I attended the WordCampATL Conference this weekend, and I learned some really handy things. I’m not a coder, but I’m a techie, so I feel there are some things I should be able to do myself. One the cool tips I implemented immediately was how to add a QR Code to your log in page that lets you scan the code with your smartphone to imitate and complete the log in process. I’m a serious QR Code fan, so of course one of the sessions I attended was the “Scan it! Incorporating QR codes into WordPress”. At first, I thought “yeah, yeah, yeah, I know all of this”. Shortly after my arrogant moment, the presenter smacked me in the face with this cool trick. Again, there is no coding involved.

How

• Download and install the No More Passwords* plugin. No setup required.
• Log out of your site and log back in. You are now presented with the login page, but with a nice QRCode to the right of your information.
• Scan the QRCode with your smartphone. Note: You need to have a QRCode reader on your phone – I-nigma is a nice and free one, I personally use Optiscan)
• On the first attempt, you need to enter your log in credentials on your smartphone when prompted. After that, once you scan the QR code, it will automatically log you in.

Why

• Because it’s cool – No other reason needed. But if you really need more validation…
• Security – If you’re on a public computer and are either afraid that a keylogger is installed (records keystrokes), or somebody is peeking over your shoulder, you can safely log in without touching the keyboard.

The plugin works specifically with WordPress, but after doing some digging, I found that Google is testing this kind of functionality for it’s products. Since i’m a QR Code fan, I mainly downloaded the plugin because I think it’s cool…Safety and security was an afterthought. Check out the process in action, and let me know what you think in the comments. Will you download this?

…and no, I can’t spell, lol!

I’m a gadget early-adopter. I’m also a advocate of Apple products (I’m too grown to be a fan-BOY). So I think it’s completely justifiable that I bought the iPhone 4S at full price with no uber differentiating factors from my iPhone 4 other than a dual-core processor, higher resolution camera…and the Siri voice assistant. Now with all the apps I have and regularly use, and the amount of things I can accomplish with my phone (I get it in), the dual-core processor helps out. The ability to take higher resolution photos stops me from dragging around my regular “point-and-shoot” everywhere for when my daughters do something adorable (as they often do).

Siri on the other hand…I don’t really use it. I think it’s because I habitually start typing instead of activating Siri to compose an sms, IM, email message, etc. Considering how much money I wasted invested in this device, I figure I might as well use one of Apple’s main selling points for the 4S. After doing some research, I found out you can dictate Twitter and Facebook updates using any smartphone.

Before I get into the specifics of how to accomplish this using any smartphone, there are some settings in both Twitter and Facebook that need to be set.

Twitter Settings

You need to add your phone to your Twitter account. Below is how to do it completely via text, but you can also activate your phone by going to your profile’s mobile settings via Twitter.com

• - Send a text with the word “START” to 40404
• - Twitter will send you a series of messages prompting you to reply with your username (handle without the @ symbol) and password (case sensitive).
• - Twitter will ask “is you’re sure this what you want to do?” (I’m paraphrasing). reply with “OK”.

Since you probably already use another Twitter mobile app, I would suggest you go to your Twitter profile’s mobile settings, and turn OFF any text message notifications. You just want to send messages and not receive.

Facebook Settings

• - Go to your Facebook account settings. Under mobile, click ”Register for Facebook Text Messages”.
• - You will asked to choose your county and wireless carrier.
• - Text the letter “F” to 32665
• - Facebook will send you a text message with a verification code that you will have to enter on Facebook’s mobile settings.

Similar with Twitter, I would suggest that you turn off all text message notifications, so you don’t run up your text message bill or get multiple notifications from text and your Twitter app.

iPhone 4S

Even though iOS 5 has integrated several Twitter functions, using Siri wasn’t one of them. Since you can send a text message with Siri, and you can update Twitter and Facebook via text message. Loogically, you can use Siri to send a text message to Twitter and Facebook. Create one contact in your phone for Twitter and use your Twitter code (40404) as the mobile number. Create another contact for Facebook and use the FB code (32665). Call the contacts what you want, but for simplicity, just use “Twitter” and “Facebook”.

