June may almost be over – but it’s not too late to talk about Internet safety.

Today the Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force unveiled a new website aimed at providing resources for parents in educating their children and even instructions on how to report potentially criminal activity on the Web. In 2009, the task force issued 80 search warrants and made 25 arrests.

While I am not a parent, I do spend a lot of time in classrooms and in the workplace educating others about online best practices. And the “Stranger Danger” concept needs a new millenium makeover. Most kids these days understand that talking to a stranger they meet in public can be dangerous. But in a world where a complete stranger is labeled as an online “friend,” we need to teach children that it doesn’t matter whether you’re having a face to face conversation, talking in an online chat room or sending text messages – a stranger is a stranger.

I think one of my friends has a really smart approach. She created Facebook accounts for her kids before they could even use a computer. Initially it was more of a placeholder, but then gradually she’s started to ask the kids their opinion on what profile picture to use or if they want to tell people about what they are doing. It’s a collaborative effort between her and the kids. And then eventually she can start to hand over the reigns. It’s already a natural thing for the kids to discuss social networking with their parents and when the first few potential problems come up,  it will be something they can address together.

I think it’s important to keep a positive approach to social media, whether it’s rules for kids, or a company policy. For every rule about something you shouldn’t do, there should be a suggestion for something you should do. Parents can’t educate and protect unless they understand how social networking operates, how people consume and share information. And I think it’s the same for companies. If you’re going to make a policy for your employees regarding social networking, I think it needs to be a group effort, involving input from a variety of people with different online experience levels. The educational process needs to be a conversation that continues to evolve and progress.

Internet safety advocates often narrow in on children and online predators, which is an extremely important topic. But to me, online safety has a much broader definition. Regardless of age, we have to protect ourselves, our identities and reputations.

I was just chatting with Bob Bruce at WMT about geo-targeting and he challenged me with images of ax murderers showing up at a tweet-up.

When information leaves your possession whether it’s a tweet, e-mail or text message, it’s crucial that you understand what other people can do with that information and how it can be shared with others. In this case, I feel safe attending a tweet-up with 20 other people in a public place in daylight, but I’m not going to send a tweet informing the entire world that I’m sitting alone in my backyard. I think you can be transparent and open, but still protect yourself at the same time.

I think the hardest lesson for children and teens to grasp is the real impact of sharing information with even just a single person. Everyone’s heard horror stories about chat rooms or cyber-bullying. But more recently, stories are starting to surface about adults who have been fired for pictures or opinions posted on social networking sites.

I’ve said it before on this blog and I’ll say it again – nothing you post on the Internet is private. Photos can be shared, text messages and e-mails forwarded. No matter how strict your security settings, all it takes is a computer glitch to make that information public. And once you hit send/post, that picture or information can almost never truly be deleted.

This is the second time in a month that I’ve been on my social media soapbox. So I’m stepping down now. Stay safe out there.

Posted under Education, Web/Tech

We had a good turnout for our first ever civic tweetup at the Northeast Iowa Food Bank. Many familiar faces and some new. We packed almost 200 boxes of food in about an hour and a half. We were like a well oiled machine with a group assembling boxes, a group wheeling the boxes around the room, a group (myself included) standing by the pallets and loading the boxes and another group taping up the boxes when they were full.

We got a little sweaty, but in one of those good ways where you feel like you helped someone.

So then it was off to La Chiquita for some tacos and air conditioning! And thanks to Katie, we all got to try some tamarind, most of us for the first time. I’m now officially a fan.

Emily from The Courier was there doing a story about our growing group. Since we tend to socialize during our tweetups more than we talk about the group itself, it was an interesting chance to reflect on the tweetup and its purpose in the Cedar Valley. Why are we doing this, and what do we hope to accomplish?

My answer? It’s a chance for me to meet new people who likely share many of my interests. I had heard of or seen many of the tweetup regulars around town or on Twitter and it gave me a chance to meet and interact with them. Personally, it’s a chance to build friendships. Professionally, it’s an opportunity to network with some potentially influential people. I think one very important purpose is to show people both living in and outside of the Cedar Valley that we have a vibrant group of socially connected, civically minded and creative individuals here and that we’d love for you to join us.

The next tweetup is scheduled for July 30th at the Waterloo Bucks game – $2 tickets! See you there!

Posted under Food and Drink, Twitter

As a journalist/blogger/techie/researcher – the new Iowa broadband map is right up my alley. Being able to layer data from more than 170 Internet providers in Iowa and compare things like mobile, DSL and fiber coverage is entertaining and useful for me. But, as many people who know me have pointed out, I’m not normal.

So, I found my co-workers had one question as I ran through the list of highlights on the interactive map – how does this impact our viewers? Why should they care?

My honest answer – there are some people who will not care. About 95% of Iowans have access to some form of broadband. And for those who have it, they may not care about an interactive map. And even for those without broadband access, I know some could easily go on living without it.

