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November 2002
Secure Cyberspace
Recommended steps to stay safe online
USENET revisited
By John Dupuy
GO VOTE November 5th
But Educate Yourself First, Online
Dear Techie
Dedicated to your questions about common connection problems.
Contact Us
Questions or comments? Go here.
Secure Cyberspace
President Bush recently announced the Critical Infrastructure Protection Board has
developed a National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace. In the draft there are recommended
steps to avoid security problems for home and business Internet users. Some of the
"common sense" tips included:
1. Use a virus protection software program, and keep it updated. Having the
software on your computer is not enough; you need to enroll in the update
program from the distributing company. A newly introduced virus will usually
cause the most damage.
2. Do not open email from someone you do not know.
3. Do not open email attachments or shared files until you know they are virus free.
4. Check your software vendor's website for security patches. After a program is
released to the public, sometimes they discover security holes or flaws. So the
developing company will issue a patch, which you can download and install to fix
the bug.
5. Disconnect from the Internet when you are not using the Internet.
6. Use tough passwords. Commonly available software can allow hackers to guess
passwords and gain access to your computer. A strong password is 8 to 13 digits
long, a random mix of letters and numbers and (if allowed) a mix of upper and
lower case letters or keyboard symbols.
7. Use a firewall to protect your computer from covert entry. They are available as
software programs for a single computer or hardware for multiple computers.
If your company is concerned about Internet security, Socket offers state-of-the-art
solutions to protect networks from attacks and misuse, from internal and external threats.
USENET revisited
By John Dupuy
It's not slick. It's not sexy. And a surprising number of new Internet users don't know
much about it. But it is one of the most useful and powerful parts of the Internet: USENET "news" groups.
USENET is a cross between email and chat. Like chat, anybody can join in on various
topics. For example, rec.pets.cats for cat lovers and sci.geo.meteorology for weather
buffs. However, unlike chat, it is not instant. Instead, thought-out articles (messages) are
posted by people in ongoing public conversations called "threads".
Here are some example groups:
alt.binaries.pictures.aviation
rec.pets.dogs.health
sci.space.shuttle
alt.fan.adam-sandler
There are, of course, thousands of them.
If you use Outlook Express, you already have the ability to use USENET. Otherwise,
either visit www.tucows.com to download a "USENET news reader" that suits you, or
click on the "Discussion Groups" link on our customer home page for Google's web-
based service.
In Outlook Express, simply choose "Tools" then "Newsgroups". (If the "Newsgroups"
menu item is missing, then USENET isn't set up yet in the software. Visit
http://www.socket.net/help/usenet/ for setup instructions.)
The list of new USENET groups will start to download. The very first time you do this, it
has to get all the group names so it may take a while.
Once you have the list, you can search through them and "subscribe" to the ones that
appeal to you. A "subscription" doesn't commit you to anything: it is more like a
"favorites" list. To see one of them, highlight it and click on "Goto". After that, the
program is pretty self-explanatory.
But if not, visit the built-in help for a bit of a tutorial. The help screens are actually pretty
good. Press F1 and choose "Viewing and Posting to Newsgroups". As always, you can
also contact our Tech Support if something complicated happens.
A few bits of caution before you get started:
* Don't trust everything you read. Remember: _anybody_ can post an article.
* I don't recommend letting kids use USENET. But, if you do, monitor and restrict their
usage. (USENET is blocked on Socket's child-safe accounts.) There are some genuinely
disturbing things on some parts of USENET.
* USENET is public; so if you post an article, do not give out personal information.
* Do not post articles with your real email address or you will get flooded with spam. I
recommend using "nobody@socket.net" since any mail that goes to nobody is rejected
automatically by our mail server.
Don't let these warnings scare you off. Most of USENET is very useful and very
interesting. It is a great way to share information and meet new people.
EXTRA: you can search through old USENET articles. From our customer home page,
choose "Google USENET" from the drop down list in the "Search The Internet" section.
Surfing for an Election Education
Many Americans that know their responsibility, which comes with the Freedom we have
come to appreciate even more this past year, will cast a ballot on November 5th. They
will also educate themselves on the issues and candidates first, online. You can too.
http://www.firstgov.gov/Citizen/Topics/Voting.shtml is a great place to find information
on registering to vote, absentee voting, the electoral process, campaign financing and
reform, contacting elected officials, absentee ballots, voting districts, volunteering and
candidate information.
Nearly every candidate will have a website, which can be found by searching on their
name combined with the political seat they are campaigning for this election. You can
also glean candidate information by going through the political parties' websites.
Republican National Committee http://www.rnc.org/stateparties
Libertarian Party http://www.lp.org
Democratic National Committee http://www.democrats.org/states/index.html
Natural Law Party http://www.natural-law.org/states/index.html
Green Party http://www.greenpartyus.org/states.html
Constitution Party http://www.ustaxpayers.org/state_party_sites.htm
Or see http://www.politics1.com/parties.htm or
http://www.politicalresources.net/usa1.htm for a complete list of Party sites.
Opinions for and against ballot issues can be found by searching on that Amendment,
Question or Proposition, the city or county and state in which it is on the ballot, and the
date of the election.
Dear Techie, When I click on an email addresses while cruising the web, the wrong email
program loads or I get error messages or nothing happens at all.
Answer: You probably need to set your default email program to the one you want. Do
the following if using Windows:
1. Select your Start button, slide up to "Settings" and then click on "Control
Panel".
2. Double click on the icon named "Internet Options".
3. Select the Tab titled "Programs".
4. Click the "Down arrowhead" to the right of the field titled "E-mail" and select
your preferred email program from the drop-down list.
5. Do the same for the "News" field if you so desire.
6. Click on the "Apply" then the "OK" button at the bottom of the window to
exit the Internet Properties window.
7. Close Control Panel and test once again. It should load the program you
chose.
We hope you have enjoyed receiving the Socket Internet newsletter. We love to share the
developments within our company that may affect you. If you do not wish to receive the
company newsletter in the future and stay informed of Internet issues, our progress and
changes, please email us at:
dontwantnonewsletter@socket.net
Please e-mail other questions to:
support@socket.net -for technical support
billing@socket.net -concerning your bill
office@socket.net -for general questions
For Self-help in troubleshooting your connection, go to http://www.socket.net/help
If you have suggestions or comments on what to include in the next newsletter, email
marketing@socket.net.
****Remember to recommend Socket's Internet services to friends and family. If they
sign up for an unlimited dial up account and are a customer for 60 days in good standing,
you receive one month of free dial up Internet Access. If they prepay for 6 months or one
year, you immediately receive one month of free dial up Internet access added to your
account!!!!
Thank you for being a Socket User!
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