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• Tip of the Week:  Creating Manual Restore Points before making changes
• Headwhack of the Week:  Great tool for managing Twitter feeds
• Geek Speak of the Week:  AstroTurfing
• Security: Real danger from file sharing networks (NBC video)
• News: 'SMiShing' fishes for personal data over cell phone
• News: 5 Facebook Schemes That Threaten Your Privacy
• Data Doctors Video on Cnn.com: Botnet Warnings
• Opinion: iPhones for Verizon? iPhones for Everyone!
• Weekly Advice Column: Twitter...I DON'T GET IT!
• This Week's Show: Demystifying Social Media

Tip of the Week: Creating Manual Restore Points before making changes

All Windows operating systems (since Win95) use a registry system that is machine specific in order to properly function.  Whenever you add new hardware or software to your computer, Windows must allow changes to the registry in order to recognize these new items.  Sometimes when a new entry is added to the registry, it can conflict with other items that are already in place, which is why we always ask "has anything new been added to your system" when asked for help. 

One step that you can take before adding anything new to your computer is to create a manual Restore Point in Windows, just in case what you add causes instability.  By default, Windows makes new restore points at various intervals, but creating one just before you install a new program or add a new hardware device gives you the possibility of returning your machine to the state it was in just before the addition.

To manually create a restore point in Windows XP:
1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Restore.
2. On the Welcome page, click Create a restore point.
3. On the Create a Restore Point page, enter a descriptive name for your restore point and then click Create.
(For more on System Restore in Windows XP, go here.)   

To manually create a restore point in Windows VISTA:
1. Open System by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance and then clicking System.
2. In the left pane, click System Protection If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
3. Click the System Protection tab, and then click Create.
4. In the System Protection dialog box, type a description, and then click Create.
(For more on System Restore in Windows VISTA, go here.)   

Headwhack of the Week: Great tool for managing Twitter feeds   

If you joined our Twitter 'friendapalooza' last week and started exploring this new and amazing world of communication, you may have started following lots of interesting people and organizations, which may have created a bit of a headwhack for you!  Managing a lot of feeds from even a handful of people can quickly become a bit hard to follow.  Many free tools have been created to help manage the feeds in a more structured way, so if you are really starting to enjoy the world of Twitter but want to keep it under control, here are a couple of resources you may want to check out:

                           Tweetdeck - Desktop application to manage incoming and outgoing tweets

                           Twittermail - Send and receive tweets from e-mail

Geek Speak of the Week: AstroTurfing

Pseudo grassroots-based citizen groups or coalitions that are primarily conceived, created and/or funded by corporations, industry trade associations, political interests or public relations firms. Blogs for hire and payola testimonials are two of the more common AstroTurfing methods polluting the web.

Security:  Real danger from file sharing networks (NBC video)

We actually started warning parents of teens years ago about the dangers of exposing your personal information and documents accidentally via a file sharing network, such as Limewire or KaZaa.  NBC's Today show ran a story this week that is must see viewing for all parents of 'screenagers' (tech savvy teenagers) to clearly show the dangers of not paying attention to what kids are doing on home computers these days!

News: 'SMiShing' fishes for personal data over cell phone

When we think of phishing attacks, in which scammers try to lure sensitive information out of Internet users, we think of fake official-looking e-mails and Web sites.  But you don't even need to be online to get phished.

A phishing attack making the rounds tries to dupe cell phone users into revealing their personal data over the phone.

News: 5 Facebook Schemes That Threaten Your Privacy

Beny Rubinstein knows computer security. An employee of a Seattle-area tech giant with 20 years of IT experience under his belt, Rubinstein has seen a side of the industry that most people will never know. He holds a degree in computer engineering, and--oh yeah--he just got scammed out of $1100 on Facebook.

Facebook and other social networks can be easy targets. Here's how to protect yourself and your Facebook friends.