New Proactive Consumer Mascot Makes Internet Awareness and Safety Online A Snap

Both experienced and novice buyers now have 2 targeted resources for up-to-date consumer help.

Monmouth, NJ (PRWEB) February 10, 2006 -- Internet beginners and other non-geeks are no longer left by the wayside when it comes to critical safety issues online. A compelling new mascot now reaches both newcomers to the Internet and experienced users alike with up-to-date consumer alerts and product researching resources.

ID theft and financial fraud are common and potentially devastating dangers to Internet users. The scams are simple yet effective; unwary consumers receive emails supposedly from their bank, Paypal, eBay or other large entities online that indicate a security breach. They follow enclosed instructions to resecure their account, not knowing they are providing their personal and financial details to the scammers involved instead.

Called "phishing", it's merely one of the ways Internet users can be badly hit in the pocketbook (other ways are make money scams, identity theft, and fraud). In light of this, the Goverment designated National Consumer Awareness week to be Feb. 5th to Feb. 9th; it's geared towards raising awareness about these online dangers.

Deliving the message of safety without losing the interest of the reader is of paramount importance. A new suite of resources have been developed to appeal to both beginners and also experienced users online to meet this crucial need head on.

Created by Barbara Ling in NJ, these consumer-focused sites are dedicated to both alerting online users to current scams, and also offering popular customer resources such as product reviews and forums to help research potential buys. Their purpose of Consumer education has been facilitated by introducing them as the personal blogs of The Clarity Commander of Consumer Awareness at http://www.Owlbert.com/blog/ .

Ling was faced with the challenge of delivering the message of consumer safety while consistently maintaining the reader's focus. User diversity is extreme - what might grab one person's attention bore another reader senseless. Ling solved this problem by building two special-interest sites targeted to specific user levels (beginners and experienced) and incorporating the security information from within.

Owlbert has written several blogs about online safety and protection. The general consumer's blog is located at http://www.Owlbert.com/blog/ , while the Internet beginners resources are housed at http://www.OwlbertsBeginners.com/blog/ . Each site is tailored according to the targeted audience's online comfort level .

"It's all about the consumer," Ling explained. "Some visitors are expert Internet users, while others have just gotten online and are only familiar with "you've got mail!". By building and focusing two sites at different levels, the message of consumer safety is certain to get out."

The benefits to this approach are many. Consumers remember cartoon mascots; witness the Geico Gecko and the Ask Jeeves butler. Owlbert's positioning as a knowledgable 3rd party consumer alert service, coupled with a humourous delivery, encourages more users to share the site with their friends and colleagues.

Due to the high level of interest, rss syndication feeds are now available for both sites. This proactively allows the articles to be read directly from a user's browser. The beginners feed is located at http://feeds.feedburner.com/owlbertsbeginne and the general consumer feed is at http://feeds.feedburner.com/owlbert .

Ling is confident that Owlbert's comfortable and friendly style of writing will aid consumers in protecting themselves from Internet fraud and scams. "It can be a dangerous world online...", she remarked. "Getting safety and consumer alerts delivered directly to the user can make the difference between financial theft and staying safe. Owlbert will help level the playing field so beginners and experienced Internet surfers alike will benefit."

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