Be a Responsible Parent- Get a Mobile Spy App

Being a responsible parent does not only mean to raise your children with healthy food, respectable shelter and get them to reach high academic levels, it also means to get them to know the difference between good and bad, and save them from the social evils around them.

Many parents focus on the academic achievements of their children. Often such standards get the children under pressure and cause them to lose their understanding of the social and moral etiquettes. For instance, children might start taking drugs to relieve the academic tension they constantly undergo in their houses and schools. Also, they might start hanging out with dealers who offer unfair means to pass in exams and tests. All these activities are prevalent in children who are constantly forced by their parents to improve in their studies.

Mobile spy application can be purchased at a reasonable price, considering the company is chosen smartly. Many spy app developers out there offer almost all features for a low price package. Parents out there who are on a budget constraint should consider buying and experimenting with one of the trustable spy software first. The software can be installed on the children's mobile phone easily. As soon as the software is installed on the handset it starts functioning. This functioning includes recording the data of all activity and then transferring it to an online account. This online account can, of course, be only accessed by the parents who purchased the spy software.

Parents can keep a check on all the people their children are staying in contact with. All the calls that are being made, what timings they are made at and to whom, everything can be checked by parents. If any mysterious texts messages are being exchanged by your children make sure you take the necessary and immediate steps.

Spy software also allows parents to track down each and every step of their children by using the geographical tracker in the application. This tracker will update parents about all the locations being visited by their teenagers. So now there is a clear short cut to know whether your teenager is partying at night club or studying in the college library. Even better or worse maybe, your children could be involved in some illegal activity to earn cash. Track all these people down who are after your children to get their path straight.

There are times when parents simply want to make sure that the friends their children hang out with are of proper upbringing themselves. Now of course these children will hardly pull out a word of 'hello' in front of you, but could be loading your children with weird thoughts and notions behind your back. But fret not, since this very handy mobile phone will help you with this situation. Many spy software companies now offer the feature of live audio recording. This live audio recording system can be put to start manually, at any time, from anywhere. Once switched on, all the surrounding sounds can be listened to as audio recordings. These audio recordings are uploaded on the same accounts the parents access rest of the information from.

So with all these benefits, it is hardly a surprise that many parents are now easily monitoring their children's activities from their homes. No need to ruin dinners with interrogative questioning sessions, simply pull out your laptop and spy on your child without him/her ever coming to know about it. They are your responsibility and with the help of a mobile spy application, you can carry out your responsibility better than ever before.

Image Credit: Source.

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The Basics of PC Utilities Software

PC system utilities are programs that encompass several applications that help clean up and fix numerous computer issues. While most PC utility software programs differ greatly in the services that they offer, there are several basic functions common to the majority of these programs.

Registry Fix:

Your registry is constantly changing with updates, new registry entries and deletion of old entries. Because of this, there are usually numerous entries in your registry that are very old, useless or corrupted, and these entries can create numerous errors. Your registry is a vital part of your computer, and it can easily be harmful to your computer to delete registry files that are necessary. Instead of trying to clean the registry manually, PC utilities software can scan and detect which files need to be removed and which files need to stay without harming your computer.

On the chance that the removal does damage your computer, there is usually the option to restore the registry to a backup file that was made before the cleaning process to return your computer to normal.

Junk File Cleaning:

Temporary files, cookies, recycle bin files and much more are all junk files that needlessly take up space in your computer. Not only does this rob you of hard drive space, but it may also significantly slow down your computer. A quick scan and sweep of the junk files can free up gigabytes of space and speed up your computer.

System Optimization:

You may not be using the best settings or options for your computing needs. System optimization tools can improve your Internet browsing, save laptop battery life, increase speed and more. You can also set the options to optimize performance for work related activities, gaming, typical home usage, server use and more.

Defragmentation:

As you add, change and delete files on your computer, these files fragment and spread out over your system. The more changes, additions and deletions are made, the more fragments are created. When too many fragments are created and when too many files are fragmented, it can slow down computer speed since it needs to find all of the fragments of a file in order to use it. Defragmentation software finds these fragments and puts them back together to create a more complete file allowing the computer to easily find and access the file.

Error Detection:

Though you may not always notice, your system may be dealing with errors that can be affecting performance or damaging files, programs or the entire system. Error detection finds and resolves errors found in your system. If it can't resolve the issue, it can usually provide the user with information on the error as a reference to fix it.

Why Do I Need PC Utility Software?

One of the most important times to get PC utility software is when you are dealing with a slow and problematic computer. A good utility software can remedy several problems that may be causing performance issues. Though a good utility software is a good start, it's also a good idea to get a quality antivirus software to ensure that no viruses are causing the issue. Antivirus software will also provide constant virus protection to keep your computer safe from future infections.

PC utilities software is also beneficial for anyone who wants to regularly maintain their computer. Regular computer maintenance is important to keep your computer running well for as long as possible and utility software is a great asset to have for maintenance.

If the software doesn't run regular scans, it's a good idea to run a scan at least once every week. If you run into any viruses or moderate to severe errors, it's also a good idea to run the software directly afterward to resolve additional errors and clean up junk which may have been created during the error.

Image Credit: Grant Cochrane.

