Archive for the ‘advice’ Category

A few months ago Google introduced the Google+ project, a new social networking and real-life sharing website. By keeping up with social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter and Myspace, Google is staying on the cutting edge of social media.

Since yesterday, the Google homepage has had an arrow in the top left corner pointing to the new “You” tab at the very left. If you create a Google+ account and are signed in, that “You” would become your user name.

In order to make a Google+ account you can either sign in with your existing Google account or simply create a new one. Google+ is still in Beta, so concerning the new features that are still in development, you may run into technical issues from time to time.

Once a member, update your public Google+ profile by uploading a photo to help friends recognize you and send them invitations to join your circle. Google Plus connects with Picasa™ Web Albums for uploading entire albums of photos, which is a website somewhat resembling Flickr.

With Google+ you can create circles of people to share with then add more people to your circles by connecting with MSN Hotmail, Android and Yahoo! By creating “social circles”, Google+ allows users to organize their friends into groups. Google+ lets you start a hangout and have fun with all your circles using your live webcam as well.

Take the Google+ project tour, and stay posted on my blog for news, tips and advice concerning internet related topics.

Google Earth 6 now has enhanced features that you just can’t afford to miss. Get the up to minute temperature in any region in the world with a quick zoom. See conditions, precipitation and weather patterns around the entire planet. Google Earth is a great way to explore your world without having to leave the comfort of your computer chair.

You can search the entire world with and locate just about any landmark or location on the planet with ease. Become a world traveler and have access to cities across the globe with Google Earth. Dive into the depths of the ocean, explore remote islands and even fly away to faraway galaxies.

With Google Earth you can locate any businesses such as restaurants, hotels, airports and other attractions by name, address or city with one click. View roads, buildings, oceans and even weather from street view or from up above. With a 360 degree street view, Google Earth makes you feel like you’re right there standing on the road with the ability to look in any direction.

Recently Google Earth had added some long awaited updates to their software. These updates allow the user to experience Google Earth in a way like never before such as a “drive around” ground level view where you can literally tour cities by moving your mouse roller forward and backward. These same software updates allow the user to go back in time on map views as far back as 1995.

Now you’re not limited to just exploring the Earth. Without a download you can use Google Moon to see the moon’s surface and Google Sky to view the many stars and planets of our solar system up close.

Keep posted on my blog and website for internet related news, tips and advice, or contact me for details on a small business web design by phone or email!

The photos on the left are originals of myself and father and grandmother, taken up in China, Maine near the cottages we were staying in during our stay from August 6th through the 20th. The photos on the right side are richer and more vibrant due to adjustments of some color options with Irfanview. (For larger view click on photo)

For Irfanview, located on the ‘Image’ tab below the ‘color corrections’ option should be a series of color related functions including contrast, brightness, gamma correction, saturation and color balance. Raising the saturation gives photos much more vibrant color. Adjust each function independently in order to get the desired effect. Different photo editing and viewing programs have unique options to apply to the original photo, so discover what effects are available by exploring yours.

Follow my blog for tips and advice dealing with web design and other internet related topics. Bookmark my website for future reference and sharing with friends. Have a look in my resources section for free and safe online programs and websites that may be new to you!

Ever wanted to be able to download all the MP3 music you wanted but couldn’t find a website you could trust? Well now the solution to that problem is beind you with the DVD Videosoft Youtube to MP3 converter.

Not only have the ability to convert your favorite Youtube songs to MP3, but also, practically anything that is on Youtube is now yours to download for free. Standup comedy, television shows, documentaries and even movie clips can now be on your iPod, MP3 player or iPhone.

Simply install the software, choose “Free Youtube to MP3″, paste the Youtube links then click “download”. The files appear in a folder you can open after the downloading is complete. The program even has a Youtube to iPod converter to convert videos to your devices such as PSP, iPhone or iPad.

The recent update to the software has given the program easier navigation, a softer look and a simplified setup divided into 8 tabs: YouTube, MP3 & sound, CD, DVD, DVD & video, photos, mobiles, apple devices and 3D. Due to copyright reasons, some videos may not be downloadable from YouTube.

Contact me today for web design related tips and advice and bookmark my blog for the latest on internet related topics.

As the most popular social media website around and the second most popular website in terms of new accounts, Facebook attracts members of all ages. With currently over a steadily growing 750 million active Facebook users, the opportunity for using this social media platform for business purposes arises.

Facebook allows users to introduce webinars, podcasts, blog posts, articles, products and services while connecting with current and potential clients. Create a community around your business and be discovered by those who are searching for your products and services through advertising and promotion online. It is these connections which lead to referrals, customers and return clients.

Privacy settings control which portions of your profile different connections can or cannot see. Using this function allows you to decide what aspects of your business are exposed to your friends and those not friended yet.

Engage with potential customers online by being helpful, informative and providing interaction. One good practice is to ‘like’ other businesses who may need your product or service. When they return the favor and ‘like’ your page, their individual fans will be exposed to what you do as well.

Remember, social media can be a positive experience, but as with anything else online, you should be careful of what you click on. Read my post on Viral Infections on Facebook to better prepare yourself before diving in.

Use the Facebook logo on your printed material, business cards and website. Don’t have a website for your small business? Contact me today for ideas to promote your business with a custom website design for a fair price!

Now more than ever, you could receive a link with concerns of trustability. Don’t get caught off guard and risk infection to your computer. Be prepared in case an incident arises.

