May I add more?

If you're on vacation don't "check in" to Facebook or Foursquare or another location based service. Why tell the world your house is empty. Always be mindful of the details you're giving out online. If you're Tweeting or Facebooking that you're out of town, you may as well just leave your back door unlocked.

Deborah, that is on there under "Hush!" but certainly good advice and worth repeating. I'm always amazed how many of my friends announce that they're leaving like that.

Thanks and I agree ~ can't say that enough. While I am a true advocate of social media, I think many people take underestimate the potential consequences of checking into apps like Foursquare at every opportunity. :). Thanks for reading.

And another... If you're leaving your car in the driveway, make sure the automatic garage door opener is NOT in it... thieves can break the car window and use the opener to get in.

If you know and trust a local college student, hire him/her to house-sit for you. The extra car in the driveway, daily newspaper and mail pick-up and clear signs that there is someone in the house will go a long way to keeping your home safe.

take the spare key from under the flower pot.

Turn off your main water valve. Turn down the hot water heater. Raise the AC or lower the Heat. Mow the lawn.

Here's another: put away your lawn furniture. We had ours stolen off our front lawn. Car in driveway, light on, mail held.

I set hootsuite to post things to twitter and facebook for me that my suggest that I'm out and about around town. That "what did we do for dinner before Samba on Park Street" tweet might just be a statement of fact, not a reference to where I was earlier in the evening. Right now I might be sitting on my lawn responding to an article on Patch, or I might be visiting the former Republican congressman of California's 51st. (he's in prison)

Another good reason the post on the internet anonymously. You never know when you may be blogging, and accidentally say something like; “we will also be vacationing there the last week of August”.

Talk radio on, with a blue light bulb next to it. Looks like TV from outside, at night. I put them on timers. Lights on timers in different rooms also. A neighbor who put out, takes in garbage. Alarm sign in yard.

There's also an item for sale on www.faketv.com that I don't have (yet) but seems like a great idea to put on a timer - kind of an upgraded version of what Nancy mentioned above. I always have a lamp or two on a timer even when I'm home to keep it more or less consistent.

Important regarding home burglar/motion detector alarms: PLEASE have a radio signal back-up w/antenna installed/placed in your attic/crawl space. Not only will a signal be sent to the central station during an electrical/telephone power outage, but criminals now are sophisticated and cut phone lines when they see an alarm systems/sign and most gain entrance because folks have not upgraded to this important back-up feature! This way criminals will still be thwarted if they do get in, so contact your alarm co rep asap if you do not have this.

As a neighbor to put out and take in your trash can on trash pick-up days and to put some garbage in your can, same thing for recycling days.

Another issue not explicitly stated above under Hush! - Do not post anything on social media sites from your mobile if you have location settings enabled as it will report your geographic location.