My Social Networking Tools

I currently use facebook and myspace just to keep in touch with friends and family and share what is going on in my life without actually having to talk to them(that would take way too long).
http://www.facebook.com/
http://www.myspace.com/

There are many other social networking tools out there that I have not yet participated in.

Any future networking tools would probably be targeted to specific interests or professional networking.

Possibles
-Books iRead: targeted to books and opinions on books
-Flixster: targeted on movies and the quality of them
-TravBuddy.com: targeted on travel and experiences of others' travels
-GamerDNA: geared towards gamers, used for advice and opinions
-Talkbiznow: targeted towards buisness

All of these spike my interest, while most are just personal interests some can help me make a good decisions in everyday life. They all offer personal opinions on various things. Whether it be games, books, or travel information they could all assist me in life. Talkbiznow would be more for the future since I currently am only interested in the oil business(work for an oil company), but could give insight to my investments and future investments.

My Email Platform

I currently use a free yahoo email account. This is an account that I created just to have an email address. The main reason I use this is because one of my friends suggested it and of course becouse its free.

I currently just need to send and recieve emails and send attachments. I do like spam protection, virus protection, online access, forwarding, storage space, and organizational tools.

3 Possibles
-Hotmail
-Yahoo
-Gmail

I have chosen Hotmail because of the storage and easy to use interface. Hotmail allows me to log in with windows live where I have access to my Xbox live and outlook. Also comes with top of the line security. Yahoo does not offer all the conveniences and storage space of Hotmail. While Gmail was right there with Hotmail I liked the convenience of my Xbox live with Hotmail. On a professional not I liked the organization offered by hotmail along with the storage space.

Pop up blocker...Do I really need it?

I do not need a pop up blocker because my Internet Explorer has one built in.

3 different solutions
-PopUp Blocker Pro-free download-for PC's only
-Super Ad Blocker-free download-Windows 98 and up
-Super Ad Blocker 4.6-$29.95-Windows 98 and up but focuses on Windows Vista

I selected PopUp Blocker Pro because it works with both interne Explorer and Netscape which leaves my options open. I do not think I need any added pop up protection so I would not spend money on one I would have to purchase.

Spyware/Malware

I personaly need a web filter to prevent malware from the web.

5 Options-
-Spybot Search and Destroy-free download-is compatible with Windows 95 and up
-Ad-Aware-free download-compatible with Windows 2000 and up requires processor 600 MHz or better
-Ad-Aware plus-$26.95-same requirements as the free download
-Malwarebytes-24.95-compatible with Windows 2000 and up
-MacScan 2.7-free download-for Macs only

I have selected Spybot Search and destroy and Ad-Aware free downloads. I selected the free downloads because the plus versions include features which are already covered by my anti-virus. I want both to get a more complete scan of my PC