A series of events themed around safety on the Internet is being aimed at both children and parents in an attempt to raise awareness of dangers and risks on the Internet.

With broadband connections available more freely nowadays and more of us now having access to a personal computer or laptop, parents are being encouraged to keep a close eye on their children's online activity.

February 12th has been entitled 'Safer Internet Day' by the InSafe group. The European-wide event - which is celebrating it's fifth year of operation and awareness - was set up to encourage vigilance - both by parents and children - on staying safe online.

Schools were also encouraged to raise awareness, with many now having access to broadband connections in order to help with research during lessons. Information packs for a range of ages were provided by InSafe, who also ran a design competition of publicity material.

The competition encouraged groups of children from across Europe to design promotional projects about online safety, with the winning entries becoming focal points for the campaign, as well as offering a cash prize for the winning groups.

According to research carried out in 2007, over 40% of youngsters between the ages of 8-11 regularly used the internet, and there have been past campaigns to highlight the dangers of revealing personal information, such as mobile phone numbers and real names on internet chat rooms and social networking websites.

There have been rises in high-speed broadband connections and social networking websites over recent years, and children of all ages are being advised on how much information they post on their profiles.

But the Get Safe Online campaign is also advising users of all ages on the dangers of viruses, spyware and malware, and encouraging them to use anti-virus software and firewalls in an effort to protect their personal data.

Since the introduction of file-sharing and peer-to-peer networking, there have been constantly reported high profile legal struggles between the music industry and internet providers.

And now internet providers face potential changes to procedure due to a government green paper which would require them to take action over users who access pirated material.

It is estimated that around six million UK broadband users downloaded files illegally last year, with music and film industries claiming that such practices cost billions of pounds in lost revenue.

And with the government coming under increased pressure from those in the music and film industries to penalise piracy, users could find themselves paying the price for free downloads.

Negotiations between some of the biggest ISPs and some of Hollywood's biggest studios regarding a voluntary scheme for policing illegal downloads have been in progress for several years, however no deal has yet been reached.

Users suspected of illegally downloading music and films face the prospect of a 'three strikes and you're out' system, which could ultimately lead to the disconnection of their broadband service if no steps are taken to cease illegal activity.

However there is growing concern about how disputed allegations would be policed. With an increasing number of cases of 'piggybacking' and 'wi-fi hijacking' as the numbers of wireless broadband networks around the UK continues to grow, there could be difficulties in determining blame in some cases.

The green paper also outlines plans for schemes that would promote creative arts in the UK in a bid to encourage children to visit galleries and museums, attend theatre productions and take up study of a musical instrument.

About twenty years ago when your computer used DOS and carried around cell phones the size of luggage the idea of wireless internet was something saved for sci-fi and spy movies. Now, we see laptops being transported cable free while their users Google the latest sports scores or work on projects in coffee shops, parks, and their homes. Thanks to this the world is at our finger tips almost anywhere. If your considering getting wireless internet here are some commonly asked questions that make help you decide whether it's for you.

* What is wireless internet?

Wireless internet is just what it sounds like. Internet without wires. The advances in communication have made it possible to bring internet to your computer without the cables, boxes, and wires that used to go along with it. Through a system of signals, terminals and transmitters/antennas your computer's modem will pick up a signal connecting you to a wireless internet network. The system is much like that used in other wireless forms of communication like cell phones.
* Why should I equip my computer for wireless internet?

Being an active part of society often requires you to travel near and far with little lag time in between. Society as a whole is so dependent on communication that it seems impossible to go more than a few hours without emailing or using the internet. Unfortunately, there isn't always a computer that is wired and ready to access the internet. The daily commute can be a boring expanse of time where no work gets done. However, the accessibility of wireless internet allows those who ride buses, trains or subways to work while traveling. Essentially, this makes wireless computing a major benefit if not necessity to the working man or woman who is constantly on the go.
* Is it expensive?

