Internet Hints & Tips for Newbies

as featured in The Buderim Chronicle

Please note, all information on this page and indeed on this Buderim web site is of a general nature only. Relevance and application may change between readers, we are not responsible for outcomes from any action taken as a result of information displayed.

Do you want to back up your emails?

If you use Outlook Express there is a simple way to back up your precious messages without fancy software!

First up you need to locate the folder, in which your email messages are stored. Start Outlook Express and go to the Tools menu, open the Options dialog box and select the Maintenance page. Click the Store Folder button, and locate the path to the folder containing your emails, select the path and copy using ctrl - c. To access the folder, open Windows Explorer, paste the path into the address field. You will see a number of .dbx files in the folder, these are the messages and other information. Hmmm, you cannot see anything that says .dbx you say? You probably need to display extensions for known file types , go to my Web Wiz page on www.buderim.com to learn how to do that.

Now you know have navigated to the folder using Windows Explorer, you can select and copy the files to your backup media. That way, you can get the messages back if you lose your hard drive or get a new computer. To restore you simply reverse the procedure above and replace the existing files with the stored ones. Please note, any messages you have received or sent since the backup will be overwritten and lost, so only restore like this if you are running email in a new system for the very first time.

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Display your extensions

For some reason, the good folk at Microsoft felt it was better that you should not know what types of files you have on your computer, just their names. So they chose to make the file type hidden as the default setting in Windows Explorer.

This is quite limiting when you search and even a frustration when you have 2 different files types (like images for example) with the same name. So if you want to do things your way and not just Bill's way, you can easily change the setting to display the file names.

Just open Windows Explorer, click on the Tools menu at the top and select Folder Options. Click the View Tab from the window which opens up. Then just untick the box next to Hide extensions for known file types. Click Apply and OK. Now when you look at files in Window explorer you will see what is what.

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Buying Online Safety Tip

If handled correctly, purchasing goods on the internet with your credit card is just as safe as buying in a foreign country, state, over the phone or via the fax machine. The first critical point is to check if the site is SSL secure, that is encrypted so nobody can intercept and use the details. At the bottom of your browser, a padlock icon will display if the site is secure, if there is no padlock there is a significant risk.

Credibility of the store is a major issue, if the online store is backed by a ‘bricks and mortar' enterprise the likelihood of fraud is also reduced. Shops are only as trustworthy as their staff; someone could steal your card details from inside the store. One way to reduce the problem is to acquire a card with a low limit, eg. one thousand dollars, to reduce the value to thieves.

Alternatively you could use a PayPal account online wherever possible. You set up an account, entering your card details once at the PayPal site and when a store uses their facility, the store never sees your card details. PayPal offers another layer of protection.

Never send your card details in an email, they can be read by multitudes along the way, similar to sending a postcard without an envelope.

Buying online can be very handy, just be informed, careful and aware of the store from which you ‘enter' before handing over your details. Read more tips on my page on www.buderim.com, keep sending your emails to Buderim's own web site.

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It’s the same difference

Whenever you have to deal with a new piece of software, the temptation is there to cover your ears, and moan “no no no”! There are quite a few characteristics however, found in common across many different types of software. Once you grasp these, learning the new program is much easier.
Menus are almost always laid out the same way with major categories being; File; Edit; View; Window and Help. Within these majors you find consistencies such as Cut, Copy and Paste are in the Edit menu and Open, New File and Print are in the File menu. You will see on some menu items, small triangles at the edges which indicate “drop menus” will appear when you click on them. If you see a menu which may not be selected with current options, it will appear dulled or “Greyed out”.
The Enter key is standard for executing the selected item on a page or menu; this can be hit instead of clicking the cursor on a button to speed to save you time. The Esc or escape button was heavily used in the “olden days” (ie 10 years ago) but now has little value. In some cases it can still be used to cancel a command or to stop a piece of software which is not acting as expected if you push and hold it down.
Have a look at the software you are using and take note of these consistent design attributes, this knowledge can make a new piece of software less of a challenge.

