Keep Your Kids Safe on the Internet

Rating:
Summary: A Must-Read for All Parents
Review: As a mom of twin toddlers ~~ this book is a must-read in my opinion! Not only is it for parents ~~ everyone should read this book if nothing more than to have a refresher course on the dangers (and fun) of being on the Internet. This book is written simply in layman's terms but it doesn't "talk down" to the readers as some of the other computer manuals do. It is not a dummy version of a computer "how-to" either. This book is very well-written and well-thought out. It is a must-read for the moms in my mothers' group as well as for all the parents and friends involved in the cyberworld.

I have a personal experience to share with you. I haven't heard much about phishing on the Internet till I read Mr. Johnson's book. In there, he mentions what phishing is and how to avoid them. He also offers practical advice on how to deal with unwanted emails/spam, how to avoid getting a virus through an email or even on certain websites. He mentions the real dangers of predators preying on children through instant messaging or even in chatrooms. He offers simple but well-thought out directions in how to encounter certain situations (like if your child is talking to a sexual predator, what do you do and how to handle the situation, always admonishing the parent to remain calm). He didn't write this book to stop children from being on the Internet ~~ because the Internet does offer a wide-range of activities that will help educate the child with his school work as well as other things. He just writes to warn of the possible dangers that each one of us face while surfing the net.

This is definitely a book I would recommend to everyone. It doesn't matter if your child is fifty years old ~~ it's a great refresher course for all of us. For parents, it opens our eyes to potential trouble spots to keep our children safe. After all, that is our primary job as parents ~~ keeping our children safe.

I am glad to have a copy of this book in my personal library. I plan to pass this one around to my friends. It has a lot of helpful resources in here and my husband has even started looking up different software programs to ward off unwanted potential trouble spots for our sons who will eventually be learning how to work the computer in the near future.

12-1-04

Rating:
Summary: Good crash course on the Internet for beginners
Review: As a new parent, author Simon Johnson realized how the Internet--though a wonderful and almost essential tool in the 21st century--poses great danger to children. He thus wrote this book to warn many innocent (or just plain old "ignorant"--my words) parents about their possible blindness to the riskiness of the Internet. And "Keep Your Kids Safe" does a good job providing basic information that even the most simple-minded person can understand.

Among other things, Johnson rates virus and firewall programs as he explains the importance of computer software. However, parents need to keep in mind that the Internet will never be completely safe, espeically since our children can quickly learn how to outbamboozle (my word) their parents. This means that mom and dad need to be as informed as they possibly can about cyber-space reality and hopefully avoid silly mistakes.

I do like Johnson's writing style, which doesn't make the reader feel stupid but also doesn't talk over one's head. He makes plenty of references to Austrailia, where he is from, but the book should be also owned by every American parent. The problem of predators and pornography will not go away in this lifetime. I would not want your family to be as affected as mine, as I have a direct relative who is spending hard time in prison for his actions on the Internet. Thus, it's vital that we take the bull by the horns and quit acting like the proverbial ostrich with his head stuck in the sand! (Doesn't this bird live in Austrailia?) Again, I recommend that all non-computer literate parents buy this and read it before it's too late for their loved ones.

Rating:
Summary: Total, Utter, Complete Trash
Review: I checked this book out from the library for a good chuckle or two. It has WELL BEYOND delivered on that promise. I can summarize the book very simply in the following sentences:
<ul><li>Buy PestPatrol. It will fix all of your problems. In fact, I'm just going to make up a table full of random numbers to show you that PestPatrol is better! I'll even contradict myself for double the fun! Don't support free software, because we all know that is COMMUNISM!
<li>Buy ZoneAlarm Pro. It features "an emergency button" which "immediately stops Internet access to and from your computer." So, "if a hacker breaks into your computer, you can use the emergency button to instantly disable all Internet traffic on the firewall and stop the hacker in their tracks."
<li>Buy Norton AntiVirus software. Why? Because it downloads updates at a rate of 28.1 Kbps on a 28.8K modem, beating out Kaspersky (26.3 Kbps), McAfee (28.0), Trend (27.5), and EZ Antivirus (20.9). He actually compiles this information and pretends that it is somewhat useful.
<li>Buy Kazaa Plus. "If you wish to allow your children to use a file-swapping program, opt for the paid--rather than free--version that comes without the ads and includes security measures. Kazaa Plus costs U.S.$29.95...".
</ul>
The book, is nothing but comedy. What we have is terrible writing, information that doesn't make sense and contradicts itself, and screenshots of google searches for "flower".

