Computer and Web Articles

Question: I upgraded to Word 2010 and I have to make some new forms but no matter where I look I can’t figure out how to add checkboxes. I looked through all the menus and I couldn’t find the answer on Google. Hope you can help me. –S.M., Silverthorne

Answer: Checkboxes are found in the Developer section of Word 2010. Open Word and look across the top of your screen. You should see File, Home, Insert, Page Layout, etc. If you’ve looked around Word but haven’t seen the form checkbox icon, it sounds like the Developer menu isn’t visible to you.

Here’s all you need to do:

1. Right click on an empty space in the main bar across the top (the one that contains all the icons).
2. Choose “Customize the Ribbon” from the small menu that drops on click.
3. In the list on the right, make sure the “Developer” checkbox is checked, then hit Okay at the bottom.
4. Now look across the top of your screen again. In the menu, you should now see the word “Developer”. Click it.
5. In the icons that are now displayed you’ll see that checkbox icon you’ve been looking for. Click it when you’re ready to insert a checkbox into your document.

Question:
Erin,
I recently got a letter from Domain Registry of America saying that I have to renew my domain name to retain exclusive rights to it on the web. It says the consumer has the choice of registrars when renewing.

They give prices, but I don’t truly understand what this is about. I assumed that once a domain name is registered, it’s for keeps. Apparently not. Can you help educate me?
-Nancy F.

Answer:

Hi Nancy. Here’s what you need to know:

Domain names (such as mygreatwebsite.com) can never be owned forever. In fact you can never own domain names; you can only register them. And when I say register I mean rent. If you let your domain name’s registration lapse, the domain name goes back out into the ether, up for grabs for someone else to take.

Registrars are the companies that manage domain names and rent them out to people like you and me. People go to registrars to register and renew their domain names. The letter you received is correct in saying that you’re free to move your domain name from one registrar to another whenever you want.

However, while you’re free to change registrars at any time, Domain Registry of America is one of the last companies you want to do business with. They make their money by scamming people. They mail documents that look like invoices or warnings out to thousands of people each month, in hopes that their confusing letters and official sounding company name will trick people into switching over to their services. It’s absolutely unethical.

A Google search for “Domain Registry of America” results in page after page of people complaining about being ripped off, cheated, and tricked.

Not counting the company’s official websites, the top result in Google (when I conducted a search) was an article on a public interest consumer advocacy’s website: http://tinyurl.com/3pgh45g.

Hope this helps,
-erin

Question:
Hi Erin. Is there a way to track anyone who looks at your FB page? Albeit an already confirmed friend or not?

Answer:
Unfortunately no, there is not. In fact, if you ever run into an application claiming it can track this information for you, Facebook requests that you report them.

Question:

Hi Erin. I enjoy your weekly tips article in the Summit Daily, and last week’s section on the “fancy font” made me think of a question about fonts I’ve had for a long time: I have thousands of fonts on my computer. If I send a Word document or email message using a font that the receiving person does not have, can they still “read” my message/font? Thanks. – Mike

Answer:

That is a really great question, Mike. The first half of the answer is yes, your recipient will indeed be able to read that message you typed out using your beautiful font. The second half of the answer is no, he won’t see your message the same way you did when you wrote it.

Because the font you used is not installed on your recipient’s machine, his computer will substitute another (likely less beautiful) font in its place.

Question:

Hi Erin. I noticed that in your latest column in the Summit Daily, you admonished people not to use “Welcome to” on their website. And since I have “Welcome to Frisco, Colorado” at the top of the text on my home page, it would seem that you think I should change that. If so, let me know what you think I should replace it with.

– Dave Owens, Frisco CO

Answer:

I do believe it would be a good idea to update that text.

I recommend giving consideration to the following questions; they can help you keep on track. The content I’d ultimately recommend you use on your home page would be strongly influenced by your answers.

1. What do my site’s visitors truly care about?
2. What problems or challenges are my site’s visitors likely looking to solve when they arrive at my home page?
3. Do potential clients arriving at my site for the first time already have a clear understanding of the various services and/or products I offer?
4. What makes me unique? Can I (concisely!) convey this uniqueness and explain why potential clients should use my services and/or products instead of my competitors’?
5. Do my current clients have any reason to visit my site? If so, what type of home page content might be helpful to them?

