Hello Viewers / Readers,

First of all my apologies for not being very much regular these days in posting my articles. I have been caught up in one or other issues these days. I apologize for it.

Also, i have changed the look of my blog. Better than previous i think. I am also working and sorting out my affiliates and will post an article revealing various different affiliates i am affiliated with and generate my income through them. I will also be having a Blog Income meter that will be updated as and when i earn money. I sincerely, hope you all are having great time reading my articles and make money yourself through it.

In the meantime, i am also planning to launch new websites online. I will post the links as and when they are launched.

Business Cards in my view are great promotional tool and helps to legitimize your blog and build your brand. And what i feel from my experience is that there are more chances of you making revenue out of your Blog when it is properly promoted. Recently, One of my friends, pointed me to a deal from VistaPrint. They are offering 250 free full color business cards (you just have to pay shipping). Unfortunately, this service of VistaPrint is available only in USA and UK.

Sadly, I am located in Australia :)

However, its a great opportunity for my friends located in USA and UK to try it. The service allows you to design, proof and order you business cards online. The free cards offer has 42 background designs to choose from. If you dont like any of them, you have to pay $14.99 to see hundreds more. This is what I came up with using the completely free service.

The VistaPrint offer is great in my view, if youre looking for some free business cards to promote your blog. If you dont need business cards, VistaPrint also offers a free rubber stamp, personalized notepad or 100 postcards.

Happy Blogging, Happy Money Making :)

When i started blogging 6-7 months ago, I started of sheer passion for Technology. I was not sure that after 7 months i would reach a stage where i would be earning revenue through it and set up a website of my own - Hitarth Jani Dot Com.

In these 6-7 months duration i have affiliated myself with many affiliations. The tempo of earning revenue through my blog was settled when i first received my Google Adsense income in August - $100.49. Since then i have been blindly reading lots of information available over the net and affiliating myself with the various programs available on the internet.

From this month onwards i have decided to give a short blog income report so that my readers and people all over the world come to know how efficient and easy it is to make money online.

Total Blog Income for December 2007: $110.34

Despite lower traffic due to the holidays, the blog still managed to post its second highest income figure to date. Heres the breakdown.

• Google Adsense: $109.26 + 1 Referral
  
• Text Link Ads: Just Signed Up
  
• Bidvertiser: $0.33
  
• Auction Ads: Just Signed Up
  
• Agloco: Earned 3.6 Hours towards earning
• Kontera: Just Signed Up
  
• Azoogle Ads: Just Signed Up
• Dollar Pays: $0.75
  
• Grand Total: $110.34

Blog traffic for December was very low due to holidays still i manage to get more than what i got previously in August - 2007. The key to get a good revenue out of your blog is to drive traffic towards your blog/site. Now that 2007 is behind us, Im really looking forward to see what these blogs of mine can do in 2008. Better put on your seatbelt. Its going to be a wild ride!

Total Income in 2007: $210.80

• August: $100.46
• December: $110.34
• Total: $210.80
  

At least now i am able to overcome the expenses i incurred in hosting my personal web blog - www.hitarthjani.com. Hope there is much more to offer to the readers in this new year.

Zach Brooks pocketed $1,000 this month blogging about the cheap lunches he discovers around midtown Manhattan ($10 or less, preferably greasy and if he's lucky, served from a truck).

The site, Midtownlunch.com, is just a year and a half old and gets only about 2,000 readers daily, but it's already earning him enough each month for a weekend trip to the Caribbean -- or in his case, more fat-filled culinary escapades in the city.

In the vast and varied world of blogging, Brooks is far from alone.

It's no longer unusual for blogs with just a couple thousand daily readers to earn nearly as many dollars a month. Helping fill the pockets of such bloggers are programmes like Google's AdSense and many others that let individuals -- not just major publications -- tap into the rapidly growing pot of advertising dollars with a click of the mouse.

In 2006, advertisers spent $16.9 billion online, up steadily each year from $6 billion in 2002, according to the Internet Advertising Bureau. In the first half of 2007, online advertising reached nearly $10 billion, a nearly 27 per cent increase over the first half of 2006.

Little technical skill is needed to publish a well-read blog, meaning just about anyone with something worthwhile to say can find an audience, said Kim Malone Scott, director of online sales and operations for Google's AdSense. That's attracted greater readership and advertising dollars, she added.

