September 2011 Parent Newsletter

Hey Parents!

Fall is right around the corner, kids are back in school and there are a bunch of things happening in Yoursphere. We've got new contests and new contest winners to announce, plus a number of updates that you can refer to when you talk to your kids about their time on Yoursphere. 

As you know, staying involved in your child's online activities is the best way to keep the door open for communication should something ever happen. Cyberbullying, identity theft and online extortion are all very real issues that our children face every time they go online. Communication and education around these issues is, and always will be, your family's first line of defense.

Internet Safety Tips  for Parents 11 Mobile Parental Controls from AT&T, Verizon, Sprint & T-Mobile    An Easy Way to Introduce and Teach Your Children Responsible Texting   Webcam 101 for Seniors ________________________ Jeff Sutphen's Scavenger Hunt!  Tell your kids to stop by Jeff's sphere to take a shot at five-challenge scavenger hunt. The winner will score a $25 Target gift card! ________________________ New Yoursphere Contest September 21 is International Day of Peace, so we're asking Yoursphere members for their suggestions on spreading peace around the world.  The best answer will receive a 540-piece puzzle ball of planet Earth!     ________________________ Recent Contest Winners   Winner of: Yoursphere Friend Contest Prize: Tabletop Electric Drum Set       Winner of: Proud to be an American Contest   Prize: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules 3 Disk Combo on Blu-ray     Winner of: Who Am I? Contest   Prize: $25 Target gift card  ________________________ X-Factor Sphere!    The popular UK-based talent show, The X-Factor, is making it's debut in the United States! Are your kids a fan? Tell them to stop by The X-Factor sphere in Yoursphere to get the latest updates and talk about the show with other members!   ________________________ 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 - September 2011 Hey Parents! Fall is right around the corner, kids are back in school and there are a bunch of things happening in Yoursphere. We've got new contests and new contest winners to announce, plus a number of updates that you can refer to when you talk to your kids about their time on Yoursphere.  As you know, staying involved in your child's online activities is the best way to keep the door open for communication should something ever happen. Cyberbullying, identity theft and online extortion are all very real issues that our children face every time they go online. Communication and education around these issues is, and always will be, your family's first line of defense. Featured Artist Contest Does your child love to paint or draw? Maybe the like both! Either way, they'll love this contest.  For a limited time only, we're giving Yoursphere members the opportunity to have their artwork showcased on the Yoursphere Teen Homepage! This is where all members go to see what's happening in Yoursphere, so it's a great place to show off their skills.   To enter, Yoursphere members need to send us a photo of their original painting or drawing to featuredcontests@yoursphere.com, along with a paragraph or two explaining why they love art.   The Yoursphere Team will review all submissions and pick one winner to be featured on the Teen Homepage. In addition, the winner will receive 250 credits to spend in the Yoursphere Gift Gallery, where we're always adding new prizes!    We only host one of these every few months, so tell your kids not to wait! The contest ends on September 26th, so be sure to sit down with your kids and review the rest of the rules here before it's too late!  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 "AlwaysOriginal". She's a very enthusiastic member of the Yoursphere community! She's energetic and loves interacting with others in Yoursphere. Big congrats to her for being this month's Featured Member! Here are a few answers from her interview with the Yoursphere Team:    What's your favorite saying? Life is like an onion: You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep. What do you see yourself doing in the future? Wow, can you say tough question? I actually don't know yet but my hope is to be someone that will make a difference and famous! But for all the right reasons ( Talent, Kindness, and maybe a little awesomeness! XD ) What's your biggest hope for today's generation? To beat how great the last generation was! We gotta show them we are awesome! Even if we don't jam out to M.C. Hammer! XD....all the time... What do you like most about being a Yoursphere member? THE PEOPLE! I feel like I'm with my friends at school when I'm on here! They are people you can relate to! They are sooo incredibly nice! xoxox to Yoursphere.com!!  Yoursphere Celebrities  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). Check out the celebrity contests that we're running this month!   Jeff grew up in Mayfield, NY What was his school mascot? Prize: Active life Extreme Challenge for the Nintendo Wii               What is Victoria's favorite color? Prize: A dog lover's gift basket              What snake park did Donald have an internship at? Prize: 48 piece microscope set      Safe Gaming on the iPhone and iPod Touch If you're not too savvy about mobile games, one thing to keep in mind is if the game is free or priced at 99 cents, chances are it's being monetized some other way. That means your child's privacy and/or your wallet could be at risk. How? Well, the two main ways "free" mobile games monetize themselves are through ads and in-game purchases. Ads, as you know, are there for the user (your child) to click on. This usually sends them to an external website that asks for personal information. With in-game purchases, the idea is to trade in real money for in-game virtual currency, usually to buy things like accessories, virtual gifts or additional game content. Since your credit card is probably tied to your child's iPod Touch/iPhone, this can easily turn into a serious problem. Perfect example. To prevent this from happening to you, the best thing to do is set Restrictions on your child's iPod Touch, which you can learn to do here. In the meantime, click the link below to see the reviews of five mobile games that are age appropriate for all kids, yet entertaining enough to keep mom and dad's lameness factor low.   Five iPhone Games that Are Safe and Fun for your Kids Parents, Stay Up-To-Date with Yoursphere! You can follow Yoursphere.com on Twitter , or on our Facebook page for parents.   You can find Yoursphere founder, Mary Kay Hoal, 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.

If you're not too savvy about mobile games, one thing to keep in mind is if the game is free or priced at 99 cents, chances are it's being monetized some other way. That means your child's privacy and/or your wallet could be at risk. How? Well, the two main ways "free" mobile games monetize themselves are through ads and in-game purchases.

Ads, as you know, are there for the user (your child) to click on. This usually sends them to an external website that asks for personal information. With in-game purchases, the idea is to trade in real money for in-game virtual currency, usually to buy things like accessories, virtual gifts or additional game content. Since your credit card is probably tied to your child's iPod Touch/iPhone, this can easily turn into a serious problem. Perfect example.

To prevent this from happening to you, the best thing to do is set Restrictions on your child's iPod Touch, which you can learn to do here. In the meantime, click the link below to see the reviews of five mobile games that are age appropriate for all kids, yet entertaining enough to keep mom and dad's lameness factor low.  

Five iPhone Games that Are Safe and Fun for your Kids