Sue Scheff: Parenting At Risk

For many that have read my book - Wit's End! (Published by Health Communications Inc.) - which give my experiences with WWASPS and my daughters experiences with Carolina Springs Academy, it is a wake up call for all parents that are at their wit's end and desperately looking for help for their struggling teenager.

Are you worried or concerned about your teens recent behavior? Do you believe it is time for outside help? Local therapy is not working?

Visit my organization, Parents Universal Resource Experts, that I created to help educate you on researching for safe and quality alternatives for your family.

Are you considering these:

Academy of Ivy Ridge, NY (CLOSED)
Canyon View Park, MT
Camas Ranch, MT
Carolina Springs Academy, SC
Casa By the Sea, Mexico (CLOSED)
Cross Creek Programs, UT (Cross Creek Center and Cross Creek Manor)
Darrington Academy, GA (CLOSED)
**Discovery, Mexico - see below
Help My Teen, UT (Adolescent Services Adolescent Placement) Promotes and markets these programs.
Gulf Coast Academy, MS (CLOSED)
Horizon Academy, NV
Jane Hawley - Lifelines Family Services
Kathy Allred - Lifeline Sales Representative
Lisa Irvin (Helpmyteen) and Teens in Crisis
Lifelines Family Services, UT (Promotes and markets these programs) Jane Hawley
Mark Peterson - Teen Help Sales Representative
Majestic Ranch, UT
Midwest Academy, IA (Brian Viafanua, formerly the Director of Paradise Cove as shown on Primetime, is the current Director here)
Parent Teen Guide (Promotes and markets these programs)
Pillars of Hope, Costa Rica
Pine View Christian Academy (Borders FL, AL, MS)
Reality Trek, UT
Red River Academy, LA (Borders TX)
Respect Academy, NV
Royal Gorge Academy, CO (CLOSED)
Sherri Schwartzman - Lifelines Sales Representative
Sky View Academy, NV (allegedly closed?)
Spring Creek Lodge, MT (CLOSED) Rumors they have re-opened in another area of MT.
Teen Help, UT (Promotes and markets these programs)
Teens In Crisis (Lisa Irvin)
Tranquility Bay, Jamaica
Oceanside, CA - rumors of short term program there.
**There is a rumor a new program in Mexico is opening - parents need to be aware of this. It is believed they have re-opened Casa By the Sea with another name. Another rumor that was heard is that Jade Robinson is running this program. He is from the debunk Academy at Ivy Ridge.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK.

Landmark Internet Defamation Case - $11.3M Jury Verdict for Damages

Free Speech will not condone defamation - and once a judgment is filed (and as in my case, domesticated) moving forward to collections is the next step. A jury awarded me over $11M in damages ($5M of it is for punitive damages) which is not dischargeable in bankruptcy count.As you have read in my previous posts, we are now in this process and I will keep you posted on the details.

The defendant will be held accountable - after both being denied to have the judgment set aside, the defendant is now facing wage garnishment, possibly personal or involuntary bankruptcy and others means of collections.

To learn more about this case, you can pre-order my new book - Google Bomb - now available for pre-order on Amazon. I believe my case is the beginning of many more - my advice, think twice before you post!

Sue Scheff: Google Grows Smarter

March 25th, 2009

Source: ReputationDefender Blog


Yesterday it was announced that Google has gone all language-y on the web, updating its algorithms to understand not only the words being searched, but also the relationship between words. This is known as search semantics, and it is Google’s newest attempt to impress the web public with relevant search results.

Aside from the new word-relationship component, Google has also increased the characters devoted to summary paragraphs that attempt to pin down what people are searching for. In a recent blog post Google search quality team technical lead Ori Allon and snippets team engineer Ken Wilder wrote that the company “[is] deploying a new technology that can better understand associations and concepts related to your search. We are now able to target more queries, more languages, and make our suggestions more relevant to what you actually need to know.”
Heretofore Internet search services have focused on matching key words typed into query boxes with words at websites or in other online data. The newest generation of Internet users has caused a rise in demand for semantic searches that go beyond matching words to actually understanding what sentences or combinations of words mean. The trick, from a company stand point, has been whether or not adequate technology can be developed to process the increasingly complex searches with the high speed that Internet users have come to expect.

