FamilyWatchDog Sites Offer Online Protection

As a parent, I like the idea of educating the consumer to the threats they may face. I am all for empowering parents to protect their children any way they can! Familywatchdog.com is a family owned business that was first conceived in 2004 to address the issue of threats the Internet poses and personal computer safety. While the Internet holds many opportunities for socializing and gathering information it holds just as many opportunities for harm. Family Watch Dog bills itself as having "Over 30 years experience in computer software development, hardware diagnosis and repair, and user training." They provide information and services geared towards keeping your family, and your computer, safe while surfing the Internet.

When I was looking for a new home about a year ago I used an internet site that gave out sex offender information for free at http://www.familywatchdog.us. It was a great tool that I referred to frequently during my search for a home. I finally settled on a house that had very few offenders in the area. I was pleased to find that none were located anywhere near the route my son would have to take when he walked home from school!

I wish I had known about these types of sex offender reporting sites years ago when my children were much smaller, and we lived in New York. I found out from a neighbor that a repeat sex offender was living right next door to us and our five year old daughter! We had recently moved in and thought we had just found a reasonably priced apartment, when in fact the owner knew the offender owned the house next door. Once people with children found out about it they usually broke their leases and left - so he made the rent low to entice them to stay. Needless to say we left the next month! if I had only known about the sex offender reporting site I would have saved a great deal of hassle!

Familywatchdog.com offers several types of assistance, including their own version of sex offender registry information:

Information

An index of information on their main page offers detailed information on several important topics including:

Viruses, Trojans and Worms - with information on viruses and a link to free virus software.

Spyware and Adware - with information on adware and a link to adware combating software.

Network Attacks - with information on Windows software and firewalls.

Software Updates - with information on software patches and how to download them safely.

Illicit Material - with information on how to control what your kids see on-line and links to parental control and filtering software.

Sexual Predators and On-line Safety - with more information about on-line safety and another link to the National Alert Registry for sex offenders.

Forum - Plans are underway for a forum where members can interact and share stories and helpful information. They are currently looking for anyone with a history in safety or Internet security to volunteer to moderate their forums. Shoot them and email if you are qualified and interested!

Services

A link is provided on their main page which will take you to sex offender registry called "National Alert Registry." For about $5 a month you can get detailed, updated reports about the sex offenders that live in close proximity to your home.

In the final analysis, I think that once this site gets its forums up and running it will be a very valuable resource to parents!