Surfer Beware Guard Against Online Scams This Holiday Season The Transition to Digital TV How It Will Affect You in Hartington DSL Not Fast Enough? Up to 6Mg Download Speeds Are Available CPNI What It Is And Why It Could Be a Real Pain For Hartington Customers Give SecureIT Plus For Christmas Help a Friend or Family Member to Ease Their Frustrations Channel 13 Announcements More Than You Expect -- See the Lineup of Events for the CandleLight Christmas and Parade! Gift Certificates Available Ease Your Holiday Shopping Get Free HBO or Cinemax Free Installation Too Ask The Help Desk Why Are My Most Recent E-mail Messages Not Listed First? Local Website Of The Month Our Featured LOCAL Website Of The Month is... Sites Of The Month Great Sites To Check Out In November! Short Tutorial Printing Your Address Book For Holiday Card Reference

Hello Hartel.net Subscribers! We created this November issue to help prepare you for the busy holiday season ahead. You'll find advice on how to protect yourself from fraudulent holiday e-cards and online shopping scams. You'll learn how to better manage your list of e-mail messages and how to print your Address Book. You'll also see Great Sites for Thanksgiving - tons of turkey tips, the funny new Bee Movie to see with family, and inspiration for that post-dinner walk. The goal of each of our monthly eNewsletters is to keep our subscribers informed regarding their Internet connection and to improve their Internet experience. To meet this goal, each monthly newsletter will usually contain information related to: Warnings on a recent virus, e-mail hoax, or security issue that may affect you An update on new services and other local interests An answer to a frequently asked Internet related question Some fun, seasonal websites to check out A short, step-by-step tutorial on an e-mail or browser related task We think you'll find the information contained in this newsletter to be a valuable tool for enhancing your Internet experience. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive these bulletins on a monthly basis, click HERE. To see what's inside this issue, take a look at the index to the left and thanks for reading! - The Hartel.net Team

Surfer Beware - Guard Against Online Scams This Holiday Season

Online scams tend to rise during the holiday season as criminals take advantage of people being busier and in a more festive, trusting mood. Two areas of particular concern are fraudulent holiday e-cards and phony e-commerce sites.

Keep in mind that a wholesome-looking e-card, once clicked or downloaded, might actually be a spyware installer or a computer virus. The holiday greeting could also be a phishing attack intent on obtaining your Social Security number, credit card data, or brokerage account information. To help avoid e-card troubles, take the same precautions as with any e-mail you receive:

• Never download or click on anything from any unknown source.
• Use a firewall.
• Use antivirus and antispyware software and keep it up to date.
• Don't accept an end-user agreement without reading the fine print first.

• Do not click on links to websites embedded in e-mails. These links can direct you to phony e-commerce sites.

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The Transition to Digital TV - How It Will Affect You in Hartington

Analog TV service ends in February of 2009. Digital broadcasting will then be required from all network stations. So what does this mean for you? Here's a little background.

Since TV programming began, analog broadcasting was the norm. Now the FCC has declared that the analog radio spectrum should be vacated to make more space for public safety agencies and wireless communications. Today's digital broadcasting is mostly running concurrent with the analog broadcasts. However as stated above, the analog transmissions will end in February 2009.

What to do?

If you're a CedarVision Cable TV customer, there's nothing that you need to worry about. CedarVision Cable TV will continue to carry all broadcast signalling after the February 2009 deadline. Our cable TV system is an analog system, and we will convert all digital signals automatically to analog after the February 2009 deadline. All CedarVision Cable TV signalling will remain the same.

If you use "rabbit ears" or a set-top antenna to receive TV broadcasts and have only analog TVs in your household, then after February 2009, you will need to get a digital-to-analog converter box so your TV can display the broadcasts. The FCC has stated that they will subsidize consumers for purchasing digital-to-analog converter boxes. Households can apply for up to two $40 coupons starting after January 1, 2008. The converter boxes will not give you a "high-definition" signal. A very brief comparison of digital TV versus HDTV is explained below.

