Being the total opposite to a technical person, it is hard to imagine future Internet software advances. The techno-humans have come up with incredible ideas and subsequently their ideas have come to fruition. It seems like anything a human puts their mind to can be done. Our species has come such a long way, but I feel the key to the next part in our evolution of technology and consciousness is to integrate the ideas of the average person. Who do we build all this technology for anyway? I think it’s made for humans to have a better life. It’s time to start making the technological advances in computing with the non-computer-based people of the world in mind. A famous American journalist Sidney J. Harris once said,
“The real danger is not that computers will begin to think like men, but that men will begin to think like computers.”
Computer and Internet specialists have to realize that they have gone so deep into their fields that they now can no longer see what the computer world looks like to a novice like myself. All this techno-jargon and hundreds of different types of software can be quite overwhelming to a normal person who just wants to take part in this new way of interacting with reality and society.
We’ve got to simplify if we want this awesome force to be integrated into our lives in its highest form. I know the Internet is growing at an incredible rate already. One only has to look at the example of India to see the incredible mark Information Technology has made. You can go into a tiny village that looks relatively the same as it has been for fifty years; the general infrastructure is shocking: broken traffic lights, decrepit buildings, power lines splaying out in chaotic patterns. But, something big has changed; each town now has a satellite dish, and an ISP connection (Internet Service Provider)! This is truly amazing. However I believe it is only the beginning of a new revolution that will arrive when we simplify the information and communication processes.
So what’s the special answer to the sacred question? Well, I haven’t got all the ideas, but I know of six billion human souls out there who I’m sure would have an opinion if you asked them. Find out what people really want and need. Recently I wrote an article on how great it would be if we could get our News from multiple sources instead of the one-to-many, top-down structure that feeds us so much negativity today. An opportunity to only read relevant News to the individual’s liking also sounds like a great project to take on. Wouldn’t it also be great if we could communicate easily with others of similar interests? E.g.: Finding the blogs and websites that interest us without having to search for days on end to find them!
These are just a couple ideas the software masters could approach to make the new revolution of collective consciousness and independent thinking a reality. I truly believe the Internet could be the gate of entry into a new dimension for the average citizen of Earth, a dimension that thrives on the sharing of knowledge from multiple perspectives, communication that involves everyone, and incredible access to individuals who you’ve always wanted to meet. Come on people, let’s get with the program! Humans are a resilient, powerful race of creatures; it’s time to duplicate all this energy we’ve put into producing technology and put it into making it easily used by the masses for positive means. The plant has grown into a tall healthy tree, now it’s time to harvest the fruit of all our labor.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
More Cool Web Tricks
If you ask most people what frustrates them most about the Internet, many of them will tell you "It's the little things!"
It seems like all the great tricks and tips that make people exclaim "STOP! How did you do that?" never make it into any manual (at least where I can find them).
My father (and co-author of "Turn Words Into Traffic") calls it the "reverse oral tradition" of computing, where children teach parents the survival skills of PC life.
Well, if you want to look good to your kids or buddies around the water cooler, check out the following cool web tricks.
~^~ Cool Google Tricks ~^~
Virtually everyone knows that Google.com ranks at the top of most people's search engine lists, but it does a lot more than just tell you where to find vitamins or information on George Washington's wooden teeth!
Need a map to a specific location?
Type in the address, city and state of virtually any location in the US, hit the search button, and Google serves up several different map providers across the Web.
Want to know what software application a certain file goes with on your computer?
Input the file name into Google's search box and a number of reference sites will help you know exactly what purpose a file serves.
I actually used this to feature to identify a piece of "spyware" lurking on my computer.
Want to know who's calling you on the phone in the US?
You can just input the phone number on your caller ID or cell phone display into the Google search box and get information on listed numbers before your answering machine can even pick up!
Log on to http://www.google.com/help/features.html for more cool search features that harness the search power of Google.
~^~ Text Zoom ~^~
Next time you can't see small text clearly on a website, try holding down the "CTRL" key and then moving the scroll wheel on your mouse up and down.
The text in your web browser (and some programs) will increase and decrease in size as you roll the wheel back and forth.
This little trick provides an excellent means of quickly getting what you need from websites with tiny text.
~^~ Slow Surfing? ~^~
If your Internet Explorer web browser starts giving you problems, you might want to clean up your "Temporary Internet Files."
Most people don't realize it, but when you leave a web page, it doesn't leave you!
Most of the time you keep a copy of websites you visit on your hard drive and, over time, they build up.
This collection of old web pages can eventually cause your surfing to slow to a crawl and even cause errors!
Here's one way to clear out those old files. Click your "Start" button, then "All Programs," "Accessories," "System Tools" and "Disk Cleanup."
After an initial check of your hard drive (which can take some time if it's the first time you've ever launched the utility), you can check the boxes of the files you wish to delete.
To speed up your surfing, at a minimum, make sure you delete the "Temporary Internet Files."
~^~ Surfing Shortcuts ~^~
To quickly cycle back and forth through a series of web pages you've visited, hold down the "ALT" key and tap your left and right arrow keys.
Left arrow takes you back while the Right arrow takes you forward.
The Page Up and Page Down buttons allow you to quickly move up and down any web page without struggling to find the scroll bar slider on the right side of the page.
It seems like all the great tricks and tips that make people exclaim "STOP! How did you do that?" never make it into any manual (at least where I can find them).
My father (and co-author of "Turn Words Into Traffic") calls it the "reverse oral tradition" of computing, where children teach parents the survival skills of PC life.
Well, if you want to look good to your kids or buddies around the water cooler, check out the following cool web tricks.
~^~ Cool Google Tricks ~^~
Virtually everyone knows that Google.com ranks at the top of most people's search engine lists, but it does a lot more than just tell you where to find vitamins or information on George Washington's wooden teeth!
Need a map to a specific location?
Type in the address, city and state of virtually any location in the US, hit the search button, and Google serves up several different map providers across the Web.