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Everyone Is At Risk For Cyberattack

Homeland Security declared that October is National Cyber Security Month, which has inspired hackers across the globe to increase their nefarious efforts against secure accounts. According to Fox News, the initiation of this annual event - which is to spread awareness about the risks of surfing the Internet and how one person's computer can infect many more - has potentially compromised more users because of an underlying insinuation that the criminals who inspired this federal action felt baited.

According to the source, AVG and Avira, popular anti-virus software providers, were the victims of major cyberattacks. Although no end-users of these companies were affected by the hack, security expert Graham Cluley told the source that it is embarrassing for major security providers to be compromised in this way.

Who is vulnerable?

According to the Lane Report, individuals should be aware of the risks they're taking by simply browsing the Internet. In addition to security applications, such as password management software, an awareness of the risk can help prepare users for the harsh realities of cyber crime.

Everyone from casual Internet browsers to major corporations are at risk, as the above example Fox News example suggests. The source reported that hackers have developed new methods of producing income because of how simple it has become to acquire sensitive data, such as passwords and online authentication accounts. Additionally, it is becoming easier for the everyday person to turn to a life of cyber crime.

"If you can read, you can be a hacker, because you can pay money and they give you the instructions on how to run these hacking tools," David Montgomery, senior account manager for SDGblue, told the source.

According to the Lane Report, organized hacking has become a rising concern among businesses. Recently in New York, $45 million was stolen from automated teller machines by thieves who managed to acquire the personal passcodes of bank members.

Individuals should consider how their assets are stored online. As the risk for cyberattack is becoming more widespread with the advent of new mobile technologies, such as smartphones and tablets, it is important for Internet users to focus on how they're protecting themselves.

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How to download YouTube Video, MP3, Playlist for iPhone 5S and 5C For Free

Finally, iPhone 5s and iPhone 5 C have been released. If you are about to get your new Apple product, you might be interested how to fill it with your favorite songs and video clips. That’s where you need a good and free YouTube Converter. Let’s learn how it works.

First of all, let’s install free software that will help you. I recommend Freemake YouTube Converter because it can download various YouTube files such as video, songs, playlists and so on.

Click “Download” button on a site to start the downloading process. Then start the installation. Please, be attentive. The software will offer you to install some other programs. If you don’t want to have them on your PC, opt out of any offers. However, it’s the only disadvantage of Freemake YouTube Converter.

If you download YouTube on a regular basis, agree to install a special browser extension. It will let you grab YouTube in one click.

As soon as you are done with the installation, run the software. As you see the interface looks pretty much easy to use. Everything you need to do it to copy and paste YouTube link into it.

Now choose what you want to do:

1) Download YouTube video:

When you paste the link into the program, choose a desirable video quality and “Convert to iPhone/iPod” option. Click “Download&Convert” to save videos onto a PC.

2) Download YouTube song:

Paste a link to music video that you want to save in MP3. Again, choose a quality and “Convert to MP3” option. Select “Export to iTunes” if you want to send new files right to your iTunes media library.

3) Download YouTube playlist, channel, favorites:

Go to YouTube playlist or channel you want to download and copy its link. Paste in into the software and choose if you want to save the playlist in MP3 or as video files. Don’t forget to select “Export to iTunes”.

Now, when you have all the content you need, go to iTunes and synchronize it with your iPhone 5S or 5C.

Tips:

1) For those who download YouTube on a regular basis, it’s better use “one-click” download mode. Activate it in the top right corner of the software. Choose “Action” (download, convert to…), “Quality”

(best, medium, low) and “Destination” folder.

2) In case you have a slow Internet connection, you may limit download speed. Just click “speed” at the bottom of the software and choose the speed you need.

Author Bio:

This post is written by Selin Longhkaster from Freemake. She is fond of ice skating, technology, photography, music and writing for tech blogs.

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How To Launch Parental Control On Different Platforms

With so many apps available for all mobile device platforms your children can find software solutions that can be really helpful in their everyday lives. There are a lot of educational applications that can help your kids in their school assignments, apps that can make it easy to always stay in touch with their parents or even some that can, for example, read them a story if your work prevents you from doing it yourself. On the other hand, many of those “useful” apps are a perfect bait for kids to spend money and do all sorts of expensive in-app purchases. You also can think of installing some tracking software like GPS handyortung to monitor your kid's location instantly.

A recent class act lawsuit against Apple that involved these in-app purchases made it clear that without proper monitoring, kids can make serious financial damage to their parents when they use mobile devices irresponsibly. Apple even paid 100 million dollars as a compensation for accidental purchases and started to use an "Offers In-App Purchases" disclaimer for these apps. This just proves you that irresponsible use of mobile devices by your kids can lead to serious financial and other consequences.If you don’t want to be one of those parents that learned about responsibility in mobile phone use the hard way you should consider using a monitoring app for your children’s mobile devices. This way you can see and control all activities on a desired phone and act in time to stop all types of phone use you find inappropriate. Fortunately, monitoring software can be found for all mobile phone platforms and installing it will only take a few minutes of your time. Here are some guides on how to implement these monitoring apps.

Apple:

Apple makes it possible to restrict all in-app purchases for apps used on their devices.

To do this simply follow the below steps,

• Go to your device Settings menu.
• Then click General and then Restrictions.
• Click on Enable Restrictions.
• After that you can choose a PIN for changing these settings.

