EMPOWERMENT TECHNOLOGY
LESSON 2:Rules of Netiquette
As teenagers you are all exposed to many things powered by the Internet. Whether it is socializing, playing games, reading sports news, shopping etc., the Internet has given you one of the most powerful tools that your parents, during their teenage years, did not have. Because of this, do you not think that it is also important to wield this powerful tool properly? Without proper training, a swordsman can easily inure himself when wielding a sword, the same could be said for you whenever you use the Internet
Online Safety and Security
The Internet, truly, is a powerful tool. It can be used to promote your business, gain new friends, and stay in touch with the old ones. It is also a source of entertainment through games, online communities, and everything in between. But like most things in this world, there is always the “other side of the coin.” The Internet is one of the most dangerous places, especially if you do not know what you are doing with it. But there is no need to worry; it is never that late. Hopefully, by the end of this lesson, you are able to consider how you go about your use of the Internet.
Let us go back to the “How Safe Are You?” test. Let us visit each item and see how risky it is to share them.
Type of Information
|
Risks
|
| 1. First name |
There is a risk in sharing your first name. Chances are a hacker may already know plenty of stuff about you even if you only give out your first name. Likewise, you cannot just walk in a room and start introducing yourself to everyone. You do not know when you can come across with. |
| 2. Last name |
If sharing your first name is a small risk, having both your first and last is more risky. You will be vulnerable to being searched for using search engines, which include image search. Marching a name with a face is a modus to several cybercrimes like identity theft. |
| 3. Middle name |
Sharing your middle name alone is probably not the most risky of these shared information, but sharing your full name would be. |
| 4. Current and previous school(s) |
Most people who steal identities study their subject. They can use this information for verification purposes. |
| 5. Your cellphone number |
Your cellphone number should never be posted over the internet. The Internet is a public place. It is the same as posting your number on a billboard. You would not want random strangers to text or call you, or worse, pretend that they are someone else. |
| 6. The name of your mother and father |
Risky, yet not as risky as posting their full names, especially your mother’s maiden name. in fact, you may have already encountered many websites that require your mother’s maiden name as an answer to a security question whenever you lose your account. |
| 7. The name of your siblings |
Disclosing this is a huge risk. Strangers may pretend or use their identity to dupe you. |
| 8. Your address |
Hopefully, you answered “no” to this one. Giving the Internet your number is one thing; giving them your address is a whole other level. It would be much easier for criminals to find you. |
| 9. Your home phone number |
This shared information is more risky than sharing your personal phone number. Scams usually use this information to deceive you, one of which is when a stranger pretends to know your parents or pretends to be you. |
| 10. Your birthday |
Letting people know your birthday is probably a must if you want to get as many gifts as possible. But having it in your profile makes you vulnerable to identity theft. |
The Internet is defined as the information superhighway. This means that anyone has access to this highway, can place information, and can grab that information. Any information, even things that you have set privately, can be accessed one way or another. This is why social networking sited like Facebook continue to improve their security features. The threat of cybercrime is very real. While you may not experience the threat now, whatever information we share today could affect our future.
Tips to Stay Safe Online
The Internet is a public place and it is up to you to protect yourself. Here are some tips to help you stay safe when using the Internet.
- Be mindful of what you share online and what site you share it to.
- Do not just accept terms and conditions; read it.
- Check out the privacy policy pages of a website to learn how the website handles the information you share.
- Know the security features of the social networking site you use. By keeping your profile private, search engines will not be able to scan your profile.
- Do not share your password with anyone.
- Avoid logging in to public networks/Wi-Fi. Browsing in “incognito (or private) mode.” A feature of the browser, will not protect you from hackers.
- Do not talk to strangers whether online or face-to-face.
- Never post anything about a future vacation. It is similar to posting, “Rob my house at this date.”
- Add friends you know in real life.
- Avoid visiting untrusted websites.
- Install and update an antivirus software on your computer. Use only one anti-virus software to avoid conflicts.
- If you have a Wi-Fi at home, make it a private network by adding a password.
- Avoid downloading anything from untrusted websites. You are most vulnerable in peer-to-peer downloads (torrents) as the download is most likely not monitored by the site owner.