Basically, the average Iowan may not care about this cool new interactive tool. But for the average person who might read a technology blog like this one, I’m going to attempt to point out why I think you might care.

Test your speed: On the Connect Iowa site, you can test the upload and download speed of your Internet connection.

Shop around: You can put in your address and see all of your options for high speed Internet.

Share your story: Does your Internet connection impact your education, your business, communication with family or friends? You can share your personal Internet story on the Connect Iowa site. Hard data is one thing, but a personal story will give a whole new face in the Internet speed battle.

For me, the biggest benefit will come as other states complete similar projects. I’m curious to see how Iowa compares to our neighbors and the nation. We’re getting close on broadband access, but really that’s just a mile marker and not a final destination. If you look at fiber coverage in the state, there’s a lot of progress to be made…

Posted under Web/Tech

Connect Iowa is presenting the new broadband availability interactive map during a webinar on Tuesday. I’m signed up and I’ll plan to give a full recap and maybe even tweet the event if any of you are interested.

Connect Iowa is federally funded with the goal of documenting and expanding broadband access in Iowa. It’s part of a nation-wide project funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Parts of the map are functional and includes information from 173 high speed Internet providers across Iowa. Here’s a screenshot of DSL availability in Iowa:

You can sign up for the webinar and check out the map here.

Posted under Uncategorized

Today Cedar Falls Utilities (CFU) announced a new project to build a fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) communications plant. CFU says the new plant will deliver Internet connections at 200 mbps for downstream and 100 mbps for upstream traffic. 

We all know that data usage has drastically changed over the last few years, but here’s some hard numbers. The peak bandwidth use on CFU’s data system grew from 1.5 mbps in 1998 to about 600 mbps in 2009, according to the company.

Construction on the project will start this fall. Right now, coax cables are running from the plant to individual homes and businesses. These will be replaced by fiber optic cables. CFU says the downtown and industrial park businesses will be some of the first to make the switch. The whole project is expected to take about 3 years.

Posted under Web/Tech

Our most recent tweetup last week was a small and relaxed affair at Mulligans. It was a gorgeous sunny day. And although we decided to sit inside since the outdoor space was limited, there was still plenty of sunlight coming through the windows.

It was a smaller group than usual, with several of our organizing committee on the road. But it was full of good food and good conversation.

And while I try really hard to break away from the tech mold at these things, there were two great nerdy convos. One with Candy, Schnack and Melissa about cell phone networks, models, pricing and reception. It’s always good to hear other’s experience to either confirm your opinions or make you rethink for your next purchase.

And then Katie, Grant and I had a pretty passionate discussion about the good ol’ Facebook days, before apps and privacy settings and spam and grandparents. If I could return to that simpler, more restrictive Facebook, I would.

Perhaps the greatest achievement of the evening, two of our regulars found the motivation to ditch the default Twitter bird and upload an avatar. Congrats Patrick and Joel!

Our next tweetup is a civic affair at the Northeast Iowa Food Bank. June 24 at 6 p.m. RSVP and get more info here.

Katie, Patrick and Joel

@pbbird, @CandySteele, @MelissaTann82, @jennjarvis, @kmnoon, @joellaneville (@KWWLSchnack behind the camera)

Not pictured but made an appearance: @grantschultz and @Tweet_its Chris Corkery.

Posted under My Adventures, Twitter, Web/Tech

Yahoo! sent out a list of commonly misspelled searches. I thought they were entertaining enough to share.

According to Yahoo!, the most misspelled word of 2010, so far, is the Iceland volcano which erupted a few months ago. The correct spelling: Eyjafjallajokull.

Other misspelled search phrases come from mishearing, misspelling, or mis-typing:

• “Gulf Oil Spell”: for Gulf Oil Spill. (A fitting error for this roundup)
• “Poverty survivor”: for Parvati Shallow, winner of “Survivor: Heroes vs Villains”
• “Aaron Andrews”: for Erin Andrews, ESPN sportscaster & DWTS cast member
• “Goldman Saks or Goldman Sacks”: for Goldman Sachs. (Either way, up for ironic interpretation)
• “Louie Vaton Purses”: for Louis Vuitton purses
• “Crystal Bowersocks”: for Crystal Bowersox, “American Idol.”
• “Lost Series Finally”: for Lost series finale
• “Facebokk”: for Facebook
• “Wallmart”: for “Wal-Mart”
• “Justin Beaver”: for Justin Beiber

And the tough question. How do you search for the correct spelling of a word if you don’t know how to spell it? Give it your best shot, I guess.

Yahoo!’s top spelling questions in the last 30 days:

• “how do u spell dule” (duel)
• “how do you spell appreciate”
• “how do you spell congratulations”
• “how do you spell criticizing”
• “how do you spell guarantee”
• “how do you spell hallelujah”
• “how do you spell the color grey” (gray)
• “how do you spell truely” (truly)
• “how many ways can u spell tiara”
• “how to spell 12 in words”
• “how to spell sincerely”
• “how jake gillenhal”(Jake Gyllenhaal)
• “how spell knowledgable” (knowledgeable)

And do women have more problems with spelling or just care more about spelling words correctly? According to Yahoo!, women made of 73% of searches for “spelling check” in the last 30 days.