Keep in mind not to share this PIN with your kids. You can also make some other restrictions here like restricting your kid from listening to explicit music and more.

Further below you’ll find a In-App Purchases option which you can turn off, and make sure your kid will not make any unauthorized purchases. To change any of these options you can always come back and open this menu with the PIN you previously chose.

Recommended: Parental Tools For Keeping Your Child Safe Online.

Android:

In Google Play Store, used for buying apps on an Android phone, you can set up a password that has to be entered before making any type of purchase.

You also have an option to filter content shown in Play Store so you can make it show content rated for Everyone, Low Maturity, Medium Maturity and so on. If you use the phone yourself then you don’t have to change these options but if you share it with your kid, or if the phone in question is the one you kid uses then you should definitely use purchase password and content filtering.

Kindle:

Kindle devices have a very useful preinstalled app called FreeTime. You can use it to create accounts for your kids and choose the content they will be able to access. This great feature can also let you define how much time your child can use certain content or apps, so if you want to limit them to play one hour of games daily this is a great way to do it.

You can also subscribe to a FreeTime Unlimited service that offer content based on your child’s age. This way you can be sure that all the games, books and other content available to your child is appropriate for them. To get out of the FreeTime mode and use the device regularly you have to enter a password.

Nook:

Barnes & Noble readers and tablets will offer in-app purchase services in the future, so they still didn't announce any details about parental controls for this service. For now, you can create a user profile for your kid and choose the content he or she can access. They allow you to limit their access to Nook store and internet browser.

Windows 8

Windows 8 enables you to set up a profile for your children called Kids Corner and choose content they can or cannot access and things they can do with the device. For some apps like music players Kids Corner will automatically filter content that is inappropriate for your kids and stop them from accessing it. For the time being Kids Corner lets you set up only one user profile.

Image Credit: David .

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How Consumers Can Minimize Identity Theft

The Internet is a popular channel for identity thieves looking for easy opportunities to take advantage of unsuspecting victims. People with ineffective online security measures may quickly find themselves in a situation millions experience annually. One of the most critical safeguards in keeping personal information out of the hands of malicious parties is the use of consumer passwords. Sadly, however, many employ vulnerable credentials, making it easy for identity theft to occur unimpeded.

Forbes contributor Liz Davidson recently highlighted ways in which consumers can protect themselves from becoming victims of identity theft. Anyone with online accounts must use strong passwords for these channels. The writer encouraged people to avoid having identical phrases for all of these accounts and employ security questions that cannot be answered by looking at public forums like Facebook.

According to Davidson, phishing attacks are all too common, whether they occur through emails or phone calls. Malicious parties ask victims for passwords, Social Security details and account numbers through these channels.

Electronic devices also demand effective password security. Davidson noted that all consumer PCs and smartphones should be secured with such credentials. These products should also have firewalls, antivirus and spam-filtering solutions installed to defend against sophisticated attacks.

Given the dangers associated with identity theft, people must realize that ineffective passwords are no longer an option if they want to protect personal information. Rather than fret over remembering dozens of unique credentials for all of their online accounts, consumers can receive the protection they desire through innovative tools like a password manager. These solutions generate complex passwords that are difficult for cybercriminals to crack. Also, password managers always update user credentials, ensuring that safeguards are never stagnant.

2012 was significant year for identity theft
In 2012, many Americans fell prey to identity thieves, who were immensely successful in taking advantage of unsuspecting victims. A Javelin Strategy & Research report said that nearly 13 million Americans suffered from such incidents last year, increasing more than 1 million from previous studies.

The research firm also said that identity thieves cost victims more than $21 billion in 2012, the highest mark since 2009. Jim Van Dyke, CEO of Javelin, said last year was a success for criminals, causing consumers and organizations to band together.

"Consumers and institutions are now starting to act as partners - detecting and stopping fraud faster than ever before," Van Dyke said. "But fraudsters are acting quicker than ever before and victimizing more consumers. Consumers must take data breach notifications more seriously and maintain vigilance to safeguard personal information, especially Social Security numbers."

In addition to Social Security numbers, identity thieves also targeted consumers' credit card information, passwords and user names last year, the report said.

As Davidson suggested, Javelin encouraged people to maintain updated software on their PCs and mobile devices to protect against potential theft. The research firm also explained that consumers should shred documents containing sensitive information, employ direct deposit for payroll checks and only connect to WiFi networks that are well known and trusted. Identity thieves can prey upon people in so many ways that it can be difficult for consumers to avoid becoming victims. However, there are several tips they can follow to safeguard personal and sensitive data from being obtained by malicious parties. As industry professionals and research have shown, passwords cannot be neglected, regardless of device used or account accessed. A password manager is an effective solution to help users improve their online security wherever they access the Internet.

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How Safe is Your Home Network Against Computer Virus?

In spite of what we see on Hollywood movies or television shows, hacking into a computer or a home Internet network isn’t that hard, so long as both are left unprotected. So, if hackers can make it through, how much more for those nasty computer viruses?

Don’t be surprised to learn how easy it is for hackers or computer viruses to enter a computer network and into your computer. Many computer networks are practically defenseless to intruders because they are allowed to be in that state. Users are often completely unaware of the dangers they can encounter if they don’t properly secure their network.

