ShAARP Session: Observations from AARP

Results tagged “internet” from ShAARP Session

May '09 22

David Goldstein | 10:49 AM | 0 Comments

threewolf.jpg
For all of the great things the internet has to offer, a completely open forum will always have some vulnerabilities to pranksters looking for a laugh. For one of the most recent examples of high-tech trickery, check out the recent spike in sales of a certain T-shirt featuring three wolves howling at the moon. It might not seem like the height of fashion, but it is currently the hottest selling item on amazon.com.

But why would such a random item rise to such prominence? Well, it's a prank. Multitudes of people have stormed the site with a combination of high ratings for the shirt and hilarious reviews of the product. These people were brought to the shirt by a well known comedy site that thought it would be funny to artificially jack up the sales.

Pranks on the internet aren't limited to clothes however. The state of Nebraska was duped during an online competition for a new license plate design. Also, a recent online poll by Time was fooled with, resulting in a college student beating out famous entrants including President Obama as the most influential person.

This certainly doesn't mean that active participation online should be avoided or a cause for concern. Just be aware that anything online can become a target for an ironic laugh.

Mar '09 12

David Goldstein | 9:01 AM | 0 Comments

Social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace are a great way to stay in touch with friends and family. They also help to reconnect people who haven't spoken in years. It's no wonder then that older people are signing up to these websites in droves. Whether keeping tabs on grand children or looking up old classmates, older people are signing on to social networking sites by the millions. A few users might be upset at the thought of having to watch what they post with the watchful eyes of older relatives out there, but most are adjusting well and enjoy the connection. Are you a part of one of these websites? Let us know in the comments.

Sep '08 24

ShaarpWriter | 2:32 PM | 3 Comments

Remember life before the Internet? If you're 50+, like I am, you do. But you're not reminiscing the good old days. You're increasingly going online to research healthcare choices, manage your finances, plan your retirement and vacation, buy baseball tickets and groceries, and socialize with family, friends, even strangers, by emailing or blogging.

Life online brings great rewards and risks, particularly to our personal privacy. To help you stay safe online and protect yourself, AARP and Google have created a series of online consumer safety videos that you can watch on the Google Privacy Channel on YouTube and on AARP.org's online safety page.

Our videos offer tips for using passwords safely, enabling firewalls, shopping and sharing information wisely, and avoiding online scams like phishing and other ploys.

While you can't eliminate every risk, these tips can help you reduce the chance your personal information will be hijacked. Whether you're searching for doctors, dates, limousine drivers, or donut shops with online search engines or simply surfing the web for fun, our videos will help you be smart and protect yourself.

I hope you'll use our new online consumer safety videos and share them with family and friends!

Here are a few tips from our videos that I hope that you'll follow:


  • Firewalls are your friend: They ensure that only trusted servers interact with your computer. Be sure your firewall is enabled.

  • Passwords are key: Make them easy for you to remember, but hard for others to guess. Never use social security numbers, birthdates, addresses or other easily found information.

  • Acronyms get A+: Use a phrase you can't forget - like I Bought My Car in 2005 - and use the acronym, IBMCI2005, as a password.

  • Beware of public computers: When accessing websites in your public library, a government office or friend's house, never click on a "Remember me on this computer" prompt.

  • Inoculate your pc against viruses: Use anti-virus and anti-spy ware software and always keep them up to date.

  • Be savvy when shopping and sharing: The Internet is an easy way to share emails, photos, and blog posts. But use the sharing controls provided by the service you're using. For example, when using AARP's photo-sharing service, use sharing controls to ensure that your family vacation photos stay within your family.

And as always, don't forget to check for daily updates on all the latest news you can use on both AARP's blog, ShAARPsession and the Official Google Blog. Have fun, and stay safe!