Triona's Tech Tips

Welcome to my brand new, redesigned Tech Tips blog!

Please note that the address for this site is http://www.guidryconsulting.com/techtips. If you’ve bookmarked the direct link to the old version on Blogger (blogspot), be sure to note the correct address. I’ve been linking to the Guidry Consulting version all along in my newsletters and posts, so for the most part there should be no change. However, some article links may be different. If you are looking for something but can’t find it, please contact me or check the Archives and Categories in the right-hand sidebar.

You’ll find updated resources for PC and Mac in the right-hand sidebar, plus new functionality in a beautiful new format based upon feedback from my readers. All of my original articles plus comments remain available for your convenience.

So come on over and post your comments and questions!

And don’t forget about your FREE email subscription to Tech Tips. Email subscribers receive my monthly newsletter, plus notice of new Tech Tips blog posts, bonus tips, product reviews and more. You can sign up here.

Let me know what you think! I hope you continue to find Tech Tips a valuable resource for your home or business.

Finding a job can be difficult. Fortunately the Internet offers excellent tools to help you in your job search or career transition.

It’s important to think of the Internet as one of many tools in your job search arsenal. To that end, you’ll want to think of yourself as a brand, like Coca-Cola or CNN. What are your strengths? What are your skills? What sets you apart from other applicants? Write your mission statement on an index card (“I am a computer expert specializing in tech support, web design and training”) and tape it to the top of your monitor. This will help you stay focused as you visit various job sites.

Next, decide which technologies you want to incorporate into your search. Web 2.0 refers to collaborative web sites, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed if you try to be on LinkedIn, Twitter, MySpace, and FaceBook all at once. Some people choose to forgo a web site in favor of a blog, for example, or elect to participate in only one or two social networking sites.

Speaking of networking, it’s hard to succeed by computer alone. Meeting people face-to-face remains the best way to find employment. Create a business card for yourself with links to your online profiles. When you meet people, get their cards and send a follow-up email asking them to network with you online. And be sure to put your newly-honed Web 2.0 skills on your resume!

If you’re interested, I’ll be teaching a class on Web 2.0 For Job Search for the Cary (Illinois) Park District on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 from 9:30am-11:30am and again from 6pm-8pm. You can find registration details on my web site. I hope to see you there!

Don’t forget to subscribe to Tech Tips for the latest computer news. Next month, just in time for Hallowe’en, I’ll frighten you with Bride Of The Computer Zombies. If you have any computer questions, let me know.

Your computer, like your house, needs to be cleaned regularly. These tips will help you get better performance out of your PC or Mac.

The number-one rule of tech support is: When in doubt, reboot! Turning your computer off and back on will give better results than simply restarting. I also recommend you shut down your computer overnight, unless you need to leave it on for backups. This gives your computer a cool-down period and less opportunity to confuse itself.

Keeping your desktop clean will help maximize memory. The more files you store on the desktop, the more memory they will consume. Maintaining your computer’s security protections and junking spam are other ways you can reduce the possibility of computer problems.

SPECIAL GIFT: If you subscribe to the Tech Tips email list between now and October 14th, 2009, I’ll send you a free tip sheet (PDF) offering more details on how to keep your computer in shape.

And if you’re interested, I’ll be teaching a class on Computer Housekeeping for the Cary (Illinois) Park District on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 from 9:30am-11:30am. You can find registration details on my web site. I hope to see you there!

In October we’ll talk about What To Do If You Get A Computer Virus. If you have any computer questions, let me know.

More reports are coming in of scareware coming from major news sites including The New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

As I mentioned in my previous alert about scareware via Newsweek, it’s important to note that these scams can happen anywhere, anytime, even on the most reliable of sites. Please be careful, and bear in mind my recommendations on how to protect yourself from scareware.

Don’t miss my upcoming seminar, Social Networking: Marketing Your Business Online, sponsored by the Cary Grove Chamber Of Commerce. It will be held Thursday, September 24th, 2009, from 11:30am-1pm (registration includes box lunch) at the Fox River Grove, Illinois, Village Hall, 305 Illinois St. Click here for downloadable flyer (PDF).

Have you been asked to get LinkedIn? Can you make business contacts through Facebook or MySpace? Should you Twitter your business? Join us for this computer series workshop on using social networking to market your business. To register, contact the Cary Grove Chamber at (847) 639-2800.

For a full list of my computer classes for PC and Mac, please see my events calendar. And be sure to sign up for FREE Tech Tips by email.

Hope to see you there!

This article caught my attention recently, concerning a scareware scam that is being distributed via Newsweek’s web site. I mention this one in particular because it’s an example of how bad links sometimes come from good sites.