Activate Siri and say something like “Tell Twitter I’m sending this tweet with my voice using Siri”. Siri will show you the draft and ask you to verify the message. Say

“OK” and Siri will send the text and Twitter will convert the text to a tweet (tip: you can say, “number sign” to create hashtags). You can do the same with Facebook. Just make sure they are contacts in your phone or it won’t work.

Android

Google Voice Search/Actions for Android is similar to Siri in that it can do a number of tasks from voice commands, but update Twitter and Facebook wasn’t on the “to-do list”. The workaround is the same for Android. Follow the steps above for adding Twitter and Facebook contacts, and send text messages to those contacts to covert them to tweets and updates.

Windows Phone

Same setup as iPhone/Android – You have to create contacts first before you can use the built-in voice command function. The cool thing about Windows Phone is that it actually reads the message back to you so you can audibly verify before you send. That way you don’t have to look at your phone after you’ve activated the voice function.

BlackBerry

Sorry, there is no built-in voice command service, so you must download apps like Vlingo, that give you the ability dictate to social media networks just by logging in and authorizing the app. Honestly, RIM has bigger fish to fry than trying to keep up with Siri.

iPhone 4/3GS/3G

This is where apps like Dragon Dictation are pretty handy that can do this without all the setup. Just login to your accounts in the app, authorize the apps to post content on your behalf, and you’re done. The Voice Control function built into non 4S devices is pretty janky, and I would suggest opting for an app to do the heavy voice lifting. Just make sure you have the latest OS installed on your iPhone.

Feature Phones

…Sucks to be you. But it should be a little comforting to know that you still can get in on all the Twitter and Facebook action by adding your phone to your account. You will have to be picky in which text messages you choose to receive from these services.

With the latest iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone devices, you have to remember that standard text message rates apply. Be mindful of that before you sit on your phone composing tweets all day (I don’t want you blaming your high phone bill on me, instead of taking responsibility for your own [voice] actions).

Honestly, I thought I was “Tardy for the Pardy” on sending voice tweets and status updates. Recently, a several people were amazed that I was testing the functionality out, so I though I would share. You don’t want to know how I was sending tweets while driving. Let’s just say I’m a safer person on the road now. If you have an idea for more ways to use voice commands on a smartphone, let us know in the comments section.

If you’re an avid Twitter user like me, then you’re WELL aware of the 140 character limit per tweet. If you’re sharing a link that you think your followers should read, the site’s url could quite possibly leave you NO ROOM to add your “Flash and Flare” to the tweet.

To combat this, most sites have sharing buttons that use a short url service that shrinks the full url down to a couple of characters for easier sharing and more space to add your $0.2 cents in the tweet. That’s where services like Bit.ly and too many others to name come in and offer their shortening services for free in most cases.

These sites add their own shortening characters (http://Custom.Url/suffix), but what if you want your own? A site I found was Domai.nr and it’s a straightforward site that helps you find a short url that can be added to any and ALL of your links for easy recognition and brand awareness.

Read the full How-to via BrothaTech.

Planning and conducting a wedding can sometimes seem more complicated than coordinating a space shuttle launch.  The combination of high cost (often tens of thousands of dollars), desire for high quality (mostly to please people you probably won’t see after the open bar shuts down), and an immovable completion date (unless you want people to think you’re having second thoughts) can give pause to even the toughest project manager we all carry within ourselves.  However, there are numerous online tools to help make planning such a special day easier and even save money.  Here are three ways to add online tools to your wedding plans.

User-Generated Wedding Ideas:  Wedding Wire

Once words gets out that you’re getting married, you’ll receive countless pieces of advice from family and friends.  While you may be fortunate to have wedding experts in your circle of friends, it can be beneficial to find an online forum of people who are currently planning their own weddings.  One website that provides such a benefit is Wedding Wire.