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Reading the latest files for free!

Keeping up with software versions and types can be expensive and confusing. Have you ever wondered how you will open a file sent from a friend who uses the latest Microsoft Office software, when you do not own and do not want to buy the same software? The answer could be to download a free viewer/converter!

Microsoft provide a number of free viewers and converters which enable you to access such files as excel spreadsheets, word documents even if you do not the software at all!
You will need to visit http://www.microsoft.com/office/000/viewers.asp  where you can choose the particular software from the list. The size of the downloads is several megabytes, which means you will probably need a broadband connection to keep download times more tolerable.

Chances are you may be able to make do without updating your software or perhaps not to need it at all.

Thank you to everyone who sends in questions and comments about Buderim’s website, the team appreciates your feedback and helping locals to make good use the web.

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Digital Downloads and Copyright

Computers and the Internet in general have made music, information and images more available than ever before. So your kids have been filling your hard drive with images, movies and music in all manner of new file types. They now want to make copies of the files as a backup or distribution to their friends. Do you know what they may or may not do with the files? The rules are complicated and are always under pressure, here’s a brief guide to what you and they can/cannot do.

You are allowed to make one back up copy of any digital media you already own, just in case the original media is damaged. You may not share this copy! However, you may not make a copy of any DVD movie as a back up. If you do you will break the law.

If you own media (other than a DVD) you may transfer it onto another form of media, for example from mp3 to a wav format. This “space shift” is okay, on the provision that you own a legal copy and do not distribute your file. Giving a copy of the file to your friend would be breaking the law.

The rules concerning the software you own are governed by an “end user licence agreement” (EULA) which you are usually asked to read before installing. In most cases you may make a single backup copy, but may not loan the discs to a friend to install on their computer.

This information is just a guide to your rights, the laws do change and you should make yourself aware of them before you make any copies of any files you buy. A useful page on the subject can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright

For more hints and tips on all things internet, visit the Web Wiz page on www.buderim.com, Buderim’s own website.

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Viewing and Using Internet Video

Internet video seems set to do the same thing to ordinary websites as the Talkies did to Silent Movies! The technology is rapidly evolving and the first opportunities are appearing right now. Sites such as youtube.com and googlevideo.com enable you to upload and share video from your phone or camera on the internet, plus add your footage to your website.
There are minimum performance requirements which your equipment must meet in order to successfully view online video. Most recent computers have the processing power to view video files, but in order to upload and download, you need something better than the old dial-up connection.

Video files which are embedded into a page, such as those beginning to appear on www.buderim.com, require no special software other than an up-to-date browser. When you click on the play button, the file will begin streaming and the message “buffering” should appear. Once a few seconds have been stored in the memory, the file will play. If it catches up to the buffer, the video will pause, waiting for the buffer to reload. If you have a fast connection and the site is not overloaded, the images may stream without pausing. Once it has completely loaded, the file can be viewed without interruption. If you don’t want the pauses, you can just stop the file by hitting the play button again and waiting until it is almost completely buffered before hitting the play button again.

Take a look at the video files here on Buderim’s web site and have some fun with video on the internet. This just may be the most important visual innovation since the talkies!

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Should you use IE7?

Internet Explorer became the world’s most used web browser when Microsoft controversially integrated it into the Windows operating system. Lack of perceived competition seemed to make them complacent, losing ground to alternatives such as Firefox and Opera.

These alternatives pioneered extensions to functionality such as tabbed browsing (where you can open multiple pages in the same window) and offered a more secure browser to boot! The corporation giant has finally reacted to the advances of others in the release of their new Internet Explorer version 7, late in 2006.

Tabbed browsing is now available along with the novel ability to zoom into pages in much the same way as desktop publishing software. Despite some security improvements in areas of “phishing” websites (read more about phishing on my page on buderim.com) there are still many security flaws and bugs. This is most likely due to the reliance on the old IE6 code, which is troubled with many documented security flaws and bugs.

