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This May issue is abloom with a delightful bouquet of tips and resources. It begins with a warning about the potential threats of online dating along with precautions to take to avoid getting scammed. You'll also find captivating videos, guidance on properly pinning images on Pinterest, and a tutorial on how to move those not-really-friends on Facebook to an "Acquaintances" list. For other fresh ideas, spring to action and check out this month's Great Sites list.
We think you'll find the information contained in this newsletter to be a valuable tool for enhancing your Internet experience. As always, we appreciate your feedback and suggestions. Please send your thoughts, comments or questions to newsletter@greenmountainaccess.net.
- The Green
Mountain Access Team
Aaron, Adam, Amanda, Eric, Kris,
Phil, Richard, Seth, Scott, and Tom
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Enter For Your Chance to Win a Gift Package from Vermont Coffee Company
 This month we are giving away a great gift package from our friends at Vermont Coffee Company in Middlebury. If you haven’t tried their coffee yet, it is incredible. Each month, we raffle off a prize from a local business, so be sure to enter your name every month for your chance to win. Congratulations to Jennifer Hatch, last month’s winner of a $100 gift certificate to Greenhaven Gardens and Nursery in New Haven. The drawing will take place on May 18. To be entered into the raffle, simply click this link and leave your name and contact information.
Deadline for Mad River Valley Telephone Directory is May 18
 Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom is currently in the process of finalizing information for the 2012-2013 Mad River Valley Telephone Directory. Mad River Valley businesses and residents are asked to review their current listing(s) and to contact
Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom with any changes by May 18, 2012. To make a change in the white pages, please contact our Customer Service Department at 496-3391. For yellow page advertising (business accounts), please contact Alan Jones at
496-8328.
WCVT in the Community
Come See us at the Vermont Business Expo
 The Vermont Business Expo is scheduled for May 23 & 24, at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center in Burlington, Vermont. EXPO is northern New England's largest business-to-business trade show attracting over 3,000 business leaders and hosting nearly 200 exhibitors. As in previous years, EXPO promises the same great networking events and a fantastic line up of seminars, meal events and award presentations. In addition, Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom will be sponsoring the free networking reception on Wednesday, May 23, at 5 p.m. where you can mingle, meet and relax with your colleagues. Entrance into the tradeshow and reception is free as long as you pre-register on or before May 18. Register online at www.vtexpo.com.
Come See Us at Community Yard Sale Day in Hinesburg
The Hinesburg Business & Professional Association (HBPA) is sponsoring the 14th Hinesburg Community Yard Sale on Saturday, May 12, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The community sale site will again be at the Hinesburg Fire Hall and WCVT will be on hand. For further information on renting sale space, attending the sale or having your location included on the map, contact HBPA President Tom Mathews at 802-496-8537 or email to tmathews@gmavt.net.
If you have a community service project in the making and are looking for help please don’t hesitate to contact Alan Jones, at 496-8328 or via e-mail ajones@wcvt.com to see if we can lend a hand.
And The Winner Of One Free Month Of High-Speed Internet Service Is...
Congratulations Darcie Thorburn for being this month’s winner of one-free month of high-speed Internet service. Darcie’s name was chosen at random from customers who completed our monthly Green Mountain Access technical support surveys.
Each month, one name is selected at random from customers who completed our online technical support or new user surveys. Survey requests are sent out via e-mail to customers after calling technical support, or establishing new service. So be sure to fill out those surveys!
Two to View — A Couple Of Amazing Videos You Don't Want To Miss
A Moving Tribute to a Mother
click here for video
 Since May is the month in which we honor mothers, it seems fitting to share this video about a young man's last moments with his. More than a million people have viewed his heartfelt reminder to tell your mother, right now, how much you love and appreciate her.
Push to Add Drama
click here for video
TNT publicizes itself by saying, "We Know Drama." So it should come as no surprise that TNT chose a very dramatic way to launch the network in Belgium--a red button on a quiet square that, when pushed, produced sirens, an ambulance mishap, street fights, and more.
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Scam Warning – Online Dating Can Pose Threats
Three major dating sites—Match.com, eHarmony.com, and Spark Networks—recently announced they will start screening for sexual predators, identity thieves, and scammers to try to increase safety for users. While millions of people use dating sites to meet people, and many forge successful relationships, criminals and scammers also use these sites to meet potential victims.
This makes it a good time to review precautions to take if you participate in online dating. For example, that wonderful looking profile may actually be a fake if the person:
- wants to leave the dating site immediately and use personal email or IM to communicate
- proclaims love instantly
- claims to be from the U.S. but is now traveling or working overseas
- plans to visit you but is prevented by a traumatic event or a business deal gone sour
A common scheme for these scammers is to build online relationships and eventually try to convince you to send money in the name of love. Never wire money to cover travel, medical emergencies, hotel bills, hospital bills for a child or other relative, visas or other official documents, or losses from a temporary financial setback. You may lose your heart on a dating site but you don't have to lose your shirt as well.
Short Tutorial – Managing Your Facebook News Feed By Moving Friends to an "Acquaintances" List
We all have some Facebook friends that we barely know and never interact with but we don't want to unfriend them. We just don't want to see their constant stream of posts. Thankfully, Facebook has developed a tool to make it easier to classify these people as acquaintances so you'll see fewer of their posts in your News Feed. Facebook will even suggest which people you might want to place in your "Acquaintances" list. To use this
tool, simply follow the steps below.
