According to an article in the
New York Times, 90% of those polled in an independent survey stated that online privacy was a "really" or "somewhat" important issue. More than 75 percent of respondents agreed with the statement "The Internet is not well regulated, and naive users can easily be taken advantage of." Obviously privacy online is a hot button! Where do you stand on this issue?
Do you know how private your Web searches are? For instance, do you read Web sites' privacy policies? Are you aware of how websites track your movements? Do you give your information out freely to websites that request it? If so, I've got some information you need to read:
Be invisible on the Web with anonymous surfing. Learn about anonymous surfing, what anonymous surfing is, why you might be interested in surfing anonymously, how much information is easily learned about you via your Web surfing habits, anonymous proxies and services, and more.
Don't want anyone seeing what you're searching for? Search engines (and other people that use your computer) can and do keep records of searches - here's a few ways you can keep your searching history private.
Don't want companies to know your information? If you're as tired as I am of sites forcing you to go through registration just to view their content, than BugMeNot is for you. It's easy to use and makes life much simpler, not to mention it's a good guard of your online privacy and enables you to surf anonymously.
One of the easiest ways for you to get tracked online is through malicious software applications (malware) that watch what your computer is doing. You can get rid of these with free spyware removal tools.
A lot of the traps that people get caught in online could be avoided with some common sense Web safety. Use my Safe Search Checklist to keep yourself from being tracked online.
Twitter, a popular micro-blogging site, is becoming popular for more than just sending messages to family and friends; it's also becoming a legitimate search destination that you can use to find real-time information on anything from popular events to breaking news.
In order to find this information on Twitter, you can use Twitter search operators over at Twitter Search, a Twitter search engine. These search operators will filter out the junk to get what you want. For instance:
More about Twitter: Twitter is a mini-blogging platform that you can use to send messages of 140 characters or less to family, friends, or just the general Web community at large. Learn more about Twitter.
Today, March 13, is the twentieth anniversary of the World Wide Web. On this date twenty years ago, Sir Tim Berners-Lee submitted his historical
Information Management: A Proposal document, basically a blueprint by which the scientific community could easily share and search their information. His far-reaching paper led to the development of HTML, which is the language that initially enabled us all to see documents on the Web, and links to leap from one place to another easily.
Twenty years after the creation of the Web, it's amazing how far we've come - and it's even more amazing to think about where we might be in another twenty years. The Web has absolutely revolutionized the way we live our lives: communication, socialization, work...it's truly woven itself into the fabric of our daily life.
More about the history of the Web
- How Did The Web Get Started?: In the late 1980’s, a CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) scientist named Tim Berners-Lee came up with the idea of hypertext, information that was “linked” to another set of information. Learn more about his historical proposal.
- The History of the World Wide Web: Tim Berners-Lee formally introduced his world wide web project to the world on the alt.hypertext newsgroup. In the post he said the project "aims to allow links to be made to any information anywhere".
- How the Web Has Changed the World: The Web, officially launched as an offshoot of the Internet in 1989, has not been around that long. However, it has become a huge part of many people’s lives; enabling them to communicate, work, and play in a global context.
We all could use a few laughs, right? Of course! Here are a few sites that consistently deliver at least a chuckle for me:
- It's Lovely! I'll Take It!: a hilarious collection of poorly (VERY poorly) chosen photos from actual real estate listings. Make sure you don't find your house on here.
- I Can Has Cheezburger: I have a serious problem with the LOLcats. I can't get enough of them. It's an issue.
- Not Always Right: Actual conversations between customers and employees; hilarious stuff.
- FAILblog: Daily updated with images of miserable failures from all walks of life.
So what are your favorite funny sites? What are the websites that consistently give you a giggle?