- Buy the software; do not use pirated ones.
- Do not reply or click links from suspicious emails.
Internet Threats
Here are some of the threats you should be aware of when using the Internet.
- Malware – stands for malicious software.
- Virus – a malicious program designed to replicate itself and transfer from one computer to another either through the Internet and local networks or data storage like flash drives and CDs.
- Worm – a malicious program that transfers from one computer to another by any type of means. Often, it uses a computer network to spread itself. For example, the ILOVEYOU worm (Love Bug Worm) created by a Filipino.
- Trojan – a malicious program that is disguised as a useful program but once downloaded or installed, leaves your PC unprotected and allows hackers to get your information.
*Rogue security software – tricks the user into posing that it is a security software. It asks the user to pay to improve his/her security but in reality, they are not protected at all.
- Spyware – a program that runs in the background without you knowing it (thus called “spy”). It has the ability to monitor what you are currently doing and typing through keylogging.
*Keyloggers – used to record the keystroke done by the users. This is done to steal their password or any other sensitive information. It can record email, messages, or any information you type using your keyboard.
- Adware – a program designed to send you advertisements, mostly as pop-ups.
- Spam – unwanted email mostly from bots or advertisers. It can be used to send malware.
- Phishing – its goal is to acquire sensitive personal information like passwords and credit card details. This is done by sending you an email that will direct the user to visit a website and be asked to update his/her username, password, credit card, or personal information.
Protecting Reputations Online
In the past, doing something embarrassing was not much of a big deal. It happened; people would laugh at it, and they would move on. Nowadays, embarrassing moments are captured using any device you could imagine. What is worse is that people can easily upload it to the internet, where it can be stored forever. This could impact not only your reputation but also the people around you. What is worse is that people tend to ignore this fact, and suffer from it later in their life.
Once you post something over the internet, search engines keep them in their archives for search results. This makes anything you post to last forever even if you delete it in your page. Something you and your friends find funny today may be something that could harm someone’s reputation later.
Think Before You Click
Here are things you might want to consider before posting something over the Internet.
- Before you post something on the web, ask these questions to yourself: Would you want your parents or grandparents to see it? Would you want your future boss to see it? Once you post something on the web, you have no control of who sees your posts.
- Your friends depend on you to protect their reputation online. Talk to your friends about this serious responsibility.
- Set your post to “private.” In this way, search engines will not be able to scan that post.
- Avoid using names. Names are easy for search engines to scan.
- If you feel that a post can affect you or other’s reputation, ask the one who posted it to pull it down or report it as inappropriate, ask the one who posted it to pull it down or report is as inappropriate.
Copyright Infringement
If you create something – an idea, an invention, a form of literary work, or a research, you have the right as to how it should be used by others. This is called intellectual property. In other words, the copyright law includes your rights over your work, and anyone who uses it without your consent is punishable by law. Try grabbing any book then browse its first few pages and you will find a page with a disclaimer with the words: “No part of this book may be copied, reproduced…” That is a copyright page.
As a responsible user of the Internet, you have to consider that not everything out there is free for you to use. Just like your own, contents that you see from websites have their respective copyrights. There are several instances where employees or business owners face copyright infringement and are sentenced to a huge fine due to reckless copying of materials.
Here are some tips that could help you avoid copyright infringement:
- Understand. Copyright protects literary works, photographs, paintings, drawings, films, music (and lyrics), choreography, and sculptures, but it generally does NOT protect underlying ideas and facts. This means that you can express something using your own words, but you should give credit to the source.
- Be responsible. Even if a material does not say that it is copyrighted, it is not a valid defense against copyright. Be responsible enough to know if something has a copyright.
- Be creative. Ask yourself whether what you are making is something that came from you or something made from somebody else’s creativity. It is important to add your own creative genius in everything that will be credited to you.
- Know the law. There are some limitations to copyright laws. For instance in the Philippines, copyrights only last a lifetime (of the author) plus 50 years. There are also provisions for “fair use” which mean that an intellectual property may be used without a consent as long as it is used in commentaries, criticisms, search engines, parodies, news reports, research, library archiving, teaching and education. If you have doubts that what you are doing does not fall under the policy of fair use, seek permission first.