According to 2006 survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 39 per cent of Internet users, or about 57 million American adults, said they read blogs, up from 27 per cent in 2004 or 32 million.

That doesn't mean bloggers are suddenly flush with money. For every blogger earning a decent side income like Brooks, countless others will never earn a cent.

But with the right mix of compelling content and exposure, a blog can draw a dedicated following, making advertising a low-hanging fruit.

This is really a continuation of how the Web in general has enabled smaller businesses and individuals to compete if not at a level playing field, at least a more equitable level, said David Hallerman, a senior analyst with the research group eMarketer.

Google's AdSense is an automated programme that places targeted advertising on sites big and small. Other programmes such as PayPerPost are just as user friendly; bloggers sign up and advertisers cherry pick where they want to place ads based on categories and the number of impressions a site captures.

Getting paid might even help validate what may otherwise seem like a silly or obscure obsession.

For Samuel Chi, BCSGuru.com started as a way to demystify the convoluted universe of college football rankings for fellow fans.

Chi, a former sports journalist with training in statistics, posts his calculations every Saturday night during the season before official results are released on Sunday. Between Saturday night and Monday, about 4,000 sports fans log on daily to check out the guru's forecast.

This season, Chi made about $8,000 total from the blog; ticket brokers contacted him directly after word about his site got out. Google's AdSense brought in another couple hundred dollars for Chi, the owner of a bed-and-breakfast in Amelia Island, Fla.

Neither Chi nor Brooks had to do much to gain a loyal readership; when it comes to such rarefied interests, word about a good site can spread rapidly in online communities.

All it takes is a couple of mentions (on other sites) and hundreds of people can be directed to your site, Chi said.

BlogAds, which helps advertisers target relevant blogs for a commission, prices ads by the week, with sites tiered by the amount of traffic they get.

When the company started in 2002, founder Henry Copeland said it was mainly small advertisers selling T-shirts or promoting bands. Now he said there's no big brand that doesn't advertise on everyday blogs.

About a third of BlogAds' 1,500 sites earn between $200 and $2,000 a month, Copeland said. These sites get anywhere from 3,000 to 50,000 daily impressions.

Google's Malone Scott said access to advertising online is more democratic, since an ad click from a tiny site is just as valuable as a click from a site with a million readers.

Some advertisers have even found better response from smaller sites with more passionate, engaged audiences.

For ticket broker RazorGator, advertising on blogs like BCSGuru.com means reaching a very specific audience.

We have found that more and more sports fans are turning to blogs and smaller fan sites to get their information so as an advertiser it makes sense to follow your audience, spokeswoman Toni Lamb wrote in an email.

The broker has advertised on smaller blogs like Chi's for the past two years; Lamb would not specify how many blogs it currently advertises on.

Despite rapidly rising advertising dollars online, blogs usually don't start out as a way to make money -- they're more a means of speaking to an audience of like-minded individuals. MidtownLunch.com started as a way for Brooks to indulge his food obsession, but he soon realised his quest struck a note with a legion of office workers.

Taking that extra step to get advertising was a no-brainer. Companies like Random House's Broadway Books have posted ads for food books on the site, along with the makers of independent films seeking a New York City audience.

Brooks only spends two hours at most each day on MidtownLunch.com. But the blog affects his life in other ways.

Like Chi, he met close friends through his site. He has also scored freelance writing assignments, and, above all, the site has given his endless fascination with greasy foods a sense of validation.

Today i am gonna reveal some Highest Paying Adsense Key Words per Click. They are as Under:

$43.32 mesothelioma
$42.23 consolidation
$32.50 consolidate
$21.87 letterhead
$20.71 Mortgages
$25.43 refinance
$21.41 insurance
$29.19 protonix
$22.51 acid reflux
$28.08 dwi
$19.27 phone systems
$18.09 mailing lists
$18.31 credit report
$17.27 Mortgage
$16.03 lawyers
$16.27 Dui
$16.18 loan
$15.48 business cards
$14.54 web hosting
$14.34 settlement
$14.56 lawyer
$13.35 equity
$12.48 loans
$12.55 adwords
$12.41 attornies
$11.47 credit
$10.32 interest rate
$10.43 attorney
$9.74 bipolar
$9.33 depression
$9.02 asbestos
$8.11 skin care
$6.1 anxiety
$5.23 sexual harassment
$5.56 lawsuit
$4.20 Maritime
$3.33 law
$3.51 lawsuits
$2.45 laws

And
$30.55 for your smile
Lolz... Was just Kidding... After all Smile is Priceless :)

You are always the same Unfathomable awareness, Limitless and free, Serene and unperturbed. Desire only your own awareness.

