Keeping Children Safe Online

There was once a time when you only had to worry about children when they were outside or not at home. Those times have changed. Strangers can now enter your home, without a key or coming through a door. How you may ask? These strangers enter your home using a keyboard. These strangers can befriend your children online.

Social networking has become increasingly popular and websites like Myspace have thrived with adolescents and teens. While pedophiles may be the minority on these sites, the threat of having a pedophile enter your home, under the guise of being someone their not, is just too big of a threat to ignore.

It may seem harmless enough, at first glance. I mean, what do other web surfers really know about your child? They might even live half a world away. How could they possibly harm your child? Perhaps you might even see the educational value of your child interacting with individuals from other cultures and understanding the global nature of today's world, but consider this...

Children online don't feel that these "friends" are strangers. They "chat" with them daily. These people, who parents consider strangers, are their friends. They understand what the child is going through and they listen in ways the parents never seem to. The recent riveting testimony of a young boy that was drawn into online pornography at the age of 13, should be a wake up call to all parents. Computers and the Internet can be far more dangerous than most parents ever imagine. The likelihood of a child online will encounter strangers is far higher than a stranger wandering into their backyard.

Parents warn their children about strangers as they grow up, perhaps its time to redefine the term stranger. Consider the following to protect your child, adolescent, or teenager while online.

1. Webcams.
Do not allow your children to use a webcam unsupervised. Children will often forget that the webcams are there or even worse, what may seem harmless online flirting might result in unwarranted or undesired attention from an anonymous predator. Additionally, webcams have been tied to home robberies where burglars viewed items of interest through a webcam. A little online digging resulted in the home address, and items were then stolen.

2. Common Area.
In spite of an adolescents or a teenagers need for privacy, it is best to keep the computer in a family common area. It might be helpful to explain to your child why it is important that computers be out in the open. Children should understand that using a computer is not a right, is a privilege. Parents can and should supervise online activity.

3. Personal Information.
Personal information is just that, personal, and should not be shared by children. As easy as that is to say, sometimes children are often confused as to what constitutes personal information. Educating children about what personal information is, is just as important as educating them as telling them not to share. Children need to understand that just because someone asks for personal information doesn't mean you have to tell them.

What is personal information? Knowing not to share your location, name, age, address, phone number, town, password, and schedule might seem obvious to children, but what many don't realize is that predators will often piece together various bits of information. A predator will aggregate data to determine a child's location or true identity. Predators are able to use IP tracking and the location of an online web provider that you use might assist them in narrowing down a location. Information related to sports events or scheduled concerts will further allow a predator to ascertain a child's location and personal information.

Provide adolescents and teenagers these tips in determining what information is appropriate or inappropriate to share. Tell them to ask themselves how the predator can use the requested information? Is it necessary for them to have that information? Why?

4. Crossing the Bounds.
It is easy to explain to a child that a stranger is someone they don't know in the real world, but online the definition becomes blurred. Is a friend of a friend online, a stranger? If you have communicated X number of times with someone, are they still a stranger? Assist your children in drawing lines about who is appropriate to communicate with, and who is not.

5. Candor.
When talking to children about surfing online, it is important to be honest with them. Children have to understand the dangers, but should not live in fear. Balancing candor and fear might be tricky, but you know your child best and keeping it real will help them navigate and how to stay safe online.

6. Trust.
Trust online is a funny thing, just because someone says something is true does not mean that it is. Bloggers and online wikis are dealing with credibility issues, yet individuals are often trusted until proven untrustworthy.

7. Identifying Information.
Instruct your child NEVER to share any identifying information that includes phone numbers and addresses. And finally, consider how non-anonymous the web really is http://www.small-business-software.net/anonymity-of-internet.htm .

8. Photos.
Children should not swap photos online. Exchanging photos is unnecessary and puts children at a higher level of risk. Additionally digital photographs can easily be edited by a third party. An explicit online photo can haunt a child for a lifetime.

9. Profiles.
Children should not complete profiles in blogging software or social networks, like MySpace The profiles or hobbies can often raise the interest of unwanted admirers.

10. Questionnaires/ Surveys.
Children should not complete questionnaires or surveys online. The information requested may appear harmless, but you do not know how the information will be used, it is good practice to avoid completing any questionnaires or surveys.

11. Meeting.
It of course goes without saying that children should not meet any individual that they converse with online.

12. Chat Rooms.
Chat rooms are playgrounds for sexual predators. The chat room owners have no method to detect a lurking predator from a child. As a result it is just a good practice to restrict access to chat rooms.