Rating:
Summary: KEEP YOURSELF SAFE TOO!
Review: KEP YOUR KIDS SAFE ON THE INTERNET
By Simon Johnson
Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Osborne
© 2004
ISBN: 0-07-225741 - 5


A Book Review by Frank Dobrowolski
For the Hobbyists Unlimited Computer Club Jan. 2005

AND KEEP YOURSELF SAFE TOO!

While this book is aimed at the parents of young children, most of the Internet dangers and protective measures that it discusses are pertinent for all users of whatever age. In fact, the author even has implemented similar procedures for business and governmental agencies. The book has received a host of favorable reviews from publications and people worldwide.

The scope of the book is indicated by the Chapter titles:

1. What Is The Internet.?
2. What Are You Threats To Your Children And How Serious On Day.
3. How To Avoid And Reduce The Risks To Your Kids.
4. Content-Filtering Software.
5. Using Filtering Software To Keep Out The Junk Mail.
6. Internet Firewall Software.
7. Antivirus Software.
8. Malicious Software Detection.
9. Putting Your Defense Into Place.
Appendix - info on various Spyware & Adware programs

The book points out that malicious Internet efforts targeted at children are frighteningly common, with its web site, www.KeepYourKidsSafe.com, offering the following data:

* 1 in 5 children (5.7 million children) have received unwanted sexual solicitation in the past year.
* 20% (1-1.5 million children) were "very or extremely upset" about receiving such solicitations.
* 25% (5.4 - 6.4 million children) received "unwanted exposure to pictorial images of naked people or of people having sex".
* 71% of "unwanted exposures" occurred while the children were searching or surfing the Internet.
* 67% of the unwanted exposures happened at home.
* 80% of children between ages 7 and 18 in the USA receive inappropriate spam each day

Obviously anyone who has youngsters [including visiting grandkids] using their computer should be aware of the dangers and the protective steps available. But we all need to protect ourselves from the various intrusions and dangers of the Internet.

Some of the recommended protective steps are:

1. Avoid presenting personal information unless the site has a legitimate use for it.
2. Don't assume anyone on the Internet is truthfully identifying themselves - it is too easy to adopt an alias identity and personality
3. Don't give your password to anyone.
4. Do not respond to unsolicited e-mail (SPAM), including not activating an "Unsubscribe" option. This is used to identify valid e-mail addresses.
5. Use a nickname or alias for a screen name
6. In Chat rooms, on Message Boards and elsewhere your postings can be read by anyone who can access the site.
7. Discuss with children the dangers of the Internet
8. Don't post personal pictures on the Internet
9. The Internet is global and is *not* governed by any entity. This means that there are no limitations or checks on the information posted and accessible to Internet users.

The book has an extensive discussion on Malware - software that invades the user's privacy or attacks the computer. The variety of ways used to obtain information from our computers is almost staggering. One cannot read this book without resolving to maintain Anti-Virus, Firewall and Spyware Protection programs

There is a good presentation on ways to filter the content reaching our computers, including browser and e-mails filters - make sure to implement these protections. The book presents an extensive detailing and comparison of protection software products and filtering options inlcuding Firewall programs, Anti-Virus programs and Malicious Software protection programs. The last chapter discusses how to put these various defenses into place and keep them effective.

The Appendix includes a description of many malware programs. This a good reference when using the protection programs which usually list suspicious programs and allow the user to select whether or not to delete them.

Another interesting site covering much of this material is Are Your Children Safe from Spyware? at http://www.pcpitstop.com/spycheck/kids.asp. That site also lists Anti-spyware resources on www.pcpitsop.com .

