Raj Melville, above, introduced the speakers at the India Society of Worcester's inaugural seminar on Internet safety. Photo by HEMANT SHAH

SHREWSBURY, Mass.—With just the name of the school, the colors of the sports jacket, and a casual remark about how far the playground was from her home during an online conversation, a man had enough information to follow a schoolgirl home. The only piece of good news was that the man was a police officer who wanted to warn parents on the dangers present in online communities.

"The questions may not seem like much by themselves, but reveal a whole lot of information when strung together," said Ellen Miller, of the Worcester Country District Attorney's office, speaking at the India Society of Worcester's inaugural monthly seminar titled, "Protecting Yourself and Your Children Online," held on July 27 at the India Center in Shrewsbury. The event was attended by about 20 people.

Hemant Shah, one of the organizers of the series, said the monthly seminars were designed as an activity that involved a broader community, and not just the Indian community. "We do a lot of activities in the area," said Shah. "Our view is that the ISW is probably the most active Indian organization year-round in the area. This is an extension of those efforts."

Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray lauded the organization for its work in the community, and expressed hope that the seminars will help local residents. "These new forums will build upon this tradition of success by providing individuals with an opportunity to live up to the highest ideals of citizenry, by becoming engaged in topics of utmost importance to the residents of the Central Massachusetts region," he said.

The seminars will cover four broad areas — health, finance, society and culture, and family. The seminar series comes on the heels of a free health clinic that the group offers every Wednesday.

 "We wanted to offer something in the Worcester area, which has a lot of professionals as well," said Shah.

Raj Melville, a resident of Northboro, Mass., who helped coordinate the seminar, said the topic was chosen for its currency. "We see 2-year-olds turning on the computer these days," Melville said. "You've got to know how to use it as well."

When Melville heard about MySpace, a social networking Web site popular among teenagers, he said he immediately created a page for himself, to see first-hand what the atmosphere was like. Ashish Cowlagi, the chair of the seminar organizing committee, said that the series was meant to be more of a discussion of the topic at hand. "We plan to get experts in the particular field, to help us understand details that we may not know."

At the Internet safety seminar, while Miller explained what the legal recourse to online harassment can be, Adam Winter, president of Northborough-based Swiftec IT, spoke about the technologies one can use to protect against unwanted e-mails or online conversations. Paradoxically, he argues against the use of software that incorporates parental controls in them. "You'll be much better off incorporating the controls yourself," he told the largely-parent audience. He suggested using the "history" tool in a browser to track a child's Internet footprint.

Miller, who regularly spreads the message of Internet security in area schools, suggested some simple steps to ensure safety online, especially while sites such as MySpace or FaceBook.

"Anything that you receive that is unwarranted, you want to save it right away," she said.

Miller advocated using gender-neutral user names, and like Winter after her, suggested parents keep the computer in the living room for easy monitoring of Internet usage.

The seminar was useful for some, like Ragini Seth of Northboro, Mass. who said, "This is very interesting. I had so many misgivings about MySpace earlier, and they have just been confirmed."

Shri Garg, a Westboro, Mass. resident, said the seminar was too basic for a technology-focused audience. "You know who should have been here? My wife," he said. "What I wanted was something a little deeper. I already know computers very well."

Garg said he was also disappointed at the turnout, and hoped the next seminar, on the topic of preparing for college, would attract more people.

Perhaps the only representative of the younger generation at the event, Puneet Shah, of Westboro, said he was dragged to the event by his parents. Shah, 21, who said he had a FaceBook account, said he knew most of what was talked about at the seminar. He said the seminar was a step in the right direction, for parents to become more aware of the issues involved. "Parents usually don't take the time to learn it (about the Internet). They want it all done for them," he said. "They have to ask us, and take the initiative to learn about these things."

The next seminar will be held on Aug. 24, on the topic, "It is Never Too Early to Start Planning for College." For more information, please visit www.iswonline.org.