As you can imagine, I am the guy that FRIENDS and FAMILY and even FRIENDS OF FRIENDS and FRIENDS OF FAMILY call…

…when they have technology questions, or are about to make an important technology purchase.

And in that role…

…I have noticed an interesting trend.

I am getting more calls and emails asking for purchasing advice than ever…

…and all of the calls and emails are asking advice about which SMARTPHONE to buy.

So for folks who are thinking of getting their first smartphone…

And for others who are ready to upgrade to a new smartphone…

…here are some questions to ask yourself, in order to ensure you make the best purchase for yourself:

QUESTION #1:

WHO IS THE BEST CARRIER FOR ME?

AT&T gets a lot of bad publicity…

…and you almost never hear about Sprint at all.

But here’s something you should hear about both of them:

For smartphone users…

…both are probably cheaper than using Verizon.

Why?

• Because Sprint has very low “Unlimited” plans for calls, Internet and data

• AT&T has tiered data plans for smartphones that start at $15 per month (vs. $30 at Verizon)

But in the end, the most important here’s one thing that’s far more important than price:

• Does the phone get good reception where you live, where you work, where you hang out?

• If you got a GREAT PRICE, but lousy RECEPTION…

• …are you SAVING MONEY, or throwing it AWAY?

QUESTION #2:

DO YOU TALK, OR DRIVE, OR POINT-N-SHOOT?

After choosing the best carrier for yourself…

…the next thing to consider is how you will primarily use the phone.

Some people have smartphones…

…but they almost never TALK on them, because their too busy TEXTING and EMAILING instead.

Other people say the most important function of the phone is the FREE GPS, or the CAMERA, or the ability LISTEN TO MUSIC.

Depending on how you will use the phone…

…it may become easy to make a phone decision.

For instance:

• If TALKING is important, the iPhone may not be a great choice

• If FREE, HIGH QUALITY GPS is important, then one of the Google Android phones is probably the best choice

• If LISTENING to music is important, then the iPhone again comes out on top.

• And when it comes to having a GREAT CAMERA AND VIDEO CAMERA, the iPhone again comes out on top

QUESTION #3:

SHOULD I BUY ONE PHONE, OR TWO?

If you are looking to buy your first smartphone…

…then consider getting your spouse or significant other or kids to get the same phone, too.

Here’s why:

• You’ll have access to more chargers in more places

• When your battery goes dead, you can swap with your hubby or your kid

• Two (or three) heads are better than one, when it comes to solving problems or finding cool new functions and apps

QUESTION #4:

WHERE SHOULD I SHOP FOR SMARTPHONES?

AND WHERE SHOULD I BUY MY NEW SMARTPHONE?

When it comes to shopping for smartphones, here are a few tips:

• Best Buy is a great place for “one-stop” shopping since they have all the phones from all the carriers, including the iPhone

• Carrier-owned stores often offer the most knowledgeable sales staff…but don’t confuse “authorized resellers” from “carrier-owned” stores

• Costco is a great place to buy a smartphone, since they offer a far better return policy (90 days, vs. 30 days), don’t charge an activation fee (as much as a $35 savings), they will give you a free case and car charger and headset.

QUESTION #5:

SHOULD I WAIT FOR THE IPHONE TO COME TO VERIZON?

Probably not.

But just to hedge your bets…here’s what you might do:

If you get a new Verizon phone…

…ask if you can pay a little more for a 1-year, instead of a 2-year contract.

At Verizon, this is available on some, if not all, phones.

By doing this, you dramatically shorten the amount of time before you can upgrade to a new phone…

…which puts you in the position to get a new iPhone from Verizon much sooner than if you signed a new 2-year contract.

The tech headlines are full of talk of something that involves Google and Verizon…

…and a thing called “net neutrality.”

So what is “net neutrality”?

And how do GOOGLE and VERIZON fit into the picture?

Here’s what you need to know:

QUESTION #1:

WHAT IS “NET NEUTRALITY”?

