Recent Comments
Comment by TW on Who is Winning the Robocall Wars? (November 20, 2024 09:17 PM)
@Jimmy When is spoofing illegal? Under the Truth in Caller ID Act, FCC rules prohibit anyone from transmitting misleading or inaccurate caller ID inf...
Comment by Brian on Who is Winning the Robocall Wars? (November 20, 2024 06:49 PM)
We in the UK have the same problem with robocalls. I find that simple common sense is one of the best defence mechanisms. Just do not engage and if un...
Comment by Wolf on Who is Winning the Robocall Wars? (November 20, 2024 05:36 PM)
This is another important article, which is very applicable as we have the holiday season approaching, and that is another time of the year that the s...
Comment by Jimmy on Who is Winning the Robocall Wars? (November 20, 2024 02:53 PM)
Nuisance calls and texts abound. I usually do not answer and I delete unsolicited text messages. But if I think someone (at a plausible number) may be...
Comment by john on Who is Winning the Robocall Wars? (November 20, 2024 01:26 PM)
I have nomorobo with my voip account. It usually works great. But lately, it is failing, I will get three calls in a row from three different random...
Comment by Chris is NJ on Who is Winning the Robocall Wars? (November 20, 2024 11:27 AM)
I have a landline with an answering machine attached. Most robo-dialers can detect the answering machine and the call does not go through. With the ri...
Comment by Renaud Olgiati on Who is Winning the Robocall Wars? (November 20, 2024 09:06 AM)
Living in Paraguay, any robocall hangs up quickly when I reply in English calls from unknown numbers......
Comment by Wild Bill on Who is Winning the Robocall Wars? (November 20, 2024 01:35 AM)
I suspect (based on the number of calls to our landline and the near impossibility of tracking and apprehending the miscreants) that some of the 50% d...
Comment by Erik S on [SCAM ALERT] Smishing is Getting Worse (what you need to know and do) (November 19, 2024 11:38 PM)
"WHAT IS MY NAME?" Whenever I have doubts, this is the question that I send back (in capital or regular letters). Not a single time so far h...
Comment by Ernest N. Wilcox Jr. (Oldster) on Who is Winning the Robocall Wars? (November 19, 2024 11:00 PM)
I have MagicJack for y home phone. The service includes call screening, where a caller must enter a random number to complete the call. This feature h...
Social-Networking Articles
It's Nice to Share, But...
Two trends are clashing on the Web today. Security is more important than ever to protect yourself against ever-increasing cyberthreats. “Sharing” is equally big, thanks to social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram which make money when you share your intimate thoughts, experiences, and other life-stuff with strangers. But security and sharing do not mix well. Here's what you need to know about oversharing and trauma dumping...
...[PRIVACY] Are You Sharing, or Over-Sharing?
Two trends are in conflict on the Web today. Security is more important than ever to protect yourself against ever-increasing cyberthreats. “Sharing” is equally big, thanks to social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram which make money when you share your thoughts, experiences, and other life-stuff with strangers. But security and sharing do not mix well. Here's what you need to know...
...Are There Viable Alternatives To Facebook?
Are you interested in options to escape Facebook’s incessant notifications, creepy data mining, and its founder’s disdain for common decency, honesty, and ethics? Wouldn’t it be nice to just share photos, links, music, and news with family, real friends, and like-minded people without Zuckerberg’s surveillance and cajolery? There are some alternative social networking platforms that may suit your needs. Read on for the scoop…
...[PRIVACY] Are You Over-Sharing?
Two trends are in conflict on the Internet today. Security is more important than ever to protect yourself against ever-increasing cyberthreats. “Sharing” is equally big, thanks to social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram which make money when you share your thoughts, experiences, and other life-stuff with strangers. But security and sharing do not mix well. Here's what you need to know...
...Addicted to Social Media?
How many times per day do you check your Facebook page? How many Tweets or Instagram updates do you view or post? How many social networks do you belong to? When is the last time you went 24 hours without updating your status? Is it possible that you are addicted to social media? Read on to find out...
