Surfer Beware - Safeguards When Using A Public Access Computer

You may sometimes need to access the Internet from a computer other than your own — such as a public access computer at an Internet café or library, or the ones offered by hotels you'll be staying at during your summer vacation. Using a shared computer can be convenient, but you must take extra precautions to safeguard your personal information. Here are some tips to remember:

• Do not check the "Remember my ID" or "Remember my password" options. If you check either of these options, you'll remain signed in after you close your browser.
• Never leave a computer unattended while signed in. Someone could easily access your personal information.
• Use caution — a sneaky shoulder surfer may try to watch your fingers as you type your password. Use your hand and body to shield the keyboard or number pad to minimize the risk of a thief acquiring your information.
• Avoid using public access computers for online banking, sending e-mail messages containing personal information, or making online purchases. If you do use public computers for these activities, be sure to sign out of your online accounts, delete the cookies, delete the history, empty the browser's auto fill feature, clear the browser's cache, and close the browser. For instructions on how to do these tasks for specific browsers, see "Clearing Private Data From Browsers On Public Access Computers" in the tutorial section below.

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E-mail Storage And Personal Web Space Increased - Accounts Now Include 1 Gigabyte Of Storage

All Scatter Creek InfoNet accounts now include 1 gigabyte of combined storage space for e-mail and personal web space. This is approximately 200 times the storage included previously.

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Ask The Help Desk - How Do I Use The BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) Feature When I Send E-mail Messages To Multiple People?

Question: I often send e-mail messages to a long list of friends and family but I'm concerned about revealing their e-mail addresses in the "TO" field. I've heard about the BCC feature, but how exactly do I use it? I use Windows XP Home Edition for my operating system and Outlook Express for e-mail.

Answer: "BCC" stands for Blind Carbon Copy, and it's a good way to send messages to many recipients without showing the world all of their e-mail addresses. When using Outlook Express, you won't necessarily see the "BCC" field when you create a new message. So after you create a message, click your cursor arrow on its "View" menu item. Select "All Headers" and the "BCC" field will be visible right below the "CC" field of the message. Then simply enter the e-mail addresses of your chosen recipients. Please note — sometimes spam filters will catch messages that don't have anything in the "TO" field, so put your recipients in the "BCC" field but in addition put your own address in the "TO" field to avoid that problem. All e-mail client software programs have the "BCC" option. If you use a program other than Outlook Express and can't find the BCC field in your particular program, check the program's help files to locate it.

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Great Sites To Check Out This Month

Tips for Pet Travel
http://tripswithpets.com -  If you like to include your pet when you travel, this site can help make the experience go much more smoothly. It includes travel tools, airline pet policies, state leash laws, pet friendly hotel chains, pet recreational activities, directories of veterinarians — even an "Ask the Travel Dog" advice column. The site's staff members are veterans of the online travel industry and have a great deal of experience traveling with their pets. Follow their tips to keep everyone happy, including the furry or feathered members of the family.

Cooking with Farmers' Market Finds
http://thatsmyhome.com/farmers -  It just wouldn't be summer without visits to your local farmers' market. Want some fresh ideas about how to prepare the vegetables you find there? Browse through this site to see their newest recipes like Grilled Sweet Corn with Chili Lime Butter or Green Beans with Honey Cashew Sauce. You can also search for recipes that feature a specific vegetable, everything from asparagus to zucchini. Dig in and enjoy the tastes of the season.

Send Support to a Soldier
http://anysoldier.com -  This site, started by a Combat Infantry soldier on the ground in Iraq and run by a retired Army soldier, is a volunteer effort designed to put "care packages" in the hands of U.S. soldiers who wouldn't otherwise get much or any mail. It offers you a way to connect with these Americans and let them know you support them and appreciate their sacrifices. You'll find complete information on the site including ideas for what items to send, as well as instructions for how and where to mail your packages.

Sweet Celebration for Hersheypark
http://hersheypa.com/attractions/hersheypark/100th -  When Milton Hershey opened Hersheypark in 1907, it featured a merry-go-round, an amphitheatre, and 5¢ chocolate bars. Now the amusement park in cocoa-crazed Hershey, Pennsylvania, includes twisting steel coasters, live entertainment, and a new boardwalk with the largest water-play structure in the world. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Hersheypark (and of the Hershey's Kiss), Hershey is throwing a sweet celebration. You'll find all the delicious details at this site including visitor information and lodging options.

Building an Ark for a Flood of Laughter
http://evanalmighty.com -  Opening this month is a comedy of biblical proportions, Evan Almighty, which has Steve Carell reprising his role as newscaster Evan Baxter from the movie Bruce Almighty. Evan is visited by God (Morgan Freeman) and asked to build an ark - a task that turns his life upside down and creates animal antics in two-by-two fashion. Check out this site to watch the trailer and other video clips, try your luck at ark games, or take a look inside Evan's Ark Building for Dummies book. Rated PG.

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Short Tutorial - Clearing Private Data From Browsers On Public Access Computers

Whenever you share a computer with others, particularly a public one, you'll want to protect your privacy by clearing personal data from the computer's browser prior to ending your online sessions. Fortunately, the top browsers make this process a pretty simple one. Just follow the steps below to insure that subsequent computer users don't walk away with your personal details — such as passwords or web form information — when using public access computers.

Clearing Private Data When Using Internet Explorer 7.0 And Windows XP Home Edition — After Your Browsing Session:

1. Once you've completed your browsing session and with Internet Explorer still open, click your cursor arrow on the "Tools" menu item and select "Internet Options" from the drop-down menu.
2. When the "Internet Options" window opens, click on the "General" tab.
3. Under "Browsing History" you will see the following statement: "Delete temporary files, history, cookies, saved passwords, and web form information." Click on the "Delete" button.
4. When you close the Internet Explorer browser, your private data will be cleared.

Clearing Private Data When Using Firefox 2.0 For Windows XP Home Edition Or Macintosh OS X - Either At The Beginning Or At The End Of Your Browsing Session:

1. With Firefox open, click your cursor arrow on the "Firefox" menu item and select "Preferences" from the drop-down menu, either right after you start your browsing session or when you finish.
2. Click on the "Privacy" icon on the "Preferences Tool Bar."
3. Under "Private Data," click on "Settings."
4. Check every box next to the various types of private data that you want to keep private and then click "OK."
5. Check "Always clear my private data when I close Firefox."
6. When you close the Firefox browser, your private data will be cleared.
7. If you want to clear your private data immediately during a browsing session, click the "Clear Now" button found in the lower right-hand corner of the Privacy window. Finally, close the "Preferences" window.

Clearing Private Data When Using Safari 2.0 For Macintosh OS X — At The Beginning Of Your Browsing Session:

1. With Safari open, click your cursor arrow on the "Safari" menu item and select "Private Browsing."
2. Click "OK." When private browsing is turned on, web pages are not added to the browser's history, items are automatically removed from the Downloads window, information is not saved in AutoFill (including names and passwords), and searches are not added to the pop-up menu in the Google search box.
3. Note, you'll need to do this each time you launch and start a browsing session when using Safari on a public access computer.

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Thanks for your business!

Best regards,

All of Us at Scatter Creek InfoNet





Scatter Creek InfoNet
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Tenino, WA  98589

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Kalama, WA  98625

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