How To

How to delete all your Facebook posts and comments

Maybe you woke up from a long night and realize you've made a horrible mistake, posting dozens of embarrassing pictures (or worse) to Facebook. Maybe you've just decided that your five years on Facebook were experimental and you'd rather move on.

In either case, deleting more than a couple of posts or pictures can be a major pain. CNET's Elinor Mills recently wrote up a neat Android tool called Exfoliate that can scour your Facebook history and permanently delete some or all content. (iPhone users should see it come to the App Store soon.) … Read more

How to sort your Facebook newsfeed in chronological order

If you're one of the many Facebook users who was disappointed with the newsfeed changes back in September, you'll be glad to know that Facebook was listening.

As reported by Laura Locke a few days ago, Facebook is restoring the ability to sort the News Feed by recent stories first. Once you get the new(old) sort feature, here's how to use it:

Step 1: Click on the new "sort" link, located at the top of your newsfeed.

Step 2: By default, you'll see that "Highlighted Stories First" is checked. Click on &… Read more

How to see your retweets on Twitter

Twitter is gradually removing the Retweets tab from all accounts and merging it into the @username tab.

Editors' note: Unfortunately this quick fix was short-lived. However, this author is still seeking a new solution that isolates the retweets from other content on Twitter. If you have a suggestion or know of a solution, please add it to the comments, or share it with the author at cozdroid@gmail.com.

If you're running a Twitter account for a business, or if you're just curious about your personal reach within your followers, it can be difficult to sort through the @… Read more

How to find the best deals on Foursquare

Now you won't have to check into places before you can see their awesome discounts and specials.

Foursquare is a fun mobile game to play, with special deals used as incentives to visit businesses. Unfortunately, you might be missing out on some excellent deals at local places due to the lack of a directory of such deals--until now! Here's how to get a list of deals in your area:

Step 1: Head to http://poorsquare.us/

Step 2: Select your city and state from the drop-down menu.Selecting your ZIP code isn't required, but if you … Read more

The best sites to track Black Friday deals

Are you ready? Black Friday 2011, the day that U.S. retailers and thrifty consumers have been waiting for all year, is just around the corner.

Whether you're looking for a $2 toaster or a $200 laptop, you're going to need a plan of attack to help you succeed. Here are a few sites that will help you develop and carry out your strategy this year:

FatWallet FatWallet has been around a long time and is a popular destination for deal hunters. It maintains a Black Friday section each year, to help you sort out all the deals. … Read more

How to restore Google Reader followers to Google+

Google Reader made sharing items incredibly easy--and made building a community of like-minded readers even easier.

With the switch to Google+, though, many found themselves cut off from communities of people they only knew through Reader. This was upsetting, but there's a workaround that can help recapture the old Google Reader sharing features. Here's how to get started:

Log on to your Google Reader account and click the gear icon in the upper right to bring up Reader Settings. Select the "Import/Export" tab near the upper right of the Settings page. Click the download links … Read more

How to know when your private data is lost or stolen

You're responsible for securing the private information you store on your computer or transmit over the Internet. But what about your personal data that's in the hands of some organization you've trusted with it?

From the IRS to your local florist, your private information is widely shared. And every day some organization loses sensitive data about its clients or customers--whether due to a hack attack or (more likely) from the loss or theft of a computer or storage device.

Here are three recent examples from the Open Security Foundation's Data Loss Database:

A disgruntled employee steals … Read more

How to view Google+ notifications in the Chrome toolbar

Joining Google's growing list of Chrome toolbar buttons is the Google+ Notifications extension. With it, you can view your Google+ notifications, directly from your Chrome toolbar.

The Google+ Notifications extension for the Chrome browser puts a notification button on your toolbar with a count of unread updates. Clicking on the button brings up a list of recent notifications. You can also add comments, reply, or manage recent circle activity, right from the notification list.

Just install the Google+ Notifications extension and you're all set. It's a nice way to get your Google+ updates without having to leave … Read more

How to set up Google+ for your business or brand

Maybe your business, cause, or brand was a social networking pioneer, or maybe you're new to the game and want to start big. No matter where you fall on the spectrum, Google has got your back. Google+ just opened up for larger organizations and is trying to make it easy to reach and interact with customers, clients, fans, and more. Here's how to get started: 

Make sure you're logged into Google using your business account, or the account of whomever is going to be in charge of your Google+ page, as for the time being, admin … Read more