photo credit: professional.nerd

Well, I’d hate to burst your bubble, but after working in this field for several years, I’ve come to the harsh realization that (as my economist friends are prone to say) there are “no free lunches” — everything that has value gets paid for one way or another, especially in America. Take the “free check background” service you’re looking for, as an example.

If you look, I’m sure you’ll find several online outfits that’ll promise you this and that for free. They’ll plead and promise and insist that they’ll actually give you something (apparently, something of certain value) for absolutely nothing. Then, there’s the stinger. “Well, it’s free so long as you give us your email address, or your home phone, or sign up with this service . . . you’ve seen them before.

But, you’re looking to conduct a background check(s), and if you put yourself in the position of expecting something for nothing, you’re doing yourself a disservice, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. And, you don’t want that do you??

They say you can’t cheat an honest woman because she’s not looking to find something for nothing . . . so, the only advice I can give you, with regard to the infamous “free check background” would be to change your expectations, from the fantastic to the realistic. Accept that others need (and deserve) fair compensation for what they provide (just as you’d expect for your hard work/ labor). Expect to pay a fair and decent price for a decent service, and a substantial price for a more substantial service. Then, whenever you come across a really substantial service being offered at a decent price, you snap it up like the bargain it really is! What you don’t do is go looking for that service to be offered to you for free.

Speaking of which, I can take this one step further and actually direct you to a substantial background check service, one that does what it says and a whole lot more. Take a look at the YouTube video below, which was shot by the company.

The Intelius company has a solid reputation in the industry as offering one of its leading background check services and, as indicated earlier, its only drawback (if you want to call it that) is that it’s not a free check background or a free criminal background check or a check background criminal!

It comes, however, with a considerable amount of accurate and relevant information, it’s provided to you instantly, and it’s offered at a considerably modest price! What more could someone as honest as you ask for?

I tried calling the school she used to go to, but since she’s no longer there, they wouldn’t release any information about her. Guess you could say I was sort of left without any options. I thought it was quite sad that I would never be able to tell her what a great performer she was.

The thing about Hannah, aside from the fact that she’s slated to become a billionaire by the time she’s 18, is that she always has a fresh smile on her face (see picture above) and from all I can tell (and though I’ve been wrong before), she favors me out of all of her other fans! There, I’ve said it!

That is quite all right, because she is my favorite singer for sure. I just recently realized what a profound impact she has really had on me and how much more of an impact she might have if I had an actual live and working Hannah Montana’s phone number! That’d be sooooo boss!

Here’s what I came up with . . .

I mean, I actually found myself wanting to tell her what an impact she had on me and a friend told me about www.ReverseMobile.com. It is the ultimate resource for people like me, who want to conduct a free phone search (or maybe not exactly free), but those who don’t have very much information, like me.

You simply type in the name of the person you are looking for, and you are immediately given access to all sorts of information, including address, phone number, and much more. I was able to find Hannah Montana’s phone number and address quite easily. When I called, she couldn’t believe it! I finally got to tell her exactly what she had meant to me while I was in her audience, and even over the years! It’s TRUE!

You can find anyone you need to find as well (including Miley Cyrus’s phone number. Whether you’re searching for a long lost friend, a favorite singer, or the one who got away, you can use this website to find out information on that person. You can get serious information there too. If you are trying to find out public records, arrest records, civil records, or something similar, you can do it there. You can conduct employee searches, find lost friends, or if you want to find out about the people you’ve been exposing your children to . . . it’s all available to you. All you need is a name! Start your search today so you can tell that one special person just how much they meant to you!

. . . it’s (might as well say) inevitable that some people will act in ways that will annoy fellow members. So, based on online blogs, articles and using Facebook religiously, here are our Top 10 tips on Facebook Etiquette.

1. Don’t be Afraid to ‘Ignore’ Someone!

Probably the number one conundrum on Facebook is how to respond when you’re contacted by a blast from the past, who (for whatever reason) you don’t particularly feel like getting back in touch with.

