Now ask yourself how many times you have connected to a free WiFi hotspot at a coffee shop, fast food restaurant, book store or other establishment.  That number is also the number of times that you have opened yourself up to identity theft.  That’s right, using free WiFi could very well be an open door for hackers to spy on your internet activity and steal personal information or even take over your Facebook account.

How Hackers Use WiFi Connections

When you connect to a WiFi hotspot in public, you are using another person or company’s internet connection to access the internet.  These hotspots are set up to “share” the internet and are most likely set up with a firewall or security software, but the truth is they are dangerous.  It’s the “sharing” part that is scary.  Another customer that is sharing that same internet connection right there at Starbucks or McDonalds might be there strictly to spy on users like you.

With a laptop and a few software programs (which are very easy to obtain these days), a hacker can track your movement on the world wide web and steal important information about you.  A recent news report from Canada does a great job of explaining the issue and guess what, it doesn’t just apply to Canada.

W5: Investigating Canada's big cyber security problem

How Can I Protect Myself on WiFi Hotspots

I’m definitely not saying that you shouldn’t use free WiFi.  I’m just saying that you should do it safely and do so by arming yourself with the proper tools/defenses.  After a little digging, I located some great information on how you can protect yourself.

First, it is important to note that visiting secure websites is not as big of an issue, because your information is encrypted before being sent over the internet.  In other words, if you visit a site that starts with HTTPS, instead of HTTP you are much more protected (as we pointed out in another article Shopping Safely – 101 Days Until Christmas).

What you really need to worry about is using a shared WiFi connection to access your Facebook account or your online email account.  Until recently, these types of services did not offer a secured (HTTPS) connection and cyber sniffers could steal your information easily.  Thankfully, there are now steps that you can take to protect yourself on Facebook and when using Gmail.  As for other online sites that you visit frequently, you might want to check with them for for more information.

A Secured Connection on Facebook

Default HTTPS Access for Gmail

Vary Your Passwords and Make Them Secure

If a hacker was able to access your login information on Facebook or another site, would they have the skeleton key for your online existence?  Put another way, do you use one standard password for everything you do?  Even if your password is secure (something most people fail at miserably), once a hacker has it he can simply start trying it on commonly used sites like banking institutions, Amazon.com, Google, etc.  It is imperative that you vary your passwords from site to site in order to protect yourself.

What Else Can I do to Protect Myself From Hackers

Using HTTPS is just the tip of the iceberg.  If you are a road warrior and spend a lot of time accessing WiFi hotspots, you’ll need to dive a little deeper and follow some of these additional steps.

• Lifehacker put together a great article on How to Stay Safe on Public Wi-Fi Networks that covers topics like
  • Turn off sharing in your operating system
  • Enable your firewall
  • Using HTTPS (as we covered above)
  • Setting up a VPN Network
  • Turn off WiFi when your aren’t using it
• There are also some all-in-one tools that help you with setting up a VPN network:
  • Hotspot Shield
  • Witopia

I recently went back to work, this time for a very large company with an IT staff dedicated to keeping things on total lock-down so we (the employees) can’t waste time or share corporate secrets via the internet or installed programs.  What this meant for me was a return to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer as my one and only browser choice.  My first thought was “how bad could it be?”

Fast forward 6 working days and find me strongly considering the purchase of an iPad, just to use at work for surfing the internet and keeping up with my Facebook and Twitter updates and follows.  Just as I was about to justify the purchase cost to my significant other, we discovered something miraculous…. we could install Firefox!!!  Whether it was allowed via an error on IT’s part or simply the granting of my third wish, I couldn’t be happier.  Why, because now I was in control.

As soon as Firefox was finished installing, I jumped to the Mozilla Add-Ons web site.  From there, I can choose from thousands of add-ons, which let you add new features and change the way your browser or application works.  Think of them as little programs that run from within your browser and not your operating system.  Add-ons start when you open Firefox and can do anything from change the color of your navigation buttons to notify you when your friends are on their XBOX.  If there is a special need for anything internet related (in some cases even that doesn’t matter) add-ons are the resource you need.