- Log in to your Facebook account.
- Go to your Friends page.
- Select the "Acquaintances" list and click "See All Suggestions."
- Facebook will point out the individuals with which you haven't interacted much lately, and allow you to add them to the appropriate list with a click. You'll then see fewer of those individuals' posts in your News Feed.
This Month's FAQ – What is the Correct and Legal Way to Pin Images on Pinterest?
Question: I recently got started with Pinterest and have been hearing talk of copyright issues that has me a little worried. What is the correct and legal way to pin images on Pinterest?
Answer: We went straight to the source on this one. Here's the statement Pinterest released in April: "Pinterest values and respects the rights of third party creators and content owners, and expects you to do the same. You therefore agree that any User Content that you post to the Service does not and will not violate any law or infringe the rights of any third party, including without limitation any Intellectual Property Rights
(defined below), publicity rights or rights of privacy. We reserve the right, but are not obligated, to remove User Content from the Service for any reason, including User Content that we believe violates these Terms or the Pinterest Acceptable Use Policy. It is important that you understand that you are in the best position to know if the materials you post are legally allowed. We therefore ask that you please be careful when deciding whether to make User Content available on our Service, including whether you can pin or re-pin User Content on your boards." You can visit http://pinterest.com/about/terms/ for more details.
It basically boils down to this—not all site owners want their images pinned. How do you know if sites are okay with it? Pinterest now has some code in their help section that site owners can add if they don't want to be pinned. If you try to pin on a site with this code, you'll see a message stating that the site owner doesn't want images to be pinned. Until this code is commonly used though, the only way to know for sure is to ask. To be on the safe side, you can look for the "pin it" button on sites; it lets you know they are okay with their images being pinned. |
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Monkton Town-Wide Yard Sale
Monkton town-wide yard sale sponsored by the Monkton Community Coffeehouse May 5th (8am-1pm) at the Monkton Fire Station and throughout the town! Contact Kathy at weg@gmavt.net or 453-6067. Visit www.monktoncc.org for more information.
Family Bike and Trike Sale - Saturday, May 12 - Waitsfield
Part of the Valley Walk & Roll Festival which takes place May 11 - 19. The fourth annual Family Bike & Trike Sale aims to get bicycles for families at reasonable prices and to promote outdoor activity. The Bike & Trike Sale will be held at the Waitsfield Elementary School on Saturday, May 12 from 9am to 4pm. Buy a “new” bike in time to take part in the Valley Walk & Roll Festival events, or sell one you’ve outgrown to someone who will use it. Lots of used kids’ bikes! Bicycles in good working condition can be dropped off on Friday, May 11, from 5-7 pm. Proceeds from the Family Bike & Trike Sale will benefit the Mad River Valley Health Center. For more information about the Bike & Trike Sale, contact:
Sue Frechette (sue@valleywalkandroll.com) or
Liz Weller (liz@valleywalkandroll.com) or
visit www.valleywalkandroll.com.
Lincoln Mountain Magic 5K/10K Run/Walk - May 12 – Lincoln
The Lincoln Mountain Magic is an annual fundraising run to benefit the Friends of Lincoln Community School. It includes a 5K run/walk and a 10K run/walk. There is also a short, non-competitive event for young children. The Lincoln Mountain Magic Run takes place this year on Saturday, May 12, 2012. All courses start and finish at the Lincoln Community School on East River Road in Lincoln, VT For more information, visit http://www.friendsoflcs.org.
Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival – Sunday, August 5 – Team Registration Now Open
Registration for the seventh annual Citizens Bank Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival is now open. Dragonheart Vermont, a Breast Cancer Survivor and Supporter Dragon Boat team, hosts this event on Sunday, August 5. Teams of 21 are forming now and spaces will fill quickly for this popular event. For more information, visit: http://www.ridethedragon.org.
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Enter the HGTV Green Home 2012 Giveaway
http://hgtv.com/green-home/hgtv-green-home-2012-floor-plan/pictures/index.html
This year's HGTV Green Home in Georgia blends a farmhouse design with modern amenities and eco-friendly features. For a chance to win this stunning home, enter the sweepstakes by June 1, 2012.
Your Life Can Make Headlines
http://fodey.com/generators/newspaper/snippet.asp
This site is simply for fun. It lets you instantly generate your own "newspaper clipping" with the headline and article text you provide. You can then use the clipping on your Facebook page to announce big news in a creative way.
Need A Facebook Cover?
http://coverjunction.com
If you're still searching for the perfect cover image to use on your Timeline, check out Cover Junction. It literally covers everything from A to Z (abstract to zodiac) including cars, fashion, movies, quotes, and technology. You're sure to find one that speaks to you.
Paws To Make You Say, "Ahh..."
http://cutestpaw.com
This site claims to feature the cutest animal pictures around the world and it's hard to argue with that. Whenever you need a quick pick-me-up, browse through its adorable collection of cats, dogs, rabbits, and more. You can also share your own animal pictures.
Neat Sweet Treats
http://cupcake-recipes.com
It's a busy time of year for celebrations as family and friends gather for events such as graduations and wedding showers. At this site, you'll find lots of delicious and distinctive cupcake recipes to serve, along with photos for decorating inspiration.
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