Computer and Web Articles

You want a free website for your business, right? Of course you do.

I’ve mentioned a few options in the past (such as www.Wix.com), but if my previous suggestions haven’t tickled your fancy, consider heading over to www.Yola.com.

Great looking websites.
Easy to use tools.
Free with optional paid upgrades.

Check it out.

Just about all major search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.) allow you to drop a UPS tracking number into their search boxes. Hit enter and the search results will give you a direct link to your tracking page. I’ve always found this functionality rather convenient.

A month ago I shared with you how easy it is to determine what browser and browser version you use.

Today I’m admitting there’s actually a much easier way to locate this information (as well as some important related details).

That’s right. The next time someone asks you for any of the following:

1. your browser
2. your browser version
3. your operating system
4. your IP address
5. your user agent string

…don’t fret. Just visit www.thismachine.info. The moment you arrive you’ll find all the above-listed information displayed on your screen. It’s like your little private cheat sheet.

Go ahead and bookmark this page so that the next time tech support/your webmaster/that warranty card asks you for any of the above-listed details, you won’t feel like a deer in the headlights; you’ll instead be able to provide an accurate answer with ease.

I recently received the following note in my inbox, courtesy of dear reader Joan Lavell:

Hi Erin, In response to your recent column in the SDN, Google also has an autofill feature you can set up with your name, address, email address, and even some other info I don’t use. I use this feature all the time when I have to fill out forms with my information; you can do it with one click.

… And Joan is exactly right. Lots of people love the Autofill feature of the Google Toolbar and use it on a regular (often daily) basis. For a great overview (with pictures!) of this convenience-offering, time-saving, easy-to-use-once-you’ve-set-it-up tool, visit http://tinyurl.com/ypl8fv.

Clicking on links in websites only to discover they take you to error pages is no fun. And this is exactly why I’m assuming you wouldn’t want to have broken links in your own website. (How did I do there? Was my assumption correct?)

To the inexperienced, the concept of fixing broken links may seem tedious. In fact, I know many people who once assumed that to address the issue, one had to go through a website and manually click every single individual link, one by one, to determine which needed to be fixed. Nonsense.

Head over to the handy-dandy link checker right here: http://validator.w3.org/checklink and pop your website’s address into the field at the top of the page. Check the “hide redirects” box, then click the big Check button below.

If your website is a large one, go grab yourself a cup of coffee and come back in a bit.

Once the link checker has finished up its work, you’ll have yourself a nice little broken link report telling you exactly which (if any) links in your website need fixin’. Easy as cake. (Now go fix your links before you frustrate more of your website’s visitors!)

“Ever been annoyed by all those ads and banners on the internet that often take longer to download than everything else on the page? Install Adblock now and get rid of them.”

Here’s a quick overview video: http://tinyurl.com/bcajka, the link where you can download the Extension: http://tinyurl.com/2cd87q, and the official Adblock website: http://adblockplus.org.

Remember, this is a tool that you can take advantage of only if you’re using Firefox as your web browser.

Give it a shot and see if it makes your web-browsing experience more enjoyable. If you don’t like it, simply uninstall it in Firefox by going to Tools > Addons > Extensions and clicking “Uninstall.”

Craiglook.com acts as a simple remix/mashup of everyone’s-favorite-and-ever-so-popular-because-it’s-so-useful Craigslist.com.

Craiglook helps make your Craigslist searches more efficient by allowing you to:

• specify your search radius
• enter your minimum and maximum prices
• see how far away your results items are located
• view sellers’ phone numbers without having to visit individual listings
• skim through the convenient image previews

Give it a shot and leave a comment — let me know what you think.

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.

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.