Fair Use Logo
Another misconception is that fan-fiction is not copyright infringement. In reality, it is and some copyright holders ignore them but they can opt to use their rights.
Online Search
The following is a set of tips to help you build smart search skills, as adapted from Common Sense Media.
A wealth of built-in—but sometimes hidden—features can help you find the information you need much more efficiently than your usual shot-in-the-dark searches. A little Google technique can open up a world of trusted facts, homework boosters, and cool tricks to impress your friends (or your parents).
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Find the Hidden Calculator
If number crunching just isn’t your thing—and you need an answer fast—Google’s hidden calculator is a lifesaver. Head straight to the search bar and type in the problem or equation you’re looking to solve. You’ll know you’ve gotten to the right place when a gray, calculator-like tool pops up as the search result.
Bonus tip: How many teaspoons equal a tablespoon? When the homework is put away and you need an extra hand at the Chemistry lab, this tool converts measurements, too.
Browsing the Merriam-Webster dictionary for hours might be a lost art, but broadening kids’ vocabulary doesn’t have to be. Simply add the word “define” before a search term (for example, “define onomatopoeia”) to bring up the proper spelling, definition, origin, and even fun tools like voice and translation options.
Bonus tip: If you struggle with spelling, don’t worry. Google will suggest and search based on the appropriate spelling of most words, just as it does for regular searches.
Age-Appropriate Results
Tools like Google SafeSearch and YouTube’s Safety Mode can help filter out mature content that’s beyond what those below 18 are ready to see or read. This can also be taken a step further with search results filter by reading level so you or your younger siblings or friends feel comfortable with what’s in front of them. Let Google annotate the results with reading levels labeled, or choose to only show basic, intermediate, or advanced level content.
If you are looking for credible information—or your first taste of scholarly research—you can check out Google’s academic offshoot, Google Scholar.
Bonus tip: Explore with confidence by viewing content critically. Just because you see it online doesn’t mean it’s true.
Time-Zone Challenged
If you have far-flung family and don’t want to wake them up in the middle of the night, you can find the local time anywhere in the world by typing “time” and a city’s name into the search bar.
The Perfect Search
Let’s say the homework assignment requires you to use only one source of information. Enter your query, followed by the URL for the website (i.e., weaving site: ncca.gov.ph/) and hit enter. You’ll see only results from that website.
Need help with weaving homework but getting search results for weaving for sale? Add a minus sign before “sale” to eliminate sale-related results.
Photo Magic
Learning how to attribute photos is a critical research skill. With Google Reverse Image Search, you can upload any photo to Google Images and hit “search” to find the name of it, and a whole lot more.
Bonus tip: In Google’s Chrome browser, you can just right-click on any image and select “search Google for this image.” There’s a Firefox add-on, too.
If all you really need is a little distraction, go to Google and type in “tilt,” browse the Google Doodle archives, or just tell Google to do a barrel roll. You won’t be disappointed.”
If you want some more keyword tricks, check out the search techniques below.
Trivia/Search Query Tips
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Define
. When your query includes the define: operator, Google displays all the definitions it finds on the web.
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Site
. “If you really like a web site (e.g. http://ncca.gov.ph) but its search tool isn’t very good, fret not—Google almost always does a better job ”. Example: [site:ncca.gov.ph culture]
Reverse Image search
Instead of typing the keywords, you upload an image of an unknown product or point to its URL in the search box or bar. Useful to find product names, recipes, and more
Autocomplete
. Google’s autocomplete is a handy tool for both saving time and getting a feel for what people are searching.
Online Research
Have you ever searched the Internet for certain information where the search engine returned a different result? For example, if you were to search for “The Madonna” as the representation of Mary in the form of an art, you would probably use the keyword “Madonna” to search for it on the net. But if you use that same keyword nowadays, you are more likely to stumble upon “Madonna,” the music artist instead. And if you used “The Madonna” to search for “The Madonna” in the first place, you will be directed in the right place.
Google Search results when you use “Madonna” as your keyword:
Google Search results when you use “The Madonna” as your keyword
The information that we need is more likely already in the internet. It is just a matter of how to look for it and how to use information from the most credible source. Here are some tips in conducting online research:
1.Have a question in mind. Focus on a question you want answered. If it is a series of questions start with one. Never search everything on one go.
