The internet is a great place that is full of useful information, news, pictures and more. Unfortunately, there is good and bad on the web and choosing between the two is difficult for some (younger minds) who do not carefully choose search words.

Here are a few helpful tips:

Turn Safe Search ON (and password protect it)

Get an antivirus and/or a website scanner and password protect the software. You will be surprised at how fast an 11 year old can hack a password, cover up history and cruise to sites that would make Bill Clinton blush. Kids are very smart and VERY computer literate, do not let them get trapped or started on the wrong path.

Here are some good software packages and there are others:

• AOL Active Security Monitor (if you have AOL you may have it)
  
• McAfee Site Advisor
• Norton Internet Security
  
• Trend Micro Hijack This

Check your internet history and if it disappears often, something is going on. (History is a pull down menu in an internet browser window)

A good example for all is what happened to me this past Christmas. I was making a holiday newsletter for the company and was searching for something festive as a back drop. I decided that "holly" would be ideal.

First of all, I think holly has an "e" in it but that is beside the point. I promptly typed in "holly" and clicked images as I wanted a photo of some holly. Happy go lucky, I typed away! Holly is apparently the name of some (actually many) wayward girls and the plant (good choice of words) I was looking for was not what I got. I think there was one "holly" image that was usable (not XXX) on the first page and it pretty much went down hill from there.

The point is, no matter how innocent you think your search is, someone, somewhere in some dark basement has tagged something inappropriate to that (image, phrase, thought or title) and it will pop up while your 6 year old is sitting on your lap, your mother-in-law is looking over your shoulder or worse, when you are not near the computer and the kids have to deal with 30 different pop ups and details so vivid that the Hubble Telescope is put to shame.

Make sure the family computer is in an open and easily seen (by others) area!

Other tips:

Alt key and the arrow pointing left will back you up when there is not a back button. Hold the Alt first and hit the arrow as many times as you want to go back. (does not always work as some pages are incorrectly written)

Alt and Tab allow you to roll through open programs. (hold the "Alt" down and hit the "Tab" over and over)

Most web pages allow you to go back to the home page by clicking on their logo which is usually at the top of the page.

More helpful tips to come!