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Encouraging Heroes. You can be one too.

Have you been following the news about cyberbullying and all the bad stuff that’s been happening as a result lately? Horrible. One thing I worry about is my kids getting into trouble online and me not knowing what’s going on.

Thankfully, Tiffany from CyberPatrol contacted me this summer and offered me a review copy of their Online Protection software. I installed it in July and LOVE it. CyberPatrol Online Protection monitors both web site and instant messaging activity. It comes with a set of keywords that it will watch for, and any time those words are used, it sends me a warning e-mail. It also blocks sites that have content it deems questionable. Chat history is hard to keep up on, especially if the kids are using Facebook, where chat histories are not saved. CyberPatrol Online Protection can catch things that I would otherwise miss, and for that I’m thankful.

Online Protection allows parents to set access times and even timers on computer use for kids. I didn’t realize this feature was activated and it did take us a few weeks to figure out why the computer was suddenly offline after 9pm. Heh, heh. Once we did, problem solved!

You know how easily kids will give out their personal information without thinking about the possible dangers? I can also set the program to keep the boys from sending identifying details.

I get a weekly update via email telling me how many sites were accessed and how many were blocked. I can use the program on multiple computers, which is quite handy. The software also allows for different filtering levels for different users on the same computer. This means that I can use the machine and access information that’s locked away from the boys simply by logging in on my own instead of using their account.

There’s a girl or two that are now messaging The Mercenary and they’ve said things like “love you” and used some swear words. Went right through to me. How cool is that? I love being a nosy mom, and thanks to Cyber Patrol Online Protection, I have a better shot at being on top of things.

An annual license is 49.95 and covers 3 computers, and in my opinion is totally worth it. We’ll be renewing when our license comes up next summer.

If you don’t have anything protecting your kids online, CyberPatrol is definitely worth a look. They have a 14-day free trial offer, so you can test it risk-free.

Earnest Parenting: help for parents who want to protect children from cyberbullies.