Triona's Tech Tips

How can you harness the power of LinkedIn and, more importantly, how do you find the time? My column in today’s Northwest Herald talks about how you can achieve LinkedIn success in just five minutes a day if you follow these guidelines:

• Prepare
  If you save inspiring quotes and links to interesting articles in a file, you can quickly copy and paste them into your LinkedIn status. Your status can be anything as long as it’s concise and relevant to your industry.
• Schedule
  Make a five-minute window in your day. Dedicate that time only to LinkedIn and, other than that, forget about it.
• Prioritize
  Responding to invitations and messages should be first, posting new status updates second, and managing recommendations third. Don’t forget thank yous! They go a long way toward building relationships.
• Respond
  If John Smith posted that he has a new job, send congratulations. If Mary Jones shares a link to an article, respond with your viewpoint. It only takes a moment and it increases your visibility.
• Integrate
  Do you have a blog? If you’re manually posting updates to LinkedIn, you’re wasting time. You can integrate LinkedIn with blogs, Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare and other social networking sites.
• Explore
  Take one minute out of your five to familiarize yourself with LinkedIn. Try searching for events, participating in group discussions, asking or answering questions in the Q&A forums. But don’t share too many personal details, because criminals use LinkedIn and other social networking sites to glean information about potential victims.
• Revise
  Every few months, expand your five minutes into a half hour and review your LinkedIn profile. The most important parts are your “headline” or title, your status, and your summary. We are all evolving as professionals, and your LinkedIn profile should evolve with you.
• Relax
  LinkedIn isn’t a contest. There’s no reward for getting 500 contacts or answering a million questions in the Q&A section. The way you reap the rewards of LinkedIn is by using it to expand your horizons.

Join me this Thursday for Leveraging LinkedIn, sponsored by the Cary Grove Chamber Of Commerce. More seminars on blogs and social networking available this summer, keep an eye on my Upcoming Events page or subscribe to the Tech Tips e-newsletter for details as they become available.

Leveraging LinkedIn
Cary Grove Chamber Of Commerce
Thursday, May 26, 2011, 12pm-1:30pm
Fox River Grove Village Hall, 305 Illinois St., Fox River Grove IL

Discover how to get the most out of LinkedIn. We’ll explore the features of LinkedIn and how you can best use them to market yourself or your business. To register, contact the Cary Grove Chamber Of Commerce at 847-639-2800.

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In my tech column in this past weekend’s Northwest Herald I talked about what to do with an “orphaned” Web site you can’t access or change. It’s not enough to have a presence on the Web. If your site is stale or outdated, it’s time to consider a makeover.

The last thing you want is for customers to think you’re not around anymore, but that’s exactly the impression an outdated Web site gives. Many people let their sites lapse because they’re embarassed that they’ve forgotten how to access them. That’s nothing to be ashamed of. Now is a great time to reassess your site, decide what you want to change, and document the account details and other relevant information so that the next time you consider a makeover, you’ll have the foundation laid.

Some people balk at the idea of redoing their Web sites. They figure they just had them done a few years ago so there’s nothing that needs to be changed. But have you ever visited a site that you could tell was old just by looking at it? As technology changes, so do the tools we use to build Web sites. Think of it like decorating your office lobby. You don’t necessarily need the latest styles, but you don’t want the place to look shabby either.

Other site snafus include “news” that’s dated years ago and incorrect contact information. You should also see if there is anything else you need to add or change. Have you introduced new products or services? Are you now affiliated with an organization that could give you a boost?

Make a point to reassess your Web site on a regular basis. If you have a site that needs fine-tuning, let me know how I can help.

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My column in today’s Northwest Herald talks about the four steps you need to take to minimize computer security risks: a security software suite, a hardware firewall, strong and unique passwords, and a method for keeping your software updated.

Here are some recommendations on security software suites.

• Triona’s Tech Tips: New AVG 2011 And How To Choose Security Software

You’ll notice I didn’t mention Norton. While Norton is adequate, it doesn’t have the best detection rates, and it takes up a significant amount of memory especially on older computers. I wrote several years ago about the reasons why I started recommending alternatives to Norton. Although recent versions of Norton have fixed some of these issues, I still prefer the alternatives.

Here’s my guide to creating secure passwords:

• Triona’s Tech Tips: How To Create Secure Passwords

Plus, an article on what to do if your account is hijacked.

• Triona’s Tech Tips: What To Do If Your Email Account Is Hijacked

I mentioned several utilities that can help you keep your software up to date. For Windows, try Secunia’s Personal Software Inspector. Two possibilities for Mac users are AppFresh and Mac Informer.

If you’re interested I have a number of upcoming seminars including Blogs For Business, Leveraging LinkedIn, Social Networking, Expanding Your Online Presence and more. You can find my upcoming events schedule on my web site, or watch examples of my previous seminars.

My article in today’s Northwest Herald talks about fake computer cleaning software scams. Like fake antivirus software, fake cleaning programs are scams trying to trick you into installing them on your computer. They show up in search engine results and are advertised via television, radio, and spam emails. You might even get a phone call urging you to purchase a fake software product. I encourage you to avoid any computer cleaning software unless you are positive it is legitimate.

