How To-114: "How to Improve Your Concentration"

How to Improve Your Concentration

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Concentration requires great amount of effort and time.Even if you practise it for one week or even a month the result won't be productive if your brain isn’t performing well.If you're having trouble with concentration this article may come in handy.

Steps

1. Take rest. The biggest factor affecting concentration is rest and this has been approved by research. Concentration requires your mind to be calm. But your mind will be scattered if you are not well rested. Make sure that you get the right amount of sleep at the right time. Also have regular sleep time, and this can be the key step for concentrating.
   
• Sleeping too much is also not ideal. Oversleeping disrupts your natural rhythm and can make you lazy. Avoid this by having an alarm clock to wake you up in time.
  
2. Make a Plan. Always have a plan for whatever you are up to. When you sit down to work without a plan, you may easily get caught in activities like checking mails, Instant messaging (chatting) and browsing the web. Without a purpose, you are wasting your time. You’ll find yourself distracted by a variety of nagging thoughts instead of devoting all your attention to one important task. To avoid this, make a clear plan that meets your needs beforehand. Take 10 or 5 minutes break in between, and use this time to check email, and then close your inbox and move on to your most important task. When making a plan make sure to allocate enough time for entertainment, studies and sleep.
   
3. Meditate.The practice of meditation will definitely improve our powers of concentration. Actually, when we try to meditate, it is concentration that is the first thing we need to master. A daily period of meditation gives us the chance to specifically work on concentration techniques.
   
4. Choose a place of your choice -Choose a place that you favor the most.But obviously some places are better than others.School libraries,study lounges and private rooms are the best.Above all the place that you choose should not be distracting. Try to stay away from other people if you want to concentrate on your work.
   
5. .If you want to master the arts of concentration, develop a controlled and balanced diet.Overeating puts a huge load of digestion and can make you feel uncomfortable and sleepy.Eating light and healthy meals can help you maximize your ability to concentrate. As Thomas Jefferson said, we rarely regret eating too little. It’s likely you’ll find that you need less food to satisfy you than you think.
   
6. Exercise. The ability to concentration depends a lot upon our physical well-being. If we are tired, unhealthy and afflicted by numerous minor ailments, concentration will be more difficult. Of course, concentration is still possible but it is just more difficult. However, we have to try to make life easy for ourselves; we need to give a high priority to our physical health - getting sufficient sleep, staying physically fit. Undertaking exercise will help develop our concentration. It will help if we lose weight, clear the mind,allow your body to sweat out impurities and create a sense of dynamism.
   
7. Have a change while studying.It is difficult to concentrate on one thing for an extended time period. Sometimes, the best solution is to give ourselves frequent change. If we concentrate on one task for an hour, we can then move onto something different. This change in activity enables us to maintain our powers of concentration without becoming tired of one activity
   
8. Take Breaks and Mix Up Your Environment.Continuous work in the same place can drive anyone crazy.Taking constant breaks can solve the problem. This will make you active and more interested in your topic.
   
9. Practice can make you perfect.Concentration is an activity like any other. Clearly the more we practice, the better our concentration will become. We wouldn’t expect to be a strong runner without doing some training. Similarly, concentration is like a muscle, the more we exercise the stronger it becomes.

Tips

• If you are not determined to do it you are probably wasting your time.
  
• When you find your thoughts straying from what you should be concentrating on, redirect it. Do not let it wander off.
  
• Commit a time to what you should be concentrating on. Do not allow yourself to be distracted by problems or worries. Setup an award system for yourself. Promise yourself rewards for maintaining concentration.
  
• Create an inviting and calm environment to allow you to concentrate.
  
• If you are too sleepy to concentrate, it is highly doubtful if you’d be able to finish a paragraph of a book you’re reading.
  
• Do not force yourself if your mind keeps wandering. It doesn’t help at all.

Warnings

• Do not work in a crowded place as you will lose you're focus.

Related wikiHows

• How to Avoid Getting Bored While Reading
  
• How to Develop Your Sense of Time
  
• How to Keep to a Daily Schedule
  
• How to Plan a Homework Schedule
  
• How to Get Work Done in a Home Office

Sources and citations

• http://altmedicine.about.com/od/optimumhealthessentials/a/Concentration.htm
  
• http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/how-to-improve-your-concentration.html
  
• http://seniorliving.about.com/od/keepyourmindshar1/a/concentration_b.htm
  
• http://www.k-state.edu/counseling/topics/career/concentr.html

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Improve Your Concentration. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-113: "How to Prepare and Give a Speech"

How to Prepare and Give a Speech

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Have you just found out you need to give a speech? And you're feeling a little nervous about it? Here's a step-by-step guide to help you prepare a speech on any topic.