Wedding Wire provides national and local forums where you can post questions you have about planning your ceremony.  You can also read questions posted by other users and possibly discover ideas that you have not yet considered.  Some of the questions/topics on Wedding Wire at the time of this writing are:

• Am I the only one allowing kids at the wedding?
• Ringbearer’s Tux…Who pays?
• Bridesmaid problems
• Photo Booth – a Worthwhile Splurge or a Waste of Money??
• Trendy or tacky??

Every discussion has buttons that allow you to post them to Facebook or Twitter.  One of the best benefits of Wedding Wire is its openness to vendors.  Vendors that make wedding cakes, create floral arrangements, make invitations, and provide other wedding products and services are welcome to join the site.  If your question is in a discussion thread that is marked “vendors allowed”, then you can get connected to multiple vendors who can bid on meeting your specific needs.

The Wedding Planning Dashboard:  The Knot

Since many readers of Black Web 2.0 work with technology everyday, it can be tempting to create your own detailed spreadsheets to track every aspect of your wedding planning.  I know I’ve seen my fair share of wedding Excel spreadsheets with multiple pages, wide columns, and pivot tables.  However, using pre-generated tools lets you centralize your planning while taking advantage of best-of-breed thinking from people who plan weddings every day.  The Knot is a web site that provides a full features wedding dashboard.

In order to take advantage of the planning tools provided by The Knot, you’ll have to create a user account.  This requires filling out a straightforward form, or you can use Facebook Connect sign in with Facebook.  If you do the latter, then you can easily post tips, articles, and pictures from The Knot to your Facebook wall.

Tools provided by The Knot include a checklist that is pre-filled with common wedding tasks.  These tasks are linked to articles and pictures to help you go about completing them.  You can also add your own tasks and share them with other.  The guest list manager is another tool that lets you manage guest for various events like the bridal shower, bachelor party, and the wedding itself.  You can provide secure access to others so that your mother can invite those family members who live way out in the sticks.

Broadcast Your Wedding to the World – Live Streaming Video

It is very likely that not everyone who wants to attend your wedding will be able to be there in person.  For example, perhaps you’re planning a destination wedding and some people can’t afford the trip.  Fortunately, you can use online tools to lives tream your wedding so that even those not physically present can witness your nuptials.

Sites like Ustream and Justin.tv can be used with a laptop, webcam, and Internet connection.  These tools work best when used over WiFi or a wired internet connection.  If you make your stream public, then guests can make comments on the live stream as they watch your wedding.  You can notify your friends that the stream is live via integration with Twitter and Facebook.  Many of these sites also have an iPhone app that makes mobile live broadcasting even easier.

Using these tools will give you access to the advice and information you need to plan a wedding that lives up  to your dreams without breaking your bank account.  You can also provide a way for absent guests to watch on the web as you enjoy your special day.

Since tablets and smartphones were given in large numbers a few weeks ago as Christmas gifts, many people have less of a need for old hardware like laptops and desktops.  Why use a three or four year old computer when you can do so much with an iPad, Galaxy Tab, iPhone, or one of the many Android-powered smartphones?  It can be tempting to toss out old hardware, but that could add dangerous chemicals (like lead, mercury, and cadmium) to local landfills.  Instead of throwing away old gear, breathe new life into it by making a few simple hardware and software changes.

Add RAM

One of the most cost effective ways to get more performance out of older computers is to add RAM (Random Access Memory).  Computers use RAM to temporarily hold information like running programs, calculations, and other information.  When a computer runs out of RAM, it uses the hard drive to store this information.  Since it takes the computer’s CPU longer to read from and write to the hard drive instead of using RAM, not having enough RAM can result in significant performance problems.  You’ll need to use System Tools on PCs and the Apple menu on Macs to determine how much memory you have on your system to see how much you can add.

Desktops and laptops both have slots that hold RAM chips.  Accessing these slots on a desktop usually requires opening the case while laptops usually have an access panel on the bottom.  Input the manufacturer and model name of your computer into websites like Kingston or Crucial to determine the exact type and maximum amount of RAM your system supports.  These websites also contain detailed instructions for installing RAM.