When I loaded the new browser I discovered that it slowed the computer system and browsing experience, plus many JavaScript menus and pages using scripts failed to operate. This seemed like a retrograde step and will mean work for web developers to alter their sites as IE7 uptake increases. Most likely the software will mature and more stable releases will become available, we can expect major improvements by the time Microsoft releases their new operating system, to replace XP.

Since writing the initial report above, IE7 now seems more stable than the original release and except for the fairly stiff settings which disable javascript unless you click that annoying yellow bar that drops down from the top, you may not see some of the excellent web 2.0 interactivity now available on sites including this one. I still stand by my recommendation to use Firefox (see below) as a better browser. But hey! everyone is entitled to an opinion.

Before you install/upgrade you should search for opinions and decide whether the change will actually be of benefit, do not rely on the spin from corporate sites!

Take a look at the more stable (and my personal choice) Firefox browser, a free download which has offered most of the “improvements” in IE7 for years. Go to the FIREFOX2 download page. There are many add-ons available to enhance your web surfing experience.

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Resize your images for email

So you bought a new digital camera and want to share your pictures with everyone on email. The only problem is the number of complaints you receive, especially from friends with dialup, because the files take too long to download.

If you use Windows XP there is a simple way to compress and reduce the image size for screen viewing before you email.

Open Windows Explorer by double clicking on the “My Computer” icon on the desktop. Navigate to your folder with the pictures and click once on the file you want to email, or click multiple files by hold the control button and clicking others.
In the menu on the left side, select “email this file” and a window opens up. Click “show more options” and select the smallest size. Click okay and an email window will pop up with the smaller version as an attachment, ready to address and send. Your original picture is untouched.

Want to save the compressed picture as well? Before you send the email, click “File” and save attachments to a directory of your choice.

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Blog – easy online publishing

The internet has been the catalyst for rapid change in our lives. This is immediately obvious in language, if you were not paying attention in the past five years or so, you have missed a lot! The term “Blogging” refers to a phenomenon in communication which is transforming language and indeed cultural boundaries. Apart from all of that profound navel gazing, blogging is great fun and a boon to anybody wanting to share a story.

There are quite a few blog services available and all are free. The Google-based “Blogger” offers you customisable templates, automatic resizing of images and other tricky extras to make your web space interesting. To create your own blog (which is short for web log), simply go to www.blogger.com and open an account. If you are looking for inspiration to find a subject, browse other blogs first by searching for a topic. People blog everything from their holiday to the traumas of painting the house, there is no limit on creativity.

The blog builds as you chronicle the life of your subject, creating short stories that can be as long or short as you wish. You can even set up your blog in a way, so that visitors can post comments and give you feedback.

Another way to express yourself is using online bulletin boards, such as the board on Buderim’s web site, http://www.buderim.com/yabb_frame.html. The internet offers an almost boundless opportunity to be heard, make the most of it with blogs and billboards.

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Putting your PC in Safe Mode

When you need to run your PC without any of the software drivers for troubleshooting purposes, such as defragging your dive . . . you need to put it in Safe Mode!

Here's how! Start your PC up, hit the "F8" key just after the first boot up screen. It's a bit of a dance trying to hit it not too early and not too late. Hit it too early and it may go into the "Do you want to boot off the hard drive or a CDROM" screen, hit it too late and Windows will start normally.

You can hit it repeatedly after a certain point without ill effects. If you managed the dance, you will be presented with a screen asking you to select the way you want the machine to start. You of course, select safe mode for this exercise. The machine present you with a warning box which you will need to tick off.

When it fires up windows the screen will look very sick indeed, the video settings and colour will all be wrong. That's normal, the drivers for your video card are not running and so the default settings are in place.

Return the PC to normal by doing a restart.