With the right tools and knowledge, you can minimize the chances of having your security compromised by computer viruses.

Generally, a home network is a system composed of two devices connected to each other and to the Internet. Computers running on Windows operating system are more at risk from virus attacks than Mac computers. This is to be expected since Windows dominates the market and is a much bigger target for exploitation. It would be a good idea to have an online virus removal service at hand for extreme emergencies.

First, you need to activate your firewall. You can either run a firewall application or purchase a physical firewall device. Most firewalls have security settings so choose the most restrictive settings because these are the safest.

Recommended: How Firewall Works?

Second, when using a wireless router, change the default username, set a new password, and enable encryption. Never leave a wireless network unprotected at this stage. Use either Wireless Encryption (WEP) or Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), though the latter is more secure.

Third, and your most important line of defense, is anti-virus software. No matter how careful we are surfing the web, something will eventually slip by. An anti-virus program helps keep your computer safe. It helps isolate and neutralize malware. Likewise, in order for anti-virus alerts to remain effective, you need to keep it up to date. Most programs have auto-update features since your computer is regularly connected to the Internet.

Fourth, other useful applications to combine with your anti-virus software are anti-spyware and anti-adware programs. Some anti-virus software are sold with these already included. Take advantage of this all-in-one package. Be sure to run your protective software at least once a week to keep your system safe. Also, be sure to install updates and patches for your operating system when they become available. These patches help seal up vulnerabilities on your computer.

Should something penetrate this far into your defenses, there are companies that offer superb online virus removal service to get rid of stubborn viruses, worms, malware, and adware not recognized by your protection program.

Image Credit: Stuart Miles.

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Guide For Repairing Some Common Computer Problems

Repairing computers involves appropriate knowledge of composition and software. However, certain concerns can be solved by the user himself if he knows the right process. Understanding of the basics is an essential aspect since dependence on computers has increased immensely these days. Those who cannot do without a computer can save time and money through thorough study. Below are few problems with better solutions that a person must consider whenever he faces any issues.

1) Problem: System Freezing!

System freezing is a common problem that occurs due to faults in software or hardware. Therefore, one must be able to diagnose the problem properly. Such issues either emerge when the user attaches peripherals like scanner, printer etc. or due to driver conflicts. If one finds that the hard drive is the cause behind it, then it is definitely due to excessive heat or insufficient power supply. The solution to this problem is:

1. The computer should be turned off for a few minutes and then plugged in again. This allows resetting the hardware and clearing the memory.
2. If the system gets too hot, then one might have to open the computer. The user must first unplug the system and then open it.
3. After opening the system, one must check the temperature of a component called metal chassis. Also, one must test the fans on rear and front side and ensure that there is no dust at all. One can use a clean cotton cloth for this purpose.
4. If an additional hard drive has been installed in the system, one must avoid placing them adjacent to each other. This can lead to heating issues. If one desires extra storage, the hard drive should be installed in slots which have DVD or CD ROM drives. Also, one can opt for mounting brackets.
5. After completing the work, one should always check the cable connections and close the cabinet without exerting much pressure as this might damage the motherboard.
6. There are situations where system downloads a wrong driver during the Windows update process. This is why it is essential to monitor the status on regularly. After checking everything, one must switch the system on and check it is working fine. If the problem continues, it is advised to restore the computer to the previous configuration which might be helpful.
7. The process of restoring is: Start option- Programs- Click on accessories- Choose system tools- Click on restore. This will restore all the settings that one has changed.
8. It is also recommended to check the hard disk since over time it gets cluttered. This has a direct impact on the speed. The bad programs must be eliminated to get enhanced performance.

2) Problem: Loading Program and Applications!

There are instances when a program or application does not load properly. This is termed as the Blue Screen of Death. One must always delete such programs and scan the system with a reliable anti-virus.

3) Problem: Errors in Registry!

All the information related to settings of software as well as hardware is stored in the Windows Registry. Sometimes, the Registry is corrupted due to harmful programs. This can be solved in two ways; either by editing Registry or manually. You can also download PC Optimization software to do it for you. Or hire an expert in this and must always take back up before taking any action.

Image Credit: debspoons.

Author Bio:

The author works for www.axisdigitalworld.com and is an expert in computer repair Canberra. He can solve all kinds of computer problems within a short time span. Those who are not able to repair the systems can contact him and get the issue solved.

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Five Great Reasons Why Your Kid Should Have A Mobile Phone

Is your child always complaining about getting a new mobile phone? You're not alone. Kids nowadays seem to expect to have a phone by the time they're a certain age. And it's not unusual to see eight year olds with cute pink mobile phones in the school playground. Whilst there are some solid reasons not to let your child have a phone, there are some pretty compelling reasons why they should. So before you dismiss the matter out of hand, you might want to think about some of these things first...

Phones Can Keep Kids Safe...

This is the number one reason that most parents give in and buy their kid a phone, and it's a good one. In an emergency, when the school bus is missed, when you forget about football practice, whatever, you can contact your child and he can contact you. This is a big deal. Plus, there are advantages to having GPS enabled phones too. A simple downloadable app will let you trace your kid wherever they are, as long as their phone is charged and switched on. The security of knowing where your child is, and of knowing that no matter what they can contact you is a great reason why you should think about buying your kid a phone.

