Filed under: Internet, Web services, Social Software, Search, web 2.0

The problem with search engines (if you’re one of those people who believe there’s a problem with search engines) is that they don’t know who you’re. Google and other search companies are tackling this issue by compiling your search history in a way that could eventually help the search engine decide which results will be most relevant. But for the most part, right now when you, your mom, and that mad scientist down the street search for information on building a nuclear bomb in your basement, you’ll all get the same results.

Delver wants to change that. The company came out of stealth mode at this week’s DEMO conference. The idea is that you can search for information that’s relevant to you by gathering search results from your friends’ social networking pages. All you’ve to do is enter your name into Delver’s service (no registration necessary) and it will try to determine who you’re, and then search your public profile on sites like Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube to determine who you friends are. Then when you enter a search term, like state “pizza places,” you should get a list of places your friends advocate or at least have talked about.

If you do register for an account Delver will let you associate yourself with accounts on social networking sites. But as you’ve probably guessed, other users will be able to search your social network without knowing your password. Theoretically they have the ability to already do this, since all Delver does is draw publicly available information together in one place. But it’s still mildly creepy. Then again, why would anyone care where your friends buy pizza?

[via TechCrunch]

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Filed under: Fun, World wide web, Blogging, Social Software, Beta

Earlier in the month, we told you about TwitterStats, a downloadable script that would graph your Twitter statistics. The author of TwitterStats, Damon Cortesi, thought it would be great to take TwitterStats to the next level. He did so by making TwitterStats into a Ruby application that you could run without having to download and run a script, a task perhaps only advanced users are capable of.

When you visit TweetStats for the first time, the website prompts you for your Twitter username. Another interesting piece to the front page is the graph that shows you the most popular Twitter apps. FYI, currently the web interface is the most popular at 46% followed by Twitterrific with 21%. After you enter in your username, TweetStats gives you a basic graph of your Twitter activity. As you can see by the screenshot above, my most active Twitter day is Wednesday.

We like TweetStat’s simplicity and functionality. Being able to link back to the graph url is a nice feature for those who want to show their graph on their blog or website.

Thanks Damon for this addicting new Twitter tool! Now we stand to get even less done today as we play with TweetStats.

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Filed under: Debt, Real Estate, Fraud

With people obsessing over the economy and crying about how terrible things are, it seems it has become the norm to consider ditching out on your creditors. Credit card bills have you sad? Declare bankruptcy! Paid too much for your house and now you’re fretting? Walk away and let the bank worry about it!

There’s now a website to help you ditch out on your mortgage while getting the most you can out of the foreclosure process. YouWalkAway.com offers to help you milk the system, living in your house “payment free” during the foreclosure process and hopefully not paying another dime toward your home. You stay in the house, save your money for your next apartment or house, and the bank is stuck worrying about selling the house and foreclosing on you.

I’m sorry, but those who incurred debts (for whatever reason) need to pay them. Sure, it’s easier to walk away and never look back. And it might be considered “legal,” but it is certainly not moral. Everyone else pays for your mistakes, irresponsibility, and refusal to do the right thing. It’s wrong, and we all know it. But it seems it’s becoming the American way.

What do you all think?

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Bookkeeping, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.

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Filed under: College, Debt, Kids and Money, Recession

Parents of college-bound seniors everywhere are blanching. A lot of financial ugliness is coming down the pike, and here you are, ready to be hit with a whole new phalanx of expenses. What’s a parent to do?

Begin by debunking the stereotype of having to pay full ride for your child. There are many options for getting your kid educated without having to bust the bank. You and junior just have to be prepared to think out of the box.

First, strongly think about the community college option. Unless your kid got a full ride to their first pick university, It makes too strong financial sense not to examine this opportunity closely.

Not only does it cost a fraction of what a four-year institution will cost you, it also allows your 18-year-old precious time; time to take a wide-variety of classes, time to decide what they really want to major in, even time to work part time. It enables them to ease themselves into adulthood without the pressure a high-falutin’ four-year school might put on them. Four-years typically hold open a certain percentage of slots for community college transfer students, making it easier, in many cases, to get into those highly-selective schools they wouldn’t have made the cut at directly after high school.

A final note, one that might be lost on your kid, (who might have his mind set on a fancy school he won’t be paying for anyway): The education you get at a two-year can in many ways be better than that at a four-year. Lecturers and professors at community colleges are there to teach. They’re largely free from the “Publish or Perish” shackles of their four-year brethren. At Berkeley, for example, many classes are taught by graduate student assistants (faculty slave labor) while the faculty is engaged in its own research. At a two-year, the instructor is there to teach - and with the same level of expertise, you’re getting an excellent education at less than half the price.