Want to know what software application a certain file goes with on your computer?
Input the file name into Google's search box and a number of reference sites will help you know exactly what purpose a file serves.
I actually used this to feature to identify a piece of "spyware" lurking on my computer.
Want to know who's calling you on the phone in the US?
You can just input the phone number on your caller ID or cell phone display into the Google search box and get information on listed numbers before your answering machine can even pick up!
Log on to http://www.google.com/help/features.html for more cool search features that harness the search power of Google.
~^~ Text Zoom ~^~
Next time you can't see small text clearly on a website, try holding down the "CTRL" key and then moving the scroll wheel on your mouse up and down.
The text in your web browser (and some programs) will increase and decrease in size as you roll the wheel back and forth.
This little trick provides an excellent means of quickly getting what you need from websites with tiny text.
~^~ Slow Surfing? ~^~
If your Internet Explorer web browser starts giving you problems, you might want to clean up your "Temporary Internet Files."
Most people don't realize it, but when you leave a web page, it doesn't leave you!
Most of the time you keep a copy of websites you visit on your hard drive and, over time, they build up.
This collection of old web pages can eventually cause your surfing to slow to a crawl and even cause errors!
Here's one way to clear out those old files. Click your "Start" button, then "All Programs," "Accessories," "System Tools" and "Disk Cleanup."
After an initial check of your hard drive (which can take some time if it's the first time you've ever launched the utility), you can check the boxes of the files you wish to delete.
To speed up your surfing, at a minimum, make sure you delete the "Temporary Internet Files."
~^~ Surfing Shortcuts ~^~
To quickly cycle back and forth through a series of web pages you've visited, hold down the "ALT" key and tap your left and right arrow keys.
Left arrow takes you back while the Right arrow takes you forward.
The Page Up and Page Down buttons allow you to quickly move up and down any web page without struggling to find the scroll bar slider on the right side of the page.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Is Your Email Address "Blacklisted?"
A lady emailed me yesterday very upset over the fact that her friend's Internet Service Provider (ISP) wasn't delivering important email messages.
This lack of delivery caused a real problem for the two of them with ruined plans, missed appointments, and just plain inconvenience.
If you don't use email, this might not sounds like a "big deal."
But this problem of non-delivery has dramatically affected the way businesses use email and is now about to reach epidemic proportions for consumers using email.
To put things into perspective, imagine if every time you dialed a friend's phone number you had no idea whether it would ring or not.
Now imagine how frustrated you would feel over time if you kept dialing the same number and it never rang for you, but others could get through and your friend's phone number never changed.
That's exactly how you'll feel when your personal emails start getting blocked for seemingly no reason.
The problem of legitimate email messages not getting through stems from the uncontrolled and unstoppable onslaught of spam that currently grips the Internet with seemingly no end in sight.
The fact that viruses can now "spoof" email addresses and make it look like someone sent a virus to thousands of people doesn't help matters either.
In an effort to cut down on spam, ISP's implement a number of counter-measures, including: text filters, spam databases, and IP blocking.
If your email message doesn't get delivered, most of the time it means you inadvertently got caught in an ISP's "defense system."
If you ever find your email messages don't get through, or if you'd like to head off problems before they occur, the following tips should help.
Encourage all your email contacts to "whitelist" your email address in their email program.
Just like you can say which email addresses you don't want to get messages from, you can specify a list of email addresses you always want accept.
In Yahoo or Hotmail you can set up your filters to accept email messages from a certain source regardless of the subject line or content of the message.
It takes a little patience to set up, but it pays big dividends by not losing important messages.
With Outlook and Outlook Express, you can set up message rules to always accept messages from certain senders.
If you send messages to people who use AOL, try this technique. Get them to add you to their address book "safelist" or "approved senders."
This helps AOL identify that the message recipient "knows" you and has a higher likelihood of actually wanting to receive your message.
Email AOL tech support for help on this if you encounter a problem.
If filtering and "white" listing don't work, then your friend needs to contact their ISP to sort out the problem.
Their ISP can certainly figure out why messages don't get through, but it may take some concerted encouragement to get the ISP's customer service to take the time to investigate the cause.
This lack of delivery caused a real problem for the two of them with ruined plans, missed appointments, and just plain inconvenience.
If you don't use email, this might not sounds like a "big deal."
But this problem of non-delivery has dramatically affected the way businesses use email and is now about to reach epidemic proportions for consumers using email.
To put things into perspective, imagine if every time you dialed a friend's phone number you had no idea whether it would ring or not.
Now imagine how frustrated you would feel over time if you kept dialing the same number and it never rang for you, but others could get through and your friend's phone number never changed.
That's exactly how you'll feel when your personal emails start getting blocked for seemingly no reason.
The problem of legitimate email messages not getting through stems from the uncontrolled and unstoppable onslaught of spam that currently grips the Internet with seemingly no end in sight.
The fact that viruses can now "spoof" email addresses and make it look like someone sent a virus to thousands of people doesn't help matters either.
In an effort to cut down on spam, ISP's implement a number of counter-measures, including: text filters, spam databases, and IP blocking.
If your email message doesn't get delivered, most of the time it means you inadvertently got caught in an ISP's "defense system."
If you ever find your email messages don't get through, or if you'd like to head off problems before they occur, the following tips should help.
Encourage all your email contacts to "whitelist" your email address in their email program.
Just like you can say which email addresses you don't want to get messages from, you can specify a list of email addresses you always want accept.
In Yahoo or Hotmail you can set up your filters to accept email messages from a certain source regardless of the subject line or content of the message.
It takes a little patience to set up, but it pays big dividends by not losing important messages.
With Outlook and Outlook Express, you can set up message rules to always accept messages from certain senders.
If you send messages to people who use AOL, try this technique. Get them to add you to their address book "safelist" or "approved senders."
This helps AOL identify that the message recipient "knows" you and has a higher likelihood of actually wanting to receive your message.
Email AOL tech support for help on this if you encounter a problem.
