Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-28

Tags: ,

AOL Launches SafeSocial – Get Your FREE Trial Now!

As a parent, your children’s safety is your first priority. But in today’s digital age, it’s critical that as  a parent you need  to protect your kids online as well.
These days, your kids’ “friends” aren’t just the kids hanging out in your family room -- they’re also the hundreds of contacts on their online “friend” and “buddy” lists. Did you know that more than 50 million teens (ages 13-17) are online worldwide? Or that the average number of “friends” on a list is 130? The totals are much higher for many teens. [Much higher than this oldie ;-) ]

SafeSocial, a new AOL product that launches today, can help you protect your children, even if you aren’t a social media expert. SafeSocial helps you:

· Find out where your child has online accounts

· Know who your child is “friends” with online

· Get notified if your child is in a conversation about violence, suicide or drugs

· See photos your child has posted online, and others’ photos in which your child has been tagged


Another benefit? You can monitor all this activity without being a “helicopter parent.” Your child will have to agree to be monitored, but you won’t need to connect with them on the social media accounts, or hover over their shoulders in person. In our house, our girls know that we’re the parents providing fro them--so having them “agree” be to monitored is a given--NOT an option.

Get Your Free Trial of SafeSocial

Try it free here.

SafeSocial Tips

By Regina Lewis, AOL Consumer Advisor

These days, your teens’ “friends” aren’t just the kids hanging out in your kitchen and family room, they’re hundreds of contacts on their “friend” and “buddy” lists. More than 50 million teens (ages 13 to 17) are online worldwide and the average number of “friends” is 130. For many teens, these numbers are even higher. It’s not unusual to have more than 500 “friends” and more than 1,000 profile photos.

So, how can you realistically keep up with your child’s vast circle of “friends” and ongoing status and photo updates?

1. Become a “Friend”

For starters, you can become your child’s online. They’ll need to accept your friend request. This can be easier said than done. In some cases, you may get push back. It’s your call how strongly you press.

There are more private alternatives. A new product called SafeSocial lets you privately see everything you would as a “friend” and even more. Many kids prefer this route. Remember, you’re not “spying” on them; you’re simply doing your job as an informed and involved parent.

2. Curb the Comments

If your child is reluctant to accept you publicly as a “friend,” be sure not to push your luck by excessively commenting on their page once you are granted access. Grandparents can be over-commenting culprits, too. Often teens find this “embarrassing” and it may even lead to having them “un-friend” you. It happens all the time.

3. Get a Report Card

The new parenting tool SafeSocial offers a time-efficient and thorough way to keep tabs on your children’s social networking without being too intrusive. It delivers an easy-to-read report card providing a 360 degree view of their overall social networking— what they’re saying and doing and who their friends are.

This answers one of the biggest issues facing parents all over the country—feeling like you need to spend hours each week monitoring your child’s online activity and still not really being sure if you’re seeing everything (they can filter your view) or what you might be missing (what’s happening on their friends’ pages).

4. Watch the Friends

All friends are not created equal. Some your children may know well, some they may barely know at all. You can get a good feel for their entire list via SafeSocial’s Friend Engine, which takes an extensive look at your kids’ friends and checks them against more than 50 databases to see if they may not be who they say they are. You’ll be alerted when an adult becomes a friend of your child, when someone looks suspicious or has no or few other mutual friends with your child.

5. Loaded Language and Photos

Specific words that may come up in strings of conversation— sex, drugs, alcohol, suicide and so on and suggestive or violent language will be flagged, so you can hone in on the suspect dialog versus reading every post. This helps prevent missing something inadvertently.

You can even opt to be immediately notified via an email alert. This piece could prove priceless in protecting your children’s safety and managing their reputations.

While every conversation and image is archived, you can adjust the settings to simply view those that are called out. This lets you give kids more privacy as they mature. You will also see all photos, including those other people post of your child. Young people tend to push the envelope with photos and videos, so checking out this section of the report card is critical.

Overall, social networking is an integral part of many teenage lives and an opportunity for your kids to learn to express themselves in a creative and responsible fashion. It’s too big a trend to ignore. You can embrace it with these new tools on your side. For more information, visit www.safesocial.com,  www.safety.aol.com and www.reginalewis.com.

AOL Consumer Advisor Regina Lewis is a national TV and radio contributor and Internet trend expert. She knows the tips, tricks, secrets and shortcuts for making technology work for you.

This news update and opportunity was brought to my attention via the Global Influence Network.

Tags: , , , ,

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-21

Tags: ,

Islamic Relief USA is seeking Fall Interns

Islamic Relief USA has been extremely active in their relief efforts for our brothers and sisters suffering great lose in the Pakistani floods since the very beginning MashaAllah (God has willed). Subhanallah (Glory be to God), their work has gained them recognition by Google as one of two agencies listed for interested parties to make donations for this cause, alhumdulilah (Praise be to God).

Islamic Relief USA Seeking Fall Interns

So, if you’re a student in Virginia or New Jersey interested in international development work, public relations, IT, public affair, or law, please consider sending your resume to Internship@IslamicReliefUSA.org  for the following Fall positions:

  • Legal Intern
  • Public Affairs Intern
  • Communications Intern
  • Domestic Programs Intern
  • Information Technology Intern
  • International Programs Intern

And, while you’re here, please have your kids, nieces, nephews, cousins, etc. participate in the Ramadan Qur’an-A-Thon Sadaqah Drive, in which every dollar pledged for parts of the Qur’an memorize will go to Islamic Relief USA, inshaAllah.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-14

Tags: ,

List of Great Muslim Mommy Newsgroups

While I have half-dozen more newsgroups I’m a member of, I find all the active groups listed below to be very helpful, encouraging and insightful.

Muslim Mom Google Group

Muslim mom network

Muslim Women and Islamic Parenting Yahoo Groups

IslamicParenting

SistersNet

Muslim Homeschooling Yahoo Groups

Homeschool-Muslim-CT

muslim-kids-and-education

islamichomeschooling

KidsIslamicStories

As always, we’re open to your suggestions and recommendations. Please share any newsgroups you find helpful and that we should  become a member of today.

Tags: , , ,

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-07

Tags: ,

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-07-31

  • Enjoying Newport, RI with the extended family. Love the new ice cream place next door to the Arcade–talk about perfect location :-) #
  • #Homeschool grad is connecting businesses & kids 4 scholarships opps, while raising $ 2 go 2 college too http://HomeschoolScholarships.org #
  • Any cool family-fun deals and/or places in Newport, RI? We've been going for years, so we're seeking some new hidden treasures. #
  • Our 1st school signed up 25 kids ages 3-13yo 4 Summer Islamic Reading Prg. Still time 2 join 4 free gifts & more http://tinyurl.com/37ougf3 #
  • Any #wahm or #mommybloggers that have kidbloggers? I want to help my daughter build her network: http://muslimkids.americanmuslimmom.com/ #
  • Taking @kellymccausey #WAHM {Stretch YOURSELF} Challenge.Want 2 learn how 2 share our passions with the world together? http://bit.ly/cp3C2e #
  • #Homeschool Truck-driving mom's daughter was recruited 4 full scholarship 2 Harvard: Graduated & going 2 law schl http://tinyurl.com/2dehcwo #

Tags: ,

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-07-24

Tags: ,

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-07-17

Tags: ,