In a nutshell, the concept of “net neutrality” says that companies that provide Internet access…

…should remain neutral about legal online content they provide to you, as the paying customer.

One main point of this is to avoid a system of payoffs or kickbacks…

…where your Internet provider passes the web content of some companies over the web faster than others, because those companies have paid extra for a ride down the fast lane.

QUESTION #2:

BUT WHY NOT LET COMPANIES PAY FOR EXTRA DELIVERY SPEED?

At first it seems like a good idea…

…to let companies pay to get their web content delivered faster.

But if you think about it, it quickly becomes a BAD idea, and here’s why:

• Without “net neutrality”…a free and open Internet will start to be very small and only open to those who can pay

• Without “net neutrality”…the Internet starts to look like cable TV, where the operator (not you) picks what you can and cannot see

• Without “net neutrality”…it will be difficult for new and innovative companies to successfully burst on the scene, because they will need enough money to compete against companies like YouTube and Twitter and Facebook that already exist and are successful.

QUESTION #3:

SO WHAT DO VERIZON AND GOOGLE HAVE TO DO WITH “NET NEUTRALITY”?

The two companies have worked together on a plan for the future of “net neutrality”…

…but their plan is NOT being well received by the Internet community.

Because while the Google/Verizon plan gives a lot of lip service to the concept of “net neutrality”…

…the plan is also full of LOOPHOLES that threaten the future of a free and open Internet.

QUESTION #4:

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE LOOPHOLES IN THE GOOGLE/VERIZON PLAN?

In a nutshell, the two major proposed loopholes are these:

• LOOPHOLE #1:
  

The Google/Verizon plan suggests that “net neutrality” should NOT apply Internet access over cellular networks…

…but this is a problem, since more and more people are using mobile devices as their main web-access device.

• LOOPHOLE #2:

The Google/Verizon plan suggests that they should be able to develop new online services that might include “health care monitoring, the smart grid, advanced educational services, or new entertainment and gaming options…“

…and the two companies propose that they new online services somehow may get preferential treatment over other content on the web.

But the problem here is that if Loophole #2 is allowed…

…then by default, that means that the “neutrality” part of “net neutrality” no longer exists, and the playing field is no longer level.

QUESTION #5:

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Keep in mind that the Google/Verizon proposal is just that…a proposal.

What’s next is up to the FCC…

…and YOU, should you wish to let the FCC know your thoughts on “net neutrality” and the Google/Verizon proposal.

For what it’s worth:

The Google/Verizon proposal is short and easy to read…

…and you can see it here:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/35599242/Verizon-Google-Legislative-Framework-Proposal

And you can see it briefly discussed by Verizon here:

http://policyblog.verizon.com/BlogPost/742/JointPolicyProposalforanOpenInternet.asp

And you can offer your comments to the FCC about “net neutrality” and the Google/Verizon proposal by sending email to the FCC commissioners here:

Chairman Julius Genachowski: Julius.Genachowski@fcc.gov
Commissioner Michael J. Copps: Michael.Copps@fcc.gov
Commissioner Robert McDowell: Robert.McDowell@fcc.gov
Commissioner Mignon Clyburn: Mignon.Clyburn@fcc.gov
Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker: Meredith.Baker@fcc.gov

Remember Y2K?

Well, don’t panic…

…but something much like that is going to happen again.

The problem this time revolves around something called IPv6…

…and here’s what you need to know:

QUESTION #1:

WHAT IS IPv6?

Every time you connect to the Internet, you use a number called an IP, or “Internet Protocol” address.

This IP address looks something like this:

192.168.1.1

Not long ago, mostly only personal computers connected to the Internet and needed IP addresses.

But today, we all have multiple devices that connect to the Internet, like:

• Our desktop computers
• Our laptop computers
• Our netbook computers
• Our tablet or iPad computers
• Our Kindles
• Our mobile phones
• Our Nintendo Wii’s
• Our TVs
• And even some people’s refrigerators.

Many of these devices need their own IP addresses…

…but under the current system, called IPv4, there’s only 4 billion IP addresses to go around.