(And yes, I spell checked this post.)

Posted under Education, Web/Tech

The conversation may have started with Facebook, but I think privacy needs to be examined in a much wider sphere. Anytime you put information on a device with the ability to connect to an Internet source, you need to be aware of how that information is protected and what could potentially happen to it.

Let’s start off this little rant by explaining that I value privacy. Not because I have something to hide, but because sometimes you need the freedom to be yourself without public scrutiny. I share stories and pictures on my blog and Twitter account about family vacations, but I may not want the stranger I see at the grocery store to see photos of my family in our pajamas opening Christmas presents. Some of it may be vanity, and some of it may be the natural need to create boundaries between strangers, acquaintances and my inner circle. Of course, as a woman, and someone who sees sad and senseless crimes on a daily basis, privacy is also about safety.

That being said, my definition of privacy is changing. When I first got an e-mail address and even a cell phone, only my nearest and dearest had access. Now, all I have is a cell phone to communicate. For a time it was up on my resume website for the world to see, and even now I use it for everything from work to getting my oil changed. And I hand out my e-mail address at my favorite clothing stores to get coupons. My friend and new media mentor Jen Reeves recently wrote about the changing face of privacy and her take on the debate.

So in this public and connected world we find ourselves in, why are we panicking when Facebook proposes the idea of sharing our favorite books with a partner business? I can say that for at least a few days, I felt betrayed by a site I’ve trusted for almost five years. I’ve poured out my frustrations and successes, my family photos, my happiest memories with friends, my birthday wishes for others…especially in the beginning, my Facebook profile reflected my life. For many of us, Facebook is directly tied to the things and people we hold most dear, and to know that information may be shared with “partners,” upset me. But I quickly gave myself a reality check when I reminded myself of two things: Facebook is a business and nothing is private.

While Facebook means baby pictures, birthdays and venting to some of us, the bottom line is that Facebook is really a business. And like any business, it’s looking to expand and be profitable. Facebook isn’t giving away my social security number, they’re potentially sharing my favorite movies. There’s a big difference. And the reality is that no one forced me to use Facebook. It was a choice. I chose to sign up, I chose to post pictures and information, and like any other time that you choose to be a part of something, you also choose to deal with the consequences. And if I don’t like how my information is being shared, I have a choice to stop using Facebook. Check out this very interesting blog post that puts it very bluntly: Facebook isn’t evil, we’re just naive.

The other reality – nothing is private. I recently tried to explain this to a group of college students. Some of them ignored me out of boredom or a general disregard for the potential implications of that fact. While others in the group looked terrified when I reminded them that we are all just a computer glitch or virus away from having our deepest, darkest secrets exposed to the world. This isn’t just about Facebook. Accidents happen, safeguards fail, and delete doesn’t always mean it’s really gone. Some Cambridge University students conducted an experiment of blogging, social networking and photo sharing sites in 2009 and found that in some cases, photos could still be accessed after they were actually deleted.

The lesson for Facebook: be transparent and keep it simple. Perhaps some people would have responded better if Facebook presented the changes for what they really are, a business opportunity. Most of the previous Facebook changes have been presented as enhancements for the user experience, while arguments can be made that some of the more recent changes are not purely altruistic. The other lesson is that people get angry and upset when they get confused. We naturally distrust what we don’t understand. And when the new security setting were initially rolled out, they were far from simple. Here’s a New York Times graphic from last month showing the maze of privacy controls.

The lesson for us: research and monitor. I check the privacy settings for my social networking accounts on a regular basis. Partially because I know those settings and options can change, and partially because my comfort and boundary levels also change. I think it’s important to examine this information with fresh eyes to make a sound decision. I believe it’s our responsibility to understand the information that we put in a potentially public sphere and to monitor how that information is being used. I Google myself on a regular basis, not out of vanity, but to understand how I’m being represented. Because aside from the information I choose to share, other people also have the choice to share information about me. My friends, family, colleagues, and even strangers have the ability to share information about me without my permission, and I need to understand my public image.

If you haven’t read Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s explanation of the newest privacy update, I think it’s worth reading. I appreciate a person or company that can admit a mistake. But I’m also glad there was enough of an outcry to start a public discussion on privacy.

And if you haven’t lately, I hope you’ll take the time to think about privacy and how it relates to your online life.

Posted under Web/Tech

It’s a quick turnaround, but we finally settled the date late last week and now it’s time to get the word out.

#CVTweetup is tomorrow! Thursday, June 3, 6:30 p.m. at Mulligan’s in Cedar Falls.

And then we’re having our first civic tweetup on June 24, at 6 p.m. at the Northeast Iowa Food Bank. You can RSVP and find more details here.

Posted under Food and Drink, Twitter, Web/Tech