The Yoono Sidebar

Yoono

Once within the add-ons web site, I stumbled around a bit until I found Yoono!  What a discovery that was.  Yoono allows you to get all your updates, update your status and share across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube & more – all at once! As it turns out, that is just the tip of the iceberg.  Look at this list of features:

• Update your status across all your social networks at once!
• Chat while surfing the web via AIM, Google Talk, etc., right there in the browser!
• Discover “cool stuff” while surfing, all related to what you are currently viewing.
• Easily share links, images and video with all your social networks.
• Drag and drop links, images and video into your IM conversations.

The best part is, this is all done from within the browser, so if you can install Firefox, you can get Yoono.

Don’t Stop There

Yoono is a wonderful tool, but one of only thousands of add-ons available from Mozilla.  Visit the add-on web site now and see what is possible in Firefox.  Also, if you are interested in getting regular updates on new add-ons and updates, follow Mozilla (also known as mozamo or AMO) via one of these methods:

Add-ons Blog

Add-ons Newsletter

mozamo on Twitter

Related Articles

We’ve written about Add-Ons before.  Want to know more?  Check out these articles:

Take Back Your Browser with JumpstartMyFirefox

Firefox Add-on BarTap – How Did I Live Without It?

There have been very few game-changers in phones and phone calls since the invention of the cellular phone.  Sure, we have more sophisticated devices that rival the PCs of just a few years ago and those devices are capable of storing the phone numbers of our friends and family, but the way two people connect hasn’t been improved by much.  If you want to call your friend (let’s call him Troy), you need his number and he needs to be there to answer the call.  If Troy isn’t answering, you can leave him a voice mail (which he can check when he gets a chance) or you can send him a text and see if he responds to that message.

In a world where most everyone we communicate with has a cell phone, a work phone, a home phone, an email address, a Facebook page and (sometimes) a Twitter account, “getting in touch” with someone should be easier than ever.  Instead, you have to play the guessing game of where to start “looking” for Troy.  I think that must have been the issue that Google focused on when they decided to start Google Voice.  I was lucky enough to participate in the BETA of Google Voice (for about a year now) and the application/tool is now available for everyone to use.

What is Google Voice

Simply put, Google Voice is one phone number to rule them all.  Use your existing mobile number and add the Google Voice features or start with a brand new phone number.  Tie all of your phones (home, work, cell) to that one number and end the guessing games for everyone.  I could go on in detail, but Google has put together a great video to explain what Voice is all about:

Features

“The list of features goes on and on..”  That quote from the video above is an understatement at best.  There are hundreds of features within the Google Voice system and I think everyone will find something they like.  I won’t detail them all, but here are a few of my favorites.  These are features that I have used many times over the last year.

Voicemail Transcription – The Google Voice service converts your messages into written form and stores them within the application, forwards them to you as a text and/or emails them to you.  The next time you miss a call, just read the message and, if you want, listen along.  While the transcribing technology is far from perfect, it is nice to make out the general idea of a message before bothering to listen to the whole thing.

Personalized Greetings – Have one message for friends, one for family and another for business associates.  You can record as many greetings as you want and determine who will hear what, when they call.  Your boss will never have to hear “leave a message at the beep dawg!” again.  (side note: Hey Google, what does the guy in the sombrero have to do with personalized greetings?)

SMS to Email – Never miss a text again.  Have your texts sent to an email address (or several) and reply to them directly from your email inbox.  This might seem silly at first, but just leave your cell at home one time and see how handy this feature is.  And now, you can text at work while it looks like you are busy on that report that is already late.

Screen Callers – I’ll admit it, I screen my calls.  With Google Voice you can instantly push any call to voice mail, listen to the message as it is being recorded and jump in (if you want) or stop listening at any time.  This feature is also handy if you get a call while in a noisy area or somewhere you can’t talk.  Use the time to decide if you should excuse yourself and take the call outside.  I’m looking at you movie-goers!

Contacts – Although it is not listed as one of the primary features of Voice, the integration of Google Contacts with Google Voice is simply amazing.  See pictures of your friends as they call, save new callers into your contacts from the Google Voice application and add new numbers to existing contacts with the touch of a button.

Mobile App – Not only is Google Voice FREE, but so is the app for your smart phone (Blackberry, Android and iPhones).  Send text messages from the app (without affecting the number of texts on your monthly bill), check your messages and even place outbound calls from your phone without paying for the minutes on your cellular contract.  This might be a feature you want for your son or daughter.  After all, 5000 texts a month can get quite pricey without an unlimited plan.