Bottom line:

We’re going to run out of IPv4 IP addresses sometime in mid-2011.

Or sooner…

…if someone like Apple or Google comes up with a completely new class of Internet-connected gadget between now that then that just everybody’s GOT to have.

But IPv6 is a new protocol for Internet addresses…

…and if successfully implemented in time, it will increase the number of IP addresses to 340 trillion, trillion, trillion IP addresses.

And for the sake of comparison, here’s what an IPv6 address looks like:

3ffe:1900:4545:3:200:f8ff:fe21:67cf

QUESTION #2:

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?

You may recall that the whole Y2K thing happened because:

• Computer developers in the 1960s wanted to be conservative about how they used priceless computer memory and storage…

…so they abbreviated the year in all dates from four digits (1999) to two-digits (99).

• But they didn’t think ahead…

…to what would happen when the first two digits of the year switched from 19XX to 20XX, as in 2000.

Similarly, years ago developers also never anticipated that we would come up with so many Internet-connected devices so fast…

…after all, even ten years ago did you think your refrigerator, your wristwatch and even your dog might require their own Internet connections?

QUESTION #3:

SO WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

AND SHOULD I PANIC?

Personally, I’ve never a big proponent of panicking.

But the reality is…

…over the next few months, you’re going to hear more and more about IPv6 and some of that news coverage may ENCOURAGE you to panic.

But I encourage you to RELAX…

…and remember that a lot of really smart people are working on this, and the odds are they’ve got the situation covered.

And here’s what’s going on behind the scenes:

• Your Internet Service Provider (or ISP) like Comcast or Time Warner or the phone company is probably working hard behind the scenes to get ready for IPv6.

• All the websites you love to visit like Google and eBay and YouTube are working hard behind the scenes to get ready for IPv6.

• Hopefully, someone at your company or where you work…is working hard behind the scenes to get ready for IPv6.

QUESTION #4:

IS THERE ANYTHING I SHOULD BE DOING TO PREPARE FOR IPv6?

You bet…here’s what you can do:

• When you see people panicking…tell them it’s all going to be okay

• Consider talking to your boss or manager about IPv6…to make sure your company is aware of the transition and is properly preparing for it

• If you have a blog or website…contact your hosting company to make sure they are preparing for IPv6

• Don’t be surprised if you find out that your need to replace your modem, router or wireless router at home…and if you DO need to replace it, please don’t complain about it too much

• Help others around you deal with the transition and the news of the transition…for instance, if you have parents or grandparents, reassure them that you will help them make any transition go smoothly.

I spend a lot of time doing work at the coffee shop across the street from my apartment.

Why?

Three reasons:

• The coffee is PRETTY GOOD

• The refills are FREE

• Even though the WiFi is NOT FREE, I CAN ACCESS MY OWN WIFI HOTSPOT FROM MY APARTMENT ACROSS THE STREET…

…so I can surf the Internet all day long without paying for it.

But starting on July 1, thanks to Starbucks…

…there will soon be more than 11,000 new places around the US where I can go to surf the web for free.

Yes, starting on July 1 Starbucks will offer free unlimited Internet access at all its US stores.

So, is this a big deal?

You bet it is…and here’s why:

POINT #1:

FREE WIFI AT STARBUCKS…

…SOLVES A BIG PROBLEM IN WASHINGTON

In Washington, they talk a lot about having a “National Broadband Strategy.”

That means getting broadband internet everywhere it’s needed, including:

• Every town and city
• Every business
• Every school

Although free WiFi at Starbucks doesn’t address all these issues…

…it does create a huge WiFi mesh network over huge portions of the country, at no cost to taxpayers or the US government.

If you want to know more about the US government’s overall national broadband strategy…

…go to www.Broadband.gov.

POINT #2:

FREE WIFI AT STARBUCKS…

…SOLVES A BIG PROBLEM FOR MANY WHO ARE UNEMPLOYED

One challenge for the unemployed…

…is having a convenient place to go to stay on top of email and to respond to job listings throughout the day, and to charge a laptop battery.

