*** ANSWERMAN INTERNET EXTRA *** For the week of September 16, 1996 This is a weekly newsletter for the community of Internet users on America Online. It is brought to you by AnswerMan, AOL's area for those learning to use the Internet. Come see what's new at keyword ANSWERMAN. *School's in session! This week's Focus is Web sites for Kids.* =*=*= IN THIS ISSUE =*=*= AnswerMan's Update -- Kids on the Internet Purple's Picks -- Sites for Kids Upcoming Weekly Focus & Chats -- What's on Tap in AnswerMan? The End -- How to contact us or unsubscribe =*=*= WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK WITH ANSWERMAN =*=*= Go to keyword: For: ANSWERMAN Tip of the Day, Internet Q&A message board, more AM FOCUS Visit this week's focus sites: *Web sites for kids* AM CHAT Read transcripts of Internet chats that you missed NET HELP For even more Internet help =*=*= ANSWERMAN'S UPDATE -- Kids on the Internet =*=*= This week's focus is kids on the Internet. There is so much great stuff for children on the Internet, like the White House for Kids (at http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/kids/html/home.html)...and great stuff BY kids (try Maddy Mayhem's Kid's Stuff, at http://wchat.on.ca/merlene/kid.htm). If you've got a kid (or grandkid) I highly suggest that you sit down with him or her and let 'em rip around the Web for a while. There's been a lot of talk in the mass media lately about stuff on the Net that's not suitable for children. If you're worried that you child is going to find dirty pictures, or helpful tips on how to make a bomb, well, yes, that stuff is out there. The Internet is a microcosm of the real world: it's safe to say that all facets of human experience and ideas are expressed somewhere on the Internet. The world is not an entirely safe place for your kids, and neither is the Internet. But you can't keep a child isolated from the world, and you shouldn't keep them isolated from the Net. The good stuff outweighs the bad, and with some guidance on your part -- the same guidance that keeps your kid from watching every last thing that's on cable TV, the Internet can be a wonderful way for kids to learn and have fun. So sit down with your kids, make the Net a family learning experience...You may even learn something from them :) =*=*= PURPLE'S PICKS -- Sites for Kids =*=*= by Sarah Nehrer (CJ Purple) Hi again everyone! This weeks's Weekly Focus topic is Kids. How appropriate since I'm about to add another one of those to my family in about 6 weeks. :-) So let's take a look at some helpful and interesting places to go on the Web for kids. First stop is Yahooligans, the kids' answer to Yahoo (http://www.Yahooligans.com). This is a searchable and browsable index of Internet sites specifically designed to be used by kids ages 8 to 14. According to the organizers of the site, Yahooligans rejects any sites from its database that are "sleazy, slimy, snarly, paranoid, hateful, hideous, harmful, pornographic or prejudiced." They also ask for help from their users to let them know of any sites that are in the database that have become inappropriate and should be moved to the Reject List. Next is Uncle Bob's Kids Page (http://miso.wwa.com/~boba/kids.html). This site has many links to Internet sites of interest to kids. Categories include Outer Space, Peanuts, Star Trek, Stories and Literature, References, Disney, Kids' Newsgroups, TV and Movies, Recreation, Museums and more. I couldn't find any information on how these sites are chosen and if they are screened in any way for inappropriate material, so a word of caution to parents to browse these sites with your kids at first, if you are concerned. KID List (http://www.clark.net/pub/journalism/kid.html) has 116 links to "sites worldwide that kids and their parents might enjoy." Many of these appear to be other pages of kid-oriented lists of links. There are no links, by the author's admission, to religious, political or commercial pages. Fi://plaza.interport.net/kids_space/), the International Kids' Space. This site posts works and messages from kids from around the world in the following categories: Creative Works (pictures, stories and music); Message Posting (pen pals, e-mail pals and message boards); Link Pages by Kids and for Kids; and School Project Pages (works from member schools and classes). In addition, there is a set of help pages for kids and families which includes a dictionary and browser help files, as well as information for parents and teachers. Remember, contact me at cjpurple@aol.com with any questions or comments. I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all our Jewish readers a Happy and Healthy New Year! See you next week! =*=*= THE WEEKLY FOCUS & CHAT =*=*= Every week, AnswerMan focuses on a particular facet of using the Internet. Here's what's going on this week and what's coming up. Sept 9 - Sept 15: Weekly Focus is Finding People in the Net Live chat on Sunday, September 15, 6PM ET: Sure, there are a slew of great resources for your kids on the Internet! But there is also garbage on the Net that you definitely don't want them to see! Despite this, you don't have to deprive your kids of the wonders of the Net. This hour, AnswerMan will give tips on keeping your child safe online, and will take questions and address concerns from parents. Go to keyword AM CHAT to be there. Sept 23 - Sept 29: Weekly Focus is Employment - finding a job on the Web =*=*= THE END =*=*= That's all for this week. Got comments about this newsletter? We want to hear them! Send 'em to the AnswerMan. The e-mail address is "AnswerMan@aol.com". 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