America presently faces a significant challenge - young people are not prepared with the necessary Science, Engineering and Technology workforce skills to compete in the 21st century (Rising Above the Gathering Storm, 2006).

4-H is working towards a solution. With its direct connection to the Extension System's cutting-edge research and resources of the nation's 106 land-grant universities and colleges, 4-H provides youth with hands-on learning experiences that foster exploration, discovery and passion for the sciences.

4-H is working towards a solution. Visit HERE to find out more!

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Email Tip

Karen Robertson -

"AWARDS given to market lamb winners!!" - - - If you are a 4-H sheep project member or leader - you might want to read that email. But that email may not arrive in your in-box - even if it was sent or forwarded by your best friend! (Quick quiz - how many "blockers" can you find in that subject line?)

Most marketers (and spammers) have learned to avoid typical spam blocker words. But you may not realize that your legitimate email didn't get through. Some internet providers do not provide a "spam folder" for people to check for blocked or missing emails.

To help keep spam filters from blocking emails you send - don't include punctuation marks or symbols in the subject line like !,  #, $,  % etc.   So far, the word "4-H" is OK and does not cause blocking.  Also avoid words such as •free  •insurance   •market  •credit
• loan   • opportunity  • amazing  • winner   • prizes

Spam trigger words to avoid*

More Words to Avoid in Email Subject Lines(PDF)*

Some anit-spam programs block long subject lines. Another cause for blocked emails can be messages that contain several web links or email addresses - typical of some "signature boxes" from businesses and organizations such as WSU!

If you find out that you are not receiving specific emails, check with your ISP to find out how to add "trusted senders" to your account.  Add email addresses for newsgroups, list-serves or people (such as l-a4h@lyris.cahnrs.wsu.edu  or
 l-ahorse4h@lyris.cahnrs.wsu.edu  or   robertk@wsu.edu ) to your trusted sender list.

You also may have your own anti-spam program or firewall set up on your computer. This is another potential source of blocked emails. Check for a mechanism in your anti-spam program to add "trusted senders", "blocked senders" (those you don't want to hear from anymore), etc.
Karen Robertson

Click HERE For information about Lincoln-Adams 4-H List-Serves

[Quiz answers: words in ALL CAPITAL letters, the word "award", the word "market", the word "winners" and exclamation marks can each trigger spam filters)

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Download Problems?
Click HERE!

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Teenagers' Internet Socializing Not a Bad Thing

Pat BoyEs
I came across the story “Teenagers’ Internet Socializing Not a Bad Thing” in The New York Times.  This study was funded by the MacArthur Foundation. To read the complete story visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/us/20internet.html.  

"Good news for worried parents: All those hours their teenagers spend socializing on the Internet are not a bad thing, according to the MacArthur Foundation." 

"The study, part of a $50 million project on digital and media learning, used several teams of researchers to interview more than 800 young people and their parents and to observe teenagers online for more than 5,000 hours."

Lewin, Tamar. “Teenagers’ Internet Socializing Not a Bad Thing.”  New York Times on the Web.  19 Nov. 2008. 

http://www.futureofchildren.org/usr_doc/snssafety.pdf

 

ACCESS 4-H

 

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Youth and the Internet: Practical Guide

Submitted by Jerry Newman
The Future of Children
Nancy Willard, Director of the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use, recently addressed the topic of internet safety at a Princeton University forum geared toward parents. 

Willard's message was simple – the internet is here, kids will use it, so parents need to set clear guidelines for proper use based on a child's age and maturity.

To help parents navigate cyberspace with their teens, Willard created this practical guide “Social Networking Safety” A Guide for Parents.  Professionals may also find this useful and may reproduce and share it. In addition, Willard plans to make a narrated presentation available next fall.

Additional resources are available at http://csriu.org including Willard's two recent books for sale: Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats: Responding to the Challenge of Online Social Cruelty, Threats, and Distress; and Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens, Helping Young People Use the Internet Safety and Responsibly.

The Princeton forum was held in conjunction with the release of the most recent Future of Children volume, Children and Electronic Media (Vol. 18, No. 1). The volume focuses on how common forms of electronic media influences the wellbeing of children and adolescents. Accompanying the journal is an Executive Summary and a Policy Brief.

