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Warning! Traveler Scams Are All Over The Map Mosaic Telecom News Cell Phone Fact Reported By The New York Times This Month's FAQ What's The Difference Between Facebook Pages And Facebook Groups? Sites Of The Month Great Sites To Check Out In June Short Tutorial Creating Folders To Organize Your Favorites/Bookmarks |
Dear Mosaic Telecom Subscriber June signals the start of the summer season, and it's always a busy one—whether you're traveling for vacation or just heading for the backyard. Speaking of travel, don't miss the warning about a traveler scam that's circulating via e-mail and social networking sites. You don't want your account hacked and your friends duped into sending money to a phisher. Also in this issue, you'll learn the difference between Facebook Pages and Facebook Groups, and find out how to create folders to organize your Favorites/Bookmarks. Need great ideas for summer activities? Great Sites comes through with burger recipes, festival schedules, a home design tool, and more. The goal of each of our eNewsletters is to keep our subscribers informed regarding their Internet connection and to improve their Internet experience. We think you'll find this information interesting. To see what's inside this issue, simply scroll down the eNewsletter or click on the links within the index to the left. Thanks for reading! - Your friends at Mosaic Telecom |
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Warning! – Traveler Scams Are All Over The Map If you receive an e-mail from a friend saying he/she is stranded in London as a result of the Icelandic volcano eruption and the resulting cancellation of flights, chances are your friend's e-mail account has been hacked. This "stranded in London" e-mail is just one of many variations on traveler scams being used by phishers.
 Here's how the scam typically works: Step 1: The "traveler" receives an official-looking e-mail that appears to be from the administrator of the e-mail account, and is asked to reply to the e-mail with his/her e-mail password or the account will be closed. Step 2: The phisher logs in to the traveler's account, using the real password, and then changes the password so that the traveler can no longer access his/her e-mail. Step 3: The phisher reads e-mails in the traveler's account to identify people who might be friends. Step 4: The traveler's friends get an e-mail from the traveler's normal e-mail address, containing a message like this: "I'm out of the country and (I lost my wallet or flights have been delayed or I've been mugged) and I need you to wire me money immediately in order for me to get home." Step 5: Because the e-mail came from the traveler's real e-mail address, the friends are able to send replies and receive answers to convince them that this is a genuine e-mail. Some proceed to send money, which ends up going to the phisher. In addition to hacking into e-mail accounts, these phishers are also breaking into social networking accounts and posing as the user. They then send e-mails, instant messages, or tweets to friends and family saying they're in trouble while traveling and urgently need money. To protect yourself from becoming a "traveler," be very skeptical of any e-mail that asks for your password or any link that asks you to log in to a social networking site again. Mosaic Telecom News – Cell Phone Fact Reported By The New York Times The average number of voice minutes used per consumer in the U.S. has dropped, while the number of text messages sent per user in 2009 grew almost 50%. The report continues on that data usage (e-mail, Internet browsing, streaming video, etc.) has also surpassed the amount of phone calls on a mobile phone made last year.
Some of other quick stats include 90% of U.S. households have a cell phone, and the average length of a call was 1.81 minutes last year, down from 2.27 minutes in 2008.
Predictably, teenagers seem to text the most, with over half of the demographic sending a staggering 100 text messages a day or 3000 texts a month.
Cell Phone Texting Tips Smart socializing: Use the same good sense about what you post from your phone as from a computer. Once they're posted, text, photos, and video are tough to take back, can be copied and pasted elsewhere, and are up there pretty much forever. Think about the people in them (including you!). Reputations are at stake, and even more if nudity or sex is involved.
Bullying by phone: Because people socialize on cell phones as much as online, cyber bullying can be mobile too. Treat people on phones and the Web the way you would in person, and the risk of being bullied goes down. Sexting: It's the same on phones as on the Web - do not take, send, post or even store on your phone nude photos of anyone under 18. You could be charged with production, distribution, or possession of child pornography, a serious crime. You could also be subjected to jokes, bullying, blackmail, expulsion from school, loss of a job, etc. and the images can circulate forever. The value of "presence": If you do a lot of texting, consider the impact that being "elsewhere" might be having on the people around you. Your presence during meals, at parties, in the car, etc. is not only polite, it's a sign of respect and appreciated. Down time is good: Constant texting and talking can affect sleep, concentration, school, and other things that deserve your thought and focus. Real friends understand there are times you just need to turn off the phone - harassment can happen between midnight and morning too. Social mapping: Most cell phones now have GPS technology and there is a growing number of services that allow friends to pinpoint each other's physical location. If you use such a service, do so only with friends you know in person, and get to know the service's privacy features! Wisconsin Text-Messaging Ban The Governor of Wisconsin has signed Assembly Bill 496. The new law prohibits all drivers from driving while composing or sending an electronic text message. The fine for a first time offense is from $20 to $400 and 4 Points on the diving record of the offender and second time offenders will face a fine from $200 to $800. The new text messaging ban is considered a primary offense, which means a driver may be pulled over solely on the basis of suspected texting offense. The New law will go into effect on December 1st, 2010. Didja Know that effective July 17, 2010, you will need to dial 10-digits for every local call? Click Here for more details on this statewide change to local calling.
