Internet Filters
An Interesting Article on the Internet
Filters
Filters can be set to block pornographic sites or to allow access only to specified sites.
Cybersitter, www.cybersitter.com, and CyberPatrol,
www.cyberpatrol.com, both offer effective well-functioning filters.
A filter can be supplemented with an accountability program like
www.covenanteyes.com.
Avoiding ads
Webwasher, www.webwasher.com, is free and effectively blocks out ads, though it occasionally causes quirks with your
Internet program.
Many free mail providers like Hotmail or Mail.com pay for their service by displaying sometimes-objectionable ads. If you want to continue to use these accounts but not see the ads, you can view your e-mail with an e-mail program like Outlook. Most free mail providers are set up so that you can view your messages in Outlook and still be able to see them from other computers (on campus, at work, etc.)
Avoiding spam
Spam emails are unsolicited e-mails. E-mail providers block out some spam, but not all; paid providers block more effectively than free e-mail providers. One useful way to cut down on spam is to get a free “throw-away” e-mail address that you give out to untrusted
sources (free software downloads, email lists, etc.), and only give out your
main email address to trusted sources. Another way to cut down spam is to use
the “junk senders” feature that most e-mail providers offer (there is also a
version of this in Outlook). When spam emails come in, you mark them as “junk.” Then any other e-mails from that sender automatically get sent to a junk folder when they come in.
Avoiding images in spam e-mails
Sometimes spam is unavoidable. One nice feature about Outlook is that you can “AutoPreview” the contents of a message without seeing any images. This is different than the “Preview Pane” (which does allow you to see images). To turn off the Preview Pane in Outlook, go to the “View” menu and deselect the Preview Pane. Then, whenever you get a message that you are unsure about, you can go to the View menu and select AutoPreview. This allows you to see the first three lines of your emails without seeing images.