While being anonymous on a social media site defeats the purpose, the truth is some people overlook their privacy settings when using one of these social networking sites.

This also gives cybercriminals the perfect chance to obtain revealing information about you and which can lead to untoward issues in the real world.

So, here are steps to how one can improve privacy on 3 of the most popular social media sites:

#1: Facebook

You can set your “Privacy Settings” to allow only Friends and Friends of Friends to look for you. Also, make sure that only Friends are allowed to see the posts that you make by adjusting the settings to “Who can see my stuff?”. Finally, go to the Timeline and Tagging Settings and set “Review Posts Friends Tag You In Before They Appear on your Timeline” to on.

#2: Twitter
Even though Twitter doesn’t pose the risk of sharing your private information, there are ways by which information can slip through the cracks. First, do not link Twitter to Facebook and better still, turn off the geotagging feature in the Account Settings section. And if you must, you can go private by selecting the ‘Protect my Tweets’ option in Account settings.

#3: Google+
Google+ offers an interesting feature called “Circles” where you get to share certain kinds of information with only certain people like posts which only your friends, family and co-workers can read.

Yet if one wants to ensure better privacy, they should not only limit who can see them by going to Account Settings and unchecking the option “Help Others Discover My Profile in Search Results”. Also, customize who can see how much information of yours by Profile and Privacy menu and making changes by clicking the “Edit visibility on Profile” button.

Teaching children about computers might be the best thing that you can do for them. However, with the information that is more suited to adults online, it’s disastrous to actually think of giving them free rein with a PC with an internet connection.

However, thanks to a powerful operating system such as Linux, one can avoid these pitfalls by using operating systems that have built keeping children in mind.

So, here are 3 operating systems that will ensure that you PC remains child-friendly:

#1: Qimo for Kids
Based on the popular Ubuntu Linux distro, this is the best operating system available for kids. Not only does this operating system come with pre-installed apps for kids but also has built-in filtering controls that would ensure that kids are not able to access adult content freely available over the internet. And just like more Linux distros, all you need is 6 GB of hard disk space, 256 MB RAM as well as 400 Mhz CPU to run it on.

#2: Edubuntu
Also based on Ubuntu Linux, this operating system is an excellent option for older children. While it does come with some preinstalled educational applications, there are no filtering controls much like Qimo. Simply put, it is a simple Ubuntu Linux distro offered with educational tools such as Compriz, KDE Education Suite and Tux4Kids.

#3: KIDO’Z Environment
Available for Windows, Mac, Chrome and Linux users, this subscription based application is also an external alternative for children and is noted for being very safe to use. With a built-in browser that blocks ads and provides robust content filtering, the interface has also been designed so that kids can use it easily. However, in order to access all these features fully, a subscription fee of $4.99, $39.99 a year and $59.99 for a lifetime have to be paid – a small price to pay in order to protect your child.

Every now and then, news of an online database hack is revealed and one wonders whether their personal information in the form of their username and password has been leaked out.

If that’s not enough, security breaches are also just as common these days leaving one to anticipate nasty surprises on their credit card statement or their inbox.

If you find yourself in this position, it’s time to take a few proactive steps to protect your data. So, here are 4 security tools that can help you do just that:

#1: KeePass
This open source password manager is a must-have for all users. Usually, people prefer to use one password for all the sites that they visit, posing great risk if the password is revealed. Using this password manager, and creating different and difficult passwords for all the sites that you visit is probably the best way to go while only having to remember one password – which is used to access this security tool.

#2: TrueCrypt
If you didn’t know this already, employees of DropBox can access your files at any given point of time. Even if they don’t, why take the chance, right?

This security tool ensures that all your online folders are encrypted just as disks are encrypted and in that sense, remains only yours. In fact, the company is so serious about securing your data that it allows you to create a hidden volume within an encrypted TrueCrypt disk making it twice as secure.

#3: Tor Browser Bundle
This security is perfect to ramp up your browsing security, thanks to its ability to truly browse the internet with complete anonymity. Of course, this tool isn’t flawless much like any other security system yet has been proven to be effective in several situations where individuals have to deal with restricted access to the Internet. It must also be noted that since it has to travel through so many layers and random endpoints, don’t expect it to be lightning fast.

Apart from the usual resolutions that people make to bring in the New Year, it’s probably a good idea to also include a couple of resolutions that involve protecting the security of your digital life as well.

