Have you ever made decorated cupcakes?  Next time you do, send us a photo and we’ll post your creations here!

It is really important to make sure that the Internet showcases your better side.  Yes, you may have one or two less than stellar posts. But if those negative posts are outweighed by recent positive postings, they’re going to drop out of the top search engine results. Luckily, most searchers stop after three or four screens of search results. If you can push any negative results to the fifth page or farther, you just might push it beyond searchers’ radar.

To help you create a good online rep, here are 5 critical steps:

(1) Be discreet.

When you set out to improve your online rep, remember that discretion is the better part of valor. If you forge ahead full steam spewing post after post about how great you are and how wonderful your life is, even casual browsers are going to think that you’re pretty full of yourself. The trick is to showcase your better side without making it all about you. Instead, you want to highlight your accomplishments indirectly.

(2) Say nice things about others.

Begin by saying nice things about others. Write an online letter to your local newspaper describing what a positive impact they made by donating papers to your current events class and how much you learned as a result. Post a comment on the Habitat website thanking your local chapter for teaching you how to hang drywall. Email the company that makes your favorite shampoo praising their product. (Companies often post “fan mail” from satisfied customers.) Look for opportunities to pay compliments online. Saying nice things about others adds a positive sheen to your online reputation.

(3) Demonstrate your insight and intelligence.

Also, look for ways to demonstrate that you’re articulate, intelligent, and thoughtful. Participate in online forums and discussions by asking well-considered questions and posting well-reasoned responses that don’t insult or belittle other posters. Bitingly sarcastic flames might be satisfying for a minute or two after you hit enter, but ask yourself what you really think about people who make those types of posts. Would you want to hang out with them? Present yourself as a person that people would actually want to spend time with.

 (4) Promote causes you believe in.

In addition to joining groups and forums, you can create your own to promote causes you believe in. Your cause might be helping stray pets, feeding the hungry, or tutoring disadvantaged kids. Prefer to help your peers? You could create a webpage or Facebook group to help other kids learn how to be good digital citizens. You might even form an afterschool club where you meet friends in person instead of online.

(5) Don’t deliberately creep people out.

And, when it should be all about you like on your Profile page, resist the urge to deliberately creep people out. Your Friends might find it funny if you give your Interests as midnight raves, drag racing, and deep frying small animals, but the general public may not be amused. Reading historical fiction, volunteering, and playing soccer might be safer selections.

 For more information about the importance of your online reputation and how to protect it, read OwnYourSpace: An Online Reputation that Counts. 

 Copyright 2011 100 Page Press

But are you keeping yourself and your friends safe in the process?

by Linda McCarthy, Internet Security Family Advocate and Btweens.com Expert

Let’s find out:

• Do you have a strong password?
• Do you know how to use one-time passwords with your Facebook account?
• Do you configure login notifications in your Facebook security settings?

If your answer of these questions was No or I don’t know, then you’re not as safe as you could be — and neither are your friends.

But, you could be! Just give me 10 minutes a week.  Over the next 3 weeks, I’ll explain how to easily lock down your Facebook account.

You can also learn more by downloading our free guide to Facebook Security.

10 Minute Facebook Lockdown — Lesson 1: Creating a Strong Password
Creating a strong password is fairly simple. You want it to be complex enough that it can’t be guessed, yet meaningful enough that you can actually remember it.

A good password has at least eight characters, one or more numbers, and at least one special character. Use non-words but associate them with a word. Imagine your pet’s name is Buddy, you live on State Street, you’re 15, and you like to stargaze at night. A good password for you would be budstat15*.  Now you create a strong password and tell a friend how to.  Share this Facebook Lockdown Lesson with your Facebook Friends.

Facebook Lockdown – Lesson 2  — One Time Passwords

One time passwords (OTP) are great to use when you access your FB account from an untrusted wireless network, or accessing your account from someone else’s computer. The password is only good for a one time login and reduces the chance of someone stealing your password.  It’s simple to configure. First register your cell phone number with FB. Then you can obtain a OTP by sending a text to 32665. FB will send the OTP for you to use.  Go to Account Settings and then Mobile. Add your cell number.

