It’s not every day you have the chance to win a $100 gift card from Best Buy and glean tips from a geek!

Tim Soliday, a tech expert from Best Buy’s Geek Squad, has some great advice on the top things you should know about your kids and the Internet. Contest details are included below.

I have been married for 9 years. No children as of yet, but that is changing this year! I have been with the Geek Squad since its rollout in Denver of ’04. Here are some tips for things to know about the internet and your kids:

One of the most important things a parent should do is have an open line of communication with their children when it comes to Internet usage. Spending time with your children online will help you and your children learn more about the internet. Sit down with your child and create an etiquette guide for the internet. That dialog creates trust and the ability to come to each other should a potential issue arise.

Social networking sites such as My Space should be monitored closely. It is fun to be able to chat with friends and make new friends from a central location. Monitoring who they are talking to is essential. Sexual predators frequent those sites looking for their next victim. Another potential problem is harassment by a bully. Just like in the real world do not talk to strangers, do not give out personal information, and do not believe everything you read. If it makes them feel uncomfortable then stop what they are doing and let their parents know what is happening.

Monitoring and preventing your children from reaching certain sites can be achieved by using parental control hardware or software. Think of the hardware as being analogues to a v-chip in a television. The software is more practical for parents. You can download and have it installed in minutes with today’s Internet speed. Some good examples of parental control software are Microsoft Live OneCare, Webroot ChildSafe, and Net Nanny. This software will give you the ability to monitor and prevent certain sites from being reachable.

Music, movies, and apps oh my! Music, who does not love music? Another item to be on the lookout for is P2P software. What is P2P software? It is software that let’s you see the shared files of all members who use the software, irregardless of where in the world they are. A majority of files being downloaded through this software is infected with Trojans and worms. Let’s not forget that downloading music and movies is copyright infringement. These types of software can wreak havoc on your computer infecting it and slowing it down.

Websites that provide fun activities for children are pbskids.org, seussville.com, Disney.go.com, mothergoose.com and many others. Spending time with your children online and using the Internet as a teaching tool can be a fun activity for everyone. Suggested ideas would be travel the world through Google earth and learn about geographical locations, and studying those famous landmarks. Who knows, maybe you will take a trip there later to make it that much more real for everyone.

Last but not least secure your Wireless networks and make sure that you have the latest Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware software installed on your computer. Keep the definitions up to date and run weekly scans. Renew your software every year to make sure that you are update on your protection. You can call 1-800-Geek Squad to schedule a check up.

A special thanks to Tim for those great tips! Best Buy is pleased to offer one lucky mama a $100 gift card for Best Buy. Simply email us at “” with “Geeks Rule” in the subject line. Please include your mailing address. The contest deadline is August 9, 2008 and is only open to Colorado residents.

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