Introduction: Dr. Neill Neill introduced me to Bill Wardell and his latest book, “Don’t Take Candy From Strangers” What Parents Need to Know about MySpace; I was impressed by what he wrote and decided to ask if Bill would be willing to be interviewed for this site. He agreed and it has been most informative. For those of you with children who are on the computer lots, don't miss the stories Bill tells in this interview. I have great pleasure in introducing to you Bill Wardell ...
Aneeta: Bill, thank you for agreeing to this interview.
Bill: The pleasure is all mine, Aneeta. I love the idea of the Internet and how it’s bringing the world closer together. We are all just a click or two away from meeting new friends, just like you and I did through our mutual friend, Dr. Neill Neill.
Aneeta: Let’s start with a little about you. Tell me the story of your youth, where you grew up, what you do for a living and so on.
Bill: I have lived in Utah my entire life, Midway, UT, USA as a matter of fact. We just moved about 5 miles away from where I had lived for almost 40 years. The move has changed me considerably, in a lot of good ways and especially with the changes in my online business. I have had a lot of great things happen over the last few months… I have a great life. I am married with 3 wonderful kids. Two of our children have special needs, and more now than ever, I realize how important it is to spend time with your children when they are young.
Being an online entrepreneur has and will allow me to spend more time doing what I love the most, being with my family. When I have spare time I really enjoy surfing the Internet and finding new sites and ideas. I also really like reading, watching sports and going to play a round of golf or bowling. When I have a little extra money, I really like eating in a nice restaurant with friends or family and especially my wife Anissa.
My grandmother raised me from the time I was 3 years old. She was a wonderful lady and she taught me how to be a good person. In a nutshell… it’s one of the most valuable lessons that I learned from my grandmother. She would tell me often, and I can still hear her say: Bill you have to be a friend, to have a friend!
My grandmother not only “talked the talk” she “walked the walk”. She was also my mother and my best friend. I have greatly missed her since her death but carry her words of wisdom with me, and try to teach my children the same teachings. Her advice has served me well through my lifetime, Thank you, Grandma!
My professional background includes many different industries, studies and education. In the past 25 + years I have had several years experience in the manufacturing industry. I owned a Heating and A/C Service company, worked in construction, worked with building contractors, I have experience in the flat printing and publishing world as a print broker, retail sales and manufacturing, and of course the most important experience for the last 6 years is my online marketing and content publishing business. One the best business decisions I have made over the last year or so was to participate in a coaching program with the group at Authority Site Center. They did a wonderful job of coaching and mentoring all of the ASC-Elite members. But, more than that I can tell you how much I appreciate the partners of ASC honesty and integrity in everything they do.
For the first time in a long time, I believe I will make my big dream come true, and I want to thank them for helping that dream come true in advance.
Let me explain it like this, I was 30 years old and going nowhere fast…
I had gone to college and received a 2-year degree in HVAC, and worked for a heating company for about 4 years, and was in a major RUT, when a friend of mine introduced me to the world of Amway and network marketing. For a lot of reasons this was a real eye opener, and for a lot of different reasons. I was a kid that had lived in a small town my whole life. I didn’t even know what a real motor home looked like on the inside, let alone thinking about what a Motor Coach was.
That’s where the story started… let me tell you where it finished. The fact was I was 30 years old and didn’t know that a very simple fact of life was, that the books you read change your life! Especially a book like, “Think and Grow Rich”. And, that the people you associate with shape who you are, and also help you to determine how successful you are going to be… I know everybody has an opinion about Amway, just like politics, and religion, that’s a given. But, what I got out of that experience was that I learned how to dream about what I could have and what I could do for others, and it really did make a difference to them. Even, I did not see the results at the time I was in Amway.
What does this have to do with their program, well it’s like this: it’s the one dream I have never let go of. For the past 15 years, I have wanted to create a home schooling system that would allow for a student no matter what his/her background to have a place to build their dreams. I learned in the early ‘90s and through my studies that by reading books and using study guides the training would fulfill my dreams and would do the same for others. It would be a dream university, rather than going to school get an education just to get a good job type of system. Now, all these years later, I really know that it’s possible, because money is just an obstacle. The dream is what makes everything possible! When I started building an online business I had these big dreams to BAnetMillionaire and then I would have enough money to start my dream project. Six years later, we are so much closer, and the reality of this happening becomes more real each and everyday. In the last couple of months we have seen tremendous growth, especially with the many things that have happened to OSA and the increase of hits coming in everyday, it’s so awesome!
I know that I get very wordy when I try and tell others what’s in my heart, but, I know this, I owe a very special thanks to Jack Humphrey, Mark Braunstein and Peter Lenkefi at ASC for all they have done for me and our Online Security Authority website and business! And, more than that is what they have done over the last 6-12 months for me, and the potential of what they have helped me create for the next 5 years. I’ve lived this thought for the past 15 years Badreamer and you will BAnetMillionaire and now I say, “The value I place on my self is the value others will see in me!” That is what’s really going to make my dreams come true.
Aneeta: I know that you have started this Online Security Authority Network. Tell me all about it.
Bill: The story goes like this: I started the ASC coaching program and I had about 5 or 6 really good ideas to start a website with. My coach and mentor Mark, guided me through the research process and together, what we had found was that I had a real passion about the online security niche. In creating my site and researching and writing articles I found a smaller sub-niche that I have been able to become very passionate about. This sub-niche is online predators, and the growing problems parents are facing with websites like MySpace and other similar sites who are allowing the predators and pedophiles access to children!
