10 tips For your Online Privacy Protection

As you read e-mail, check your stock portfolio, post a status update on Facebook and consult weather sites to keep an eye on that storm headed your way, you leave invisible tracks on the Internet. How can you protect your personal information from being misused? The simple answer: Be smart! 

Here’s 10 tips to help you protecting your privacy online:

1.    Learn how to read online privacy policies. 

Almost every Web site -- from Amazon to YouTube -- silently records what you are doing.

Web sites can collect information without your knowledge, such as what kind of hardware and software you are using or the address your ISP has assigned to you.

Some Web sites plant a "cookie" on your computer to identify your machine and keep track of your activity.

That said, those same Web sites have privacy policies that describe the kind of information that is collected, stored and used, as well as with whom it is shared. 

But just because a site has a privacy policy doesn't mean it's protecting your privacy. Often buried in the fine print are broad statements about how your information could be disclosed to third parties. 

2. Opt out and use any other privacy options offered. 

Pay attention to the privacy options Web sites offer, including the ability to opt out of the lists that share your information.

While some companies make it easy by asking your permission to opt in before sharing any information they collect, too many do just the opposite and then make it difficult to opt out. 


3. Get a separate account for your personal e-mail. 

Keep your work and personal e-mail separate.

Why?

Your boss has the legal right to read your work e-mail correspondence, as well as any personal information you may have stored on your personal work computer.

4. Teach your children not to give out personal information online without your permission.

While federal law prohibits companies from collecting personal information from children under 13, there are some Web sites that violate or skirt the law.

Take the time to impress upon your children how important it is they ask your permission before they give out their name, address or other information about themselves or their family.

Make sure your teenagers who use Facebook and MySpace have privacy settings that allow only their real friends to see their information. 

5. Be careful when using social networking sites and picture/video sharing sites.

If you use a picture or video-sharing site to share photos with friends and relatives, pay attention to the privacy settings to be sure you are not sharing photos with strangers, especially photos of your children. 

6. Learn about and then use the privacy features in your browser. 

Whether you use Internet Explorer, Safari, Camino, Firefox or Chrome, there are a variety of tools and plug-ins available to help protect your privacy and the security of the information you use on the Internet.

Take the time to learn about these features so you can better control the planting of "cookies" on your computer, as well as identify insecure or fraudulent sites before you visit them.

If you use a computer in a library or other public place, clear your browser history and memory cache when you are finished.

Depending on the specific browser, you can delete cached images from the "Preferences" menu or the "Tools" menu. 

7. Make sure that online transactions are secure.

Most e-commerce sites have a secure way to receive your credit card information.

In most cases, the address for a secure Web site will start with "https." The "s" indicates it is secure.

In addition, most browsers display a small picture of a lock to indicate the site is secure.

Just because the site has both these features doesn't mean it is legitimate. The company running it could be fraudulent or the Web site may be a fake. 



8. Learn how to spot phishing and other scams. 

Before giving out personal information online, know who you're dealing with.

You have to be especially careful because fraudsters create Web sites that look like those of legitimate businesses, trying to get you to enter information.

"Phishing" is a scam designed to steal your personal information under false pretenses, usually by tricking you into disclosing personal information, such as credit card numbers, your Social Security number and account passwords.

Some clues of fraud: 
• If an e-mail address that purports to be from a bank or business headquartered in the United States ends with .cn or any other country code, it is not legitimate.

• Messages marked "Urgent" are usually fraudulent.

• Many fake sites will place a picture of a fake lock icon on their site. Make sure the secure lock icon is in the browser frame and not inside the browser window. 



9. Reject or delete unnecessary cookies. 

Cookies are small bits of computer code planted on your computer by most of the Web sites you visit. They allow Web sites to collect and store information about your online activity and to recognize your computer when you return again or visit an affiliated site.

For example, if you signed up to a Web site and obtained a user name and password, cookies remember that information for you.

Consult your browser's Help section to find out how to delete unnecessary or unwanted cookies.

 
10. Safeguard important files and communications.

Secure your laptop, your phone and other portable devices with a strong password that cannot be guessed easily by someone who knows your name.

Never use family names or birthdates as passwords.

Keep your important files out of any shared or public folders.

In situations where there is a particular need for security, you should use encryption. 

Easy Steps to Improve Your PC's Performance

Unless your computer is fresh out of the box, it's probably not running as fast as it used to. Our PCs fill up with all sorts of good stuff -- documents, music, videos, programs, games, downloads -- and bad stuff like viruses and spyware, too. Over time they can get bogged down.