Phones are Convenient...

You're going to be ten minutes late to after school pick up? Your daughter's piano teacher just cancelled? The convenience of having a mobile phone works both ways. You can get in contact and change plans or schedules whenever you need to. Plus, there's more chance that your kid is going to call you when their plans change too.

Phones are Cheap...

Mobile phones are simply not the luxury items that they were in the past. You can get a decent hand set for next to nothing, and a few pounds credit a month will do the job. Getting your kid a phone nowadays really isn't about financial concerns at all, it's a lot more about convenience and peace of mind. For the price of a few pounds you can know that your kid is a phone call away, and that's pretty invaluable.

Phones Teach Responsibility...

If it's about time that your kid learned a little personal responsibility, then a cell phone might be the way to teach that. Learning about how to keep track of one' own things, how to take care of something that's precious, will be a lot easier when it involves something that your kid has wanted for a long time and now doesn't want to be without. Plus, it's a good way to learn financial responsibility too, particularly if you choose a pay as you go model...

Phones Encourage Communication...

Teens find it a lot easier to communicate through text than face to face. By letting your kid have a phone you're keeping alternative methods of communication open, and increasing the likelihood that you'll know what's going on at any given time.

So, if you are weighing up the options, then these are some reasons that you might come down on the side of going out and getting your child a smartphone.

Image Credit: Ambro.

Author Bio:

Phil Turner can understand why girls want pink mobile phones. What he fails to understand is why so few manufacturers actually make them.

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How to Convert PDF to Word for Free

The two most popular file formats used on a regular basis in the digital world are probably the PDF format and the Microsoft Word format. They are used in the office, at school and at home by just about every computer user for a large variety of purposes.

PDFs are used because they are universal and compact. This is what makes them great for sending information between people. However, they are hard to edit, which is one of their main downfalls. MS Word files, however, are easily editable. When people receive information as a PDF and they want to edit the information, converting the file into an MS Word file is one of the quickest and easiest ways to do so.

Thankfully, there are some great online converters that can take care of this for you - one is Convert PDF to Word. This online tool is completely free to use and it gives you high-quality conversions that maintain the form and structure of your PDF when converting it into a Word file.

The conversion can be performed with this online tool in three easy steps, with no need to download any type of desktop software.

1. Click “Browse” to select the PDF you want to convert.

2. Enter your email address.

3. Click “Send”.

A link for downloading your newly converted MS Word file will be sent to your email address.

It’s very reliable and quick, and of course, it is completely free. Anyone who needs to perform a quick and accurate conversion from PDF to Word should definitely try out Convert PDF to Word as a highly recommended free online option.

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Parental Tools For Keeping Your Child Safe Online

In such a short amount of time, the internet has become more common place in our lives than we could have ever imagined. Today, a world without the conveniences and the joys of the internet is unimaginable and we are learning of new ways to use and enjoy it all the time. It's practical uses are diverse: looking up directions, sending a gift, learning to play guitar, watching a film – all of these activities are things we can now do quickly and easily in the comfort of our own homes.

For our children, teaching them to use the internet effectively and safely is ever increasingly important to us as parents. The benefits of the thousands of educational resources available online massively outweighs the drawbacks of the dangers we also find on the world wide web, but those dangers do pose a problem – one that can worry parents when they're introducing there younger children to the online world. Thankfully, some savvy computer programmers have put together some brilliant tools to alleviate our concerns as parents.

Although there are a wide range of tools that can help, I'm going to concentrate on the two that I think are the most helpful. They are Parental Control Software and Computer Monitoring Software, and each of these tools can help parents in their own unique way. Let's take a look at each of these in turn.

Parental Control Software:

Parental Control Software can monitor, filter and block web pages depending on its content. If you have young children and you're worried they're going to be exposed to adult web pages of some kind (this could be gambling, alcohol, violence, pornography etc...) then this is for you. Parental Control Software will scan a web page before it is shown for a range of keywords and if it deems the page unsuitable, it will block it, if not it will show it.

Computer Monitoring Software:

Computer Monitoring Software works similarly, but slightly differently than Parental Control Software, and is great for parents of teenagers or older children who you want to give a bit more freedom online, but are still slightly worried. Computer Monitoring Software will monitor (secretly) every web page that is visited and any application used, so that you can look through reports and see what your children have been looking at at a later date. Computer Monitoring Software also monitors keystrokes and documents, and will take screen shots of visited websites.

You could even use parental control and computer monitoring software together, to create a powerful combination of tools that's sure to keep your child safe online. If you'd like to find out more about these parental tools, head over to the Gecko Parents website here.

Image Credit: Clare Bloomfield.

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How Safe Is Cloud Storage?

Last week, I was sitting around talking to a friend about how he lost his data on his computer, but he had it all backed up on an external hard drive. It brought up the subject of him losing that hard drive or it getting lost/stolen – leading to the idea of cloud storage. He questioned whether cloud storage is safe or not. Cloud services have changed IT entirely for businesses across a wide range of areas. But as more and more companies rely on the cloud for storage, syncing, and computing, hackers are targeting popular cloud services for the sensitive information stored there. Yes, the companies that provide cloud storage are responsible in keeping our data secure, but we should also look at what we can do as consumers and make cloud storage safer for our data.

