The Bulletin -- Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008 (968)
Program:
Chad Shelmidine (NYS Attorney General’s Office) — Internet Safety.
What Kids Are Doing: The days of using computers primarily to type papers and do a little research are long over. Shelmidine said kids, as young as 6 and 7, are as adept at “surfing the web” as many adults. What are they doing when sitting in front of their laptops and I-Phones for hours on end? They’re blogging, social networking, checking email, surfing the web and participating in a host of other on-line activities.
Not all of it is bad. Being internet savvy has its benefits. Shelmidine said it encourages communication and writing skills, fosters creativity, and helps kids develop their personal identity. They learn to express themselves and use social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace to keep in touch with friends and family.
However, be aware that many children don’t understand the risks associated with putting a substantial amount of personal information about themselves on the web. Shelmidine showed an example of one young person’s Facebook page that included not just information about her interests and hobbies, but her hometown, address and phone number. Supervision and guidance are critical safety measures.
Chat Rooms and Instant Messaging are the most popular forms of communication. Through chat rooms multiple users communicate at the same time. However, chat rooms allow people to view the conversation but not participate directly. This in turn opens the door to predators using these rooms to cultivate relationships then draw children into private conversations through Instant Messaging.
Web Cameras are built in or connected to computers and give kids the ability to upload and post videos of themselves to sites like Facebook, Myspace or YouTube. File sharing programs allow people to also share music for free which is illegal.
Signs to watch out for include a child being obsessive about getting on-line or angry if they can’t be on-line. When you walk into the room, watch for your child to minimize screens. Other signs that children may be solicited by adults through the Internet include children receiving gifts from unknown sources, incoming or outgoing calls by children with unfamiliar people and withdrawing from friends or family.
The best thing parents can do is know what sites their kids are visiting, what they are downloading and ask in advance how long they plan to be online. Shelmidine recommends putting the family computer in a common place and utilizing Internet safety resources available to everyone.
Golden Rule: You are your child’s Internet service provider. You need to set the limits as to when, where, and how your children use the internet.
Rule Two: What goes on line, stays on line. Items that are removed such as pictures and blog entries can be retrieved for years to follow.
A Few Online Resources:
Q: PBS showed girls as young as 13 wanting to portray themselves as adults. Can you speak to this?
A: They simply don’t think of the long-term consequences. It can come back to haunt them as they apply for jobs or try to get into college.
Q: Is there a way that you can block your children from going to certain sites?
A: Yes, you can block chat rooms and individual sites.
Q: What do you do if you know of an adult who may be suspicious?
A: You can submit complaints to the police department and they will follow up.
Q: Offenders have to register their online names voluntarily. But say you have someone who has done their time, and is back in the community. How is it possible to enforce the registration when they can create anonymous usernames and identities?
A: It is difficult to enforce, but the repercussions are serious if offenders violate the registration laws.
NEW MEMBER PROPOSAL
The following has been proposed by our Membership Committee and our Board of Directors. If there are no objections registered with the Club Secretary or President within 10 days, they will be asked to join our club:
Name: Ronna Bosko
Business: SUNY Plattsburgh
Position: Alumni Affairs
Classification Alumni Administration
Membership: Active
Previous Rotary Membership: N/A
Proposed by: Jody Carpenter
Name: Sybil Kiroy
Business: Community Bank
Position: Branch Manager
Classification: Banking Management
Membership: Active
Previous Rotary Membership: N/A
Proposed by: Paul Connelly
Name: Roger Ahrens
Business: CVPH Foundation
Position: Executive Director
Classification: Foundation Fundraising
Membership: Active
Previous Rotary Membership: N/A
Proposed by: Jon Cooper
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Announcements
- Keith Tyo is sending emails with the link to the weekly Bulletin. If you are not getting the email, please contact Keith with your new address so he can add you to the distribution list.
- The new Rotary Club Membership Book is out! Thank you Marsha Cook, Bobby Cook and Barbara Straw for all your hard work. If you have not received a copy, please see Barb.
- Jon Cooper met with club bankers and announced a pledge to raise $3000 for the food shelf. How? For every dollar raised, the bankers within the club will match it with $2. The club needs only to raise $700. Add to it the anonymous $300 donation and the banker’s contribution and we will meet this goal!
- Jack Prim has two Rotary brochures that club members can use to recruit new members. The information is also available through a link on the website www.plattsburghrotary.org
- President Steve announced that Corn Forrence will be taking over Rose Anderson’s position on the Board.
- Kristen Shrives brought back a rotary flag from West Texas!
- Nov 26th and Dec 3rd are the collections for the Christmas Bureau, Salvation Army and the Nursing Homes. Please help those in need this holiday season.
Guests: Ronna Bosko (Jody Carpenter); Roger Ahrens (Jon Cooper); Sybil Kiroy (Paul Connelly)
Happy Thoughts:
- Jack Dee is excited to announce that his table just collected $250 toward the challenge.
- Kevin Killeen announced that the YMCA is sponsoring free memberships for families of deployed military members while they are gone.
- Ellen Buchard is happy to join in on the food challenge on behalf of NBT Bank. Paul Sands’ table raised $250!
- Jack Dee made a final announcement regarding the food shelf challenge. In less than one hour, our incredibly generous Rotary Club raised $871—surpassing the $700 goal that was needed. WOW! Thank you to everyone who contributed to the effort.
50/50: The pot today was $1848, and Alice Recore drew the Jack of Diamonds.
Another candle burning for:
Upcoming Programs
Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008
- Program/Speaker -- Frank Christopher (Mountain Lakes PBS). Topic -- Creation of PBS special on Samuel de Champlain.
- Greeters -- Faith Long & Charles Paepke
- Hospitality -- Bob Parks
- Blessing -- Stan Ransom
- Introductions -- Bob Perkins
- Program Intro. --
- Thank Speaker --
- New Mem. Talk --
- Seasoned Mem. --
- Food Shelf --
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Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008
- Program/Speaker -- Janet Duprey and Teresa Sayward (N.Y.S. Assemblywomen). Topic -- What's going on in Albany
- Greeters -- John Prim and Allen Racine, Jr.
- Hospitality -- Colin Read
- Blessing --
- Introductions -- Alice Recore
- Program Intro. -- Keith Tyo
- Thank Speaker -- Nicholas Pope
- New Mem. Talk -- Brian Tuthill
- Seasoned Mem. --
- Food Shelf --
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Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008
- Program/Speaker -- Annual Meeting, Steven Frederick
- Greeters -- Bill Rowe & Joann Rushford-Gowett
- Hospitality -- Leona Salzman
- Blessing -- Bonnie Black
- Introductions -- Paul Sands
- Program Intro. --
- Thank Speaker --
- New Mem. Talk --
- Seasoned Mem. -- Driss Hassam
- Food Shelf --
