Recently I embarked on yet another apartment hunt. There's few things in this world I dislike more than surfing through page after page of listings trying to de-fishify the fisheye photos that make a 310 ft. studio look like you could play full court basketball, all the while attempting to sift through ambiguous descriptions that make a late eighties 1 bedroom with spectacular view of a brick wall sound like the Taj Mahal.

Up until recently I haven't given it much thought, in pursuit of a killer deal or a gorgeous apartment, I gladly meet total strangers without knowing anything about them other than what they posted in their Craigslist ad. Not anymore, recent headlines (and this is just one example) have begun to give me the willies and make me realize I'm putting myself in unnecessary risk. Alone in an apartment with a stranger and virtually no way to track me back to a strange place I found online. Creepy.

I thought this would be a great place to offer up some of the precautions I have started to take and for you to share your own ways of reducing risk, staying in control, and avoiding a potentially dangerous situation.

• ALWAYS bring someone with you if you're looking at housing or meeting someone at a residence.

• If you're buying something they have posted online, meet in a highly trafficked public area for the transaction.

• Get a phone number and do a reverse phone lookup, we offer a reverse phone lookup that can get you information about people who are associated with cell and landlines.

• Get their name, address and do a free public search, www.isearch.com

• Be realistic. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

What safety precautions do you take?

Everyday people from around the country that are in the headlines:

	Lottery Winner Gives Prize to Charity
	Stripper Impersonates High School Alum Classmates Learn About Reunion Prank on YouTube
	Miss USA Runner-up Invokes God and Gay Activist Sister Carrie Prejean Stands by Her Answer on Gay Marriage Despite Perez Hilton's Furor

We're proud to announce that iSearch has been named a finalist in the Software & Information Industry Association's (SIIA) 24th Annual CODiE Awards.  iSearch.com is competing in the Best Online Directory & Business Leads Service Category.

iSearch.com allows users to search using information from a past or present context. Using proprietary semantic technology to link billions of online and offline records from public and professional databases as well as social networking profiles, iSearch categorizes data to create panoramic profiles of individuals.

For 24 years, the CODiE Awards have celebrated outstanding achievement and vision in the software, digital information and education technology industries. This year the CODiE Awards will recognize outstanding products and services in over 60 categories. According to SIIA President Ken Wasch, "The competition is particularly steep this year during the 24th Annual SIIA CODiE Awards, making selection as a CODiE Finalist a real achievement." Wasch further added that "All the companies on this year's list of CODiE Finalists should feel justifiably proud of their accomplishment in making it to this stage." Well, we sure do!