Other points to remember:

• Digital TV is not necessarily HDTV (High-Definition TV), but all HDTVs are digital.
• A Digital TV television can be "standard definition" (SD) or it can be "high-definition" (HDTV).
• If a TV set is labeled as HDTV, it is a digital TV.
• Analog TVs are always "square" in size and are becoming scarce at electronics stores as dealers discount prices.
• Analog TVs can still be used after February 2009 with CedarVision Cable TV.
• A digital-to-analog converter box, or a digital set-top box, or a digital roof-top antenna may be needed if you do not have CedarVision Cable TV.
• Digital TVs can be "square" in shape, but most digital TVs have a "wide-screen" shape.
• All HDTVs have a "wide-screen" shape.
• CedarVision Cable TV does not have the ability to offer high-definition programming at this time, as our system is analog.
• You can use a digital TV with CedarVision Cable TV, but we convert all digital signals to analog before sending the signal to your house.
• Likewise you can use a HDTV television with CedarVison Cable TV, but you won't be able to take advantage of the HDTV capabilities unless you rent HDTV movies and play them with a high-definition DVD player.

CedarVision Cable TV hopes to transition our analog cable system to digital, but it will be several years before that occurs as there are "bugs" still to be worked out in the new technology we plan to use. At that point, we hope to have many channels of HDTV programming and Video on Demand services as well. But for now, we will continue with our analog system and will convert any digital TV signals to analog signals. We will keep you updated on our progress.

If you are shopping for a new TV during this upcoming holiday season, we suggest to:

1. purchase a digital TV.
2. consider getting a TV with HDTV capabilities for when HDTV becomes available on CedarVision Cable TV.
3. shop locally were experts from Hartington can address your specific TV questions.

Please remember these points when shopping for new TVs during the upcoming Christmas holiday shopping season. It may save you many headaches and frustration.

For more information about the digital TV transition, the FCC has an excellent website: http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html

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DSL Not Fast Enough? - Up to 6Mg Download Speeds Are Available

Many years ago, Hartel.net introduced DSL speeds of 128k and 256k which sounded really fast. Hartel.net now has DSL speeds that will blow the socks off those speeds all the way back to their dialup ancestors!

We now have speeds available of up to 6Mg. That's the same as 6,000k speed as compared to 128k. It's approximately 48 times faster! And compared to dialup's top speed of 56k, well, maybe the word "speed" shouldn't be used to describe it at all.

With any of our bundles that include Broadband DSL, 1.5Mg speeds (1500k) are included. If that's not fast enough for you, add up to 3Mg speed for only an additional $10.00 over the bundled price.

Want up to 6Mg speeds? Add that option to any Broadband DSL bundle for only $25.00 over the bundle price. It's so affordable!

3Mg and 6Mg speed DSL packages are also available without a bundling package. Call 254-3901 for more information on how you can cruise the Internet at lightning fast speeds!

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CPNI - What It Is and Why Could It Be a Real Pain For Hartington Customers

CPNI is an abbreviation for Customer Proprietary Network Information. CPNI is a set of regulations enacted by the FCC to ensure the customer's information is not released to any unauthorized party. That's a good thing, right?

Yes it is -- once your telephone account is setup properly and just the way you want it!

Starting in December, new FCC rules regarding CPNI go into effect. These rules will affect the way information is given out to people about your account. Hartington Telecommunications has always been very careful about each customer's private information, but the FCC has now made the rules even more strict. Here's a general summary of the rules and how they could affect you whenever you call or stop by our office.

• If you stop in our office and have a question about your bill and our customer service representative doesn't recognize you, you will be required to show us your driver's license or government-issued photo ID. This is called authentication and we must do this whether you walk in to the office or whether you call over the phone.
• We can only share account information with those people who are either listed on your account name, or they have been authorized by the account holder to be able to see your account information.
• We sent a CPNI form with your September 1st billing whereby your were given a choice of 4-digit passcode that you could use for authentication. This passcode is on file and will be used to validate phone callers who ask for account information.
• If you do not know your passcode or have not set up a passcode, we can also send the requested information via US mail to the billing address or we can call the phone number on your account. We are not permitted to call any other number that the customer may give us to contact them such as a cellphone number or a business line number (if you are calling about your residential account).
• If you send your child or grandchild to our office with a blank check to pay your billing, we cannot give them the amount due unless they have been authorized by the account holder to know your information and their name is in our records. We may call you at your account phone number to verify that we may give this information out.
• It is very important that if you are single, that you have an alternate authorized person listed on your account. They do not need to be listed on the billing address. This enables them to assist you with questions on your account in the unlikely event that you are injured or are othewise unable to maintain your account. Please stop by the office to fill out a form to add any new authorized people to your account.

