No email you send is secure and especially when it comes to Google’s Gmail. This is because they’re using keywords from your emails to target advertising.

While it’s true that Google employees aren’t reading your email, the potential of skirting the rules  (much like the NSA in recent times) always remains.

If you’ve thought of not using Gmail, there’s no point because all email is not secure. The protection that it offers users (SSL, in Gmail’s case) only protects your information during the first leg of its journey as it passes through a number of servers and reaches the intended recipient.

However, there does exist a standard which offer protection from end-to-end namely OpenPGP which needs universal acceptance from email service providers and clients too. Of course, this isn’t going to happen since it isn’t the best interests of Google, the US government or even Microsoft.

So, what do you do?

It’s simple, really. Keep sensitive information out of emails as much as you possibly can. However, as a second resort, you can use encryption if you want to prevent the cops, corporations or the crooks to not read your emails.

But there’s a problem with that: not only will the recipient require your password but also compatible software yet most of all, they might not be as tech-savvy as you are.

That said, there’s another solution that you can try and which involves the use of Sendinc where both recipient will need free accounts that are offered by this service. Also, you need to have strong passwords but don’t need to know each other’s passwords.

While the first thing that you need to find the right information that you are looking for on the Web is a search engine, a little know-how goes a long way in helping you find what you are looking for as soon as possible.

So, with this in mind, here are 4 tips to consider when conducting a search over the internet:

#1: Learn how to search from the search engine itself

If you are using Google, then the best way to learn how to search can be done by using Google’s “Basic search help” as well as “Tips & Tricks” pages. You can be sure to find a number of tricks and shortcuts too.

#2: Look for a phrase

If you’re looking for an exact phrase and not pages that contain each of its words, then the best way to do this is by putting the phrase in quotation marks. You’ll find that the number of searches it throws back are far lesser (since it looks for an exact phrase match) than otherwise.

#3: Be as specific as possible

Let’s say you are looking for articles that show you how to manage bookmarks on an iPhone running Safari on iOS 7. Don’t just type “manage bookmarks” in the search bar but type as many keywords as possible such as “manage bookmarks iPhone Safari iOS 7” to find exactly what you need.

#4: Try the ‘advanced search’ option

If you’re not able to find what you are looking for from Basic Search, then it’s a good idea to try narrowing your search by using ‘Advanced search’ in the process. You can do this by clicking the gear icon that you can find to the top right hand corner of your screen.

If you’ve used an email address for a long time, there might come a day when switching accounts might be necessary.

To say the least, this is a real hassle which will require one to make a number of changes. So, with that said, here are 5 things to keep in mind when switching email accounts:

#1: Avoid using your ISP’s email address

Just in case, you are switching from SBC to Comcast, you might feel that you should use the ISP’s address. Refrain from doing so as you’ll face the same hassle when you switch providers again. Instead use a web-based email service that will last no matter which service provider you choose.

#2: Give a month’s time for overlap

If you’ve opened a new Outlook or Gmail address, then don’t cancel the service right away. Take at least a month to get a feel of the new address and to read any new messages that drop into your old email before you’re ready to make a complete switch.

#3: Inform friends and family

Inform your friends and family by sending them an email, using the Address Book, that you’ve changed your address and to make the necessary changes as well.

#4: Set up auto-forward

Some ISPs allow one to auto-forward all emails to a new address. This way, you won’t have to keep checking the email at the old email address every time either.

#5: Update auto-mailers and online accounts

One thing’s for sure: you’ll have to update your Amazon, Twitter, iTunes accounts with the new address manually. That can be a real headache but you’ll have no choice but to carry it out.