If filtering and "white" listing don't work, then your friend needs to contact their ISP to sort out the problem.
Their ISP can certainly figure out why messages don't get through, but it may take some concerted encouragement to get the ISP's customer service to take the time to investigate the cause.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Accept Credit Cards Online without a Merchant Account
It is often assumed if you want to accept credit cards on your website that you must have a merchant account. This is not the case. You can accept credit cards with a Third Party credit card processor.
1) What is a Third Party Credit Card Processor?
A Third Party credit card processor is a company that will accept credit card payments on behalf of you or your company. The payments your customers make are processed through the Third Party's own merchant account, and you the retailer is paid (minus a commission fee) by the Third Party processor.
No need to pay for expensive processing software, monthly fees or minimum transaction fees. As you only pay a percentage fee on a sale, you cannot lose money.
2) Should I have a Merchant Account or Third Party Processor?
For most businesses this decision will be made according to the size of the company. Most small businesses do not need their own merchant account.
Small businesses are better off with a Third Party processor. The advantage is that when you sell your products, the Third Party processor takes care of the payment by checking the card, processing it, and sending you a monthly check.
Larger businesses with a bigger turnover are likely to need a full merchant account. You will pay a bigger set-up fee for an online merchant account but pay less per transaction than with a Third Party processor. So recouping your initial outlay.
So there it is, unless you have a large business it is possible to accept credit cards online with a Third Party processor.
1) What is a Third Party Credit Card Processor?
A Third Party credit card processor is a company that will accept credit card payments on behalf of you or your company. The payments your customers make are processed through the Third Party's own merchant account, and you the retailer is paid (minus a commission fee) by the Third Party processor.
No need to pay for expensive processing software, monthly fees or minimum transaction fees. As you only pay a percentage fee on a sale, you cannot lose money.
2) Should I have a Merchant Account or Third Party Processor?
For most businesses this decision will be made according to the size of the company. Most small businesses do not need their own merchant account.
Small businesses are better off with a Third Party processor. The advantage is that when you sell your products, the Third Party processor takes care of the payment by checking the card, processing it, and sending you a monthly check.
Larger businesses with a bigger turnover are likely to need a full merchant account. You will pay a bigger set-up fee for an online merchant account but pay less per transaction than with a Third Party processor. So recouping your initial outlay.
So there it is, unless you have a large business it is possible to accept credit cards online with a Third Party processor.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Why Buy a Used Laptop Instead of New?
If you're planning to purchase a laptop or notebook (note that laptops and notebooks are the same thing), consider buying used or refurbished laptop. A refurbished laptop is a used laptop that has been rebuilt by a professional, and made to be like new again.
First, let us take a moment to consider your needs in a laptop. What do you plan to do with your laptop? Do you your plans include the following:
* Surfing the internet
* Checking emails
* Instant messenger
* Writing papers
* Printing Papers
* Making spreadsheets
* Slide Presentations
* Playing Solitaire
* Downloading MP3's
* Listening to MP3's
* Burning to CD's
* Watching DVD's
* Digital camera photo
* Children's games
* Keeping bank figures
* Small business use
* The lists goes on...
Most used laptops will easily complete all of the above mentioned tasks for you. What's really great is that for most current applications on a refurbished laptop, you won't notice a performance difference compared to a brand new laptop.
How is that possible to not notice a difference between a brand new laptop and a refurbished one?
That's a good question. The fact is, most current software for your computer is not designed to need the high performance of a brand new laptop. Computer manufactures are moving so fast, that software makers simply do not keep up. Most current software will run on a computer 4 times slower than the fastest laptops made.
Most current software will run flawlessly on a computer 4 times slower than the fastest laptops made.
What does that mean for you? It means that it's not necessary to spend $1500 or more on a top of the line laptop. Depending on your needs from your laptop, you may be able to buy a laptop for as low as $250. A $250 laptop will perform all the necessary tasks for most people. However, if you are looking for a laptop that will burn CD's and watch DVD movies, expect to spend $400 - $750.
Dell says I can buy a brand new laptop for $699, why should I buy a used one?
This is a very smart, and very much overlooked, marketing trick. Let me start by saying that I think Dell is the best computer manufacture on the market, and I endorse their products myself. However, try this yourself on any given day with any manufacture : Today I went to do www.dell.com and browsed new inspiron laptops (The Dell line designed for home users). On the home page was an ad for a laptop "from" $699. This is after a $100 rebate, so make that price $799. I click the ad and attempt to purchase the item. I am offered to "Customize" or choose "Recommended Solutions". Customizing sounds great. I'm the customer, and I should get what I want. After choosing "Customize", without selecting any upgrades at all, suddenly the price of the laptop is $1371. I don't like that, so I chose all of the lowest possible choices for all available features to achieve the lowest price. The lowest available configuration made the price $907. I don't want to give up, so I go back and choose "Recommended Solutions" because these configurations are pre-manufactured in quantity, and are therefore cheaper. Four options were offered at these prices: $949, $1249, $999, and $1319. Each one of these options was offered a $150 rebate (keep in mind this is a mail-in rebate so it doesn't lower your price at checkout) so respectively, if I were to purchase, then wait for my rebate, I could get a laptop for $799, $1099, $849, or $1169. Not one option was available to purchase this laptop at the advertised priced price of $699, even after a mail-in rebate! You will find the same scenario anywhere you go, no matter what manufacture.
No option was available to purchase a laptop for $699, even after a mail-in rebate!
They have to get you to buy from them somehow. All of the computer manufactures have been using this marketing technique (as described above) for years. Imagine if everyone knew about this and the money they could save on buying a refurbished laptop, without having to sacrifice any of their goals and needs from the computer. These manufactures would not be the same companies that they are today.
There are more reasons to consider a refurbished laptop.
