"Facebook for Parents" class!

For those of you in the Central PA area:

Are your kids friending, tweeting and blogging? Do you have no idea what this means? With great power - the Internet - comes great responsibility - as a parent!  Learn how information in Facebook is shared, what you have control over, and how you can make it a better experience for your kids and your family.  Also learn about other social networking tools and trends, with the goals of keeping up with, keeping an eye on, and encouraging more communication with your kids.

"Facebook for Parents" is a 90 minute course offered through the Mechanicsburg Recreation Department.  The class will be on Tuesday October 18 at 7pm. 

Click here to register!

Only $9.00 for early registration for residents in the school district, $14 for non-residents.  Prices go up the longer you wait..

I'm sure you know someone who would benefit from this course, please pass it along!

Top 10 Privacy Settings to check in Facebook

There are a lot of privacy and security settings available in Facebook, and the full list can be a bit confusing.  So to help you focus on the most critical items, here is a Top 10 list of settings to check (on your account, and on your kids' accounts!) in Facebook:

1)   Make sure your full birthday is not publicly displayed (Home / Edit My Profile) - Sure, we all enjoy getting a pile of birthday wishes on our big day, but those less scrupulous out there can use this information against you to steal your identity!  If you definitely want your birthday known, at least exclude the year from your Profile:

 

 2)  Make sure your home address is not entered in their profile (Home / Edit My Profile / Contact Information) - there is no need to enter your physical address into Facebook; you (and your kids) should just leave this blank:

3)  See what applications you have granted access to (Accounts / Privacy Settings / Apps and Websites) - any time you go to another website that allows you to log in with your Facebook ID/password, you have granted the ability for that application to gain access to your data (and that of your friends) in Facebook.  In many cases this is just fine, but it's good to know what is out there:

4)  Validate the location-based settings (Privacy Settings / Customize Settings) - Location based applications are all the rage now, but just be aware that when the world knows you're at the ball game right now, they also know your house is empty.  Use with caution!

5)  Google your kids' presence on Facebook - a simple search will help show what information in Facebook is available to the public, and not just to those who are set up as your Friends:

6)  Check for any Events your kids have set up, to ensure they are not set as Public, and that your personal information is not listed.  Also check events that they have replied to (Home / Events) - Another reason to make sure your home address is not public, and also to ensure that small gathering your son wanted doesn't turn into the entire high school showing up at your house...

 

7)  Closely examine the “Things Others Share” section of the Privacy Settings (Account / Privacy Settings / Customize Settings) - Even if you tighten up all your settings, your Friends still have some authority to share your information.  Tighten that up as well!

8)  Check what your friends can share about you through applications (Account / Privacy Settings / Applications and Websites) - Another example of keeping some control over your own information, rather than leaving that up to the others in your network.

9)  Get notifications when specific updates occur (Account / Account Settings / Notifications) - play around with the settings here if you end up getting inundated with emails..  Sadly there is no parental level notifications in Facebook, the emails get sent to the address of the account, so if you child has a Facebook account, the notifications go to his email.

10)  Limit who can see tagged photos (Account / Privacy Settings / Customize Settings) - Pick one of your friends and go through their Friend list - some will let you see their pictures (Friends of Friends setting) and some will not (Friends Only setting).  Use this to decide how you want your privacy level to be.

Facebook continues to modify their privacy features; check these occasionally to ensure you and your family are only sharing what you want to share!

Facebook for Parents- classes in Harrisburg and Gettysburg

Now "Facebook for Parents" will be offered through the Continuing Education arm of Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC)!

Two dates are on the calendar:
Wednesday April 20th - Harrisburg
Tuesday May 24th - Gettysburg



Click here to find out more and to register!

"Facebook for Parents" classes scheduled!

Trying to keep up with your kids online? Do you (or someone you know!) need a roadmap to help you out? Take a look at the 'Facebook for Parents' class that will be offered locally in the near future:

With great power - Facebook - comes great responsibility - as a parent! Learn how information technology is shared, what you have control over, and how you can make it a better experience for your kids and your family.

Carlisle, PA:
Thursday, January 20th, 6:30-8:30pm
CyberSpace Computer Resource Center
219 North Pitt Street, Carlisle
Check out all of their offerings at their web site: http://www.carlislepa.org/ .
You can sign up online at: http://activenet14.active.com/carlislerec/ .

