SOCIALSHIELD

I am VERY proud to have SOCIALSHIELD as a sponsor of my show. I can't think of a greater responsibility of parents than protecting their children.
all the best
Richard

Here is some information from their website: Socialshiled.com
Their phone number is 1-800-881-2345

Why SocialShield:
If you have kids, you need
SocialShield, it's that simple.

Start free trial
It seems as parents we are professional worriers. From the minute we find out we’re pregnant to the day we die, it never stops. Now here comes Facebook and the other social networking sites like Twitter and MySpace and we’re all playing catch up, worrying about what to worry about.

You cannot do what SocialShield does by being a friend on Facebook.
We do so much more.

Sure, there are predators out there looking for kids to exploit, but that’s just the beginning. Now kids are suffering to the point of killing themselves because of what others are saying about them online as a result of cyberbullying.

They’re ruining opportunities for life because they publicize youthful indiscretions on their pages that stay on the Internet forever.

They’re accepting friends they don’t know or who you don’t want them associating with.

It’s the Wild West; our children are now armed with six-shooters, and there is trouble that they don’t even realize.

But then there are the good things about these sites. They teach our kids how to spell, how to type, how to use computers. They learn how to express themselves in writing.

They can meet people from around the world, learn new cultures and make lifetime friendships with great kids whom they never would have known otherwise. For many kids that are shy in the real world, the SocialWeb allows them the freedom to spread their wings, make friends and become socially engaged.

The good outweighs the bad and, let’s face it, they’re going to do it because everyone else is.

FAQs
Why do I need SocialShield for my family?
Social networking is the new Wild West of the Internet. While some of the dangers are physical, like bullying and predators, there are other pitfalls which await your children in this completely unregulated environment, especially when it comes to the permanent and serious damage that can be caused to their reputations.

So we created SocialShield, the latest in state-of-the-art parenting tools, unsurpassed customer service and the world’s only Promise to actively assist you in the event that your family falls victim to Cyber Bullies. In addition, we are the only company that will actively assist you in the event that your child starts to get himself in trouble that may result from unsafe or damaging behaviors.

We believe in a symbiotic relationship with caring and conscientious parents and guardians. We’ll be your partner by giving you the information and stepping in to help with our expertise when you need us. But you are ultimately where the buck stops. We can’t be their parents, but we can be your partner.

How do I login to my dashboard?
Once you have setup your account, select the login link in the upper right-hand corner of the home page and enter your email address and password.

Why do I need to connect with my kid’s social networking accounts?
In order to protect the privacy of your children and ensure that you are indeed their parent, you must either connect directly using their Facebook, MySpace and Twitter passwords and email addresses or have them accept our "invite" in the event you don't know or would prefer not to use their passwords.

When you login to your Dashboard, you will be prompted every time to connect or send an invite to your kid's accounts until the connection is completed. This is the most important step in the process of completing your setup. Neither our Cyber Bullying Promise nor our exclusive Free Online Reputation Assistance is valid until the connection is complete.

Can I use your service if I don't have my child's account passwords?
Yes, you can. After enrolling in our service, you can request we send an “invite” email to your child which provides instructions on what your child needs to do to connect his social networks to your SocialShield membership. Note that your child must accept the invite in order to complete the connection. Make sure you tell them that the invite is coming. We’ll tell them too and we’ll let you know when he’s done it.

Why should I know my children's account passwords?
"Rules one two and three for child safety online is to know their passwords….if there’s ever an incident, the most important thing is to know a child’s password so we [the police] can start working quickly.”

- Officer Steve DeWarns, Piedmont Police Department, Founder of www.internetchildsafety.net

It is good parenting practice to know your kids’ passwords, even if you don’t use them to connect with us. Many parents actually set the passwords for their kids in every instance one is required so that they (their kids) cannot change them. In the unlikely event that something happens to your kids, having their passwords will dramatically help authorities expedite their investigations.

Are you sharing my child's information with any third party?
Absolutely not. The information we collect about your child will only be used to provide you with your SocialShield services. You can always choose to share some of the information with people you trust. We'll never share your child's information with any third party without your consent or knowledge.

How do you determine suspicious friends?
We define suspicious friends in many ways. We always alert you when an adult befriends your child. In addition, another red flag is in the event that one or more of your child’s friends has no friends in common with his other friends. We have patents pending on the techniques we use to find the suspicious friends. If you read through our testimonials, you can see that they work!

There are other heuristic analyses we do on friends, these are just a few. In any event, when something fishy comes up, we’re going to let you know.

Remember, in order to get this type of rich information, your child’s accounts must be connected to our service. See “why do I need to connect with my kid’s social networks” above.

What should I do if a friend appears that I don’t like?
As always, talk to your child. He may have a good reason to have that friend. For instance, your child may have international pen pals who are not friends with your child’s normal social group. Such relationships can open the world and provide a richer experience for your child. Of course, some friends are inappropriate. Ultimately, it will be your decision whether a suspicious friend is benign.

Should you choose to have your child remove a friend, it is a simple matter.

