A photo posted on a Facebook page of a young man named "Tom" on skis is nothing out of the ordinary. Hundreds of thousands of photos just like it are splattered all over the Internet. The exception in this case is that this man claimed to be a robust, healthy, active young man before a car accident caused by your insured a year before this particular photo was taken supposedly caused neck and back injuries that severely hampered his active lifestyle.

Wouldn't you have loved to be armed with the picture of "Tom" on his skis when you entered settlement negotiations? How much less would you be willing to pay if you knew that the injured person was zooming down the slopes, running races, playing golf, or lifting weights following the accident? This might be a good time to re-examine your reserve.

The explosion of online "social media" can make this type of valuable information readily available from your desk—that is, if you know where and how to look for it.