Pea of Sweetness

Accountable2You Review

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Accountability is important – especially when you have children. Even when I have put child settings into place and have been very direct about what is OK to visit and not visit, I know nothing is foolproof. There are so many inappropriate things the kids can stumble upon! Recently we have been using the Family Plan from Accountable2You to help monitor multiple devices within our home.
Accountability across all your devices {Accountable2You}
Accountable2You offers a variety of plans for Internet Accountability and Monitoring. Whether you need coverage on just a few devices or have a small business that needs accountability on multiple devices, Accountable2You has a plan to fit your needs. The plan we have been using, the Family Plan, includes coverage up to 20 devices. Other features of the Family Plan include:

  • Unlimited Accountability Partners
  • Ability to Create Child User Accounts
  • Set Time Limit Alerts Per Account
  • Real Time Reporting
  • Accountability Partners Per Device
  • Daily or Weekly Email Reports
  • Hourly Alert Reports
  • Instant Text Alerts
  • Manage Objectionable Word List

Accountable2You is not a software that filters or blocks content, so I definitely recommend that it is used with a software that does those things. What it is is a software for accountability. With alerts and real time reporting, though, It is really great for keeping each other accountable within your family and encourages building relationships with each other as well. Of course, accountability is really important for our spiritual health as well. That is something that is very important to me.

Accountable2You Review

Accountable2You review
Something I appreciate is not only does Accountable2You offer accountability for multiple devices, but the number of devices that are supported is quite extensive. We are able to use it on both computers (both are Windows 10), the iPads (iOS 8 or later), the Kindle Fire HD, and my iPhone. Pretty amazing, right? The only difference between running the software on the different devices is that on iOS devices it doesn’t monitor the entire device. I found it was a little more complicated to get it up and running on our iOS devices, but it was definitely still doable.
For us, I found installing accountability software opened the door for discussions about not only what they shouldn’t be accessing on the internet but also that they’re using their time wisely. We use quite a few homeschool programs that are internet based, and those programs have offered the opportunity for independent time. Since we have been able to monitor their internet activity, I’ve been able to explain time management as well. It wasn’t something I planned on, but it’s definitely valuable as well!
I have to admit it’s been an eye opener for me as well! I have a bad habit of clicking on those random “suggested” articles and can easily get caught up. I have been much more aware of how I am spending time on my devices. Now I actually think before I allow myself to get sucked in to random nonsense.
I found Accountable2You was fairly simple to set up overall. There are multiple steps involving setting up family members and installing the software on the devices. Each device has its own accountability partner. I am, of course, the accountability partner for my kids’ devices. I feel like there are definitely more features that I hope to explore more soon, but I definitely find Accountable2You has been helpful for our family.

Connect with Accountable2You

Website | Facebook | YouTube
Members of the Homeschool Review have been using Accountable2You across their devices with their families as well. See what they thought by clicking on the banner below!
Accountability across all your devices {Accountable2You}
 
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Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate Review

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Disclosure: I received the product mentioned to facilitate my review. Regardless, all opinions are my own.
Video Converter
I have an issue – the videos from my digital camera aren’t compatible with my MAC. More importantly, they’re not compatible with iMovie. I’ve even had someone point out the video reviews I’ve done aren’t that great because, well, I’ve had to do them from my phone or iPad. The quality of video from my phone or iPad definitely DON’T compare to the quality I can get from my digital camera. Because I couldn’t get my videos to work with in iMovie, though, I couldn’t edit the videos from my digital camera. So unless they were perfect (yeah right!) I couldn’t use them.
I have tried multiple apps that say they convert the files, and I thought I found one that did what I needed – convert AVI to MP4. That seems simple enough! It didn’t, though! It would PLAY an AVI, but it wouldn’t convert it. It was nice to be able to watch my videos on my computer finally, but it still didn’t help with the issue of being able to edit my videos. Plus, it said it needed an update, and I’d have to pay ANOTHER $35.00 to update it after I already purchased the app! What??
So, needless to say I was eager to try Wondershare’s Video Converter Ultimate. It can convert video to 158 formats! That alone made me feel confident it could definitely do what I was needing! Wondershare is a leading consumer software company that offers a variety of programs for your needs. I obviously used the Video Converter Ultimate for MAC, though it is available for PC as well!
A couple of neat features it mentions on their website are:

  • Convert 30X faster than other converters
  • Convert video to 158 formats
  • Edit video even faster and easier
  • Download and capture web video with a click
  • Burn video to DVD disc, DVD folder, or to ISO files with ease
  • Equipped with the perfect desktop player – Wondershare Player.

I was able to load every AVI video file in my folder into the Video Converter Ultimate by simply selecting them all and dragging them into the program. I selected MP4 then clicked “convert.” It was that easy! It only took a couple of minutes and ALL of my videos were converted to MP4’s and saved in a new folder! Awesome! Then I was able to open them in iMovie! I haven’t had a chance to use ALL of the features because there are many, but I am definitely happy I now have a solution for my video problem!

For More Information:

Visit the Wondershare Website
Connect with Wondershare on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube

*Giveaway!!* {ended 9/21/13} For a chance to win more great prizes check out our current giveaways!

Wondershare is offering FIVE lucky readers the chance to win their Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate for PC or MAC – $69.95 value! The giveaway will run from 9/7 through 9/21 at 11:00pm Central Time and is open worldwide ages 18+. Please read the full Terms and Conditions in the Giveaway Tools form. To begin – complete the first entry, and more will open! Good luck!

 
review and giveaway