Safe chatting

Chatting on the Internet sounds like — and must be, ideally — an innocuous affair. However, instances of folks being manipulated into doing stuff, buying things or meeting people keep resurfacing all the time. And such occurrences are not as safe as they might sound.

While instant messaging (IM) is the simplest way to communicate online, sophisticated attacks are launched through IM as frequently as they are through email. What’s more, children love visiting chat rooms to connect with other kids around the world. They can be frequented by bullies, as well as fraudsters who pressure kids into innocently revealing private information.

Some precautions to take:

• Choose your screen name carefully, only share it with people you trust, and ask your friends not to share your screen name with others.
• Never provide private information like account numbers or passwords in an IM conversation or chat.
• Spend time talking to your children about the dangers involved in online chat.
• Install up-to-date security software on your Toshiba laptop.
• Monitor and limit your children’s use of instant messaging, chat, and social networks.

Source: TOSHIBA Gulf

How to shop safely

From buying music, books, and software to electronics and furniture, millions of people enjoy shopping online. Security features on reputable online shops help ensure transactions are safe and secure.

There are, however, some safety tips you should follow to avoid becoming a victim of cyber-crime.

• Use a payment method that gives you protection and check your credit card statements every month.

• Reputable online shops will offer special technology for ensuring that your personal information remains safe throughout the transaction.

• Purchase comprehensive computer security software that can identify and block possible threats when shopping online.

• It’s never a good idea to send cash in the mail.

Source: TOSHIBA Gulf

You may not be lost — but are you found?

Visibility. Perhaps that’s the only factor that counts when it comes to finding success on the Internet. How visible is your site? In other words, can your site be easily found by someone who’s interested in your content? Getting listed on search engines used to be next toughest thing after rocket science, but, lately, thanks to free web directories it’s become much easier.

You may have a professionally SEO’d (search engine optimized) website, but with listings on web directories will get you some additional boost. For one thing, think of your listing on a directory as getting a free back link to your site. Folks in the SEO business will tell you back links are like votes to your site, which will give your an extra edge over similarly SEO’d websites.

Next, it becomes easier for people who browse the web directories (think of it like Yellow Pages) to reach your site. This is so because websites are categorized by content, and you even get a brief description through you can give a snapshot of your site to potential visitors. You could also think of it as your site getting indexed in a systematic way. I find that this is a much easier and more effective way to get ‘found.’

Life in an online world

It’s an online world — from online banking to online dating. So much so that standalone computers seem like an outdated concept. However, one small detail we tend to forget is that more often than not, all data originates from a standalone. Take it or leave it, but it’s the truth.

And then we want that data to be available to us from anywhere in the world — and we don’t have our good old standalone with us. That’s exactly where online backup comes into play and shows you who’s the boss (on the other side of the world). You just access a remote server which patiently stores all your valuable data — photos, files, software, you name it — and just download only what you need. You could also password-protect files and folders, while also share them with others by allowing them access.

The cost of online has fallen drastically lately — so much so that even some of the well-established companies give you up to 2GB of storage space absolutely free. This could be extremely useful not only as a backup system, but also as a way to store sensitive data away from your laptop or office computer. Medium and large companies may prefer larger storage space, especially if they have large amounts of data which their customers or sales force will need to access globally.

Getting your SS disability when you need it

If you’ve ever breathed next to an insurance sales person, you’ll understand what I’m about to say. When you do file a claim, the insurance companies don’t trust you. To say the least, the first thing they want to do is look for loopholes. And, God forbid, if when it ever comes to claiming your social security disability, it’s more or less the same scene.

I remember reading that up to 70 per cent of disability claims are turned down during the initial scrutiny. One reason could be that the government is weed out, or discourage bogus claims, but it is still a time consuming process either way.

The majority of us, who would be in a situation to claim to social security disability would be baby boomers. In other words, the Internet filing, reprocessing, fighting denials, etc., don’t work very well for us. What I’d do in such a situation would be to talk to someone who knows what it’s all about and how to go about it. Good and sincere professional help is available on the Web these days.