Realize that most links you share with those you trust are safe with no reason for worry. If one of your friends’ or contacts’ accounts are compromised, they may not have control over what their messenger or social media sends to their contacts.

There are a variety of possibilities in which the victim receives an infected link including instant messenger, e-mail, Facebook, Skype and Twitter. Identifying a dangerous link is usually obvious, but all it takes is that one time of clicking without thinking. It is better to be safe than sorry so always remain aware.

Check who you are communicating with. Chances are that if they don’t reply after sending you something like, “I have a science project due tomorrow will you please take this iq quiz, http://iqtest1018.com”, then they aren’t really messaging you.

Detecting whether a link is safe is much like deciphering spam in your email, social media or blog comments. If you are sent a questionable link don’t click it, but research what it is with Google or check its integrity with a website like virustotal.com. This website is a URL and file anaylsis tool but be aware, it isn’t guaranteed 100% accurate for detecting viruses.

Bookmark my blog for internet related news, tips and advice, and contact me by phone or email today concerning your idea for a small business website!

When you install WordPress for your blog, they automatically put what is known as a “trackback file” in the main section of your blog folder. The actual file shows up in your blog folder as “wp-trackback.php”, and has no use except to send you an email pertaining to changes in your WordPress. This file is used to reference comments made on your blog and post changes you may have made in the backend admin, then send you an email with a notification.

When you upgrade your WordPress to the latest versions, WordPress automatically installs the trackback file again. Therefore in order to prevent the trackback messages from clogging up your email, you may want to delete the file each time you have a new update. The file has no purpose that affects the functionality of your blog, so deleting it won’t have any adverse effects.

Keep posted on my blog and website for news, tips and advice concerning internet related topics. Contact me today for ideas related to starting up your own small business website, and inquire about my blog writing services to keep your blog full of fresh new content on a regular basis.

A clean computer is the key to an efficiently running system. In order to keep your computer running smoothly and speedy, follow these cleanup tips and advice.

One of the most common problems for a computer is the accumulation of dust around the internal fans. It is very important to eliminate any dust because it could be blocking fans, shorting out your circuit board or even be a potential fire hazard. If you don’t keep up on the physical maintenance of your computer you could be forcing it to work harder than it needs to, and risk damaging it in the process.

Before cleaning your computer from dust, be sure to unplug the system from power sources. The last thing you want is to get electrocuted or fry your system by touching the wrong components.

Don’t ever work on an electronic device while it is plugged into the wall.

Opening the tower should be easy in most cases, using a screwdriver and simply sliding the case off. You should see that the majority of dust will be found around the fans inside. Clumps of dust can be easily grabbed with tweezers, and you should wipe down the flat surfaces with a dry rag where needed. Blowing the dust out with a canned air duster works great to do detailed job, but remember to protect yourself from breathing any dust in.

Not only does your computer need physical care, but maximizing free memory is important as well. Your computer can run faster if you delete unnecessary files, including temporary files and cookies. A registry cleaner is particularly helpful with deleting temporary files and cookies your computer’s desk cleanup options just won’t catch. Follow the instructions I provide on the page.

I suggest having a look through Useful Computer Maintenance Tools for more options to keep your system in great shape such as a registry cleaner and desktop cleanup tips. Contact me today for any website design project ideas or more ideas to keep your website content fresh.

To keep your customers involved in your business online, simple website navigation is an important factor. Imagine a natural flowing positive website experience, and consider these tips for a web design that is easy to navigate your way through.

The sections of your small business website that you want your websurfers to naturally land on should stick out like a sore thumb. Think about which parts of your website you want visitors to be sure not to miss. When someone cannot locate their particular topic of interest, chances are they could bounce off to another website. The object is to keep them digging for more, and eventually bookmark you and refer you to others.

In order for your website visitors to navigate easily, it may be a good idea to add a sitemap to sections with numerous pages. When a single tab grows large enough you may even want to make a short guide list for reference. On my website I created a Resources Sitemap which covers everything under my “Resources” tab on one page.

Consider having tabs across the top so your potential customers can find what they are looking for quickly and easily. Make the custom website design intended for function so everything is simple to find.

Group your most important links together on a sidebar at the left or right. Highlighting the links you think are the most important and using bold appropriately can easily guide your website visitors where they need to go as well.

Visit my blog and website on a regular basis for web design related tips, news and advice, and contact me by email to discuss your own small business custom website design.

Lunascape’s new internet browser is supposedly faster than Internet Explorer and even Mozilla Firefox. Obviously the look is a bit different and takes some getting used to, but there were a few features I found rather useful.

Near the top right is a dropdown menu that allows you to keep updated on news from The New York Times, CNN, BBC and many other sources. The topics show one by one and if you are interested in the headline, simply click on it.

Lunascape6 allows the user to browse in many different versions with what’s known as a “triple search engine”. The three formats offered by Lunascape6 are the Trident (Internet Explorer), Gecko (Firefox), and Webkit themes (Lunascape’s own).

If you are used to Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox, Lunascape allows you to import your add-ons and plug-ins from your current browser.

As the world’s first and only triple engine browser, Lunascape6 has been downloaded over 20 million times and is available in 12 languages worldwide. For a new kind of speed and versatility try it yourself today!

Keep posted on my blog and website for news, tips and advice in the world of web design and internet related topics. Contact me today for ways to get a website or blog set up for your own small business.