Let me place a disclaimer on this post. I try to personally use everything that I post about, however, I came across this site and have to admit that I have not downloaded the software. I only know what the Kidzui site tells me. Nonetheless, this looks like a great tool for us to offer our parents. Just be sure to try it yourself before you offer it to them!

**Kind of cool that Todd McKeever at Take 2.0 blogged about this on the same day! We didn’t coordinate, I promise!

You may also be interested in:

1. Kidoz web browser
2. K9 Internet Filter
3. Open DNS Internet Filter

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Today…you’ve got to have Log Me In. This is one of the absolute best tools I have on my computer. I allows you to freely access other computers (which you have previously set up) anywhere as long as you have an internet connection. Having this program has eased me of a lot of hassles over the last two years.

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I recently came across a program which provides a safe and entertaining web environment for kids. It’s called Kido’z. Kido’z is a great resource to pass along to your parents or to install on computers that kids may use in your ministry. You can read more about it here. It is in the beta version now, so you can get it for free. Eventually they will come out with a premium version with more features, but from their site, it looks like the free version is very usable.

Please let me know if you have ever used this program before. How did it work?

Do you know of any similar web environments for kids?

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If you are not familiar with RSS, it stands for Really Simple Syndication and is a way for websites, news, weather, etc. to broadcast when new material has been published. For the purposes of Free CM Stuff, it is important to announce to you, the faithful reader, when a new free resource has been posted.

In most web browsers, you can simply set up an RSS feed as a link, however, if you have several blogs (like mine) or news sites you like to keep up with, you need a reader. My suggestion is that you go with the Google Reader. It is free, much like most of Google’s services (yes, Google is more than a search engine), and has a simple and clean layout.

Here’s what my Google Reader page looks like (click to enlarge):

You can also check here for more info about other readers that are available (as software or web-based). Please let other readers know how you keep up with your feeds!

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There are a ton of internet filters to choose from and they pretty much all cost money. You can choose Safe Eyes, AFO, bsafeonline, and Net Nanny. They will cost you $40-50 and/or a monthly charge. These are all adequate filters and have received good reviews, however, K9 Web Protection is a diamond in the rough. It is completely free and has been downloaded over 1 million times. It offers real time protection and updates and works seamlessly in your existing browser without any extra search bars, plug ins or add ons.

The parent company, Blue Coat makes its money by securing network systems for Fortune 500 companies. They seem genuinely concerned about helping families keep a safe and secure home and that is why they offer K9 Web Protection for free. It uses the exact same database and technology as their commercial system. You can look here for details about what K9 offers.

This program is free for home use and would be a great resource to promote to the parents of your ministry. We use this in my home and only my wife knows the password. This keeps me (and my brother in law who lives with us) accountable and encourages us to live above reproach. It is very easy to check for sites that have been visited via the web-based administration page. It is also impossible to deactivate or uninstall without the main administrator password. I hope it can be of benefit to your home and the homes of families in your ministry.

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