By offering fast, easy and free access to WiFi, along with fresh, hot coffee…

…Starbucks offers 11,000 obvious places for a job seeker to stop and get quickly online during a job of job hunting.

In fact, the New York Times reports that catering to job seekers has already allowed Starbucks to reverse its own negative business trend.

Meanwhile, as part of this free WiFi rollout…

…Starbucks is also creating the “Starbucks Digital Network” which will include free tools for people who are writing resumes and looking for jobs.

POINT #3:

FREE WIFI AT STARBUCKS…

…SOLVES A BIG PROBLEM FOR MANY WHO ARE SELF-EMPLOYED

If you own your own business and work out of your house…

…you may not have a good place to meet and brainstorm with others who are self-employed.

But free WiFi at Starbucks means…

…there is always be a Starbucks halfway between you and the other person, where you can meet and talk and access the Internet together.

POINT #4:

FREE WIFI AT STARBUCKS…

…SOLVES A BIG PROBLEM FOR COMPANIES WITH LARGE MOBILE WORKFORCES

Like many outside salespeople, lots of people spend their days working away from the office.

And for many of these people…

…getting online with a computer can be both time-consuming and expensive.

But free WiFi at Starbucks makes both problems go away, because mobile employees know they can jump online for free at any Starbucks…

…and as we all know, here in the US there’s a Starbucks almost EVERYWHERE.

POINT #5:

FREE WIFI AT STARBUCKS…

…MAY EVEN BE GOOD NEWS FOR YOUR SMALL LOCALLY-OWNED COFFEEHOUSE

At first glance, we might think free WiFi at Starbucks…

…means the kiss of death for the small locally-owned coffee house down the street.

But this may be a great thing for locally-owned coffee houses, too.

Here’s why:

• Free WiFi at Starbucks means more people and even longer lines at Starbucks

• More people at Starbucks means more some people get discouraged and go elsewhere

• As more people get discouraged and go elsewhere, they seek out non-Starbucks alternatives like the locally-owned coffeehouse down the street.

By now you have probably heard about the LA woman…

…who is SUING GOOGLE AFTER BEING HIT BY A CAR.

Here’s the story:

• This woman from LA used her Blackberry to ask Google for walking directions while in Park City, Utah

• The walking directions told her to walk along a busy highway that had no sidewalks

• She did what Google told her

• She was struck by a car

• Now she’s suing Google because the GPS directions told her to do something that was unsafe.

Pretty stupid, right?

But GPS leads people to do all kinds of STUPID things…

…so just to make sure we all stay safe, let’s review some common-sense GPS rules:

GPS SAFETY-TIP #1:

YOU NEED TO KNOW…

…IF YOUR GPS IS SMARTER THAN YOU, OR NOT

Perhaps you have heard true stories like these:

• Driver almost DRIVES OFF CLIFF because GPS says to go that way

• Driver DRIVES INTO RIVER because GPS says to go that way

• Driver gets STUCK ON SNOWMOBILE TRAIL because GPS says it’s a road

• Driver almost gets killed by oncoming traffic because GPS TELLS HIM TO TURN WRONG WAY

• DRIVER HAS TO EVACUATE CAR AND WATCHES AS IT IS DESTROYED BY SPEEDING TRAIN…

…because GPS told him to start driving down railroad tracks.

The lesson to learn here is this:

YOUR GPS UNIT IS NOT SMARTER THAN YOU.

It is always better to rely on your own eyes and common sense…

…over directions from GPS that don’t sound right.

GPS SAFETY-TIP #2:

DON’T RELY ON GPS AS YOUR ONLY INFORMATION SOURCE

This tip is inspired by a true story you may have heard last year:

• A demolition crew was giving a set of GPS coordinates…

…and they used the coordinates to locate a house, which they then destroyed.