My two favorite tools are CCleaner for Windows and Snow Leopard Cache Cleaner for Mac (which, despite the name, also works on previous versions of the Mac OS as well). I’m particularly fond of these programs because they work by giving you a convenient way to run the tools already built into your Windows or Mac computer. That makes them safe and reliable.

Of course, before you run any utility that might change your computer system, you should always make at least one backup (preferably two or three to different backup devices). These cleaning programs don’t run all the time like your antivirus software, but you can run them whenever you think your computer might be getting a little slow.

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My column in today’s Northwest Herald talks about how a professional email address can boost your business. By professional I mean creating a custom domain name (the part after the @ symbol). Many people simply use the email address offered by their Internet providers (ending in @comcast.net or @aol.com), but why pass up the opportunity to get your business name in front of people? A custom address looks more professional and helps you advertise. Setting up your own domain name is inexpensive, and you don’t have to change the way you read your email. Plus, if you change email providers you don’t have to tell everyone; simply redirect your custom email to your new address. It’s like having a post office box that stays constant even if you move.

After choosing your domain name, you register it with a domain registrar. There are many out there, so check online reviews and ask your colleagues for recommendations. Some have better service and prices than others. Domains need to be renewed yearly, although you can sign up for multiple years in advance and often receive a discount. Stay on top of renewal. You don’t want a cybersquatter to yank your hard-earned domain out from under you. Next, you need to choose your new email address and point it to your existing one. It’s common to have an “info” address, like info@mycompanyname.com. You may also want to set up addresses for employees, but be sure to follow the same standard for everyone (e.g. firstname@mycompanyname.com, firstname.lastname@mycompanyname.com) or it may be confusing to potential customers.

Choosing the right name is probably the hardest part of the process. Since many domain names are taken, you want to choose a name that represents your business, but isn’t too long or too vague. Some of the common questions I get on choosing the right domain name are:

• Should I pick a .com domain or a .net domain?
  In general I recommend .com (unless you are an organization in which case .org would be appropriate). A lot of people don’t even look at the last part of the address, assuming it’s .com, so if yours is .net you’ll spend a lot of time reminding people. You can always hedge your bets and register both the .com and .net versions of your domain.
• What do I do if someone else has taken my company name as their domain?
  You probably don’t have much recourse, unless you happen to have the name trademarked (and even then it may be a struggle). Your best bet is to choose a different name. If all variations of your company’s name are taken you could try combining the name with what you sell: mycompanywidgets.com instead of mycompanyname.com. Or you could add the location: mycompanychicago.com.
• Can I use the same domain for my web site?
  Absolutely! In fact this is one of the nice things about having your own domain, it serves for both your web site and your email address. If you don’t have a web site yet, registering your domain reserves that name so you can use it down the road. When you’re ready all you have to do is point your domain to your web site host.
• Can I direct my info@mycompanyname.com address to more than one person?
  Yes. Follow your domain registrar’s instructions. Usually what you do is enter the email addresses with commas between them. Then messages to info@mycompanyname.com will automatically go to those addresses.

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My column in today’s Northwest Herald talks about how to choose between a PC and a Mac. Both have their pros and cons, but ultimately it comes down to your needs and your personal preference.

I mentioned that although Macs don’t suffer the same kinds of virus problems that PCs do, they still need protection. Here are some recommendations on Mac security software. I talked about my recommendations for PC security software here.

• Intego VirusBarrier and VirusBarrier Dual Protection (if you’re running Windows on your Mac)
• McAfee VirusScan For Mac
• Avast Mac (free)
• ClamX AV (free)

If you’re looking for help with your PC, here are some great resources:

• Microsoft Windows 7 Help & How-to center
• Microsoft Windows Help & How-to center (for Windows Vista and Windows XP)
• Microsoft Windows 7 Solution Center
• Microsoft Vista Solution Center
• Microsoft Support Home

And if you’re looking for Mac help, including how to switch from a PC to a Mac, try these:

• Apple Support: Mac 101
• Apple Support: Switch 101 (for people switching from Windows)
• Apple Mac Support

You can also subscribe to my free Tech Tips e-newsletter for bonus tips, tricks, and product reviews. Click here to subscribe, or send email to techtips-request-at-guidryconsulting-dot-com, subject “subscribe”.

Don’t miss my upcoming seminars, Getting The Most Out Of Your Mac on November 5th and PC Troubleshooting on November 10th, both sponsored by the Crystal Lake Chamber Of Commerce. Details and registration information can be found here.

My column in today’s Northwest Herald talks about the recent uptick in hijacked email accounts. Hackers hijack your account in order to prey on your contacts by sending spam, malicious links, and outright requests for money in your name. And not just your email account… Facebook, LinkedIn, and other accounts can also be hijacked.

Here are some things you can do to protect yourself, not just from hijacked accounts but also from viruses, spyware and other Internet threats:

• Use strong passwords that are unique on every system, and change them every few months. Earlier this week I posted an article about how to create secure passwords. This is the number-one thing you can do to prevent your accounts from being hijacked.

