Tips to Keep Youth Safe Online

The internet can be an amazing tool. We use it every day like second nature. Need a good chili recipe? Google… Need to know a synonym for “hyperbole”…Google. Need a funny cat picture to brighten your day…Google. It’s truly a new world where everything you want to learn about is a keystroke away. But what about our kids? Adults know all too easy how dangerous the internet can be. Google a misspelled word in an image search and there’s no telling what’s going to pop up on your screen before you can cover your eyes. Or how do we know that player number 2 named “TimmyLovesLegos” on your son’s online game is really a 9 year old little boy?

Right now is an amazing time to be alive but it can also be a scary time if we, as parents and grandparents, don’t know how to guide our children in a world that’s going deeper and deeper digital. I’ve pulled together some great tips to help us keep our youth safe online but this is only scratching the surface so I’ve included a few informative links:

https://kidshealth.org/                 http://www.safekids.com            https://www.safesearchkids.com/

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1. Have an open conversation with your kids about safe browsing and computer use. With freedom comes responsibility.
2. Tell your child/grandchild to never reveal personal information, such as address, phone number, or school name or location. Use only a screen name. Never agree to meet anyone from a chat room or social media site in person.
3. Do not replace parental or teacher supervision of computer use at home or at school with our safe search engine or any
   
   other. No search filtering software or tool is perfect.
4. Do not allow internet use after you’ve gone to bed at night no matter how good your computer security software is or how confident you are in kids search engines.
5. Share an email or social media account with your child so you can monitor messages.
6. Spend time online together to teach your kids appropriate online behavior.
7. Forbid your child from entering private forums; block them with safety features provided by your Internet service provider or with special filtering software. Be aware that posting messages to forums reveals a user's email address to others.
8. Take your child seriously if he or she reports an uncomfortable online exchange.

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The internet has been a boon and a curse for teenagers. ~J. K. Rowling

Thank you,

Wenona Mertens

Keep That Grumbling Tummy Quiet Without Ruining Your Diet.

Oh the joy of having a desk job. Long hours sitting and sitting, having to squeeze in a bathroom run between rings of the phone, and that rumbling in your belly around 2 p.m. every day. Well, I can’t help you much with the first two problems but I do have a few ideas for you to keep that grumbling tummy quite without ruining your diet. Here’s the websites if you’d like a few more ideas:

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/          https://www.self.com/                http://www.snacknation.com/

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1. Seeds: Seeds are a source of protein, and they’re easy to store, quiet, and not messy.

2.     Plain Oatmeal Packets: Oatmeal isn’t just for breakfast—stash it in your drawer for a hearty snack, too. Packets of instant, plain oatmeal microwaved with water in a mug and sprinkled with cinnamon is a great cold-weather snack when you want something warm and filling. Just make sure you choose an unflavored option, as many others are loaded with extra sugars.

3. Dark Chocolate: Yup, the sweet stuff can be a healthy snack—as long as it’s 72 percent dark. Studies have shown it has numerous health benefits, including boosting your mood and lowering blood pressure. To avoid the temptation of overindulging, put one square in a Ziploc bag before you take it to work.
4. Popcorn: Whether it’s the pre-popped variety or a fancy recipe you plan on whipping up yourself, “popcorn is such a great snack,” says Kirkpatrick. A 3 ½ cup serving checks in at less than 100 calories, which gives you a lot to nibble on when you’re on deadline and need something to mindlessly munch on.
5. Dried Fruit: Crispy Green makes pre-portioned servings of seven varieties of freeze-dried fruit and is an excellent snack when you’re on the move, says Pappas. “The only ingredient is the fruit itself,” she says. “It’s almost like a fruit chip, and they’re really light and portable. 

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Thank you,

Wenona Mertens

Ways to Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft

With the growing number of identity theft claims hitting closer and closer to home I thought this would be a great time to cover some ways to protect yourself. There’s a lot of great tips on these links if you’d like to take a look but here’s some of the better ones:

https://www.theguardian.com/          http://www.computersecurity.com/ 

https://www.forbes.com/

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1. Protect your social security number. Don’t carry your social security card in your wallet or purse. If your social security number is listed on your driver’s license, health insurance card, checkbook, etc. request to have it reissued.
2. Use different passwords on different sites. Setting a unique password is important. Most people choose their passwords from a very small list of common passwords.     In fact, sampling suggests that 91% of all user passwords appear in the list of the top 1,000 most common passwords. 
3. Never click on a link you did not expect to receive. The golden rule. The main way criminals infect PCs with malware is by luring users to click on a link or open an attachment.
4. If in doubt, block. Just say no to social media invitations (such as Facebook-friend or LinkedIn connection requests) from people you don't know. It's the cyber equivalent of inviting the twitchy guy who looks at you at the bus stop into your home.
5. Enable two-step verification. If your email or cloud service offers it – Gmail, Dropbox,
   
   Apple and Facebook do – take the trouble to set this up. In addition to entering your password, you are also asked to enter a verification code sent via SMS to your phone. In the case of Gmail you only have to enter a fresh code every 30 days or when you log on from a different computer or device. So a hacker might crack your password, but without the unique and temporary verification code should not be able to access your account.
6. Use firewall, virus, and spyware protection. Update it regularly to keep your computer safe from “uninvited guests”.

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Thank you,

Wenona Mertens

April C2 Employee Spotlight

Wes has been a part of C2 Freight since December 2015. When he's not working to cover loads you can find him turkey and deer hunting or fishing for crappie. Wes also spends a lot of his time cow farming and in the gym where his standing bench press record from "back in the day" is 600 lbs.

Wes also recently returned from a trip visiting many of our customers. If you happen to be one of the customers who's met or spoken with him we're sure you'll agree that Wes is a valuable resource at C2 Freight.