Steps

1. Identify the topic of your speech. If it is up to you to select the topic, choose a subject that you know well and target it so that is appropriate for your audience.
   
2. Research your subject. If it is not a subject with which you are familiar, start with the most general background sources that you can find. Good examples include an encyclopedia, the internet or a newspaper such as the NY Times.
   
3. Know how many minutes you have to speak. This is very important because you don't want to risk having too little or too much to say. You may also want to budget in time for questions at the end. Practice the speech after it is written, to get an idea of how much time it will take you to deliver it.
   
4. Know your audience. Discuss things that the audience might specifically be interested in. For example, if you are giving a speech to a group of plant enthusiasts at the Botanical Gardens, speak about plants, aromatic uses of plants, famous botanists or biodiversity etc.
   
5. Write a succinct, single-sentence statement about your subject. This is similar to a thesis statement for a written paper. This statement is the foundation for your speech.
   
6. Outline the rest of your speech on index cards as you would outline a paper. Do not write out the speech. The outline is there to trigger your memory, not to give you a script. There should be no more than 3 - 5 subtopics that support your main statement. Make sure you know enough about each subtopic to speak briefly on each one.
   
7. Use one card for the introduction. This will include your main statement (or some variation of it). Use one or two cards for each subtopic and one for the conclusion which refers back to the main statement.
   
8. Write brief sentence fragments or even single words. These words or fragments should be ones that remind you about what you want to cover for that subtopic on each subtopic card or cards. They will act as triggers for your main points.
   
9. Practice your speech in front of a friend or a mirror. Practice looking at your audience more and your cards less. Time the length of the speech and tailor its length as needed. Remember - the greater crime is to bore the audience with a too long speech. Better to have a short and well-rehearsed one than a monologue that sends everyone into reverie.
   
10. Pretend that you are an expert talking to your friends when you give the speech. Most of the people in the room don't know the material better than you do. You are sharing information with them.
    
11. Make eye contact with members of your audience. Speak slowly and breathe slowly. If eye contact is too intense for you, look just above their heads at a point such as a clock or a painting. Try to not focus intently on one place, however - move your eyes around a bit.
    
12. Do not leave the podium immediately after you finish giving your speech. Count up to 15 in your head before leaving the podium. If there is an option for questions, it always engages the audience more to respond from the podium than to return to a seated position and attempt to answer questions.

Tips

• Don't write out the speech. You can't read aloud as dynamically as you can talk about your topic. And if you're reading, you won't be making eye contact with your audience.
  
• Don't over research. There is only so much information the audience is capable of digesting and remaining alert to listen to.
  
• Slow down. We all speak more quickly in front of a room than we think we do. No one ever gave a public talk too slowly.
  
• Dress to impress. You will feel better and look better doing it.
  
• Use index cards or have them even if you don't think you will need them -just in case.
  
• Stay calm.
  
• Use words such as "we" and "ours" instead of "me" and mine". "You" should also be avoided because it will seem like you are blaming the audience. (During a persuasive speech)
  
• When you are going to say important things, you should keep quiet for some seconds before saying the point, it will hold the attention of the audience. Then after you've said the point, you should again keep quiet, it will give the audience time to digest what you said.
  
• If possible, use visual or audio aids.
  
• Humor is always a plus!
  
• To avoid speaking too quickly, emphasize hard consonants (d, k, t and so on).
  
• If it's persuasive, know your audience, if possible. Abuse their beliefs. If they think abortion is wrong, if you can make it relevant to your speech, do it as much as possible. If most of the audience are girls, use them in a non-sexist way. For example, if you are trying to get across why a charity is wrong, use girls as an analogy for what the charity is for. ("Would you want to support a charity that wants to abort all girls?") The same could be said for boys, or homosexuals, or anyone at all. Abuse what you know about your audience in a non-offensive way.

