SaferSpace

SaferSpace is a bit confusing to set up. Its very spare interface lets you choose to deny access to social networking Web sites, decide which users will be affected, elect to notify the user when a Web site is blocked, and track who attempts to access restricted sites and when. To see which sites are being blocked, and to add additional URLs, you must go to the File menu--an odd choice. And for any changes to take effect, you need to select "Save Changes and Exit" in the File menu.

Once I figured out how to configure and save my settings, SaferSpace worked as advertised, blocking access to the Web sites that I specified and logging the access attempts. (The vendor says that SaferSpace works in all Web browsers, but I tested the program in Mozilla Firefox 2 and Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 only.)

The trial version works for 2 hours at a time and is good for 30 days; registration costs $20.

SafeSpace could be useful for families, schools, and perhaps even small businesses--but note that it's fairly limited. Free programs like Naomi and ParentalControl Bar block access to MySpace and also filter out objectional content like porn.

--Kim Saccio-Kent