This Month's FAQ – What's The Difference Between Facebook Pages And Facebook Groups? Question: What's the difference between Facebook Pages and Facebook Groups? At first glance, they seem similar to me.
Answer: While Facebook Pages and Facebook Groups do have some overlapping features, they were created to serve different purposes. Here are descriptions of each:  Pages allow entities such as public figures, brands, and businesses to broadcast information to their fans. Pages can be thought of in much the same way as personal Facebook profiles, since Pages can also have friends, add pictures, and allow fans to post messages on walls. Not only can you connect with your favorite people and organizations through Pages, but you also can show your friends what you care about and recommend by adding Pages to your personal profile. When you become a fan of (now referred to as "Like") a Page, that information is posted on your wall for friends to see. Pages are indexed by external search engines such as Google, just like a public profile, while Groups are not.
Groups are meant to foster discussion around a particular topic or cause, and are designed for more personal interaction than are Pages. The key feature behind Groups is the ability to make them "invite only" or limited to specific networks. Administrators can set up Groups to be open to anyone, closed (where users must get administrator approval to join), or secret (invite only). For example, there could be a Group for alumni that is open only to a particular university network. Because of these privacy settings, Groups are similar to clubs in the offline world. Administrators can invite members to join via Facebook mail and e-mail, and open groups can be found via the Facebook search page. Sites Of The Month – Great Sites To Check Out In June
Prevent Medication Misuse
www.medhelp.org – Prescription and over-the-counter drugs can cure or reduce the effects of many medical problems, but can also be harmful if misused. The Drug Interaction Checker helps you avoid dangerous drug interactions. When you enter the names of drugs you take, the Checker lists severe, moderate, and minor interactions that are possible when they are mixed, or used with certain foods or other substances (like tobacco). Just remember this site is not a substitute for medical advice, so consult with your healthcare provider for more information. Top Burger Recipes www.epicurious.com – Summer is here and that means it's time to fire up the grill. Everyone loves a great burger, and this site will help you find the perfect one for you! The 21 top-rated burger recipes from Epicurious include tempting toppings, succulent sauces, and a nice variety of meat and veggie options. Check out all of the tantalizing recipes, complete with mouth-watering photos. Festival Finder www.festivals.com – Do your summer plans include attending fun festivals and events? This site provides an easy way to find out about them in cities and towns throughout the U.S. Enter your zip code to learn about events nearby, or browse the music, sport, holiday, historical, and food and beverage events to find others worth a trip. Each listing offers information about the event and a link to further details. Rock Solid Fun www.rocksolidarcade.com – If you're looking for a quick, fun diversion from work, or something to do on a rainy day, the Rock Solid Arcade game site is the place to be. Test your skills as a fighter pilot, eliminate hostile forces in a mining facility, or align the planets in a virtual cosmos. Easy Home Design www.homestyler.com – Redecorating just got easier with the powerful (and free!) home design application from Autodesk Homestyler. Quickly lay out rooms, size floor plans, and add details like doors, windows, and furnishings with the simple interface. You can design from scratch, or use existing gallery designs for kitchens, bathrooms, offices, bedrooms, and even landscapes. Experiment with different designs, colors, and products, and save your designs to show friends, vendors, or contractors. Short Tutorial – Creating Folders To Organize Your Favorites/Bookmarks In our last issue, we covered the steps for renaming your Favorites/Bookmarks to give them shorter, more meaningful names. We're continuing with the same general theme for this tutorial by explaining how to create folders to better organize your Favorites/Bookmarks. Folders enable you to more quickly and easily find the webpages you're looking for, and they can be created by following the steps below.
Creating Folders to Organize Your Favorites/Bookmarks Using ... Internet Browser: Firefox 3.5 Operating System: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Mac OS X
Internet Browser: Safari 4.0 Operating System: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Mac OS X
Internet Browser: Internet Explorer 8 Operating System: Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7
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Thanks for your business! See you next month Your friends at Mosaic Telecom chitel@mosaictelecom.net  Tech Support: Call Toll Free 1-800-306-9498 or email help@mosaictelecom.net Mosaic Telecom 401 S. 1st Street P.O. Box 664 Cameron, WI 54822 715-458-5400 1-800-924-3405 Trademarks: All brand names and product names used in this eNewsletter are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. |