Another aspect of buying a refurbished computer that should be considered is this: Most refurbished laptops available are not the "low end" home user based laptops. Examples of home user laptops are: Compaq Presario, Dell Inspiron, eMachines, Hewlett Packard Pavilion, Sony Vaio, and Toshiba Satellite. Refurbished laptops are almost always business model laptops that are off-lease from major corporations.
Business laptops have parts available even long after warranty expires.
Business laptops provide a better solution because they are the laptops provided by a company that are proven to work well. Examples of business laptops are: Compaq Armada, Dell Latitude, Hewlett Packard Compaq Mobile/Business Workstation, and Toshiba Tecra. Home user laptops, believe it or not, are usually testing grounds for new engineering of laptop equipment. Home user laptops are typically given shorter warranty, and are designed to last until that warranty expires. After the laptop's warranty has expired, the newer "experimental" home user model available uses different parts. Since the older models are no longer under warranty, and they use "out of date" parts, the manufacture no longer stocks the parts. Therefore, when your home user laptop has an out of warranty problem (which it will), the parts that are available to fix your laptop are very expensive, if they are available at all. This leaves the home user with the attitude to "throw away and buy new", which is exactly what the manufacture wants you to do.
Since business laptops use technology that is proven to work, their parts seldom change from model to model. Due to this fact as well as the fact that business laptops are leased to corporations, huge stock piles of parts are kept at the manufacture for extended warranties as well as out of warranty purchases. For example, you can still call Dell today to order parts for an out of warranty laptop that was manufactured in 1997 or 1998 for the same cost as laptops manufactured in 2002.
Business laptops are more expensive than home laptops (as much as $3000), buy used and save a ton.
Business laptops, due to their stability, are far more expensive than home user laptops. Using the Dell example, the cheapest Dell business laptop (Latitude), currently available is $2000. Many of the refurbished laptops being sold today for $250-$800 originally sold for $3000 or more. This means you can buy refurbished and save as much as 80% over buying new.
Purchase a refurbished laptop that will suit your needs and last for years, at a great savings.
What all of this means is that if you purchase a refurbished laptop, you can expect the following:
* Able to complete all tasks necessary to an everyday user
* Half the cost of a brand new home user laptop
* Up to 80% less than a brand new business laptop
* Proven technology that will last for years
* Parts always available if your laptop has a problem
* Take control in your life, and put extra money in your pocket for other things that are important to you!
First, let us take a moment to consider your needs in a laptop. What do you plan to do with your laptop? Do you your plans include the following:
* Surfing the internet
* Checking emails
* Instant messenger
* Writing papers
* Printing Papers
* Making spreadsheets
* Slide Presentations
* Playing Solitaire
* Downloading MP3's
* Listening to MP3's
* Burning to CD's
* Watching DVD's
* Digital camera photo
* Children's games
* Keeping bank figures
* Small business use
* The lists goes on...
Most used laptops will easily complete all of the above mentioned tasks for you. What's really great is that for most current applications on a refurbished laptop, you won't notice a performance difference compared to a brand new laptop.
How is that possible to not notice a difference between a brand new laptop and a refurbished one?
That's a good question. The fact is, most current software for your computer is not designed to need the high performance of a brand new laptop. Computer manufactures are moving so fast, that software makers simply do not keep up. Most current software will run on a computer 4 times slower than the fastest laptops made.
Most current software will run flawlessly on a computer 4 times slower than the fastest laptops made.
What does that mean for you? It means that it's not necessary to spend $1500 or more on a top of the line laptop. Depending on your needs from your laptop, you may be able to buy a laptop for as low as $250. A $250 laptop will perform all the necessary tasks for most people. However, if you are looking for a laptop that will burn CD's and watch DVD movies, expect to spend $400 - $750.
Dell says I can buy a brand new laptop for $699, why should I buy a used one?
This is a very smart, and very much overlooked, marketing trick. Let me start by saying that I think Dell is the best computer manufacture on the market, and I endorse their products myself. However, try this yourself on any given day with any manufacture : Today I went to do www.dell.com and browsed new inspiron laptops (The Dell line designed for home users). On the home page was an ad for a laptop "from" $699. This is after a $100 rebate, so make that price $799. I click the ad and attempt to purchase the item. I am offered to "Customize" or choose "Recommended Solutions". Customizing sounds great. I'm the customer, and I should get what I want. After choosing "Customize", without selecting any upgrades at all, suddenly the price of the laptop is $1371. I don't like that, so I chose all of the lowest possible choices for all available features to achieve the lowest price. The lowest available configuration made the price $907. I don't want to give up, so I go back and choose "Recommended Solutions" because these configurations are pre-manufactured in quantity, and are therefore cheaper. Four options were offered at these prices: $949, $1249, $999, and $1319. Each one of these options was offered a $150 rebate (keep in mind this is a mail-in rebate so it doesn't lower your price at checkout) so respectively, if I were to purchase, then wait for my rebate, I could get a laptop for $799, $1099, $849, or $1169. Not one option was available to purchase this laptop at the advertised priced price of $699, even after a mail-in rebate! You will find the same scenario anywhere you go, no matter what manufacture.
No option was available to purchase a laptop for $699, even after a mail-in rebate!
They have to get you to buy from them somehow. All of the computer manufactures have been using this marketing technique (as described above) for years. Imagine if everyone knew about this and the money they could save on buying a refurbished laptop, without having to sacrifice any of their goals and needs from the computer. These manufactures would not be the same companies that they are today.
There are more reasons to consider a refurbished laptop.
Another aspect of buying a refurbished computer that should be considered is this: Most refurbished laptops available are not the "low end" home user based laptops. Examples of home user laptops are: Compaq Presario, Dell Inspiron, eMachines, Hewlett Packard Pavilion, Sony Vaio, and Toshiba Satellite. Refurbished laptops are almost always business model laptops that are off-lease from major corporations.
Business laptops have parts available even long after warranty expires.