This OTP lockdown should take no more than 4 min to complete and test.

Facebook Lockdown – Lesson 3 – Login Approvals

If you have a cell phone, FB will send you a text message with a unique code to use when you log into FB from a different computer. This is a GREAT feature to configure to reduce the risk of a hacker getting into your account and is good to use if you access your account from remote locations.  When you configure this, you will receive a text message with a login number to use.  You can also configure FB account to notify you when your account is being access by a different computer, or device. This two step lockdown should take no more than 4 min. to complete.

Step one—Login Approvals: go to Account Settings section and then select Security and select Login Approvals. The next time you go to login you will receive a text message with the login approval code.

Step two—Login Notifications: go to Account Settings and then Security and configure Login Notifications.

Congratulations – you just finished our Facebook Ten min. Lockdown Lessons. You made your account and the world safer. Remember – Everyone is responsible for security. Thanks!!!!

Copyright 2011 100 Page Press

Families affected by the draught in Somalia

You Can Help Other Kids

By Chloe, age 12 

I’m a lucky girl, I always have been.  I never worry about whether I’ll have enough to eat or not.  I’m always thinking about how I can help other kids in the world who are hungry.   And since I was little I’ve had a habit of finding money.  Sometimes it was a quarter or even a dollar in the street.  I wanted to give the money I found to people who were not as lucky as me.  My mom found organizations that helped me give even small amounts of money to help other people. 

Today, I want to tell you about an organization called UniversalGiving.org.  I interviewed Cheryl  Mahoney, Senior Marketing Associate for UniversalGiving.org. about helping other kids not go hungry.

Chloe: Why are kids in East Africa going hungry?

Cheryl: There’s been a lot of talk about the famine in Somalia.  Currently, over 10 million people in East Africa are threatened by the drought affecting the region.  Kids in East Africa are suffering from malnutrition because they are not able to access food and other basics necessities.

Chloe: It is so frustrating to hear these stories and feel there is nothing we can do to help because the problem is too big and too far away.

Cheryl:  Even if the problem is on the other side of the world, you still have the opportunity to be involved.  You can be a part of their lives.

Few groups know better than young people the power of the internet to connect us.  Even if the people in need are thousands of miles away, your chance to help is as close as your computer.  Websites like UniversalGiving.™ are hard at work to connect you to the organizations that are on the ground aiding in this crisis, giving you ways to support their work.

You can help feed children suffering from malnutrition in the Horn of Africa or bring water to drought-stricken regions of Kenya or provide relief for Somalia’s refugee children.

You don’t have to give a big donation to make a big difference.  Just a few dollars could feed someone in need!  No matter how much or how little you can give, you can help the people —many of them children and teenagers just like you.

This is a chance to mobilize your friends to be involved and help, too.  You could work together with some of your  friends, or talk to a teacher about creating a classroom project.  You could, also, organize parents you know to pool their money or raise funds in their community, so that together you can have an even bigger impact!

We all have the opportunity to help others, in your own community or across the world.  Children and families in East Africa are in need today—you can make a difference!

Cheryl Mahoney is the Senior Marketing Associate for UniversalGiving. UniversalGiving (http://www.universalgiving.org/) connects people to the top opportunities to give and volunteer all around the world. Find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Book Review Written by StorySnoops.com

Hey Tweens, StorySnoops is back again with another awesome book recommendation for Btweens readers like you! Spring break is coming up–this is a great one to read poolside, in the car, or wherever you may be spending your vacation.

Here is the story:

When twelve-year-old Tori’s lifelong BFF Sienna comes back from the whole summer away, things just aren’t right. Sienna comes back with a new look, newfound popularity, and Tori is just same old Tori. Sienna seems to have outgrown their best friend status, and she even has a boyfriend she can’t stop raving about!

