Everyone in our family uses the computer in the living room. The kids like to listen to music, upload photos, chat, and play games. I surf, manage finances, collect recipes and entertaining ideas, research, and write. We've learned a lot from the endless hours spent recovering from various disasters on the family computer. I hope that you will benefit from our mistakes with these quick tips.
- Buy the right computer configuration for your family's needs. Family activities on the computer tend to be graphic intensive. You can't bring home the old computer from the office and expect to run all the latest gaming or multimedia software on it. For the best computer experience, don't skimp on RAM or video memory.
- Buy several great software packages when you buy your computer. Look for special deals on educational and gaming titles. Invest your money in the latest full-featured business, finance, and security suites. Why? The problem of software and hardware compatibility is becoming worse rather than better. It's best to get all of the latest software versions on your new computer, then stick with them. Enable automatic upgrades to keep the programs current.
- Buy a program such as Go Back to restore your system when the inevitable crash occurs. A common trouble spot is installing a new software program. If the new software causes problems in the normal operation of your computer, don't worry, you can "go back" to your system's original state before the bad install. It's invaluable in numerous problem situations when you have no idea what is wrong, you just want it fixed!
- Keep your virus definitions updated and virus protection enabled at all times. It's worth the subscription price for virus definitions in this day and time. Don't make the mistake of disabling your virus protection to run a disk defrag, then forgetting to enable your protection again. It's very embarrassing to write everyone in your address book to tell them you have sent them a virus.
- Use a professional to upgrade your hardware or install peripherals. Find a favorite computer tech, then hang on to him! Adding digital cameras, scanners, handhelds, even printers, can go awry due to computer resource conflicts. I confess that I never could get our Jam-Cam pictures uploaded to the computer, and my scanner sits unused except in emergencies. Save yourself hours of frustration with an hour or two house call from a computer whiz.
- Learn the rules of safe surfing and teach them to your child. Kids love to chat with their friends online. Set up a safe routine for them to chat with friends only. Learn the security features for your child's chat or instant messaging. Teach your child how to report problems and practice it a few times together. Kids enjoy a Web-based email account. Parental controls are readily available for many email services. Learn them; use them.
First Page > The Making of a Web Parent
