Some Simple Tips For Being Safe Online

“What should I share with the public and how do I be safe online?” This is a question I get often from people who are new to the online/social networking space.

Personally I look at it like this, is there an important reason that you feel the need to use your full name, address and phone number on your Web site? Is there value to what you are doing that you must post pictures of your children? Are you writing about very personal things that happen in your life? I ask these questions as these are not things that help you be safe online.

Lots of people post pictures of their kids, have for years and if you have a family web site then you probably have pictures of your kids posted on it along with intimate and embarrassing stories to go along with them. You probably have details about your children on your site too, what they like, what they don’t like. You may have even mentioned their name, where you live and what school your child goes too. Will they still be safe online?

I’m not saying this is wrong but it is something you may want to think about a little further if you want to be safe online. You should especially consider the part about putting their name, school and place of residence on your Web site if you want them to be safe online. Many children think they know someone if the person knows their name and are more likely to go to this person if they show up at her school or bus stop and call her by name.

I don’t want to scare you into not posting a family web site or even Facebook. Your friends and family deserve to be able to see your children and pictures of them, they want to read funny stories and know what’s going on in your life, and you can do all this and still be safe online. Here are some simple tips and rules to follow that can make your entire online experience a lot safer:

·    Choose a screen name carefully. Most sites  have a sign-up page where you choose a screen name to participate. Don’t use any words that can easily identify you, your family, or even the city where you live.

· Don’t give out any personal information: Try not to use your home address, credit card, birthday  and social security number if you do not have to when signing up for sites. If you have an office where you can ship things, use that.

·  Think twice about opening attached files you get via email: A file attached to an email is a very common way for a virus to spread on your computer. Make sure you know the sender, as well as asking yourself “hmmm, this is the first email Grandma has sent me in two years, this is not like her.” Bet you it’s a virus…

·  Make sure your personal information is protected. Read a site’s privacy statement before you give out any personal information or download software. Check for signs that the Web site protects sensitive data: look for “https” in the Web address and for a yellow padlock or an unbroken key in the lower-right corner

·  Use strong passwords. Strong passwords have at least eight characters; include letters, numbers, and symbols; and are easy for you to remember but tough for others to guess. Try not to use your name, birthday, kids/pets names. You would be amazed how many people do.

·   Monitor your kids’ online activities. Pay attention to what kids do and who they meet online. Make it a household rule that no child reveals personal information without permission. Warn kids never to meet Internet “friends” in person.

·   Keep your computer updated: A computer that’s up to date is harder to be hacked or taking over by a virus. Use a firewall, install antivirus software, and keep all your applications updated.

What are your tips and rules for being safe online?

Startups:Try This for 2011 Startup Success

So, it is Meshin, and as a CEO, I am on my umpteenth startup. Startups are tough, hell if it was easy everyone would be doing them. You have to be a bit daft, totally passionate for your cause, and of course willing to change constantly.   Obviously, I’ve been daft for years, as I founded my first startup just as IBM PCs started arriving on corporate desktops. During this time I made the leap overnight from being a software engineer to a salesman.   Silicon Valley is filled with engineers who are forced to make the same change. Lucky me, I founded and successfully sold Visionware.  A few years later I  became involved in seven more startups (geez will I ever learn).  Some of those failed and some didn’t. So, you’d think I’d know what makes a successful startup. Well, I do not have all the answers.  Sure I know the important components: compelling business proposition, a strong product which is backed by a great team, a well executed business plan & strategy, which includes sufficient funding to achieve the key milestones. Even so, success is never guaranteed because there is so much you can’t control . You cannot control your competitor’s strategy, prevailing market conditions, customer sentiments, technology trends, etc etc.

So beyond the obvious business school stuff, successful startups navigate the turbulent confluence of these ‘un-controllables’ better than others. Now your saying,  “Ok smarty pants that really helps, so what do I do?” You adopt a ‘what does success look like mantra’ for everything that requires a decision involving more than just yourself.  (I learned this from my good friend and mentor Pail Rivers-Latham, who was forever asking me this as the UK investor in my first startup Visionware). This does two things 1) it forces you to have a common understanding & agreement for the reason for doing important stuff and 2) it helps you align your decisions and actions each step along the way with your bigger goals (which you have also agreed on, articulated and communicated to the team, right?)

Doing this helps us at Meshin avoid making seemingly good decisions, (because we think we are all really smart of course),  that unwittingly cause us to veer off the  path much like getting lost along the hiking trail. That said as a lean startup we must be willing to consciously pivot based on market/user feedback so you need to be diligent about re-evaluating your business goals. Also, while  you’re at it, evaluate your critical factors associated with those goals too. Try it, it does work and btw it’s always a great question to ask when you are talking with other startups or business folks. It can tell you a lot about their thinking plus it can make you sound real smart too.

Chris Holmes, CEO Meshin

How Young is Too Young For Technology?

I have a 5 kids. Yes, 5! They are age 5 to 12 years .  One of the many things I have noticed because of them these past few years is how much young kinds seem to have more and more technological devices.

This trend seems to be growing and growing  as we have become a more tech savvy society, so it’s only natural that children would want the latest Xbox, PlayStation, iPod, iPad, and even cell phones. It’s a completely different world from when I was a kid in the.. well. 1980′s.  I just wanted a poster of Madonna. (Don’t laugh) My kids want these gadgets that I could never even imagine of growing up. My first instinct is they are too young but then  on any giving day I look around and see people walking around listening to their iPods or talking on their cell phones and a large number of these are young children.  At a restaurant  we go to I can easily find a kid at a table with their family playing a video game on their mom’s cell phone.  I have seen some kids with iPads. Others listing to iPods. It’s crazy if you think about it  how knowledgeable children today are about the new technological  on the market. My oldest knew about the Blackberry Torch before I did!

This makes me wonder things like:

- At what age is it appropriate to get a child a cell phone?

-What about an iPod?

-How about  an iPad? (Yep, several children at our school got them for Xmas)

Lastly, I wonder in the big picture : Is all this technology adding distractions into their young lives or is it making it easier for them to deal with sensory overload?