To begin, let’s answer the question: what exactly is the cloud storage? In essence, it is a model of networked enterprise storage where data is stored not only in the user's computer, but also in virtualized pools of storage which are generally hosted by third parties. From music files to pictures to sensitive documents, the cloud invisibly backs up your files and folders and avoids the potentially endless and costly search for extra storage space. An alternative to purchasing an external hard drive or deleting old files to make room for new ones, cloud storage is convenient and cost-effective. It works by storing your files on a server on the internet rather than on your local hard drive, allowing you to back up, sync, and access your data across multiple devices as long as they have internet capability.

If you wish to store information virtually, however, you must consider the added risk that your information may be accessible to others -- potentially people who you do not wish to have access. Outlined below are a few security risks to take into account and how to protect yourself and your data.

Cloud computing is a relatively new tool for the average consumer. It is important to explore the service that most fits your needs.

The first step in using the cloud service is to choose a provider that fits your needs. Some points to take into consideration on your search are:

1. Are the company’s security standards appropriate? - Do some research for your needs. Make sure that the company has a good reputation and solid security policies. Remember, this company holds your trust to store your personal information.
2. How much data storage do you need? Look at sites with a realistic expectation of the size you need to store all your files. Most companies charge by the amount of storage you are requesting.
3. Is your data encrypted when being uploaded or downloaded from the cloud? Make sure that your browser or app requires an encrypted connection before you upload or download your data. Always look for the “https://” or the padlock beside the URL in your browser.
4. Is your data encrypted when stored in the cloud? Read the terms of service to find this information; often your data will be stored on the cloud server with no encryption, this means that anyone that has (or can get) high level access to that server will be able to read your files. This may not be an issue for many files, but you should carefully consider what kind of information you are storing in the cloud and whether you are comfortable with some other person you don’t know accessing it. At a minimum, no data that is protected by law (medical information, personal identifiers, financial data) should be stored in the cloud unless the storage solution is encrypted and you know who can decrypt it (it should only be you or your organization) and for what reason.
5. Learn and understand how access is shared with your cloud folder: Many cloud storage providers allow you to share access to your online folders with other people. Be sure you know in details and understand how this works. Can they read only or can they change the file? Will you know who changed a file last? If you share the file with a group, can you see who all is in the group? Are you notified if the group changes? Does the service allow you to make files public? If you do, are your personal details (name, account, email, etc.) attached to that file if a stranger looks at it?
6. Know your options if the cloud provider should be hacked or should lose your data: Many of these companies require that you sign their terms and conditions before they allow you to use the service. In the vast majority of cases, these conditions state that you have very little, if any, remedy if anything bad should happen. Be aware of what you are signing away.

Once you have found the service that best caters to your needs, it is important to make your data as safe as possible.

Here are some general rules that you should follow for all your internet habits, but particularly for your data storage:

1. Pick a good password: All cloud services require a master password to get into your files, so make it a good one, something that is pretty long and not easy for others to hack. When it comes to passwords, longer is better. True, it can be a hassle to remember a strong password but it’s an even bigger hassle to have your information stolen.
2. Don’t reuse your passwords: The password you choose to access the cloud should be unlike any other password you use. If a hacker gets access to your Facebook password which may also be the password to your email, they will not only have a clear view of where you hold financial accounts, but they will be able to reset all of your passwords without your knowledge.
3. Don’t share your passwords: Even with a trusted friend, sharing your password is never a good idea. The more people who know your password, the more likely it is to be spread around. Your password is the lock to your information; don’t let more people have access to it than necessary.
4. Back up your data: The same way you back up your computer’s hard drive, back up your cloud storage data. Some companies are out there that offer a small amount of storage free of cost. Take advantage of this and make sure you have your most important data backed up in case of an unexpected loss.

Image Credit: Thinkstockphotos.

Author Bio:

Youa is a blogger from Minneapolis who enjoys reading about all things tech-related. She’s a fan of local businesses, like RJS Software, who always have something fun to say on their tech blog.

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Learn How To Create YouTube Videos With These Three Tips For Beginners

YouTube is one of the leading video sharing sites on the Internet where you can find all types of videos from individuals and businesses. Many people post videos for fun. They simply want to share something they thought was funny or inspirational with others. Businesses use it to promote their products and services, so you can find a video for just about anything you can imagine on YouTube.
While creating and positing a video in YouTube is fairly easy, you do want to make sure you create something that others will watch. You don’t want to stick just anything on there, especially if you’re promoting your company. Here are three very important things to remember and apply when creating YouTube Videos.

Create Your Own Keywords and Tags:

This can be a very difficult part of making videos for some people but it is a necessary one. In order for viewers to find your video, you need good keywords and tags. You can check out the competition to give you some ideas but remember you never want to copy keywords and tags from someone else. This could ruin your reputation. Instead, use your imagination and come up with keywords and tags that describe the content of your video the best. You can also use a keyword tool designed to help you come up with good ideas.