Install a Graphics Card

While adding RAM can do wonders for the performance of your computer, adding a graphics card can help transform that desktop you bought when George W. Bush was in office into a gaming rig.  You’ll need to make sure your power supply has two PCI Express cables to power the graphics card.

Look for graphics cards that support DirectX 11 and have at least 512 MB of memory.  Installation is fairly easy.  You’ll simply need to power off the machine, remove the old graphics card, and install the new one in the PCI Express slot.

Remove Unused Programs

It’s easy to install a program to see how it works and then never use it again.  Doing this multiple times can leave behind several program lurking in the background of your computer that slow it down despite the fact that you never use them.

Use the Control Panel on a PC or delete the application bundle on a Mac to get rid of these programs.  Removing these programs also has the benefit of freeing up hard drive space in addition to making your hardware run faster.

Try a New Operating System

While removing programs can free up resources on an older computer, formatting the hard drive and installing a new operating system can make a computer run like you just took it out of the box.  Windows 7, the latest operating system from Microsoft, runs surprisingly well on old hardware.  I’m running it on a desktop I purchased in 2005, and it runs better than when I ran Windows XP on it.  Of course, make sure you back up all of your data before making changes to the operating system.

If your computer is more than five years old, then you may not be able to run any current operating systems.  I’ve found that the Puppy Linux distribution works well on very old hardware.  While it doesn’t have fancy effects or beautiful colors, Puppy Linux is great for an old computer that you want to use for checking email, browsing the internet, or working on documents.

Digital cameras make it possible to quickly collect thousands of high definition pictures.  These pictures capture events like parties, weddings, births, sporting events, and other aspects of our lives.  However, these pictures often sit on hard drives or storage cards waiting to be looked at the next time you go through your digital albums.  Put those pictures to good use by turning them into videos that can be played for the enjoyment of friends and family members.  There are two free tools that can do this:  Photo Story from Microsoft and the latest version of Picasa (which includes the Face Movie function) from Google.

Microsoft Photo Story 3

Microsoft’s Photo Story application provides the ability to take your pictures and turn them into movies that pan and zoom through the images.  You can set the movie to your favorite music or record your own narration.  Here’s how to set up your first story:

1. Download Photo Story (Windows Genuine validation is required).
2. Install Photo Story.
3. Launch the application and select “Begin New Story”.
4. Select the “Import Pictures…” button.
5. A window will pop up letting you browse to the directory that stores your pictures.  You can select each individual picture you want for your story or select all of them at once.
6. Once all of the pictures are imported, you’ll see them in a timeline at the bottom.  You can rearrange the pictures to put them in the order you want.
7. You’ll see a link beneath the “Import Pictures…” button that is labeled “Remove black borders…”.  Click this to remove the black borders from pictures either one by one or all at once.  I recommend doing this since the Photo Story will look nicer without black borders around any of the pictures.
8. Click the “Next >” button to go to the “Add a title to your pictures” screen.  You can click on each individual picture to add text.  The  text can be aligned left, right, or centered.  Also, underneath each picture, you’ll see an “Effect” drop down box where you can add effects like Black and White, Negative, Colored Picture, Sepia, and others.  Like every screen in Photo Story, the timeline is shown below where you can rearrange or delete pictures.
9. Click the “Next >” button to go to the “Narrate your pictures and customize motion” screen.  You can click the red button to record your own narration and click through the pictures.  Beneath each picture, you’ll see a “Customize Motion…” button where you can choose exactly how Photo Story will pan and zoom through each picture.  You can also add transitions like Cross Fade, Page Curl, Flip, and others.  Be aware that Photo Story does a nice job of automating the transitions so you can ignore the “Customize Motion…” button if you want to save time.
10. Click the “Next >” button to go to the “Add background music” screen.  Here you can select music from your collection as long as they are in .WMA, .MP3, or .WAV format.  You can also click the “Create Music…” button to chose from different genres (Classical, Pop, Rock, Jazz, etc.) and styles.
11. Click the “Next >” button to go to the “Save your story” screen.  Photo Story will suggest formats and bit rates based on whether you want to email your movie, play it on a smartphone or on a computer.
12. Click “Next >” and Photo Story will begin building your story.  This can take a while depending on how may pictures you used, the transitions you added, and the types of music you selected.