Business laptops provide a better solution because they are the laptops provided by a company that are proven to work well. Examples of business laptops are: Compaq Armada, Dell Latitude, Hewlett Packard Compaq Mobile/Business Workstation, and Toshiba Tecra. Home user laptops, believe it or not, are usually testing grounds for new engineering of laptop equipment. Home user laptops are typically given shorter warranty, and are designed to last until that warranty expires. After the laptop's warranty has expired, the newer "experimental" home user model available uses different parts. Since the older models are no longer under warranty, and they use "out of date" parts, the manufacture no longer stocks the parts. Therefore, when your home user laptop has an out of warranty problem (which it will), the parts that are available to fix your laptop are very expensive, if they are available at all. This leaves the home user with the attitude to "throw away and buy new", which is exactly what the manufacture wants you to do.
Since business laptops use technology that is proven to work, their parts seldom change from model to model. Due to this fact as well as the fact that business laptops are leased to corporations, huge stock piles of parts are kept at the manufacture for extended warranties as well as out of warranty purchases. For example, you can still call Dell today to order parts for an out of warranty laptop that was manufactured in 1997 or 1998 for the same cost as laptops manufactured in 2002.
Business laptops are more expensive than home laptops (as much as $3000), buy used and save a ton.
Business laptops, due to their stability, are far more expensive than home user laptops. Using the Dell example, the cheapest Dell business laptop (Latitude), currently available is $2000. Many of the refurbished laptops being sold today for $250-$800 originally sold for $3000 or more. This means you can buy refurbished and save as much as 80% over buying new.
Purchase a refurbished laptop that will suit your needs and last for years, at a great savings.
What all of this means is that if you purchase a refurbished laptop, you can expect the following:
* Able to complete all tasks necessary to an everyday user
* Half the cost of a brand new home user laptop
* Up to 80% less than a brand new business laptop
* Proven technology that will last for years
* Parts always available if your laptop has a problem
* Take control in your life, and put extra money in your pocket for other things that are important to you!
Friday, May 18, 2007
Searching The Internet Without Search Engines
The World Wide Web contains more than ten million websites with thousands more being added daily from all over the world, and search engines are tasked with presenting the most relevant pages based on the search criteria entered. Finding a large and popular site like www.irs.gov is easy because it is related to a large agency, but a small site like mine www.consumermortgagereduction.com would be impossible without the use of search engines. The task of finding a website that relates to a specific subject would be almost without the use of the search engine, yet they perform this task with relative ease using tools that may be unknown to most users of search engines.
The first of these tools utilize by search engines are web-crawlers; they search sites based on meta-tags, or the hidden descriptions of the site encoded in the head of the web page. By using web-crawlers to spider websites, the search engine does not have to search the entire webpage to return results, just the first few lines of code. The majority of the code web-crawlers spider is contained in the head section or top of the web page, and search engines use this information to list relevant search terms results.
Meta-bots and Google-bots are used by search engines in the same way that web-crawlers are deployed, and the only difference is that bots read the first lines of text that is visible on the browser of the user. Meta-bots and Google-bots are useful in providing content oriented sites with a quick description of the site, and is use to match the relative words in a search engine query.
The indexer is not a search engine par say, for example the largest indexer is Yahoo, which is not a search engine like Google that is a true search engine. A true search engine uses keyword searches to find website, whereas an indexer stores a link to sites based on categories. To submit a website for inclusion into an indexer the submitter has to find a relevant category that matches their website, but to submit to a search engine they only have to submit the site Universal Resource Listing or URL and the search engine deploys its web-crawler or bots to index the site.
The search engine has become an intricate part of life, especially in the lives of students that utilize the web for research. Without the search engine the search for sites that contain the terms being searched for would almost be impossible to locate in a world of millions of websites.
The first of these tools utilize by search engines are web-crawlers; they search sites based on meta-tags, or the hidden descriptions of the site encoded in the head of the web page. By using web-crawlers to spider websites, the search engine does not have to search the entire webpage to return results, just the first few lines of code. The majority of the code web-crawlers spider is contained in the head section or top of the web page, and search engines use this information to list relevant search terms results.
Meta-bots and Google-bots are used by search engines in the same way that web-crawlers are deployed, and the only difference is that bots read the first lines of text that is visible on the browser of the user. Meta-bots and Google-bots are useful in providing content oriented sites with a quick description of the site, and is use to match the relative words in a search engine query.
The indexer is not a search engine par say, for example the largest indexer is Yahoo, which is not a search engine like Google that is a true search engine. A true search engine uses keyword searches to find website, whereas an indexer stores a link to sites based on categories. To submit a website for inclusion into an indexer the submitter has to find a relevant category that matches their website, but to submit to a search engine they only have to submit the site Universal Resource Listing or URL and the search engine deploys its web-crawler or bots to index the site.
The search engine has become an intricate part of life, especially in the lives of students that utilize the web for research. Without the search engine the search for sites that contain the terms being searched for would almost be impossible to locate in a world of millions of websites.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Dynamic Pages
Dynamic pages and the Search Engines By Clare Lawrence 10th March 2003 Clare is the CEO of Discount Domains Ltd a leading UK Domain name registration service.
Do search engines such as google penalise dynamic pages?
Dynamic pages are used to deliver content from a database to websites – the advantage being that data can be updated and the contents of pages changed without the need to reload pages etc.
Google publishes guidance notes on its site at http://www.google.com/webmasters/2.html and at http://www.google.com/webmasters/guidelines.html
These say that dynamic pages are indexed but that the Googlebot ( Google’s spider ) can overwhelm dynamic sites and therefore the amount of pages indexed are limited
Google recommends:- “If you decide to use dynamic pages (i.e. the URL contains a ‘?’ character) be aware that not every search engine spider crawls dynamic pages as well as static pages. It helps to keep the parameters short and the number of them small.
How to get dynamic pages indexed
There are ways to get dynamic pages indexed, if the site is relatively small, then create a site map, which has static links to each of the dynamic pages. This gives the search engines a “doorway” to the dynamic pages.