Related wikiHows

• How to Write a Speech
  
• How to Become a Motivational Speaker
  
• How to Write an Informative Speech
  
• How to Select a Topic for a Speech

Sources and Citations

• http://www.afraid-of-speaking-a-speech.com/informativespeech.html

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Prepare and Give a Speech. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-112: "How to Widen Your Logic and Knowledge"

How to Widen Your Logic and Knowledge

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

So you want to know how to expand your logic and knowledge, good for you! By simply following these instructions, you can truly expand your logic and knowledge that will open many new things to you later in life.

Steps

1. On a daily basis, such as before you go to sleep or after eating breakfast, do a crossword puzzle or a soduku puzzle, even if you are not a fan like me....once a day is fine!
   
2. After checking e-mail and surfing the web, stop by a news website such as CNN and read a few current events so you know whats going on.
   
3. Every night, read 1 page in the encyclopedia that interests you. So for example, if you like videogames read about how they are created and the process of making a videogame.
   
4. Challenge someone for a game of chess or another strategic game you might like, if you have time on your hands and are up this but there is no one to play with, play online!
   
5. Once a day, learn 1-4 new vocabulary words. This will truly help you a lot in the future.

Tips

• Do not try too hard. Just take aside some time each day to do this.
  
• If you have a Nintendo DS, buy a game such as Big Brain Academy or Brainwave to get some extra logic and critical thinking in your day!

Related wikiHows

• How to Become More Intelligent Than You Are Now
  
• How to Exercise an Open Mind
  
• How to Be Smart
  
• How to Think Clearly and Logically Under Pressure

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Widen Your Logic and Knowledge. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-111: "How to Find the Answer to Most Questions"

How to Find the Answer to Most Questions

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Sometimes you end up in situations where your own knowledge isn't enough. You certainly would be better off if you knew everything. It is impossible to find the answer for everything, but you certainly can find out many things.

Steps

1. Use Search Engines like Yahoo and Google and Wikipedia. They will help guide you to an answer. Other useful places include WikiHow. Ask Jeeves is a great source of information, as well as many others. Some search engines are very specific when you searching for people.
   
2. Learn that you do not have to use a Search Engine to find the information you are looking for. Just use the narrow search bar within the 'tool bar'. Type in one or two search words, and you will automatically be given hundreds of sites with the source of information that you seek. For the most accurate sites, select from the first 5 or 10 on the list.
   
3. Read the information carefully from each site, comparing the information to see if one has more information than the other or is easier to read.
   
4. Print some of the information, so you can easily use it for easy reference.
   
5. Searching the Internet, takes the place of having to search the library, or bookstores for information. If you need to know most anything, you can find it by using the computer.

Tips

• Search for encyclopedia's on the net. Every one imaginable can be read but some might charge to join.
  
• While medical information is probably accurate, especially from major medical sites, it does not take the place of actually consulting with your Doctor. Do not diagnosis yourself.

Warnings

• Information found on the Internet is extremely accurate, when you reach major information sites. Make sure that you are reading up to date postings, and not something that is not recent.

Related wikiHows

• How to Impress Someone With Your Intelligence
  
• How to Dig Deep Into Google
  
• How to Make Internet Explorer Your Default Internet Browser
  
• How to Choose an Internet Pharmacy
  
• How to Avoid False Information on the Internet
  
• How to Research Adoption on the Internet

Sources and Citations

• Google
  
• Wikipedia

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Find the Answer to Most Questions. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-109: "How to Cite a Wikipedia Article in MLA Format"

How to Cite a Wikipedia Article in MLA Format

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Whether you are a college student or still in high school, citing sources will always be the one burden you will have to carry until the end of your studies. Unfortunately, Wikipedia doesn’t automatically just give readers citations, if it did, this is how it would be. As an example, the Wikipedia article "Sakura", about cherry blossoms, will be used.

Steps

1. Write the title of the article within quotation marks (“”) making sure to place a full-stop (.) after the title. Do not write it in Italics.
   
2. Leave a space then type the title of the online encyclopedia, which in this case is Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Place a full-stop (.) and underline it.
   
3. Leave another space then type the date when the page was last modified and place a full-stop (.) at the end. This is usually found at the end of the webpage.
   
4. Leave another space then type in the publisher, in this case it is Wikimedia Foundation, and place a full-stop (.) at the end.
   
5. Leave another space and type in the date that you accessed the article.
   
6. Leave another space and type in the URL of the article in between angled parenthesis (< >) , make sure to include http:// and place a full-stop (.) at the end.

