Once upon a time (and it's been so long, we don't remember when) e-mail was an efficient, effective way to communicate.

Today, we all tolerate e-mail but curse it almost daily, because it's essentially broken.

E-mail was created as a way to send simple short text messages to others but has become the catch all for anything and everything we can digitize.

Listen in as the Data Doctors talk about why e-mail is broken, common misuses of e-mail and how you can transition to other forms of communication to improve your digital life!
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I have a Sony VAIO running Windows Vista and a Mac laptop. I have an iTunes library on both computers but want to transfer all songs from the Sony to the Mac iTunes library. How is this done?

- Michael

There are a few details of your question that can have an impact on my recommendations, so I will see if I can cover the most common scenarios.

If the iTunes libraries are completely different, then moving the files from the Windows system to your Mac library is pretty straight forward. You can use any form of storage to transfer depending upon the size of the library including CD/DVDs, flash drives, external hard drives or even your iPod or iPhone (more on this later).

If, however, both libraries have some of the same songs, you will want to be a little more particular about what you transfer so you don't end up with duplicates throughout your library.

Another variable is whether you are transferring purchased songs or music that you manually added via CDs to your Windows iTunes library. Purchased songs from the Windows system need to be authorized on the Mac system after they are transferred in order for them to play (you simply enter your Apple ID and password the first time you play the song).

You can authorize up to 5 computers to play your purchased music, so if you don't plan to ever listen the songs on your Windows system again, be sure to de-authorize the songs (click on the 'Store' menu, then on 'Deauthorize Computer' in iTunes 8. Older versions have it under the 'Advanced' menu, instead of 'Store'.)

Another consideration is whether you want to transfer your playlists, ratings and play counts along with the music. Manual copying will not transfer these items in their entirety, so this is where using an external hard drive or your iPod or iPhone as an external hard drive is a good choice.

Apple has a detailed, step-by-step resource that will walk you through using an iPod (or an iPhone or any external hard drive) to transfer your music, playlists, ratings and play counts from one computer to another at http://bit.ly/WcSv5 .

If your intent it to keep using iTunes on both systems, there are a number of resources you can consider that would allow you to "share" your library across your local network or via some web-based services.

iTunes itself has an option that will allow you to share your library with other computers on your network. In order for this to work, iTunes must be running and you must tell iTunes you want to share some or all of your music (Edit, Preferences then click on Sharing tab to change the settings).

If you really want to extend your ability to share your music library (let's say between home and the office, for example) you can install a program such as SimplifyMedia ( http://www.simplifymedia.com ) which is free.

Not only can you share the songs with your other computers anywhere on the Internet, you can also share them with your iPhone as long as you have a decently fast connection to support the stream.

And finally, if you want to keep your libraries synchronized across multiple computers on an ongoing basis, you can buy programs such as SuperSync (http://supersync.com ). You can try out SuperSync before you buy it as well.

Caution: because this is the most ambitious approach, it has the most complexities, which means it has more points of failure. Before using any kind of iTunes syncing program, be sure to backup all your music libraries first.
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The Social side of the Internet is becoming THE story in 2009 and whether you are an active user or not, it is having an impact on the entire planet.

The election turmoil in Iran followed by the use of social media to tell a story that would otherwise be locked down is just the most recent example of the impact.

The plane crash in the Hudson River that was first documented by a Twitter user is another example of how any individual could be the one to document any event, anywhere in the world.

We leaned heavily on Social Media ourselves to spread the word about this week's blood drive in the Phx area.

Join the Data Doctors live from United Blood Services as we discuss ways to leverage the power of the social web. many of which you probably never thought of...
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I finally signed up for a Twitter account and am very uncertain about how all of this works. What are the things that a new user should know?

- Sharon

Twitter is getting more mainstream attention from some of the biggest stories of the year: the Hudson River plane crash and the election turmoil in Iran to name a few, but it's important that you understand what Twitter is and isn't.

The first mistake most new users make is trying to compare it to an existing communication system; it's not like e-mail, it's not like text messaging and even though it's referred to as a micro-blog, it isn't really like blogging.

Twitter is another way to communicate with others either one-to-one or one-to-many. Most speculate that the reason that Twitter has caught on so well is that it forces users to articulate their thoughts in 140 characters or less and since we all have A.D.D. on the Internet, it's the easiest way to interact with a large group of people.

The numbers are growing quickly and the demographic profiles may surprise you. According to Compete.com, the number of unique visitors to Twitter.com in December of 2008 was just over 4 million and in less than 6 months the number is at just under 20 million.

Many assume that Twitter is for the younger, more Internet concentric set, but according to a recent Pew study, the median age of Twitter users skews older than both Facebook and Myspace.

Another study suggests that 21% of Twitter users are over the age of 50, compared to just 8% for Facebook and MySpace.

