Jane, I recently joined the list, not because I just got a computer, but because the holidays provide some time off from work. That said I wrote the following for a number of relatively new computer / internet users after one of them got burned by an email scam. Maybe this will be useful... Cheers, Rick Haverty (of the Athenry Haverty / Kelly families). This week's Rotary information is a sort of self-help guide for Rotarians - at least those who use computers. The online resources available to Rotarians are a great help in speeding communication and providing reference material. This past week all Pittsford members should have received a logon and password to view the "club business" section of our website (thanks to Bruce Spector). This part of the web site is meant for members only and includes things like minutes from club board meetings, a copy of our by-laws, and other similar documentation. We also heard from Russ Crook last week about a costly lesson he learned while doing things on-line. Here are a few tips to help keep your on-line experience safer: . Never open email from people you don't know - delete it. . Never open attachments that come in email - even from people you know - unless you're certain they do not contain a virus. It's always safer to delete them. . When sending email always put a useful description in the SUBJECT line. Things like "Hello", "Hey there", and blank subject lines are a good tip it's a fake. If you get email with a subject like that, delete it. If you send one with a subject like that, expect it will be deleted unread. . Always run an anti-virus program with up to date data files. I like www.mcafee.com . . Never answer unsolicited email offers - especially those that ask you for any personal information such as account numbers, passwords, and so on. They are trying to rob you. . Never go to a web site that was referred to in an email unless you trust that site completely. Web sites can add nasty little things to your computer without you knowing it - especially if you run Internet Explorer. Use your better judgment. . Remember what your Mother taught you - if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! A common scam is software for cheap. A view of the headers from such offers often reveals the message originated in a place like Russia. They are trying to rob you. . Keep your software (especially if it's Microsoft) up to date. Using the automatic download notifications is a good idea. Are you bothered by too much SPAM (junk mail) in your inbox? Then try using a SPAM filter. I would recommend one called Spambayes. It learns what you consider SPAM and starts to filter it out. After a week or two of learning from you it becomes pretty self-sufficient. You can download it for free from http://spambayes.sourceforge.net/index.html . This works well with Outlook and is available for other email clients as well. If you do use Outlook it's a good idea NOT to use preview panes. Lastly, keep your computer tuned up. Clean up unwanted files - click START, All Programs, Accessories, System tools, Disk Clean-up for a quick way to get rid of lots of junk. You might want to run Defrag from the same System Tools section afterward. If you use the web frequently it may be useful to download a free program called Ad-Aware Personal from http://www.lavasoft.com/ . After you download it check for updates and then run the program. If you've been on the web it will find some spyware on your PC - I guarantee it. Check the boxes of those you want to remove and it will do so automatically when you click on NEXT. After doing all the clean-up activities you may find your PC runs a little quicker too.