The short answer to your great question, Dave, is this: Welcome your site’s visitors with information they’ll find helpful or compelling (or both). Focus on placing content your visitors care about at the top of your homepage and you won’t need to use fluffy, unhelpful statements like “Welcome to our site!”

Question:
Erin, I read your column, even though I am somewhat computer illiterate. I have a question for you: How does Facebook make money? We saw the movie “Social Network” and we were stymied by the fact that the founder is a billionaire. Thanks for your help.
- Rita Adams (Summit County, Colorado)

Answer:
Facebook makes the majority of its money in the same way oh-so-many businesses, blogs, online services, television channels and magazines make their money. There’s no secret to it. It’s plain ol’ advertising. They sell ad space.

If you consider Facebook’s truly massive membership base along with Facebook’s capability to target specific audiences based on their interests, it becomes easier to envision the incredible goldmine Facebook can offer to eager advertisers.

After last week’s Q&A on web browsers ran, I received an email from Kilburn Hall here in Frisco pointing out a couple of (really great) points worth sharing.

Point #1
First, Kilburn pointed out I had failed to mention his favorite web browser: Flock.

Flock is a sort of … suped-up social web browser that’s powered by the same technology as Firefox.

Flock comes chock-full of social tools designed to help you manage your social media accounts, keep track of your friends, and stay updated on important news and communications. We’re talking built-in, easy-to-use blog editor. Built-in RSS reader. Capability to drag-and-drop images and links right into outgoing tweets. Built-in “you have new mail in your webmail account” notifier. We’re talking about a browser that simplifies:

• the management of your Twitter and Facebook accounts
• the maintenance of your WordPress, Blogger, or Typepad blog
• the tracking and sharing of your photos
• making the most of your Favorites
• checking in on what your friends are up to

Flock offers little to people who go online to, say…simply check their email, read the morning news, or buy an occasional book. But for the all-day emailers, bloggers, and regular users of Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr, Flock offers a world of coolness.

Sound good? Learn more about Flock right here: www.Flock.com.

Point #2
Kilburn Hall also wrote, “And a additional glaring error- Google Chrome does not work on operating systems 10.5 or below. Nor does Internet 8.”

Though I never stated that Google Chrome or Internet Explorer 8 ran on Mac OS 10.5 or below,
Kilburn touches upon an unfortunate fact: rarely do space constraints allow me to list all the many compatibility details associated with the programs, plugins, browsers, and accessories I mention in my articles.

Though I mention and discuss various products and programs here in this article, please know I can’t make recommendations and suggestions that work for everyone. We all have different computers and unique combinations of operating systems, programs, monitors, settings, and configurations. We all use our computers and the web in different ways and have different personal preferences. If I ever mention something that sounds appealing to you, please take a bit of time to learn more about it and find out if it will be compatible with your computer, your Operating System, your programs, and the way you use technology.

I would love to provide customized information and list all the compatibility allowances and restraints for everything I mention in this article. However, I have this crazy hunch that no matter how politely I asked, the editors here at the Summit Daily would never concede to giving me the necessary number of pages it would take for me to do so.  

Question:
There are so many internet browsers these days (google chrome, mozilla, firefox, internet explorer, yahoo) - how should I determine which browser I should be using? Is there one that supports more advanced websites better? Is there one that prevails as far as security features and protecting my computer?
- Christine Spiller, Silverthorne CO

Answer:
Before I answer your question, allow me to first quickly clear up a couple points:

1. I’ve not heard mention of a Yahoo! browser for at least half a decade now, so I don’t think you need to worry about that one.
2. Mozilla is actually not a browser. It’s an organization, a brand. We’ve got Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Google’s Chrome, and Mozilla’s Firefox. (Though Mozilla offers other browsing applications, its most popular and well-known browser is Firefox.)