I have an unscientific explanation for why the median age of Twitter users is much higher than Facebook or MySpace; ever met a teen or twenty-something that understands the value of networking or could articulate a thought in 140 characters or less? Me either!

I knew Twitter was different when my two teenagers that grew up on social media both shrugged their shoulders and said what many youngsters have said, "I don't get it".

Because it's a completely different approach to communicating, my first bit of advice is just start 'listening' to the conversations of the people you are following. It won't take long for you to get a feel for the communication protocols.

Here are some common mistakes made by new 'Twitterers':

No profile picture – this is a SOCIAL media that connects people. Seeing a human face makes a huge difference in how the rest of the community perceives you. Most won't follow/engage with users that haven't taken the time to put a face on their profile (it kinda screams that you don't get social media).

No bio info – If you don't fill out the bio that explains who you are and what you're interests are, it's kind of hard to get folks engaged with you. Twitter connects people with common interests and backgrounds; make sure you make yours known.

No links in tweets – Whenever possible include a link to more info about what you are tweeting about. How valuable would Google be if it brought up brief descriptions of info you sought but no links to learn more? Your dispatches with links will be viewed as much more valuable by those following you (and shorten the links by using services like http://bit.ly )

Not validating others - Twitter is not a ME community, it's an US community. Don't always 'tweet' about yourself as that often comes across as a monologue. Twitter is a dialog, so you need to let others know that you agree, disagree or appreciate the information that they have posted. The best way to validate others in Twitter is to 'retweet' what they have posted with your two cents added.

Long conversations between two users – Don't alienate your followers by having long one-on-one conversations with a single user. If it isn't really for the rest of the followers, learn how to use the DM (Direct Message) section of Twitter.

Use 3rd party applications – The Twitter website has limited capabilities for managing your account, but programs like Tweetdeck ( http://tweetdeck.com ) are indispensable for novices and veterans alike. If you have a smart-phone, check around for free Twitter applications that will give you the freedom to tweet (with pictures even) from your phone.

Many that read this may think 'I don't want to share that much about myself'. My final word of advice; if you aren't social by nature, then SOCIAL media may not be for you.
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When movies, TV, music and PC's combine, you've got all the makings for a HTPC! Home Theater (HTPC) or media PC is a convergence device that has all the normal features and functions of a computer with specialized hardware and software that let you watch video, listen to music and record TV, all in one device. This HTPC then connects to your TV (or large monitor) and home theater system to give you the ultimate connected media device. Many of today's computers have all that is required to get started, and you just may be surprised at just how 'cool' all these features can be.

Listen in as the Data Doctors discuss the practical use of HTPCs, and learn if you might just need to venture down a new path in media madness.
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I no longer have a fax machine and only need to send and receive faxes on occasion. Any suggestions on the cheapest way to send and receive faxes once in a while from home?

- Anne

As someone that has lived in the technology world for 20 years, I am astonished how many companies and government agencies still only accept certain communications through a fax machine.

Scanning documents and sending them via e-mail makes so much more sense not to mention it's 'greener' since no paper is required to view the information. Electronic documents can be printed as needed vs faxes that chew up trees as a matter of course.

Nonetheless, the reality is that most of us need the ability to send or receive faxes from time to time, so I researched a number of resources that may fit the bill.

A rather large number of companies are offering various levels of service and most offer a free trial, but require you to give them a credit card number so they can start charging you as soon as the trial expires.

There are a few truly free options available, so I will start with them.

If you only need to receive faxes, one of the oldest services, eFax does have a free receive only sign-up that is well hidden. You can't find it via the home page so if you go directly to http://efax.com/efax-free, you can sign up for a free receive only account.

You don't get to choose your number, so you won't get a local number to give out to senders. If you are planning on getting faxes from folks outside of your local area, it's no big deal, but your local senders may have some heartburn from faxing to a long-distance number.

Of course, eFax will do everything it can to convince you to upgrade to one of their monthly pay packages so you can choose your number, send faxes or other features that may not be important to you.

If you only need to send faxes on occasion, I found a couple different resources that are completely free.

The first is FaxZERO.com ( http://faxzero.com ) which will work for faxing anywhere in the U.S. or Canada. They do add their logo and slogan to the cover page, but it isn't overly intrusive.

You simply go to their website, enter your info (requires a valid e-mail address), the name of the receiver, the receiver's fax number, then browse to the document you want to send (either .DOC or .PDF) or if you only need to send simple text, just type it into the text box.

Once you click on the 'Send Free Fax Now' button, you will get an e-mail message requiring you to click on a link to confirm (this is to keep fax spammers from abusing their system). In my tests, the fax was delivered within a few minutes without a hitch.

FaxZERO limits the fax to 3 pages and no more than 2 times per day for free. If you have a fax that is more than three pages or you exceed the daily limit, you can send additional faxes up to 15 pages with no ad on the cover page for $1.99 per fax (Paypal only).