- Ashtavakra Gita 1:17

Smaller than a grain of rice, smaller than a grain of barley, smaller than a mustard seed, smaller than a grain of millet, smaller even than the kernel of a grain of millet is the Self. This is the Self dwelling in my heart, greater than the earth, greater than the sky, greater than all the worlds.

- Chandogya Upanishad

Some look upon the sun as our father Who makes life possible with heat and rain And divides time into months and seasons. Others have seen him riding in wisdom On his chariot, with seven colors As horses and six wheels to represent The whirling spokes of time.

- Prashna Upanishad

He is the only adorable one to me: I have none other. My tongue has left off impure words, it sings His glory day and night: Whether I rise or sit down, I can never forget Him; for the rhythm of His music beats in my ears. Kabir says: "My heart is frenzied, and I disclose in my soul what is hidden. I am immersed in that one great bliss which transcends all pleasure and pain."

- Kabir

No worldly delight is comparable to the delight that will fill your heart when you completely abandon all hopes and desires.

- Maharamayana

Episode 94: After the mourning period is over, Krishna leads Yudhishthir to the throne. Yudhishthir crowns Bheem the Yuvraj and appoints Vidur as the Prime Minister of Hastinapur. Arjun is made the commander of the army, Nakul is made Arjun's assistant and Sahadev is made the personal protector of the King. After the affairs of the state are in order, Krishna takes the Pandava brothers to Bheeshma. Bheeshma gives them a discourse on Dharma and his soul leaves for the Heavens.

Episode 93: The Kurukshetra war has ended. The Pandavas visit Dhritrashtra who coldly embraces Yudhishthira. Dhritarashtra then moves forward to embrace Bheem, but Krishna tells Bheem to put an iron statue in his place. Dhritarshtra hugs the iron statute and crushes it to pieces. Dhritrashtra repents, but Krishna tells him, "You have not killed Bheem, you have only crushed an iron statute". Dhritarshtra recomposes himself and blesses the Pandava princes.

Episode 92: Duryodhan commands Ashwathama, the new commander-in-chief, to kill the Pandavas. Ashwathama, Kripacharya and Krit Verma arrive at the Pandava camp in the middle of the night as Dhristdyumna and Draupadi's five sons are sleeping. They kill all the sleeping warriors and set fir to the camp. Believing that they have killed the Pandavas, they return to Duryodhan and discover that he has died. They light Duryodhan's pyre, and go to save Vyas's Ashram. The Pandavas find Ashwathama with Sage Vyas and take their revenge.

Episode 91: The battle between Bheem and Duryodhan begins. The wariors appear equal in strength and skill, but Krishna informs Bheem that Duryodhan could be defeated if he smashes Duryodhan's thights. Bheem leaps like a lioin and breaks Duryodhan's thighs with his mace and defeats him.

Episode 90: Kunti visits the battlefield in the middle of the night to grieve over the dead body of her son Karna. Yudhisthir finds her and learns that Karna was his brother. "Had I known, I wouldn't have fought this war," says Yudhishthir. Arjun does also feel guilty about killing Karna but Krishna consoles him and convinces him that it was his "Dharma" (duty). The Pandavas plan to perform the last rites of Karna, but Duryodhan claims the body and lights Karna's pyre by himself.

Has that time finally arrived when youd be better off deleting your Facebook account? If so, then May 31 is looking like D-Day.

A website called Quit Facebook Day has set the last day of May as the day everyone keen to leave the social network should finally take the plunge and hit the Delete key.

Several high profile technology pundits and celebs are kicking the world's number one social networking site to the curb.

The bridge too far has been Facebook's recent introduction of a platform that, by default, gives third-party companies access to members' names, friend lists and hobbies to "personalise" their surfing experience.

When a member logs onto a partner site, such as Yelp or Pandora, the content displayed is shaped by their own interests, as well as the activities of their Facebook friends. To disable this feature, a manual opt-out is required.

According to a security expert website, Facebook users unwittingly expose themselves to five dangers that might be beyond their control: their information is shared with third parties; their privacy settings revert to a less safe default mode after each redesign; malware from Facebook advertisements; fake profiles from scammers; and real friends who unknowingly make them vulnerable.