The purpose of CPNI is to protect our customers. There are other CPNI rules that are not mentioned above that go into effect, and we will do our best to assist each and every customer with questions on your account. Please have patience as we work through these privacy issues with you on an individual basis.

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Give SecureIT Plus For Christmas - Help a Friend or Family Member to Ease Their Frustrations

For more information on how SecureIT Plus can help family members better control their PC's security, click here. Gift certificates are also available upon request.

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Channel 13 Announcements - More Than You Expect -- See the Lineup of Events for the CandleLight Christmas and Parade!

Did you know that all community announcements that are displayed on CedarVision CATV Channel 13 are also on the Internet and updated daily Monday through Friday?

It's more than menus and sale ads -- it's almost all upcoming events in Hartington and the surrounding area. Don't know what to do on a Saturday night? Check out www.hartel.net and click on "CedarVision Ch13 Community Info".

Check out the lineup of special activities and events for the 7th Annual CandleLight Christmas and Lighted Vehicle Parade. Most events are listed right on the web. No need to wonder, just visit Hartel.net by clicking in the paragraph above for more information!

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Gift Certificates Available - Ease Your Holiday Shopping

Hartington Telecommunications, CedarVision CATV, and Northeast Nebraska Computer Services (NNCS) all have convenient gift certificates for all types of services to make your Christmas shopping the easiest ever! Just stop by any of our stores and ask for a gift certificate for any type of phone service, cable TV services including HBO or Cinemax, or maybe pre-pay for Broadband DSL for a friend or relative. The SecureIT Plus suite of computer protection services with parental controls is always a great choice. Or stop by NNCS and see the latest specials for Dell-brand PCs. Gift certificates can also be given from NNCS. So stop by today and make quick work of your Christmas shopping.

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Get Free HBO or Cinemax - Free Installation Too

Signup for HBO or Cinemax before the end of the 2007 and get your first month FREE with a 6-month commitment! We'll also include free installation of HBO or Cinemax. What better way to spend those cold winter nights -- in front of the TV with your loved ones watching movies that'll warm your hearts! Call CedarVision at 254-3933 to signup today.

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Ask The Help Desk - Why Are My Most Recent E-mail Messages Not Listed First?

Question: My Outlook Express normally lists the e-mail messages in my inbox in descending order from the most current to the oldest. Now, however, the e-mail messages in my inbox are listed in alphabetical order rather than by the date I received them. This is frustrating because now I have to scroll through my entire list of e-mail messages in order to find the most recent unread messages. What is going on?

Answer: Normally, Outlook Express as well as other e-mail software programs sort both incoming and sent e-mail messages by date. The most recently received e-mails are listed at the top of your "Inbox" message pane. The most recently sent e-mails are listed at the top of your "Sent Items" pane. It appears that you may have inadvertently clicked on the "Subject" column located along the top of your list of messages causing them to be sorted alphabetically by subject rather than by date. If you look to the right of the word "Subject," you will see a small arrow pointing either up or down indicating that the message list is sorted by subject. If this is the case, simply click your cursor arrow on the "Sent" column. Your e-mail messages will now be listed in chronological order with the newest shown at the top and the oldest at the bottom. The little arrow should now be next to the word "Sent" instead of "Subject." This works with messages in your "Sent Items" folder, too. Actually, you can sort messages in any folder simply by clicking on its column heading; you can reverse the order by clicking on the heading a second time. This can be a handy feature as long as it's something you intended to do.

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Local Website Of The Month - Our Featured LOCAL Website Of The Month is.....

This is a series of monthly articles featuring local websites. Please contact us by clicking here if you want your website to be featured in an upcoming issue. You supply the information and we'll put it in our eNewsletter. What a great way to get your website known throughout the Hartington area!

Hartington's Quasquicentennial Celebration

www.HartingtonQ125.com is the place to be to find out the activities and fun events are planned for Hartington's Q125 celebration scheduled for next Memorial Weekend 2008. Stop back often as the website will continually be updated with new features and activities as new information becomes available.