Once finished, enjoy your masterpiece!

Google Picasa 3.8.0

The latest version (3.8.0 at the time I wrote this article) of Google’s Picasa image organizing and editing software added the ability to create a “Face Movie”.  This takes the built in ability of Picasa to recognize faces and creates a movie consisting of pictures of a person’s face.  So, if you have the appropriate pictures, you can create a movie of a person from birth to adulthood and set the movie to your favorite music.  Movies like this are nice to play at birthday parties or to give as a gift.  Here’s how you do it:

1. Download Google Picasa.
2. Install Google Picasa.
3. Launch Picasa and go to the “People” folder.  Ideally, you have already allowed Picasa to scan through your pictures and have identified the faces it has found.  If not, take some time to properly tag the faces in this folder.
4. Select a person in the “People” folder and click on the “Create Face Movie” button.  You’ll be taken to a “Movie Maker” tab.
5. Picasa will automatically add all of the pictures of the person for which it has detected a face.  Similar to Photo Story, you’ll see a timeline of the pictures that you can use to rearrange or delete pictures.
6. Click the “Load” button under the “Audio Track” section to select a music file for your Face Movie.
7. You can also select from one of three “Transition Styles”: Cut, Time Lapse, or Dissolve.
8. Once you finish the movie, you can click the “YouTube” button in the “Movie Maker” tab to directly upload it to YouTube or simply save it to your computer.

Photo Story provides a much higher degree of control so I recommend it if you want to edit every aspect of the movie.  Picasa’s Face Movies are less flexible, but they are nice for chronicling a person’s growth over time and can be used to create more intimate movies.

Another holiday season is upon us. This means more crowds, more traffic and (most importantly) more shopping. But unfortunately, a side effect of the latter also makes everyone more susceptible to the dishonesty of others. Below, I’ve listed five of the most common and yet easy-to-fall-for holiday scams.

1. Wi-Fi Hackers

Public Wi-Fi networks will be doing some heavy lifting this holiday season. In addition to the usual free Wi-Fi spots like Starbucks, airplanes are quickly becoming a hub of Internet activity. Throughout December, Google will be offering free access to in-flight internet on the top 3 major airlines. Although online shopping during a long flight might be tempting, avoid shopping and paying bills over public Wi-Fi networks.  Also, be sure to disable any automatic file sharing on public networks.

2. Gift Cards Fraud

Gift card fraud has been problematic for months and the scams vary. Some thieves might copy down the gift card number, wait until you activate it and go on an online shopping spree.  If the gift card is activated in store, some cashiers might swipe one gift card and give you a blank one. To prevent gift card fraud, be sure to keep your receipt and check to make sure that your giftcard is loaded if you are unsure. If you are buying a giftcard that requires activation, make sure that the card has a PIN on the back for extra security.

3. Online Resellers Like e-Bay and Craigslist

With everyone trying to buy the same gadgets during the holidays, big stores like Target and Walmart may run out of certain items as Christmas draws closer. Some schemers use last-minute shopping desperation as an opportunity to post ads for hot items on Craigslist. The problem with many of these ads is that the person posting may not actually have the item at all — instead they’ll just take your money and run. When using resellers, be sure to shop locally and conduct transactions in person if you can.

4. Bogus Charities

The holiday’s are prime time for dishonest charities asking for donations. Avoid responding to charities that approach you by phone or e-mail. Instead, give through your local shelters, food banks and churches. If you are unsure about a charity, visit CharityNavigator.com, the watchdog organization for charitable organizations. A Forbes Magazine and Time Magazine approved website, Charity Navigator allows users to rate charities and maintains various directories and databases for charities worldwide.