• Use a high-quality security software suite. I used to recommend free solutions for Windows like AVG combined with Spybot or AdAware, but these days I’m finding the freebies aren’t enough to protect you. Norton and McAfee will do the job, but Norton in particular tends to take up a lot of memory which may make older machines run more slowly. I prefer AVG’s paid Internet Security Suite or Trend Micro’s Titanium Internet Security or Titanium Maximum Security. If you’re using free AVG, you can get a discount on the full AVG suite if you buy through the “upgrade from free version” option.

Whatever solution you choose, be sure it is a full suite—containing antivirus, anti-spyware, and firewall—and not just antivirus. And be sure it’s real software and not one of the many rogue security programs that are actually viruses in disguise.

Mac users, you need security software too. My personal favorite is Intego VirusBarrier or Internet Security Barrier. If you run Windows on your Mac through Apple’s Boot Camp or a program like VMWare or Parallels, try Intego’s Dual Protection options: VirusBarrier DP or Internet Security Barrier DP. These include BitDefender for Windows to protect the Windows half of your computer.

• Make sure ALL of the software on your computer is regularly updated. In one of my previous Northwest Herald columns, I talked about the dangers of old software. Here on my blog I’ve also talked specifically about the risks posed by old versions of Adobe (Acrobat) Reader and Flash.

• If you’re on Windows, use a browser other than Internet Explorer. Using Firefox or Opera instead of Internet Explorer offers you that much more protection. If you must use Internet Explorer, find out why older versions of Internet Explorer pose a greater risk of virus infection.

• Watch out for poisoned search engine results and learn how to spot bad web links.

• Never click on links or open attachments in email. Always visit the site directly. For example, if you get an email saying you have a new Facebook message, go directly to facebook.com from your Web browser instead of clicking the link in the email.

• Learn about social engineering and how hackers will do anything and everything to trick you into letting them in.

• And, finally, subscribe to the free email version of Triona’s Tech Tips for easy-to-understand tips you can use to protect yourself from the latest Internet threats. You can click this link or send email to techtips-request-at-guidryconsulting-dot-com, subject “subscribe.”

My technology column in this weekend’s Northwest Herald talks about how you can use Web feeds to organize information from Web sites and blogs. Web feeds (also called RSS feeds) allow you to organize content, much as you do with your email. For example, if you wanted to subscribe to the Web feed for this blog, you’d click on the orange RSS icon in the upper right corner of this blog, which will prompt you to bookmark the feed in your Web browser. A Web feed address looks similar to this.

http://www.guidryconsulting.com/techtips/feed/

Many email programs such as Outlook and Mozilla Thunderbird also have Web feed capabilities, although personally I prefer news software like FeedDemon for Windows or NetNewsWire for Mac. Or, you can use Google Reader which is web-based and works on both Windows and Mac.

When you access your news software you’ll see which Web feeds have updated content, and when you click on a feed you’ll see the name, date and excerpt of recent articles, as if each one were an email message. You can mark articles as read or flag them to read later. Here’s what it looks like in FeedDemon.

Web feeds are most often used to advertise blog content. So if you run a blog, be sure to include a link to the feed so people can subscribe. Most common blog platforms like Blogger and WordPress automatically set up a feed when you create your blog.

People sometimes ask me what is the point of Web feeds, and why would anyone want to use them? Feeds make following Web sites and blogs as easy as checking your email. It’s also a great timesaver. Instead of visiting each site directly, you can consolidate them in one place and see at a glance the articles you want to read. Web feeds have become the option of choice for people who want to keep up with current events, which is why they’re offered by most magazines and newspapers.

In this month’s Northwest Herald technology column I explain why it’s important to have more than one backup of your computer data. It’s also critical to test restoring your data to make sure your backups are valid. To do this, follow your software’s procedures for recovering data, but redirect the data so it doesn’t overwrite the original.

Most software has an option called “destination” or “target,” where the recovered data is to be saved. If you select that option you can redirect the data to another location. You may want to create a special folder ahead of time for the restored data. Then you can compare it to the original. As I said in the article, don’t just check file names; try opening each kind of file you use (say, one Word file, one Excel file, and so on). If you don’t have a solid backup strategy, including off-site storage in case of a disaster, all your hard work could be lost.

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My column in today’s Northwest Herald is Plenty Of Risks, Rewards With Cloud Computing. I’ve discussed cloud computing before here on Tech Tips, and today I’d like to give you some tips on how you can mitigate potential risks. These rules apply equally well to data that resides on a local server in your office.

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”.

• As with any Internet account, use strong, unique passwords for every member of your group, and make sure those passwords are not shared with anyone.
• Evaluate your cloud computing options and look for one that not only meets your needs, but has clearly defined security policies.
• Establish rules for your employees or project partners. Are there certain kinds of data that should not go in the cloud?
• Configure your cloud computing environment so that access to data is limited to only what is needed for each person. For example, an employee working on a particular project may not need access to every file.
• Be sure to disable cloud computing accounts if a person leaves or is no longer needed on the project.