So, here are 4 steps to safer computing in 2013:

#1: Conduct PC Checks
While your antivirus might be effective, it isn’t able to carry out a thorough check for vulnerabilities. What you need is software that will carry out system-wide audits be it checking the strength of passwords, missing Windows security updates as well as keep track of applications such as Java, your browser, Adobe Reader and Flash. One such example is the Eclectic PC security tool.

#2: Encrypt Your Laptop
While a Windows password prevent anyone else from accessing your computer, there are other ways to find what’s on your hard drive. For instance, someone can steal your laptop and remove the hard drive, connect it with another computer and then have complete access to your information. Keeping this possibility in mind, it’s always a good idea to encrypt your hard drive as well.

#3: Sign up for Online Backups
While having a backup drive is mandatory, what will you do if both your hard drive and your backup drive go bad. It’s really simple – all you have to do is sign up for online backup services where you can store your most valuable documents. However, make sure that you pick a service with the most stringent security practices.

#4: Install a two-way firewall
Windows, by default, comes with a one-way firewall, which monitors only incoming traffic. However, this is insufficient protection as it is just as important to check for malware or other malicious applications sending information from your computer. For this, software such as Norton or McAfee Security Software or even ZoneAlarm as well as Comodo might be just right for you.

Fleet tracking systems are used by companies that own large fleets of company vehicles to keep track of where they are throughout the day. Some of the companies that use these types of systems are delivery companies and companies that have route salesmen. The tracking system transmits the information of the whereabouts of the vehicle via satellite. The receiving end is located at the dispatch office of the company the information is then used to verify travel logs turned in by employees.

There are several types of tracking systems however the most recent and the most popular is the GPS tracking systems. This brand of tracking system is more reliable and more accurate than other styles of tracking systems. Companies can purchase tracking systems easily online.

A lojack is a style of tracking system used to locate vehicles. This is a simple system and can be portable or built in to the vehicle. A vehicle tracking GPS is the same as a GPS tracking system and uses a satellite to send and receive information. You can find these and other types of tracking systems at gpstrackit.com. They have an extensive inventory of all types of tracking systems at reasonable prices. Check them out today to find the type of tracking system you need. The most popular way, companies buy tracking systems today is online. It’s quick, easy and they don’t have to leave the office. Many websites that sell tracking systems only sell them to companies and law enforcement officials and not to the general public.

While changing old hardware such as your processor or graphics cards might seem to be a viable solution if your computer seems sluggish when playing the latest video games, there are other alternatives as well.

 

So, here are 3 ways to speed up the latest video games without buying new hardware for your PC:

 

#1: Graphics Driver updates

 

Most gamers commonly use graphics cards such as AMD Radeon or NVIDIA GeForce and it’s in their best interests to keep their graphics card drivers updated. And no, you can’t depend on the disk that you initially installed the drivers from or even Windows Updates to get the latest updates. Just to make sure, it’s a good idea to go the NVIDIA or the AMD site instead.

 

#2: Free up CPU/Memory Resources

 

Another way by which you can get your games to run faster is by freeing up CPU or memory resources, and the most common way of doing this is by disabling startup programs that you would not use. In Windows 8, you can do this through ‘Task Manager’ while in Windows 7, you can use MSCONFIG. However, CCleaner is probably the easiest way to go about freeing up system resources to have your game run faster.

 

#3: Adjust in-game settings

 

Probably the most effective way to increase game performance is to adjust in-game settings which will result in a drop in image quality but still ensures that your game will run faster. Usually, options such as reducing antialiasing, texture and resolution will ensure that you game runs smoother without affecting the image quality too much.

If you live in an area that has a high crime rate or if you have children that are now old enough to drive you may want to consider using vehicle tracking to ensure that your child is safe and you always know where your vehicle is in the event that it’s lost or stolen. The price that you will pay will be worth the peace of mind that it gives you at all times.

 

Whether you are choosing to use the product for personal use or for your business you will be giving yourself the safety that will keep your vehicles from being permanently lost or stolen and to help cut down on potential replacement costs that would occur if you were unable to locate the vehicle.

 

More and more businesses are choosing to use fleet management especially car lots, rental companies and other companies that require the use of several vehicles. The actual cost associated to purchasing this type of product will vary depending on which company that you choose to use and the actual products that you need to buy. By choosing to use gps tracking you may also save money on your insurance each year giving you the discount that you need to invest money in more important things for your home or business. The gpstrackit.com has helped tons of companies keep track of their company cars and to prevent big losses when one of their vehicles were stolen or lost by using the tracking product to locate it fairly quickly.