A lack of “street smarts” may give a green light to scammers, cyber bullies, predators and anyone else looking to exploit the digital streets you (or your children) travel each day.

Here are some terms that will help to build up your knowledge base. If you have a few more minutes, you can read a more exhaustive list of Internet safety terms.

Adware: Adware is a legitimate, non-replicating program designed to display ads to the end user. It is often based on monitoring of browsing habits and often in exchange for the right to use a program without paying for it (a take on the shareware concept).

Anti-Virus Software: Anti-virus software scans a computer’s memory and disk drives for viruses. If it finds a virus, the application informs the user and may clean, delete, or quarantine any files, directories, or disks affected by the malicious code.

Browser: A program—such as Safari, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome—that lets a user search, find, view and hear material on web pages.

Cookie: A piece of information that documents your visit to a website that some websites record automatically on your computer. By using a cookie, a website operator can determine a lot of information about you and your computer. Cookies are not always used for unlawful practices.

Cybersex: This term refers to virtual, online sexual encounters between two or more people.

Cyberstalking: When an individual uses tactics to track, lure, or harasses another person online.

Encrypted Virus: An encrypted virus’s code begins with a decryption algorithm and continues with scrambled or encrypted code for the remainder of the virus. Each time it infects, it automatically encodes itself differently, so its code is never the same. Through this method, the virus tries to avoid detection by anti-virus software.

Internet Filtering: Filtering that allows you to block certain types of content from being displayed on your computer or mobile device. Internet Filtering software screens for language, sexual content and violence. Filtering options are available through parental control software. A trust worthy parental control software should do more than just block sites, it should monitor time, social networks, usage, programs, and be flexible to the user.

Geolocation Services: Mobile phone users may use these services or apps to share their locations with friends or with other users. Examples of these services include: Facebook Places®  Gowalla® and Foursquare®

Grooming: The process predators use to manipulate minors into sexual relationships or into creating and sharing sexual images of themselves. Grooming often includes the predator giving compliments or gifts to the minor.

Griefers: Internet gamers who deliberately cause problems and/or cyberbully other gamers.

Malware: Malware is malicious software or any harmful codesuch as: Trojan horses, worms, spyware, and adware—that are designed to damage the computer or illegally collect information on a user.

Mousetrapping: Technique used (frequently by pornographic websites) to keep people from leaving their sites. They do this by launching a series of pop-up ads for other sites or re-launching their websites each time someone attempts to close out of a website.

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Networking: This is a distributed system of file sharing where any PC on the network can see any other PC on the network. Users access each other’s hard drives to download files. This type of file sharing is valuable, brings up copyright issues for music, movies, and other shared media files. Users are also vulnerable to viruses.

Pharming:  An online scam that attacks the browser’s address bar. Pharming allows a hacker to redirect a legitimate web site’s traffic to a counterfeit web site. The spoofed site is designed to steal personal information such as usernames, passwords, and account information.

Phishing: An online scam that uses e-mail to “fish” for users’ private information by imitating legitimate companies. Phishing is a form of criminal activity using social engineering techniques through email or instant messaging. Phishers attempt to fraudulently acquire other people’s personal information, such as passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy person or business in an apparently official electronic communication.

Piracy: Illegally copying copyrighted software, music, or movies.

Sexting: The use of cell phones to send sexual messages, pictures and videos.

SMS: Stands for “Short Message Service,” a form of text messaging on cell phones, frequently used between computers and cell phones.

Sniffer: A sniffer is a software program that monitors network traffic. Hackers use sniffers to capture data transmitted over a network.

Trojan Horse: A malicious program that pretends to be a harmless application. It intentionally does something that the user does not expect. Trojans are not viruses since they do not replicate, but they can be just as destructive.

Typosquatting: Websites that use misspellings and other mistakes when inputting a web address to redirect users to an alternative, often inappropriate, website.

Virus: A self-replicating software program that typically arrives through e-mail attachments which multiplies on the hard drive, quickly exhausting the computer’s memory.

Sextortion: The digital version of extortion in which a predator lures a child or teen to send a sexual photo that the predator then uses to extort the victim into sending more photos. The predator will often threaten a victim that he or she will send the original image to a victim’s family, school or post it online if the victim does not comply with the demand for more pictures.

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The “Like” Button

In the past, if you “liked” pepperoni pizza or the Star Wars Trilogy, you shared those pieces of random information with friends in conversation. End of story. Today however, in the digital realm, these “likes” (or dislikes) have a whole new meaning. They publically display your alignment with a brand and the ideas and values behind that brand. A “like” automatically broadcasts your allegiances to hundreds, if not thousands, of friends (and advertisers) in the span of a few seconds. This could be a good thing. Or, if it’s done casually, it could backfire in terms of your privacy, safety, and reputation.