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Great Sites To Check Out This Month

Veterans Stories
http://www.loc.gov:80/vets/stories/thewar/ -  Veteran's Day is upon us. This is a great site to review historical war facts, and also to get a glimpse into Ken Burns' movie The War, a historical perspective of WWII that has been shown on PBS the last several weeks. This site is a must-view for any veteran and history buffs, and should be for students as well. The website is hosted by the Library of Congress.

Funny Honey
http://www.beemovie.com -  Everybody's buzzing about Bee Movie, an animated comedy created by Jerry Seinfeld that flies into theaters this month. Seinfeld provides the voice for a bee that's recently graduated from college and ventures outside the hive for the first time, meeting Vanessa the florist (Renée Zellweger). Visit the site to watch the clever trailers and TV spots, and to download recipes from the National Honey Board. Rated PG.

Medicine Cabinet Makeover
http://www.webmd.com/video/medicine-cabinet-makeover -  Recent news reports about the risks of cold medicines for children under six serve as reminders to be mindful of what's in our medicine cabinet. WebMD includes a Medicine Cabinet Makeover video on their site, which walks you through the drug store shelves to help you stock the right over-the-counter remedies. You'll also find safety guidelines for kids and medicine - just in time for cold and flu season.

Organize Your Stuff
http://www.mythings.com -  Before you get new stuff this holiday season, get a better handle on the stuff you already own. MyThings is a global online registry to help you organize and manage your belongings. You create a list of items on your MyThings Portfolio, then the site will give you free valuation and market estimator services, help you find warranties and owners manuals, and even simplify the process of selling, recycling, or donating items you no longer want.

Talking Turkey
http://www.eatturkey.com/consumer/thanks.html -  Whether it's your first year hosting Thanksgiving dinner or you're looking for fresh ideas, check out this site. It covers all things turkey including purchasing, thawing, preparing, seasoning, roasting, frying, smoking, grilling, stuffing, carving, and storing. And since man cannot live on turkey alone, recipes for appetizers, side dishes, and desserts are also on the menu.

America's Walking
http://www.pbs.org/americaswalking/index.html -  To get fit, sometimes you just need to put one foot in front of the other. America's Walking is a new fitness, travel, and lifestyle series premiering on PBS stations nationwide. It's hosted by Mark Fenton, a leading expert on walking and pedestrian issues, and spotlights different walking destinations each week. The site features quizzes to help you kick off a walking program, discover your fitness personality, and find out if your community is pedestrian-friendly. There are also links to walking clubs and events across the country.

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Short Tutorial - Printing Your Address Book For Holiday Card Reference

More and more people are using their e-mail program's electronic Address Book in place of the traditional paper version. After all, this software makes it so much easier to update the addresses of friends and relatives as they move. When it's time to do holiday cards, however, you may find it useful to have a hard copy of this information to refer to as you address envelopes. It's also a handy place to keep track of sent and received cards.

To print a copy of your e-mail program's Address Book, follow these steps:

Printing Your Address Book When Using Outlook Express 6 In Windows XP Home Edition

1. With Outlook Express open, click your cursor arrow on the "Addresses" icon on the Outlook Express toolbar. The "Address Book" for the current identity (probably the Main Identity) will appear.
2. Sort your list the way you want it to print by clicking on the "View" menu, dropping down to "Sort By," and then choosing an option or options from the "Sort By" submenu.
3. You can also select specific contacts for printing by either pressing the "Shift" or "Ctrl" keys and simultaneously clicking on the listed contacts.
4. If you want to print all of the contacts, make no selection.
5. Click on the "File" menu. Drop down to and select "Print" from the drop-down menu.
6. The "Print" dialog window will appear. Look for the "Print Style" area and select either "Memo" which will print all data entered for the selected contacts, "Business Card" which will print the names, company names, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers of the selected contacts, or "Phone List" which will print the selected contacts' phone numbers.
7. Enter the "Number of copies" in the "Copies" area.
8. Click the "Print" button.

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We hope you found this newsletter to be informative. It's our way of keeping you posted on the happenings here. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive these bulletins on a monthly basis, click HERE.

Thanks for your business!

Best regards,

The Hartel.net Team





Hartington Telecommunications
104 W Centre
PO Box 157
Hartington, NE 68739

Ph 402-254-3901

©2007 Cornerstone Publishing Group Inc.

Trademarks: All brand names and product names used in this eNewsletter are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.