Free eTrust EZ Antivirus Software for one year is offered with Purchase of the Book--a $29.95 USD value. However, it appears one only needs to go to the Computer Associates website, www.ca.com/freeav, to get the free download

This book is available through the Bergen County Library system, www.bccls.org.
It also is available at Ridgewood's Bookends at the List Price of $19.99 and
at Amazon.com for $ 13.59 plus S/H - waived for orders over $25.


Rating:
Summary: Good book for parents and other adults too!
Review: Simon Johnson has done a very good job at giving an overall view of the danger that children (and adults too) face using the Internet. Thankfully he does not only show the dangers, but he gives a lot of ideas on what as a parent you should do to protect children. Simon reviews a lot of software, shows the flaws and benefits of the many items out there that we may want to use and or avoid.

Simon keeps the writing simple and basic. It's not so high tech that he talks over your head, and he still gets his point across.

I certainly would say this is a good book for getting ideas on protecting your children on the net.

With this book, Simon has continued the good work he has done on his own web site at http://keepyourkidssafe.com/. I recognize his name as one of the good influences of the Internet.

Rating:
Summary: A great resource for parents
Review: Simon Johnson picked an opportune time to launch his book. The arrests of the paedophiles and Current Affairs Programs segments on chat rooms predators underline the dangers that can exist on the Internet. The book or rather guide certainly covers the risks to our Kids and pulls no punches. It is an excellent resource for any parent concerned with their child's assess to the Internet. It has all the helpful hints on protecting children from the risks.

Rating:
Summary: Up-to-date, informative guide for all
Review: The title indicates that the book is for parents, and the book certainly answers questions people will have about protecting their children on the internet. But the book is an excellent guide for all. I have been using the net for 8 years now, and try to keep myself informed, but I have learnt stuff from this book.

This well-written book is essential reading for every net user.

Rating:
Summary: Not just for kids!
Review: What a wonderful book! Our children's safety should be one of our major concerns in our lives. With all of the ways a predator can get to our children, a book like this helps us stop one way they can harm our kids. It is also a good reference/source in suggestions on which software is available, how to find it and how to use it, as well as web sites to visit. Many times I have wanted a software but wasn't sure which one was the right one for me. This book helps eliminate those types of questions. I do wonder just how many parents don't know about the helpful software available or that come with the computers of today since parents are so tied to computers through work. I am 55, I have a child that is 40 and that child has a 4 year old. All three generations know and use the ways Mr. Johnson has described in this book. For those who are not computer-wise, this is a MUST HAVE book even if you don't have children.

Keep Your Kids Safe on the Internet talks of VOIP and IRC. These are two programs that I was aware of but have never explored. With this book as a guide, I would be willing to try them out. The book also talks about being careful with what information you or your child provides at Internet sites. A generation or two ago, we used a Public Library to ferret out the information. With anything and everything being so easily found on the web, the only difference between the library and the Internet is the quickness with which the information can be obtained. The same goes for cyber-bullying. I grew up with a bully bothering me and the kids of today get it on the web. Both these problems have always been with us, it is just easier with the net and something that children as well as adults need to not have in their homes.

Mr. Johnson has provided two things I will be using in the future. The first is how to view headers in Outlook. I had always been able to do it in Outlook Express but when I switched to Outlook, I was lost. He also talked about www.cybertipline.com. This site has information on Child Sexual Exploitation and how to report it. There you can also read about Amber Alerts, Megan's Law and ways you can get involved.

Windows Messenger Service not to be confused with MSN Messenger, Internet properties, pop-up blocker, five pages of Internet Chat Room Acronyms, and content advisor are a part of the short list of topics Mr. Johnson has included in this book. And the last chapters of the book talk of various types of software and how to use them such as filtering, email junk, firewalls, antivirus, malicious and windows update. For these chapters alone, "Keep Your Kids Safe.." is worth the price of $19.99 US. And don't forget to visit http://www.keepyourkidssafe.com/index.htm to read about the author and his very important reason for writing such a highly useful book.