The “Relationship” Button

Likewise in the past, teens may have kept their high school relationship status confined to private notes exchanged between classes or lunchroom banter. Today, thanks to communication rockets like Facebook, a relationship status is available for public consumption (and comment) as it evolves in real time. This gives 21^st century octane to the “in a relationship” button on Facebook.

The “Comment” button

Your comments on social networks take on a whole new life once you hit “post.” When you make a “comment” on a Facebook Fan Page that comment (and the related post) on that Fan Page shows up in the feeds of the friends who follow you on Facebook. They do not have to be fans of that page for it to show up in their feed—you need only interact with the Fan Page. This means your comment beneath a very risqué photo on a celebrity Fan Page can easily appear in Grandma’s friend feed . . . with the dicey photo attached. Yes, this is another timely conversation to have with your kids.

Indeed, it’s a whole new world where reputation management, personal safety, privacy, and relationship are all tied together—or unraveled—in a matter of clicks. The only rulebook your kids have to navigate the digital ropes. . . is you.

So what do these words mean in your family? Each family applies different values to these words and so each conversation will include various expectations.

Here are some questions to get you thinking and to spark some interesting dinner table conversation in your home:

• What kind of Fan Pages do my kids “like” and what values are tied to those pages? Do the movies, musicians, and brands my kids like align with our family? Is it okay for these brands to market to my children? Do these brands (or individual pages), or their followers create a safety risk to our family?
• Are privacy settings maxed on my family’s social platforms? Are Internet filters where we need them to be for maximum safety and privacy?
• What is the proper way to treat someone who you are dating online? What conversations should and should not take place in a digital setting? What kind of photo is appropriate to post?
• What is the proper way to end a dating relationship online? Is using the “relationship” button okay in our family? What are the guidelines?
• Could my kids’ online comments, photos, or posts negatively affect their future college enrollment, employment, or their current reputation?

Taking the time to discuss these seemingly casual, but powerful online actions with your children will no doubt enhance your dinnertime conversation. More importantly, it will help you bridge the digital divide with your children and may give you influence in the way they choose to click online. 

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The survey of 802 parents and their teens shows that:

• 81% of parents of online teens say they are concerned about how much information advertisers can learn about their child’s online behavior, with some 46% being “very” concerned.
• 72% of parents of online teens are concerned about how their child interacts online with people they do not know, with some 53% of parents being “very” concerned.
• 69% of parents of online teens are concerned about how their child’s online activity might affect their future academic or employment opportunities, with some 44% being “very” concerned.
• 69% of parents of online teens are concerned about how their child manages his or her reputation online, with some 49% being “very” concerned.
• 50% of parents of online teens have used parental controls or other means of blocking, filtering, or monitoring their child’s online activities—a number that has remained almost unchanged since last year.
• 59% of the parents of teen users of social networking sites have talked with their child because they were concerned about something posted to their profile or account. (That translates to 46% of parents of all online teens.)

Here are 10 easy things we recommend to help you get more digitally in-sync with your kids today:

1. Get on social networks if you are not already. Start with Facebook and Twitter. Tumblr, Instagram, YouTube and MySpace are also hot spots for teens.
2. Regularly Google your child’s name.
3. Regularly check browsing history.
4. Install parental controls above and beyond what your operating system offers.
5. Install parental controls on mobile devices.
6. Commit to staying technologically fit so you can lead the conversation with your kids. Use free online learning resources to stay “in the know.”
7. Talk to your kids often about their digital footprint, privacy settings, and what information is appropriate to share online and why.
8. Read this blog regularly via our RSS feed, which is sent directly to your reader. Also, follow us on Twitter and Facebook  for up-to-date information on Internet Safety news.
9. Go over The Family Game Plan with your kids and sign it together. Post it near the family computer.
10. Download McAfee’s A Parent’s Guide to Social Networking Sites and get familiar with your role in your child’s online life.

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Requestion: A word that is a combination of the words ‘request’ and ‘question.’

Awsomity: A word that reflects highest state of awesomeness.

Busted: A word describing someone who is unattractive.

Yolla: A greeting that is a combination of the words ‘yo’ and ‘holla.’

Whatevs: Another word for ‘whatever.’

Gangsta: Someone is who is both tough and cool at the same time.

Flamed: To have taken everything too seriously.

Planking: Laying your body on top of an object and balancing there while stretched out and stiffened.

Tope: A word that is a combination of ‘tight’ and ‘dope’ that describes something really great.

Frenemy:  A combination of the words ‘friend’ and ‘enemy.’ Refers to a person who appears to be a friend but is really not.