2.Narrow it down. Search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo use several filters to determine the most appropriate result for you. These search engines use your previous search history and your geographical location, and send you the result which is the most related to you. Try to search “weather” and most search engines would return the weather conditions of where you are.
3.Advanced Search. The best way to filter information you get from search engines is by using the advanced search. This will allow you to filter out information you do not need.
4.Look for a credible source. Some wikis, though filled with updated information, are not credible source. This is due to the fact that anyone can edit its content. When using wikis, check out the link of the cited text (indicated by superscript number) to be navigated to the footnote where the list of sources is located. Click the source of the information and see if it is credible.
”Screenshot of Google’s Advanced Search”
The more credible sources are scientific journals, established news and magazine websites, online encyclopedias, and scholarly databases.
You can also check the URL of a website if it ends with a .org, .gov, and .edu. a website that ends with .com is intended to be a commercial website and may be slanted to promoting a product or service. You should consider the intent of the information on the web page. In most cases, .edu websites are best for research as government and organization websites may have a tendency to make information favorable for them.
Unfortunately, not all websites follow the standards in domain name conventions. Some sites use the suffixes like .com loosely; some sites are not credible even though they use a .edu suffix.
Another tip to validate if the information is correct is to have multiple sources of information. Having two or more websites will tell you whether the information is reliable or not.
5.Give credit. If you are going to use the information from a source for educational purposes, give credit to the original author of the page or information. To properly cite a reference, you may use the format below.
Name of the person or organization (the author of the information). Title of the home page in italics (title is shown in title bar but is sometimes missing or unrelated). URL. Date last seen.
EXAMPLES:
Lapiz, Adrian Harold L. “Oleander’s Fun Facts about Bananas.” http://oleander.penx.com/ random/bananalove.htm. Viewed on September 7, 2015.
“Accounting: What you should know.” Jargon Online Network. http://www.jargononline.com/ accounting101.html. Viewed on April 13, 2015.
Tips in Searching
1: Use unique, specific terms
It is simply amazing how many Web pages are returned when performing a search. You might guess that the terms blue dolphin are relatively specialized. A Google search of those terms returned 2,440,000 results! To reduce the number of pages returned, use unique terms that are specific to the subject you are researching.
2: Use the minus operator (-) to narrow the search
How many times have you searched for a term and had the search engine return something totally unexpected? Terms with multiple meanings can return a lot of unwanted results. The rarely used but powerful minus operator, equivalent to a Boolean NOT, can remove many unwanted results. For example, when searching for the insect caterpillar, references to the company Caterpillar, Inc. will also be returned. Use Caterpillar -Inc to exclude references to the company or Caterpillar -Inc -Cat to further refine the search.
3: Use quotation marks for exact phrases
I often remember parts of phrases I have seen on a Web page or part of a quotation I want to track down. Using quotation marks around a phrase will return only those exact words in that order. It’s one of the best ways to limit the pages returned. Example: “Be nice to nerds”.Of course, you must have the phrase exactly right — and if your memory is as good as mine, that can be problematic.
4: Don’t use common words and punctuation
Common terms like a and the are called stop words and are usually ignored. Punctuation is also typically ignored. But there are exceptions. Common words and punctuation marks should be used when searching for a specific phrase inside quotes. There are cases when common words like the are significant. For instance, Raven and The Raven return entirely different results.
5: Capitalization
Most search engines do not distinguish between uppercase and lowercase, even within quotation marks. The following are all equivalent:
- technology
- Technology
- TECHNOLOGY
- “technology”
- “Technology”
6: Drop the suffixes
It’s usually best to enter the base word so that you don’t exclude relevant pages. For example, bird and not birds, walk and not walked. One exception is if you are looking for sites that focus on the act of walking, enter the whole term walking.