...NO Doesn’t Mean NO To Facebook
Facebook’s ironically named “Privacy Settings” include a “location history” option for mobile users. You might think that turning it off prevents Facebook from tracking your location and targeting you with ads from businesses you pass. You would be mistaken. Read on for the scoop…
...Is Facebook Logging Your Calls and Texts?
An investigation in the British parliament has revealed that Facebook is logging the phone calls and text messages of some users. Facebook may also be tracking and recording your every move. Read on to find out what data Facebook is collecting about you, and how to stop it...
...[HOWTO] Control Annoying Smartphone Notifications
Notifications are handy until they become frequent distractions. Even if you don’t succumb to the temptation to see what that buzz, ding, beep, or flash is about, you will still be wondering about it in the back of your mind while trying to work (or sleep). If you need to stay focused (or get a good night's sleep) you need to rein in those distracting notifications. Here's how...
...Looking for Alternatives To Facebook?
Are you looking for a way to escape Facebook’s incessant notifications, creepy data mining, and its founder’s disdain for common decency, honesty, and ethics? Wouldn’t it be nice to just share photos, links, music, and news with family, real friends, and like-minded people without Zuckerberg’s surveillance and cajolery? There are some alternative social networking platforms that may suit your needs. Read on for the scoop...
...The Web’s Creator Is Doing Us A Solid
Sir Timothy Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web and the Hyper-Text Markup Language (HTML) that underpins it in March, 1989. Today, the father of the web is “devastated” and “sickened” by what has been done with his brainchild. But he has a plan to change all that. Read on for the details…
...Mastodon: Your Social Media Safe Haven?
We may be witnessing the origin of a radically new paradigm of social networking, one that is not centralized, walled-in, or driven by advertising. Instead, the new paradigm is FOSS – Free and Open Source Software. If you're growing fatigued of Facebook and Twitter, you need to know about Mastodon...
...How to Spot a Bot
If you use Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram at all, you have undoubtedly encountered a bot and probably have been its unwitting tool. Read on for some tips on how to tell a bot from a real person, how to recognize the bait they put out, and how to avoid becoming part of a misinformation campaign...
...[PRO/CON] Paid Subscriptions to Online Content
Never mind the death of Net Neutrality. A bigger threat to the wallets of Internet consumers looms as social media platforms give content producers the tools to charge monthly subscription fees to consumers. But is that a bad thing? Read on for the forecast, and the pros and cons of a paid Internet social life...
...Had Enough Of Facebook’s Duplicity And Incompetence?
The fat has been in the fire since March 16, 2018, when it was revealed that Facebook allowed the private data of some 50 million Americans to fall into the hands of a British data analytics firm hired by Trump’s presidential campaign to predict how people would vote. Here are just a few highlights of the outrage that ensued and is still building…
...[HOWTO] Stopping Fake News
Fake news stories are no joke; they can have serious real-world consequences. Every one of us has a responsibility to stop, think, and verify before hitting the “share” button. If we do not share fake news, it will die. Here are a few tips to help you spot fake news and avoid the embarrassment of spreading it…
...Google Tackles Trolls With AI
Three months ago, I took strong exception to a “code of conduct” agreed upon between the European Commission, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Microsoft to police and suppress “hate speech” on the Internet. More recently, I learned that Google has developed software designed to identify and suppress certain kinds of speech, too. But Google has something different in mind. Read on to see if it will be used for Good or Evil...
...[FIXED!] Social Fixer is Back and Better
The best thing that ever happened to Facebook was broken by Facebook for more than a year. But on August 29, 2016, the Social Fixer browser addon returned, better than ever. If you use Facebook, you just gotta have this thing! Read on…
...Leaving LinkedIn? Try One of These Instead
Microsoft announced on June 13, 2016, that it will buy LinkedIn, the professional and career social network. Too bad that was a Monday and not a Friday the 13th; the irony would have been better. Why did Microsoft buy LinkedIn, and what will they do with it? If this news makes you want to cancel your LinkedIn account, consider these alternatives…
...Should Tech Giants Police “Hate Speech” Online?