When Tori realizes that Sienna is making up this super wonderful boyfriend, well two can play at that game–she makes up one of her own. The lying and the one-upping get worse and sticky situations arise. Will the girls finally come clean and admit to themselves how important their friendship truly is?

Here is the scoop:

Any of you who can relate to the complications of friendship, raise your hand! Hand up? Then you will love this book! You will be able to relate to these characters who lose touch with one another over one important summer and have a hard time reconnecting in the fall. When lots of attention and popularity is suddenly showered upon one friend, the other one has a hard time adjusting. The fake boyfriends these two girls make up are fantastic, attentive, sensitive, caring and of course… gorgeous!

These two BFFs stubbornly refuse to give in and admit that they are lying and that they both want their friendship to be like it was before. You are going to have to pick up the book and read it to find out how everything turns out for Tori and Sienna and their troubles with middle school, popularity, friendship and boys. This book has a great, eye-catching cover and the story inside does not disappoint.

Happy reading Btweens!

-The Story Snoops

Back to school does not have to mean pizza, chips, and cookies.  Try being a role model this school year and show your friends and family what to eat to build a strong and healthy body. 

Does that mean you have to eat the same old boring thing everyday?  No, of course not!  You can eat healthy and nutritious foods while still enjoying and trying new dishes. 

Make a goal this year to make half of your plate fruit and vegetables.   At first this may seem hard but once you realize how many fruits and vegetables there are and how different each ones taste; you won’t want to stop trying all of them! 

An easy way to add vegetables to your lunch is to pack some fresh snap peas, carrots, bell peppers, and dip them in hummus.  Haven’t heard of hummus?  It is a delicious creamy blend of garbanzo beans and spices that you can find at any local grocery store.  

Or how about packing a chicken stir-fry or tofu stir-fry for lunch?  Try helping your family in the kitchen the night before to prepare a savory stir -fry with carrots, bell peppers, onions, broccoli, and green beans, and be sure to save the leftovers for your lunch.  Taking a healthy school lunch does not have to be complicated but you may have to plan ahead. 

Now it is time to mix it up with fruit!  It is easy to grab an apple or banana on the way out the door but there are so many delicious ways to add fruit to your lunch.  Have you ever tried adding mandarin orange slices, strawberries, or dried cranberries to your salad?  

Another great way to add fruit to your lunch is to add a twist to the traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Next time you are running late for school and decide to just throw together a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, try adding banana slices.  I promise you will love it!

By Jennifer Ness

Soaking up some sun and having tons of fun is what summer is all about! What better way to enjoy the wonderful sunshine and warmth than with a cute new bathing suit?

This summer season, it’s all about bright colors and fun accents. Check out Target’s Xhilaration swimwear line.

You have so many amazing choices this season. Pick from polka dots, ruffles, floral prints, and strips, one and two-piece bathing suits, and tankinis too! Not only are the looks great for this summer season, but the prices are nothing but amazing. The prices for bathing suits are so affordable, ranging from about $12.99 to $25.99.

There are tons of styles and vibrant colors appropriate for any beach outing or swimming pool party. You can pair a super cute cover up and hat with that bathing suit or just top it with with shorts and a tank top.  And remember, anything goes as long as you love what you’re wearing!

Also, don’t forget, sunshine is great but sun protection is just as important!

The American Association of Dermatology recommends that a “broad spectrum” sunblock (UVA and UVB protection ) water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 should be applied to all sun exposed areas with frequent reapplication.

 Soaking up the sun is a lot more fun when you are keeping your skin healthy and avoid painful sunburn. Target’s “up & up” brand sun block is excellent for those warm days. It sprays on dry and does not leave you feeling sticky or greasy. Spray it on and enjoy your day, it’s that simple!

Enjoying the summer months has never looked so good!

Big thanks to Target for providing all the fashionable swimwear, cover ups, sandals, and accessories.

A special thanks to our adorable tween models: Abby, 9 and Claire 10. They know fashion, and loved everything they wore!

Photography by Stephanie Grace Lim www.stephaniegracelimphotography.com