SURFING the INTERNET

Good Morning!

Most of us use the Internet - for business, pleasure, and social media... Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook are a few of the popular choices. For people like me who live twenty miles from 'town,' it is a connection to ALL things! It is a wonderful way to network, find old and new friends, long lost relatives, and play!

However, it is important to be safe by being a responsible "web surfer." There are predators surfing the Internet, too, trying to steal identities for unlawful purposes. Therefore, you must be conscientious with the personal information that you supply on a profile page, following these tips will help to deter online hackers.  Simply skip these questions or be very broad with your answers:

1. Do not post your birth date. Instead use Baby Boomer, Gen X, etc.

2. Do not furnish your mother's maiden name, EVER. 

3. Do not list current or previous addresses. Instead use a location -  Northeast, Southwest, Coast, Middle America, etc.

4. Do not share the school you attended. Instead be a smarty pants and say, "Yes, I attended a school!"

Another piece of information Internet thieves look for is, "We'll be out of town this weekend." If you gave your actual address - basically, you have invited them to steal from you! Another rule to make a habit, do not open any e-mail from someone you do not know.  Also, do not click a link that is unfamiliar. Hackers use this method quite often to gain access to your account and/or spread computer viruses.

All of this information is common sense and we know to beware, but it never hurts to be reminded.

Do you shop on Craigslist? If you do, first go to Craiglook.com. Here, the classified items are organized by photos, which saves opening all the ads to find your items. A great time saver!

The Internet can help if you are feeling "blue" and need a laugh - go to: ItsNature.org/category/cute where you will find super, funny animals. To find humor - go to: MyHumor.org or CleanJoke.com. Want to watch a funny video? Go to: KidFriendlyVideos.blogspot.com or with supervision for children go to: TV.com for episodes of shows like America's Funniest Home Videos. Most TV shows are available here and are not all PG!

Now, if you need a good cry and missed Extraordinary Measures when it was in theaters - rent it! It stars Harrison Ford, Brendan Fraser, and Keri Russell trying to find a cure for a rare genetic disorder their two children have. Be sure to have tissues!

Well, now you will surf the net safely; have a shortcut to shopping on Craigslist; three links to make you smile, and a movie to make you cry... I hope these make this a great MONDAY.

Next time, gardening in raised beds... it's not to late, if we hurry!

Remember, "Y'all come back, ya' hear!"