There’s a semi-serious adage in journalism: “For any headline that asks a question, the answer is ‘No.’” Test it against the headlines you see each day and you’ll find it’s uncannily accurate. “Can cell phones give you brain cancer?” No. “Is Comcast customer service improving?” No. So it should come as no surprise that the answer to my headline’s question is not “No.” It’s really, “Heck, NO!” Read on for the scoop…
...[PINNED] Clowns, Snakes and Chainsaws
I knew a woman who started collecting figurines of clowns, just a couple of unique and beautiful pieces per years. Suddenly, everyone who knew her began giving her clowns for birthdays, holidays, and other occasions. Some were up to her discriminating tastes, most were kitsch. What does this have to do with Pinterest, the fun photo sharing website? A lot, actually! Read on to learn the basics of using Pinterest...
...Not Dead Yet? Google+ Tries Again
Google still wants to be a social network player, despite the four-year floundering of its mercurial entry, Google+. The latest reincarnation of Google+ is rolling out now. Google is touting it as faster, simpler, and more relevant to what Google+ users have said they want. But that doesn’t mean it’s what normal people want. Find out what's new, and see if it's for you...
...The End of Google Plus?
Is Google's once-vaunted alternative to Facebook slowly fading into oblivion? Google Plus seemed to achieve critical mass, with over 500 million users, but it never really gained much traction as social media hangout. So what is Google doing about it? Read on…
...Let's Have a Meetup!
If social isolation is your problem, virtual relationships are not going to solve it. Smiley-faces are no substitute for real, human smiles. A computer monitor may be your window to the world, but the eyes are the window to another’s soul. No social network provides the quality of interpersonal experience that in-the-flesh social gatherings do. Read on to learn about an online service that's bringing people together in the real world...
...Why You Should Never Login With Facebook
Mari Sherkin has been happily married for over 25 years, so she was more than a little surprised to learn she had a dating profile on matchmaking service Zoosk.com that she never created. Find out how it happened, and how it could easily happpen to you...
...Will Ello Be a Facebook Killer?
Say “hello” to Ello, the new social network that aims to relieve the pain of the greatest indignity that Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, inflict upon their members: commoditization. Will it be the next big thing, or a blip on the radar? Read on to learn about Ello...
...What Is Google Plus Good For?
Google Plus (Google+) celebrated its third birthday on July 5, 2014. You may have heard of Google+; you may even recall creating your own Google+ account. But when was the last time you used Google+, or were invited to use it by an acquaintance? What (and who) exactly, is Google+ good for, and what are people doing with it?
...We REALLY Need to Talk!
Pop singer Carly Rae Jepsen’s chart-topping 2012 song might have been better titled something like, “Call Me Maybe or Maybe Text Me or SnapChat Me Baby, or Instagram Me One More Time...” But then it wouldn’t have topped the charts, would it? There are so many different ways to contact people now that it’s become a hassle just to choose one...
...Are Social Networks Committing Suicide?
Lots of people are finding that the popular social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) are becoming more annoying, more expensive, and less useful. Here's how I see the problem, and my take on what the future of true social networking should look like.
...Back Up Your Social Media and Webmail
Stop and think about your social media and webmail accounts. How important to you are all the conversations you have had, all the photos you have saved, all the contacts, friends and followers you have made? If the answer is 'pretty important' or better, you need to back up that data just as much as the data on your local hard drive. Here's how...
...How to Fix Facebook Annoyances
There's no denying that Facebook is enormously popular, with over one billion members. But it's also enormously frustrating and annoying sometimes. Some things are hidden or hard to find. Others just won't go away. Navigating the ever-changing interface is daunting. What if you could fix all that with just a few clicks? Read on to learn how….