7: Maximize AutoComplete
Ordering search terms from general to specific in the search box will display helpful results in a drop-down list and is the most efficient way to use AutoComplete. Selecting the appropriate item as it appears will save time typing. You have several choices for how the AutoComplete feature works:
Use Google AutoComplete. The standard Google start page will display a drop-down list of suggestions supplied by the Google search engine. This option can be a handy way to discover similar, related searches. For example, typing in Tucson fast will not only bring up the suggestion Tucson fast food but also Tucson fast food coupons. Use browser AutoComplete. Use this Google start page to disable the Google AutoComplete feature and display a list of your previous searches in a drop-down box. I find this particularly useful when I’ve made dozens of searches in the past for a particular item. The browser’s AutoComplete feature must be turned on for this option to work. Click one of these links for instructions detailing how to turn AutoComplete on or off in I.E. and Firefox.
Examples:
- Visual Basic statement case
- Visual Basic statement for
- Visual Basic call
8: Customize your searches
There are several other less well known ways to limit the number of results returned and reduce your search time:
- The plus operator (+):As mentioned above, stop words are typically ignored by the search engine. The plus operator tells the search engine to include those words in the result set. Example: tall +and short will return results that include the word and.
- The tilde operator (~):Include a tilde in front of a word to return results that include synonyms. The tilde operator does not work well for all terms and sometimes not at all. A search for ~CSSincludes the synonym style and returns fashion related style pages —not exactly what someone searching for CSS wants. Examples: ~HTML to get results for HTML with synonyms; ~HTML -HTML to get synonyms only for HTML.
- The wildcard operator (*): Google calls it the fill in the blank For example, amusement *will return pages with amusement and any other term(s) the Google search engine deems relevant. You can’t use wildcards for parts of words. So for example, amusement p* is invalid.
- The OR operator (OR) or (|):Use this operator to return results with either of two terms. For example happy joy will return pages with both happy and joy, while happy | joy will return pages with either happy or joy.
- Numeric ranges: You can refine searches that use numeric terms by returning a specific range, but you must supply the unit of measurement. Examples: Windows XP 2003..2005, PC $700 $800.
- Site search: Many Web sites have their own site search feature, but you may find that Google site search will return more pages. When doing research, it’s best to go directly to the source, and site search is a great way to do that. Example: site:www.intel.com rapid storage technology.
- Related sites: For example, related:www.youtube.comcan be used to find sites similar to YouTube.
- Change your preferences:Search preferences can be set globally by clicking on the gear icon in the upper-right corner and selecting Search Settings. I like to change the Number Of Results option to 100 to reduce total search time.
- Forums-only search:Under the Google logo on the left side of the search result page, click More | Discussions or go to Google Groups. Forums are great places to look for solutions to technical problems.
- Advanced searches: Click the Advanced Search button by the search box on the Google start or results page to refine your search by date, country, amount, language, or other criteria.
- Wonder Wheel:The Google Wonder Wheel can visually assist you as you refine your search from general to specific. Here’s how to use this tool:
- Click on More Search Tools | Wonder Wheel in the lower-left section of the screen (Figure A) to load the Wonder Wheel page.
- Click on dbms tutorial (Figure B).
Figure A
Figure B
As you can see in Figure C, Google now displays two wheels showing the DBMS and dbms tutorial Wonder Wheels, with the results for dbms tutorial on the right side of the page. You can continue drilling down the tree to further narrow your search. Click the Close button at the top of the results to remove the Wonder Wheel(s).
Figure C
9: Use browser history
Many times, I will be researching an item and scanning through dozens of pages when I suddenly remember something I had originally dismissed as being irrelevant. How do you quickly go back to that Web site? You can try to remember the exact words used for the search and then scan the results for the right site, but there is an easier way. If you can remember the general date and time of the search you can look through the browser history to find the Web page.
10: Set a time limit — then change tactics
Sometimes, you never can find what you are looking for. Start an internal clock, and when a certain amount of time has elapsed without results, stop beating your head against the wall. It’s time to try something else:
The bottom line
A tool is only as useful as the typing fingers wielding it. Remember that old acronym GIGO, garbage in, garbage out? Search engines will try to place the most relevant results at the top of the list, but if your search terms are too broad or ambiguous, the results will not be helpful. It is your responsibility to learn how to make your searches both fast and effective.
The Internet is the great equalizer for those who know how to use it efficiently. Anyone can now easily find facts using a search engine instead of dred.
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