13. Instant Messaging.
Adolescents and teenagers often want to communicate, whether on the phone or via the Internet. Instant messaging is a popular phenomenon for children. If you allow your child to communicate using instant messaging, be sure to block instant messaging from anyone unknown. Additionally, spot check their buddy list to make sure that it has not been altered. Use a tool like AOL where restrictions can be implemented.

14. Online Games.
Often online games, will contain a chat component. The same rules that apply to instant messaging should apply to the online games and chatting. Rarely are filters available for the online games and many children will encounter strangers who evolve into friends through online play. Be leery and weary.

The Internet is global and not governed by any single entity. There are no limitations. By creating clear boundaries for your children they will be able to take advantage of this amazing vehicle without putting themselves at risk.

About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for NotePage http://www.notepage.net a wireless text messaging software company.

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Online Safety

The proliferation of computer technology and emergence of the Internet has enhanced the lives of children and adults. Increasing productivity and efficiency, the Internet is a powerful educational tool, and it provide youths a vast amount of information. That said, it is important to remember that the Internet can also be very dangerous. Criminals are using modern technology to prey on innocent victims.

According to research, one in five youths, ages 10-17, were approached online sexually or were sexually solicited. The tool for the solicitation was the Internet. In fact, 89% of those solicitations occurred via chat rooms or with predators using instant messaging. Additionally, nine out of ten children online, ages 8-16, have viewed pornography online. In most cases the children unintentionally encountered pornography while searching for an alternate item, but the statistic is very telling.

In many ways, the Internet has made the predators job easier, as the predators can hide behind pseudonyms and screen names. The danger of the Internet is persistent and very real because the Internet provides predators anonymity. Online victimization differs little from traditional victimization that happens in person, the process is essentially the same. The perpetrator uses information to target a child. Often solicitation begins in the form of friendship, sharing hobbies and interests. The predator then adapts the persona of who their young victim wants them to be. Online predators will often spend considerable time befriending a child. The predator builds a level of trust with the victim.

No family is immune to the possibility that their child will become an online victim. Older children are at an increased risk, because they are often online unsupervised. Teens or adolescents, who are particularly rebellious or searching for their identity, are often more susceptible to Internet predators.

Sadly, in almost all cases the interaction begins as a harmless camaraderie and it evolves into inappropriate sexually explicit conduct. Online crimes often transcend jurisdictional boundaries, making it difficult to prosecute or even track. And while cross-agency support has been growing, its growth can not keep up with the abundance of online crime. The Internet has no boundaries, and there is not a centralized legal body regulating crime on the Internet.

Remember, physical contact between a child and perpetrator does not necessarily need to occur for a crime to have been committed. In many cases, digitally explicit material is emailed back and forth. Educating our children is critical to keeping them safe.

If you are aware of an incident that involves child exploitation via the Internet contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800.843.5678.

About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for NotePage http://www.notepage.net a wireless text messaging software company.

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Swapping between two smartphones online

Join DateAug 2005LocationTwin CitiesPosts53PhonesMoto Droid 3Palm Pre PlusOrange LG enVCarrierVerizonFeedback Score0


(wireless internet service,internet service providers,internet service,wireless service providers,verizon wireless internet,verizon internet,broadband internet providers,wireless broadband providers,broadband internet,broadband wireless)

I just put in the order for a Droid3 to replace a Pre +.
I can see instances where I would want to switch back to my old Pre + every once in a while (3 or 4 times a year maybe.)
Is it realistic to go onto the VZW webpage and ?swap? (using the ?Activate or Switch Device? option within the MyVerizon page) from the D3 to the Pre+ as the active phone on the line then swap back to the D3 a day or two later without any hassles or syncing issues?
I?ve swapped feature phones online before, but I?ve never tried it with smartphones.
Do smartphones ?swap? and become active on the network within minutes of doing it like feature phones do?
Thanks.
-Suntan

Join DateNov 2004Posts128Phoneslg 8100 (retired)Moto W385 (retired)Blackberry Pearl 8130(retired)CarrierVerizonFeedback Score0

Yep. I do it frequently too. No issues so far

Join DateAug 2002Posts965CarrierVerizon WirelessFeedback Score0

An even easier method is to dial *228 and select option 1 on the phone you want to activate. Follow the prompts and voila!

Join DateJun 2003Posts584PhoneHTC ThunderboltCarrierVerizon WirelessFeedback Score0

An even easier method is to dial *228 and select option 1 on the phone you want to activate. Follow the prompts and voila!Exactly... Prior to buying the Thunderbolt, switching phones was a relatively quick (and automated) process. I've heard conflicting stories as to whether switching from an LTE phone to a 3G phone deactivates the SIM card... so I'm not exactly sure how that process works.

