Triona's Tech Tips

Microsoft has unveiled its latest version of Microsoft Office. But Office 2010 offers no upgrade path for previous users of the software suite.

In the past, users of Office were able to purchase upgrades instead of paying full price for new versions. In my opinion, discontinuing this option is a mistake, given the economy and the fact that many Office users see no reason to upgrade.

Microsoft faces competition from the free OpenOffice as well as from cloud-based services like Google Docs. Perhaps Microsoft’s reasoning behind the discontinuation of upgrade pricing is to lure people to the cloud-based version of Office 2010 (which is available free for consumers on Windows Live via an ad-supported service). If so, alienating previous customers is a gamble that may not pay off.

What do you think? Do you plan to upgrade to Office 2010 and if not, would upgrade pricing have altered your decision?

We’ve talked before about Facebook privacy, or lack thereof. Facebook is facing such public scrutiny over privacy, it’s hard to keep up with the number of changes they’ve made. They’ve expounded upon their improvements to news media and set up a page dedicated to privacy. But given the popularity of social networking sites and the multitude of ways they can be exploited to trick unwary users, I expect privacy will remain an issue for some time to come.

Many people believe the illusion of privacy offered by social networking sites. They think they are conversing in a private setting, when in reality that information can easily end up on search engines and other public places. Google and other search engines routinely index data from Facebook and other social networking sites, and data can slip through even if your privacy settings are set to maximum.

Security also remains a concern for Facebook users. Clickjacking–tricking users into clicking links–has become so prevalent on Facebook it’s earned its own term: “likejacking.” A recent worm using link-bait such as “The Prom Dress That Got This Girl Suspended From School” has infected hundreds of thousands of Facebook users. Clicking the link marks it as “like” to your Facebook friends, giving it unwarranted credibility and helping to spread the worm. Worms like this may also attempt to gain control of your Facebook page or use malicious code to introduce viruses into your computer. Other scams use recent events like the World Cup to entice you into clicking links that purportedly go to video clips. You are then prompted to download software to view the videos, but the downloads are viruses. All those links that claim you will get X number of goodies for Farmville or other games are mostly scams. Criminals may even try to “friend” you from phony accounts so they can target you for burglaries and other crimes.

In other words, social networking sites are about as secure as sieves. What’s a Facebook user to do? My advice is to remember that anything you say on the Internet is public, regardless of your privacy settings. Don’t post information about your children, your vacation plans, or other information than could be used against you. Be wary when clicking on links, and make sure you have a good security suite that is continually updated. And, as always, stay tuned to Tech Tips for the latest computer news.

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Social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are widely used, but they can also take a big chunk out of your day. How can you manage your social media time?

1) Schedule when you’re going to use social media sites, then stick to it. If you limit your time to, say, a half hour every morning or an hour twice a week, you’ll get more out of your time online plus save room for the other things you need to do.

2) Integrate your efforts by using tools that let you send a single post to multiple places. For example, you might use LinkedIn’s Twitter feature to automatically post your LinkedIn status to your Twitter account.

3) Avoid chat, games and other timewasters. Tempting as they are, they cheat you out of productive time. Games in particular can also be venues for viruses. If you must play games, look for those that let you choose when to play, like card games, as opposed to those that penalize you for not using them regularly, like Farmville. And avoid groups that claim you’ll get X number of game goodies if you join–again, most of those are laden with viruses.

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Computer infections go by many names: viruses, Trojan horses, malware. But there is a particular class of infections that is not only malicious but nearly invisible in nature.

Keyloggers are virus-like programs that capture everything you type on your computer. Because they sit between your applications and the software than drives your keyboard, they are difficult to detect and harder to remove. They are often invited by viruses that have already infected your computer. There are even hardware keyloggers that can be secretly installed between the keyboard cable and your computer.

Keyloggers are seen in conjunction with rootkits, software designed to capture control of your computer. Anti-rootkit tools can help keep keyloggers at bay. Although these tools are not yet part of standard security suites, in the future I anticipate we’ll see more commercial protections against keyloggers and rootkits.