5. Paypal Fraud

A phishing scam is way to lure personal information from an unsuspecting user. Fake phishing e-mails from Paypal are in full force this month. Paypal’s Claudia Lombada told ABC:

“If you receive an e-mail from PayPal we’re always going to use your first and last name, as opposed to a scam or any kind of a fraudulent e-mail you receive which may be addressed to ‘dear PayPal user.”

Reputable companies do not ask for your information via e-mail. If you are ever unsure about an e-mail you receive from Paypal (or anyone else), call or e-mail their customer service department.

While there are more tablet devices available this holiday season than ever before, the Apple iPad will probably be the most popular gift in this category.  Here are some tips for how to make the most of your iPad after you remove it from its box and power it up for the first time.

Configure the Find My iPhone Feature

One drawback of owning a popular gadget is that they become attractive targets for thieves.  In fact, this past April, a thief was so intent on stealing an iPad that he grabbed the bag a man was carrying it in and ripped off the victim’s finger.  One way to increase the chance that your iPad will be recovered if it is stolen is to set up the Find My iPhone service.  While the name is misleading, it can be used on iPads and iPod Touches as well as iPhones.  Once Find My iPhone is set up on your iPad, you can use any web browser to see where it is on a map, send a message that is displayed on the screen, blast a sound from the speakers, or remotely erase the device.  Until recently, this service required the purchase of a $100 membership from Apple’s Mobile Me service.  However, with the release of iOS 4.2, this service became free.  Full instructions for setting up Find My iPhone can be found here.

Expand the Bottom Tray

Like the iPhone, the iPad has a bottom  tray that holds the icons of four apps that you want to display on every screen.  This provides a handy way to access the apps you use the most.  However, why limit all of that iPad screen real estate to only four apps?   You can put two additional apps into the tray.  Simply, tap and hold the icon of any app and put all displayed apps into “wobble mode”.  Then drag two more of your favorite apps to the tray and enjoy access to six icons in the tray!

Master the Buttons

If you have owned an iPhone, then these button combinations are probably second nature to you.  However, if an iPad is your first iOS device, then you need to know these button combinations:

Mute: Hold the volume down button for about three seconds to mute your iPad.

Soft Reset: Hold the power button and the home button for about three seconds to do a soft reset.  You’ll be prompted to “slide to power off”.  Once you do so, you’ll reboot the device.

Screenshot: You can capture anything on the iPad’s screen by taking a screenshot.  Simply hold the power and the home button for about half a second.

Download Cool Apps

Apps tranform the iPad from a slick and shiny computer to an actual smart device.  While there are too many apps to even do a quick list of the best ones, you won’t go wrong by installing these:

iBooks: The iPad provides an excellent reading experience, and iBooks, Apple’s bookstore, is a well designed way to purchase and download books.

NYTimes for iPad: What iBooks does for books, this app does for the New York Times.

Epicurious: The iPad fits well in almost anyone’s kitchen, and Epicurious provides a vast library of free recipes to spice up your cooking.

Netflix:  You’ll need an unlimited Netflix account to use this app, but it provides a fantastic streaming video experience of movies and TV shows.

Online social networks like Facebook and Twitter continue to increase in popularity.  These sites allow an unprecedented amount of personal information to be released for public consumption.  In fact, some life insurance companies are using the information provided on social networking sites to predict the life spans of applicants in order to determine if coverage should be granted. While the recent example of Dawnmarie Souza, who was fired for bashing her boss on Facebook, reminds us that social networks can result in the loss of our jobs, they can also result in the loss of our identities.

Social media identity theft is similar to identity theft in the real world.  However, instead of having to dumpster dive outside your place of residence, a perpetrator can simply discover details of your life from the comfort of home by using a web browser.  By finding personal information about your digital trail, a criminal can impersonate you and open financial accounts in your name, contact your family and friends to ask for money, or engage in a variety of other damaging behavior.  Here are some guidelines to help you protect your identity when using social media sites.