Tips

• If you want to cite the article within the text, place the title of the article within parnthesis () instead of the author like you would usually do. Ex. (Sakura)
  
• Ask your professor or teacher to check over your citation. They are the ones who will be grading you, if you ask them before hand then they can't remove any marks when you hand in your final paper.
  
• Remember: Your bibliography should be in alphabetical order.

Warnings

• This method of citation in not addressed in the MLA handbook.

Related wikiHows

• How to Cite an Interview in MLA Format
  
• How to Cite a Web Site
  
• How to Write a Term Paper
  
• How to Become a Freelance Writer

Sources and Citations

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakura

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Cite a Wikipedia Article in MLA Format. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-108: "How to Cite Sources in MLA Format"

How to Cite Sources in MLA Format

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

The Modern Language Association (MLA) has its own guidelines for citing sources, and you may be required to use them by your instructor or field. The standards are laid out in MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.

Steps

1. Place a reference next to each statement that you've cited. Place the author last name and page number in parentheses. If the author is already mentioned in the statement, just put the page number in parentheses. If there are two authors, name them both with "and" in the middle. Use commas if there are more than two authors. Place the citation before a punctuation mark.
   
• E.g. Leaving the ground in sod increases the organic matter of the soil by 15% in 10 years (Alison 45).
  
2. Assemble the references at the end of the paper. Put them in alphabetical order, using the examples below for reference.

Examples

Books
Ruechel, Julius. Grass-Fed Cattle. New York: Storey Publishing, 2006.
Johnson, Elliot J., ed. Handbook of No-Till Agriculture. Kansas City: CRC, 1993.
Fonda, Alison, and Jim Terezian. Banking in NYC. New York: Random House, 2000.
Anthology
Broman, Jason P. "Feasibility of Using Algae as an Energy Source." Renewable Energy: Opposing Viewpoints. Ed. Melissa DeAntonio. Albuquerque: Zia Publishing, 2003. 20-27.
Encyclopedia
Jones, Alessia. "Certificates of Deposit." Encyclopedia of Finance. Ed. James Michael Norton. 2nd ed. 4 vols. San Francisco: Macmillan, 2001.
Magazine article
Fellon, Brad. "Aurora Borealis." Travel May 2004: 36-41.
Journal article
Powell, Hope D., Benjamin Adams, Anthony Richter, and Patricia Roth. "Implementation of GIS in Soil Analysis." Soil Technology 47 (2003): 295-308.
Maddox, Alex L., Anna Ali, and Jamie McNamara. "Effect of Visiting Animals on Patient Recovery." Hospital Observations 58.6 (2003): 12-18.
Newspaper article
Corvallis, Patrick. "Development Threatens Farmland." Mesilla Valley Bulletin 8 Apr. 2004, night final ed.: A3.
Website
Applegate, Tristan. "Judging the Credibility of Sources." Your Source for Sources. Ed. Madison Collar. 4 Sept. 2004 <http://sourceforsources.com/articles/article.php/3398511>.
Online Periodical
Hernandez, Craig. "Desert Rat Carries Rare Infectious Disease." LasCrucesNews.com 4 Sept. 2004 <http://lascrucesnews.com/2004/07/06/news/story1.html>

Related wikiHows

. How to Cite Sources

• How to Evaluate the Credibility of a Source

Sources and Citations

• http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/legacylib/mlahcc.html

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Cite Sources in MLA Format. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-110: "How to Find an Interesting Tidbit of Information Every Day"

How to Find an Interesting Tidbit of Information Every Day

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Need to get attention? And a LOT of it? A unique and fun way to do this is to find a piece of information, such as a quote, event that happened on that day, birthday that happened on that day, or even a death that happened on that day, etc. and announce it to everyone you know - and maybe even a few people you don't know at all, just for kicks! This article explains how to do just that.

Steps

1. Decide the specifics of what you're going to do. Are you going to announce a quote each day? Birthday? Death-day? Historical event? All of the above? Also decide how long you're going to do it. It helps if you stop at a definite turning point where it would seem logical to stop, such as December 31st or the end of the school year (if you go to school).
   
2. Do some research. If you're going to announce an event, birthday, etc., you can find all of that by going to Wikipedia and typing in the date that you're going to announce it on. For example, if you were planning to start on February 17th, you'd type in "February 17". You should find a page which has events, births, and deaths which all happened on that day.
   
3. Pick an event. Read carefully through the list and and write down the one which takes your fancy on a small piece of paper.
   
