Children and the Internet / Outside Links / Attachments / General
Safety / Technology
Even though this is not a children's site,
and I do not solicit personal information from children, I abide by the rules of the Federal Trade Commission because I know
that children surf the web. Therefore, I do not knowingly respond to children under the age of 13 without parental consent.
Parents, if you do not want your kids to read about death or grief, please adjust your parental control settings
and have a conversation with your children. To read more about children's safety on the Internet, go to
Protecting Kids Online, the FTC resource page.
The Internet
has transformed our lives. Never before have we had access to so much information, but this is a good news/bad news situation.
The good news is that all information is available to us all the time. The bad news is that lots of it is wrong.
I want you to feel safe here. I link to outside web sites to inform or comfort you and I am careful in my choices. If you
use these links, however, I cannot guarantee the content, accuracy or safety of external sites.
In keeping with electronic safety guidelines, I do not open E-mail attachments from senders I do not know.
A sad fact of life in cyberspace. Thanks for your cooperation in this matter.
While we're on the subject of Internet safety, your Windows computer needs virus, malware and spyware protection
programs. Update them often. Apple includes this automatically with its devices and Safari is a secure browser. It
is always good practice to delete your computer's Cookie files and browsing history after you visit any site. NEVER open attachments from senders that you do not know.
From
personal experience, I believe the Windows browser Explorer 11 has security issues. Windows 10 Edge may be better, but if
you have a Windows computer, try Firefox for safer, faster browsing. Free download. I do not profit from suggesting Firefox. I only want you to be safe
on the Internet.
Why
no Facebook or other social media?
Some visitors have asked me why I don’t
have a Facebook page or use other social media. The answer is
simple: I am old enough to remember life before computers when people embraced privacy and the charm of distance. Now
flamers, online predators, identity thieves, cyberbullies, Internet trolls and SPAM advertisers saturate the information superhighway.
The only thing I can control on the Internet
is the content of my own web site. Because I respect the dignity and privacy of grievers, I will not willingly subject my
visitors to the rampant abuses that appear like unwanted house guests on social media technologies such as Facebook or Twitter. For me, a few bad apples really do spoil the whole bushel. This may be
another sad fact of life in cyberspace, but I choose to not participate.