Three Lake County organizations have been given a more prominent place in cyberspace thanks to help from local communications service provider NewWave Communications. Ridgley Senior Center, Tiptonville Senior Center and the Ridgley Public Library are all represented on the newly launched website http://www.lakecountytn.org Seth Lyon from NewWave assisted Lake County Senior Center and Library officials with creation of the site. Visitors to the web page can get information on upcoming events, contact info, services offered and other information pertaining to each organization. NewWave donated the use of Seth’s services for the design and launch of the project.

“We would like to express our most sincere thanks to NewWave Communications for producing a website for our center. Their thoughtfulness is deeply appreciated,” says Linda LaMastus from the Tipton Senior Center.

According to Dorothy Burns, also from the Tipton Senior Center, “The Tennessee Commission on Aging and the Northwest Tennessee Area Agency on Aging and Disability District Offices have suggested that each county office obtain a website to keep up with modern technology. In our county this would not have been possible without NewWave’s assistance. Thanks, NewWave, for a job well done.”

Starting in early April, you can stop by your neighborhood’s new communications store located at 111 West Jackson Street in the heart of Ripley. Now you can come by in person to pay your bill, upgrade your services, learn about our products and more!

“This store reflects the dedication that NewWave has made in being a “Local Service Provider,” says NewWave’s Western Tennessee and Western Kentucky General Manager Cameron Miller. “Customers will be able to “test drive” digital TV, high-speed Internet, home phone service, high-definition TV, DVRs and much more. Customer service representatives will also be able to assist with service and bill payments. It will definitely be a ‘full service’ store.”

This new office will bring added convenience to our customers as well as provide new jobs for the community.

Drop by during our Grand Opening in early April. We will have food, drinks, giveaways, and special offers for customers. Plus we’ll be providing a demo of all our great services.

We are now offering TBS HD. Now you can catch all of your favorite TBS programming in crystal clear HD.

TBS is television’s top-rated comedy network.  It serves as home to such original comedy series as My Boys, The Bill Engvall Show, Tyler Perry’s House of Payne and Meet the Browns; original late-night series like 10 Items or Less; hot contemporary comedies like The Office, My Name is Earl, Sex and the City, Everybody Loves Raymond, Family Guy, King of Queens, Seinfeld and Friends; specials like Funniest Commercials of the Year; special events, such as June’s TBS Presents a “Very Funny” Festival: Just For Laughs event in Chicago and November’s TBS Presents A “Very Funny” Festival: The Comedy Festival event in Las Vegas; blockbuster movies; and hosted movie showcases.

TBS is also the exclusive home of all MLB Postseason action with Division Series games and the National Leage Championship Series (NLCS®), starting the first two weeks of October.

Winner Gary Hux (middle) along with Director of Marketing Kyle Alcorn (right) and General Manager Mike Burns (left)

How would you like to get a phone call that told you you’d just won $1,000 dollars?  Gary Hux, of Essex, Missouri recently had such a phone call from Kyle Alcorn, Director of Marketing for NewWave Communications.  Hux had entered into NewWave’s Phone Appreciation Sweepstakes a contest which was aimed at all new and current NewWave phone customers across the seven-state service area.  Phone customers received a bill stuffer giving them a website to submit their entry through July 15th.  The winning name was drawn on July 17^th at NewWave Headquarters in Sikeston, Missouri.

According to Alcorn, “This contest was just one way to give a little something back to our customers, to show them how much we appreciate them.  After all, without them, we wouldn’t be in business.”

Congratulations to Mr. Hux once again for being our winner.

While the internet can provide a multitude of entertainment and information, internet users also need to take caution as there are plenty of dangers as well.  Here are some tips to help you keep your internet surfing safe and protect your computer:

Install Security Software (Anti-Virus/Firewalls/Anti-Spyware):   Before you start browsing the web, these should be the first things you install.  In the event you encounter a virus, worm, or other malware, Anti-Virus & Anti-Spyware software can stop these malicious programs before they cause damage.  A Firewall will help you manage your internet connection, controlling which programs have access to internet, and prevent unauthorized access to your computer from threats on the internet.  Keep in mind though that not all virus protection and firewalls are the same.  You’ll find there is a multitude of protection software out there, but only a handful of them are worth installing.  These are some of the top recommended companies to look for solutions from:

Symantec
McAfee
AVG
Avir
ESET

Some of these even offer free or trial versions of their programs so you can try them out.  Keep in mind though with free versions tech support is usually limited or non-existent, so if you encounter any issues, you only have yourself to rely on for support.