But here’s the problem:

• The coordinates were wrong…

…and since they didn’t verify the coordinates with the actual address, they destroyed the wrong house

And here’s the lesson we can all learn from this story:

Just because GPS says that that you have “Arrived at Destination” doesn’t means it’s true…

…and with that in mind, it’s smart to make sure GPS has sent you to the right street and the right house before you crash the party.

GPS SAFETY-TIP #3:

LET YOUR GPS WARN YOU ABOUT SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

Your GPS unit may offer many safety features that you don’t know about it…

…so it may be useful to crack open the user’s manual to see if your unit offers audio safety features like these:

• Warnings when you go over the speed limit

• Warnings when you are driving near schools and churches

• Warnings if you are about to go onto an unpaved road (as if you couldn’t tell by looking?)

• Warnings if you have driven for a long period without taking a break

• Warnings about leaving the device in the car.

GPS SAFETY-TIP #4:

PULL OVER BEFORE TYPING NEW DIRECTIONS INTO GPS

We all know about the story of the train engineer on a commuter train in LA who caused a train wreck that killed 25 people…

…because he was texting while operating the train.

And here’s the lesson we can all learn from this tragic train wreck:

Typing and driving don’t mix.

So if you need to change or add new directions to your GPS when you’re already on the road:

• Find a safe place where you can pull off the roadway

• Enter your new destination

• Make sure you can safely pull back onto the roadway

GPS SAFETY-TIP #5:

DON’T ADD YOUR OWN HOME TO THE “FAVORITES” ON YOUR GPS

We’ve talked about this before:

• If you add your own home to your GPS unit and label it as home…

• …then if your GPS stolen, you’ve also told the thief how to get to your house.

So here’s a better idea:

• Drive to the nearest supermarket or other landmark a mile or so away from your house

• Let your GPS unit log that location into it’s memory and call it home

• Now when you need to get home, you’re GPS will always get you to the nearby landmark

• And if your GPS is stolen, no thief will ever get any closer than a mile to your home, either.

Is your anti-virus software up-to-date???

I sure hope so…

…because the bad guys and hackers have a new trick up their sleeves!

Here’s what you need to know:

PDF THREAT #1:

MORE PDFS ARE INFECTED WITH MALICIOUS CODE

Until recently, most of us thought of pdf documents as being highly safe and secure.

But now that’s changed:

Because now hackers have figured out how to embed malicious programs inside a pdf…

…so that when you open an infected pdf, you also allow the malicious code to begin running inside your computer.

Ouch!

PDF THREAT #2:

IT’S VERY DIFFICULT TO TELL IF A PDF IS INFECTED

The problem with these infected pdfs…

…is that there’s no way to look at them, and tell if they’re infected or not.

That means that no matter how reputable a website may be…

…it could still be spreading viruses and malicious code via infected pdf files that are being offered as links or downloads.

PDF THREAT #3:

INFECTED PDFS CAN WREAK REAL DAMAGE

So what happens if you open an infected pdf…

…and malicious code inside is launched inside your computer?

Frankly, that malicious code could cause all kinds of horrible stuff to happen:

• It could STEAL your banking and credit card passwords

• It could DESTROY data on your computer hard-drive

• It could turn your computer into a “ZOMBIE”…

…so that your computer is controlled by hackers and they can use it to do more of their evil deeds

PDF FIX #1:

UPDATE YOUR PDF READER SOFTWARE OFTEN

Regardless of what kind of software you use for reading pdfs…

…make sure you check for software updates often.

Why?

Because the companies that make pdf software are all aware of these pdf hacks…

…so as soon as they learn about a new security risk, they patch their software and immediately make the patch available to their users.

So if you keep your pdf reader software up to date…

…you minimize your risk that you will fall victim to a rogue piece of malicious software that’s embedded inside a pdf.

PDF FIX #2:

CHECK YOUR PDF SECURITY SETTINGS

In many pdf reader softwares…

…there’s a security setting that will let you automatically protect yourself from malicious software inside of pdfs.

