Nov 2007

Dear Client,

This last month was exceptionally quiet. We solved some low-priority problems that were head-scratchers for quite a while. Still working on others, though.

One issue that seems to be getting a lot of attention lately is the prevalence of Internet-based stalking and /or harassment. With the proliferation of social meeting places like MySpace.com, these tend to attract the underbelly of society as well. It doesn’t take an advanced degree to realize that minors can be quite gullible in what they believe and are becoming more susceptible to subtle as well as overt danger.

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to know—not just assume you know—who it is your kids are communicating with in these forums. In a recent matching of paroled pedophiles to registered MySpace accounts, several thousand were found to have accounts there. And these are just the stupid ones—they used their real names. I watched a documentary a few weeks ago about a detective who poses as a 14 year old boy on MySpace. With very little effort, he was able to find out the name, address, school and town that a teenage girl lives in. She never gave him that much information but it was easy to assemble given the other information databases on the Internet. He visited their house and talked with her parents about what he had done. She got home from school and was crushed that ‘Jason’ was a 43 year old detective with 3 kids. Her parents were clueless. But…it could have been much worse.

Note that I’m not promoting censuring or prohibiting your children from belonging to these online communities, but rather becoming actively involved in their online activities.

On a different note, our focus and hearts go out to those caught up in the firestorms that swept through Southern California last month. The bulk of our client base still lives and works there and a number of you had to evacuate. Fortunately no one that we know of lost their homes and/or businesses in the events that unfolded.

Well, the only thing we can whine about in Arizona is record breaking warm weather for fall. The garden I planted has sprouted from last month and is doing well. Had I known it was going to be this warm, I would have considered planting corn. Still need to plant several varieties of lettuce and some broccoli as well.

We will be closed for Thanksgiving November 22 nd as well as Friday, November 23 rd. Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!

Sincerely,

Ben Conner