Blogger Security- FYI

Just so you know I did NOT write the following. I actually found it on a friend’s blog-but I thought I would share this information with everyone. I thought it was helpful and I made some changes on my blog too. I even took your last names off my blog so that I can help you be more secure too.

I know the security issue among my friends is an issue right now and I thought I would repost this tutorial (hopefully it makes sense, if not, let me know and I'll rephrase) to help you make your blog a little safer out in the blogosphere. I know many don't want to make their private and maybe with this tutorial you'll feel a little safer having it semiprivate. :)
Many of you already know this trick, but I thought I'd pass it along to those that don't. There are three levels of security with blogger.

The first one is that anybody and everybody has access to your blog. When someone in Japan does a search on google and you happen to have that word in your blog, it will come up in the search. When someone clicks at the top of the blog, in the navigator bar, "next blog", they randomly pick a blog and yours could be next. Basically, this option has no security to it.

The second choice is the limited access option. Your blog (as in your URL) will never come up on a google search, it will never be randomly picked and the only way people know your blog exists is if you give them your blog address or a friend/family has a link from their blog.

The third choice is to have it be invite only. Self-explanatory. I personally choose the second choice. I have been blogging for a year and a half and I have yet to see anything funky on my blog.

If you want to do option two, here is a tutorial...

Go to your blogger dashboard and click on 'settings'
Click on 'basic' tab (it should go there by default)
Go to "Add your Blog to our listings?" and select 'no'
Go to "Let search engines find your blog?" and select 'no'
scroll down and click on 'save'
Click on 'dashboard' in the upper right corner
Click on 'edit profile'
Click on 'Select blogs to display'

Uncheck any and all blogs that you don't want displayed in your profile
Scroll down and click on 'save'It's that simple. Hope this helps!

Also make sure you never have your last name or any personal information printed anywhere on your blog. Many people use nicknames for their loved ones or just initials when they talk about them on their blog.I also noticed that my blog only shows up in a google search with those blogs that have their blog displayed in their profile, so maybe we can get everyone we know to make sure that they don't display their blog in their profile.

Earthquake!

Yesterday morning I was awakened when my bed was shaking back and forth. I assumed it was Ben or one of the children shaking it until I looked around and I was the only one in the room. I then noticed the ceiling fan hanging over my head swaying in sync with the bed. It was then that I realized it must be a small earthquake. The shaking didn't last very long, but it made me play-out in my mind a scenario of what I should do if the shaking became more violent. I realized that I didn't know what to do next! I was born in blizzard and tornado country!!! So, I spent a few minutes yesterday searching the internet for info about earthquakes and I thought I would pass it on to you. Don't say I never did anything for you:)

Prepare a Home Earthquake Plan

• Choose a safe place in every room--under a sturdy table or desk or against an inside wall where nothing can fall on you.
  
• Practice DROP, COVER, AND HOLD ON at least twice a year. Drop under a sturdy desk or table, hold on, and protect your eyes by pressing your face against your arm. If there's no table or desk nearby, sit on the floor against an interior wall away from windows, bookcases, or tall furniture that could fall on you. Teach children to DROP, COVER, AND HOLD ON!
  
• Choose an out-of-town family contact.
  
• Get training in how to use a fire extinguisher from your local fire department.
  
• Inform babysitters and caregivers of your plan.
  
• Eliminate Hazards, Including--
  Bolting bookcases, china cabinets, and other tall furniture to wall studs. Installing strong latches on cupboards. Strapping the water heater to wall studs.
  

Prepare a Disaster Supplies Kit For Home and Car, Including--

• First aid kit and essential medications.
  Canned food and can opener. At least three gallons of water per person. Protective clothing, rainwear, and bedding or sleeping bags.
  Battery-powered radio, flashlight, and extra batteries.
  Special items for infant, elderly, or disabled family members.
  Written instructions for how to turn off gas, electricity, and water if authorities advise you to do so. (Remember, you'll need a professional to turn natural gas service back on.)
  
• Keeping essentials, such as a flashlight and sturdy shoes, by your bedside.
  
• Know What to Do When the Shaking Begins:
  DROP, COVER, AND HOLD ON! Move only a few steps to a nearby safe place. Stay indoors until the shaking stops and you're sure it's safe to exit. Stay away from windows. In a high-rise building, expect the fire alarms and sprinklers to go off during a quake.
  
• If you are in bed, hold on and stay there, protecting your head with a pillow.
  
• If you are outdoors, find a clear spot away from buildings, trees, and power lines. Drop to the ground.
  
• If you are in a car, slow down and drive to a clear place (as described above). Stay in the car until the shaking stops.
  
• Look for and extinguish small fires. Eliminate fire hazards. Turn off the gas if you smell gas or think it's leaking. (Remember, only a professional should turn it back on.)
  
• Expect aftershocks. Each time you feel one, DROP, COVER, AND HOLD ON! Inspect your home for damage. Get everyone out if your home is unsafe.
  
• Use the telephone only to report life-threatening emergencies.

You can find this info and more at:

http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_583_,00.html

Tribute to President Hinckley

I know most of you have probably already seen this tribute to President Gordon B. Hinckley, but just in case one of you has not, here it is:

This one shows Glenn Beck ending his show with a tribute:
http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/200/5127/

It is wonderful and I hope you enjoy it.

President Gordon B. Hinckley

We just want to take this time to say good-bye to somone we love very much. President Gordon B. Hinckley died on Sunday, January 27th. He would have been 98 years old this summer. Each time I have thought of him and his passing, I find myself with a lump in my throat and I end up fighting back the tears. I feel like I need to try to express how much he meant to me. I can't describe how many times he said something that truly touched me, humbled me, or motivated me to do better. Many of those experiences are too personal to explain in this blog. In addition to the powerful words he spoke, the way he led his life spoke louder than any words could ever say.

Here are a few quotes from President Hinckley:

• "We must work at our responsibility as parents as if everything in life counted on it, because in fact everything in life does count on it."

• "We are all in this together, all of us, and we have a great work to do. Every teacher can be a better teacher than he or she is today. Every officer can be a better officer than he or she is today. Every father can be a better father. Every mother can be a better mother. Every husband can be a better husband, every wife a better wife, every child a better child. We are on the road that leads to immortality and eternal life and today is a part of it. Let us never forget it."

• "Believe in the power of prayer-it is real, it is wonderful, it is tremendous."

• "You have not failed until you quit trying."

• "The habit of saying thank you is the mark of an educated man or woman."

• "The Lord did not send you here to fail. He did not give you life to waste it."

• "Work is the miracle by which talent is brought to the surface and dreams become reality."

• "Stand as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. None of us will fully reach a stage where we can walk as He walked in this life, but we can work at it. And the more we work at it, the more easily we shall take on the luster of His image in our own lives."

Here are a few things others had to say about President Hinckley...we couldn't agree more with the words they spoke in his honor.

• President Thomas S. Monson said: "He was truly a prophet for our time. Like the Master, he devoted his life to doing good, and God was surely with him. His life was a gift to the world.”

• The Quorum of the 12 Apostles: "He was our prophet, our leader, our brother and our friend. We feel a deep, personal loss at his passing. He unfailingly demonstrated his devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ, whose witness he was at home and abroad.
  We will miss his wit and his wisdom, his leadership and his love."