With the Adobe Reader, you can choose this safer setting like this:

• Go to “Edit,” then “Preferences”

• Go to “Trust Manager”

• Unclick the box that says “Allow opening of non-pdf file attachments with external applications”

By unchecking this box…

…you make it impossible for malicious code that’s embedded inside a pdf from actually running from inside a pdf.

PDF FIX #3:

MAKE SURE YOUR ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE IS UP-TO-DATE

Today, anti-virus software is sold on an annual-subscription basis.

That means that when you pay for anti-virus…

…you are only paying for it a year at a time.

This is an important point, because it means that if you haven’t paid for anti-virus in a year or more….

…then you’re computer is probably not protected from any viruses because you’re no longer receiving anti-virus updates, so your computer is vulnerable to threats like these infected along with other threats.

Last week, Facebook was in the doghouse over privacy.

This week, it’s Google.

What happened?

As most people know, Google has special cars that are equipped with special cameras mounted on the roof…

…and these cars go all over the world collecting “Street View” photos of just about every house and business on the planet.

Is that creepy enough?

Okay, it gets worse.

Last week, it was reported that Google “inadvertently” discovered that as these “Street View” cars drove up and down every street in the world…

…“by mistake” the cars were automatically recording what websites some people were visiting and may have even recorded their email and some passwords.

Oops.

That’s bad.

And here’s what you need to know:

QUESTION #1:

So what data, exactly, was being collected?

Let me put it this way:

If you have ever used a wi-fi network that was not privacy-protected, like at a coffee shop or even at your home…

…then any info you sent across the Internet (websites visited, videos watched, email sent or received, maybe even passwords typed) might have been recorded by Google if one of their “Street View” cars drove by at the time.

QUESTION #2:

Was info that was sent or received over privacy-protected wifi networks also at risk?

As far as we know, that data was not compromised.

But:

Stay tuned, because additional details have continued to be revealed by Google…

…so we may find out that additional info was, in fact, gathered by Google that hasn’t been disclosed yet.

QUESTION #3:

How did this happen?

Google claims it was a mistake…

…and that they NEVER meant to gather any personal info.

In this case, Google claims a Google engineer wrote an experimental piece of code that sampled data from unsecure wifi hotspots…

…and that experimental code was later mistakenly included in the software on the Google “Street View” cars.

I don’t know if that’s true or not…

…but I DO think it’s FEASIBLE that a company could make this mistake and gather info it didn’t even want, because the systems and processes companies use are huge and wildly complex.

QUESTION #4:

What will happen with all this personal data now?

Reports vary about how Google will deal with this data.

Some reports say Google will let a third party examine the data.

Other reports say Google is storing the data so investigators and regulators can view it.

And yet other reports say Google has already begun destroying the data under the supervision of a third party.

On Monday May 17, Google posted this info about the data breach and the data itself:

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/wifi-data-collection-update.html

QUESTION #5:

Should I be panicked about this?

Maybe…depending on what websites you have been visiting and what you’ve been saying in your email.

But seriously…the amount of data these cars could have gathered from any one individual is slight.

Yet what is more troubling is this:

• A roving army of cars was able to travel the world gathering personal data…and we had no clue it was going on
  .
• A giant company like Google, that employs some of the smartest people in the world…claims it had no idea it was gathering and storing all this info
  .
• The biggest danger from this Google mistake…is that it provides a significant “proof of concept” to others (governments, advertisers, criminals) about what is possible in the future.

Here’s my brilliant observation for this week about social networks like Facebook and Twitter, the Internet, and privacy:

If you’re smart…

…you will think of the Internet and social networks as something you should DATE, not something you MARRY.

When you’re dating:

• You’re GENERALLY on your best behavior

• You share SOME of yourself, NOT all of yourself.

When you’re married:

• Let’s just say that over time, it ALL comes out

Now think about the current uproar over Facebook’s changed privacy settings:

• Stuff you thought was private isn’t private anymore

So here’s the question to ask yourself:

• Have I been DATING Facebook, or have I MARRIED it?