Another free send only service is available from Myfax ( http://myfax.com/free ) and it uses a similar interface as FaxZERO. Myfax, however, will allow you to send a fax to over 40 different countries.

They limit 2 free faxes per day with file sizes up to 10MB and 10 pages (including the cover page). They support 178 different file types including XLS, PPT, TIF, GIF, JPEG, HTML & even Photoshop files.

If you have the need for a little more flexibility, another interesting option is from MaxEmail ( http://maxemail.com ) . Their 'lite' package has an annual cost of $24 with a $10 activation fee and allows you to receive 100 faxes per month (5 cents per page for overages), while charging 10 cents per minute for sending faxes (domestic only).

The last resource from FaxIt NICE ( http://faxitnice.com ) is a pre-paid, send-only service. Buy credits that never expire up front ($20 minimum) then pay as you go without paying monthly fees. The basic rate is 15 - 18 cents per page in the US (based on the number of pages per fax) and International rates vary.
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Identity Theft has been an often reported problem that by all reports is on the increase.

The computer and the Internet are often blamed for the increase in the number of incidents, but according to statistics, the old school method of ID theft (stolen wallets & physical documents accounted for 43% of all identity theft, while online methods accounted for only 11%) are still the biggest threat.

What can and can't you do to protect yourself from this painful experience?

Listen in as the Data Doctors talk about the current tactics that you can take both online and offline to protect yourself and invite those that have been victims to share thier stories and wisdom.
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I did a 'vanity' search on pipl.com and was appalled at how much information was available (albeit, some for a fee). There were sites offering to get your info off the web. Are they legit, and is it possible to get your personal info off the web even if it comes from public records?

-B.A.

The popularity of social media, public records on the Internet and individuals sharing information in general has created a new niche in the world of search often referred to as 'people search' or 'social search'.

These sites claim to search the 'deep web' which is the cacophony of dynamic data bits that can be pieced together to create a very detailed profile of just about anyone, whether they are active social media types or not.

These sites can aggregate public records with social media profiles, Amazon wish lists, music preferences from sites like Last.fm and Pandora, reunion or classmate sites or just about anything that you have ever posted on just about any public site.

The current crop of 'people search' engines allows any average citizen to become their own 'Magnum P.I.' for little to no money.

Public records are pretty hard to change as the conglomeration of resources used to generate these public records is vast and often government controlled. Each entity decides how much information is made available on the Internet and who gets to access how much of it.

Your public profiles, however, are where you can reduce the amount of detail that is collected about you. Your e-mail address is one easy way for these sites to cross reference you across many sites, so if you always use the same e-mail address for every site that requires you to sign up for an account, you will increase the amount of info that can be compiled.

Free-mail accounts from services like Gmail, YahooMail and Hotmail allow you to have a different e-mail address for each profile making it harder to connect the dots. You can also setup a fictitious profile to use on non-essential sites and use the same free-mail account on all of these sites so that the aggregate info is collected on your alias persona.

The best way to know what is being collected about you is to do what you did: search for yourself on these sites (but remember, you aren't the only one in the world with your name). Some of the more popular sites include http://pipl.com, http://Wink.com, http://Spokeo.com, http://Rapleaf.com and http://Cvgadget.com.

When you see the kind of details being collected, you will often times realize where the information was gathered from and can update your profiles on those sites to make it less likely that future searches will include this additional info.

Many of these social search engines work the same way as traditional search engines do; if the content gets removed, then it will no longer show up in searches.

If you don't care that people can learn your music preferences or items that you wish to buy or any of the other benign details, then you don't have much to worry about.

Unfortunately, the real sensitive personal info is often generated via public records (buying a house, registering to vote, registering a business, court cases, etc.) that can only be changed via legislation in many cases, so be careful of any companies that claim they can remove public record information for a fee.

Some sites, like Rapleaf, will allow you to opt out of their system, which will permanently remove your info from their database based on your e-mail address (www.rapleaf.com/opt_out).

Many other online information sites allow you to opt-out of their databases, a list of some more are posted here: http://bit.ly/bmy88

Trying to opt-out of every information site that will every come up would take you the rest of your life, so keep your perspective about what is realistic. Being careful with your public profiles is the best way to manage what gets indexed about you now and in the future.

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Music and Technology go hand in hand. For years the recording industry has utilized technology to produce everything from commercials to radio hits and more.

In the last few years, the technology has become so good and so inexpensive, that anyone with a little time, patience and talent can put together their own content that is capable of approaching what previously only the big studios could afford to do.

What are the latest possibilities for creating, transferring and mastering your audio dreams?

Listen in as the Data Doctors talk about the tools of the trade from free to pro that you can use to record your own podcast, create your own mash-ups and "mix tapes" or take you from wanna-be to rock star with ease!
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