|
|
The
Editor's Desk - From Beneath the Clutter
Feature Article - Is Someone Else's Computer Watching You?
Guest Article -
Tips for Encouraging Children To Write
Classified Ads
What a weekend. Had a good time at my husband's cousin's wedding. They had something there I've never seen before - a 3-foot tall chocolate fountain. If you haven't seen one before, you'll just have to believe me when I say I was impressed. I gather they're pretty new, as it was the first time the caterer had ever rented one. I wonder if they'll become popular at weddings now. My mother watched my daughter, so my husband and I got an evening out.
Deal alert! Amazon.com's big baby sale ends February 29! If you have a baby to shop for, now is the time to take a look.
Don't forget, you can contribute your articles or tips anytime for consideration. Just use the contact form.
Your privacy is important to you. You're careful about who you give your personal information to, but are you doing enough? Particularly online, it's easy to miss someone stealing your personal information.
The first thing you want to watch out for is strange email, particularly if it comes from what may appear to be a legitimate company. There are scam emails all around claiming to come from companies such as Citibank, PayPal, AOL and many other companies. These emails ask for your account information, credit card number or other personal information in an attempt to steal from you. Remember; never give out your credit card or other personal information in an email. If you receive such an email, go to the company's website by typing the address in yourself; do not click the link, which will take you to another site entirely. Contact the company only through the website or email addresses you know to be theirs, and ask if they need your information. Odds are they will not.
But privacy invasions can be much more subtle than that. I strongly recommend you download AdAware from http://www.lavasoft.de and run it regularly on your computer. This is a free program, and you will be amazed at the volume it finds. Much of it will be relatively harmless, but if you are getting unusual numbers of popups before, the number may be greatly decreased after AdAware cleans your computer. Be aware that some programs, such as Kazaa and Gator, have been known to have issues with items that AdAware removes. There are ways to put back what AdAware removes, so not all is lost if you have a problem. It also wouldn't hurt to download and run http://www.safer-networking.org, which is another spyware remover, and may catch some things that AdAware will miss, and vice versa.
AdAware will remove a great deal of spyware, but not all, so if you continue to have problems, you will have to take more serious steps. One potentially time consuming trick is to open the Windows Task Manager and see what your computer is running. If you have any doubts about a particular program running in your background, type its full name into Google or other search engine and see what you can find out about it. I had to do this one time with a program that had snuck onto my computer which constantly reset my home page. Getting rid of it was not easy. I had to open a DOS prompt, delete it there, go into the Registry (very risky) and delete it there, then restart.
How did I find out about that program being on my computer? I use a firewall (free, once again) called Zone Alarm. You can get it at http://www.zonelabs.com/. There are more advanced options than the free version, but the free one is quite adequate as a firewall and is considered by many to be one of the best. You then select which programs you want to allow to access the internet from your computer. Obviously, your browser and email will need regular access, and you can give them permanent permission. Most other programs I recommend requiring that they ask permission. This can be tedious sometimes, but that way you will know if something is trying to use them to use the internet. That bit of spyware on my computer triggered Zone Alarm so I was able to get its name easily and delete it from my computer.
Hopefully, these tips will help you keep your privacy as you go about your daily business online. Just use a little common sense and you will have fewer worries about your personal information being stolen from you online.
Stephanie Foster is the owner of Home with the Kids, a resource that knows that there's more to staying home with your family than just business. From money saving tips to parenting and marriage tips, to work at home jobs and businesses, you can get information and support here. You can visit the site at http://www.homewiththekids.com.
