Computer and Web Articles

1. http://tinyurl.com/ybsemv6 - Personally, I think it’s fantastic that you take good care of your computer. Your maintenance efforts will surely prolong the life of your machine. Unfortunately though–just like humans–computers and software do age and, while you can slow down your computers’ aging process, you can’t avoid it altogether. Learn more by visiting this link.
2. http://tinyurl.com/32l6zq - 10 reasons why you should consider using an exercise ball as your office chair.
3. http://tinyurl.com/6yqc5r - Blog usability checklist. It may be from 2007 — but it’s one of those “oldie but goodie” posts.
4. http://tinyurl.com/ybf78pv - Do you, by any chance, happen to have a phone that’s running Android 1.6+? Yes?? Well then, by all means, check out Google Goggles!! This amazing technology actually lets you search the web *using pictures*. Yes, that’s right. Take a photo with your phone and Google Goggles will tell you what you’re looking at. Perhaps you’re on vacation staring at something that you know is … some … famous … landmark … but you can’t quite remember what it’s called. Take a photo with your phone and Google Goggles will come back and say “Oh – that big thing is called the Golden Gate Bridge.” Pretty amazing. It will definitely be fun to watch this technology develop as time goes by.
5. http://tinyurl.com/yeeh9ag - A fun post from Lifehacker on how to creatively hide all your … stuff.

If you’re a regular Excel user, you very well know that when you’re type type typing away inside a cell, hitting the Enter key on your keyboard bumps your cursor down to the next cell. That’s all fine and dandy … if you want to drop down to the next cell, that is.

What if you want to simply start a new line in the cell in which you’re typing? Easy. Instead of just hitting Enter, hold down the Alt key on your keyboard, then hit the Enter key.

Simple as that.

I can hear the whispers now… “Is she crazy??” “Has she lost her mind?” “Is she shooting herself in the foot by writing about this?”

I have a hunch many people will feel a bit suprised by what I’m sharing today. Why? Because the tool purports to do for free the exact service my company offers to clients (not for free): create awesome websites.

Wix.com enables individuals and companies to build their very own Flash websites. For free. The Wix interface offers drag-and-drop site creation and requires zero knowledge of HTML or programming. To sweeten the pot, Wix sites are even search engine friendly!

Musicians can build beautiful sites to present and promote themselves. Designers can build their very own online portfolios using Wix.  Photographers can build their very own online portfolios without paying a web designer one single penny.  In fact, close to three million websites have already been created using Wix.

What’s the catch, you ask? How can such an amazing tool possibly be free? Well, while there is no actual catch, there are a few rules you have to play by. First, you can’t use your own domain name. Second, Wix ads will appear on your website. And third, you are limited to a set amount of bandwidth, storage, and number of pages.

If you’d prefer to build a website free of these limitations, you can do so by upgrading to one of Wix’s Premium Plans. Depending on what you’re looking for (eCommerce? Stats Tracking? Premium support?), a Wix Premium Plan could run you $4.95, $9.90, $14.90, or $19.90 per month. Pay a year in advance and your pricing becomes even cheaper.

And just in case you’re still tottering on the fence, Wix offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee that lets you to try one of their Premium Plans for two weeks and, if you’re not happy, get all your money back. Simple as that.

Check out the features. Check out the galleries of beautiful sites other Wix users have created. No need to hire your own website designer — just sign up, build your own website, and have fun.

1. www.macfreedom.com - Have you ever found yourself wishing, at some point or another, that you could be truly free from the temptations and distractions of the internet? MacFreedom can help you fulfill this wish; it disables networking on your Mac for up to eight hours at a time. No hopping on the Internet “you know, just for two minutes…” (But what happens if there’s an emergency, you ask? No worries — a simple reboot will get you back online.)
2. www.academicearth.org – Learn more. This fantastic site was created with the goal of giving everyone on earth access to world-class education. (Well, everyone on earth with a solid internet connection who understands English, it appears.) The website allows you to view free video lectures/courses from leading universities. There’s an amazing breadth of fascinating topics you can learn about; I highly recommend taking a look. Thanks so much to Marie Orlin for the link!
3. http://tinyurl.com/yfjr4p6 - What are the steps involved in upgrading to Windows 7? Find out right here.
4. www.vark.com - “Aardvark is a new kind of tool that lets you tap into the knowledge and experience of friends and friends-of-friends.” Use Aardvark to find recommendations, answers to questions that come up every day, answers to research questions, advice or second opinions, etc.
5. http://tinyurl.com/y8ryzes - A great blog post by Johnathan Fields explaining why, when it comes to social media, small is the new big. Love the mountain bike madness example.

