Facebook, Google, you name it: a tool to protect your privacy

For some time I've been thinking, and actually collecting notes, to write a series of articles on how to protect your privacy within different environments, such as Facebook, Google, Yahoo, etc.  The I read an article in this month's PC World that makes writing this series unnecessary.   Instead of learning how to protec your privacy, there is a free application called PrivacyFix that encapsulates all the privacy rules for many applications.  What you do is start the tool and let it tell you what your settings are in these environments.  It also tells you what your privacy risk is for each setting.  AND, incredibly, if you want to "fix" the setting for more privacy, you can click "FIX".  That takes you inside the particular application, directly to the setting, where you can change it.   I can't begin to express how neat that is.

Here is a picture of PrivacyFix's Facebook guidance page:

(Click on the picture for a larger image.)  Note the evaluations on the right side- Green means you are OK, orange means you should consider "fixing" the setting.  Click "Fix" and you will be taken to the Facebook application and to the web page within Facebook containing the setting.  

Also note the other information on the page.  You can read it for yourself.  

Download PrivacyFix.  Then you will be taken to a web page "setup," or something like that. Click the large setup button, and you will get your results.  

I like this app.  Saves me a lot of time writing blog entries on fixing your privacy settings.  

How to Make the Windows 8 Start Screen Work for You

Windows 8 is a paradigm shift from all previous "windows-"based operating systems.

When Windows 8 initializes, it shows a splash screen with date and time, nothing else.  (A side benefit of this is that it starts very fast!)   There is nothing obvious on what to do next.  For desktop users, to access programs or log in to your account, click on this splash screen.  The result is either a login screen or the "Start" screen.  If you have a login, then, after you enter your password, you will get the Start screen.  No desktop!  For most users, that is a major drawback. (Watch this:  it is instructive.  Note that they started on the Start Screen, avoiding the initial splash screen.)

The way I get around this is to use my two monitors to advantage.  I have them set to show as one big screen.  This means, for example, that I can have an application screen half on one screen and half on the other.  This gives me a lot of real estate for my desktop, and I have essentially set up a tile like arrangement using an application called "Fences"  (search "cnet Fences")  As a side benefit of this arrangement, when the Windows 8 start screen displays on this two monitor arrangement, it only displays on the left monitor.  The right half of my desktop displays on the right monitor.  So, I have all the tiles of the start screen on the left and my desktop on the right.  It is actually a convenience.

I should note that once I click on a tile on the Screen disappears and the app starts.  To access the screen, I have to go to the lower left corner of the left monitor and "wiggle" the mouse, which brings up a small tile.  Click that to access the Start Screen.