Don’t let this worry you! If you ‘ignore’ them when they friend request you (by pressing your ‘ignore’ button), they won’t get a message saying you rejected them, or anything kinda’ awkward like that. Think of it as pretending you didn’t see them, while walking down the street — hey, it happens all the time, to everyone. Lighten up!

2. Give Good Birthday Greetings

Facebook keeps track of your friends’ birthdays, and sending them a message on their special day only takes a couple seconds. Plus, it’ll help you save face for forgetting to send them an actual card! So, “be a friend to your friends” and take the time to ping them off a message.

3. Respect the Wall

There’s nothing cool about opening your profile and finding some wimp has drawn a naked woman on your wall made from asterisks (*), dollar signs ($) and dashes (-). Hey, it’s a public display to Facebook friends, so the least you could do is show a little respect.

4. Talking to Strangers?

Although adding people (you haven’t actually met) as friends is a great way to boost the size of your list, it’s a practice that frowned upon by “Facebook aficionados.” OMG, they even have a name for these people: Creepers!

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• 12 Tips for Getting Your Startup Featured on Mashable
• 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Facebook
• Marketing Your Business on a Facebook Page
• Social Network Privacy Fears Exaggerated
• 5 Tips For Making The Most Out Of Social Networking Websites

5. Stay Sober

Like drunken text messages, inebriated wall posts lead to heartache, in more ways than you can imagine. If you’ve ever had a Black Russian (or two…), we’re probably thinking along the same lines already! Long story short: Don’t drink and Facebook (or blog, for that matter). You’ll be sorry!

6. Who Wants a Clean House?

There are literally thousands of Facebook applications on the market, but having too many can clutter your profile and make you look like a stinky geek. Remember, you can delete applications once you get bored with them, and there are often several applications to choose from that do the same thing (to check out the best applications click here).

7. Avoid “Shrines” Like the Plague

There is nothing more tragic than a Facebook profile devoted to a loved one or a potential partner. Face book is all about you, what you’ve been up to and what you’ve got to say for yourself — not about someone else you’re trying to impress.

8. Add an App or Two

Installing Facebook apps is as simple as ordering something to eat from a restaurant menu. There is no need to download any files, and no need to copy anything to your hard disk, or run any kind of complex installer. This is because all the available applications are stored on Facebook’s own system.

My 10 favorite applications are Video, My Questions, Graffiti, Top Friends, Superpoke!, X Me, Fortune Cookie, iLike, Free Gifts and Horoscopes.

9. No Place for Stalkers

A lot of people won’t join Facebook! Apparently, they’re afraid of being stalked by cyber-bullies, ex-partners or creepy online admirers (women stalk me like that all the time — just kidding)! But seriously, if you play around with its privacy settings, Facebook is really a safe place for anyone.

10. A Note on Privacy

For some reason, people often feel strangely comfortable revealing details online that they would never discuss in “real life,” but beware. Facebook lets you categorize yourself in many ways, including your sexual preference(s), relationship status, and political views. And, although this information is deeply personal, posting it on Facebook makes it available both to people you know as well as those you’d probably rather not.

Facebook allows you, for example, to join as many virtual “groups” as you’d like; some are pretty straightforward (e.g., groups with names like “nerdy pickup lines,” “you were sexy until I saw that cigarette in your hand,” or “free rice”). Some, however, are organized around overtly controversial political or religious statements (e.g., “anti Hillary Clinton for president 08,” “Against Gay Marriage? Then Don’t Get One and Shut the F*ck Up,” or “abortion is murder”).

Here’s my Point (and I do have one): One fifth of American companies actually admit to using the Internet to search for job candidates’ Facebook profiles . . . which means the real number is probably a lot greater, and more importantly, there’s no way for you to determine (after the fact) whether or not you’ve been passed up for a position/ promotion because you thought you were completely anonymous, saying the “wrong” thing, being friends with the “wrong” person, or joining the “wrong” group on Facebook. Think!