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Recommended use of the Internet and Email I believe these are exciting times with massive uptake of the use of the Internet in Britain today. I believe that while there are dangers in using the Internet, we should be at the forefront of this revolution. But we still need to be careful in using the internet and email. Therefore I am recommending to both leaders and young people at Meadow Way Chapel we adhere to the following guidelines. Use of photographs on our web sites  With the development of Internet Services as a means of communication/advertising church/organisation events, care needs to be applied as to how this should be achieved without compromising the safety of children. We will only include photographs of children on our websites by seeking parental permission first. We will avoid individual photographs of children and encourage group shots. We will not identify any children by name, address or location. We will not give any personal e-mail / postal address, telephone numbers / fax numbers of the children. Use the Internet Never tell anyone you meet on the Internet your home address, your telephone number or any other identifying information e.g. church name or youth group name, unless your parent/carer gives you permission. Never send anyone your picture, credit card or bank details, or anything else, without first checking with your parent/carer. Never give your password to ANYONE! (Even your best friend!). Never arrange to meet anyone in person without first agreeing it with your parent/carer or children's/youth leader, and get them to come along to the first meeting, which should always be in a public place. Never stay in a chat room or conference if someone says or writes something which makes you feel uncomfortable or worried, and always report your concerns to your parent/carer or children's/youth leader. Check that any chat room you enter is regulated and run by a reputable company or organisation which monitors activity. Remember that Chat Rooms are 'public places' and that you may not know the true identity of anyone you meet in a chat room. Never respond to nasty, suggestive or rude e-mails or postings in Usernet Groups. Always be yourself and do not pretend to be anyone or anything you are not. Always remember if someone makes you an offer that seems too good to be true, it probably is. Use of email Did you know that there are more emails now than traditional post? In January 2002, 550 million emails were sent or received in Britain (according to research company NetValue and reported in .Net magazine). That means nearly 13 million in Britain regularly use emails. When receiving emails, delete attachments from strangers without opening them. They may contain viruses that can damage your computer. Make sure you know where files are from before you download them. They may also have viruses. Never send chain letters via the Internet  If you receive a chain letter saying that you will receive luck only if you past it on. Just delete it without passing it on. Trust me Microsoft are not that rich that they want to give you money for passing an email on. Remember that it is too easy to put something in an email that you did not want to say, especially if you're using humour. Often emails are written in a hurry. So don't jump to conclusions and check first. Remember you don't have voice tones or body language to help you understand what your email is trying to say. Currently the best practise in receiving junk mail (spam) is to ignore them and just delete them. You can set up filters in most email software like Outlook express to delete on download. It is not recommended to reply back to the email address given. Some ISP's are now blocking emails from known spam sources like hotmail. Please don't be naïve and believe everything sent you even from a good friend. Most hoax warnings are hoaxes them selves. One's like "needles". Check first with antivirus companies before passing the warnings on. Symantec (Norton) McAfee Buy a good antivirus software package and keep it up-to-date. These packages are not that expensive and it's worth getting a good one. Packages from Symantec (Norton) and McAfee are recommended by many pc magazines. Keep yourself informed and sign up to receive newsletters from antivirus companies warning about viruses. Symantec (Norton) newsletter McAfee newsletter Consider also purchasing a good firewall package again from Symantec or McAfee. This is very important if you have a broadband connection which is always on. Note! Any emails on this web site will be hidden from spam roborts. George Herbert