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Internet Safety Night

Internet Safety Night is a nationwide event that brings information and resources to students, parents and members of the community to help us all stay safer online. We talk about online predators, cyber-bullying, identity theft and other Internet-related issues. The goal is for communities to pull together local experts and resources — students, parents, teachers, law enforcement and community members — to begin a discussion about the importance of Internet safety. These local discussions, occurring simultaneously all around the country, then connect to the national host site in Columbia, Mo. for the featured speakers and other resources and tools that families can use to stay safe. Participants at any of the local events can see, hear, ask and answer questions in real time with participants at any of the other sites!

More details and information can be found at http://besafe.more.net/isn,

We need you to host a connecting event! It is so easy to participate, and the impact can be so profound. Here's how you can get involved.

1. Location:

   Select an event location that has either an Internet-connected computer with projector or videoconferencing equipment and can host the number of people you think are likely to attend. E-mail isn@more.net with your location, and we’ll post your location on our events list.

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2 SMRT 4U Campaign
Urges Youth to Type Smart and Post Wisely Online

http://www.2smrt4u.com./2smrt4utips.html

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E-mail Safety Tips

3/27/07 - Joy Faerber
E-mail's usefulness is under attack because of spam and spam scams (also known as phishing). Read on to find out how to defend yourself and your teen against some of the hazards of e-mail.

•  Choose a safe e-mail name that doesn't give away personal information.

• Pick something that doesn't help identify or locate you. For example, SusieDoe_14_small_town@google.com.au reveals enough for someone to find Susie-her name, age, and small town in Australia .
• Avoid using flirtatious names like "2sexy4U" or "I_like_handcuffs" which may cause unwanted attention and expose you to greater risk.
  
•  Don't share sensitive personal information in e-mail.

• Never share passwords, social security number, credit card information, and the like.
• Pay attention if you use an automatic e-mail signature. This is a handy feature for friends because it typically provides your full name, address, and phone numbers. But if it's inserted automatically in all your e-mail responses, you might unwittingly reveal more information than you intended with people you don't know.

•  Consider who you want to e-mail with. Some people only want to send or receive e-mail with close friends and family; others use it much more openly. Decide what you are comfortable with and set appropriate limits. Remember, just because someone sends you an e-mail doesn't mean you need to receive it. Block messages from specific senders, or restrict your e-mail from anyone not specifically on your contact list.

•  Think twice before you open attachments or click links in e-mail-even if you know the sender. Sending photos, documents, and links in e-mail is an easy and convenient way to share with others, but the bad guys can use these to slip spam and viruses onto your computer.

• If you don't know the sender, delete the message; if you do know the sender, double-check that an attachment or link is safe to open. If you can't confirm, your best bet is delete the message.
• If anyone sends you inappropriate material, report it. Don't shut down the computer; instead turn off the monitor and walk away. Tell your parents, your ISP, and the police, if appropriate.
  

•  Don't be fooled by phishing. Be very skeptical if you receive an e-mail that looks like it is from your bank or other trusted company that asks you to verify or re-enter sensitive personal or financial information through e-mail, a Web site they direct you to, or a phone number they provide. It is quite likely a scam. It's better to type in your own link to the bank or company, or look up the phone number yourself.

•  Avoid typing sensitive information into a public computer. This includes your name and phone numbers, account numbers and passwords, or home or e-mail addresses. An industrious thief might install a kind of spyware that records your every keystroke for the crook. Never select the feature that automatically logs you on to e-mail when you start the computer, or accept a "Remember My Password" option.

•  Be cautious about meeting in person someone you know only through e-mail. Everything someone tells you about themselves and their motivation for meeting you may be completely true - or none of it could be. They may feel like a close friend, but they are still a stranger. If you decide to meet someone, never go alone make sure others know where you're going, and have your cell phone handy.

•  Consider what you're saying and sharing in e-mail and how you would feel if the information was shared. Anything you say in e-mail can be forwarded to others.

•  Report harassment or bullying. As in real life, this is unacceptable behavior and in some cases can be illegal. Report harassment or abuse to your internet service provider.)

•  Help protect children using e-mail.

• For younger children, use a service that allows you to limit your child's contacts (so they can only e-mail people you both know) and allows you to monitor who they're talking to.
• With teens, have a discussion about who they communicate with and what they talk about. Set boundaries that match your family's values and their age, reassessing these boundaries periodically as they mature. Caution them not to list their e-mail addresses publicly, or respond to e-mail from strangers; if they wouldn't tell the person their street address, they may well not want to give their online address.