On Facebook:
Go to the person’s profile, click the "Remove from Friends" link at the bottom of the page. This will also remove you from the person's Friends List.
On Twitter:
Your child may be following others or being followed by others. First, log in to your child’s Twitter account. To remove any follower, click the “followers” link at the top right of the Twitter Home or Profile page to find the follower, and then click the drop-down menu under Actions to unfollow the person and/or report the person for spam. To unfollow anyone your child is following, click the “following” link at the top right of your child’s twitter Home or Profile page to find the person you want to unfollow, and then click the drop-down menu under Actions to unfollow that person.
On MySpace:
You can delete or block people on your child’s MySpace friends list following MySpace’s instructions:
To delete people from the friends list:
mouse over Friends (in the upper nav bar) and choose My Friends (from the drop-down menu)
click Delete Friends (on the upper right corner above the friend box)
check the boxes of the people you want to delete from your friend list, click Delete Selected Friends and click OK to confirm
To block people from the friends list:
click on the profile photo or name of the friend or user you want to block (either from your friend list, a comment, a blog post or by using the MySpace search box at the top of the page)
scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Block User
click Block this User (in the page that pops up)
Why does my child’s online reputation matter?
More and more prospective colleges, employers, even future friends, will run a search on your child when considering her; some will even demand her passwords and login information.

There are many reports of incredibly qualified people being denied entrance to the college of their choice or a job because of what they said or did online. Once something damning is up, it needs to come down very quickly or it can become a permanent fixture on the Internet, haunting your child for the rest of his life.

We alert you immediately of the use of profanity or threatening language on your child’s social network page. You can login to your SocialShield Dashboard anytime to see photos that have been posted by or about him and then take immediate action to have the content removed. In addition, we will send you your weekly email digest giving you the overview and detail of activities, photos, friends and locations of their networks.

If something does happen, our Free Online Reputation Management Assistance can help you in your efforts. However, swift identification of the issue and action by you is critical to helping them stay out of trouble in this important instance.

What do I do if I see an inappropriate photo or post on my child’s social network?
If an offensive comment or photo appears on your child’s page, then you can direct him to take it down himself. If someone else posted a photo and “tagged” your child to it (which is what the Internet search engines will pick up), they can “untag” themselves from the image through their social network.

On Facebook:
To remove the tag from a photo that someone else has posted and tagged your child in on Facebook, have your child log in to Facebook, view the photo, and then choose "remove tag" at the bottom next to your child’s name. The photo will no longer be linked to your child’s profile. Please note that depending on the privacy settings of the owners of those photos, others may still be able to view those photos elsewhere on Facebook. To have them removed from Facebook, you or your child will need to contact the owner of those photos to request removal.
On MySpace:
If your child’ photos have been tagged by a MySpace friend, your child will be notified and given the opportunity to accept or reject the tag on your profile. If your child accepts a tag, the photo will appear in his tagged photo album; if he doesn’t accept a tag, the tagged photo will not appear in his profile, but will remain in his friend's photos. To remove a tagged photo from your child’s profile, have him go to his Tagged Photos album, select the photo you want to untag and click “remove photo” at the bottom. This photo will disappear from your child’s profile but remain in the photo owner’s album. To remove it from MySpace, contact the photo owner.
How many social networks does your service cover?
There are about 20 social networks out there right now. Our system searches the English-speaking networks.

Is your trial really free?
Yes. You can cancel anytime in the trial period and we will not bill your credit card.

How do I remove a child from my account?
To remove a child from your account, login to your account, select Settings and follow the simple directions under “Manage Children.”

How do I cancel my membership?
To cancel, please contact us by phone at 1-800-881-2345. We’d surely appreciate it if you would let us know why you’re canceling so that we can improve our service. Our goal is 100% customer satisfaction.

I am experiencing a problem with your site. How should I submit a bug?
We work hard to ensure that all of our systems work flawlessly. However, sometimes things happen. If you experience a problem with your reports or our services, we want to hear about it. Please email us at support@socialshield.com.

I forgot my username or password. What should I do?
Your username is your primary email address. In the event you forget your password, when you attempt to login, there is a link underneath the main login button that allows you to ask for a new password. Enter the email address you used to enroll in our service, click Submit and we’ll email you a link to reset your password.

How can I update my billing information?
Log in to your account, click Settings and you can update your billing information under Billing.

How can I change my membership plan?
Log in to your account, click Settings and you can change your membership plan under Billing.

How can I reactivate my membership?
Simply drop a note to support@socialshield.com and we’ll get you re-started.

What are the details of your Cyber Bullying Promise?
You can read details of the Promise in our Terms and Conditions.

How does your Free Online Reputation Assistance work?
We have to work together as a team to help keep your child from permanently ruining his reputation online. This could cost him a job, a college placement, even future friends and business opportunities. The key to effective reputation management is early warning so that we can help you get controversial or unacceptable content down before it becomes a permanent problem.

You are the early warning alarm. When you see something, just email us at support@socialshield.com and we’ll quickly and efficiently help you take the necessary steps to keep the content from appearing permanently.