Portfolio Assignment 9

Parental Control Software

The topic that I chose for this assignment is parental control software. There are many different types of parental control software. I have chosen 3 products to discuss in depth.

One example of parental control software is AVG Family Safety (Rubenking). AVG Family safety has the basic features of any parental control software, such as controlling the websites that the children can visit and when children can use the Internet (Rubenking). Additionally, this program can limit the games that children are playing based on their ratings and monitor their instant messaging conversations (Rubenking). AVG Family Safety can also connect to the router so all devices that are connected to the Internet have protection using this software (Rubenking).
Another example of parental control software is SocialShield (Parental Control Software Reviews). SocialShield is software that is based on social networking sites (Parental Control Software Reviews). This software tracks the child's activity on any social networking site that they use (the software claims to cover Facebook, Twitter, Google+, MySpace, and FormSpring) (Parental Control Software Reviews). The parents can receive notifications if there is suspicious activity and the software will track pictures, posts, or friends that it deems suspicious (Parental Control Software Reviews). Parents can view their alerts online anywhere, which increases its convenience (Parental Control Software Reviews).

A third example of parental control software is PhoneSheriff (PhoneSheriff). PhoneSheriff is different from the other two in that it is for a different platform, the cell phone. PhoneSheriff is compatible with most smartphones (PhoneSheriff). With PhoneSheriff, parents can limit the time that their children can use their phones, so that their children can not use their phones at school or late at night (PhoneSheriff). This software also has a GPS feature, so the parents always know the location of their child (PhoneSheriff). PhoneSheriff will also make a log of all calls and text messages that are received (PhoneSheriff). The log will allow the parents to view the text messages, word for word (PhoneSheriff). Parents are also able to make a list of keywords and are notified if their child receives or sends a text message containing those words (PhoneSheriff). PhoneSheriff will also immediately send a copy of any picture or video that is taken with the phone to the parents (PhoneSheriff). Using this software, parents will be able to know what website their child is viewing, as well as block them from viewing specific websites (PhoneSheriff).

These three examples of parental control software illustrate the complexity of the information age. Not that long ago, it was enough to have software that would block mature websites. Today, parents have to worry about social networking sites and all of the things that children can be exposed to because of the features that are available on smartphones.

Works Cited:

"Parental Control Software Reviews." Consumersearch. N.p., Mar. 2012. Web. 28 Oct. 2012. <http://www.consumersearch.com/parental-control-software>.

"PhoneSheriff." Top Ten Reviews. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2012. <http://cell-phone-parental-control-software-review.toptenreviews.com/phonesheriff-review.html>.

Rubenking, Neil. "Keep Your Child Safe Online." PCMAG. N.p., 13 Dec. 2011. Web. 28 Oct. 2012. <http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2346997,00.asp>.

Portfolio Assignment 8

Password Managers

It is recommended that passwords should be complicated and difficult to guess. They should be more than 8 characters, contain letters, numbers, and even special characters (Create Strong Passwords). A password manager makes it possible to store all of your passwords so that you do not have to remember dozens of hard to guess passwords (Rubenking). You only need one main password to access all of your other passwords (Rubenking). There are a wide variety of password management tools available, each with different features.

One password manager is Kapersky Password Manager (Rubenking). Kapersky stores passwords and will also save your login data and makes it easier for you to access the site later by allowing you to click on the site and log in automatically (Rubenking). Another password manager is 1Password (Aguilar). 1Password is a slightly more expensive program that has several more features (Aguilar). The desktop version of the program allows users to sync information to an iPhone, iPod Touch, or an iPad (Aguilar). It is also able to store information to auto-complete forms and has a security component that deletes a password from the clipboard after 90 seconds (Aguilar). A third password manager is LastPass 1.72, which has a basic version and a premium version (Aguilar). LastPass gives you the convenience of being able to access it from any computer because it is stored online (Aguilar). Upgrading to the premium version gives you the option to sync your information to your mobile devices (Aguilar).

Many different password managers exist with different features. Each person needs to decide which features work with their needs and lifestyle. The most important thing is to make sure that everyone’s online account information is protected.

Works Cited

Aguilar, Mario. "Account Hacked? These Password Managers Keep Your Everything Safe." Gizmodo. N.p., 16 Jan. 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://gizmodo.com/5876508/account-hacked-these-password-managers-keep-your-everything-safe>.

"Create Strong Passwords." Password Generator & Checker. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/passwords-create.aspx>.

Rubenking, Neil J. "Six Great Password Managers." PCMAG. N.p., 11 Mar. 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2381432,00.asp>.

Portfolio Assignment 7

The first website creation tool I used was Weebly. Here is the link to my demo for Weebly: http://screencast.com/t/LkuO3KOVkBT. The second website creation tool I used was Yola. Here is the link for my demo for Yola: http://screencast.com/t/iD7RqXIw. The third website creation tool I used was Google Sites. Here is the link for my demo for Google Sites: http://screencast.com/t/EZj8EkCC. I performed the same tasks in each demo in order to illustrate how to create a new page in each site.

One difference that I noticed about the different website creating tools was the availability of pictures. One thing that I really liked about Weebly was that you were able to use photos from Creative Commons. This enabled me to find pictures to make my site more interesting. In order to use pictures on a Yola site, you had to pay, and Google Sites did not seem to have any public pictures available at all.

Another difference that I noticed about the different website creating tools was whether they were user-friendly. I tried to use Wix, and I could not really figure it out. It would tell me to click somewhere to edit and then nothing would happen. Google Sites was a little difficult for me to navigate. The main page gave directions, but the directions were confusing. There are also a lot of options in the sidebar, which was somewhat confusing. Yola was fairly simple, but it did not seem to have as many options as the others, or they were just more difficult to find. Weebly seemed to be the most straightforward to me. It had all of the tools across the top and easy to access, and you did not have to worry about searching for directions on how to do something.

If I was asked to create a site right now, I would use Weebly. I found it the most user-friendly and it makes it easier to use pictures to make my site look better. It also gives an option to use HTML, if I ever want to post something from another page that is written in HTML.

Portfolio Assignment 6

I created an account on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a site that helps professionals in the same industry network with one another. It can also be used to find job openings and for employers to seek employees. The site provides a free account as well as paid accounts that allow employers to get more profile information. LinkedIn will also search your email contacts to find the people that already have a LinkedIn account so that you can start networking. Here is the link for the demo to this site: http://screencast.com/t/1vUpHy5Wu. Here is the link for my profile: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/rachel-murphy/5a/205/a23.

Portfolio Assignment 5

My Twitter page is https://twitter.com/rachelmcmsy.