1. We have a new college planning blogger for C-Note! His name is Ken O'Connor and his blogs fall under the heading College Planning. Ken's a financial aid expert and the director of student advocacy at CU Students. Check out his latest post, and while you're in C-Note, register on the site so you receive notification whenever we post a new blog post, article, game, calculator, instant poll question, photo contest theme, or episode in the comic serial "Wheels."
2. We now have a link in the photo contest to the rules that doesn’t require log in. Look for it at the bottom right of the photo contest ballot box. Previously, when high school students wanted to check the contest rules, they had to enter the contest, which required log in. Now, anyone can check the rules before entering the contest, which means no log in is required. This change was inspired by a request from Pedro Noda at American Airlines Credit Union. Thank you, Pedro; we appreciate your feedback.

By Corey Pratt, Googolplex editorial liaison

Last month I wrote about the new 5-Spot Clubhouse Crew. This is the last month for announcing new youth board members. This month I'm pleased to introduce to you the new AJ’s Super Youth Team:

 

Rylee, 12—Rylee, from Helena, Mont., was born three months before her due date. “I was so small; I could fit into a Christmas stocking! But I’ve gotten pretty big now,” she says. Rylee plays basketball and volleyball, and wants to start playing softball soon. She's creative—she is the artist of her profile picture and has been drawing since she was 2. In her free time she enjoys reading. Read Rylee's FAQs.

Sarah, 12—Sarah, from Wadsworth, Ohio, loves animals. She has two dogs, one bird, two bunnies, and a bunch of fish. “I think school is fun and I like math and English. When I graduate from high school I want to go to college and get a major to be a veterinarian,” says Sarah. On the weekends she likes to hang out with her friends outside and go shopping. Read Sarah's FAQs.

 

Kaela, 12—Kaela, from Toledo, Ohio, likes to play outside, go swimming, and spend time with her family. Her favorite subject is English. “I also love to read and try to read every day!” says Kaela. Her favorite movie is “Baby Mama,” and her favorite food is ribs. She speaks some Spanish and a lot of English, but she doesn’t play any sports.  Read Kaela's FAQs.
 

Don't relax just because your Googolplex links worked last year. If you’ve made any changes to your credit union website or its URL, the links may no longer be working the way you want them to.

 

First, click on your link to Googolplex. While you're there, look at your credit union website from the perspective of a young person. How many clicks does it take to find Googolplex?

Here are some outstanding examples of credit unions that use Googolplex to boost their youth program:

Next, from your link to Googolplex on your credit union website, click on any interest level:

Make sure your logo is at the top of every page and the bottom of every interior page. Click the logo and make sure it links to your credit union front page. You only need to check it in one spot on one interest level.

 

While you're looking at the bottom of any interior page in any level, make sure you've customized the text that appears next to your logo.

 

Finally, in each interest level, check the special links that go to age-specific youth pages on your website. Click the link from:

If any lead to articles instead of your special age-appropriate pages, it means you haven't customized yet. Any that go to "page not found" are broken and need to be fixed.

 

Are you ready to make some changes? Log on to your credit union's Googolplex customization and installation page. Follow the instructions on the Start page to install Googolplex on your website, customize, download logos, get your free newsletters, and get help with your questions.

Most C-Note teenagers say that their favorite tool for social networking is Facebook. The few who like Twitter best are matched percentage-wise with the ones who say they're not into social networking at all!

 

Use the C-Note story, Network Without Getting Bit, as a tool to help high school members learn how to keep their personal information safe.

 

Last month's Instant Poll* question and its results:

 

Q: What’s your favorite tool for social networking?
 

1. Twitter 2. Facebook 3. Blog sites, like Tumblr or Blogger 4. MySpace 5. I'm not into social networking

7% 82% 0% 3% 7%

Instant poll questions capture your high school members’ attention. On which issues would you like to learn more about what they think? Use your imagination and send your poll questions with possible responses to Rena Crispin.

* Instant poll results reflect an unscientific sampling of Googolplex readers.