(Adapted from “Look Both Ways – How to Keep Your Family Safe on the Internet” by Linda Criddle Website:  http://look-both-ways.com )

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What is “Blogging”

2/12/07--Joy Faerber, WSU
Simply put, blogs (short for Web logs) are online journals. Just as in any journal, the blog owner (or blogger) can speak out on any subject he or she pleases in words or drawings. But unlike traditional journals, entries can also include lists of favorite music and books, maps, videos, links to Web sites, search tools, quizzes and so on.  Each blog entry usually contains a title, a profile of the author, a date stamp, photos and the poster's comments.  Another key difference is anyone can visit a blog and comment on what the blogger is saying.

A blog is a great way to express yourself and broadcast your opinions. Unfortunately, public blogs are also used by criminals as a way to collect information that can be used to steal your identity, rob your home, harass or physically harm you, your children or your friends.

Eight safety tips for blogging

1. Think carefully about how public your blog is.  The more personal or identifiable the information you share, the fewer people you should share it with.  If you want your blog to be public, only disclose what you want the general public to know. Otherwise, keep your blog private. Also, periodically review who has access to your site and make changes if necessary. We all know that friends change over time.  For example, you drift apart or experience a rift that breaks a friendship. How will your information be treated then?
2. Keep identifying details to yourself and close friends. A good rule of thumb: if you wouldn't share the info on your blog with a strange guy on a dark street, don't post it for the public.
   • Don't use your real name on your site (or anyone else's either). Your friends already know the details and its no one else's business. Create a nickname or screen name that doesn't attract the wrong kind of attention or help someone find you.
   • Don't give information that puts you on the map. Don't mention such details as your address, school, where you work, even the town name if it's small.
   • Don't reveal any information that gives away your age such as your birth date or year of graduation.
3. Be smart about the photos you post. What does the picture show about you?  Does it attract the wrong kind of attention or help someone find you?
   • What's in the background? Does the photo show your house number, a street sign, a license plate, a clear landmark?
   • Did you caption your photos with full names or other identifying details?
   • What's on your shirt? The name of your school, sports team, or club? Your name?
   • Who's in the picture? If it shows friends or family members, you may be putting them at risk, too.
4. Be careful about sharing your feelings in your blog. You probably express feelings in your blog through other ways than just writing. The poems you select, the music you list, the pictures you post-all these tell a lot about who you are and how you feel. A snapshot, too, can reveal how you feel about yourself-proud of your body, lacking self-confidence, sad, trying to look sexy or cool? All of this is great information to a predator who's on the hunt and who would be delighted to make you feel important or special.
5. Check out what your friends write about you. In their blogs, they may be announcing that they'll miss you because your family is going on vacation-and you may come back to a burglarized house. Or maybe they're giving out your address or real name so someone can find you. Check the comments they leave on your blog, too, to make sure they don't give away personal details.
6. Be very cautious about meeting in person someone you only know through blogging. Everything they've told you about themselves and their motivation for meeting you may be completely true - or none of it could be. They may feel like a close friend, but they are still a stranger.
7. If you think there's a problem, report it immediately. No one has the right to threaten or upset you.  If anyone (even someone you know) sends you something creepy, says something scary, asks lots of personal questions, or tries to meet you, report the problem. (If you're a minor, talk to an adult you trust.) Every service should make it easy to report abuse function; if your blogging service doesn't, consider switching providers.
8. Help your kids to blog safely. Young bloggers, particularly teens, are at high risk if they make their blogs available to the public instead of to a limited group of friends and family. This is a time when teens are reaching out for new identities, friends, and validation and are less concerned about their overall safety making them relatively easy targets for predators. To mitigate these risks:
   • Talk frankly about what it takes to stay safer when blogging; the points above are a great place to begin.
   • Periodically ask you child or teen to show you what they are saying in their blog, what comments they're getting, and so on.

A few more:

• Talk to your family and friends about the kinds of information you're willing to make public and what you'd rather keep private. Everyone you interact with online needs to respect your safety boundaries, and you need to respect theirs. Posting information about others is not okay—in comments, photos, and so on—unless they agree to share that information. And not only should you ask permission, but you should also make it clear who can see your site. In the case of minors, you might need to get their parents' permission as well.
• Make sure the blogging site you use has clear privacy and security policies, has a simple way to report abuse, and outlines how the site will respond to reports of it. The site should also offer tools to help protect your safety such as a way to control who has permission to see your blog, the ability to block harassing users and to turn on or off comments, and site monitors.

(Adapted from “Look Both Ways – How to Keep Your Family Safe on the Internet” by Linda Criddle Website:  http://look-both-ways.com)

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