Try it Out

Try out Google Voice today for FREE and begin playing with all of the features.  Sign up for the one new number you will ever need again.  Next time you change your home number, cell number, work number, etc. it won’t matter.  Your Google Voice number will never change.  While Google Voice does not currently solve communication issues with Facebook or Twitter, I think it is only a matter of time.  After all, it is Google!!!

Link to Google Voice Site – Click Here

Follow the Google Voice Blog – Click Here

“The truth is that the security team at Facebook works hard to counter threats on their site — it’s just that policing 350 million users can’t be an easy job for anyone…” said Graham Cluley (Sophos) in a recent CNET article.  That is where Norton Safe Web steps in.  The new tool works much like Web of Trust (WOT) and has already been available as an online service for some time.  The folks over at Norton have just integrated it into Facebook for the specific purpose of testing your feed for links to unsafe/malicious content.  There are some limitations to this new application, but it is a step in the right direction for Facebook users and their computers.

Using Norton Safe Web

“Installing” the app and testing your feed takes only minutes and a few clicks of a mouse button.  First, you’ll need to click on the application page link : http://apps.facebook.com/nortonsafeweb.  You’ll be asked to let Norton Safe Web access your profile and feed information (ironic isn’t it).  On the first screen, simply click Allow.  When prompted about “additional permissions,” you’ll need to grant permissions to Norton by clicking on the text that reads “grant us permission to access your News Feed and Wall.”  Finally, you can click on Allow Access to finish out the installation process.

Once installed, Norton Safe Web will automatically run a scan of your feed for the last 24 hours and return the scan results for you to review.

Scanning .....

Results

There are several items in the results that stand out.  Of course, the green check marks (Safe) and red X’s (Warning) are important and represent the safety of a link within your feed, but that is not all you get.

• Untested – Those question marks (gray circles) indicate that the site has not been reviewed by anyone yet.  This doesn’t mean that the link is dangerous, simply that there is no information either way.  All of the results from the Norton Safe Web program are taken from user feedback about the site in question.
• Full URL – Often, Facebook users and programs will post a shortened URL on FB.  These shortened URLs point to real sites and unfortunately that is how most of these malicious links make their way around the internet.  The Safe Web results show you the full URL, in case you are interested in where the link will take you.
• Norton Safe Web Report – If you see a Warning message or simply want to know more information about a link in question, you can click on “See Norton Safe Web Report” to visit the Norton web site and see feedback from users who have posted reviews of the site.  The report will have information on computer threats, identity threats, e-commerce safety and annoyance factors.

How to Use Norton Safe Web

The idea of Norton Safe Web (NSW) is great, but the implementation is a little lacking.  I don’t think this is Norton’s fault in any way, but simple a restriction of the Facebook design.  The problem is that you can only test and see results when you take the time to visit the application.  These scans of your feed will not take place automatically and results will not show when you simply visit your Facebook page.  Instead, users will have to remember to test their links before clicking on them.

In order to get the most out of this tool and actually remember to use it, I recommend the following steps.

1. Click on the Add Bookmark option within the application (shown in the Results image above).
2. Then, edit your bookmarks (under your image on left0hand side) by clicking More and then Edit
3. Click and drag the Norton Safe Web line up as far as you can take it, then let go
4. Click Less and make sure that you can see the bookmark for NSW without expanding your bookmarks

Each day (or session), before clicking on any links that have been shared with you, simply click on the bookmark and Norton will run a complete scan of all of the links in your feed.  The test takes a few seconds and won’t really slow down your Facebook experience.

Pre-Scanning Integration

One tool from the Norton Safe Web application that was integrated very well is the Pre-Scanning feature.  As someone who shares links and sites in your feed, you can do your part to reduce dangerous site visits by checking your links as you post them.  The feature is available under the “Attach:” dropdown box (shown below).

Pre-Scan Feature

When you click on Safe Web Link Post you’ll be prompted for the URL you want to share and Norton will do the rest.  Your link, your message and a Seal of Approval are all posted in the format shown here:

Pre-Scanned Link via Norton Safe Web

Verdict

All-in-all, I think Norton has really helped Facebook and it’s users with this FREE step in the right direction.  As I mentioned above, the integration could have been a little better and helped all of us who will forget about testing links before clicking on them, but I still feel that the strict rules of Facebook are to blame for that.  Add this application to your Facebook bookmarks today and help rid Facebook of the dangerous links and malicious sites.