Here's the lineup for October, November, and December 2011:

5-Spot activities

Spendthrifts
Five notorious kids are featured on wanted posters for recklessly spending their allowances. Piece together the broken-up posters, learn where the kids spent their money, and put each one on the path to saving.

Back 2 Square 1
We divided a detailed image into equal sized squares, reproduced some, rotated some, and mirror-imaged others. Your job is to tell us which squares are from the original grid.

Commander in Briefs
Distinguished Americans on our currency are rarely seen outside of their formal dress. Here’s a chance to see what our forefathers might have looked like after they were done posing for their currency portraits!

5-Spot stories

Buried Treasure
Finding cool toys at a good price is like finding buried treasure. Michael, age 13, tells you how.

Math Beyond Your Imagination
There are so many different ways we use math, every day. Meet three people who have jobs that involve math.

Fix it Quick!
Crayon on the wall? Caitlin, 12, shares her home solutions that might even make you end up looking like a hero!

AJ's activities

Battle in the Boneyard
You’re in the boneyard filling a gunnysack with your booty when the not-so-friendly Skyler Skeleton challenges you to a bone-grabbing battle.

Woodenhead
Do you speak dummy? Long after the ventriloquist has gone home for the day, his stage partner Wilbur Woodenhead just keeps on talking. Can you decipher 10 of his words or phrases?

HB2U
Use these high tech utilities to learn amazing facts about YOUR birthday.

AJ's stories

Orchestra: Don't Miss Out!
"Do you do any extracurricular activities?" asks Pamela, 13. If not, she adds, "join your school's orchestra! It's super fun!" Pamela tells you the many reasons why.

Cell Phones: 3G or Not?
"I have a 3G plan," says Shereen, 13, so you'd think she'd tell you why you need one, too. Nope. "You can use your money more wisely and effectively," she advises.

Photography With a Future
It's expensive to own the right equipment, but "If you get really good at taking pictures, you could become a professional photographer," says Sydney, 14. Let her show you how.

C-Note activities

SlipSlop
Check out this collection of 30 of the most unusual, obscure, and completely real words. Attempt to guess their actual definitions and you’ll find them to be downright bizarre!

Mixed Messages
You can decipher a simple anagram, but can you rearrange a complete paragraph of them? We’ve taken a simple rearrangement exercise to a whole new level with five unusual messages in desperate need of un-mixing!

Weekend Logic
Saturday afternoon at the soccer field presents you with a puzzle—who just passed to whom?

C-Note stories

Enjoy Special Nights Without Busting the Budget
"Every now and then it's nice to get all dressed up and have a special night out with friends without breaking the bank," says Samantha, 16. She'll help you plan a great night out and save money at the same time.

The CARD Act and You

The CARD Act became law in 2009 to protect consumers against unfair practices. "The CARD act is meant to protect all consumers, but it will especially affect us as young adults," says Kelsey, age 25. Find out how.

Take Action Against the Dreaded Freshman 15

You've heard all about it, and it sounds scary. But you CAN avoid the dreaded Freshman 15! Hannah, 18, just finished her freshman year and she says, "It’s a lot easier than you think!"

Every quarter we send you enough ready-to-print pages to create three full newsletters— one for elementary-school, middle-school, and high-school level readers. We provide newsletters in high resolution for print, and low resolution for e-mail or online viewing.

Here’s how you get it:

To retrieve the ready-to-print, ready-to-view newsletter pages each quarter, log in to your Googolplex newsletter page, select the pages you need, and download them free of charge.

Don’t waste your subscription

 

Whenever you change your credit union Web address or logo, check your Googolplex customization. Make sure your links and credit union logo are what you want by logging in to your Googolplex Customizing and Installation page.

 

If you have technical or subscription questions, or need help in setting up your password, please e-mail Debbie Michels, or call 800-356-9655, ext. 4091.

If you have questions, comments, or ideas for Googolplex editorial content, please e-mail Rena Crispin or call 800-356-9655, ext. 4258.

We respect your privacy. If you’d rather not receive future e-mails on Googolplex, reply to this message with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.

 

This e-mail was sent on behalf of

Credit Union National Association (CUNA)

5710 Mineral Point Road

Madison, WI 53705.