This is going to be one of those "Duh, that’s common sense" things, but it’s amazing how many people still do this.

We’ve all heard that you should use different passwords for different accounts; that much is obvious. And you can use a utility like KeePass Password Safe to do it with (which I use personally). But I also suggest the use of different user names as well.

Let’s say your email address is JohnDoe@yahoo.com. You send an email to me. From the beginning of your email address, I can easily guess that you probably use JohnDoe for other services on the internet as well.

I go to Google, and search you. Wow, look at that, you have a MySpace page. And a Flickr account. Hey, look, now I have photos of you. I know what you look like. You also have an eBay account. Now I know what you’re buying and selling. Then on one of your profiles it lists your full name, town and state. So I go to www.pipl.com or www.123people.com. It turns out your name is listed in the phone book. Now I have your address, phone number, information on other people living in your household..

I got all this information just by your Yahoo user name alone, and it only took seconds.

There’s three things you can do to avoid being snooped like this.

First, exercise the use of different user names for different accounts you use.

Second, get your number out of the phone book. Call your phone provider and make it unlisted. When next year’s edition is released, your information won’t be public.

Third, go to every single internet directory you can find (such as AnyWho) and make a request to have your information removed. They will comply and it doesn’t cost you anything except a few minutes of your time.

"But I use the same user name everywhere and I’m used to it. What can I do?"

Not a problem. Examine your public profile(s), such as profiles.yahoo.com/YOUR-YAHOO-ID. Check your public Yahoo profile. Check your public eBay profile. Check all the services that have public profiles. If there’s anything there you don’t want people seeing, simply modify and make it private.

"How do I know what’s out there about me now?"

Search for yourself on Google by the user name you most commonly use. Then search by your real full name. Also use Pipl and 123people as linked above and search for yourself that way. Examine the results, and if there’s anything about yourself you don’t want public, take appropriate measures to make it private.

"I think you’re being paranoid about this. Who cares if my address and phone is public?"

Do you like telemarketer calls? Do you like junk postal mail? Do you like spam?

Obviously not.

You don’t make your information private to necessarily avoid people like you and me, but rather to avoid corporations looking to sell you crap you don’t want or need.

Your identity can also easily be tied to the user name you most commonly use.

If you keep a keen eye on your public profiles, make use of different user names and make your personal information unpublicized, you will command much more control on how much information people – or corporations (particularly the more seedy ones) – know about you.

Fortunately in modern times most states and towns in the United States have wised up and have informative web sites. But unfortunately these web sites can still be difficult to locate – even with a Google search.

Not to worry, there’s a really good web site to help you out with this:

StateLocalGov.net

I really like this site because it’s more than just a one trick pony, so to speak. When you look up information on your state, you are not only given the state’s web site, but town sites, governor sites, attorney general sites, city guides and more. This is definitely one to put in your bookmarks.

Some reasons why it’s important to know your state and/or town’s web site

• Forms – As most people are aware, local government is run by paper, paper and more paper. If you need a permit for anything, you need to fill out a form. If you need a license for anything, you need to fill out a form. That’s just the way it works. You can save yourself a lot of time if you seek out the forms you need yourself and printing them out.
• Construction time tables – Got construction on your local highways and interstates? Who doesn’t? Most state web sites will list all projects, when they will start and more importantly when they will end (as in get finished). Florida, for example, has MyTBI. All road projects are listed, including current and future. This directly impacts many people’s commute to work each day. Those in the know are better off than those who don’t. Your state’s web site most likely has a similar site of its own.
• Vehicle registration renewals – Re-registering a motor vehicle in modern times usually can be done 100% over the internet these days without any need to go to the DMV.
• State job boards – Where do you find state jobs? On the state’s web site, of course. Most state jobs are not listed on any major job web sites so you have to go direct-to-site to find them. HOT TIP: You can try CareerOneStop if you can’t find state job listings on a state-specific web site. All states are there.

How is your town doing?

Does your town have its own web site? If so, is it informative and easy, or difficult to find what you were looking for? What would you change about it, if anything?

Laptops traditionally command a high price tag than desktops and their resale value is undisputed.

You may have entertained the idea of buying a used laptop. Personally I recommend against doing this as new ones are easily under $500 these days. However, if you’re insistent on going used, here are a few tips. Continued

CPU-Z is a freeware application for Windows that is as easy as it gets when it comes to getting quick – and useful – system information about your computer.

Let’s take a look (see screenshot below):

Above is a screen shot taken from my older Dell Inspiron 6000 laptop. On the first tab, CPU, you’re told what kind of processor you have, it’s socket type, supported instruction sets and a whole lot more.

Above is the Mainboard tab. This will tell you who made your motherboard, the model, chipset and so on.

Above is the Memory tab. You’re told what type of RAM you have, its size, channels and other information.

The SPD tab will give you information on RAM based on what slot its in – and will even give you the manufacturer information of the RAM (even if they differ from slot to slot).

This is a cool free little app that’s sometimes necessary to have to answer quick questions like:

• Who made my motherboard?
• What family of processor do I have?
• Who made my RAM?
• What’s my overall speed (core, bus, etc.)?

This is definitely a handy app.

You can get it here: http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

And yes it is periodically updated to support the newest/latest/greatest processors.

For those that have ever asked the question “What is the point of the internet anyway?” The answer is two things: Information and communication. That is why we use the internet to begin with. Everything else is a secondary consideration.

When you communicate with others you can get to know people thousands of miles away, trade items and just do generally cool stuff. See video below for details.

On Day 10, I said that the information product is one of the best ways to make money online for multiple reasons. But, this inevitably means that you have to create an information product to sell. Next thoughts might include:

• What do I know that somebody would pay me for?
• Am I expected to create an entire info product? I don’t have time! I can’t write!

Common thoughts, let me tell you. But, one thing you have to realize at the outset is that you do not have to do everything yourself.

Creating the product yourself may be ideal, especially if you really are an expert. Also, you may feel obligated to personally create any product which is going to bear your name. However, be aware of your other option: outsourcing.

There are people out there who will perform writing for you as a ghost writer. A ghost writer is a person who writes but does not take the credit for it. It is actually very commonly done. For example, Hillary Clinton’s book It Takes a Village was not written by Hillary. It was written by Barbara Feinman. The only reason we know this is because a controversy erupted over it (hey, its politics). But, in the real world, this is done all the time.

A ghost writer does not have to be expensive. In fact, many times they are not. You can hire writing talent overseas for a small amount of money (varying depending on their skill, of course). Places  you can look for a ghost writer would include:

• Elance
• Guru.com
• Arbor Books

When you hire a ghost writer, you need to be specific about what you want. Remember, this is not their product. It is YOUR’S. You need to plan out the product, outline it, etc. You may even write parts of it on your own. Your ghost writer can fill in the gaps or even create entire sections for you. You can also pay people on these services to do the legwork to research things you need for the creation of your product.

So, don’t stop yourself from pursuing this because you think you can’t pull it off. Sometimes the power of others can help you get the job done quite nicely.

We’ve got email. We’ve got RSS feeds. Endless amounts of websites. Voice mails. Phone calls. Honey-do lists. Bills. Pieces of paper all over the frickin’ place.

Sound familiar?

In this day and age, information overload is not only common, it is practically the rule of existence. The problem is that it can get in the way. It can lead to mental confusion. It can lead to wheel spinning. It can lead to that feeling that you’ve been BUSY all day, but nothing really got done.

It is important that people develop skills in dealing with information. Develop a system whereby you can handle all the incoming data being thrown at you. Better yet, you may decide that some of that data is completely useless to you and simply turn it off. Continued