4. If you're looking for a quote then Wikiquote, rather than Wikipedia, will be of the most service to you. Another thing you can do is go to a search engine such as Google or Dogpile and search "weird quotes", "funny quotes", "profound quotes", or whatever kind of quotes you're going after.
   
5. After that, have fun with it! Show up at school/work every day and announce your tidbit. Act excited about it, like it's the most interesting thing you've ever heard in your life.

Tips

• If it's an event you're doing, it pays to do extra research on the topic so you'll have more to talk about. You don't have to do anything extreme; just a minute or so of Wikipedia research will suffice.
  
• After you've written down your tidbit, carry it around in your pocket at all times so you can check it every now and again to make sure you've got it right. Nothing is more embarassing than having to check your notecard right in the middle of declaring your piece of information, especially if it's to a lot of people.
  
• If you're not sure of the details, or you forgot to write it down, or you've just forgot something about it in mid-sentence, then bluff. More often than not, nobody will be able to call your bluff, and you'll be okay.
  
• Although Wikipedia is overall the best way to find a tidbit of information suitable for announcing, if you can't get to the computer for some reason an encyclopedia will do. Just look in the volume titled with the letter that the current month starts with, and look for an article within the encyclopedia about the month. There should be one or more events, birthdays, etc. for each day of the month.
  
• If you've searched long and hard for a tidbit but can't seem to find one that you like, just pick one and use it anyway. A lousy tidbit is better than no tidbit at all.

Warnings

• Someone may try to top your randomness by coming up with random facts, quotes, etc. of their own and announcing it to everyone. If this happens, do not lose your cool. It will only make things worse. Simply refuse to acknowledge their pathetic attempt at ripping you off and continue to announce a new tidbit every day. More often than not your challenger will get bored pretty soon and move on to other projects.
  
• Even if you think you're sure of how long you're going to be announcing tidbits, don't go around telling people the date that you're going to stop. You never know when your plans could change, and you could wind up going back on something you announced to a good-sized amount of people. This could make people realize that you're human, and make mistakes just like everyone else--which, as every class clown knows, is not something you want people to remember about you.
  
• While it's OK to make up a tidbit if you don't have access to any, this should be a last resort, and a last resort only. Don't stoop to making something up unless you can't get to the computer, you don't have access to any form of written information that could be useful, you've asked everyone who you're not concerned with impressing if they know any tidbits, and you have completely ransacked your brain. DO NOT get lazy and start making up facts just because you don't want to bother looking for them.
  
• People will probably think you're weird if you do this consistently for a long time; however, if that's what you're aiming for then disregard this warning.

Sources and Citations

• Wikipedia
  
• Wikiquote

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Find an Interesting Tidbit of Information Every Day. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-107: "How to Contribute to Wikipedia"

How to Contribute to Wikipedia

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia project, written collaboratively by volunteers. Many people view Wikipedia articles every day, but don't contribute. This how-to will show you what you can do to constructively edit Wikipedia.

Steps

1. Create a Wikipedia account - Account creation is not required; however, if you register for an account you will be given more privileges than a non-registered user. However, for all of these privileges to take place, your account must be at least four days old.
   
2. Expand Stubs An article that is not complete, or written in full detail, may be marked with a {{Stub}} tag. You can help by adding content to the articles currently marked as stubs. Articles may also have a more detailed {{stub}} meaning that the stub has been sub-sorted. Sub-sorted stubs include anything from Arts, Cultures, Design, Broadcast Media, Radio, Television, Literature, and more!
   
3. Add a Photo - An encyclopedia is not complete without pictures. You can upload as many pictures as you wish, however, you must provide detailed information on the source and the license of the file. If you cannot provide that information, you may wish to not upload any photos. If you still choose to upload photos, they will be deleted.
   
4. Write a New Article - Wikipedia is rapidly growing. The English version of Wikipedia currently has over 2,300,000 articles! You can help continue this growth by writing an article of your own. You should write an article about something you are very knowledgeable about, so that you can write a complete and informative article. Articles created as test pages, pure vandalism, attack pages, etc. will be deleted on the spot, without any further debate.
   
5. Remove Spam - Wikipedia is accessed by millions of people every day, thus, there tends to be a lot of vandalism or spamming. People who vandalize or spam a page may have added inappropriate links, blanked the page, added nonsense, etc. You can help out by removing, or reverting, this vandalism. Removing vandalism will make Wikipedia a better place for people to gather information and resources.
   