In the meantime, how do you protect yourself? The usual recommendations apply: run a strong security program, avoid clicking on links, and make sure all of your software is up to date. It’s far easier to avoid keyloggers and rootkits than it is to remove them.

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My column in today’s Northwest Herald talks about the importance of regular maintenance for your computer, and how a qualified computer professional can help keep your systems up and running. But there are also some things you can do on your own to maintain your computer.

Don’t forget, if you subscribe to my Tech Tips email newsletter you’ll receive tips like these, plus tech support tricks and other ways you can get the most out of your PC or Mac computer. Click here to subscribe or send email to techtips-request-at-guidryconsulting-dot-com, subject “subscribe”.

• Turn your computer off. Some people like to leave their computers on all the time, and that’s fine. But computers benefit from a proper shutdown, so be sure you turn it off once a week so it can refresh itself at startup.
• Check your security software. Double-clicking on your software’s icon in the lower right-hand corner of your Windows screen will bring up a status window. As for Mac users, don’t forget that you need antivirus software too. I’m fond of Intego VirusBarrier.
• Run a cleaning utility. I like CCleaner for Windows and Snow Leopard Cache Cleaner for Mac (also works on Tiger and Leopard). These programs don’t do anything on their own but instead provide a convenient way to run the built-in utilities for Windows and Mac, which means they are very reliable and safe to use.

When in doubt, call a professional. It’s easier to fix small problems before they become too large, and it’s best to have a trained expert assist with your computer needs.

Don’t miss my upcoming seminars on social networking:

Marketing Your Business Through Blogs And Facebook (Beginner)
GLMV Chamber Of Commerce Munch & Learn
Wednesday, June 16, 2010, 12:00pm-1:00pm
GLMV Chamber Office, 1123 S. Milwaukee Ave, Libertyville, Illinois

See below for the advanced session of this class at the GLMV Chamber Best Practices B2B EXPO & Conference on June 23rd.

Discover how to market your business online by leveraging the power of blogs and Facebook. Learn how to set up your Facebook profile or fan page, how to create and maintain a business blog, and how to integrate the two to offer a comprehensive online presence. Computers are not required but you may bring a laptop for hands-on instruction. To register, contact the GLMV Chamber at (847) 680-0750.

Marketing Your Business Through Blogs And Facebook (Advanced)
GLMV Chamber Best Practices B2B EXPO & Conference
Wednesday, June 23, 2010, 2:15pm-3:00pm
Doubletree Hotel, 510 East IL Route 83, Mundelein, Illinois

This is a more advanced session and followup to the previous Munch & Learn seminar on June 16th.

Discover how to market your business online by leveraging the power of blogs and Facebook. Learn how to set up your Facebook profile or fan page, how to create and maintain a business blog, and how to integrate the two to offer a comprehensive online presence. Computers are not required but you may bring a laptop for hands-on instruction. To register, contact the GLMV Chamber at (847) 680-0750.

Basic Social Networking
Crystal Lake Chamber Of Commerce Business Builder Breakfast
Friday, July 16, 2010, 8:30am-10:00am
Crystal Lake Chamber, 427 W. Virginia St, Crystal Lake, Illinois

See below for the advanced session of this class.

Have you been asked to get LinkedIn? Can you make contacts through Facebook? Should you Twitter your business? Learn how to use social networking to market your business. We’ll talk about which sites are right for you, how to establish your profile and how to integrate social networking into your marketing strategy. To register, contact the Crystal Lake Chamber at (815) 459-1300.

Advanced Social Networking
Crystal Lake Chamber Of Commerce Business Builder Breakfast
Friday, August 6, 2010, 8:30am-10:00am
Crystal Lake Chamber, 427 W. Virginia St, Crystal Lake, Illinois

See above for the beginner session of this class.

Now that you understand the basics of social networking, let’s delve deeper into how this new technology can help your business. We’ll talk about the advanced features of social networking and how you can use integration tools to save time. To register, contact the Crystal Lake Chamber at (815) 459-1300.