Google Canada reports that the top online search related to "Facebook account" is "delete Facebook," while the fastest-rising related query is "deactivate Facebook account," up 40 per cent over the past 90 days.

Worldwide, the search engine's results on Facebook account deletion ballooned from 15.9 million to 19.5 million between May 11 and 13 alone. There are 400 million members in total.

Privacy and security must be dirty words at the Facebook HQ at the moment as the world's largest social media network comes under fire for its privacy policy that has left users exposed and vulnerable.

Amazingly, it was reported that Facebook's privacy policy is a whopping 5,830 words long, even more verbose than the Constitution of the United States which reads at 4,543 words. Meanwhile, Facebook is making it difficult for users to delete their accounts. Let's wait for May 31!

Few days ago, Apple CEO Steve Jobs showed the world the iPad. During the presentation, I had a good time making fun of the new device with the interesting name. I tweeted, Apple will introduce a big screen version call the MaxiPad plus a small screen version call the iPad with Wings.

There were a bunch of features missing from the iPad that many people were hoping for, like a camera, SD card reader, USB, etc. Judging by the Twitter streams and many blog posts Ive read, most are calling the new device a failure. However, I believe the iPad rocks and is going to be a massive win for Apple.

Its Not Meant To Replace An iPhone Or A Macbook

The iPad is not an iPhone or a Macbook. Stop thinking of it as such. Its a brand new category. Had Apple put features like card readers, USB, cameras, etc., the only thing theyll be doing is cannibalizing their laptop sales. Thats what netbooks did to laptops and its the reason why 90% of laptops sold for $1,000 or more are Apple Macbooks. No, Steve Jobs is not dumb enough to make the same mistake PCs did with the Netbook.

Amazon Should Be Worried

With a starting price of $499, the iPad is only $10 more than a Kindle DX. Anyone in the market for an eBook reader is going to think seriously about the iPad. For $10 more, you can get a device that can do so much more than read books. Who wouldnt go for that?

While E-ink is a great way to display written pages it has limitations. The contrast is still too low and its only black and white. While the iPads LED screen may cause eye strain sooner it has the ability display materials that e-ink doesnt perform well at, like comic books, children books and text books.

The Kindle is designed for linear reading. It doesnt work well for non linear materials like text books or the bible, where youre scanning through chapters or verses. I have the NIV Bible on both my Kindle and my iPhone and the iPhone verison works way better. The Kindle navigation is extremely cumbersome. I can navigate to a verse in less than five seconds on my iPhone compare to 30 seconds for the Kindle.

The main advantage the Kindle has right now is the size of Amazons library. However, giving the marketing power of Apple, I suspect the iBookstore is going to get huge really quick. Dont be surprised if you see Amazon announce a price reduction on the Kindle in 60 days.

At $499, Its An Impulse Purchase

Had the iPad been priced at $999 as some speculated, the iPad would have been a massive failure. However, at $499 this thing is a game changer. People would buy it just for the novelty factor alone . At this price, Apple is going to sell millions of these things and its going to create a whole new revenue channel for them not just in iPad sales, but book sales as well. The iPad could do for books what the iPod did for music.

I cant wait to get my hands on one.

Did u know that the un-catalogued information on the net is around 500 times more than the information that is catalogued by the search engines?

So I thought of sharing with you links of some websites which can prove useful to us. You can comment on some other useful websites with description so that we can share it with others.

www.bhookh.com Lets start with 2 minute charity. Donate without money, with just one click

www.bored.com Some cute games & applications to try it if you are bored!

www.picanswers.com Post a picture/photo & ask a community questions about it.

www.wigflip.com/signbot Make your own animated scrolling text LED sign.

www.a1vbcode.com The ultimate VB, VB.NET, ASP, and ASP.NET source code resource.

www.hypergurl.com Learn how to create, improve and promote a website.

www.tools.dynamicdrive.com/favicon/ Use this online tool to easily create favorite icons

www.dynamicdrive.com #1 place on the net to obtain free, original DHTML & Javascripts to enhance your web site

www.mindtools.com This site will help u do develop your leadership skills, management capabilities, problem solving skills, memory improvement. Do not think as just n ordinary advertisement site. The designers are really serious about helping their visitors. The site is designed my some great experts who have been active in the field of social services for a long time.