Find Your Own Style and Voice:

When creating any video, it’s important to find your own style and voice. When you watch YouTube videos, you’ll notice that the creators of the successful ones have their own style and they have no doubt worked hard to find a system that works great for them. You’ll have to do the same and it will probably be a trial and error phrase while you search for your own style and voice that helps to make your videos successful. The main thing to remember is to relax, be yourself and don’t give up. You’ll soon find the style that suits you the best.

Only Post Videos That You Are Passionate About:

This is very important because if you’re not passionate about the subject in your video, the viewers will be able to tell and if you’re not really interested in your own video, why should they be? Many people create videos just for the views and while you do want to attract as many viewers as possible, this shouldn’t be your only reason for creating a video.

Instead, the video should have meaning. They can provide viewers with important and useful information, tell a story or simply make people laugh but they should have a real purpose. When you create videos that you are truly passionate about, it will show in your work and this will help to draw in more viewers. People will want to share them with others and they’ll look for more videos you’ve created. Once you have created your video, you can buy YouTube views to help boost ratings and get people interested but it’s the content that will keep them coming back and sharing with others.

Creating your own keywords and tags, finding your own style and only creating videos that you are passionate about will help you create YouTube videos that people will want to watch.

When you are ready to go on and create your own video, You have just got promoted to this article "Making Money With YouTube" So have a look at it too :)

Image Credit: MyBlogGuest platform.

Author Bio:

Brittany Clark likes to help others learn more about YouTube by writing articles and blog posts on the topic. She’s also a big fan of using YouTube for business.

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7 Steps to Clean Up PC Quick and Easy

Would you like to have a Regular computer maintenance program that involves a list of how to clean up your pc from the inside out? Would you like to do that without ever having to take it into the shop for one of those expensive "tune ups." Here's what you need to do.

1. Clean up your PC. This is like any other chore. You have to dust it off and clean it up. 
2. Update your programs and applications.
3. Uninstall programs that you no longer use. And be sure that you aren't running anything like 2 antiviruses at the same time.
4. Reclaim space in your hard driver. Condense and clean up with the tools that Windows gave you like Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter.
5. Organize your folders so that you don't automatically lump everything into a Download folder as soon as you get it.
6. Back your files up to a Cloud file storage.
7. Consider setting a schedule with a regular program to do this for you like a registry cleaner.

That's all you have to do to keep it running smoothly or to prevent any major disasters if something bad does happen.

Author Bio:

Erin Walsh loves to blog about anything to do with technology. Thankfully, her "real" job is something that she loves to do, blog about technology. Erin's blog at PC Health Boost is centered around helping everday computer users solve common computer errors with solutions that anyone can troubleshoot. She offers all of her advice whether you use her pc utility software or not. Hop on over and find out how to speed up you pc, avoid screen freezes, fix dll errors, and more. http://www.pchealthboost.com/clean_up_pc.php.

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Tips To Choose Spy App For Mobile Phone Tracking

Finding a perfect mobile phone monitoring software might be a difficult task because there’s so many different solutions online these days. The biggest problem most people face is that they only need one good app and with so many choices it’s hard to find the one that best suits your needs. With so many misleading information and web sites that often confuse you instead of making your choice easier it can be difficult do actually find out which ones are good and reliable apps and which ones offer everything you need. With a few guidelines you can find here it will be much easier for you to actually understand what to look for in a good monitoring app.

Avoid free software:

Monitoring apps are state of the art software solutions whose development costs money, so keep in mind that there’s no reliable free software out there. There are a lot of web sites that will offer you free monitoring apps but don’t trust them, because they are only trying to keep you on their web site or trying to get to your credit card information. If you find a web site that offers a free trial of a monitoring software, without asking you to give them your personal and credit card information, than it might be a good idea to try these apps. This could be a good way to find out if this is the best app for you.

Price is not the most important thing:

It’s understandable that you want to find a perfect app without having to pay a lot of money for it, but keep in mind that cheaper is not always better. You should first find out what does the app offer, does it offer everything you need or maybe more than you need. If you want an app with good value rates, check for mSpy app. Once you define what you actually want from a monitoring software then finding something that will stay within your budget should not be a problem with so many solutions out there. Do some research if you don’t want to pay an app that’s cheap and useless, or overpay an app with more features than you need.

Available features:

When you find a potential solution for your monitoring software always go to the app’s web site and check all the features it offers. Some of the products offer a lot of different features and advanced options and some of them only offer some basic and standard features. You should always consider what do you actually need and what exactly you want to monitor on a desired smartphone. If you just want to know with who the owner of a targeted phone is talking to or sending messages to than a basic monitoring app is enough for you. If you need additional options you should go for the advanced apps.

Recommended: How To Launch Parental Control On Different Platform.

Check compatibility:

This is an extremely important thing to check if you want your monitoring app to work at all. Many developers are saying that their app are working with all phones but this is mostly not true. Usually the majority of these apps are compatible with Android powered phones, iPhones and Blackberries. It’s also important to check if the app you want works not only with the operating system on the phone but with the version that it’s used.

Customer support:

Always choose apps that offer customer support. There’s no use in buying an app without being able to contact someone if something goes wrong. Reliable monitoring software developers always have customer support for their products, usually via phone, e-mail or live chat. Avoid developers that don’t offer adequate support for their apps.

With these guidelines and some research on your own you should be well informed in order to find a perfect monitoring software that will suit all your needs.

