Day 5
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Lesson 5
Just one word: Twitter. You’ve heard about it. Odds are, you don’t even really know what it is. Well guess what. In about 5 minutes, you will know more about it than some people who already use it. Look at you go!
Twitter is a micro-blog. A blog, or weB LOG, is a series of articles available to read over an internet connection. The blog articles are usually posted by one author and are kept in a descending sequence by date. You are reading a blog right now. These lessons are the first ten articles published in a blog.
A mirco-blog is a blog made up of very short posts. Every twitter post is limited to 140 characters, which is enough for 1 to 2 sentences. It was originally developed for people to alert their friends to what they’re doing at the moment. For example, you might tweet a message like, “Heading to the movies at 7:30 pm to see the new Star Trek movie.” Then, any of your friends who wanted to join you could show up at the theater.
There is some functionality built into Twitter to allow for people to respond to your messages, but it is really built to send messages that you do not expect to receive a response to.
There are two sides to this Twitter coin. They are who you are “following” and who your “followers” are. You choose who you are “following” and your “followers” choose to follow you. Now, before you run off screaming, “Cult, cult, cult,” let me assure you that there will be no Kool Aid served over Twitter.
Let’s break this down.
If you send:
“I am going to the movies.”
All of your followers will get the message.If you follow your friend Larry (Twitter Username = LuckyLarry) and he sends:
“I am going to the movies too.”
You will see it, and everyone else who follows Larry will see it.If you send;
@LuckyLarry Sneak in some Junior Mints dude!The @ symbol in front of Larry’s username will direct the message specifically at Larry, but other people can see it too. Oh, and you get Junior Mints out of the deal.
You can send a message directly to a person that other people cannot see. That has to be done by clicking “Direct Messages” on the right side of your Twitter page and then selecting a user from the drop down menu at the top of the page. You can only send a direct message to another user who is following you.
Note 2.0
It is important to note that you should never send personal information like social security numbers and credit card numbers over twitter at any time for any reason.
There is more to this Twitter thing, but these basics will get you going nicely. Remember what the past lesson on Netiquette said about typing in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. Don’t.
Homework
Open a Twitter account and follow me on Twitter. You may want to write down or print these instructions.
- Go to http://twitter.com
- Click the “Sign Up Now” button
- Fill out the short form (remember your e-mail address)
- Click the “Create My Account” button
- Click the “Skip this step” link underneath the “Continue” button
- Click the “Finish” button
(Note: This method will auto-follow some random Celebrities) - Go to http://twitter.com/firstplacetogo
(Note: I didn’t put the word “the” in there. The name was too long with it.) - Click the “Follow” button
Congratulations, you’re on Twitter!
If you want to get some followers from our community here, feel free to post your Twitter username in the comments below. Once you do, go through the comments and follow some of the folks here. If you notice that someone has posted a Twitter username here that does nothing but send out advertisements, please let me know and I will remove their post.
Wrap Up
Have you noticed that I usually put two topics in each lesson? Did you notice that I didn’t today? That is partly because this is a big topic, partly you’re now halfway through the lessons, and partly because I want you to use the Find People link at the top of Twitter to search for people to follow and have fun with a really neat social networking tool. I’m looking forward to tomorrow!
Day 4
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Lesson 4
It’s time to talk about security. Before you roll your eyes and tell me how boring this is going to be, let me tell you something. This is important. It’s easy to keep your information safe online, but you do have to pay attention to it. Part of your security involves being aware of what you should and should not do. The other part is using software or programs that will guard your information. Some of the things you will read may seem disturbing at first. Unfortunately, they have become commonplace and you just need to be aware of them. You know better than to give your private information to a complete stranger offline. Of course you shouldn’t do it online.
Things to Know
E-mail: On occasion, you will receive e-mail from people trying to commit fraud or steal your identity. This one is simple. No one who should have your personal information will ever ask for it through e-mail. Don’t e-mail your personal information to anyone, ever.
Passwords: Use passwords that you can remember. Do not write them down if it can be avoided. If you have to write them down, keep them in a small notebook and keep that notebook somewhere secure, preferably locked up.
