IDIOTS guide to MSN .... please !!!!

[Crystaltips]

My DC's have just embarked onto MSN .... and though I am a "tekkie" I have no idea about MSN .....

please can you tell me the ups and downs ....

Is it safe for 11 and 13 year old kids >>

Thanks

me and the kids use msn all the time, i have never had a message off someone i don't know, you have the choice to recieve a message the first time someone tries to talk to you it asks u if you would like to accept or not. You need to drum into them that they don't open a conversation if they don't know who it is. If they do get a friend who starts being funny/bullying etc you can block them.

you chose who to add and who not to.

Thanks ladies - I have put the fear of god into them

The thing you have to watch with MSN is the files they can be sent to download. There are people out in the world that but bugs/viruses into files the DC will then send to each other. DC let the files with bugs/virus in on their computers as they think they are safe b/c their friend has sent it.

The last bug that I heard of was in a picture file. It was a funny picture so it soon went around friends. People did not know their computers had the bug in it until they next turned on their computers. Though some reports from some people said that they could not get the computer to shut down and has to turn it off at the wall socket. The bug was taking out drivers used to work the computer, It would keep freezing up so nothing would work. You could shut down by reset but as soon as windows loaded again and you clicked on something it would then freeze up again.

So be very careful with what you let your DC download from friends. It is a shame b/c kids just love to show each photos etc. If your virus thingy says there might be a virus in that file then don't download it.