Pwned: Word used in place of ‘owned’ or being proved wrong.

Photobomb: When a person or object gets into a photo accidentally and it turns out to be funny.

Innit: A word that is short for ‘isn’t it?’

Mouldie: A word that is slang for ‘parents.’

Ight: A word that is short for ‘alright.’

Sup: A word that is short for ‘what’s up.’

Emo: A teenager who is intentionally angst-ridden and usually dresses in black or has a gothic or ‘goth’ look to them.

Ride: A word used in place of ‘shoes.’

Epic: Another word for ‘awesome.’

Benjamins: Another word for ‘money.’

Besties: Another word for ‘best friends.’

Bless: Another word for ‘good-bye.’

Brah: Another word for brother or very good male friend.

143: Abbreviation for ‘I love you.’

WTGP: Acronym for ‘want to go private?’

INBD: Acronym for ‘it’s no big deal.’

VBS: Acronym for ‘very big smile.’

Bud, la la, Mary, hood scratch, or 420 4life: All these words are code terms for Marijuana.

53x: Text code for ‘sex.’

Sugarpic: Text code for ‘suggestive picture of self.’

LMAO: Acronym for ‘laughing my a— off.’

Cu46: Acronym that means ‘see you for sex.’

Gnoc: Acronym that means ‘get naked on camera.’

If you’ve discovered a text or note you can’t figure out, go to Teen Chat Decoder and type the acronym into the search box. If it’s not there, try typing your word into Google; there will likely be a decoding site or blog that defines the term for you.

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Mammoth communication fails take place between tweens and teens online or via text every minute of every day. It’s clear that kids today deal with sources of digital anxiety that most of their parents never had to face. Seemingly small errors in judgment played out digitally, can erupt into angry disputes in a nanosecond.

However, with some practice and consistent encouragement, you can help your child keep his or her cool online and become an effective and confident communicator.

Here are 5 ways to teach your kids self-control online:

Recognize triggers. Explain to your child that we all possess certain warning signs that alert us when we are becoming angry. Teach your child to recognize what triggers his or her “hot buttons” and how to recognize the physical signs of anger such as getting flush, shortness of breath, a burning stomach, or a racing heart.

Log off and calm down. Encourage your child to physically move away from the computer, breathe deeply and calm down. It takes practice and discipline to learn how to think before reacting. Reiterate the consequences of posting online in anger and the danger of saying something in a public setting that can’t be deleted.

Praise along the way. Self-control is critical in today’s online arena but remember, learning how to control anger and remain calm under pressure is a lifelong process. The more your child encounters frustration and responds in a positive way, the more confident they will become. Be sure to affirm his or her self-control “wins” along the way.

Respond vs. React. Teach your child the power of a calm response and the consequence of a hasty reaction. Share your own experiences online and how you “turned the tide” in a provoking situation. Discuss the power and reward in taking the high road.

Model self-control. Be extra conscious of your behavior duing frustrating situations in everyday life. Share out loud why you might be frustrated and discuss your choice in how to resolve the situation.

Don’t panic or jump in to solve online disputes when your kids collide with harsh peers or have a heated exchange. It’s a reality of the online world and it’s likely going to happen more than once. Use the situation to teach your kids how to work on self-control, tolerate diverse opinions and ideas, and respond well in tough situations.

Building self-control is one of the greatest gifts you can give your children in life and one of the most powerful tools they can wield online.

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So today, it’s gratitude—straight gratitude—for how truly fortunate we are to live on a wired planet.

Here are 10 technologies that we’d like to thank on this special day:

1. Thank you GPS. We would not have made that big meeting without you . . . nor would we have had anyone to blame when we arrived late.
2. Thank you text messaging. That whole beeper thing in the ‘90s was beyond annoying.
3. Thank you Facebook. You’ve connected us daily both to our teenagers and our global friends and family members in a few simple clicks.
4. Thank you smart phone. Even though you are smarter than most of us, we do appreciate how you’ve tethered us to our kids and allowed us to make life more “sharable.”
5. Thank you Google. You’ve made us better parents and enabled us to really help our kids with their homework (instead of faking our way through).
6. Thank you iPad. You’ve saved our backs from carrying heavy laptops, are way more fun on airplanes and you make us look super cool at meetings.
7. Thank you WiFi. You’ve made information sharing and life in general efficient and fun. We can’t wait to find you in most of our parks, appliances and cars!
8. Thank you Apps. From meal planning, to photo editing, to scheduling, to endless hours of hand-held entertainment, thank you fun little apps for being so determined to just get better and better.
9. Thank you live streaming. You’ve shrunk our planet. You’ve allowed us to travel the globe without leaving home and have opened up real-time learning opportunities we never thought possible.
10. Thank you Filtering Software. For keeping out the “bad” of the Internet’s bounty of offerings and allowing the “good” to come in. You’ve reduced our worry and helped us protect our families. And for that, we are truly grateful.

