This is a paid review for Blogher Reviews.
Time's Up! The Random.org generator has spoken, and the winner was #18, Joyful abode, who said I don't have kids of my own yet, but I teach. Any computer time (very little) is monitored by me though. I can see something like this being useful in schools.
Congratulations! You have 48 hours to contact me, or I'll have to pick a new winner.
With six kids, two grown ups, and three computers, we certainly have our hands full as far as a need for computer security goes. I'm only one woman with two eyes and two hands, and the kids have proven themselves very, very ingenious and crafty when it comes to being on the computer, even though the computer is in the main room. I've seen some c-r-a-z-y stuff when I check their history, and it boggles the mind to know what they might have seen.
That's why I was so delighted to be invited to review the new program from the good folks at Symantec, well known for their online security products. Their newest offering? Norton Online Family. NOF is a set of controls that let's you monitor your children's usage of the computer - not recording keystrokes, but actually what sites they visited and the length of time, and where they went next. The site visits are also grouped by like interests, so you can determine if your child is spending too much time on, say, popular teen sites instead of multiplication review. Ahem. Not that my girls would know ANYTHING about that.
The steps involved are easy. Create a family account, adding each family member with their own cute icon. Next, you install the safety minder on each computer. (The really cool thing about the Safety Minder? Every time your child goes online, the Safety Minder pops up, reminding your child that every site is being recorded. Kind of an online conscious.) The final step is to create "house rules", letting your child know what sites are acceptable and what aren't. One of the coolest features is that you can designate different rules for each child - I have kids in every single age frame, so it's really nice to know if the little ones stumble onto a site that is more appropriate to an older child.
I really think that this program rocks. The ability to look into the history of each individual child really puts my mind at rest - I could get really upset if I saw a history of sites dealing with breasts, unless I knew that one daughter was writing a health report on breast cancer. One of my other favorite features is that you can set the program to email you if a site is attempted by your child - if you've decided it goes against the family rules. Smart, smart thinking.
Norton wants to get the word out there as to the wonders of this amazing product, so they have graciously donated an iPod Touch to be given away on EACH of the TEN sites reviewing Norton Online Family. You can find all of your chances here, and enter to win one on this site below by following these simple rules. To enter, please leave me a comment below, telling me how you stay in the loop with your kids and whether this new software will help you. You may leave a link to your post or twitter message about this contest in the comments for an additional entry. The contest will begin at 12:00 a.m. (PST) on Monday, February 24th and will end Sunday, March 9th at 11:59 p.m. (PST). Make sure your email address is valid! Rules: * No duplicate comments * This giveaway is open to U.S. residents * Winners will be selected by random draw and will be notified by email. * You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected. * See the official rules for details.
Good luck!
Oh, I need this! My 5 year old is monitored pretty much every time she's on the computer, most of that time is not online. My 13 year old needs much more scrutiny as whenever she is on the computer, she is likely online. Usually downloading music or researching for schoolwork, but there are those times when she is doing other things. Nothing bad or questionable so far, but you never know...
Posted by: Cindy | March 04, 2009 at 06:34 PM
Great review and wonderful giveaway! Symantec has great products. We have a filter, but it's definitely not foolproof.
Posted by: Marilyn | March 04, 2009 at 06:43 PM
anything that helps keep my budding social networkers safe is good with me :-) sign me up!
Posted by: Homeslice | March 04, 2009 at 08:50 PM
I try to keep the kiddos close by... if they're on my computer I watch them like a HAWK but on the desktop I just keep itin view or ask what they are working on.... they're still little but are getting to be broswers.... so this is something we'll be looking into soon:)
Posted by: Kelly B | March 04, 2009 at 09:53 PM
We try to stay in the loop by keeping our computer in a room that is visible when our son uses it. For the times we can't be there, this software would definitely be handy.
cat at 3kidsandus dot com
Posted by: Cat @ 3 Kids and Us | March 05, 2009 at 03:31 AM
Since my kids are still young, I usually am sitting right beside them when they are on the computer. But now that I know about this software, it will definitely become a part of our computer use as they get older and venture into more independent computer use. Thanks for the great contest!