Not content with their current position behind Google in terms of search, Microsoft has recently stated that it is testing a Kumo.com semantic search engine. The hope is that the new search technology will be more popular than Microsoft’s current Live Search service, catapulting it beyond Yahoo! and Google.

As of Tuesday Google has rolled out semantic search capabilities in 37 languages. Some examples given by Wilder and Allon included a search in Russian for “fortune-telling with cards” which brought up search results for “tarot” and “divination.” Conversely, a Google search in English for “principles of physics” generated suggestions about “big bang” and “quantum mechanics.”

Sue Scheff: ReputationDefender in French Press

Courrier International has a nice piece about Reputation Management, Michael Fertik and ReputationDefender.

The article is in French, but speaks to the emerging industry that ReputationDefender pioneered, Online Identity Management.

Interested readers who do not parlez francais, can check out Babelfish to get the international buzz on ReputationDefender.

Sue Scheff Announces Book #2 - Google Bomb - Take Cover!

“GOOGLE BOMB” Take Cover! by John Dozier and Sue Scheff

Do you know what Google is saying about you?

Oh yes, it is almost here, my second book! This time around, I am honored to have co-author and Internet Specialist Attorney, John Dozier .

As my story of my landmark case of $11.3M jury verdict for damages unravels - many questions answers, John Dozier will bring us the legal landscape of today’s Cyber World - how to protect your online image and maintain a profile you are proud of! Have you thought about Internet Gossip vs Internet Fact? How do you know the difference? Don’t get caught in the web - read Google Bomb!

To compound our dynamic and explosive upcoming best seller - Michael Fertik, CEO and Founder of ReputationDefender will be writing the foreword! ReputationDefender is one of the pioneers in managing online reputations and helping keep your kids privacy safe online.

This timely book will offer you tools and remedies as well as a very compelling story that will keep you turning those pages! Remember, a 20 year reputation today can be destroyed within 20 minutes of vicious keystrokes.

Monkeys Don’t Fly? Do they? Ahhhh, just wait and you will see - the Internet has become its’ own animal. The Internet can be an educational tool - but - it can also be a lethal weapon!

Published by Health Communications Inc. (HCI) - Google Bomb will be released in Fall 2009.

Sue Scheff: Kidfluence

Check out this fantastic and informational website offering webcasts, TV Show, articles and more about today’s teens and all kids. Up to date content on what your kids are doing online and how to understand it all! Yes - all confusing and all ever changing.

Source: Kidfluence

Kidfluence is a brand created to strengthen youth development and education. Through its many programs such as Kidfluence TV, Teen Talk and Teen Screen, Kidfluence aims to be a leading advocate on teen issues.

http://www.kidfluence.tv/

The heart of the brand is an exciting new television show, Kidfluence TV, that discusses issues, events, and conflicts that affect our youth today.

A diverse group of opinionated personalities ranging from parents, coaches, teachers, professionals, advocates, and of course, tweens and teenagers will contribute to very candid discussions. With so many issues affecting our youth today, everyone has a point of view on what should be done, how matters should be handled.

Kidfluence is a television program that allows everyone to be an influential and a loyal supporter of tackling youth issues head on.

Sue Scheff: Middle School Survival Kit - Parent Resources

Featuring real kids talking about real issues, this Emmy award-winning Connect With Kids series helps inspire communication between parents and their children about the challenges, pressures and influences every pre-teen faces. Making it easier to talk to your Middle-Schooler about today’s tough issues, this Middle School Survival Kit contains programs covering these timely topics: Internet Dangers, Drugs & Alcohol, Dating & Sex, Anxiety & Depression.

Sue Scheff: Bullying, Obesity, Family and Friends - all meet at Grumble Bluff

I just read the most lovely and educational book called Grumble Bluff by Karen Bessey Pease. This tale tells of two young girls in that difficult and awkward stage of tweens - one is overweight and one has a horrific and painful situation she is living with. Both are bullied and teased relentlessly. Even reading how some kids are so mean made me feel so sad and angry on the inside.

If you are a parent of a teen or tween - buy this book today - read it and have your child read it. You will feel warm inside at the end and then anxious for the second book. Kathy and Greta (characters) will become part of your family too - and what a great way to open lines of communication between you and your kids.