For larger sites there are a number of ways to change the syntax of a dynamic URL so that it appears to be static. e.g http://www.discountdomainsuk.com/glossary.php?lang=english&gid=28 can be re-written as http://www.discountdomainsuk.com/glossary/english/28
Index pages If your index page is dynamical generated then it will be particularly difficult for search engines to index your site. If possible you should avoid dynamically generated index pages
Algorithms
The search engines and Google in particular are getting better at indexing dynamic pages.
Looking for more advice?
We have built up an article bank on our site – many from the leading specialists in each field, please feel free to browse them, The articles cover Domain articles , Web hosting articles , , Search engine articles , e-marketing and much more.
Conclusion,
Dynamic pages are very useful to deliver content particularly if you wish to use a content management system. The Search engines do have some difficulties with dynamic content, but there are ways to improve the chances of dynamic pages being indexed.
Do search engines such as google penalise dynamic pages?
Dynamic pages are used to deliver content from a database to websites – the advantage being that data can be updated and the contents of pages changed without the need to reload pages etc.
Google publishes guidance notes on its site at http://www.google.com/webmasters/2.html and at http://www.google.com/webmasters/guidelines.html
These say that dynamic pages are indexed but that the Googlebot ( Google’s spider ) can overwhelm dynamic sites and therefore the amount of pages indexed are limited
Google recommends:- “If you decide to use dynamic pages (i.e. the URL contains a ‘?’ character) be aware that not every search engine spider crawls dynamic pages as well as static pages. It helps to keep the parameters short and the number of them small.
How to get dynamic pages indexed
There are ways to get dynamic pages indexed, if the site is relatively small, then create a site map, which has static links to each of the dynamic pages. This gives the search engines a “doorway” to the dynamic pages.
For larger sites there are a number of ways to change the syntax of a dynamic URL so that it appears to be static. e.g http://www.discountdomainsuk.com/glossary.php?lang=english&gid=28 can be re-written as http://www.discountdomainsuk.com/glossary/english/28
Index pages If your index page is dynamical generated then it will be particularly difficult for search engines to index your site. If possible you should avoid dynamically generated index pages
Algorithms
The search engines and Google in particular are getting better at indexing dynamic pages.
Looking for more advice?
We have built up an article bank on our site – many from the leading specialists in each field, please feel free to browse them, The articles cover Domain articles , Web hosting articles , , Search engine articles , e-marketing and much more.
Conclusion,
Dynamic pages are very useful to deliver content particularly if you wish to use a content management system. The Search engines do have some difficulties with dynamic content, but there are ways to improve the chances of dynamic pages being indexed.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Printers
Do you feel overwhelmed when buying a computer or a new printer?
You are not alone. With so many products to choose from I know exactly how you feel. The best approach when buying a computer related product is to educate your self. This way you are making your own decisions from your own self-judgment. That’s go to be more powerful than listening to a sales guy, who is more concerned about getting commission than you - the customer, obtaining the right product for your needs. How do you educate yourself? Start of slowly, most people don’t want to become experts, they just want a computer or printer to do what is expected. Learn the basics of what computers and printers can offer you at http://www.computer-and-printer-reviews.com
Not only will you find reviews guides and here. You will also find how to fix printers yourself. Learn how to set up your firewall correctly knowing you are safe from intruders. Never feel as frustrated as you once did, knowing the truth about computers and printers. Be sure to check out http://www.computer-and-printer-reviews.com/printer-reviews.html
Learn the difference between LaserJet and inkjet printers. Learn what the advantages are from certain computer products. With the wealth of information here, you will know other people are willing to help you and can understand where you are coming from. Don’t forget everyone has computer and printer problems. The good news is, what ever your budget is, there is always a solution. Remember if you intend to phone a computer support line, seek a plan of action. Don’t let them fob you off with technical meaningless babble!
You are not alone. With so many products to choose from I know exactly how you feel. The best approach when buying a computer related product is to educate your self. This way you are making your own decisions from your own self-judgment. That’s go to be more powerful than listening to a sales guy, who is more concerned about getting commission than you - the customer, obtaining the right product for your needs. How do you educate yourself? Start of slowly, most people don’t want to become experts, they just want a computer or printer to do what is expected. Learn the basics of what computers and printers can offer you at http://www.computer-and-printer-reviews.com
Not only will you find reviews guides and here. You will also find how to fix printers yourself. Learn how to set up your firewall correctly knowing you are safe from intruders. Never feel as frustrated as you once did, knowing the truth about computers and printers. Be sure to check out http://www.computer-and-printer-reviews.com/printer-reviews.html
Learn the difference between LaserJet and inkjet printers. Learn what the advantages are from certain computer products. With the wealth of information here, you will know other people are willing to help you and can understand where you are coming from. Don’t forget everyone has computer and printer problems. The good news is, what ever your budget is, there is always a solution. Remember if you intend to phone a computer support line, seek a plan of action. Don’t let them fob you off with technical meaningless babble!
Friday, May 11, 2007
Blogs Aren’t Just About Expounding Your Ideas To Others...
Blogs aren’t just about expounding your ideas to others; they’re about getting to know yourself better.
I still consider myself to be a blog writing novice but as I’ve got a few entries under my belt I can tell you about an unexpected bonus of this journaling process. A lot of people think that blog writers are just people who are tooting their own horns blabbering on self-righteously about what they believe to be true in life. On the contrary, for me writing a blog has helped me to reflect on my experiences that I may have otherwise have forgotten if I hadn’t written them down. It has become a process of self-actualization, whether others have read my thoughts has become less of a priority for me.
When I read over my past entries I am surprised to hear about thoughts, ideas, and wisdom that is quite relevant to my present experiences. It’s like I already knew some of the solutions to my problems in the present, but I still had to go through the experiences to actually have this knowledge become truly learnt. I also find it rewarding in both the respects that I get to ‘relive’ certain moments in my life, and I get to analyze my previous thoughts. This analysis often leads me to new ideas that I couldn’t see clearly when I was in the original moment.