6. Helping Out - Even though Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, it is also a community. You can help out newcomers to make it a bigger and better community for the encyclopedia.
   
7. Doing Maintenance - You can help Wikipedia run optimally by doing maintenance tasks like removing copyright, fixing up articles, participate in deletion processes, and all sorts of other things.

Tips

• It takes less than a minute to create an account, and you receive so many benefits for account creation, including the ability to move pages. There is no confirmation email process, and the account creation is immediate.
  
• If you have a problem with something or someone, discuss it. Always remember to be calm and reasonable, and you'll tend to have a better time in disputes.
  
• You can ask questions of more experienced users by putting a {{helpme}} template on your talk page.
  
• Remember, in order for your account to access all of the privileges, it must have at least 10 edits and be four days old.

Warnings

• Don't vandalize Wikipedia. It just makes a headache for everyone when people vandalize Wikipedia. The vandalism must be reverted by someone who could be constructively editing Wikipedia in other ways. Vandalism is usually removed within five minutes, or even within seconds for popular pages.

Related wikiHows

• How to Create an Account in Wikipedia
  
• How to Get Wikipedia Via RSS Feed
  
• How to Learn Anything Using Wikipedia and the Internet
  
• How to Write a Wikipedia Article
  
• How to Become a Reformed Vandal on Wikipedia
  
• How to Be a Wikipedian

Sources and Citations

• Wikipedia.org
  
• English Version
  
• About Wikipedia

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Contribute to Wikipedia. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-106: "How to Keep Your Children and Teens Safe Online"

How to Keep Children and Teens Safe Online

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Internet access can give children an academic edge, help them explore their interests, and stay connected with friends and family. The Internet can also be a dangerous place and if not properly supervised children can be exposed to inappropriate material and even become victims of online predators. However, with proper precautions and supervision your whole family can enjoy the benefits of the Internet.

Steps

1. Place computers with Internet access in a central location in the home. When computers are in a central location they can be easily monitored but if placed in private places such as bedrooms children can quickly close inappropriate websites when they hear their parents coming.
   
2. Get rid of the webcam. Webcams can be a great way to communicate with your friends and family, but leaving a teen unsupervised with a webcam lead to your child’s strip show debut.
   
3. Decide what online activities are age appropriate. Chat rooms, instant messaging, and websites such as YouTube, Myspace, and even Yahoo can be particularly dangerous for anybody under the age of 16. Any place where your child can be contacted privately by strangers is a potential lurking ground for predators. However, instant messaging and MySpace has become a popular form of communication. A reasonable compromise may be to allow your child to instant message/MySpace only people that they know in real life, and not new internet friends.
   
4. Discuss online behavior rules with your child. Write them down clearly and post them near the computer as a reminder. Instead of threatening your child that breaking the rules will mean that they must go to time-out, tell your child that breaking the rules will mean they lose internet privileges. Be clear about what your child can and cannot do online and be sure to emphasize the importance of keeping personal information private. Children should never tell anyone online their address, phone number, full name, school name or show anyone pictures of themselves.
   
5. Invest in monitoring and filtering software. Programs such as NetNanny and Cyberpatrol can help you monitor your child’s activities and block inappropriate websites. However, be aware that these programs do not replace a watchful parent and can easily be disabled by computer savvy teens.
   
6. Keep a close eye on behavior. Check your browser history frequently. Finding that the browser history has been cleared may be a sign that your child has been up to something they shouldn’t. Check your child’s favorites. Visit the websites they visit and see what it’s like for yourself.
   
7. Be aware of the warning signs that something is wrong. If your child quickly closes programs whenever you walk into the room or becomes very secretive about what they do online they are sending up a huge red flag that they are doing something they shouldn’t. Be especially wary if your child begins receiving phone calls that they are secretive about or starts receiving gifts in the mail from people you don’t know.
   
8. Talk to your child. This is probably the most important step. Talk to your child about internet safety and what can happen when people are not careful online. If your child goes online this is just as important as talking about smoking and drug use. Keep talking about it even if you think your child is being safe. Ask them about what they do online, who they talk to, what they saw. Show interest in what they do.
   
9. Remember that your job is to keep your kids safe, not be their best friend. They might be angry at your for restricting their actions online, but it’s worth it.

Tips

• Protecting personal information should be your number one rule online.
  