Secondly, look for schools that offer grants instead of loans. You’d be surprise how many schools do. There are many universities out there, responding to the steady drumbeat of criticism over the crushing student-loan debt of new graduates, that are finding better ways of funding their students’ course of study.

Many Ivy Leagues have slashed their tuition to be more affordable to “middle-class” students. If your kid does manage to get in, you won’t be facing such a daunting bill. In current years students from families that make less than $60K a year don’t have to pay tuition at Harvard, and the university recently announced dramatic tuition cuts that make its hallowed halls that much more accessible. Other elite universities are following its lead. Dartmouth, for example, announced last week that it would waive tuition fees for students from families earning up to $75K a year.

Consider top-rated schools without the “brand” name. University of Chicago, Middlebury, Tulane — these schools aren’t in the vaunted Ivy Leagues, but they’re top-tier school all the same.

And for the kid who just won’t leave his gaming post, here is a long list of universities and colleges that offer free on the web courses. These aren’t coursework for full degrees, of course, but why not learn sign language from Michigan Say University, or brush up on your physics courtesy of Yale?

Finally, there’s the old-fashioned notion of going where you can afford — and if that means the local say university, living at home and working part-time instead of getting a full ride to Brown, well, that’s the new reality, kid. Living within your means is the new paradigm. What superior time to instruct this lesson than when they go off to college?

This post is part of a series offering consumers advice on what to do during a recession.

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Filed under: Banks, Borrowing, Budgets, Debt, Home, Real Estate, Recession

If you’re interested in purchasing a home, now may be the right time to start investigating your options. We’re in the throes of a double downswing of the costs associated with entering the single family home market. What this means is that as real estate prices are deflating regionally, the interest rates on first mortgage loans to buy those properties are at rock-bottom levels. Deflated real estate markets aren’t always bad things, when you’re in the mood to buy some.

The tough part of the proposition right now is that bank money is very tight. When I purchased my first home, a 2% down payment would get you a mortgage. In the current banking conditions, banks are sometimes seeking as much as 10% to 30% down payments on first mortgages. Here are some of the things you should think about if you want to do business in today’s mortgage climate.

Our credit score is critical. Go over your credit reports with careful detail. Bring any errors to the attention of the reporting agency and clear up any outstanding issues. If your credit report and budget are a total mess, think about paying for a couple hours with a CPA who specializes in household finances and investing. They can help you understand how to get back on track. As always, a poor credit rating will be reflected in the mortgage terms you are offered. Today’s bankers are more closely scrutinizing how we look on the books.

We’ll need a hefty down payment. Consider where your down payment might come from. Did you plan on borrowing your down payment? Banks have desperately recoiled in reaction to mortgage lending losses and they now want you to assume more risk. It’s not surprising that getting a home mortgage these days might be a bit more difficult, but if you have cash to put on the line, the banks will work with you. Be prepared to be asked for down payments of 10% or more, but once again, a stellar credit rating could greatly reduce your required down payment.

Search for distressed properties. I define distressed properties as those which have motivated sellers yet which have been on the market for six months or more. The key is, you’d like to purchase real estate from someone who’s hot to get it off their hands. In seeking these situations, working with a deeply seasoned real estate professional can be well worth the price. Dig around a little and see what property listings have been just hanging around. Real estate is one field where you can still purchase gems in the rough.

Know what you’re getting into. Before you purchase any house, or better yet, before you sign any financial agreements, make sure you comprehend the costs, terms and conditions of the agreement you’re entering into. My theory in finance and business is that I haven’t done anything stupid until I’ve put my signature on it. There’s a handy document called the Federal Truth in Lending Disclosure that they give to us before we sign any loan papers here in Wisconsin. If they have that form where you’re, and if you don’t already know how to read and comprehend that form, make the loan agent fully explain it to you. It outlines every dollar you’ll be paying over the life of that loan.

Is it time to jump into the real estate market yet? I think it’s a good time now and I think it may get much superior regionally as the year goes on. I expect to see a mild surge in home buying from April through July as compared with one year ago. I believe that if about two thirds of the federal economic stimulus package is directed specifically at stimulating grassroots home ownership, by the middle of this year we could all be feeling a bit more economically viable.

This post is part of a series offering consumers advice on what to do during a recession.

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