August 2011 Parent Newsletter

Hey Parents! As you know, these newsletters are meant to showcase all the wonderful, positive things that kids are doing in Yoursphere. However, what you might not know is that the underlying goal of these newsletters is to keep you in the loop about what's happening in the site--like the new features or opportunities that are available to your child(ren)--so you can have a conversation with your kids about it.  A key part of keeping children safe online is to have open communication in your home about what they're doing online. This creates a mutual awareness and, as a result, promotes positive behavior online. So when it comes to Yoursphere, think of this newsletter as a conversation starter.  Here's what we have going on in August 2011.

Internet Safety Tips  for Parents How to Deal with Cyberbullies and Online Creeps   One Network for Adults and Children - A Recipe for Disaster   Social Media Clean-Up in 5 Easy Steps ________________________ Why Facebook Isn't a Place for Kids   By Yoursphere Founder and President, and ABC 20/20 Web Avenger, Mary Kay Hoal "My perspective as a mother of five, an Internet-safety expert and a publisher of a kids' social network, is that our children deserve a healthier social networking experience." You can read the full article here.  ________________________ Recent Contest Winners       Winner of: Where Am I? Contest Prize: $25 Vans gift card      Winner of: Design Your Own Video Game Contest   Prize: Skullcandy Subwoofer Headphones   Winner of: Write the Caption Contest   Prize: $25 Forever 21 gift card  ________________________ Yoursphere Featured Artist   Yoursphere Member, AhoyAshley "Why I love art is because it comes naturally to me. I love how you can take a moment and put it on a blank canvas. How you can imagine anything, and out-line it with a felt pen. To be able to express a feeling by painting it." Read more and see her drawing here!  ________________________ Featured Photographer Contest  Does your child have an eye for creative and unique photography? We're asking Yoursphere members to show us their skills in this month's photography contest. We only host one of these every few months, so be sure to remind your young aspiring photographers! Rule: Their photo has to be their own, and it has to represent something or someone that's in motion. ________________________ Keeping it Positive in Yoursphere One of our goals here at Yoursphere is to build smart and respectful digital citizens. One way we do that is by incorporating messages throughout the site that remind members to be Internet safety smart. ________________________ Parent Newsletter - August 2011 Hey Parents! As you know, these newsletters are meant to showcase all the wonderful, positive things that kids are doing in Yoursphere. However, what you might not know is that the underlying goal of these newsletters is to keep you in the loop about what's happening in the site--like the new features or opportunities that are available to your child(ren)--so you can have a conversation with your kids about it. A key part of keeping children safe online is to have open communication in your home about what they're doing online. This creates a mutual awareness and, as a result, promotes positive behavior online. So when it comes to Yoursphere, think of this newsletter as a conversation starter. Here's what we have going on in August 2011.  New Celebrity Contests Every month, we offer our Gold Members the chance to win huge prizes by participating in contests that focus on the lives of Yoursphere Celebrities. These contests usually require a little research in order to find the correct answer, but Yoursphere gives members an exclusive opportunity to interact with each celebrity directly through their spheres. So if your kids want to win huge prizes every month, remind them to visit the spheres of Jeff Sutphen (BrainSurge and 101 Ways to Leave a Game Show), Victoria Stilwell (It's Me Or the Dog) and Donald Schultz (Wild Recon)! Here's a list of the contests for August:   At the end of every episode of BrainSurge, what town and state does Jeff Sutphen thank for watching? Prize: Electronic Arcade Speedball           What was Victoria Stilwell's career before she became a dog trainer? Prize: Marley and Me: Bad Dog Collection on Blu Ray               At what age did Donald Schultz start catching snakes? Prize: Wenzel Ridgeline 7x7 Three-Person Tent      Do Your Kids Have a Question for the Yoursphere Community?  Since we started it, Question of the Week has been one of the more engaging features on the site, and a favorite among members. We make sure the questions are always interesting and have the potential to generate a lot of feedback from members--so far, it's been successful. Until now, the Yoursphere Team has come up with these questions every week, with the intent always being to get the gears turning in our members' heads. Recently, we received some feedback from a Yoursphere member who had an interesting idea: Why not ask members what questions they have for the Yoursphere community? We really liked the idea so we ran with it, and now we're asking members to send us their questions! The best questions will get featured on the Teen Homepage. In addition, the Yoursphere member who submitted it will get 50 credits to spend in the Gift Gallery, so tell your kids to send in their submissions !    Yoursphere Featured Member  Our Featured Member program is designed to shine a light on members who have shown certain qualities, like leadership, friendship and kindness. Being an active and consistent contributor to the Yoursphere community also merits recognition as a Featured Member, so encourage your children to participate by sharing their creativity and friendship with others.  This month our Featured Member is "LilyAnn". She's been an active member of the Yoursphere community for a long time, and she loves to interact with other members in ourWorld. Big congrats to her for being this month's Featured Member! Here are a few answers from her interview with the Yoursphere Team:    What do you see yourself doing in the future? Having a restaurant making awesome food! What are four words your friends would use to describe you? Stylish, Nice, Funny, Energetic What's your favorite food? My dad's famous hamburgers!! What do you like most about being a Yoursphere member? I like playing on ourWorld, meeting new people, and being a contributing writer on Yoursphere. How to Set Up Parental Controls on the iPad   Like the iPod and the iPhone, the iPad is starting to become somewhat of a household item. This means parents should take the time to understand the iPad's parental controls and how to set them.  Simply follow the step-by-step guide below.   1. The first thing you'll want to do is find the Settings button on your home screen.    2.  Once you've clicked that, look for the "General" tab on the left side. From there you'll see the"Restrictions" option-click it.     3. Click "Enable Restrictions". This will bring up a password box. Since this is your first time, you'll need to think of a code and enter it twice to confirm. 4. From here you'll be given the option to disable or enable a number of apps and allowances. Switching these apps to the "off" position will actually remove them from your iPad's homepage-meaning you/your children won't be able to access them until you switch them back "on". Some suggestions: Safari - Safari doesn't have a content filter, so unless you've installed a third-party, kid-friendly web browser, switching this to the off position might be the best option. YouTube - SafetyMode isn't an option here, so the same rules apply here as they do for Safari. Installing Apps - If you have little ones using your iPad (and I'm assuming you do if you're reading this article), turning this off is highly recommended. This will prevent any unwanted bills from Apple. 5. If you scroll down on the same page you'll notice that you can also choose the type of content you allow to be downloaded, installed or viewed on your iPad, as well as the option to disable in-app purchases.     Read more about the iPad's Parental Controls, here. Parents, Stay Up-To-Date with Yoursphere! You can follow Yoursphere.com on Twitter , or on our Facebook page for parents.   You can find Mary Kay on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Also, be sure to visit YoursphereForParents, where you can find useful tools and information when it comes to leveraging the best Internet experience for you and your children. As always, thank you for entrusting Yoursphere with your child's online experience and helping us raise the bar for our kids' and teens' online safety. Best Regards, The Yoursphere Team.

