Guides to setting up user accounts, enabling content controls and many more things can be found at the forum. Click the "All Guides" button to access them.

If you are new to the internet you maybe under the false impression that as long as you update your anti-virus software you and your children are protected from the evils of the internet, to quote the FAQs on the Argyllcom website:

"Q: Will my kids be able to access unscrupulous material on the web without me knowing?
A: The computer comes with a piece of software called Norton Internet Security which can block off certain types of unsuitable sites such as those which do not fall within the bounds of normal taste and decency."

This is true as far as it goes but leaves out several important points.

1 The software is there but not enabled or configured, you have to do this yourself. This entails firstly setting up "user accounts" for yourself and your children, then you must configure Norton Internet Security to filter the web content of the individual users. This is fairly straightforward but you might want to contact the helpline to guide you through it.

2 The software works in part by looking at the address of a website before allowing it to appear on the browser (Internet Explorer). To do this it downloads a list of URLs from the web and this list is huge. It can take over 30 minutes to complete on a good connection and that assumes you don't get cut off half way though. If you have enabled the software you must download this once in order to keep it working properly.

A much simpler and more reliable method of controling website access is to enables the content controls in Internet Explorer. There is a step by step guide at the forum. Click on the "All Guides" button above to find it.

3 What they see on websites is only part of the problem. Think of logging onto the internet as a visit to a big city, you are not only worried about what they see but who they talk to and talking to people is one of the most popular activities for children on the net.

People not only talk to each other via Forums or message boards like mine and email but places called "chatrooms" and instant messaging. These are easy to join, are largely unmoderated and it is impossible to tell who you are really talking to. Here are the basic rules of chatroom safety taken from the Childline website:

A. Never tell anyone online your home address, phone number or where you go to school without asking a parent or carer first.

B. Don't give your password to anyone but your parent. Not even your best friend.

C. Never say you'll meet someone in person. You can never be sure that people are telling the truth about who they are and why they want to meet you.

D. Always tell an adult, like a parent or teacher, about any nasty, threatening or bad language that you see when you're online.

E. Don't accept things from strangers - this includes emails, attachments, links or website addresses.

F. If someone says something that makes you feel funny, uncomfortable or unsafe, tell an adult (like your parents or a teacher) and leave the chatroom or website.

Look at point A and then look at your email address. If there is a similarity between it and your home address never allow your children to use it to register for any chatroom or  messenger service. It's a really bad idea to give out any personal information at all and a clever person can get a lot from an email address or even one just sent from Outlook.Instead provide them with an anonymous email address which does not reveal any personal details. This is important!

You can get such an address in a number of ways, the most anonymous is a web based email address and you can get one easily when you sign up to Microsoft Messenger or from Freeserve. Now with XPs version of Outlook you can get Hotmail (Microsofts online mail service) to behave just like normal email and access it from your PC along with your other email. Find out how HERE, it's really easy.

Alternatively you can have an email address from this website if you are a member of the NAIDC community, which will appear in your inbox just like your usual email does. Just send me an email with your desired user name, I will set one up for you and send you step by step instructions on how to use it.

However it should be pointed out that while this provides a degree of anonymity, it would not take long to discover that the address led to someone living on one of the NAIDC islands and on balance I would recommend an internet based service. I'm currently looking into how to make it as convenient as hotmail. * See below.

A couple of other points to bare in mind. Once you've using the internet for a while you will start to receive spam (junk mail) and some of it will be very unsuitable for children. To avoid it falling into their hands create separate email accounts for each user account and configure Outlook Express to only retrieve the email for that account. This is simple to do and there are instructions at the forum.

Children cannot be expected to understand the dangers out there and you must sit down and explain them to them, I suggest using the analogy of the visit to a big city to make things easier to comprehend. The internet is full of really good things and communicating with other people is one of them, it only takes a little effort to avoid the worst while keeping the best of it.

Chatdanger is website that provides lots of useful information and guides to using the internet safely. Check it out!

*The 2000friends email address is a free service and will result in no more junk mail than a very occasional news letter from me (and you can ask not to get that. You won't be expected to fill in any questionnaires and your messages are private to you. It would be technically possible to intercept emails just as Freeserve could if they wanted but it could not be done without your knowledge.

All you have to do is email me using the button above and declare that you are a member of the NAIDC community and have received one of their free computers in the message. Please use your Freeserve address when you do so. There are no other forms to fill in as you are already contracted to use your Internet connection  in a legal manner through your Freeserve account. The only restriction on the service is that you cannot use it to mass mail others.

In addition to the free service you may also purchase 2 additional addresses for £5 per annum and the three addresses, each with its own auto-responder (like you get when you email me). For an additional £2 p.a an address can pre-scanned for viruses by my server before it even reaches you.