You have entered "UPSIDE DOWN MINISTRIE'S" Library - Blog

1. Sign in (using email and password.)

2. Click on profile

3. On the top right hand side of the screen there is a tab that says privacy (click on it)

4. Then click on profile (the following is a list of good security measures to make under the profile section)

• Click the dialogue box that says profile and it will give you 3 options (choose the one that says “only my friends”) this will only allow your friends to view your profile.

• There are six categories in the profile section. By clicking each section you will see choices for privacy settings. The best privacy settings should be as follows: Status updates- Only my friends, Videos tagged of you- Only my friends, Photos tagged of you- Only my friends, Online status- No one, Friends- Only my friends, Wall- Only my friends

5. Also under profile you will find a section called Contact Information. Upon originally setting up a face book account the user was given an option to list personal information such as: IM Screen name, mobile phone, land phone, current address, email address, and website. Please remember this information is optional. With that in mind I suggest not listing it all. If you do choose to allow your student to list this information choose the option “only my friends”.

• Also under Contact Information. Who can see your contact emails choose: no one

6. Also under profile you will find a section called Applications in your profile. This controls what portions of your profile are viewable to others. With all of the other settings being set to “only my friends” this step is really not applicable. But just for security measures set the following: Posted items, Groups, Fun wall – to Only my friends.

7. VERY IMPORTANT! In order to save all of the changes you have made click the “save” button at the bottom of the page.

8. After you have saved your changes, you will automatically be sent back to the privacy page. Click on who can find me in search and see my private search listing

• You will see an option that will say which facebook users can find me in search: select everyone (this allows anyone with a facebook account to search for your student, this does not mean they can see their profile)

• Under the heading titled who can find my public search listing outside of Facebook? There will be two boxes: “Allow anyone to see my public search listing” or “Allow my public search listing to be indexed by external search engines”. Leave both of these boxes unchecked.

• Under the heading titled What can people do with my search results: leave “poke you” and “view your friend list” unchecked.

• In order to save all of the changes you have made click the “save” button at the bottom of the page.

9. After you have saved your changes you will automatically be sent back to the privacy page. There are still 3 categories that we have not discussed left on this page: (1) News, feed and mini feed, (2) Poke, message and friend request and (3) applications. Each of these categories are more of personal preferences than security issues. If the previously discussed security measures are taken this will insure that no one will have access to your students account unless given permission by your student.

1. Sign in (with email and password)

2. After you sign in to the right of the users picture will be a tab that says account settings (click on it)

3. There will be a tab at the top of the page that says privacy (click on it)

• Under the general privacy tab the security settings should be as follows: ONLINE NOW- unchecked, PROFILE VIEWABLE BY- friends only, PHOTOS- unchecked, BLOCK USER BY AGE- unchecked.

4. In order to save all of the changes you have made click the save all changes at the bottom of the page.

5. Scroll back to the top of the page and click the tab that says spam

   • The first heading will say spam presets. Underneath that heading, move the bar to “custom”.

   • The next heading will read communication settings. The list goes as follows: MESSAGES: check the box that says “require captcha for non-friends to send me messages”. FRIEND REQUEST: check the box that reads “require last name or email address”. COMMENTS: check the boxes that read “require approval before comments are posted” and “only friends can add comments to my blog”. GROUP INVITATIONS: check the box that reads “allow only my friends”. EVENT INVITAIONS: check the box that reads “allow only my friends”. IM INVITATIONS: leave the box unchecked

6. In order to save all of the changes you have made click the “save all changes” at the bottom of the page.

7. There are still 4 categories that we have not discussed left on this page: (1) Notifications (2) Mobile (3) Calendar (4) Misc. Each of these categories are more of personal preferences than security issues. If the previously discussed security measures are taken this will insure that no one will have access to your students account unless given permission by your student

1. Which is more important to pass on to your kids– material items or Godly traits?

2. How much does your lifestyle reflect the values of our materialistic society?

3. What are your goals for the next 5 or 10 years? Are they primarily money oriented?

4. If your kids wrote a definition of “success” based on what they’ve seen in your home what would they say?

5. Do your kids see you competing with or jealous of your neighbors?

6. Do you wish for things your don’t have, feeling having these items would make your life better?

7. Do you refer to your “wants” as “needs”?

8. Would your kids say you focus on what you don’t have or are you grateful for what you do have?

Someone once said, “You tell me who or what you spend your time daydreaming about, and I’ll tell you who or what your god is.”

What do you daydream about?

      Modern day teens are chasing the “American Dream” The sensible plan is to do well in high school, go to college, get a promising degree so you can get a high paying job, then you can have a big house, nice car, and every item that will make you comfortable and happy. Achieving these goals is not necessarily bad, but is that really what it is all about? I fear that many of our teens are chasing after an unattainable goal. The hunger for money never seems to be satisfied. Once we obtain one thing we move on to the next. What happens when the bar for success is set so high our teens can never reach it? Maybe the better question would be what happens when our teens reach their goal for “success” and it still leaves them feeling empty?

     Our modern day teens are the most money hungry generation to exist, and yet the number of kids confused about their purpose in life is at an all time high. What does this say about the values they have absorbed? As adults we should examine the model we are setting for the younger generation in this area. If they looked at the way we live how would they say we define success? Is it by great jobs, fancy cars and big houses? Or is by being a person who finds their joy in loving God and loving others? As the book Youth Culture 101 says, “we must teach our kids that the real measure of success in life is how much they’d be worth if they had absolutely nothing.”

      There are plenty of examples of this mindset all over today's popular culture, but one in particular seems to stand out. MTV has a show called “My Super Sweet Sixteen”. It is a reality TV show that documents very rich families who want to give their child the best birthday bash ever. The show documents the sweet 16er as they plan every detail of their party. During the planning of the event, the birthday boy/girl usually lashes out claiming their parents aren’t getting specific details right. In some cases, disputes arise over drapery or center pieces.
     In other cases, arguments arise over grand entrances, the birthday present, or the musical guest. If the parent mentions cost or suggests that something might not be achievable you wouldn’t believe the fit these teens will throw to get what they want. Although they call these details “wants” they most certainly treat them like “needs”. This show exemplifies the idea that what I want is what's best for me. The reality is that we shouldn't always get the things we want. The things that I want often cause me heartache, pain, and lots of unnecessary debt.