Keep Your Computer Updated:  This applies to the aforementioned security software (Anti-Virus/Anti-Spyware & Firewalls) as well as your operating system.  Computers and the software that runs on them by their very nature are not perfect, thus new flaws and vulnerabilities are discovered all the time.  Keeping your computer updated helps to resolve any of these vulnerabilities before they cause you problems.

Be Skeptical About Free Software:  As you surf the web, you will likely encounter all sorts of offers of free software.  While there are a lot of useful programs out there, unfortunately there are a lot of bad ones masquerading as good.  Before you download things like toolbars, weather alerts, screensavers and other such programs, check online for reviews and what other users have encountered when using these programs.   Even though you might have security software such as anti-virus or anti-spyware, these can only go so far and you should not rely on these alone to protect you.  Your first line of defense is avoid downloading and installing just any software you find in the first place.  Think of your computer like your home.  Before you let someone in, you usually take some steps to get to know them.  The same should apply to your computer. 

Lock Down Your Computer:  Most computers have the ability to setup profiles for different users, and you can usually refer to your computers help documentation on how to do so.  By default, usually the first profile you have on a computer will be an administrative one.  While logged in under an administrative profile you can install and change applications as you please.  But you can also set up profiles that have more limited access.  These profiles can use applications and software already installed, but cannot install or make changes to them.  If multiple people use your computer, or especially if you have children, it’s a good idea to setup these more limited profiles for everyone else.  If you just have a single family computer that everyone uses, whether it be for mom & dad for online shopping and financial purposes, and for the kids for playing games and the surfing the web, this should be especially true.  If you give everyone administrative privileges, then whether intentional or not, they may make changes to your computer that affects its integrity as well as the security of your data. 

Taking these steps can make a world of a difference in keeping your computing experiences safe and fun.  Do you have any tips or recommendations from your own computer experiences?

NewWave has been offering several new products in our Communication Stores. Our Dexter, Missouri store was the most recent to have these products available.  These products include:

• A Remote Extender.  This device lets you hide your audiovisual equipment to create a clean, clutter free viewing area around your television.  This works especially well if you have a wall mounted television.
• A 500 GB External Hard Drive.  This device can be used with both computers and dvr’s in order to expand storage space, letting you store even more movies, television shows, music, pictures and documents.
• A Wireless Gateway.  For those with our internet service this will let you set up a wireless internet connection in your home.  Great for those with laptops and other wireless devices.
• Audiovisual Cables.  From HDMI to Composite to Optical and more, we now have a wide assortment of audiovisual cables in a variety of lengths to help you get most out of your entertainment system.

You can now find these products in any of our local Communication Stores or you can order them online at our website http://www.newwavecom.com.

Bonus: For the next 5 people who follow us on twitter who have our digital television service, we’ll give you a free pay-per-view (up to a $3.95 value) of your choice.  Just follow us, and once we have everything confirmed we’ll direct message you on the details.  There is no time limit on this, just be one of the next five people to follow us.  We’ll update the blog and twitter as things proceed.  Good Luck!

Update: We have our five winners. Congratulations to all of you, we’ll be sending out your free pay-per-view coupons shortly.

Recently NewWave has been finalizing upgrades to increase speeds in some of our service areas.  Customers who have internet in these service areas will find that their speeds have been upgraded at no additional charge.  Here is how the upgrades played out:

Chef Ryan Cook created a shrimp dish marinated in extra virgin olive oil and kosher salt, served with watermelon, cantaloupe, and other fresh fruits. Chef Antonia Lafaso created a delightful dish using lamb battered in Quaker Oats and served on a bed of fresh greens. All three demonstrations were open to the public and was standing room only. Attendees received tips on everything from how to pick how fresh ingredients, to the best cooking tools, and even some tips on how to sauté meats and vegetables. Plus and most importantly everyone got to try the food!!

NewWave sponsored the trivia wheel which gave people the chance to answer questions between demonstrations about the show and win prizes from NewWave. Hosted by Sales and Marketing Manager, Steve Buttram, everyone walked away a winner because of the phone a friend plan. Everybody got to ask Steve, who just happened to have all of the answers.

After leaving Hopkinsville the tour continued on to Louisville, Kentucky for the Kentucky Derby

We bagged over 1000 apples and gave away 500 bags to folks as they walked in the local Country Mart.  Your Home Town Channel also made a visit to film the promotion and interview some NewWave customers and employees.