...FREE: Encryption Tools to Protect Your Data
With the U.S. government ignoring the 4th Amendment, data breaches in the news every week, and identity thieves everywhere, more and more people are wondering how to protect their data and personal information. The answer is encryption, and it's no longer rocket science. Here's what you need to know about using encryption...
...Disqus: Bad for Public Discourse?
Anonymity is mainly to blame for the decline in online civility; people tend to act more irresponsibly when they believe they can get away with it. But a popular website plugin designed to solve that problem may also compromise your privacy. Here's what you need to know about Disqus...
...Facebook Phones Home
The long-rumored Facebook phone is finally here. Except it's not really a phone. It's YOUR phone, with a new face. But is it a friendly face, or another 'in your face' intrusive reach by Facebook into your privacy? Here's the scoop on Facebook Home, and your phone...
...Forgot Facebook Password
Did you forget your Facebook password? Having trouble logging in? Or did you forget the email address for your Facebook login? Maybe your email account is not working, so you can't change your password. Or maybe it's something with a simple fix. Here's the scoop on Facebook and password issues...
...Very PINteresting!
Pinterest is a social network for people who embrace the notion that a picture really is worth more than a thousand words. Pinterest is one of the fastest growing social sites, surpassing both Google+ and LinkedIn by attracting over 100 million visits per month. Here's what you need to know...
...Are You Linked In?
Are you getting invitations from strangers or people you barely know, wanting you to join LinkedIn? Maybe you're wondering if LinkedIn can really help you find a new job, or if it's just another Internet scam. Here's the scoop on LinkedIn, and how it can benefit you...
...Are You Addicted To Social Media?
How many times per day do you check your Facebook page? How many Tweets do you read or post? How many social networks do you belong to? When is the last time you went 24 hours without updating your status? Is it possible that you are addicted to social media?
...Five Free Blogging Tools
If you've been thinking about starting a blog, you may be wondering where to host it and what tools are available to make blogging easier. Here's a brief look at five of the most popular blogging tools...
...Will Google+ Kill Facebook?
Google+ is the search giant's emerging social network. I say emerging because it's only in a limited testing stage right now, with invitations issued to some key influencers. But Google+ could pose a viable challenge to Facebook. Here are some of the features of Google+ and how it compares to Facebook...
...Got Your Groupon?
A couple of my friends are trying to get me to join a site called Groupon, I can see that it has something to so with online coupons, but I'm wary because of multi-level marketing scams that have bitten me in the past. What exactly is Groupon, and if it's legit, can it save me money with no downside?
...Social Network Surveillance
You can't have too many friends is a proverb coined long before Facebook arrived. The fact is, you certainly can have too many friends on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and LinkedIn, especially when you don't know who they really are...
...Making Money In Second Life
I've heard reports about people making pretty good money inside Second Life. How can I get started in the business of making money for (virtually) nothing?
...What is Craigslist?
Who is Craig, and what's on his list? If you have something to sell, or something to say, and you haven't heard of Craigslist, read on...
...Facebook Privacy
I've switched from Myspace to Facebook because I was unhappy with the privacy controls there, and I've been told that Facebook lets you control this much better. Would you please go over the Facebook privacy settings and recommend which ones I should focus on?
...World Of Warcraft
My nephew plays the World of Warcraft online game for hours at a time. I've watched a little bit, but don't really understand the game, or its appeal. Can you explain what the World of Warcraft game is all about, who plays it, and why?
...Facebook - Getting Started
Looking for an alternative to an oversaturated MySpace? Facebook is a great alternative for the college and professional set. A little more serious than MySpace, Facebook is more than just competing to see who can have the most friends. Facebook boasts over 25 million members, and is the number one photo sharing site on the Web. Here's the scoop on getting started with Facebook...
...Social Bookmarking
What is social bookmarking, and how is it different from a regular bookmark or favorite in my browser?
...What is Second Life?
Some of my friends are really into Second Life, they say it's the future of the Internet. Looks like Sim City on drugs to me... What is the big deal with Second Life -- who is playing and why?
...
