10 Ways to Refresh Your Digital Life for the New Year

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   1. Do Some Twitter Maintenance

   
   

   
   

   When was the last time you gave your Twitter account some attention? The New Year (and the arrival of the
   Twitter’s new look) is a great opportunity to do a little maintenance.

   
   

   You can weed out inactive accounts you follow with
   Untweeps, take a look at who is following you with no follow back via
   Tweeter Karma and get your lists in better order with
   Formulists.

   
   

   While you’re at it, why not refresh your avatar, make sure your bio and web link are up to date and check that only the applications you actively use have access to your account?

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   
   
   


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   2. Sort Out Your iTunes or Windows Media Player Library

   
   

   
   

   Like a virtual CD collection spring clean, if your digital media library is an absolute jumble, there are tools to help.
   TuneUp “automagically” fixes mislabeled songs, removes duplicates and adds missing album art.

   
   

   Available for iTunes and Windows Media Player, for Mac and PC, there’s a free trial version you can take for a spin.

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   
   
   


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   3. End Cable Clutter

   
   

   
   

   If you live in a mess of wire spaghetti, make 2012 the year you detangle.

   
   

   We have rounded up some
   awesome cable management products in the past.

   
   

   Whether it’s tidying your desk, sorting your home entertainment system or just labeling the wires for various gadgets, there are super solutions out there to end your cable chaos — for good.

   
   

   Image courtesy of
   Blue Lounge

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   
   
   


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   4. Tune Up Your Computer

   
   

   
   

   Hopefully you maintain a sensible routine of computer maintenance throughout the year, but if not, then the New Year is a good time to start a regular program.

   
   

   Microsoft offers Windows users advice on
   how to speed up their PCs with maintenance tasks.
   Apple offers the same for Mac owners.

   
   

   If you want to take things a little further, there’s software to help.

   
   

   
   CCleaner from Piriform is available for both Macs and Windows PCs, while Noodlesoft’s
   Hazel is an organization solution for Mac owners.

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   
   
   


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   5. Check Your Facebook Timeline

   
   

   
   

   With the rollout of Facebook’s Timeline design, you may find content you thought buried in the sands of time is now more prominent on your profile.

   
   

   We offered a
   quick guide earlier in the year with useful tips to help you make sure your Timeline looks exactly how you’d like it to.

   
   

   Take a look through our simple how to — it also offers tips on how to fill in the gaps in your Timeline — a fun winter project.

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   
   
   


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   6. Recycle Old Gadgets

   
   

   
   

   How many old gadgets are cluttering up drawers in your house? The Holidays are a great time to sort out your old electronics for recycling, especially after the arrival of shiny new toys from Santa.

   
   

   Most obsolete and unwanted consumer electronics can be recycled, so if you get a new gizmo this Christmas, get rid of the old one responsibly.

   
   

   Various schemes are available — some which donate money to charity,
   some which pay you cash for more up-to-date gadgetry. Most consumer electronics manufacturers and phone carriers offer programs that can take the clutter off your hands.

   
   

   The
   EPA’s Plug-In to eCycling Campaign is a good place to start.

   
   

   Image courtesy of
   Alan Levine

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   
   
   


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   7. De-Cliche Your LinkedIn Profile

   
   

   
   

   Whether or not you’re actively looking, the New Year is a time of great opportunities. How up to date is your LinkedIn profile?

   
   

   With research recently revealing how many people use
   tired old clich

   
   
   10 Ways to Refresh Your Digital Life for the New Year