As a parent of young children, I have found that there is a real need for parents to be able to find good information and help online, for this and other security issues. Everything we have done over the last year has become our passion, and our life, as far as an Internet business is concerned. We wrote our ebook as a help and guide! After the success of the ebook we developed the OSA Network, which is a combination of many aspects of our niche. We wanted a place that parents could get together to share ideas and thoughts about online security and the dangers they were dealing with their children! We are now doing a weekly online OSA Live Radio Show as a help and an extension of our online forum, where parents can get answers to their questions and problems. Things have changed big time!
Aneeta: On the forum, I see one part entitled ‘Horror Stories’. Do give me an example of a horror story that has ‘stuck’ in your memory, please.
Bill: Last year we were on a family vacation and one day we were traveling on Santa Monica Blvd., when I noticed a billboard off in the distance. I could see digital numbers turning over like 3,738,983 then 3,738,984 then 3,738,985 and 3,738,986… when I got close enough to see the words, I could see that they said: One more person has just died from cigarettes and/or a smoking related illness. I just had one of those ah – ha moments. I had been researching my ebook for awhile and it just hit me that this is a real person that just died, in fact there where 4 people that had died while I was traveling towards the billboard and each one of the numbers were someone’s brother, father, husband, or friend, and it really hit home. Our ebook has a similar premise when it comes to how the world judges a predator and pedophile. “It’s just one more child.” They are adding one more notch in their bedposts and one more child that society has added to the statistic pool. This is very un-settling to say the least, because this child is someone’s daughter, sister, or friend. This fact has stayed with me and haunted me. Ever since that moment of realization it has been my mission to bring this message to parents everywhere. I can still remember the feeling of seeing that billboard image, even though it was just for a few seconds on a sunny California day!!!
As of late, there have been several young girls who have been abused by pedophiles, and their parents have sued MySpace and other social networking sites. I believe the real horror here is that parents have not understood that there is a real need for them to be Very involved in their children’s online usage. Children know more about computers and the Internet than most of us parents do, but that is not an excuse to not know more or to be more involved in how and where our children are going online. Don’t allow them to be the next statistic in a horror story.
Aneeta: I know you’ve got a book entitled “Don’t Take Candy From Strangers” What Parents Need to Know about MySpace that you’re giving out for free. Please explain what it’s about and why you wrote it.
Bill: My original intent was to sell the ebook, but, I found there was a real message that needs to get out to the parents of the world. We want to work with the local PTA’s and the national PTA along with other parent organizations to promote the ebook! All we are asking in return is for all who find this book useful and helpful, to please continue to promote it to your family and friends. Also, join and support our cause at OSA Network and listen and participate with our OSA Live Radio Show.
This book has a great story behind it, and its history and usefulness, since it became available for purchase has grown. Everyday, we become more and more aware of the timeliness of this book, and the growing need for parents to be more informed in order to help their teens. In today’s world, we need to have every tool available to help protect our families and ourselves.
My goal is by 2007 – 2008 is to have this ebook in Millions of parent’s hands, to be able to start the new school year off right! The problem of Internet predators and pedophiles is not going away, and until we start punishing them for their crimes, and for that matter all cyber criminals everywhere need to do the time if they are doing the crime. I truly believe that Internet crimes are premeditated and need to be prosecuted and punished to the full extent of the law.
Aneeta: Would you like to share the link here?
Bill: 99.9% of the content and services provided on these 3 sites are Free to our visitors. And will always remain this way for as long as we have parents who need guidance.
http://www.onlinesecurityauthority.com/
http://onlinesecurityauthority.net/
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/OnlineSecurityAuthority
There is also a very special document here, it’s called an Online Security Agreement:
http://onlinesecurityauthority.com/Your/Online-Security-Agreement.pdf
Aneeta: As you know, this website caters for storytellers. I know that this might not particularly tie in with what you’re doing but nevertheless, what role, do you feel, storytelling has in your line of work?
Bill: I think the Internet has a story to tell, and the Online Security issue of the day, is no different. Also, the news stations, blogs, parents and teens are telling stories online everyday. There are a lot of great things happening online, but there are a lot of things that are happening that are not good. As a society we need to look at predators and pedophiles as the professionals they really are; “Professional Sexual Stalkers” and their years of training and honing their craft makes them almost un-stoppable if they decide they want your child! There is no way a parent or a young child can stop a predator unless they are prepared and they have been communicating with each other.
We want OSA to be a place where you can turn to for information on how to protect yourself and your family. We tell stories everyday of security issues that are either improving or that are being misused, and in order to stay ahead of those who are misguiding or who are misusing the Internet, we need to be able to find the resources to combat them. We want to hear your stories and suggestions or thoughts. We are one big family, and we hope to be able to help save the innocence and lives of children everywhere.
Aneeta: Bill, this is all I have to ask. Is there anything you’d like to add?
Bill: Thank you, Aneeta especially for agreeing to promote our cause and our ebook to all your members. This is a special book and it needs to be in every parents hands. They need to read it and learn what their children are doing online, and also use it as a tool to open the lines of communication between themselves and their children. Every problem can be solved with the right approach, and communication is a great way to let our children understand that we really do care about their safety.
Again a great place to start open communication is the Online Security Agreement.
Aneeta: Thank you, Bill.
Bill: Thank you, very much Aneeta.
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