In RetroTech: NetLingo Blog

The newspaper industry is in trouble. Fewer people are subscribing to newspapers because instead we're getting our news online. It's fast, convenient and mostly free. But browsing the Web to read your news isn't the same as leafing through a paper.

Take Google News, for example. It is one of the most popular destinations for online news but it isn't the most appealing site. You see a thumbnail photo with each story and the rest of the page is filled with links and short blurbs. Yawn. But now, Google has launched a new way to view the news on its site: fast flip. It presents you with screen shots from news sites, so you don't just see headlines and blurbs, and you get a quick glimpse of the site and the headline.

To get a closer look, simply click on a screen shot, then, use the arrows at either side to "flip through" different stories. To read an entire story simply click on the screen shot when you're in flip view and it will take you to the site. It may not replace the feeling of reading the paper over morning coffee, but it sure makes online news much more enjoyable to view!
Check out Google fast flip here,
Erin

A 16-year-old girl has been arrested for online harassment in Texas. A new law that went into effect September 1, 2009 criminalizes online harassment on social networking sites and through email or text messaging. If a person posts one or more messages on a social networking site with the intent to harm, defraud, intimidate or threaten another person, it is considered a third degree felony. Read the full story.

And in other teen news...

The FBI has released photos of a Massachusetts man who allegedly enticed dozens of teenage girls to perform sexual acts for him in front of their computer webcams, some of which he recorded and posted on the Web. Lawrence Joseph Silipigni, 41 was arrested and is expected to answer to federal child pornography charges today in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The FBI announced yesterday some of the alleged victims “have not yet been identified.”

One alleged victim, a 13-year-old California girl, first made contact with Silipigni in December 2007, believing him to be a 17-year-old boy named “Jamie,” who became her “online boyfriend,” according to federal court records. After agreeing to perform for “Jamie” privately in a real-time chatroom, the girl later discovered a video of herself masturbating online. Another alleged victim, a 15-year-old Bay State girl, agreed to go to the movies with Silipigni in Worcester even after she learned his true identity.

On April 6, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Silipigni’s home and seized two computers. On those computers were found 103 porn videos of “unknown underage victims,” court records state. Silipigni’s screen names have included “Boston,” “Jamin,” “RJLarry” and “here4Sam.” His family declined comment. Silipigni has confessed to authorities. People who believe Silipigni preyed on them or their children are urged to call local police or the FBI’s Los Angeles Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (S.A.F.E.) Team at 310-477-6565.
Read the full story here.

Parents: Talk to your children about cyber safety! Here are 10 tips:

1. Explain risks to your teen and talk about the good and bad points of the Internet.
2. Keep the computer in an open area so you can supervise its use.
3. Limit the number of hours per day or week of online time.
4. Help your teen create an email name that is not sexually suggestive and does not identify him or her in any way.
5. Teach your teen NEVER to give out his or her name, password, home address, school address, telephone number, or individual or family pictures.
6. Tell your teen to let you know if someone sends a message that makes him or her feel uncomfortable.
7. Teach your teen to NEVER meet anyone in person that they have met online.
8. Spend time online with your teen. Ask him or her to teach you about the computer.
9. Check with your Internet Service Provider for information on how to block or filter inappropriate materials and report inappropriate conduct to your ISP.
10. COMMUNICATION IS KEY! Setting up guidelines and trust are crucial.

Parents, if you don't yet know about the need to protect your kids online, read these statistics and let NetLingo help you Get With The Program.
BBBG,
Erin

Police, parents and children’s organizations are alarmed at the growing trend of “sexting”, where young people send explicit and indecent photos to each other using their mobile phones. Did you know that one in every five teenagers say they have electronically sent, or posted online, nude or semi-nude images of themselves?

It's not just the risk of sending the photo on a mobile device that's causing concern, now police say predators are increasingly trolling social networking sites to find explicit pictures taken by teenagers of each other. They then contact the young people involved, using the photos to blackmail them into committing indecent acts.

Murad Ahmed of the Times Online reports that what started out as risqué fun among adolescents has spread quickly and with serious consequences. In the past year, there has been a huge rise in the number of pictures being stored on hard drives by pedophiles that have been taken by teenagers in relationships.

Often the photographs are taken by teenagers in relationships who then split up and place them on social networking sites such as Facebook or BeBo. The pictures also get passed around by friends at school, leading to cyberbullying.

New research in August 2009 revealed that a quarter of all youngsters between 11 and 18 have received a “sext” by phone or email. Controversial cases of sexting in the U.S., England and Australia have resulted in campaigns to educate young people about the dangers of their behavior. Teenagers across America have been arrested on child pornography charges, cases of cyberbullying and suicide as a result of sexting are on the rise, and there have been reports of high school graduates losing jobs or college scholarships as a result of being identified in sexually suggestive pictures on the Internet.

Attention Parents! You need to educate your kids about keeping track of their digital footprint, not only for online privacy issues, but because it could come back to haunt them in a serious way. As a parent, it is your responsibility to teach them about these things. It's understandable if you don't know yourself, so start by reading the digital footprint definition, and sexting and cyberbullying -- and read the "see also" and "more info" links. Read through NetLingo terms like these once a week with your kids and have them be the expert and explain it all to you. The point is do whatever it takes to open up the lines of communication so your kids know they can come to you about cyber safety issues if and when the need arises.

The message is this: If you don't want an image of yourself to be seen by other people, don't take it because once you share content electronically, you've lost control of it. Pictures are like a cyber-tattoo, it is easy to publish information but difficult to get it removed. Oh and BTW, adults: This goes for you too!
ITS,
Erin

Wow, what a week! I just got back from NYC where I taped a segment on The Martha Stewart Show! Can you believe it? OMG, Martha is so high-tech. The good news is that it was a very rewarding experience :-) The bad news is that it won't air until next Spring 2010 :-( I will be sure to let you all know when to watch it!! And I'll post some of our speaking points a little later on...

In the meantime, I'm back in sunny Santa Monica plowing through my "Finalize Product Development list", and I realize I've done it. I've accomplished a huge number of NetLingo upgrades that my friend and coach in NorCal and I decided were my priorities. When I encountered this list to cross off --and was able to cross off every one of them and more!-- I was like OMG, and so I decided to dedicate this blog to another Martha I know, Martha Danly, this one's for you...

We had a follow-up column and sure enough, these are all DONE :-)
Content:

• Dictionary/Website – needs upgrading to PHP, streamline design, run broken links, add wiki feature, add new shop capability, add new ad system, possible subscription - DONE
• Homepage – to feature popular editorial topics and add your own lingo - DONE
• Monthly Newsletter email – broken, needs upgrade - DONE
• Word of the day email – ready to launch - DONE
• Webcast – on-demand requests - DONE
  

• Book – time to publish another book - THE LIST
• PDF – produce handbooks for walgreens/subscription - NEXT MONTH
  
• E-book – bundle with websafety/nokia - instead DEVELOPED AN IPHONE APP!

• Pocket Dictionary - mini-browser - FIXED
  
• RSS - new and updated terms delivered immediately - ENHANCED
  
• Search & Browse Box - use the dictionary from any website- SAME
  
• Toolbar - keep on browser for easy search - NEW
  
• Widget – word of the day on Google - NEW