When it comes to incoming phone calls, I have a personal policy that some of you might share: If I don’t recognize the phone number or area code, I won’t answer the phone.

What can I say? Telemarketers and wrong numbers annoy me. That’s where these first two sites can come in handy.

Type in a phone number at www.wherecall.com/instantlookup.htm and find out basic information about the caller on the other end. It will tell you where the call originated, as in the city and state, plus whether the number is tied to a landline or cell phone.

If you suspect you’re getting weird calls from a pay phone, www.payphone-project.com/numbers... should be your first stop. You can search a database of about 500,000 pay phone numbers by location. Keep in mind that this database isn’t exhaustive. At the very least, it may give you a clue as to where those random phone calls are coming from.

Valentine’s Day is over, but for those who are still moping about not having a date, www.sparkbliss.com might be for you. It’s a combination of a dating site and business social network. You meet people only through recommendations from trusted friends. It plays on the idea that many couples who last meet through friends.

- Erika Smith