Track Internet Usage: Because you want to protect your loved ones

Published on October 4, 2011 by Refa Koetin No comments
pc-pandora

Hey, its Raphael here. Thank you for stopping by my blog. If you want to know how you can protect your family by using a user-friendly software to track Internet usage or prevent Internet abuse in your office by tracking employee Internet usage, you’ve come to the right place. (Note that this isn’t the place to purchase the product in question. Click here to find out more about PC Pandora)

Out of my own personal experience, I can honestly tell you that I have been using PC Pandora for those two purposes and that I am fully satisfied with the results of using this simple and easy to use web monitoring software.

Why do you need a program to track Internet usage?

My previous posts explained why it is important to have some sort of supervisory means over Internet activity in your household. Now, as a professional translator, I have came across many information (perhaps too many) about cyber crimes and hot these cyber criminals mostly targets gullible, young kids.

I was already paranoid when I realized that my own 8-year-old daughter was very vulnerable to these threats. Refer to my previous post for more about my first-hand experience in dealing with a cyber threat. Ultimately, that’s when I decided to learn how to track Internet usage.In order to keep my loved ones protected from the threat of many Internet crimes, I used a very convenient program called PC Pandora.

This was about a year ago. Since then, I realized that the same program I used can also be utilized to enhance my small business. You see, full Internet access can be a huge distraction when used during office hours. When I started using PC Pandora to monitor Internet usage in the office, my translation company’s performance greatly improved.

So what does PC Pandora really do?

Basically, PC Pandora tracks and records every e-mail and instant chatting messages both incoming and outgoing, websites visited, keystrokes entered, files downloaded (including from P2P sites like btjunkie etc.), webcam snapshots, programs ran or installed, and everything in between. It can also take snapshots of the current computer screen. In addition, it enables you to block certain websites or programs that you think is not necessary or presents a threat.

You can make use of all these useful features without even touching the computer in question. Yes, PC Pandora allows you to monitor Internet usage from any PC terminal wherever you are, as long as you have an Internet connection. Believe me, these are some very useful features to have if you really care about your loved ones’ safety on the net.

PC Pandora: “The Pros” of this web monitoring software

Like everything else, PC Pandora have some pros and cons, and here are the pros according to my own experience:

    • Easy to Use: This Internet usage tracking software is a consumer’s product, and is extremely easy to learn. You don’t have to be an IT developer, you don’t have a rocket scientist or anything. (Hell, look at me! My daughter knows more about my iPad 2 than myself. I’m serious). The provided User’s Manual shows you everything about how to check Internet usage, block programs, monitor email transmissions and everything you need to know about how to track Internet usage in a very concise and helpful manner.
    • Subtle: There are two modes available to choose from during installation: Stealth Mode and Visible Mode. In stealth mode, PC Pandora will give out no visible indication that it is present, running, or recording activity on the target computer.
    • Secure: PC Pandora’s menu can be accessed after you enter your password into a password prompter box that will only appear after you enter a key combination. For example: I used to set Left Shift + Backspace + F5 to get the ‘enter  password’ box to appear. Totally random and there’s no chance of anyone accessing the password popup window by accident. This feature will keep others from viewing and deleting recorded data. The power is in your hands and yours alone!

PC Pandora: “The Cons” of this Internet usage tracking software

    • Individual privacy issues: Yes, unfortunately, this is what we have to deal with when using any kind of Internet usage tracking software. Some employee does not like to be pried upon, even when they’re doing things on the company’s time, using the company’s resources.

However, I dealt with this by creating an Internet usage policy and letting them know that their Internet activity may be monitored. This especially helps improve my company’s performance and somewhat motivates my employees to focus on getting their job done during office hours. Of course, I allow some free Internet time during lunch time and after hours, and I’m not very fond of sticking my nose into other people’s business, so I normally only monitor their Internet use only if I see hints of problems.

Overall, what do I think?

I honestly believe that purchasing a program to track Internet usage such as PC Pandora is one of the best decisions I’ve made in my professional as well as personal life. It helped me increase the performance of my small business, but most importantly, it kept my family safe from countless number of threats looming around the Internet. I seriously recommend using a web monitoring software like PC Pandora if you happen to be experiencing similar problems. Click here to check out PC Pandora now.

As my final words, I hope my blog has been useful to you.

Sincerely,

Raphael

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Tracking employee Internet usage: Tips on how to prevent Internet misuse

Published on October 4, 2011 by Refa Koetin No comments

It is just as important to track employee internet usage!

Yes, that’s right. The same theory applies to tracking employee internet usage at work, only this time, I would be more concerned in the negative effects Internet abuse have towards the performance of my business.

Here are some useful tips on how to prevent your employees from abusing the Internet (if you haven’t used  a web monitoring software):

Create an Internet Usage Policy

If your employees regularly use computers with internet access, you need to have a formal policy in place. This policy should be in writing and clearly state how much (if any) personal internet time is allowed. Finally, be sure to ask all of your employees to sign the policy so that everyone has a clear understanding of the rules.

Remind Violators of the Policy

An internet usage policy can help employees understand the rules as well as what is expected from them, but it does not guarantee a problem-free environment. If you suspect (or know) that someone is violating the usage policy, you need to take steps to remedy the situation. You could try sending a company-wide email or a direct email to the individual that includes a gentle reminder about the policy. You could also try a verbal reminder or reprimand. If you think you will have repeat problems with the employee, it may be smart to put the reminder in writing so that you have documentation to support a later write-up or firing.