Wireless is generally a lot more affordable than service that depends on a phone or cable line. You will be able to get a plan specifically for your lap top where as before you may have had to change your phone service or switch from satellite to cable to cash in on the still expensive bundle package. If price is your concern this is quite possibly your best option although ultimately it depends on the carriers in your area.
* How reliable is wireless internet?Wireless communications have come a long way and wireless internet is relatively reliable and shouldn't cause you any major losses of service. However, much like other forms of wireless there will are a few things that may interrupt your service.
o Out of Range: While this is definitely becoming a honed communication tool it's not flawless. Much like a cell phone, there are areas where you will not get a signal which will limit or terminate your service. This makes it hard to use the wireless internet at or in tunnels, under ground, remote locations, or inside some buildings.
o Interference: Wireless internet can be excellent when it works, and it usually does, but there are various things besides range that can limit your internet access. Too many users can slow service or leave you unable to get service at all. You may also have a problem securing service if trees or other objects obscure the line of vision.
* Is wireless internet secure?

Security presents a major issue for some individuals. While there some concern does exist, networks are becoming more secure as time goes on. There are however programs you can use and actions you can take to help create a more secure network. By taking simple precautions like enabling encryption you decrease the likely hood of a security breech.

The number of ways we can use the Internet has increased significantly over the years, people now use the internet to talk to people the other side of the world for free and watch TV episodes from their childhood. One of the growing trends of Internet use is online gaming; this comes in many forms; from online gambling such as bingo or poker to game consoles like the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

Most households now have broadband, a good proportion of families own some form of gaming platform whether it's a video games system or a PC. The ability to play against your friends (or enemies) over the internet is something that has caught on vastly in the past few years.

The phenomenon of online gaming started back in the early stages of the internet where computer geeks played games such as Doom in darkened basements all over America, but online gaming has evolved and spread to the living room with developments like Xbox Live, the paid for network where Xbox owners all over the world could play games such as first person shooters and racing games online, with the added ability to talk to your competitor should you feel the need to gloat after you win.

These days, Broadband connections are fast enough to handle multiple machines connecting to the internet; video game consoles nowadays either have a standard Ethernet port or have wireless networking hidden inside their plastic shells. As well as being able to play games online many of the leading companies have the facility to buy or download add-ons for games as well as full games including nostalgic fancies from our childhood being available for download.

This new method of buying and getting your video games has only been available in recent years as broadband speeds have increased, now full games are beamed straight to consoles in a matter of minutes. Of course in order to be able to do this without waiting a lifetime it is preferable to have a faster internet connection, by using a broadband speed test you'll be able to find out how fast you're currently going and check with your games console whether you are fast enough to handle fast paced online gaming without any interruptions.

If you are planning to try out online gaming you need to make sure your broadband can handle the added burden, possibly by getting an upgrade to your speed or investing in a wireless router to share your internet connection. There's a world of competition out there, it's time to prove your skills on the World Wide Web!

Broadband is a common facility in most modern homes, the rise in speeds over the past few years has seen prices tumble to keep in line with what customers are willing to spend. For the price you paid for a 128kb connection four years ago, you can now expect to receive an average speed of 2MB broadband from some suppliers.

With nearly every household being able to afford some form of Broadband package these days most suppliers are now faced with the battle to gain your loyalty, attractive new customer packages are a plenty on our televisions and in order to make your company appear as the better choice some companies have resorted to boasting and mud-slinging to get you to switch on.

Virgin and BSkyB are two such competitors who are in direct competition for customers, both now offering universal packages comprising of Broadband, Television and Telephones. Both companies have put out slightly misleading advertising campaigns belittling the opponent, who in turn have filed complaints to the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA).

BSkyB complained, amongst other competitors as well, that Virgin Media had unfairly compared the speed of their 8MB broadband to Virgin's 2MB deal, Virgin claimed their cabling did not degrade the further you lived from your telephone exchange as they use fibre optics rather than the older telephone lines comprised of copper. Other complaints included the omission of the prefix "up to" when describing broadband speeds.

The "up to" scandal is one that has plagued broadband companies for the past year or two, when they advertise speeds companies are now required to say that advertised speeds are only if you have a very good connection and since a good proportion of customers aren't going to fit in this category then they should be warned that they may not get exactly what they think they're paying for,

The best way to find out if your current broadband is up to scratch is to find out how far away from your local exchange you are, the closer you are the better your broadband will be, if you use an online broadband speed test are another way to determine the actual speed, but don't fret if you are getting below half the advertised speed, this is fairly common and something the government is looking into changing.

Companies like Virgin are changing this by installing fibre optic cabling to increase the strength of the signal over long distances, in countries like Japan they already have this technology and can handle much faster speeds that make our "high speed" broadband seem pedestrian in comparison.