Technology Tip: How to keep yourself safe online.

Technology Tip

How to keep yourself safe online.

I think that everyone would agree that the Internet has become a daily part of our lives.  It was originally made for us to be able to have access to numerous amounts of information but now has evolved into something so much more.  You can use the Internet to socialize with other people, play your favorite games and even purchase items without ever having to leave your house.  But, you do have to remember, every good thing has its own bad side.  In the case of the Internet, we hear awful stores about identity theft and ruined online reputations. 

Listed below there are 4 great tips on how to keep you and your online identity safe. 

Tip#1: Be careful about what you post. 

You may think it is great to always have your Facebook account updated, but it is very important that you limit the information you are going to share online.  After all, most online information is basically available for public use.  The information that you should not share online is not only limited to your exact home address and credit card numbers, but also to your public profiles and photos.  There have been some companies that say they do a Google check on their applicants, so you need to make sure you do not post anything incriminating or embarrassing that could potentially leave a dent on your reputation.

Tip#2: Always check each website's security settings.

You need to make sure that you control who can view your online profile by checking your website's privacy settings.  Most social networking sites have privacy settings that enable you to share any of your information to your friends, a group of people, or to the entire world.  Always remember to check your social network sites' privacy settings as well as any site you wish to put your personal information on.

Tip#3: Don't click on every link that comes your way.

Have you ever recieved an e-mail spam and you unsuspectingly clicked on it?  Everyone has had that happen to them before.  Seemingly harmless links can really give you lots of heacaches that range from a variety of viruses and malware (malicious software) which could lead to your computer crashing.  Trust your instincts - if you have a bad feeling about clicking on a suspicisous- looking link, even if its from soneone you know, do not click on it!  There are actually cases in which a friend of yours is not the one really sending that link to you, as somebody might have successfully hacked into your friend's account to spread harmful links. 

Tip#4: Always have firewall, antivirus and anti-spyware programs installed. 

We sometimes get tricked into clicking a link or an e-mail that turns out to be armed with a virus or malware.  However, as long as you have security measures that are composed of firewall, updated anti-spyware and anti0virus programs, then rest assured your computer is still perfectly safe. 

If you would like to keep learning more here is a great link to help!

http://www.cisco.com/web/strategy/docs/education/Keeping_Yourself_and_Your_Family_Safe_Online.pdf

If you are worried your computer may be at risk for a virus or malware feel free to conatct us, we can help!  We have great programs that help protect against virus and malware for your computers.  If you do have an infections we can safely and completely remove it for you.

For more information contact us at www.perfectss.com

Have a great day!

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Technology Tip: Getting lost?

Technology Tip:

Getting lost?

Having trouble finding your way around town?  Have you checked out Google Maps? 

First you would need to go to https://maps.google.com/. It should look like the picture below. 

Now, let’s say you want to find a nice restaurant in town.  Type this into the search engine: “restaurants ocean city, nj”

Now you ought to be able to find a practical use for this feature!  Instead of "restaurants you could have typed in just about anything: "supermarkets" or "shoe stores" or "libraries" Give it a try when you get a chance.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!!  

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Technology Tip: Email basics 101

Technology Tip:

Email basics 101

For many people, having computers accessible to them almost every where makes it easy for them to email.  Communication with colleagues, parents, family and others has been made simpler through the effective use of email.  In this blog we are going to review some of the basic guidelines for good email communication.

1)                 The need to know basis for email:  Avoid sending a message to a group unless every member of that group actually needs the information you are presenting.  When replying to a large group email only use the "Reply to All" button if everyone on the group list needs to know your reply.  Otherwise “Reply” is sufficient and courteous to the group.

2)           No surprises:  Use the Subject line to let people know what your email is about.  Using a good subject line also helps people organize and find your email later.

3)           DO NOT SHOUT: Using all capital letters in an email is equivalent to shouting.

5)           Never email when angry or emotional:  Once you hit the send button on an email message you can not take it back.  Before you send a fiery response make sure to take a breath, relax and think it through.  Here's a rule of thumb:  Never email anything to someone that you would not be willing to tell them in person. 

6)           Check your email regularly:  Once you get used to it you will find email to be a very effective communication tool.  But it only works when we all participate.  You can even set up a schedule and let people know that schedule through auto responders.  Do not forget to check your email regularly!!!

Have a lovely day!!

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Tech Tip: I can not believe this, is this real?

Technology Tip:

I can not believe this, is this real?

"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on." 

~ Winston Churchill

With the internet it is possible for a lie to get all the way around the world many times before the truth is able to get released.  So how do you get the truth online?  How are you supposed to check the facts?

Below are some websites that can help you sort fact from fiction and outright lies:

For sorting through urban legends and dubious emails this website helps:  http://www.snopes.com/

This site is dedicated to stomping out “eRumors” that show up in your email:  http://www.truthorfiction.com/

If you are into politics and you prefer your facts with a specific political slant you might want to consider one of these two websites:

http://www.mediaresearch.org/  Fact checking with a conservative slant

http://mediamatters.org/  Fact checking with a liberal slant

Since most of these sites cater to adult audiences you might want to consider this website as a resource for students:  http://lii.org/

Have a nice day!! Happy Wednesday!

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Technology Tip: Password Protection

Technology Tip:

Password Protection

Today, almost everyone’s information is easily accessible through the internet.  Some may say the “Information age” is a great time to be alive.  But as always there is a bad side to this as well.  That same technology that makes it possible for us to search the knowledge of the human race also makes it possible and easy for others to get a hold of your personal information.  