Parents Universal Resource Experts - Sue Scheff - Parenting Blogs

Recently I am noticing more and more parents are stepping up and talking about their issues, concerns, frustrations as well as sharing ideas and tips they have used in raising their children. All in all, it is about parents helping parents.Years ago when I struggled with my daughter, I felt so alone - and it was such a hush hush mentality. We were all so determined to prove our kids were nearly perfect! Oh, so smart and athletic or gifted and talented in some way. In today's generation of raising children it is become more challenging.

Here are a few Blogs on Parenting that could help you help your child:

Van's Mom - Exploring and dealing with an ADHD and ODD daughter.
Tangerine Times - Myrna's parenting tips on the sweet and sour times of teens.
Phil's Blog - Why physical education is so critical to children today in highly techy times.
Inhalant Abuse Blog - Parents educate other parents on the dangers of many home products.
Love Our Children Blog - Helping keep today's children safe.
Sarah Maria's Blog - Learning to increase your self image to make better choices. (For parents and teens!)
Lori Hanson's Blog - Holistic solutions for a eating disorders.
ADD/ADHD Blog - ADDitude Magazine offers many parent Blogs on ADD/ADHD and more.

Sue Scheff: Digital Journal

Model v. Google, ‘Net Verbal Abuse, Provokes Lawsuits

That’s because at least one woman has taken up the charge to get rid of verbal abuse and defamation. But is this a reasonable approach to free speech and will people be screaming about their rights if she wins or is this woman walking the walk that many women applaud?

Turns out that verbal abuse against women is not only in the bedroom and the kitchen of many homes, it is rampant online as well. Certainly men are abused as well, so they need not write in and say so. It’s a given. But verbal abuse online may be examined in the same way as other forms, and so may defamation.

One woman has had enough and isn’t going to take it anymore. There are other concerns that this case may also give precedent. Young bloggers might not applaud this woman’s right to fight, but listen up because the issue might become bigger then just this one case. Here it is, for your reading consumption.

Liskula Cohen, a model in Canada, has decided to sue Google because of offensive remarks that were made about her on a blog hosted by the Google service, Blogger publishing. This was reported originally by the. New York Daily News. Cohen, age 36, seeks the identity of the individual she claims slandered her, calling her certain epithets, most of which weren’t printed in the article, and the one that was is this “Our #1 skanky superstar.

The blog is called Skanks in NYC, and devotes itself to ridiculing photographs of the model. So Cohen is pursuing a claim against Google, demanding the identity of the blogger who is exercising what he or she believes is a free speech right to write anything. Her lawyer, after examining the site, has called it "libelous" and "defamatory."

A reporter who outlined the New York Daily News story asked the question, “Is her claim against Google viable?” She answered her own question by saying, “Um, probably not.” Perhaps the reporter does not know the meaning of defamation or doesn’t understand why there are site restrictions on posting certain types of remarks.

That’s likely because owners don’t want the possibility of getting into some sort of legal action. Perhaps she didn’t look up the meaning of defamation or understood what a lawyer deems it to be and what the limits are on free speech. Or perhaps she is not concerned about recent decisions that could set a precedent on what's coming up.

In Natchitoches, Louisiana in the United States, a number of professional people and civic leaders are up in arms about personal attacks that have gone on Topix. People hiding beyond made-up monikers have sometimes become quite vitriolic in their attacks. During an election of the local sheriff, they became racially charged as the sheriff is Creole. In a town with a significant racist past through slavery, only integrated in the late 60’s, this was troublesome. Complaint to the forum moderator sometimes doesn’t work nor do letters to the President of Topix. So some people are leading the charge to do something legislatively, as has been done in other parts of the world. The Anti-Defamation League is seeking to stop the use of the Internet in spreading hate speech. Germany has already moved to do something about it, according to this article, but there is still much to do.

Perhaps the writer on CNET might examine this website that outlines an award given to a plaintiff recently. Sue Scheff of Weston, Florida, pursued a judgment against a Louisiana woman and was awarded by the courts $11.3 million in a defamation lawsuit against the defendant who posted messages on the Internet accusing her of being a "crook," a "con artist" and a "fraud." A law professor at the University of Florida states that there may be a new trend in court cases with online messages.

Now about that model’s claim and whether or not it is viable. Um, possibly so, if the Florida precedent is used and the model’s claim found to be legitimate.