‘Reliving’ past experiences by reading old journal entries can be a powerful experience indeed. You can be transported to the moment in time you were writing about, as well as the moment and feelings you had when writing the blog entry. Experiencing these events and feelings again can be a really enlightening process, especially if the emotions you had were strong ones.
An example of this from my blog www.thepowerofeverythingthatis.com is a recent upheaval of emotions I wrote about when a young lady I’d been dating and really started to like a lot told me she didn’t want to kiss me anymore. Now when I read this entry I can feel those same painful feelings, but in a new light as the time has passed and I’ve moved on. It gives me hope in understanding that all feelings pass, and also in the knowledge that all things happen for a reason. This knowledge I couldn’t see at the time as I was totally enveloped by my agony.
These insights into past feelings and thoughts have been an eye opener for my self-introspection process. I think the blog can give you the chance to get to know yourself better, something all humans could find beneficial. All of us are on quests to find out who we are and why we are here on Earth. The blogging process might just be another avenue for people to find out who they truly are. Keep on writing my friends!
I still consider myself to be a blog writing novice but as I’ve got a few entries under my belt I can tell you about an unexpected bonus of this journaling process. A lot of people think that blog writers are just people who are tooting their own horns blabbering on self-righteously about what they believe to be true in life. On the contrary, for me writing a blog has helped me to reflect on my experiences that I may have otherwise have forgotten if I hadn’t written them down. It has become a process of self-actualization, whether others have read my thoughts has become less of a priority for me.
When I read over my past entries I am surprised to hear about thoughts, ideas, and wisdom that is quite relevant to my present experiences. It’s like I already knew some of the solutions to my problems in the present, but I still had to go through the experiences to actually have this knowledge become truly learnt. I also find it rewarding in both the respects that I get to ‘relive’ certain moments in my life, and I get to analyze my previous thoughts. This analysis often leads me to new ideas that I couldn’t see clearly when I was in the original moment.
‘Reliving’ past experiences by reading old journal entries can be a powerful experience indeed. You can be transported to the moment in time you were writing about, as well as the moment and feelings you had when writing the blog entry. Experiencing these events and feelings again can be a really enlightening process, especially if the emotions you had were strong ones.
An example of this from my blog www.thepowerofeverythingthatis.com is a recent upheaval of emotions I wrote about when a young lady I’d been dating and really started to like a lot told me she didn’t want to kiss me anymore. Now when I read this entry I can feel those same painful feelings, but in a new light as the time has passed and I’ve moved on. It gives me hope in understanding that all feelings pass, and also in the knowledge that all things happen for a reason. This knowledge I couldn’t see at the time as I was totally enveloped by my agony.
These insights into past feelings and thoughts have been an eye opener for my self-introspection process. I think the blog can give you the chance to get to know yourself better, something all humans could find beneficial. All of us are on quests to find out who we are and why we are here on Earth. The blogging process might just be another avenue for people to find out who they truly are. Keep on writing my friends!
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Through The Looking Glass
My mother used to take me along when she visited an old lady down a cobbled lane who had a crystal ball on her dining room table and a pack of playing cards. My mother was superstitious and really believed a lot of what she was told by the old lady. She wanted to know what the future held not only for herself but for me, her only lttle boy. I was about five or six years old at the time, and used to gaze at the reflected images upon the crystal ball of the sunlit window behind me and the lace curtains, although the old lady would place her hands at either side of the crystal ball and say that she could see the future and told of what she saw, I could only see the reflection of that window with the lace curtains. The old lady was either a genuine medium or was just guessing what my mother wanted to hear to keep her coming back for more of the same, and make herself a small income to supplement her pension.
We all of us are seekers of knowledge to enhance our lives and most of us would admit we are a little superstitious but may not believe that anyone could foretell the future. If we really needed to know the future as regards our business, in particular, we would look at 'trends', and facts and figures on charts and graphs, so we may be able to predict where our business is going, we none of us would trust in an old lady with a crystal ball. If we wanted to be successful in business we would arm ourselves with sufficient knowledge to make it happen, and where else to look for knowledge but on the internet where all manner of business books are online, written by experienced business people who have 'been there-done that'.
The internet is the first place people now go to find something out, whether it be for personal use or for business use, for there is a mind-boggling explosion of knowledge on the internet, most of which we are never going to read, simply because we would need to live to 900 years old to be able to find the time and that's supposing no more knowledge gets added in the meantime. In that 900 years, inevitably, a lot of the information will go out of date, so we need to live another 900 years to catch up on the 'updates'. This could go on forever, for there would always be more knowledge coming along we need to keep track of.
Yes, the internet is a wonderful depository of knowledge, the knack of using it to full advantage is to keep trawling and discovering new web sites and then having found some we like, for fresh new content, regular updates, etc., bookmark them in your browser, so you can find them again.
None of us are going to live to 900 years, so we need to maximize our time on the internet, for there are approximately three billion web pages indexed by Google, and more are being added every minute of every day, even while you have been reading this.
We all of us are seekers of knowledge to enhance our lives and most of us would admit we are a little superstitious but may not believe that anyone could foretell the future. If we really needed to know the future as regards our business, in particular, we would look at 'trends', and facts and figures on charts and graphs, so we may be able to predict where our business is going, we none of us would trust in an old lady with a crystal ball. If we wanted to be successful in business we would arm ourselves with sufficient knowledge to make it happen, and where else to look for knowledge but on the internet where all manner of business books are online, written by experienced business people who have 'been there-done that'.
The internet is the first place people now go to find something out, whether it be for personal use or for business use, for there is a mind-boggling explosion of knowledge on the internet, most of which we are never going to read, simply because we would need to live to 900 years old to be able to find the time and that's supposing no more knowledge gets added in the meantime. In that 900 years, inevitably, a lot of the information will go out of date, so we need to live another 900 years to catch up on the 'updates'. This could go on forever, for there would always be more knowledge coming along we need to keep track of.
