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Giving parents the tools and resources they need to keep their kids safe online. Free guides, how-to's and resources to help parents deal with myspace and online predators.
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Blocking, monitoring, and logging what's the difference?
A blocking program or content filter as they are called has the ability to automatically block most inappropriate sites. Most blocking programs, along with their automatic blocking, will also allow you to specify which sites you want blocked and which sites you want to allow. They should all be password protected to keep out the kids. Most blockers work well, although, the downside is that some can be a bit too restrictive. For instance, Cyber Sitter (the one I use) would never allow my kids to upload pictures to their boards. Granted, this can be a bad thing, but I had given the ok on this and setup Cybersitter to allow it. However, it never would allow it. I had to manually disable it and wait for them to finish, then re-enable the software.
A monitoring program monitors web sites visited, applications used on the computer, like MSword or a game. Most monitoring programs also block.
A logging program or key logger as they are called, simply logs all keystrokes made on your computer. Most, will also log chat sessions and email. These programs, as far as I am concerned, are a must if you have kids chatting and using email. They will not stop bad things from happening, but they will log exactly what was said and when.
Here are two of the finest spyware detectors\removers out there, and they are free.
Features that you should look for in a Internet filtering program
Ease of Use – The single most important attribute an Internet filter program can offer is an easy-to-use interface. It must be user friendly, easy to configure, and have a short learning curve. You should be able to install the program and set it up within an hour. You need to take advantage of the free trials that most offer to evaluate them for yourself.
Several filtering options – The filtering options should have automatic settings, i.e pre-configured, and manual overrides. You should be able to allow and dis-allow sites YOU choose along with the pre-configured list the program uses. Good filtering software will offer a good balance between filtering objectionable material and not filtering too much content.
Reporting – Having clean easy to read and easily configured reports is very important. You can quickly get overwhelmed at the amount of data that one of these programs will give you. The ability to find what you want when you want is critical. A new feature found on many filtering programs now is the ability to email reports to you.
Port filtering and blocking – Filtering programs should block or filter all major Internet protocols\ports.
Key stroke recorder -- Capturing keystrokes, passwords, and knowing what your child is telling others can be crucial in determining a serious problem.
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How Does Spector Pro Help?
Spector Pro records your child’s MySpace activity so you will know exactly what he/she is doing while on MySpace. You will see when they update their profile, post pictures, make comments about other MySpace users, send messages to other MySpace users, invite someone to be a friend, accept an invitation from a new friend, and much more.
You will also be able to see whether they have created multiple MySpace accounts.
You can also view the profiles of people who are contacting your child. So, you’ll know if your 13 year old is communicating with a 40 year old who has posted inappropriate pictures of himself or talks about using drugs on his profile page.
Anything your child does on MySpace, Spector Pro will record and you will be able to review.
Spector Pro on Myspace: MySpace is the most popular site for teenagers to hang out on the Internet.
Kids use MySpace primarily to connect with other kids. They post information about themselves, place their picture on MySpace for others to see, invite other people to become their “friends” and spend a lot of time chatting with others and viewing the profiles of other users. Sometimes, they meet people in person through contacts they make in MySpace.
Unfortunately, the information they post about themselves is readily available to almost anyone else using MySpace, and that includes millions of adults of all ages, thousands of whom are sexual predators trying to prey on young people.
Parents tell us every day of their great concern about the dangers posed by MySpace to their children, and there are stories in the press almost daily about adults soliciting and meeting children they found on MySpace.