After all this talk of lipsticks, ice cream, and non-invasive plastic surgery procedures, Mrs. X is dead tired of recommending products for your consumption. Sometimes a girl just wants to veg out in her PJ’s, surfing the Internet for the best deals on things you can’t get at CVS. So today we’re going to move away from basic goods and services to something a little different.

One of the greatest things the Internet has provided the habitual voyeur inside of us all is the ability to run a people search within the privacy of your own home. A people search is an online service that combs through public records for you using search terms you set yourself, using as little or as much information as you have.
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With so many new social networks popping up, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. I am so sick of Myspace and Facebook. Blah, blah, blah, that’s all I ever hear about. Good thing I did my homework and checked out the smaller networks, which are a lot more niche. They can often cater to your more specific needs; in my case I have several of those. Plus, with so many aggregator sites out there, it’s not impossible to have specific networks for each purpose. I think in this case, more is…well, more.

With the increase of Blackberries, iPhones, and other advanced phones with internet capabilities many social networks are going mobile. Such a site is Whrrl.com, which allows you to aggregate information as you visit different places in your real life. Basically, it is a location review service, a map mashup, and a social network all rolled into one convenient service. It’s handy when you’re already out and about and decide you’d like to go somewhere new. You can do a search for a new restaurant or movie theater based on your location, and then filter search results based on ratings, users, activity type, price, and hours of operation. The reason it has a social network feature is so that you can tap into your trusted network of friends for advice before searching outside sources.
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The very mention of building a family tree can make you want to bang your head against the wall. I just remember my grandmother’s feeble attempt at tracking generations of alcoholic (whoops!) ancestors. Its was a sad little construction paper tree for which she spent hours of pouring over archives and sorting through old photos. Fun, Grandma. However, you should really get your head off the wall because:
1.) You look ridiculous
2.) Building a family tree is lot easier than it used to be
Genealogy has migrated from the library to your home computer.
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f you’ve got little brats, only you think are adorable, then you know that the computer has becoming an extension of their bodies. While we can’t supervise their computer time when we are not around, there are many ways you can monitor and restrict their usage. The Internet can be a great learning tool, but children don’t always know how to use properly and can get themselves into trouble, because after all, they’re just kids. Put down that Guitar Hero; you’re the adult, remember?

Before you employ any sort of service to help you control your child’s Internet experience, you should really sit down with them and teach them safe Internet behavior. It’s important that they know that you are only trying to protect them, and that when they get older, they will gain more computer privileges.
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