Scareware is when you receive a popup that insists there’s something wrong with your computer. It’s a scam to try to get you to click on a link, thus infecting your computer with viruses and possibly also ripping off your credit card. Don’t expect your antivirus software to catch this stuff, it often sneaks through. I strongly encourage you to protect yourself through a combination of good computer security, free web site ratings software like McAfee SiteAdvisor or LinkExtend for Firefox, and plain old common sense.

Here are some of my previous articles which may help you out in this situation:

• How To Spot Bad Web Links
• Antivirus 2010: A New Low In Fake Antivirus
• Phony Web Pop-ups
• How To Protect From Cybercrime

I’ll be reprising my class on How To Protect From Cybercrime this November with the Cary Park District if you’re looking for further help. See my class schedule for details and registration information.

I thought I’d take a moment to explain to my regular readers how I’m using Twitter in relation to Tech Tips.

Most of you already know that I offer Tech Tips in two formats. There is the email version, where I publish my newsletter on the 15th of the month and also provide notification of new blog entries as they become available. My blog is where I add tidbits pertinent to the computer needs of small businesses and consumers.

Some of you may not know that I am a freelance writer as well as a computer consultant. To that end, my Twitter account contains a little of both. In addition to providing computer news and links to relevant articles, I will also be including updates about freelancing, writing, Web 2.0 and my primary genres, science fiction and fantasy.

If you’re interested, come join me on Twitter. If you prefer your Tech Tips straight up, you may wish to stick with my blog and email list. Don’t forget that email subscribers receive bonus product reviews and other information. As always it’s completely FREE, and your email address will never be sold to third parties. You can also find my Twitter updates (tweets) in the upper right-hand corner of the Tech Tips blog.

And if you’re curious about Twitter but not sure how to start, come to my Social Networking: Marketing Your Business Online class on September 24th. You’re always welcome to follow me on Twitter to get your feet wet. I promise to give you a stress-free introduction to the world of social networking.

Gmail, Google’s email service, has some vulnerabilities that could allow unauthorized access to your email. To beef up security, make sure you are using a secure HTTPS connection to Gmail by checking your browser’s address bar. The address should begin with “https://” if you are using a secure connection. While HTTPS is not without its own vulnerabilities, it’s better than naked surfing.

You can configure Gmail to always use HTTP by clicking Settings from the main Gmail window. In the General tab under Browser Connection (at the bottom), select “Always use https.”

Other email services like Yahoo and Hotmail don’t allow this option. Your most secure option is to download your email using a program like Mozilla Thunderbird instead of viewing it on the Web. (In my opinion Outlook and Outlook Express won’t do anything to enhance your security because they have their own problems.)

This spring I’m offering several new computer classes as well as a reprise of my Blogs For Business seminar. For full information on class times and registration, please visit the Guidry Consulting web site.

To receive updates on these and future classes, click here.

• Blogs For Business
  Sponsored by the Cary Grove Chamber Of Commerce
  Thursday, May 21, 2009
• Protecting Yourself From Cybercrime
  Sponsored by the Cary Park District
  April-August 2009
• Computer Housekeeping
  Sponsored by the Cary Park District
  April-August 2009
• Internet Safety For Kids (ages 5-10 years)
  Sponsored by the Cary Park District
  April-August 2009
• Internet Safety For Teens And Tweens (ages 11 years-adult)
  Sponsored by the Cary Park District
  April-August 2009

For many people, the Internet is synonymous with the Web. Actually the Web is a service that runs on the Internet, like email or file sharing; it happens to be the most popular service at the moment because it’s so versatile. If you use Windows, you probably access the Web through Internet Explorer, the big blue E on your desktop.

I recommend that you not use Internet Explorer. Why? Because IE, for all that it comes with Windows, may not be the safest way to access the Web.

Built into IE are special mechanisms (collectively called ActiveX) used by web developers to create code. This is good in some ways; it makes web sites simpler and less expensive to design. Unfortunately the same mechanisms can also be used by viruses to infect your computer. Newer versions of IE offer more protection, but IE’s intrinsic weaknesses are part of the reason why viruses are particularly virulent in the Windows world.

There is a Catch-22 in that some web sites require you to use Internet Explorer (or function so poorly without it that it’s pointless to try). Often these addresses end in “.asp” or “.aspx,” meaning they were written in Microsoft’s web language. If you must use Internet Explorer, lock it down to minimize the risk. Otherwise I strongly encourage you to explore alternate web browsers.

In March I’ll teach you about Streamlined Surfing. If you have any computer questions click Comments below this article, and don’t forget to subscribe to the email version of Tech Tips for bonus tips and product reviews.