When it comes to computers and the internet we are challenged to come up with numerous Usernames and Passwords to protect all of our personal information.  The challenge is coming up with a username and password that will be easy for you to remember but impossible for someone else to figure out.  Below are some helpful tips: 

Here is a website that has a list of specifically “bad/common” passwords: http://www.webdevelopersnotes.com/blog/most-common-passwords/  

                                          

If someone wanted to “crack” your password using computer software they would probably check all of these kinds of passwords first.  For the advanced “password cracker” there are actually huge lists of common passwords available online.  Here's a link to more information about how passwords are cracked:  http://geodsoft.com/howto/password/cracking_passwords.htm

Now, you might be wondering, what makes for a good password?  Here are some suggestions of how to make one:  

1)   Avoid common names, dates, phone numbers or things easily associated with you.

2)   Avoid common words or phrases as they would be the first thing checked by password cracking software.

3)   Use a combination of numbers and letters.  For example, substitute numbers for letters and letters for numbers in a word or phrase.

4)   Make it something you can remember all by yourself.  Do not write it down anywhere!

5)   Don not use naturally occurring keyboard sequences (“qwerty” for example)

6)   Try to make it at least 8 - 16 characters long.  (The longer the password the better.)

7)   Plan on changing your password often.  Experts suggest changing your passwords at least every 6 months. 

Whether it’s about protecting the money in your bank account or just accessing your email online, you’ll need to have good usernames and passwords to protect yourself.  Choose wisely. 

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Technology tip of the day: Wow, I can’t find this word! How do I search for it?

Technology tip of the day:

Wow, I can’t find this word! How do I search for it?

Have you ever gone to a Search Engine to search for a specific word and then end up at a webpage full of words?  Well, in this blog you will learn how to find that word easily in just a few easy short steps!

How about we say you were looking to research some of the crazy laws in Blythe, California.

You start by doing a search using a search engine you prefer (I will be using Google): 

 

Say you click on the first website and its huge, it list crazy laws from every state and all you wanted to see what crazy laws were in Blythe, California.   Well this next step is how to search a webpage for a specific word or phrase.

Step 1: Go to the Firefox drop down menu and select “Find” from the list.

Step 2: Type what you are looking for in the “Find” box and then click “Next”.

Step 3: It should take you to the exact place in the webpage where the word you typed appears:

 

To learn more about try looking up  “Searching a webpage for a word”,
“FireFox Tricks”, “Find on this Page”

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Have a great weekend!!!

Check out this video from Macworld!!

Macworld Video Tip: Set parental controls on your Mac

http://youtu.be/h8QNQ-NnHaY

Technology Tip: I want this mess to go away! Time to make some folders!

Technology tip:

I want this mess to go away!  Time to make some folders!

Ever get so frustrated with all the disorganization on your computer?!?!?  Do you ever want to delete everything just to start over but you can’t?  If you are looking for a way to organize that mess of yours, here is a tip:

The key to organizing things are called folders.  The first step you would have to take is to choose a place where you want to make your folder!  You could make it in “My pictures” or “My documents”.

In this example I will be making a new folder in my C: drive.

• First click the “New Folder” tab at the top, then it should automatically make you one.

• Once the new folder appears you will have to rename it by typing in the new name of the folder.  (If the computer will not let rename the folder, right click on the folder and select “Rename” from the list that appears.)
• Finally, it is time to move items into your new folder! It is simple; all you have to do is drag and drop them over. 

Now you are organized!!

If you want to keep learning more about this go on the internet and search, Windows 7 Tutorial, Making folders or organizing your computer.

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Technology tip of the day: Keeping your children safe online!

Technology tip of the day:

Keeping your children safe online!

Adults today have the responsibility to help children learn and understand the world. Today, the internet is one of the biggest resources where children learn. The internet is full of great information but also many negative outcomes. You need to make your child aware of the good and the bad, so they can navigate it safely.

Some of the pros we can receive from the internet:

• Great communication from email, internet phones and video (Skype, OoVoO)
• Data storage and sharing knowledge all across the world.
• Networking ideas and knowledge without boundaries.

Some of the cons we can receive from the internet:

• Internet Crime (Online scams or fraud)
• Cyber-bullying
• Exploitation of children and child predators

How do you want to keep your children safe from all of this? Below I have listed some websites that can help you learn!

http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/parent-guide/parent-guide

This site provides and explains signs that your child might be at risk online, from fraud to even signs of your child looking at porn sites.  It also tells you how to handle each situation as a parent.

http://onguardonline.gov/index.html 

This website provides some tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help people against online fraud and protect their personal information.

http://www.be-cyber-safe.com/

This website is a good website that helps explain all the dangers out there online for children.

If you want to keep learning more, there are plenty of websites out there to help just try searching for “Internet Threats”. Each and everyday there are more and more out there so you have to keep up! 

If you feel that you need assistance and think that you might want to see more of what your child is doing, contact us and we can help with providing you resources to keep you children safe.  We have web content filtering applications for computers and today’s smartphones.  We can also provide monitoring software for your children’s computers and smartphones, iPhone and Android devices as well.

For more information contact us at www.perfectss.com

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Best of luck!

Old computers you don't need anymore? Donate them to a good cause!

In the past Perfect Solutions Software have donated computers to Big Brothers Big Sisters Program, Gilda's Club, Atlantic County Family Services, some churches, and Atlantic Cape Community College.  We currently are trying to donate some more computers, but we do not have any monitors for them to complete our project.  If you have any monitors you would like to donate please contact us! We would greatly appreciate it!  Thank you!

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