www.star28.net/snow.html Let the Penguin Write Your Name in Snow!

www.printwhatyoulike.com/

With this online utility, you can remove ads, images of a webpage before printing. You can also change font size or font type. Save money and environment by reducing paper and ink usage.

www.quillpad.com It is a free online typing tool. You can write/email in 10 Indian languages including Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu etc. with its online editor.

www.crosstips.org If you like to play crossword it gives u hint when u r stuck somewhere.

www.ted.com Powerful and Inspiring talks!

http://indiarailinfo.com/ This is an interesting site that helps you visualize the current geographical location of any train in India. Just type train name or train number and check its exact location on the map.

http://www.befunky.com/cartoonizer/index.phphttp://www.befunky.com/cartoonizer/index.php

Try this!

Just upload the image or capture one live using the webcam and convert it in to the cartoon image. It can be downloaded or you can either convert the picture into a black and white pencil sketch or a colored one.

http://postcard.fm/ Send audio postcards to your friends

http://www.indianchild.com/amazing_facts.htm Collection of interesting facts, strange facts, and fun trivia

http://www.didyouknow.org/ Fascinating facts and useful trivia factoids about people, products and places

http://www.ranksheet.com/ 100% Free Online Certification and Job. Free Online exams in Windows,.Net, SQL Server, PHP, My SQL, Linux, J2EE, Oracle and more

http://beeks.eu/Screensaver.htm You will find 14 different clock screensavers on this site.

The handwritten one is very cool and the timeline is very slick.

http://www.freewarefiles.com/ Free Downloads of over 14000 free software programs. All freeware downloads include ratings, reviews and screen shots.

http://www.meebo.com/ chatting for all messenger. Can chat with http port on computers where chatting is blocked.

http://www.brainyquote.com/ Your source for famous quotes and quotations from thousands of famous people.

http://www.scribd.com/ Free online Library & Reference for any document or topic.

http://www.lifetips.com/ Actual tips, tricks & tricks to lead a good life

www.desktopnexus.com Good website for free nice wallpapers

www.savevid.com Download youtube videos with this online tool as FLV or MP4 format.

http://www.animalcorner.co.uk/ Animal Corner is an animal encyclopedia that can be used by students and teachers or anyone wishing to learn about animals and their environments. Animal Corner is constantly expanding, featuring new animal species from around the world regularly. Use the menu on the left to learn about various types of animals from different parts of the world or click on Alan the Ape to visit animals in general.

www.photofunia.com Provides a variety of cool backgrounds to edit your photos

www.blogbard.com Convert your favorite blog into audio and listen to it

www.pixelgroovy.com Tutorials for Adobe Photoshop, Java and many more softwares.

www.educationsupport.nic.in Government website for info on scholarships, fellowships etc..

http://www.coloringpage.org/ Online coloring pages for kids of all ages with a variety of drawings to print and paint. All coloring books are free for everyone to enjoy.

http://www.fun4child.com/paint_online/house_k01m.html Draw a House paint picture online for kids. You and your child can paint online this picture. Fun this free Paint online game. Draw a House online paint game.

www.freebookspot.in This is an excellent website for any kind of book u needed if u doesnt get any books in torrent try this it will be helpful for professional and various seasonal educationists

http://www.wordle.net/ Wordle is a toy for generating word clouds from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.

http://fixmypcandmac.com Free tech Support for Windows, Mac, Linux, Router, Servers etc

http://listverse.com/ The ultimate site for top 10 list of every topic ranging from crime to religion.

http://www.testq.com/career/quizzes/show/121 Comprising of 40 questions, this site gives a complete analysis of your intellect. Do try this one when u are free

http://www.devx.com/DevX/Door/6947 DevX.com helps software, web developers and IT professionals get answers to tough development questions. Other features are a buyers guide, an event calendar that covers significant events in the computer industry, a career link, and a searchable database.

http://trendy.org/magic/interactivemagic.html Home of the original mind-reading Mysterious Rabbit interactive card trick along with a few other interactive oddities.

http://www.readprint.com/ A good place for bookworms to read books free. It is an online library which offers thousands of books for students, teachers and enthusiasts.

http://www.howjsay.com/ This site is dictionary but it also tells how to pronounce a word. If you are not sure how to pronounce a word just key it in the text box and when it appears in pink, move your mouse over and it will pronounce the word for you.

