What a lot of teenagers dont realise is that anyone could actually hide behind a computer. This is why it is important to talk to your child about the dangers of online romance.

These signs are just a few of the many that your child is in trouble online. You might want to lookout for the biggest sign, i.e, a change in behaviour. If you doubt that your child is running a chance of getting into trouble online, make sure you get talking at the earliest.

A child should never know more than a parent does about the internet. At the very least, you should know about the same. If you are looking to block adult websites or websites that have offensive language, it will not do you any good if your teenager knows ways to get around the parental controls that you set. That is why it is important that you know how to use a computer and the internet or learn if you don’t know.

Another reason why you should be well educated on the internet and computer use is because you are better able to fully understand the dangers of them. You may hear that an internet predator approached or kidnapped a child on the news, but you may automatically assume that it will not happen to your child. Unfortunately, until you understand how the internet works, you really have no idea. Does your child use internet chat rooms or social networking websites? If so, do you know how easy the internet makes it for someone to create a whole new, fake identity?

A good understanding of computer and internet use can better enable you to protect your child. Do you know that Internet Explorer, the browser that comes standard, has a free parental control option that just needs to be activated? A few easy steps and you can have certain websites blocked from your child. Unfortunately, you won’t know this if you don’t know all that you can know about the computer or the internet. Speaking of the internet, additional online safety tools for parents can be purchased online as well.

Now that you know the importance of staying in the know about the internet and a computer in general, you may be curious as to how you can go about doing so. The good news is that there are a number of ways that you can learn all that you need to know about computer and internet use. A few of these ways are outlined below for your convenience.

Teaching yourself is an easy way to learn about the internet and computer use. In fact, what better way is there than to just jump on the computer and see what you can find. For starters, examine your computer or your internet browser for free internet safety tools for parents. You may also want to visit some of the websites that your child visits, just to see what they are subjecting themselves to. Visit their online profile for MySpace, Facebook, or another social networking website. Does it make you uneasy? Are the discussions taking place in your child’s favorite chat room too adult?

You can also ask a trusted friend or relative for help. Do not ask your child or teenager for help though. If they know that you want to set up parental controls or keep tabs on their internet use, they may withhold important information from you. Instead, invite a trusted friend or relative over for coffee and lunch and let them show you the ins and outs of the internet. All you really need is a couple of hours.

You can also take an internet or computer education course. These courses are sometimes offered for free or for an affordable fee by local community groups, colleges, or vocational training centers. In fact, see if your child’s school offers anything. Some schools host informational seminars for parents on internet safety about once a year.

Stop, Think and click

We take a lot of things for granted in life. There are the obvious things like your car, house, or even your cell phone. Sure if you went a day with out one of those it would be difficult, but what about the Internet? Internet has entered lives of millions of people and effectively transforming their complex tasks into simpler ones. Earlier doing research involves several tiring library trips.

Days are gone when we used to work on 14.4kbps dial up line to open hotmail screen. Telphone line was being used to connect I, but now broadband has changed the scenario. These days we are so used to lighting fast Internet that we get upset when it takes even ten seconds to load page. We are now so used to having all the information in the world at our fingertips that if it were taken away, a lot of people wouldn’t know what to do.

The internet gives you access to information, entertainment, convenience of banking, products and services. but at the same time, it can leave you open to online scams, identity thieves, ers and more.

We will be providing information on various topics like messaging & chat rooms, online scammers, social networking, P2P, Cyber bullying, sexting, e-mail and many more topics.

Learn and keep visiting this blog to keep you updated in the field of broadband & internet.