Complex Passwords

While often created to be as easy to remember as possible, the passwords you create for Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Foursquare, and other social media sites should be complex enough to not be easily guessed.  Passwords are the first line of defense in protecting your social media profiles, and using words like your name, a pet’s name, or your street address is a mistake.  Consider using the first letters of an easy to remember phrase in combination with a series of numbers and special characters when creating a password.  For example, the phrase, “biscuits and gravy taste great in the navy”, would yield the letters “bagtgitn” which you can combine with numbers 3, 6, and 9 and an exclamation point to yield the password “bagtgitn369!”.  While this is a strong password, make sure you generate a different password for every social media site you use in case one gets compromised.

Privacy Controls

According to a study released by the Poneman Institute, approximately 65 percent of users do not set strong privacy controls on social media sites.  Since most social media sites default privacy settings to a low level in order to make it easier to find and connect with other people, this leaves users vulnerable to identity theft. Take time to understand the privacy settings of the social media sites you use, and change them to only allow people you trust to see your profile.  Also, do not add personal information like your telephone number and home address to your profile.

Monitor Your Online Identity

Keeping track of your online identity is a great way of measuring your personal brand, and it’s also important for finding impersonators.  Create Google Alerts based on your name to have reports mailed to you about how your identity is being used online.  If you own your business, set up Google Alerts for your company’s name so you can track it as well.

Secure Your Hardware

Take steps to make sure that any device you use to access social media sites is secure.  On desktops and laptops, install antivirus software to protect them from threats like keyloggers which record your keystrokes.  Also, lock your computer when you’re away from it and use password protected screensavers that activate after a few minutes of inactivity.  You should also add passwords to your mobile devices like smartphones and tablets since they are easy to misplace.  Additionally, take steps to secure your wireless network by updating the firmware in your router and using modern encryption protocols like Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA).  In general, don’t use a computer or network you don’t control to access social media sites.

While social media sites like Facebook and Twitter provide ways for young people to connect in ways that were never before possible, they also expose them to new dangers.  These dangers include exposure to inappropriate content, sexual predators, and online bullying.  Parents need the same level of understanding about online danger as they do about real world danger.  Here are four tips for keeping young people safe on social media sites.

Relationships First

It is nearly impossible to understand the behavior of young people online unless you have a strong relationship with them in the real world.  Young people often resist the intrusion of adults into their private lives, but maintaining open lines of communication with them will let them know you’re truly interested in them.  If they feel that you’re only interested in what they are doing on Facebook, then you’ll have little ability to influence their behavior.

Privacy Controls

Many of the features of Facebook are set to have relatively relaxed privacy settings.  For example, users can see the list of friends that other users have by default.  This makes sense because Facebook benefits from having more people join the site and form firm relationships with others users.  This improves the value of the user information Facebook can sale to advertisers.  However, a young person’s safety is more important than Facebook’s revenue stream.  Learn Facebook’s privacy settings so you know how to hide their friends list and disable the ability to show up in friend searches.  Encourage your child to implement these privacy settings, and you may consider making it a condition of letting them use Facebook.  On Twitter, ask your child to protect their tweets so that random stranger can’t follow their updates.

Block when Necessary

Facebook provides a “Report/Block this Person” link on every profile page and a “Report” link on every message sent to you.  If your child comes to you about something inappropriate that they’ve seen or that someone has said to him or her on Facebook, talk with your child about it.  Come to an agreement about why the material is inappropriate, and then block the offending person or report their message.  Make sure that your child knows that you appreciate his or her decision to come to you and that you’ll be there for them if they encounter any other inappropriate material.

When to Alert the Authorities

If you believe that your child’s life is in danger based on something you see in their social media activity, then don’t hesitate to contact the police.  Law enforcement officers are becoming more adept at responding to online harassment and other issues.  However, having documentation will help your case.  Therefore, be prepared to present screenshots and print outs of the offending behavior.