A Complete Computer / Internet Beginner’s Guide

 

Help for Beginner Computer / Internet Users:

How to Keep Your Parents & Children Safe from the Internet
Typical scams and how to avoid online – people more than 30 should read this. In addition, information on shopping in eBay, stay strong passwords, and other tips to help new users problems.

• Online Fraud & Dangers, And To Avoid Them

If you grew up using a typewriter instead of a mouse this article is for you… Or, if you know someone new to the internet, so you give them. Parents should also communicate this important information to help their children.
Tips for avoiding Email Frauds
If an email looks too good to be true — it usually is.
Because why someone in another country randomly selected you to make money? It just makes no sense.
- If you have no connections to royalty, why would this entire Prince’s be sending you emails? Better to simply ignore the letters from the so-called lords, princes and other charges levied.
-Still not convinced that e-mail fraud/scam? Do a check on fraud resource Web sites to verify that the sender is a known scam.
-New internet users are better off getting a free online email account (gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc.) rather than one that downloads emails onto their computer directly (such as MS Outlook).
-Use Gmail for email. It’s free, made by Google spam filters and much better than other alternatives.

• Avoiding Pop-ups, Unwanted Toolbars, and other Harmful Downloads

 Reality Check: The Internet is saturated with commercial media. New Internet users need free software and games, the profit should be understood in different ways. Although some of these legitimate ways to make a profit, others are completely fraud.
For example: free screensavers and smilies (which advertisements often target inexperienced and older populations) are often accompanied by unwanted toolbars, spyware, adware or worse, viruses.
Download.com recommend as a safe place where you can find free downloads, because they actively prevent spyware from your side. You can also read the software you want to download. When the download is only put on your side, you can usually find comments in the Sun.
When you download or install software (from any source), often you can order on the toolbar or another bonus to install. Make sure this box and the toolbar is not installed. When installing anything, be sure to read what is being installed before automatically clicking Yes or Next.

• Choosing Strong Password

Strong passwords are at least eight characters to 14 characters is perfect. The key to creating a good password is something that is not easy to choose for others to guess. Do not use your name or a special occasion (birthday or anniversary) in your passwords.
The best way to create a password is to use a pass phrase and then use the first letter of every word and punctuation. For example, “I hate passwords; they are just too hard!” becomes “Ihp;tajth!”, which is a very strong password. To go even further, substitute a good mix of special characters (% or @) or numbers for letters, and vary the capitalized letters in the phrase: “1hp,t@j2H!”.
It is also possible to just use the phrase itself, but not all Web sites will support passwords of that length (our previous example would be 41 characters), and they are difficult to type correctly every time. If a Web site limits the use of special characters, spaces, and length of the password, concentrate on varying capitalization and using numbers to substitute for letters.

• Using eBay and Craigslist safely

Online community classified Craiglist.com & the auction site eBay are fantastic places to find a good deal. But new users to learn about possible abuse, can lead to these places.
For eBay, you should read feedback other buyers have left about a seller. Consider the seller’s rating before bidding. (Remember, all bids are binding.) If the seller does not have a rating yet, it could mean that it’s the first item he or she has sold, but it could also mean that they set up a new account with which to scam buyers.
For Craigslist — make a point to only deal with a seller locally. Exchange the check for the product after you test it out. If dealing locally is not applicable, do not use checks or money orders. Use a third party, secure payment system like PayPal. PayPal can reverse a transaction if you file a legitimate claim with them (i.e., you never receive an item or the item was not as described). Always Look at the SHIPPING CHARGES on eBay before making a bid.
Again, avoid dealing in money orders & checks. PayPal is highly recommended as well as Google Checkout. Some credit card companies offer extra online security – check with your credit card issuer.

• Internet safety Resources for Kids

Parents: we need to teach children about the dangers of online predators online passwords and privacy – it’s up to you to help children understand the importance of security on the Internet.