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There’s been a surge in celebrities, sportspeople and politicians making the headlines recently for their ill-judged comments on social networking sites but there’s a chance you could be at risk of doing the same.

Social networks are great for keeping in touch with friends and colleagues, and for sharing photos and videos. However, the informal nature of these sites can also make it more likely to say something we shouldn’t either professionally or legally. 

We have recently been made aware of a phone scam targeting domain name registrants. 

In the scam, registrants are contacted by telephone, by someone claiming to have 3rd party ownership of the registrant’s domain. They then make a demand for money or they will sell the domain on.

Please be wary of any unsolicited calls or emails regarding your domain name(s) or web presence.

Children are more likely to reach for the internet in their spare time rather than the TV according to new research. 

61% of youngsters now have a mobile phone with internet access and use their mobiles for an average of 1.6 hours a day according to the latest Childwise monitoring study which surveyed 2,770 five to 16 year olds. 

UK shoppers buy more online than other European countries according to the latest study from Ofcom.

The report found 79% of UK internet users had ordered goods or services online in 2010 compared to 27% of Italian consumers. This is the sixth annual study published by the communications watchdog looking at the online habits of 17 countries.

If you are selling goods online using an online auction site or on your own website then you should take care when using logos.

Business use their logos as ‘trademarks’ to identify their products or services to consumers and they are specially protected once they are registered. To find out whether a name is protected you can search online at www.ipo.gov.uk

We have recently been made aware of unsolicited mailings targeting domain name registrants. In a letter purporting to be a reminder to renew your domain, it asks you to register your domain with their company rather than your existing registrar - for a fee. 

It suggests that if action is not taken quickly, it could result in the loss of your online identity. 

Please be wary of any unsolicited emails or calls regarding your domain name(s) or web presence.