This is definitely one of those “Well DUH” tips that will cause many an eye to roll.  Yet I’ve come across many Summit County websites that have completley overlooked this basic business website concept.

Assuming you have a company logo (and I hope I’m not assuming too much there?), and assuming you use this logo in places like your business cards, newspaper/magazine ads, on the sides of your trucks, etc., then you should by all means make sure that your logo has prominent placement on every page in your website. Why not just the homepage, you ask? Because some of your site’s visitors first arrive on pages other than your homepage–and they need to be able to quickly orient themselves as well.

Regardless of how your visitors arrive at your website, they need to be able to immediately determine if they’ve arrived at the right place; don’t make a missing or tiny logo to cause them wonder and worry if they’ve ended up on the wrong site.

Take a moment and take a glance at your site. Is your logo a prominent, consistent component on all pages in your site?

QUESTION: I’m not really sure how to get the most out of my LinkedIn account. Any suggestions?
- Lynn, Breckenridge

ANSWER: Well, it depends on what, exactly, you’re trying to achieve by having a LinkedIn account in the first place. Though I’m not aware of your goals, I can still point you in the direction of a great slideshow. (Tip: It’s easier to download it and view it on your computer than it is to try and zoom in and read its content in the little slideshow viewer on the website; you’ll need to create a free account to do this, though.)

Here’s the link: http://tinyurl.com/yh7jobv.

1. www.GoI70.com - Skiers, sightseers, residents and mountain travelers of all kinds now have a new way of planning and optimizing their next trip along I-70. GoI70.com is a new site and mobile phone application dedicated to the I-70 traveler. The site allows you to view current highway speeds, get tips for the best times to travel, and search for a variety of other I-70 related topics, such as trailheads, shopping, parking, lodging, and restaurants located along the I-70 corridor.
2. www.google.com/patents - Did you know that Google lets you conduct online searches of over seven million patents? Take a look for yourself. I was able to locate my great grandfather’s patent from 1893 using the search. Pretty sweet.
3. http://tinyurl.com/yfyt6jd - Let me guess. You spend time, money, or both trying to obtain more incoming links to better your website’s search engine rankings. If so, you might like this article, entitled “Eleven Effective, Efficient Ways to Use Limited Time to Build Links.” The examples offered may not relate directly to the services or products offered by your business, but you’ll likely grab at least a couple new ideas from this list.
4. http://tinyurl.com/yaoo36a - This article, “The ABC’s of Online Networking” contains a list that includes sites, people, engines, applications, and tips on how to best research, establish and network yourself and your business online.
5. http://tinyurl.com/yaremkk - “The Known Universe” - A six and a half minute video that zooms out from Tibet all the way to the limits of the observable universe. Neat.

I found myself struggling to read content on three websites this week.

Not fun. Very frustrating.

The sidebar of one website contained baby blue text on a grass green background, the second website displayed dark gray text on top of a medium gray, and the third website had red text on a royal blue background.

The fact that I, with my pretty darn good eyesight, had to strain to read content in these websites had me wondering what all the people out there with poor eyesight are doing when they arrive at similar visual challenges.

How long does it take people with less-than-perfect eyesight to give up and click away? How many businesses are losing money because their sites’ visitors cannot read their content due to a simple lack of color contrast?

Take a look at your website. Is the text easy to read? Don’t take the basic concept of contrast lightly; all the energy and money you’ve spent advertising, working on your website, and bettering your search engine rankings could be going right down the drain if you’re forcing people to struggle and strain just to read your site’s text.

QUESTION:
Thanks for the previous Windows XP tip to kill indexing and Messenger. Can I do the same in Vista too?
– Pat Tormey, Silverthorne, Colorado

ANSWER:
Yes, you sure can. Here are the steps you need to take for each task.

————————————-

Turning Off Indexing in Vista:

1. Click Start, then Control Panel
2. Click System and Maintenance, then Administrative Tools, then double click Services
3. Locate the service named Windows Search, then right-click it and select Properties from the menu that pops open.
4. Click Stop
5. Now, in the Startup Type drop-down box, choose Disabled
6. Click OK

Turning Off Messenger in Vista:

1. Click Start, then Control Panel, then Uninstall a Program (under Programs)
2. Click MSN Messenger
3. Click Uninstall from the list of options in the new window
4. Click Yes, then wait until the process is done
5. Restart your computer