And here are some old rules for social networking and other online interactions…

…that are worth reviewing:

RULE #1:

REMEMBER THIS: IT’S ALL PUBLIC INFORMATION

Inc. magazine is reporting on a woman in St. Louis who anonymously blogged and tweeted every day about her love life.

But she made one mistake:

When she created her Twitter account, she used her real name…

…then went back a few minutes later and erased it.

A few minutes was all it took for her name to be burned into the memory of the Internet forever.

Her employer Googled her, figured out the anonymous sex blog was hers, and fired her.

End of story.

But maybe her story can save you:

The Internet has ears and eyes everywhere…

…so if you want to keep something private, keep it away from Twitter, Facebook and the Internet at large.

RULE #2:

TREAT THE INTERNET LIKE AN OIL SPILL

Here’s what the folks at Exxon and BP have learned the hard way:

• It’s better to PREVENT an oil spill

• …than it is to have to attempt the impossible job of CLEANING one up.

And if you’re smart…

…you’ll apply this lesson to your personal life and the Internet, and prevent spills instead of doing things you’ll have to clean up later.

RULE #3:

KEEP A BAR OF SOAP ON YOUR DESK

At least once, your mother made you wash your mouth out with soap for something terrible you said.

To help you remember not to say terrible things while you’re online…

…I suggest that you keep a bar of soap on your desk.

And then when you’re tempted to type something mean or nasty or naughty into Facebook or Twitter or onto your blog…

…lick the bar of soap to help remind yourself that if you say the wrong thing online, you’re may regret it later on.

RULE #4:

KEEP A PICTURE OF GRANDMA ON YOUR DESK, TOO

This is a simple rule:

If you wouldn’t say it to Grandma…

…then don’t say it on Facebook or Twitter or on your blog.

Doesn’t that make it simple?

RULE #5:

YOU CAN TRY TO GAME THE SYSTEM

If there are damning videos or pictures or words on the Internet that can hurt you…

…you can try to game the system and make them (almost) disappear.

Here’s how:

• Add a ton of new stuff that represents you well:

If you add a ton of new stuff about yourself to the Internet that represents you well…

…the sheer volume will overpower the bad old stuff, and pretty soon it will almost disappear to the bottom of Google’s search results for you.

• Add new stuff about yourself every day:

Facebook and Twitter are a great way to add tons of new stuff in your own name and to do it all day long.

By frequently tweeting and updating your Facebook status…

…you are quickly and easily building a new identity for yourself while pushing your old identify towards obscurity.

• Dump your old Facebook and Twitter identities:

If you’re worried about what is there…

…create new, cleansed Facebook and Twitter accounts and use them often, to push the old accounts to the bottom of Google’s search results for you.

• But still, don’t kid yourself:

No matter how hard you try to get rid of the bad old stuff…

…it’s never going away.

It looks like 22-year-old David Kernell is going to jail.

His crime?

Hacking into Sarah Palin’s Yahoo! email account during the 2008 presidential election.

David Kernell’s lawyers say what he did was basically a college prank.

Clearly, the jury disagreed.

David Kernell faces up to 21 years of jail time for his crime.

And here’s what the rest of us can learn from this story:

EVEN WHEN YOU’RE ALONE…

…YOU’RE NEVER ALONE WHEN YOU’RE ONLINE

If you’re thinking about doing something naughty or embarrassing or illegal online…

…just don’t do it.

Or at least don’t do it from your OWN computer.

David Kernell is an experienced hacker, and HE got caught because he didn’t cover up his tracks.

And most people have no idea what kind of tracks they’re leaving when they’re online…

…let alone how to make those tracks disappear.

So if you’re an average web surfer…

…the smartest thing you can do is to always assume that anyone and everyone can see everything you’re doing while you’re online.

FACEBOOK AND TWITTER…

…NEVER FORGET WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU SAY

How did they link David Kernell to the Sarah Palin email break-in?

It started with him bragging while logged into a hacker website using an alias about the email break-in…

…but his identity was only revealed after someone connected the alias he used on the hacker site to the same alias he used on social networking sites.