Now. Back to your question. How to determine which browser to use… sigh. I truly wish I had an great answer for you. Unfortunately, this question is almost like asking “With which political party should I align myself?” You’ll get folks from the various parties voicing their (strong) opinions and, before you know it, things get ugly and everyone is shouting profanities at one another.

Which browser is the most secure? Some people will tell you Opera is the most secure browser: http://tinyurl.com/2ecdsya. Others will insist the answer is Chrome: http://tinyurl.com/28m2sec. Still others will swear that Internet Explorer 8 is the most secure: http://tinyurl.com/ybfamy7 (yet it appears many of these folks are pointing to Microsoft-sponsored research studies as proof…)

Personally, I prefer Chrome for the majority of my web browsing as I find it to be the quickest to load and respond. I use Internet Explorer 8 when I visit certain Microsoft-related sites (such as the Windows Updates section of the Microsoft site) or the occasional site that seems to have been built with no browser but IE8 in mind. Sometimes I use Firefox—occasionally out of habit, occasionally because of an extension I like. Though I’m not a Mac person, I do run Safari on one of my computers so I can ensure that the websites my company builds look great in that browser as well.

Just a couple months ago there was a really great blog post over at Lifehacker discussing the usage of Chrome vs. Firefox. I encourage you to take a look: http://tinyurl.com/y9pp5ag.

I know I didn’t provide you with a fantastic response here, but there truly is no definitive answer.

Nonetheless, there are two browser-related recommendations I will categorically make:

1. Don’t use AOL. Just … don’t. If you’re using it, stop. Use something else.
2. Whatever browser you use, make sure you’re using the most up-to-date (but not beta) version. Internet Explorer 8 may work for you, but using Internet Explorer 6 will likely keep you from experiencing the web as you should. (Please, please upgrade if you’re using Internet Explorer 6. If you’re not sure what browser version you’re using, read last week’s article. If you’re not sure how to find last week’s article, visit my article archive at www.ComputerAndWebArticles.com.)

Last week at Copper I found myself sitting on a chairlift with an older fellow who (it appeared) had just downed 5 shots of espresso. Everything would have been okay had he not (somehow) suddenly recognized me from the photo that regularly accompanies my articles.

And so I found myself robotically answering his questions as the chairlift continued to whisk us uphill. “Yes, version 3.0 this” “No, it’s not normal when that pops up every day.” “No, we don’t fix computers; we design and build websites.”

As we began to near the end of our ride the fellow leaned over and asked, “So. If you could only, say, choose ONE technology or tech-related-thing that you could use, what would it be? What’s your favorite technology??”

I quickly looked over at him. My grin faded as I discovered that he was, indeed, truly expecting an actual answer from me. I sighed but figured it would be more polite to respond than it would be to turn my music back on and ignore him for the last 30 seconds of our chair ride.

I sat in silence for a moment pondering how I could possibly provide an even semi-coherent answer in response to such an odd, uncomfortably vague question.

Pictures of online tools and blindingly-fast processors and super-wide-screen monitors and shiny iPhones and GPS gadgets and the like flashed through my mind. Yet nothing I visualized struck me as something I couldn’t possibly live without.

I remained quiet and in thought as we neared the end of our lift ride. The bar came up. The fellow continued to stare at me, waiting for my response.

And then,just like that, I knew exactly how to answer his question.

“Well,” I said as he raised his eyebrows expectantly. “In all honesty, if I could only choose ONE thing… I’d have to say that I’d choose that fancy technology they use at SureFoot down at the base there in Center Village. You know – they have those fancy scanners and they make custom footbeds for you? THAT technology makes it so I can have a super good time when I’m out here, way more so than I used to be able to. And to me, seriously, that’s way more important than iPhones and iPads and all those things. So yeah, that would have to be my answer. That’s my favorite technology. You really should go try it yourself. Plus all those guys are super nice in there and they help you out, so it’s really cool. You’d love it. I do. I mean, it lets me have way more fun, and that’s why I live here, you know?”

As we stood up and rode down the mellow slope away from the lift I glanced over at the fellow. He was frowning. Actually, it was more like he was … scowling. He went left, I went right. And I had an awesome run thanks to my most favorite technology.