Plugged: Dig Out and Get the Right Things Done Book

So you've opened accounts and signed up for social networks from Facebook to LinkedIn. Maybe you have a YouTube 'channel' and are available through your business on a variety of other sites. How can you guarantee that you still maintain some degree of privacy while still enjoying the resources available in the online universe?

Welcome to 'Wild West 2.0.'

In this volume, authors Michael Fertik and David Thompson present a systematic explanation of how, even with the best intentions, a modern day internet user can fall victim to spammers, scammers, and worse, those who may seek to besmirch one's reputation by either lifting information or creating false profiles that either block, or create identities that are far afield from your own.

From dating sites to political campaign trackers, the web is full of personal data landmines, that, while on the surface may pose no intentional threat to you, but can be used by less-than-honorable operators to assemble a personal dossier on total strangers by combining information from one site with data from another, in order to create a complete identity based on the aggregation of what was once considered piece-meal information.

In Wild West 2.0, the authors set out a number of examples of how to protect your web identity and reputation by methodically determining your specific goals about personal internet usage and even making a list of what you wish to accomplish and what people should be privy to your data.

Beyond the 'normal' uses of the net (search engines, e-commerce, social sites, etc.) the book expounds on a series of schemes designed to have an impact in the worlds of politics, crime and other fraudulent perpetrations. (Check out the people that tried to make fake donations to the Obama campaign under names like Bill Ayers and Rev. Wright attempting to create political gain by making it appear that Obama had these guys as financial supporters.) The coverage here is broad and certainly will inform most readers on topics and areas of concern that they had heretofore not likely considered. There is even a bonus chapter at: www.wildwest2.com/bonus/history/. Be warned.