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Measuring up your website

A major buzz word on the internet is web-metrics, the statistical ability to measure the effectiveness of a website.  Every server receives data concerning visitation, when mixed with in-house marketing and financial data, you have the ability to drill down and fine tune the value of a website.

This is of great value for ecommerce sites and even sites which are online brochures can benefit, so it pays to know a little about the terminology. You may read on a website, “We had 2 million hits last year” and wonder what that means.  The answer is probably, “not much”. A “hit” refers to the download of an article from a web page to a computer. Hence if a page has ten images, then you register eleven hits including a page.  The term was a favourite of website owners in the early days to make a site look popular.

The term you really want to pay attention to is the number of visitors.  This is a count of the individual computers which go to the site.  A PC is only counted once due to its unique identifying number.  Some statistic packages are able to give a unique visitor figure, which drops off repeat visitors, this is good for identifying newcomers to your site.

Another way to measure a site’s visitation is the use of third-party toolbar samples such as Alexa.  Unfortunately the sample sizes are so small, they lack credibility and are avoided by those looking for results which truly represent wider internet use. In fact there is documented evidence that the sample is so small, a web site owner can influence their position just by visiting the site using the toolbar.

So don't be fooled by anyone using Alexa figures telling you they are one of the top sites in Queensland, unless they say they are one of the top sites in Queensland "as taken from a biased sample of less than 2% of all internet traffic". But don't expect anyone displaying an Alexa figure to be too open with all the facts.

Most web hosts offer a statistics package, if you have a site, get to know learn how they work. Google also offers a cutting edge statistics package for free called Google Analytics, the learning curve is a little steep, but well worth investing the time.

How many of you visit Buderim's web site? Well, in June 2007 the count was 24,080 for the month, that's pretty gratifying ;-)

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Downloads, when is enough, enough?

The Web Wiz received an email from a mother of three teenagers, they had broadband connected with a monthly download limit of 400Mb. If they exceeded the limit, the connection scaled back to the misery of dial-up speed. The pace at which the limit was reached perplexed them all, as the previous dialup would have yielded a total download of much less than the new broadband value. The question asked was . . . Why?

There is an unwritten law with computers and the internet which states, ‘The usage of resources will automatically expand to fill all available supply’. If you used the new broadband connection to view the same number of pages, avoided video, large attachment emails and other things which took too long on dial-up, you would have a similar download value. The reality is that once you have broadband, the usage and type of use increases dramatically.

In reality a 400Mb limit may be okay for one or two people who rarely use the internet, choosing only to send and receive small emails and limited surfing. If you have children, you probably find it a struggle maintaining a 5Gb limit! There are plans available with 12Gb for around $15 per week. If that is a little more than you want to pay, perhaps this could be a good incentive for the kids to get a job mowing the neighbour’s lawn.

There are many amazing technologies appearing on the internet which are calling for faster speeds and greater download sizes. Many of these are on Buderim’s own web site right now. To make the best use of them, you will have to lift the value that you attach to the internet. Ask your grandmother how much they resisted paying for the new-fangled telephone when it was introduced to the suburban home.

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Get a Life

A hot topic in the media at the moment is that of virtual reality. Thanks to high speed internet, it is now possible to interact with people around the globe in ways never before possible.

Virtual worlds exist on the internet and outside of other software, to live in their own universe.  They have their own economy and opportunity, for those of us in (the other) real world.

The attraction is the level of complexity these worlds give to the user and the ability to change your look and persona at any time.  Plus you can do things which are impossible in the real world such as flying and perform task which would normally kill you.

Typical of these worlds is Second Life and Entropia, both are easily found in a Google search. Second life boasts a population of 7,847,513 residents.

In the case of Second Life, the world is continually being developed by the inhabitants, they build houses, buy real estate, set up business and pretty much anything else you would do in your first life. The size and complexity is really mind-boggling and you cannot help but be impressed with the level of effort that goes into making this place exist.