http://www.querycat.com/ This is a questions and answers site which answer almost FAQs with over 5 million Qs and As and could be one of the biggest FAQ database on the net.

http://www.photonhead.com/ For shutterbugs, this site offers everything you needed to know about photography. a beginner s guide, buying guides, for cameras, tips on photography as well as photo editing. The resource also offers camera reviews and a few easy tutorials.

http://www.dafont.com/ Archive of freely downloadable fonts. Browse by alphabetical listing, by style, by author or by popularity

http://www.howtocleananything.com/ If you need the answer to how to clean something quickly this website probably has the answer

http://www.xe.com/ Currency converter covering every world currency.

http://www.ehow.com/ Learn how to do just about everything at eHow, the worlds most popular place to find How To instructions. New on eHow: Publish your own

http://www.addtoany.com/ Help your visitors share, save and subscribe to your content with AddToAny widgets

http://www.encalc.com/ Encalc is an online scientific calculator. Its strength lies in its ability handle units and dimensional analysis, to define variables and its large database of constants. Parenthesis and scientific formulas are also supported.

Encalc can be used for unit conversions and dimensional analysis. To convert from Metric to US Customary Units, try inputting 2 cm + 3 meters expressed in feet and hit Encalc! Other conversions are handled similarly.

http://www.googlefight.com/ Googlefight is a website that allows users to compare the number of search results returned by Google for two given queries

http://www.powerset.com/ A better way to search and discover information in Wikipedia articles.

www.quotesdaddy.com Over 1000000 Life quotes, Death quotes, Funny quotes, Love quotes, Inspiring quotes and many more. If you need it,

What is it that makes a site good or bad? The answers are sure to differ. However, tardy navigation, old design and features, and intrusive ads are sure spoilers for Netizens worldwide on a website.

Time.com has come out with a listing of what it calls 5 Worst Websites. According to it, these are the sites users may want to think twice before logging in to.

Over to 5 Worst Websites.....

1. eHarmony.com

Topping the Time's Worst Websites list is eHarmony.com. The site claims to be the `#1 trusted online dating site for singles'. However, Time.com seems to differ. According to it, after making users answer some 436 compatibility survey questions and taking its premium charges ($21 to $60 a month), the site many a times delivers terrible recommendations -- or worse, even rejects users as unmatchable.

Also, eHarmony.com's advice to users to continue with it for several months to improve their odds of finding a soul mate too looks self-serving, considering that the longer a user stays with the site, the more he pays.

2. Evite.com

Next on list is Evite.com, a popular online invitation and social planning website. Time.com writes that the site is crying for an overhaul. In today's time when UGC (user-generated content) rules the roost, Evite's fill-in-the-blanks approach appears clumsy and dated. The ads on the site too are said to be intrusive, and navigation a drag.

The site has also been rather slow in adopting some of the media-sharing tools that have become almost a standard way of the Web. Incidentally, many of these features are said to be in development.

3. Meez.com

The virtual hangout Meez.com too makes it to the Worst Websites list. It may be a trend to tack poems, photos, icons, logos etc onto e-mail messages, however, the 3D animations and other digital doodads created with the help of Meez and other sites of its ilk - Blingee, Iconator - are just plain annoying, writes Time.

Plus, these also end up clogging the recipient's inbox with unnecessary bits. Though the Meez.com insists that the app is not a spyware or an adware, however, it still slows down one's computer.

4. MySpace.com

This name will surely surprise most Netizens. For, MySpace is not only one of the most popular social networking sites, but also happened to be the no. 1 social networking site till sometime back.

However, lately the MySpace community seems to have become infested with marketers and other opportunists who create false profiles and spam other users, all under the guise of making friends.

According to Time.com, though MySpace has always been known to carry loads of profiles of fictional characters, created to help market a movie or promote some brand, the recent `bait-and-switch tactics' have turned the things a bit sad.

5. SecondLife.com

Another hugely popular site on the list is a virtual world Second Life. The site has not only people logging in, but also has companies such as IBM, Cisco and our very own Wipro among its members.

However, according to Time.com, SecondLife.com is notoriously slow to load and difficult to navigate, even with a broadband connection. Users interact in the space through an avatar, but creating and personalizing of this animated representations of oneself is tedious. Most sites offer a learning curve for new users, but there is no such consideration on Second Life.

Also, "there are crazy people around every corner - disruptive types who spread graffiti and get in your way and throw you off your groove," writes Time.