 

Like the iPod and the iPhone, the iPad is starting to become somewhat of a household item. This means parents should take the time to understand the iPad's parental controls and how to set them. 

Simply follow the step-by-step guide below.

 

1. The first thing you'll want to do is find the Settings button on your home screen. 

 

2.  Once you've clicked that, look for the "General" tab on the left side. From there you'll see the"Restrictions" option-click it.

 

 

3. Click "Enable Restrictions". This will bring up a password box. Since this is your first time, you'll need to think of a code and enter it twice to confirm.

4. From here you'll be given the option to disable or enable a number of apps and allowances.

• Switching these apps to the "off" position will actually remove them from your iPad's homepage-meaning you/your children won't be able to access them until you switch them back "on".

Some suggestions:

Safari - Safari doesn't have a content filter, so unless you've installed a third-party, kid-friendly web browser, switching this to the off position might be the best option.

YouTube - SafetyMode isn't an option here, so the same rules apply here as they do for Safari.

Installing Apps - If you have little ones using your iPad (and I'm assuming you do if you're reading this article), turning this off is highly recommended. This will prevent any unwanted bills from Apple.

5. If you scroll down on the same page you'll notice that you can also choose the type of content you allow to be downloaded, installed or viewed on your iPad, as well as the option to disable in-app purchases.

 

 

Read more about the iPad's Parental Controls, here.