How To

How to monitor your credit card for fraud

Do you go over each credit charge every month to make sure that all of them are legit? You're not alone if you don't, but you might be missing ongoing fraudulent charges that pop up on tens of thousands of bills every month. That can add up to quite a lot, so every little bit of help can make a real difference. BillGuard is a free service that aims to democratize fraud monitoring; once you let it watch out for you, it takes others' reports into account when deciding what to flag. This should put a serious dent … Read more

How to track flights using your Android device

Let's say you need to pick up an old friend from the airport--or that you're holed up in an airport lounge yourself, guarding the perfect Wi-Fi spot while you wait for your plane. You know you can do better than constant Web refreshes to get the info you need, right? If you've got an Android device, check out FlightAware. It's free, it's fast, and it's simple. Here's how to use it: 

Install the FlightAware app from the Android Market. When you run it, you're given three tracking options: By flight … Read more

Get started with the new Facebook Timeline

On Thursday, Facebook will begin rolling out the next phase of Facebook profiles, known as Timelines. Your profile--er, Timeline--is now a never-expiring feed of all your activity in chronological order, going back to the very first day you joined Facebook. And all your friends can view it.

Whether you think this is awesome or extremely creepy, there are a few things you need to know about the new design, including privacy options. Watch the video and follow the instructions below to configure your Timeline.

Your cover photo

At the top of your profile is the cover, which can be anything … Read more

How to browse Netflix streaming titles more efficiently

It can be difficult to find good Netflix streaming titles to watch using Netflix's interface. Fortunately, there's a way to bypass its listings entirely so you can browse streaming titles more efficiently.

First, make sure you're logged in to your Netflix account. Then, go to Instantwatcher.com.

Instantwatcher organizes Netflix streaming titles in a more meaningful way than Netflix does themselves. You can find the most popular titles within the last 24 hours, The New York Times picks, what's new, what's expiring soon, by genre, and more. The Web site isn't pretty, but it … Read more

How to collaborate on tasks and notes online

For organizations with few resources or widely dispersed members, collaboration is often limited by the weakest link in the chain. Trello is a free online service that makes it much easier to keep track of who needs to do what, resources they need, deadlines, notes, and more. Its no-frills visual design is actually a strong feature, keeping you focused on tasks and notes. Here's how to get started with Trello:

Create a free Trello account. (You can sign in using your Google account if you'd like.)

You start out with a Welcome Board that's full of cards … Read more

Five ways to save a Web page

The other day someone asked me how to save a copy of a Web page. The person wanted to preserve the content of the page--text and images--in a local file rather than simply bookmark the page's link to the hosting server.

There are many reasons why you would want to save the text and other content of a Web page. For example, you may want to access the information without a network connection. You may also want to record the page's content lest the information become unavailable for whatever reason. Pages go offline all the time, some never … Read more

How to stop or limit Spotify sharing on Facebook

Now that Spotify and Facebook are BFFs, what you listen to on Spotify gets shared on Facebook. In fact, Spotify now requires all new users to sign up with their Facebook account. By default, the songs you listen to on Spotify show up on your wall and also in Facebook's new ticker. (Click here to find out how to kill the ticker.)

There are many reasons why you wouldn't want your Spotify activity broadcast on Facebook. Maybe you don't want to explain your love for NKOTB. Or why you were listening to "Dark Side of the … Read more

Three ways to see who's stopped following you on Twitter

With all the coverage last week regarding Facebook and the changes that will be rolling out, it was discovered that Facebook users can now see who unfriended them in the new Timeline view. But, for some users, Facebook isn't a preferred social network. What about people who care to know who has stopped following them on Twitter?

By default, Twitter sends you an e-mail when you gain a new follower, but not when you lose a follower. Luckily, there are some pretty good services out there to fill the void.… Read more

How to add auto-correct to Gmail in Chrome

Wish you could harness the power of a smartphone's auto-correction technique in Gmail on the Web? Now you can. ezAutoCorrect for Gmail is a new Chrome extension that will correct some of your most common spelling errors. While the dictionary is relatively limited for now, it will fix some of your most frequest mistakes. The correction process requires no input from you--meaning no more right-click dictionary madness for your typos any longer!

Open Chrome and head to ezAutoCorrect for GMail in the Chrome Web Store. Now click on Add to Chrome, and wait for the extension to install … Read more