A little periodic maintenance & in a tight economy here’s some few simple steps to help keep your PC running like new, instead of buying a new one. 

Computers with Windows XP and newer operating systems come with several simple utilities to check, clean and de-clutter your hard drive. Doing so will free it up to access your programs and files more quickly.

• Disk Check identifies and removes hard disk errors caused by crashes or power failures.

Frequency: Every few months to make sure the drive itself is functioning properly.  

Click on My Computer
Right click on C drive

Choose “Properties”
Select the Tools Tab
Click the "Check Now" button under "Error Checking"
Check all the boxes
Click Start

• Disk Cleanup removes temporary files and unnecessary detritus from your hard drive, freeing up space.

For example, when browsing the Internet your computer collects thousands of temporary files to help Web sites load more quickly. But over time these files create clutter, so it's a good idea to clean them out.

Frequency: Once a Month

Click on My Computer
Right click on your C drive
Choose “Properties”
Select Disk Cleanup

• The Disk Defragmenter improves hard drive performance and speed by piecing together parts of files that have been broken apart.

 As you use your computer, files are constantly added, changed and removed. Over time, these files and folders are broken into chunks of data, so when you want to access the file your hard disk has to work harder and look in more places to find all of its contents. This is known as fragmentation.

The more full your hard drive becomes, the more likely it is your files will be fragmented. The Defragmenter pieces those chunks of data back together, so your hard drive can load them more quickly. 

Frequecy: Once a month-- and it's best to run when you're finished using the computer for the day, as it can often take over an hour to complete. 

Click on My Computer
Right click on your C drive
Select Properties
Choose the Tools tab
Click "Defragment Now" button under "Defragmentation"

Windows XP and higher can automatically check to see if it needs to be updated. Microsoft often supplies patches, updates and security fixes for Windows (as well as Office and other Microsoft programs) that should always be installed to keep your PC up-to-date.

The beauty of Automatic Updates is that it checks with Microsoft on its own and lets you know when you need to do something. So just make sure that Automatic Updates are on: 

Click Start, and then click Control Panel
Click Automatic Updates
Choose Automatic (recommended)

Though it sounds counterintuitive, dropping an unwanted file in the Recycle Bin doesn't actually remove it from your hard drive. To prevent accidental deletion, a file can remain in the Recycle Bin and continue to take up space. Periodically emptying the Recycle Bin helps free space for the files you want to keep. 

By the way, if running all these individual fixes doesn't sound like your cup of tea, there is software available that can optimize your computer in a few simple steps -- cleaning our your hard drive, speeding startup and shutdown, and repairing errors.

Check Out:


PerfectSpeed & System Mechanic

Finally, perhaps the most common causes of computer sluggishness are viruses and spyware. You may already have computer security software installed on your computer, but with so many new threats created every day, it must have updated definition files to be of any use. 


You can still check out the McAfee Total Protection 2010!


   

The Secret To Better Memory

Fat, suggests a study, may be the secret to remembering important things -- like where you put your keys or how to navigate one-way streets to a favorite restaurant.

History: Eating and retaining memos was once a survival tool when our ancestors found a source of nourishing food, it was helpful to remember how to get back for more.

Science behind: When digesting Fats containing Oleic Acid – a ‘good’ monounsaturated fatty acid found in ==>  olive oil, fish, nuts and soybeans, the small intestine produces a molecule called oleoylethanolamide (OEA).

OEA binds to a receptor in the gut, which sends signals to the brain.

• One of these signals ends up in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus, where it conveys a satisfying sense of fullness.

• A second message winds up in the amygdala, the almond-shaped center of the brain where emotionally charged memories are cemented into long-term memories (think: your wedding or where you were on September 11, 2001).

Still, with a newly clarified picture of how OEA works, scientists hope to develop drugs that might improve memory and treat brain disorders, such as Alzheimer's.

In the meantime, it can't hurt to eat nuts, salmon, vegetable oils and other sources of healthy fats.

They're good for you and they might help you to remember, especially if you eat them right before an experience you don't want to forget. Fat starts being absorbed-and OEA is at its peak-10 to 20 minutes after a meal. It's then that your gut and brain are primed to strengthen memories!

World Cup 2010 Stadium

Stade Green Point:

Stade Ellis Park: 

Stade Peter Mokaba:

Stade Free State:

Stade Royal Bafokeng:

Stade de Durban:

Stade Mbombela:

Stade Loftus Versfeld:

Stade Soccer City:

Stade Nelson Mandela Bay:

Be up-to-date with all the events associated with the World Cup on: 

http://www.worldcup2010southafrica.com/