At Nickarcade.Com/dojo: Master SpongeBob's Game-Fu Dojo Sweepstakes

Master SpongeBob's Game-Fu Dojo is an exciting new sweepstakes at www.nickarcade.com/dojo.

The contest starts June 2, 2008 and ends August 1^st, 2008 with a grand prize of 42" LCD TV, a video game system, gaming chair, and three video games. 100 first place winners will each receive one video game download from the Nick Arcade website..

Nick Arcade offers six fantastic games for download, each with a free trial, for download for as little as $6.99. The games offered Monopoly - SpongeBob SquarePants Edition, SpongeBob SquarePants Diner Dash 1 and 2, Obstacle Odyssey 2, SpongeBob Atlantis SquareOff, and SpongeBob SquarePants Bubble Rush.

To enter the sweepstakes, each user must visit nickarcade.com/dojo and click on one of the six game bubbles to download a trial of a Nick Arcade game. To download, the user must complete a registration which also acts as the entry into the sweepstakes (you can also just enter the sweepstakes without downloading by selecting "Sweeps entry only" after clicking a game bubble). The sweepstakes is open to anyone at least 7 years old, and those under 13 must provide their parent's email address on the registration in order to download a trail game and enter the sweepstakes.

Sites like Nick Arcade appeal to young children, and as this contest is open to anyone over the age of 7, it's meant to attract young children and collect information from them. Nickelodeon is a reputable site, and you child's information should be safe. However, having your child give out personal information on the Internet is a concern for any parent.

Here are five things you can do to keep your child safe while they use the Internet.

Use your Computer's Operating System's Parental Controls

Both Microsoft and Apple's operating systems have controls to allow parents to limit what their children can do on the computer. Limits include blocking sites and blocking or limiting what can be downloaded or installed. To learn more about the controls available on your computer's operating system, go to the system's help area and search "parental controls."

Decide what Sites your Child Can and Can't Visit on the Internet

There are many software programs such as CyberPatrol and NetNanny which you can install on your computer that will block a list of preloaded sites (and the lists are updated when connected to the Internet). Sites typically blocked include adult, gambling, and sites with questionable content. The filtering software can be disabled with a password if an adult using the computer wishes to visit one of the blocked sites. Additional sites to block can easily be added and users with the software's password can delete sites from the preloaded list.

Keep Track of What Sites your Child has Visited

Keeping tabs on your child's website usage can be achieved by looking at the browsing history in the web browser on your computer. Simply click the "history" button on the browser's toolbar to see a list of URLs visited, complete with date of each visit.

Block Internet Access

On simple why to ensure your child's safety is to block access to the Internet when you're not there to supervise. This can be achieved in two ways. One would be to put a password on the computer to block access to the entire computer. If you want to allow you child access to the computer, but not the Internet, and you're using a router, you can usually set up a password on the router to only allow the Internet connection to be active when the password is entered. Refer to the instruction manual that came with the router for more information.

Talk to you Children about Internet Safety

Talking to your child about Internet safety may seem logical, yet a lot of parents don't do it. Remind your child that not everyone they encounter on the Internet will be telling the truth about their age or intentions. Remind your child to never give out personal information such as their name or address without your permission.