Browsers: Keep your browser updated. Bad people are constantly looking for new and unusual ways to exploit the internet. Fortunately, good people are constantly looking for new and unusual ways to make it safer. Every time you update your browser, you get the latest security features.
Children: This will probably sound crazy and paranoid. I’ll just be blunt. Kids should not have access to the internet in any place where their parents cannot see what they are doing at all times. This rule is less about trusting your child as it is about being careful about the people and information your kids come in contact with.
Note 2.0
Normally, the Note 2.0 information is something you can do without. However, if you have children living with you, please visit their website and read this article. Bookmark their site and refer to it often.
http://www.safetyclicks.com/2008/09/03/house-rules-for-online-safety/
Important Software
Antivirus: Viruses are small programs that can get into your computer through internet browsing and downloading. These viruses can be anything from a minor annoyance to a serious threat to your personal information. An antivirus program will help you keep your computer from being infected with a virus. It is important to keep your antivirus database updated because you need the most current virus definition list. Most antivirus software gives you the option to let updates happen automatically. Always choose this option.
Firewall: A firewall is a program that controls incoming and outgoing connections with your computer. In order to connect with the internet, or devices you might use, you have holes in your security. A firewall monitors, plugs, or masks these holes. For example, if someone is probing for open computer systems to gain access to, a good firewall will make it look like your computer doesn’t even exist. On the other hand, programs like browsers and games need to make a connection from your computer to another computer on the internet. You firewall will manage this connection to make sure it is not a virus. Usually this is in the form of asking your permission for the program to access the internet.
Spyware: Spyware is used to tell someone else about you and your activity online, though it often doesn’t have malicious intent. An example of spyware would be what is called a cookie. Cookies store information about what you have done on a particular website so that when you return, the website can remember things like your personal settings or items in your shopping cart. There are more aggressive forms of spyware as well that should be monitored and removed. Anti-spyware software will remove all forms of spyware. Deleting cookies will not harm your computer. The worst that might happen is that you may have to re-enter information on a website.
I recommend ZoneAlarm Products. They have served me quite well over the years. Here are their key products. You may already have an antivirus program or a firewall installed. If so, you can get the software you’re missing through the links below. If you don’t have any of this software installed, I would suggest getting the internet Security Suite or Extreme Security which offers even more protection.
ZoneAlarm Antivirus without Firewall:
Special Internet Offer for ZoneAlarm Antivirus Protection - Click here!
ZoneAlarm Firewall without Antivirus:
ZoneAlarm Pro — Spyware Removal Plus the #1 Rated Firewall
ZoneAlarm Antrivirus/Firewall Combo:
Download ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite
ZoneAlarm Antrivirus/Firewall Plus More:
ZoneAlarm Extreme Security - Stops Attacks Others Miss!
Homework
We just reviewed things you can do to protect your security. Online stores have ways to protect your security as well. They use encryption to guard your information. What that means is that they change your information into a super secret code while it is being transmitted between your computer and their computer so that if someone tries to steal any sensitive information, they won’t be able to read or understand it. You will know that they are using this type of encryption when you see the picture of a closed lock on your screen.
The First Place To Go Online Store is an affiliate of Amazon.com, which is a store that I completely trust and have personally shopped with for many years. My affiliate store is a very simple to use version of the Amazon.com website, which sells almost anything you can think of.
I would like you to visit the store by clicking on the link and go through the process of making a purchase. The purpose of this exercise is to demonstrate what to look for before entering your sensetive information. Make a selection from the store, click the “Add to Shopping Cart” button, review the order, and click the “Proceed to Checkout” button. This will open a new window directly on the Amazon.com website.
This is where I want you to be. Look around on your browser while you are on the Amazon.com website. You will see the closed lock symbol I mentioned earlier. This lock indicates that your personal information will be secure.
The First Place To Go Online Store
Note 2.0
You’re welcome to continue with your purchase from Amazon.com, but it is not a requirement for the homework project.
Wrap Up
I hope today’s lesson hasn’t scared you. It was simply meant to make sure you are aware of the seriousness of internet security. There was a time when folks left their doors unlocked. That time has passed. When interacting online, you just need to remember that there are other people on the other end of you internet connection, and not all of them are nice. I wanted to make sure you were educated about internet security before we begin interacting more with the rest of the world.