Allow Some Internet Time

Although it is not good to allow your employees to abuse their internet privileges, you do want to make sure that you allow some internet time. A lot of everyday business is now conducted online. An employee may need to pay a bill, take care of an email, or take care of some other personal task on the internet during work hours. Around the holidays, you should also expect people to want to use the internet for online shopping. If you allow for some internet usage–perhaps on lunch or during other breaks–you can easily cut down on abuse, resentment, sneaking around, and other issues that might arise if the internet is banned altogether.

On more than one occasions, I actually caught my employees watching YouTube or chatting online during office hours. Now that can’t be a productive use of company time, can it? I know a lot more is probably going on behind my back, which is why I looked for a way to monitor Internet usage at the office. A certain software to track internet usage came to mind.

Just a while ago I decided to implement an internet usage policy for my employees, detailing that any Internet abuse activity will be penalized. In order to actually enforce the policy, I did actually purchase and learned (it was very easy though) how to use a certain web monitoring software.

The result? Let’s just say I’ve made a couple of staffing reconstruction and ultimately, the performance of my company gradually improved. Seriously, you’d be surprised at the things some people do in the Internet. Mostly I couldn’t care less about what people do with their own free time, (hell, I let my employees do whatever they want during lunch time or after hours) but if they did it on the company’s time, that’s a whole different story! Am I right or am I right here?

 

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Several important tips to protect your children from Internet harm

Published on October 1, 2011 by Refa Koetin No comments

Its quite impossible to track internet usage at all times, but responsible parents must apply at least a certain amount of internet usage monitoring in order to keep their families safe.

Some time ago, my daughter came up to me and asked about how to get to a certain park that she’s never been before. When I asked why she had to go there, she told me a “friend” she met in the Internet invited her to ‘swap gifts’ (whatever that means). The park in question, by the way, was quite a ways from where we live and was located in a questionable neighborhood. Needless to say, I disallowed her from going. This is one of the reasons I decided to monitor our internet usage ever since.

Now, how can we track internet usage? Or is there maybe a way to help keep your loved one safe without using a software to track internet usage?

It is almost impossible to live without the Internet nowadays, but you can still be safe even if you allow your teenage children full access to the Internet. Here are a few tips I’ve found to be very useful regarding keeping your family safe from those Internet abusers out there:

  • Communicate, and talk to your child about sexual victimization and potential on-line danger.
  • Spend time with your children on-line. Have them teach you about their favorite on-line destinations.
  • Utilize parental controls by using software to track internet usage or any kind of web monitoring software you. While electronic chat can be a great place for children to make new friends and discuss various topics of interest, it is also prowled by computer-sex offenders. Use of chat rooms, in particular, should be heavily monitored. While parents should utilize these mechanisms, they should not totally rely on them.
  • Teach your child the responsible use of the resources on-line. There is much more to the on-line experience than chat rooms.
  • Find out what computer safeguards are utilized by your child’s school, the public library, and at the homes of your child’s friends. These are all places, outside your normal supervision, where your child could encounter an on-line predator.
  • Instruct your children:
      • to never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they met on- line;
      • to never upload (post) pictures of themselves onto the Internet or on-line service to people they do not personally know;
      • to never give out identifying information such as their name, home address, school name, or telephone number;
      • to never download pictures from an unknown source, as there is a good chance there could be sexually explicit images;
      • to never respond to messages or bulletin board postings that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent, or harassing;
      • that whatever they are told on-line may or may not be true.

The above article is written by the FBI in their official website. Here is the link in case you’re interested in reading the full article. Its under the sub-section “A Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety”. They have a printable version too. Really cool and helpful.

Also, by clicking here you’ll see more useful tips about Internet safety for kids and teens I’ve found and actually applied. They are really practical and I actually felt that my daughter is safer now that I’ve followed some of the advice.

So anyway, yeah, I found it to be very useful to have some type of control over internet traffic. Maybe its just me, but I feel a lot safer ever since. Hopefully you’re not having the same problem, but if you are, believe me when I say I’ve been there.

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Track Internet Usage: Why Sometimes Too Much Information is Dangerous

Published on October 1, 2011 by Refa Koetin No comments
employee internet usage

Whether in my small office or at home, I have found it to be extremely important to be able to track internet usage.

How so? There are a number of reasons. How can you be sure that your children aren’t exposed to sexual predators, internet bullies (yes, they do exist!) or scammers looking for gullible prey? How do you know that your children aren’t lured by the seduction of Internet pornography, or worse yet, fall for the tricks of detestable sexual predators disguised as a friend?

The importance of monitoring internet usage is also vital in an office environment. While we respect the privacy of our employees (as well as our children’s), there are just some things that we need to control. For example, I’m sure any employer would want to take strict actions if they know that their employees are selling out company secrets or slacking off during office hours. Do you want your employees to use up the office bandwidth limit downloading illegally-ripped movies or gigabytes worth of other content? Would you want your workers to play games while your back is turned but then pretending to work if you are around?

In this day and age, the internet provides unlimited access to endless source of information to virtually everyone. Admittedly, the Internet is one of the most revolutionary inventions known to mankind. The Internet allows for easy communication, file storage, social networking, and many other things. With responsibility and caution, one can gain vast amount of knowledge from using the Internet. However, used uncontrolled and irresponsibly, it can bring more harm than good.

In the interest of filtering out negative effects out of internet use, there is literally hundreds of software to track internet usage available. I highly recommend trying some of these software if you intent to track internet activity. Nowadays we cant be too careful, especially when it comes to looking after our loved ones and protecting them from whatever threats looming about the cyberworld.

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