Join DateMar 2010Posts212Feedback Score0

IF you swap from a LTE phone to a 3G phone, the SIM card deactivates itself at midnight EST on that day and you then need to get another SIM card to be able to reactivate your LTE device.
I realize how idiotic that sounds, and no - I don't know why it's set that way. But it is.

Join DateJun 2003Posts584PhoneHTC ThunderboltCarrierVerizon WirelessFeedback Score0

I realize how idiotic that sounds, and no - I don't know why it's set that way. But it is.Thanks for the info... My next question was going to be "Why?"... At some point, I hope that most of VZW's phones will use SIM cards. There are few things I miss about GSM... A SIM card is one of those things.

Join DateAug 2002Posts965CarrierVerizon WirelessFeedback Score0

IF you swap from a LTE phone to a 3G phone, the SIM card deactivates itself at midnight EST on that day and you then need to get another SIM card to be able to reactivate your LTE device.I wonder why as well. AT&T does the same thing. I once took an old SIM into a store to activate service and they said they can't reactivate SIMs and issued a new one.

Join DateAug 2005LocationTwin CitiesPosts53PhonesMoto Droid 3Palm Pre PlusOrange LG enVCarrierVerizonFeedback Score0

An even easier method is to dial *228 and select option 1 on the phone you want to activate. Follow the prompts and voila!So if my Droid 3 was currently my active phone, and I wanted to switch over to using the Pre+ I could just dial *228 on the Pre +, press 1 and then follow the prompts?
How would it know what account to activate it on? Do you just type in the corresponding phone number or something?
-Suntan

Join DateAug 2002Posts965CarrierVerizon WirelessFeedback Score0

So if my Droid 3 was currently my active phone, and I wanted to switch over to using the Pre+ I could just dial *228 on the Pre +, press 1 and then follow the prompts?
How would it know what account to activate it on? Do you just type in the corresponding phone number or something?
Yes, exactly. It knows because it has you enter your phone number and then your account password.

Join DateAug 2005LocationTwin CitiesPosts53PhonesMoto Droid 3Palm Pre PlusOrange LG enVCarrierVerizonFeedback Score0Join DateAug 2003LocationRiversidePosts160PhonesiPhone, Moto Q 9h8125, 2125, BB 8300, 8700, 8800Moto RAZR - V3, V3iCarriersThe New AT&TAT&TFeedback Score0

IF you swap from a LTE phone to a 3G phone, the SIM card deactivates itself at midnight EST on that day and you then need to get another SIM card to be able to reactivate your LTE device.
I realize how idiotic that sounds, and no - I don't know why it's set that way. But it is.
This is not what I was told by @vzwsupport on twitter today. They said you take the sim out and put it back in and it reactivates. I specifically asked if I would have to get a new sim and they said no.

Join DateJun 2011Posts10Feedback Score0
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Register for My Verizon Online

My Verizon Registration .alertBox {width:950px;} .accLink { display:block; outline:0 none; text-decoration:none !important; text-indent:-9000px; width:1px; } var loggedInURL = 'https://login.verizonwireless.com:443/amserver/UI/Login'; body{color:#000000;}render('globalNavId'); Register for My Verizon Screen Reader Friendly Version Already registered? Sign in Enter your Verizon mobile number:

cell phone number
Why do I need my mobile phone to register? We will be sending you a text message with a temporary password to confirm your registration. The code you receive will be needed to register.

If you block text messages, you can still receive a text message with a temporary password and continue to have all other text message blocked.

If your device cannot receive text messages, please proceed through the Registration screens and your temporary password will be mailed to your billing address. Once received, sign in to My Verizon using your mobile number and temporary password. Where can I find my mobile number? From the main screen of your cell phone:
Click "Menu," and then go to Settings & Tools > System > Device Info > My Number Handset menus sometimes vary, so you may want to check your cell phone's manual for instructions. What You Need to Register Your cell phone Your billing system password, if you have one Why Register? With My Verizon, you get the convenience of managing your account online including these great benefits:

Check your minutes and messages Change or reset your Voice Mail password Purchase ringtones and manage Ringback Tones Access My Verizon on your mobile phone Learn More Summon Total Control with My Verizon Mobile


Manage your wireless service with the My Verizon Mobile App while you're on-the-go.

Learn More Watch the Demo © 2011 Verizon Wireless Site Map | Privacy | Legal Notices | Website Use | Customer Agreement | Return Policy | Worry Free Guarantee | Best Network

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My Verizon Online Demo

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