Posted by: Heather | March 05, 2009 at 07:56 AM
Luckily my son is still too young to use the computer, but i am thrilled to see such good reviews from a product I know will help me in the near future. Thanks!
Susan@doughmesstic.com
Posted by: susan | March 05, 2009 at 11:18 AM
My son is only 2 1/2, but when he goes to preschool (2 half days a week), I always talk to his teachers to see how the day went. When he is old enough to use the internet, I would LOVE to have this for our home!
Thanks!
ericbrooks75@yahoo(dot)com
Posted by: Crystal | March 05, 2009 at 03:16 PM
I just Tweeted about this giveaway. My username is ctb0520. http://twitter.com/statuses/friends_timeline/17015307.rss
Thanks!
ericbrooks75(at)yahoo(dot)com
Posted by: Crystal | March 05, 2009 at 03:18 PM
So far I have been lucky. I have got along with all my kids teachers. I meet the parents of my kids friends. I have the kids over to our house. BUT I just put a computer in my DD's room. She is turning 8 this month. I definitely want the extra security for my peace of mind, and of hers. This sounds great.
Posted by: Michele | March 05, 2009 at 11:27 PM
Quite useful information about the security of your Computer
Posted by: Pawan | March 06, 2009 at 02:21 AM
With 4 busy homeschool kiddos www is a must. We use it daily for research and fun! I already made an account with them, just waiting for hubby to walk me thru creating them each a separate account to log into the computer! I tried to install it on my most needed one in the house and he said it slowed it down quite a bit! I don't konw if he just wants to wiggle out of it. Hubby will return from work overseas and will take care of all of it. An iPod would be such a great tool for a busy homeschool 'single" mom.
Posted by: Natalie | March 06, 2009 at 11:47 PM
I have a toddler and a baby on the way. Seeing the way my son already knows his way around my laptop, I'd say this software will prove a godsend in a couple of years. I'm really looking forward to having it, for my mental peace and for my children's protection.
Thanks for this great giveaway!
callmeabookworm at gmail dot com
Posted by: Rashmi @ A Book Blogger's Diary | March 07, 2009 at 10:36 AM
Tweeted it - http://twitter.com/callmeabookworm/status/1292972521
Posted by: Rashmi @ A Book Blogger's Diary | March 07, 2009 at 10:37 AM
My children are still pretty small... but I think it would be VERY fun getting to know how to use the ipod with my son! He is such a smart boy and I can almost guarentee he would figure it out before I would ;)
Thanks for the giveaway!
smittysmiths[at]sbcglobal.net
Posted by: Sherri Smith | March 07, 2009 at 11:48 AM
Tweeted it also- http://twitter.com/wedwithbabies/status/1293196534
Posted by: Sherri Smith | March 07, 2009 at 11:49 AM
I downloaded the software and will be checking it out. I have a 16 and 14 yo - we currently monitor what they do online by having access to their computers at all times. I am also "friends" with them on facebook, twitter and other social networking websites.
Posted by: Tamra A | March 07, 2009 at 06:37 PM
I tweeted the giveaway
http://twitter.com/WithourHands/statuses/1294501190
Posted by: Tamra A | March 07, 2009 at 06:38 PM
I made a blog post here:
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=127645435
Posted by: Milcah | March 08, 2009 at 01:14 AM
Hmmm ... I just happen to have the iPod Touch on my wedding registry. Wouldn't it be cool if I won it this way?
My kids are all grown now, but Norton Online Family would have been a great tool to have to help me keep an eye on their internet usage.
Posted by: LissaKay | March 09, 2009 at 12:13 PM
We keep our computer in the family room so we can always see what the kids are doing online. However, they are getting older and we aren't always right there with them so we might need to look into something like this. It sure looks like a good program.
Posted by: Jill Gardner | March 09, 2009 at 11:20 PM
twitter athttp://twitter.com/home
Posted by: Jill Gardner | March 09, 2009 at 11:24 PM
I keep an open line of communication with them and have explained that they can talk to their mother or I if they see anything that makes them uncomfortable. So far so good. But trust is paramount.
Posted by: Eric | March 10, 2009 at 12:09 AM