Mechanicsburg, PA:
Thursday March 24, 7:00-8:30pm
Mechanicsburg Middle School, room 158
1720 S. Market St, Mechanicsburg
Check out all their offerings at their web site: http://www.mbgsd.org/recreation .
You can sign up online at: http://activenet10.active.com/mechareaparkrec/ .

Slots are already filling up, so don't delay! Signing up is easy, just follow the links above.  Can't make these dates? Not to worry, more classes will be coming in May!

Do you have a group that would be interested in a personalized class? Contact me! If you have a location with Internet access, I can hold a special session just for your group! Some examples of groups that would benefit:

Church groups
Red Hat Society
Play Date groups
School PTO meetings
And more!

Hope to see you in class!

"Facebook for Parents" course available!

For those of you in the Central PA area:

Are your kids friending, tweeting and blogging? Do you have no idea what this means? With great power - the Internet - comes great responsibility - as a parent!  Learn how information in Facebook is shared, what you have control over, and how you can make it a better experience for your kids and your family.  Also learn about other social networking tools and trends, with the goals of keeping up with, keeping an eye on, and encouraging more communication with your kids.

"Facebook for Parents" is a 90 minute course offered through the Mechanicsburg PA Recreation Department.  Sessions are available on either Wednesday September 22, or Thursday October 7.  Read more at the Mechanicsburg Recreation site, or register online here; select Activities and search for the keyword of "Facebook".

Only $9.00 for early registration for residents in the school district, $14 for non-residents.  A bargain!  I'm sure you know someone who would benefit from this course, please pass it along!

e-Book: Facebook and Kids - Year by Year

Coming soon: an e-Book on the challenges that parents will encounter with Facebook as their kids grow.  Working title is "Facebook and Kids - Year by Year".  The draft table of contents is as follows:

Age 12:  Just Wait
Age 13:  Trust But Verify
Age 14:  It’s a Tool, Not a Toy
Age 15:  The Internet is Forever
Age 16:  Their Pages Reflect On You
Age 17:  Colleges are Looking
Age 18:  Keep In Touch
Age 19:  Expand the Definition of Friends
Age 20:  Networking for a Career
Age 21:  Let Go

Now your experience may only be at the low end of this age range, but you may know of others who would benefit from the tips for older kids.  Please forward/like/share/tweet/etc. to others who you think would benefit, or who could add more insight.

What other areas should be covered?  Let's hear your thoughts in the comments!

The (Friend) List is Life...

OK, the title is a little over-dramatic, but it got your attention…  Class, today's lesson is on Friend Lists in Facebook…

So your kid's getting older, starting to become more independent, and is generally embarrassed by your presence.  (If he's not embarrassed by you, are you really doing your job?)  You want to keep an eye on what he's up to online, despite his reluctance to let you see everything in his world…  Being connected to him on Facebook has the same allure of you yelling out "Hi sweetie!" to him at the bus stop,  But there is a middle ground where you can be connected while still giving him a semblance of freedom, and that is done by Facebook Lists.

"I'm majoring in Facebook, with a minor in Twitter…"

We have all heard the expression:  "Do what you love, and the money will follow…"  And I'm sure you have also heard something like:  "How's spending all day Facebook going to help you get a job?"  (But the big question is: were you making these statements or hearing them?)  Well, these two differing views of the world are now starting to merge…  An entire career category of Social Media is beginning to appear on the job landscape.

A Ringing Endorsement

"A Facebook class for parents? I'm not telling my parents about it..."
-- S. and K., college students

I don't think I could have asked for a better recommendation!

I will be teaching "Web 2.0 for Parents" in Mechanicsburg PA, on November 2 & 9.

Click here to register, or go to http://www.mbgsd.org/recreation and search for the "Web 2.0 for Parents" course.

[Update - this class is now complete!]

"Web 2.0 for Parents" course now available!

Attention parents! A new course is now available in central Pennsylvania for those of you who are trying to keep up with your kids and their Facebook escapades...

Are your kids blogging, tweeting, and friending? Do you have no idea what this means? With great power - the Internet - comes great responsibility - as a parent! Learn about all the social networking tools and trends, with the goals of keeping up with, keeping an eye on, and encouraging more communication with your kids.

Click here to register, or go to http://www.mbgsd.org/recreation and search for the "Web 2.0 for Parents" course.

[Update - this class is now complete!]