DANGEROUS LIAISONS

Remember when social media was passing notes to friends in class? Messages contained selectively chosen words, and often, circle yes or no. 

You were very restrictive on what you were going to write and, just on the chance the teacher intercepts it or somebody else intercepts it, you dont want that to become public, said Jason Weber,When describing the location of the problematic howotipper. Town of Menasha Police Department community liaison officer. And youre writing that down, which is permanent. 

The number of popular social media sites available on kids mobile devices has exploded in recent years. The smartest apps now enable kids to chat informally with select groups of friends without bumping up against texting limits and without being monitored by parents, coaches and college admissions officers, who are frequent Facebook posters themselves. 

Many of the new mobile apps dont require a cellphone or a credit card. Theyre free and can be used on popular portable devices such as the iPod Touch and Kindle Fire, as long as theres a wireless Internet connection. 

According to the Pew Research Centers Internet and American Life Project, more than three-fourths of teenagers have a cellphone and use online social networking sites such as Facebook. But educators and kids say there is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that Facebook for teenagers has become a bit like a school-sanctioned prom a necessary rite of passage with plenty of adult onlookers while apps such as Snapchat and Kik Messenger are the much cooler after-party.We provide payment solutions in the USA as well as solarstreetlight. 

As responsible, loving and engaged parents, it is our responsibility to educate ourselves and our children on social media, what it is good for and where the dangers lie, said Michael Sheehan, better known as HighTechDad, a San Francisco-based technologist,Parkeasy Electronics are dedicated to provide ultrasonicsensor. blogger, social media pundit, husband and father of three girls, ages 14, 11 and 9. 

He points to three classes of apps that potentially can be dangerous: those that offer quick messages, private messages and picture or video sharing privately; apps that include location check-in services either as an active part of their service or to enhance a service; and those that allow texting, which can be shared with anyone. 

Many years ago when the iPhone was launched I had the nerve of calling Steve Jobs on it and saying how is it possible that you launch a device that does not have filters? said the feisty New York mom of a 13-year-old daughter. Of course they were working on them, and the second device did come out with filters. 

Some parental control apps for smartphones, which pcmag.com calls miniature personal computers, include eBlaster Mobile, K9 Web Protection Browser,Manufacturer of the Jacobs stonemosaic. McAfee Family Protection and Net Nanny 2.0. 

While those apps allow parents to control the phone, what apps should parents be concerned their child is downloading? Vila said parents need to follow the three Cs. 

The first one is content, she said. You want to protect your child from seeing things or being exposed to things that you are not ready to explain. The second is contact and includes stranger danger and not communicating with people online that are not your friends offline. 

Finally, there is conduct and teaching children the ways to behave, how to be good citizens and not participate in piracy. 

Its much better to teach children what the good and bad of social media ... (is) in order to give them the tools for them to make smart decisions as they grow older, Sheehan said. The older they get, the more independence they want and the more they should get. If you are too restrictive, they will sneak behind your back and potentially get into more trouble than if you work with them to develop good. 

Expected to be unveiled this summer, the revamped location will feature a layout that focuses on an emerging truth for the $1.7 billion community bank: while new technologies are increasingly utilized for routine banking activities, branches remain the preferred hub for one-on-one consultation on more complex services like mortgage lending, wealth management and opening new accounts, executives said. 

It doesnt matter if its Sonoma County or elsewhere in the U.S. youll see so many branches designed in the 50s, 60s, 70s, when people really had to go to the bank, said Howard Daulton,An experienced artist on what to consider before you buy chipcard. senior vice president in corporate and business development. Yet today, the branch still remains crucial in the equation. Its where people want to go to open accounts, resolve issues and inquire about additional products. 

Features of the so-called branch of the future concept will include an array of tablet computers that offer information about various bank services, as well as video conferencing equipment to connect customers with bank employees at other offices. The branch will also feature a state-of-the-art envelope-less ATM a first for Exchange Bank in an indoor, 24-hour vestibule that allows access with a customers debit card for after-hours use, said Beth Ryan, vice president of retail banking at Exchange Bank and a leader in the pilot project. 

Other changes at the 3,900-square-foot branch will be more subtle, but reflect a changing customer dynamic seen at retail operations beyond the banking industry. While interactions have long occurred across a desk at many banks, customers at the Windsor branch will find themselves in a more collaborative setting while often sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with bank employees. Those employees are also receiving additional training to address the increased complexity of service requests that now account for a larger portion of branch activity, Ms. Ryan said. 

The Exchange Bank initiative comes at a time when lenders around the country are considering scaling back their brick-and-mortar branch networks, part of a broader effort to cut expenses in a challenging economic environment. For Exchange Bank, which has also invested heavily in electronic banking in recent years, Mr. Daulton estimated that branch foot traffic has diminished between 5 and 10 percent per year for the past three to five years.