Most people look for their long lost love on the Internet, a new survey has found.

The study found that one out of four people are using social networking sites like Facebook to search a childhood sweetheart.

Search engine Ask Jeeves claims that nine per cent even confessed trying to know details of a one-night stand.

Thirty seven per cent said they wanted to learn about their ex to just "see what they were doing these days," reports the Sun.

However, only four per cent wanted to rekindle the romance.

Twenty per cent apparently ignored an emailed request to break the ice with long-lost former boyfriend or girlfriend.

Surprisingly, four per cent even looked for former flame to just inform them how happy they were without them, while three per cent searched to find out how miserable their ex were.

Apart from searching for previous lovers the poll also suggested that a trend of ''vanity searching,'' which means looking for yourself on the net, has become increasingly popular.

In fact, 59 per cent admitted they had typed in their own name, with the men apparently doing it more than women.

The survey claimed two thirds of men compared to just over half of women did vanity searching.

I try to keep a stiff upper lip about not having an iPhone. Just couldn't afford it -- not with the $75 a month or so AT&T charges for service on top of the $199 upfront cost for the device.

I could, however, afford the $229 iPod Touch -- and got it as a gift, as it happened. It has most of the same goodies: a Web browser, email, YouTube. And it stores way more music than the iPhone. Plus, the other day I used it to call China.

Yup, a call around the world -- on a device that doesn't have a phone. A handful of applications on Apple Inc's iTunes store will let you do this, as long as you're in a Wi-Fi hot spot.

My iPhone complex hasn't disappeared, but at least now I have a device that looks just like it, has no monthly service fees, and lets me make free or cheap phone calls.

The best part of these applications -- which require the second-generation iPod Touch that came out last year -- is that they are free to download, and calls to other people using the same app won't cost you anything.

Two of the services I've tried, Truphone and Fring, will also let you make free calls to Google Talk users and type instant messages to friends online. Both automatically queue up a list of buddies from different services you might have, including Gmail chat, AIM and MSN Messenger, once you log in.

But it's Truphone's pay feature that puts it ahead of the others. TruPhone charges you to make calls to landlines or regular cell phones, but generally at better rates than most wireless carriers. And it's upfront about what you pay.

Your balance -- which you can add to with a credit card, either on the device or on your computer browser -- pops up with the dial screen. Calls in the US are all 5 cents per minute (2 cents if you sign up to pay a $4 monthly fee).

Rates outside the US vary wildly but you can check in the application before you dial. To call cell phones in China, for instance, is only 5 cents per minute, while France is 25 cents. Antarctica? A whopping $2.25.

You can make regular calls with Fring using a Skype account, but that's another layer to deal with.

The calls on these services sound pretty good, a little tinny but clearer than my regular cell phone connection. IPod Touch users will need Apple's $29 ear buds that have a tiny microphone on the back of the volume control along the cord.

The most serious drawback is the most obvious: While the iPhone uses AT&T's wireless network to provide Internet access anywhere, on the iPod Touch you'll need to stick to Wi-Fi hot spots.

For rural or suburban dwellers who don't encounter lots of free Wi-Fi zones, that may very well mean limiting yourself to your house, or other places where there's a computer with the same Internet phone call capabilities anyway.

That means these apps probably won't replace your cellphone. But they can moderate your iPhone envy.

'123456' is the most common password used by people on the Internet.

Obscenities, names of fast cars and even ncc1701 -- the ship number for Star Trek's Starship Enterprise, have made it to the list of top 500 worst passwords of all time.

Compiled by Whatsmypass.com, the list features passwords most commonly used by Internet users.

And topping the list of the most common password is 123456, followed by "password" in second place.

Other popular password choices were first names, repeated letters and numbers, pop-culture references.

Even batman, bond007 and cocacola made it to the list, reports the Courier Mail.

The website said that almost one out of nine people use at least one of the passwords mentioned on the list, and one out of every 50 people use one from the top 20.

In fact, a study commissioned by digital communications agency @www found that an average adult had as many as 15 passwords to remember.

But 61 per cent of people used the same passwords for as many different accounts as possible in order to make life easier.

Apple has just previewed its OS 3.0 for the iPhone, featuring 100 new features. With the new release, Apple aims to further strengthen its presence in the smartphone market.

Incidentally, last year too Apple introduced iPhone 2.0 at a March event. This was followed by iPhone 3G launch two months later.