My first thought was “this looks like XOBNI for Gmail” and, according to the comments and feedback I have read on this product, I am not alone. XOBNI is another fantastic tool, but unfortunately is only available for Outlook users, and a product that I have missed terribly since switching from Outlook to Gmail.  Both of these products make it very easy to see what social networking services your friends, family and even customers are using.

Once installed, the social networking information on the person/company that emailed you appears out to the right of an open email.  Icons (with links) are provided for services like Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, MySpace, Facebook, etc.  Simply click on any of these to open the profile page of that individual in a new tab.  Below the links you will find a comment area that you can use for keeping track of customers, but I am sure individuals will find some other creative and unique ideas for this space.

Installation

First of all, Rapportive is an add-on, so there isn’t the same commitment level that you might have with a full-blown program installation.  If you don’t like it, it takes just a few button clicks to disable it.  I had it up and running in less than 5 minutes, thanks to the well-thought out installation page from the Rapportive web site that includes step-by-step install instructions.

Link: http://rapportive.com/install

** One user did comment that any users of the Ad-Block Plus add-on (Firefox) might have to disable it to perform the installation of Rapportive.

After installing, you’ll just have to restart and then open an individual message (any one will do) to access the login button.  Grant permission to Rapportive to access your Gmail account and you are on your way.

Login Screen for First Time Use

Concerns

Initial concerns from most seem to be the fear that Rapportive will have access to your login credentials and/or email content.  Their FAQ page addresses this concern head-on:

“We never see your password. We use Gmail’s OpenID login system, which means only Google receives your password. All we get from Google is a token that proves you’re really you, and a few details (like your name and preferred language)… The contents of your email never leaves your browser, and we never store your emails anywhere. We’re finding peoples’ email addresses in the browser, and sending those back to our server to look them up.”

Verdict

I have only used Rapportive for a few minutes, but I am already a big fan.  There are definitely some areas for improvement, but the makers of Rapportive have provided numerous areas within the sidebar and their website for you to provide feedback.  I will be using their service and providing my ideas and concerns as time goes on and I encourage you to do the same.

I was lucky enough to be part of a volunteer task force, created to implement a viral campaign for MS Awareness Week, and I found it both interesting and enlightening that the focus was on using social media to spread the word.  Our discussions and meetings were filled with terms like social media, networking, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc.  The very things that the average computer user spends doing every day.  For anyone interested in helping to find a cure for MS (or any other cause for that matter), these tools provide a valuable way of spreading information in a fun, engaging way.

Eventually, our task force decided on a video contest for this special event.  We saw how popular YouTube videos could become and how easy it was to spread the video, the content and the message.  Many great videos were submitted and are now displayed on our MS3Things.org web site.  During this part of the process, we used many traditional means to meet, share, distribute information and collect submissions.  Email, phone conferencing, simple web pages, online forms, of course YouTube and even Google Wave all played part in creating the MS3Things.org site.

Visit the MS3Things.org Site to Vote

What Next

The next step is voting and that is where the use of social media/networking will truly come into play.  So, the question now becomes “how do we get people involved and spread the word?”  How do we get people to visit the web site and vote on the video that best promotes awareness for MS?  Here is what we have so far:

Facebook

Using Facebook was a given.  People spend more time on Facebook than any other web site in the world.  The trick here was to catch people’s attention.  How do compete against funny pictures, updates about a Farmville barn raising and Mafia wars?

• Profile Picture: I started by changing my standard profile picture.  Using the MS logo (bright orange) makes my posts stand out and I guarantee people are looking, if at least for a second.
• Status Updates: This week I changed my focus and will be posting mostly about the MS Awareness week event.
• Photos: I haven’t done it yet, but I will be posting some photos from the MS Society web site to catch the eye.
• Videos: I could post some of the actual contest videos, but that would keep people from visiting the voting site.  Maybe a screen shot of the videos will do the trick.
  

Using Facebook to Spread Awareness

Twitter

Twitter will be a little more tricky.  Frequency is the only real key I can think of.  I can also change my profile picture there for the week.  As far as message content, here were a few suggestions that we used when trying to get video submissions.  I can change them up slightly for the voting portion.

• Musketeers, wise men and tenors: Good things come in threes.  Check out www.MS3Things.org for your chance to raise awareness and win (and that’s a good thing).
• It takes just three little things to be the next video sensation.  Have you got what it takes?  Check out www.MS3Things.org and show us what you’ve got.

Blog

Of course, this blog will serve as a bit of advertising for our cause and the event.  I plan on posting it on several blogging sites and asking for feedback and ideas.

Your Help

Have you got any ideas?  We need to spread the word and you might have a unique idea that we didn’t think of.  Of course, we don’t have unlimited resources or time, so we need quick and easy ways to promote MS Awareness week.  Please comment below if you have any ideas at all.  Thanks in advance for your help.

Conan's Tweet About His New Friend Sarah

What makes this tweet so unique is that it was Conan’s first follow.  Until that point, Conan had only posted a handful of tweets, and had established a giant audience (580,000 followers) that was anxiously waiting to see what he would do next.  What many of us did not realize is Conan had not followed a single person to that point.  It is as if Conan had announced a new show, built a beautiful new set, filled the seats with thousands of fans and only done his opening monologue.  It took several weeks for him to announce his first guest on this new stage…. LovelyButton.

I myself had been following Conan for several weeks when the tweet went out.  I saw the message come across my screen (via TweetDeck) and thought “what is so special about him following this one person?”  That’s when I took a look at his Twitter profile and realized what was going on.  I quickly clicked on the single icon in his Following area and landed on the profile page of LovelyButton.  The buzz had already started.  She already had 550 followers and, to that point, didn’t even realize what was going on.  She had no posts acknowledging the fact that a SuperStar was following her and had no idea what was going to happen next.

Throughout the weekend, I followed this story via Twitter, Google, DIGG and any other news source I could find.  I watched as her list of followers grew from 3 (as she later posted) to almost 13,000 in 24 hours.  I watched as she posted her first response to the follow and realized that she would have her 15 minutes of fame.  I watched as hordes of people tried to find ways to capitalize on her moment in the spotlight.  I am still watching to see what happens next.

What makes this story truly amazing, other than the fact that a simple message from a Super Star has the power to make an unknown famous, is what happened behind the scenes for young Sarah.  She was interviewed dozens of times over the weekend and we learned that Sarah (19 years old) was set to get married in September.  She and her fiance (who had recently been laid off) were unsure of how they would pay for the wedding.  After that famous tweet, they got their answer.  Total strangers stepped forward and began showering Sarah with gifts.  Here is the haul so far (as taken from this Los Angeles Times article)  :

• A brand new Apple computer and web cam
• Invitations for the wedding
• A photographer
• A videographer
• Wedding bands
• A custom-made wedding dress

Conan probably had no idea how big this would become and I don’t think we have heard the last from LovelyButton.  She has an audience of her own already and will no-doubt be on a talk show or two in the near future.

I realize that many of you have already been exposed to Google Buzz, or at least heard the name, and that this article might seem a little untimely.  After all, Google Buzz was released about a month ago (February 9, 2010).  The reason I waited to comment on Google Buzz was two-fold: 1) The initial reaction to Google Buzz was panic! (early issues with privacy) and 2) I wasn’t sure if I would even use Buzz for personal and/or business updates.  Why would I review or recommend a product for the JumpstartMyPC.com audience if it (Buzz) wasn’t a useful tool that would help you get more out of your PC?  Well, I finally spent some time with this new application and I think I’ve wrapped my mind around it.

What Exactly is Google Buzz?

According to WikiPedia “Google Buzz is a social networking and messaging tool from Google, designed to integrate into the company’s web-based email program, Gmail. Users can share links, photos, videos, status messages and comments organized in “conversations” and visible in the user’s inbox.”  The definition is spot-on, but other than the Gmail integration, what makes Google Buzz any different from MySpace, Facebook or any of the other social networking sites out there?  I could post a bunch of screen-shots and commentary, but a quick video will explain Buzz much more effectively.

To me, Google Buzz is the Lite version of social networking.  Why?  Because you don’t have to spend an eternity setting it up, the feature set is very limited and (this is the best part) the distractions are minimal.

Setup

• If you have a Gmail account, you are already a Buzz user.  Just look for the link under your inbox.
• If you want to try Buzz and see what it’s all about, all you have to do is sign up for a FREE Gmail account.  **If you decide to stick around, you can import your old mail and contacts fromYahoo!, Hotmail, AOL or other webmail or POP3 accounts (which covers just about everyone).
• Add personal information or don’t!  This is entirely up to you.

Limited Features

• Post your own buzz-worthy links and photos.  Follow others to see what they post.  That’s it!  If you can copy and paste, you can use Buzz!
• There are no apps, so you don’t have to worry about joining the Mafia or taking care of your Farm-Town/Ville.

Distractions Gone

• Ads are limited to a tiny little bar at the top (almost forgot about it even being there).
• Again, no apps – meaning no games, clubs, groups, etc. to join or worry about.

The Verdict

Click Here

My overall opinion of Google Buzz is “wait-and-see.”  Google will not give up on Buzz any time soon and (as blogger Dan Sung put it) “it’s the refinements that will make it into something deeper and more diverse.”  Who knows what the future holds for Google Buzz?

However, I have some suggestions for those of you with different “backgrounds.”  Depending on your current setup (email), affiliations (other social networking sites) or tolerance level, you might want to give Buzz a chance.

Scenario 1: The Rookie

You have email and use it to communicate with a limited group of friends and family.  Either you don’t care about social networking or you are one of the “I don’t want to know what everyone is up to all the time and I don’t care to let others know what I am doing at any time” camp.

Suggestion

Google Buzz is perfect for you!  Just sign up for that FREE Gmail account and add ONLY the people that you already email.  Don’t give out this new address to anyone but those you already email.  Post away using the Private option and you won’t have to worry about anyone else seeing what you submit.  If you like it, hang around.  If not, delete the account and walk away.

Scenario 2: The Middle Man

You tried Facebook, but it wasn’t your thing.  Too much going on and you are too busy to check it all the time.  You post an update here and there, but don’t really “feel” like a Facebook person.  Twitter sounds like something only a bird would do or maybe you are just a little bit curious to see what’s going on in the Twitter world.

Suggestion

Google Buzz might be a good way to ease into sharing a bit more.  Using Gmail means that Buzz is literally one click away and (as we pointed out) there are limited distractions.  You can “follow” people or companies that you have an interest in and check your Buzz when you have time.  No pressure.  You don’t even have to post anything if you don’t want to.

Scenario 3: Social Guru

You are everywhere in the social networking world: MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc.  You can’t get enough new information and you love the applications and “noise” of these sites.  You follow several blogs and/or have a blog of your own.

Suggestion

Buzz might be too little for your needs.  You would just be reinventing the wheel if you had to set up another profile.  However, a Buzz page would be a good way to increase your audience and spread the word about your online presence.  OK, maybe you should try it out anyway.

In the beginning, digital sharing was done via email.  Attachments were sent and frustrations elevated when emails were not received or “kicked back” because the attachments were too large.  Sharing methods have evolved and changed over time and we are now inundated with hundreds of ways to share information with one another.  Facebook and Twitter are by far the most popular, but many others have great feature sets and large followings.  Only one service pulls them all together seamlessly, ShareThis.  That little green button (the trademark of ShareThis) has made it’s way onto 130,000+ sites and reaches over 400 million users per month.

What makes ShareThis different?

ShareThis is different because it allows you to share information via other share sites/methods.  When you see something you like, you can click on the ShareThis icon and send a link via email, text, Facebook, Twitter and/or 40+ more social services.  The ShareThis button is already a part of many of the sites you visit every day and you can add it to your browser, so everything you see on the web can be shared in an instant.

The Most Popular ShareThis Options

Not only is ShareThis easy to get to, it is easy to use.  Set up an address book within your ShareThis account and sending a link is as easy as typing a name.  You can import your existing address book from Gmail, Hotmail or AOL email services.  By creating an account and sharing links, you can also view a history of what you have shared called My Shares.  It’s a great tool, in case you forget the name of that site that you shared a few days (or even weeks) before.

Recent Changes

Today, ShareThis introduced some new features and updated some existing components, like the ShareThis button.  The Live ShareThis Stream has been introduced, combining the content your friends are sharing with what people are saying about it, and you can now connect to ShareThis account using your Facebook,  Twitter, Google or Yahoo! account.  Take a look at the video below and/or read this article (by Nick Bertrand of ShareThis) to get a better idea of what ShareThis has to offer.

ShareThis and JumpstartMyPC.com

Regular readers of the JumpstartMyPC.com blog will notice a few changes to the layout of our articles.  We’ve been changing the sidebar (over there on the right) and we’ve recently added the ability to “Buzz this” (a Google Buzz implementation).  Today, we updated our ShareThis button, which is posted below every article we write.  We have provided the ShareThis button since our very first blog post and notify many of our readers about the latest articles by sending emails through the ShareThis tool daily.

Try ShareThis today.  Set up an account and add some of your friends and family to your Contact List.  ShareThis is FREE and has proven itself as a trusted and valuable sharing tool for all.  We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

¹ – Taken from the article Google Buzz Puts Sharing at the Center of the Web on ShareThis.com

“Listing all those empty homes out there” is the tagline for PleaseRobMe.com and categories like “Recent Empty Homes” are used to demonstrate the dangers of location-aware services.  Location-aware services is a broad term that basically means any software, device or site that allows you to share your current geographical location with others.  There are a lot of advantages to sharing your location (mostly social) but users should understand the dangers associated with broadcasting your whereabouts.  Mainly, telling people you are at point X means you are not at home, thus making your home a target for thieves.

Why Would Anyone Broadcast Their Location?

It might be hard for some people to understand why anyone would do this, but the world has embraced location-aware technologies and we find new uses for it every day.  Here are a few examples of sites and services that make location-aware fun and useful:

• Twitter – There are some services that add a users location to every tweet they send out.  Some users simply include their location as part of their standard message.
  BENEFIT: You might have friends in the same area that want to meet up for a meal or a drink.  While on vacation or on a business trip in a strange city you might get some recommendations from others on where to go and what to do.

• Foursquare -  A separate application for almost any smartphone, this service allows users to “check in” when they arrive at a cafe, bar, restaurant, park, etc.  They have even made a game out of your destinations where you can earn badges for “discovering new places or taveling to far away places.”
  BENEFIT: Find out what your friends are up to, what places everyone is frequenting and get reviews on just about anything before you try it.

• Latitude – This smartphone app tracks your location and shares it on a map for friends and family to see.
  BENEFIT: Keep track of family.  You can even use the service to make sure your kids aren’t wandering off too far.  And, like the other services, you can meet up with friends who happen to be in the same area.

• Facebook/Buzz – Although Facebook and Google Buzz aren’t real-time location trackers, they do provide users with a way to broadcast their plans.  You can tell your friends where you are about to go on vacation or where your date is taking you for dinner.  Mobile apps make it possible to update both of these services as often as you would like.
  BENEFIT: Sharing is fun and suggestions from friends and family are where we find out about the best restaurants and places to visit.

What People Are Doing Wrong

The services listed above can be just as dangerous as they are helpful.  People who aren’t aware of these cyber-stalkers (those looking for your location information) don’t know they are setting themselves up for trouble.  We’ve mentioned the dangers in previous articles, like Who Sees Your Social Media Credit Score and Why, but only grazed the surface of the issue.

• Twitter – Most people think that only their followers read their tweets, but that is not the case.  A quick search at search.twitter.com, with the proper keywords, can provide criminals with just enough information to get started.

Who is "going on vacation tomorrow?"

• Foursquare – Twitter posts by Foursquare users contain “4sq.com” links and are easily tracked.  Letting everyone know you “checked in” at location X means you are not at home and this is exactly what PleaseRobMe.com is exposing (in order to educate users).

Recent Empty Homes on PleaseRobMe.com

• Latitude - A “friend” or someone with a little computer know-how could potentially use latitude to track you.  Not much need for explanation here.

Google Latitude Shows Right Where You Are

• Facebook/Buzz – Do you really look at who you approve as a friend on Facebook or Buzz?  Is your information really “private” or are there ways around that.  Do you have “friends” that you don’t know so well?  Maybe posting your vacation plans is not the best move.

Posting a comment or a picture from your smartphone?

PleaseRobMe.com is not out to harm anyone, but is helping to raise awareness.  Hopefully you will change your habits just enough to prevent potential dangers.  You should also take the time to Google your user names and id’s.  Make sure that someone can’t research your Twitter user name to find your home address or phone number.  That simple link could be enough to bring a thief closer to your valuables.