The moral of the story:

If you’re doing or saying something you might regret later on one website…

…it won’t take Sherlock Holmes to figure out you’re the same person using the same name on other sites.

EASY PASSWORDS ARE EASY TO HACK

David Kernell figured out how to hack into Sarah Palin’s Yahoo! email in less than an hour by reading her about her on Google and Wikipedia.

Yes, it was that easy.

Afterward, here’s what he wrote to describe how easy it was:

• “It took seriously 45 mins on wikipedia and google to find the info…Birthday? 15 seconds on wikipedia, zip code? well she had always been from wasilla, and it only has 2 zip codes”

• “The second was somewhat harder, the question was ‘where did you meet your spouse?’…I found out later though more research that they met at high school, so I did variations of that, high, high school, eventually hit on ‘Wasilla high’”

Now think about your own passwords:

Are you using your birthdate, your place of birth, or the name of your spouse or dog to protect something important?

If so, then it’s time to change that password.

WHEN YOU REALLY NEED TO GET ONLINE TO DO SOMETHING BAD OR SECRET OR SNEAKY…

…GO TO THE PUBLIC LIBRARY, OR KINKO’S OR AN INTERNET CAFÉ AND PAY CASH TO USE THEIR COMPUTERS

Want to send an anonymous email to your boss?

Want to do some research on something that’s kind of embarrassing?

Got some other problem or issue that requires you to get online in a completely secret and anonymous way?

Then don’t use your computer at home or work…

…but find a “safe computer” you can use somewhere else.

For instance:

• Most public libraries have free computers you can use…but if you really need to keep your identity shielded, make sure there’s no video cameras trained on the computers

• Every Kinko’s in the world has computers you can rent to get online…but only pay cash, because a credit card charge can be billed back to you

• Find a crowded nearby Internet café and pay cash to rent a computer…because most Internet cafes are small mom-and-pop operations, this is probably your safest bet.

You’ve heard of Facebook.

You’ve heard of Twitter.

And now, you’re going to hear about Blippy.

Blippy is a social networking site (of course!) where:

1. You give them all your credit card numbers
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2. Then every time you buy something…
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3. …Blippy automatically announces your purchase to all your Facebook friends and all your Twitter followers.

Just as an FYI:

Blippy had a little privacy problem over the weekend…

…and they ended up publishing the full credit card numbers of five of their members, in addition to their purchases.

And now that you know about Blippy, does the whole idea of the site:

(a) FASCINATE you?

(b) DISGUST you?

(c) TERRIFY you?

In my humble opinion, ( c ) is the right answer, and here’s why:

• Announcing your every purchase to the world while you shop is an invitation to trouble…

…after all, do you really want your mother, your significant other, your boss, your co-workers and all the troubled teens in your neighborhood to know exactly how much great stuff you have?

• When you give your credit card to a merchant, you are guaranteed some protections by law…

…but do you get the same guarantees when you give your credit card numbers to Blippy?

I’m not an attorney, so I don’t know the answer…and I bet very few people who have turned their credit cards over to Blippy know the answer either.

• I am reasonably sure my bank and credit card company employ a large team of people to fight against hackers and to keep their records safe.

Do banks and credit card companies sometimes fail to protect the data, anyway?

Yes

But knowing that makes me even more nervous about a service like Blippy…

…because how big could THEIR team of data-protectors be?

1 person? Two people? Three people?

If banks and credit card companies can’t always protect your data with their deep pockets…

…how safe are you going to be with a newbie, unregulated site like Blippy?

• Sites like Blippy wear down your common sense.

It’s just like Mom and Dad always said:

Just because everyone else is doing it…

…doesn’t mean it’s a smart thing to do.

There are limits to how much info about yourself you should share publically with others…

…and if Blippy doesn’t push things to the limit, then it’s certainly pushing us toward the edge.

Or at least that’s my two cents about Blippy…

…even though that may be more than I should share publically about myself.