• Tell your child that they are never to meet someone in real life that they met online.
  
• Remember to give your child more privileges online as they get older and let them prove to you that they are responsible.
  
• Keep things age-appropriate. MySpace isn’t suitable for your 10 year old, but it would be reasonable for your 15 year old to have a private profile.
  
• Some websites voluntarily restrict children’s access of certain features (such as yahoo chat). Children can easily get around this by lying about their birth date when they create an account. Tell your child never to lie about their age when signing up for something.

Warnings

• Computer savvy kids and teens may be able to disable monitoring software and cover their tracks to hide inappropriate behavior.
  
• Internet predators are often smart and can easily manipulate even the smartest child. Just because your child is an honor student or never gets into trouble does not mean that they can not be taken advantage of.
  
• Taking away the Internet privileges of a child or teen who is used to unrestricted access may lead to tantrums and door slamming. Be prepared for this.

Things You'll Need

• A computer with access to the Internet
  
• Filtering software such as NetNanny or CyberPatrol, or just the trusty built in Content Advisor or Parental Controls if you have Vista.
  
• A responsible parent

Related wikiHows

• How to Get a MySpace Account without Your Parents Knowing
  
• How to Meet People from Other Schools
  
• How to Keep up With Your Internet Savvy Kids
  
• How to Understand Chat Acronyms

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Keep Your Children and Teens Safe Online. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-105: "How to Ensure Websites Your Kids Visit Are Safe"

How to Ensure the Websites Your Kids Visit Are Safe

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Nowadays the internet can be a crazy place, full of nonsense information and unsavory writing. It is ever so important to keep your kids safe - safe from pornography, from predators, from bad advice, and poor grammar that will undermine their English learning skills. Here is how to set limits and review a site's content.

Steps

1. Let your kids know that before they visit a new website you must approve it first. Ask your children to tell you they are going on the internet. Make this a big issue of trust between you and them, so that they know they must live up to your expectations.
   
2. Consider creating a "safe site list". This can list the sites that you permit your kids to visit.
   
3. Allot internet usage time. And make sure it remains at that time and does not blow out to longer periods. It's your job to monitor, or to purchase a program that can log out after set times.
   
4. Trust your instincts for their sake. If the home page or even the address makes you uncomfortable, it is probably not appropriate. Check it out yourself, review it and rate it according to your beliefs about what your kids should or should not interact with. Block it if needed.
   
5. If the site has "FAQs" read them. They will usually summarize a lot of the features of the site. This can help you to understand the purpose of the site and its suitability for your kids.
   
6. Consider regulating chatting and blogging options readily. Chat rooms and blogs are usually very risky even if they are designated for kids. Predatory persons can target unwary and gullible children who take them at face value. It can be easier to simply ban it. Moreover, chatting can become a very bad addiction that is hard to control in tweens and early teens, especially when they become rebellious toward you.
   
7. Be a vigilant parent or guardian. Keep the computer in an open area where everyone can monitor its use. Check the history of what has been viewed and review anything suspicious.
   
8. Create incentives for using the agreed sites and disincentives for viewing the wrong ones. Incentives can include full pocket money, a visit somewhere, a new pair of jeans, etc. for sticking with the rules. For breaking or side-stepping the rules, reduce the pocket money, can the outings, and remove the computer from their use for periods of time.
   
9. Practice good faith and benefit of the doubt. Don't accuse your kids gung-ho. Sites get visited easily enough by accident through the mere click of a URL link. If they say they just clicked on it once, take this at face value but monitor future visits; if it happens again, then you'll see a pattern develop and can block the visiting or talk to them about it further.

Tips

• Follow your gut feeling. Even if your kids resent you; you need to remember that you are making these decisions for their own good. Parents and guardians are there to guide and to show the limits.
  
• If you can't decide get a second opinion. Ask a friend with kids what she thinks of the site.
  
• If you approve a site know the password and check what your child writes periodically

Warnings

• The internet is a predator's playground when it comes to gullible and innocent young minds and it is your job to keep your children safe.
  
• Often you will need to give permission to allow a child's interaction with a website. Do this, or you may find your child is banned.

Related wikiHows

• How to Take Action if Your Teen Is Cyber Bullied
  
• How to Keep Your Children and Teens Safe Online
  
• How to Understand Chat Acronyms
  
• How to Find Out About Your Child's MySpace Account
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Know if Websites Your Kids Visit Are Safe. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.