Jonathan Roadblock
Kids + Social Networks + Hormones=Bullies!!!
I was reading a report regarding children and their interactions on social networks. Pew Internet & American Life Project conducted a survey of nearly 800 kids between the age of 12 and 17 to find out what their experiences were on social networking sites. The results included over 85% of the kids had witnessed some form of online abuse, or bullying. Some even admitted to joining in the abuse after it was initiated. Here is the problem with this, kids don’t only converse on the social network sites, they also see these others at their school. Kids are most likely to “friend” people they know from school, church, or other arenas in which they meet other people their age. If bullying takes place online, it has a tendency to spill over into reality. Some of these bullying sessions have made kids fearful of going to school the next day. More than 80 kids who took the survey stated that they were nervous about physically confronting the bully the next day in fear of having a physical confrontation with the person. Almost as many kids stated they had been in a fight due to the cyber bullying.
What, as parents, can be done to protect our children? If a parent exhibits courteous behavior online, and their children see this, they are most likely to follow suit. We can also talk to the kids in our life about their experiences online. Remember, it is sometimes better to speak to a kid like an adult, as most of the time they want to be treated like one. If you have a real conversation with them, putting them at a similar level as you are, you will find the results of that conversation to be more productive than you preaching and talking down to the kid. I don’t personally have children right now, but I have two teenage nieces and nephews and a nephew who is a preteen. As the uncle, I have the ability to speak to them as if they were social peers. Think about it, online, they socialize much in the same way an adult does. I treat them like an adult in some situations, while I speak to them like they are a kid in others. You as the parent need to find the happy medium in which you can conduct these talks. Have a conversation with your kids, don’t talk at them, don’t preach, and for heaven’s sake, don’t give them speeches on what they have to do online. You are their leader; it is you who can help them grow. Online behavior is very similar to that of offline behavior. Teach your kids what is right, and keep the door open for them to figure out what works best for them.
Protect your information, protect yourself. Coffee is brewing people; it is time to wake up!!
Wireless Networks Are Awesome… If They’re Secured!!
Have you ever used your laptop or tablet to connect to a wireless network? If so, you probably have been through the fun task of locating the wireless network you want to use. While searching for your network, you may stumble across other networks that you can try to connect to. If you are living in an apartment complex you will probably see lots of networks. Some people try to be nice to their neighbors by leaving their network open, which means there is no security password you must type in to join the network. Other people are simply not tech savvy enough to secure their networks. Do you fall into this category? If you do, it’s ok, I am about to give you some simple tips to lock your network. “Jonathan, why do I need to lock my network?” Securing your network will prevent unauthorized use of your internet. You don’t have to worry about your neighbors borrowing your network really; you just have to worry about what they are doing on your network. Do you see what I am trying to say? No? Ok, say someone gets on your network and downloads child pornography. The feds will show up at your door, confiscate your computers, and probably arrest you. After a few days/weeks/months in jail, you will be released because you weren’t the one to download those photos. Is it worth that hassle?
To secure your network:
Read the manual/directions for logging into your router. This will usually mean you need to type a set of numbers (IP Address) that may look like: 192.168.1.254
Once you get to the router’s administration page, you will want to change the username and password for the administrator. Just choose something that isn’t “admin”
Then you will need to do the technical stuff. Look for a section that says “wireless” or “security.” You should also be able to locate this page by reading the manual.
You will want to change the “security” for your wireless to something like WPA 2 AES or TKIP. If you have a newer laptop or computer, this security will work just fine for you. You will then want to set a password that is at least 6 characters long and include AT LEAST “Lower Case, Upper Case, Number/Special Character.” Similar to the requirements for your work computer password.
Once you have this set and saved, you will need to go to your computers/laptops/tablets and change the settings for your network connection. If you have Microsoft (and you probably do) then you will need to go into your network settings, and change the connection “authentication” or “security” to match the WPA 2 you chose, and then type in the password you used.
Now your network is secure, and you don’t have to worry about some pervert downloading porn, or someone downloading illegal movies and music, or worse, some hacker stealing your personal information off your computer.
Protect your information, protect yourself. Coffee is brewing people; it is time to wake up!!