Add to Your Social Bookmarks:
Del.icio.us
Furl
Reddit
Simpy
Spurl
Y! MyWeb - Netscape
Writing/Editing - Unresearched in Working From Home - WorkAtHomeSpace, Fri 18-Jul-08 (0 Replies)
Writer/Bloggers - Prevention.com in Working From Home - WorkAtHomeSpace, Thu 17-Jul-08 (0 Replies)
Got my 303rd find this morning! in General Chatter - Knight, Wed 16-Jul-08 (192 Replies)
8 Drugs Doctors Would Never Take in General Chatter - snowdog20, Wed 16-Jul-08 (0 Replies)
A Blonde And A Lawyer (funny blonde joke) in General Chatter - snowdog20, Wed 16-Jul-08 (0 Replies)
Want to encourage your child's love of writing? Or inspire one who would rather do anything but write? The answer may be as simple as finding the right pen. Just as your child may have had a security blanket or an impossibly dirty teddy bear that she refused to let you kidnap to the dark recesses of the washing machine, she may need a special writing tool that's all her own.
This doesn't mean that you need to run out and buy a "special" $500 Mont Blanc fountain pen. Perhaps a pen with a case in her signature color would work. Maybe the ink needs to be just the right shade of purple. Take your little one on a stroll through the pen section of an art supply or stationery store and let her choose. Seeing such a wide array of writing supplies may spur interest on its own.
Once you have tracked down a favorite pen, try to do as many creative things as you can think of to get your child to use it.
1. Everyday Writing: Use everyday situations to help children practice their writing. For example, the next time you write a grocery list, have your child sit next to you and write a list of her favorite foods. Whenever you write thank-you notes, your child can write a miss-you letter to Grandma and Grandpa. Time to pay bills? Have your little one write about a recent dream while you write checks.
2. Ghost Messaging: Dip a cotton swab into a small container of lemon juice. Use the swab to write a message on a sheet of construction paper. When you're finished, set the paper in direct sunlight and wait for the message to ghostly appear. It's creepy and fun!
3. Hometown Reporter: Read through a newspaper together to get an idea of the kinds of stories journalists write about, and how they word headlines. Encourage your child to write his own articles: investigative, human interest, community events, celebrity profile, etc. "Publish" the article in a word processing program and send copies to friends and family. If the article is of mass interest, send it to the local newspaper!
4. Sidewalk Chalk: Give your little ones the power to express themselves and have a ton of fun at the same time. Use sidewalk chalk to write poems, jokes and short stories on the driveway.
5. Letter Puzzles: This project is fun for the writer and the reader! First, write a letter to someone on a sheet of paper. When you're finished, use a pair of scissors to cut the note into interlocking puzzle pieces. Place the pieces into an envelope and mail or hand-deliver it. The recipient must assemble the puzzle in order to read the letter!
6. Dear Editor: Encourage your children to voice their thoughts and opinions publicly by writing letters to the editors of children's magazines, local newspapers and even radio stations! Keep a scrapbook of all published clips, or frame them as a constant reminder of their writing accomplishments.
About the author:
Deborah Shelton is the author of The Five Minute Parent: Fun & Fast Activities for You and Your Little Ones. Visit The Five Minute Parent for fun rainy-day activities, family links, and a free email newsletter filled with craft ideas, guest articles, contests and so much more! http://www.fiveminuteparent.com
New feature here. You may have to fill out a survey or give out personal information for your freebies, so decide if the offer looks worthwhile to you.
If you offer a freebie, let me know! I will consider it for inclusion here and in the freebie section of the website.
Make bundles of Cash on Google P/T F/T
Let us tell you about people who are doing it and how you
can do it too. It's fast, easy and can be done from home
part or full time (no previous experience necessary).
Click here to start making money on Google.
Let's face it. Autoresponders are GREAT for doing customer follow-up -- and used correctly, they can increase your sales 30-45% overnight.
However, the trick is finding them CHEAP!
Some services will charge you $30+ per month, per series of responders! Given that most businesses need a minimum of 4-5 responder series to start, this is over $1,440.00 a year -- that's insane!
That's why I was pretty excited when I uncovered this powerful piece of automation software that includes *unlimited* series of 'smart' sequential autoresponders... FREE!
To read more about it, and learn how it will automate other aspects of your business, too, check out the new Mailloop
Site Map - Press Room - Disclaimer - Disclosure
Copyright © 2003-2008 Stephanie Foster unless otherwise indicated
