Phishing is a crime that can catch out Internet & Phone users. It involves collecting private information that can be used to steal accounts, identities, or to control personal banking, online shopping or similar websites. Here are a few pointers that will help you to avoid being a victim.

Many people are fooled by PC Security and think it is something you must "pay" for. Companies like Symantec and McAfee do offer rock solid protection. But for the home user it can sometimes be bloated full of unnecessary features and these features can really slow your PC down. These security programs, during their learning process, can also take full control of your PC and be a nuisance as you do anything, by constantly bugging you about letting things through firewalls etc and constantly reminding you to perform updates or full virus checks.

Choosing the right ISP can be a difficult choice as there are many providers and price plans on offer. However, there are only really 4 different types of connection. You have your "Broadband" types including "Cable", "ADSL" (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), "Mobile Broadband" and the rather obsolete "56k Dial Up". I will be talking about a little bit of each and hopefully make your understanding about which is the best option for you.

Many of you may find it hard to keep up with all the computer jargon and lingo, which is why I thought I should begin with a glossary of some of the most common terms:

Address - Also known as a URL (Universal Resource Locator) is a unique identifier given to a webpage. For example www.computermantorbay.co.uk is an address.

Application - Particular tasks that your computer can do. You install application software for this. E.g. a word processing application.

Computerman has launched a brand new look website. I shall be posting new articles and guides monthly about different aspects of the computer. If you have any problems or queries or article requests, please don't hesitate to contact Computerman.