What are your favorite technologies and how have they improved your life? 

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In addition, recent research has shown that people with an Internet addiction have noticeable changes in their brains that are similar to the changes happening in the brains of people addicted to cocaine, heroine, and other drugs. Along with cases of addiction (such as alcohol, gambling, or sex), Internet addiction also runs the gamut of severity. However, as more and more research emerges on the brain, Internet addiction as a mental disorder may soon be commonplace.

According to Dr. Kimberly Young of The Center for Internet Addiction, meeting five of the following symptoms could indicate a real problem.

1. Do you feel preoccupied with the Internet (think about previous online activity or anticipate next online session)?
2. Do you feel the need to use the Internet with increasing amounts of time in order to achieve satisfaction?
3. Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop Internet use?
4. Do you feel restless, moody, depressed, or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop Internet use?
5. Do you stay online longer than originally intended?
6. Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of the Internet?
7. Have you lied to family members, therapist, or others to conceal the extent of involvement on the Internet?
8. Do you use the Internet as a way of escaping from problems or of relieving a dysphoric mood (e.g., feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, depression)?

Other symptoms may include:

• Failed attempts to control behavior
• Heightened sense of euphoria while involved in computer and Internet activities
• Neglecting friends and family
• Neglecting sleep to stay online
• Being dishonest with others
• Feeling guilty, ashamed, anxious, or depressed as a result of online behavior
• Physical changes such as weight gain or loss, backaches, headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome
• Withdrawing from other pleasurable activities

Treatment varies with severity of the addiction. However, most experts agree, that limiting time online and even implementing filtering software can be a positive first step to a balanced digital life. This includes taking frequent breaks, pursuing outside activities and exercise, seeking out friends who spend little time online and establishing a reasonable schedule for Internet use. If the case is severe, and online behavior has resulted with more damaging consequences, it is recommended that you seek professional help immediately to restore a healthy life balance.

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Try this: For the next few weeks just listen to what’s going on in your kid’s digital circles. You may be surprised at the positive strides your kids make on a daily basis.

Praise your kids when you see them:

• Encouraging others.
• Expressing empathy.
• Being a leader.
• Turning a negative conversation positive.
• Having a great sense of humor.
• Celebrating another person.
• Including other people in an event or conversation.
• Responding well to conflict.
• Being non-judgmental.
• Showing gratitude.
• Expressing their feelings authentically.
• Being humble.
• Being an original.
• Becoming a great writer.
• Showing courage.
• Being a team player.
• Sharing their talents online.
• Being complimentary to their siblings.
• Expressing their opinion thoughtfully.
• Being responsible with their online time.
• Being generous.
• Taking care of their technology.
• Being an exceptional digital citizen.
• Being careful with their words.
• Excelling with technology skills.
• Guarding their private information.
• Taking up for the underdog.
• For being creative.
• Reporting poor behavior online.
• Unplugging for several days.

As your children get older and their technology use (and reliance) increases, you may find more “passionate” discussions arising in your home that center on technology use. So, taking the time to sit out a round (or two) and observe what your kids are doing right online may prove to be a powerful component to your communication and your relationship.

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According to a recent McAfee study, 70% of those surveyed plan to shop online and a surprising 1 in 4 of them plan to use their mobile phones. While aware of the risks, they are willing to give away their personal information in order to get the value they want in return. In fact, despite the fact that 87% of those surveyed are concerned that their personal information could be stolen while using an app on smart phone and/or tablets while shopping, nearly nine in ten Americans are willing to provide some level of personal information in order to receive an offer that is of value to them.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t shop online, it just means – pay attention to every click. A quick 15-minute review of online/mobile safeguards, could save you big dollars and even bigger anxiety this holiday season.

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Tools like Google Alerts can be extremely helpful. Google Alerts are emails sent to you when

Google finds new results (this can be web pages, newspaper articles, tags, or blogs) that match your search term. The great part is—it’s easy to do.

1. Go to Google’s home page. Click on the ‘more’ tab on the navigation bar.
2. Click on the ‘even more’ tab. Scroll down to the section that says ‘specialized searches’ and click on ‘Alerts.’
3. From there, Google will prompt you to fill out several boxes that give you search options. Type in your child’s name and the parameters of the search.

Google will deliver alerts to your inbox immediately. It will retrieve articles, blogs, comments, and photo tags that may give mention of your child elsewhere online. Be warned: Google will also collect some random word combinations of your search term and deliver those as well—so you will quickly learn what to read and what to delete.

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