The risk to your real world is the addictive nature of these places, with an added security problem for young teens and children.  The virtual worlds are riddled with pornography and adult themes.  They can be fun and there are layers of protection in place, but a word of caution is advised for parents.  If your child is involved in any online game or virtual place, be aware of what they do and who they talk to.  In the main, virtual worlds such as Second Life and Entropia are no place for children.

Being #1 on the web

How do I get a top ranking in search engines? That is the question every web site owner asks while having their site designed. The answer is complex and search engine optimisation (SEO) is surrounded by myth and ignorance. The old techniques do not work, in fact many of them are now labeled “black hat” and will actually cost you in ranking terms. An example is to put a keyword or phrase many times, hidden in the code, or the same colour as the background to render it invisible.

Your page rank is determined by the search engine’s algorithm, the exact nature of this mathematical technique is a closely guarded trade secret. Whenever someone discovers a predictable pattern to score a higher rank, the engineers are quick to invalidate the technique. The reason is simple to understand, the search should deliver naturally relevant information, not artificially manipulated results. Most of the time the search engines get it right, but sometimes you need to go beyond the first results page.
So what works? Some claim you need a specific keyword to sentence ratio and lots of inbound links. A simple search will reveal the top 5 results to have totally different results in these ratios and links numbers. Modern search engines consider the age of the domain name, the network of off site links and that relationship to the search term, it appears the search engines can actually read a paragraph and determine the quality of the copy in respect to the search term. Ultimately they can see who selects which page the most in a search and add that result to the rank result.

A surefire way to damage your ranking is to fall for the “get quick results” sales talk which is everywhere in the internet SEO world.

The bottom line is that your site will eventually have a good rank when you have established credibility on the internet, this means quality content, well written text, a good link network inside the field of the search and ultimately time.

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Prepare for the Big Crash

Today, when much of our important data is stored as volatile pieces of magnetism on a computer, how can you protect yourself from the inevitable hard drive crash? All your digital memories, documents and records will vanish instantly when the hard drive fails.

The mechanical hard drive with the magnetic spinning disc is prone to failure and easily damaged by power surges, shaking, software corruption and simple mechanical failure. You should consider your hard drive to be a time bomb without a clock face to indicate the countdown status.

The answer is to back up your data regularly, this is the key to recovering your lost files.
Burn important files and images to DVD regularly, but only buy the best quality discs as these also have a shelf life.

Consider buying an external hard drive and transferring your information regularly, perhaps with a back up software program which operates automatically. Remember to verify your back up drives to ensure the data is safe, even these drives have a limited lifespan.

Encrypt your sensitive data and to be really safe, keep a copy of the data in another building.

If you want to store your digital images I recommend photomax. Go to the link, click on the "create new account" button. You get a massive 5Gb of FREE storage, easy to use uploading and you can order all sorts of really cool merchandise with your images. These include albums, DVD movies, mugs, posters and more. They are geared up to protect your images for all time and claim they will never delete your pictures. Not like some sites who will delete your account if you do not visit enough (to see their advertising).

Digital media is brilliant, but unless adequate backup storage is in place, an entire generation of photography could be lost!

Be prepared and learn the discipline of backing up, it is a key skill in computing.

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Beware the Bogus Web Ad

They will never win an award for innovative technique or creative brilliance, yet you see them pop up all over the place on the internet. They are the bogus advertising box, mocked up to look like a warning from your operating system, in the vain hope you will click it. Just like the one shown below . . .

The button is fake, the whole ad is actually a hyperlink designed to scare you into clicking and hopefully downloading their items. If you click the crossed box to get rid of it you are actually clicking the ad!

You can spot them by scrolling the page, if the ad scrolls it is a fake warning. If any part of it flashes, it is a fake.

Be aware and make your own choice about clicking on web ads, dubious techniques are likely to reflect the ethics of the business which placed them.

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