Yes, the internet is a wonderful depository of knowledge, the knack of using it to full advantage is to keep trawling and discovering new web sites and then having found some we like, for fresh new content, regular updates, etc., bookmark them in your browser, so you can find them again.
None of us are going to live to 900 years, so we need to maximize our time on the internet, for there are approximately three billion web pages indexed by Google, and more are being added every minute of every day, even while you have been reading this.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
How To Save Big Bucks On A Laptop Computer
If you're a bargain shopper looking to get the most bang for your buck, you'll find no shortage of deals on the Internet.
And that's particularly true in the fast-changing world of laptop computers, where you'll find three bargain sources right at your fingertips:
1. Clearance Sales
Just like many brick-and-mortar retail stores, many computer manufacturer websites have clearance sections. On these web pages, you can find great deals on last year's leftovers.
These are all new products (unless otherwise stated) and carry their original warranties. The only difference is that the price has been reduced.
Of course the manufacturers aren't the only ones with clearance merchandise.
Major electronics and office supply retailers also include clearance sections on their websites, where you may be able to find the laptop bargain of your dreams.
2. Refurbished Laptops
Factory refurbs represent another great bargain opportunity. It works something like this:
* Joe Blow buys a new laptop, but decides a week later he doesn't like the color.
* He takes it back to the store within the store's stated return period, so the store is stuck with it.
* Since they can't sell the laptop as new, the store sends it back to the manufacturer to be "refurbished."
* The factory inspects that laptop to make sure everything works right, and then ships it out to a retailer that deals in refurbs.
* The refurb retailer then sells it to you at a great discount off the original price.
Buying a refurb can literally save you hundreds.
3. Online Auctions
You can always logon to an auction website and find a great deal on a used laptop. However, beware!
Buying anything used carries with it some risk. Buying a used laptop carries more risk than most people should be willing to take.
When you buy a used laptop from a private party, you don't get any sort of warranty beyond DOA.
DOA stands for "dead on arrival", a common auction term that means the seller guarantees the item will work when it arrives at your house.
But what happens if your laptop dies two weeks after it arrives? You're out of luck, that's what.
There are enough bargains available on warrantied laptops that all but the most meager budgets should be able to avoid buying used.
Stick to clearance and refurb machines and you'll save yourself hundreds on your next laptop computer.
And that's particularly true in the fast-changing world of laptop computers, where you'll find three bargain sources right at your fingertips:
1. Clearance Sales
Just like many brick-and-mortar retail stores, many computer manufacturer websites have clearance sections. On these web pages, you can find great deals on last year's leftovers.
These are all new products (unless otherwise stated) and carry their original warranties. The only difference is that the price has been reduced.
Of course the manufacturers aren't the only ones with clearance merchandise.
Major electronics and office supply retailers also include clearance sections on their websites, where you may be able to find the laptop bargain of your dreams.
2. Refurbished Laptops
Factory refurbs represent another great bargain opportunity. It works something like this:
* Joe Blow buys a new laptop, but decides a week later he doesn't like the color.
* He takes it back to the store within the store's stated return period, so the store is stuck with it.
* Since they can't sell the laptop as new, the store sends it back to the manufacturer to be "refurbished."
* The factory inspects that laptop to make sure everything works right, and then ships it out to a retailer that deals in refurbs.
* The refurb retailer then sells it to you at a great discount off the original price.
Buying a refurb can literally save you hundreds.
3. Online Auctions
You can always logon to an auction website and find a great deal on a used laptop. However, beware!
Buying anything used carries with it some risk. Buying a used laptop carries more risk than most people should be willing to take.
When you buy a used laptop from a private party, you don't get any sort of warranty beyond DOA.
DOA stands for "dead on arrival", a common auction term that means the seller guarantees the item will work when it arrives at your house.
But what happens if your laptop dies two weeks after it arrives? You're out of luck, that's what.
There are enough bargains available on warrantied laptops that all but the most meager budgets should be able to avoid buying used.
Stick to clearance and refurb machines and you'll save yourself hundreds on your next laptop computer.
Friday, May 4, 2007
Keeping Passwords Secure
As the web has evolved, so have the methods of collecting personal information. A large number of websites require visitors to register to gain access or participate. While the need for registration is understandable, tracking user names and passwords can be burdensome. Consider using software to store your passwords, in a safe accessible manner.
Most websites have privacy policies, but the value of privacy statements are only as honorable as the people behind the websites. Here are suggestions for keeping passwords and your information secure:
1. change your password frequently
2. never share your password with anyone
3. try to choose a password so it doesn't need to be written down, but not so obvious others would easily guess the password
4. be sure your password is at least 6 characters
5. don't use a password containing all the same characters
6. don't send your password via email or provide it over the phone
7. don't use pet, family or friend names
8. don't use your telephone number, zip code or address
9. use a different password for each account
10. don't use user name
11. deactivate accounts for terminated employees
12. don't allow shared accounts
13. password contains upper, lowercase letters, non-letter characters and numbers
Resources
Password Software - http://www.password-software.com
Passwords are not foolproof. Do not rely on a password alone to protect sensitive information. Monitor accounts closely to ensure that security is not breached.
Most websites have privacy policies, but the value of privacy statements are only as honorable as the people behind the websites. Here are suggestions for keeping passwords and your information secure:
1. change your password frequently
2. never share your password with anyone
3. try to choose a password so it doesn't need to be written down, but not so obvious others would easily guess the password
4. be sure your password is at least 6 characters
5. don't use a password containing all the same characters
6. don't send your password via email or provide it over the phone
7. don't use pet, family or friend names
8. don't use your telephone number, zip code or address
9. use a different password for each account
10. don't use user name
11. deactivate accounts for terminated employees
12. don't allow shared accounts
13. password contains upper, lowercase letters, non-letter characters and numbers
Resources
Password Software - http://www.password-software.com
Passwords are not foolproof. Do not rely on a password alone to protect sensitive information. Monitor accounts closely to ensure that security is not breached.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
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