Image Credit: David Castillo Dominici.

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10 Of The Best Ways To Connect With People In The Digital Age

The modern world is a place more connected than it has ever been in all of human history. The sheer number of options for communication and message diffusion available to us as individuals, groups, companies or organizations is an absolutely unprecedented kaleidoscope of technological innovation. What’s more, all of these communications options have become cheaper and more portable than ever before in history.

Thus, because of this, anyone from a goat herder in Mexico to a taxi driver in New York City to a socialite in Europe can access almost anyone else on Earth and spread their message to a large audience of digital contacts in just minutes. This can be used for things as simple as chatting with friends or it can incite whole revolutions and riots in repressive countries. All of this is possible thanks to the range of technologies described or represented below.

10) Hotmail, Yahoo email services:

Email itself is slowly dying in favor of other, more up to the minute communications mediums but the original warhorse email services such as Yahoo and Hotmail keep chugging along with just under 600 million users between the two of them. While their interfaces are in many ways deeply lacking as opposed to the power of Google’s Gmail, the inertia of being the first two major providers keeps them popular and as far as basic communications between friends and casual contacts is concerned, they’re not too bad.

9) Gmail:

The king of all the email providers, Gmail is a free email service run by Google and, while similar to Yahoo and Microsoft’s Hotmail (now called Live Mail) it’s interface and connectivity options are so much better. Add in a very effective anti-spam filter and the ability to connect with other highly used Google services, and it’s no wonder that Gmail is now the preferred choice for many professionals in all of their business or work related email needs. Gmail used to be the smaller of the three major email services but has now overtaken both Yahoo and Microsoft Live Mail with nearly 500 million users of its own.

8) WhatsApp:

The WhatsApp mobile device communication app is essentially a text messaging service that can be downloaded for free on yop of the existing SMS capability of your smart phone. However, unlike your existing provider, it’s free to use for the entire first year that you own it and costs less than $20 USD per year for every year after that. By using the power of 3G internet connectivity to send messages, WhatsApp lets you communicate quickly and easily with all your mobile contacts without running up your mobile minutes or phone contract costs.

7) Google Drive:

Another Google Service to make the list; Google Drive is the Cloud storage and transfer app that comes built right into your Google email (Gmail) account and into other Google services such as Google Apps. Drive isn’t really anything much different from what services like DropBox offer, except that its integration with any Google account means that you can use it to easily create collaborative document and data editing group accounts for yourself and other Google using partners. This is indeed very useful and great for business connectivity.

6) DropBox:

Simple enough: Open an account, download the app to your devices (along with its 2 GB of free storage space) and use it to quickly and easily share documents amongst your devices or send large files to your friends and coworkers by simply offering them a DropBox link that they can download from. A powerful cloud storage/sharing tool that lets you and others connect through shared data.

5) GoToMeeting:

A fairly powerful online video conferencing platform that’s very easy to use and very cheap as well. While GoToMeeting is possibly not the best solution for major business needs, it’s great as a small business and collaborative video calling service. Simple enough: you open an account (the first 30 days are free as part of a trial offer) set up a meeting platform on the GoTo website and invite as many as 25 other people to participate in the meeting through their own special access link at scheduled times that you’ve set in advance. No login is necessary for attendees and you can set meetings as often as you like.

4) InterCall:

InterCall is a perfect solution for real business connectivity in the digital age. Unlike other services such as Skype and Tango, or even GoToMeeting, the services provided by InterCall are designed for real corporate quality video, audio and telepresence meetings that give you access to a diverse range of different meeting formats, prices and styles. Their video conferencing options can be set up so you either set up and run a meeting with your own equipment and use Intercall to run the connection, or you can give them complete control of everything and simply focus on holding a digital meeting quickly and easily.

3) Twitter:

The Twitter social media site may seem overly simple –writing 150 character blurbs about what you’re doing or how you feel and maybe sharing a link inside them—but with this fairly basic range of communications options, this social app has been used to topple governments, coordinate mass rallies and protests and bring together large numbers of friends or connect celebrities directly with their followers. Twitter is much more powerful than it would seem.

2) Skype:

Skype is the oldest and most famous of the video calling apps. Now copied by other extremely similar products such as Apple’s FaceTime and Tango or oVoo, Skype is free, easy to use and very effective when it comes to visually interacting with friends and family over any sort of distance. You can use the Skype video interface from your PC, laptop or mobile device and even make calls to mobile or landline devices with it at discount rates.

1) Facebook:

Who doesn’t know what Facebook is all about? With over 1 billion users, this is now the world’s absolute most popular social network, and it’s a great tool for staying in touch with friends, family and even customers through fan pages and business pages. You can use Facebook for just about any sort of basic digital communication including video chat through their built in video platform.

Image Credit: Kromkrathog.

Author Bio:

Stephan Jukic is a freelance writer who generally covers a variety of subjects relating to the latest changes in white hat SEO, marketing, marketing tech and brand promotion. He also loves to read and write about subjects as varied as the idea of a location-free business, portable business management, and strategic marketing and advertising tactics. When he’s not busy writing or consulting, he spends his days enjoying life’s adventures either in Canada or Mexico. Connect with Stephan on LinkedIn.

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