Here's what the new Apple software, iPhone 3.0, exactly offers to the users.

When do I get iPhone 3.0?

The software is available for outside developers interested in building mini-programs for popular iPhones and iPod Touch MP3 players, however, the operating system will not be publically released until mid-year.

The company blamed security and user-interface design complexities for the delay in adding it to iPhone's operating system. Analysts are betting on the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), likely to take place in early June this year, as the platform for the introduction of new iPhone models.

How much will the upgrade cost me?

iPhone users, including those holding first-generation iPhones, will be able to upgrade to 3.0 for free. However, iPod Touch users, first or second generation, will have to shell out $9.95 for the update.

The new operating system runs on the latest version of the iPhone, released last year, as well as the original model.

What's new in iPhone 3.0?

A lot, according to Apple and analysts. "It's a significant update," said Gartner analyst Van Baker. The improvements in iPhone 3.0 address some of the complaints that iPhones lacked functions basic in competitors such as the Blackberry Storm, the Google Android G1, and the as-yet-unreleased Palm Pre.

What's the biggest new feature?

So far the most analysts say the biggest addition is the much longed-for cut-and-paste feature. Says Gartner's Baker, "When it ships, cut, copy and paste as well as multimedia-media messages will resonate most with consumers."

The feature will let users highlight text with a tap, drag it, deselect it by shaking the phone, or to copy and paste it into another application.

Users can copy and paste photos, as well as select multiple photos -- also a first on the iPhone -- to paste into an email message.

What else?

Also, top on most lists is the new Apple app-wide search -- Spotlight -- to match the integrated search within Mac OS X that will let users search through Mail, Calendar, Notes and iPod on the iPhone and iPod Touch. Prsently, the only available search was in Contacts.

iPhone 3.0 also lets accessory makers connect devices, such as radios, to Apple's smartphones.Another big miss in iPhone 2.0, makes its presence with upgrade. Users will now be able to read and compose email and text messages in landscape mode.

MMS will be added, which means that photos, contacts and audio files can be sent with the messages application. 3G iPhones will also have stereo Bluetooth after the software update, which allows for wireless stereo headsets to connect to the iPhone and the iPod Touch.

Will iPhone 3.0 allow me to run more than one app at a time?

For those users who, say, want to keep their IM open and still do other stuff, Apple has finally added the much-awaited push notification to the iPhone. The push notification would allow developers to build applications that can provide automatic alerts of items such as sports results or the arrival of an instant message.

The alerts would show up automatically even if the user is in another application. It will also allow developers to offer subscriptions and sell content within their applications that have items for sale within them, such as electronic books or additional levels of a video game. And developers will be able to access the music within users' iPhone libraries, so songs they own can be included in games, for example.

Do first-gen iPhone users get everything in iPhone 3.0?

Sorry, no. According to Apple, the older hardware doesn't support MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) and stereo Bluetooth A2DP. There may be some other features too that may not work on the original iPhone, however, so far Apple has only mentioned these two omissions.

What is missing in iPhone 3.0?

Upgrades did not include being able to record video with iPhones or play video made using Adobe's ubiquitous Flash software; an omission deeply irking many iPhone owners. During a question-and-answer session, Apple executives responded with "No comment" to clamors for video recording and compatibility with Flash. "They did not address the camera, which is a fairly low quality for a smartphone these days, and they also did not mention video support, which would be nice to see," said Creative Strategies analyst Tim Bajarin.

US software giant Google said Friday it had removed several images from its Street View software, which allows web surfers to view parts of 25 British cities, after users raised privacy concerns.

Street View displays 360-degree ground-level images captured by roaming cars using digital photography equipment.

The cars began taking images last summer, and continue to capture images across the country, allowing the service to expand after its launch here on Thursday.

Just 24 hours after its release in Britain, however, Google said it had removed several pictures, including ones that users found embarrassing, such as one of a man leaving a sex shop in central London's Soho neighbourhood, or another one of a man vomiting outside a pub in the east of the British capital.

A spokeswoman for the American Internet company declined to confirm the precise number of photos that were removed, but said it had been "less than expected."

Individual Internet users who do not want either their image or that of their home to be used in Street View can request it be taken off Google's database by filling out an online form.

Google says it has developed sophisticated software that ensures that individual's faces and vehicle license plates are blurred.

After initially being launched in the United States in May 2007, Street View is now available in Britain, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands.