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Someone Accessed Your Email? What to do

Webmaster — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:19:43 +0000

I am a Tech pro! and my email was compromised. Fortunately it was an email address that I haven’t used and not many people have that email address. Here is an article on what to do if you believe your email address has been hacked into. It’s for AOL but you can do the same thing with whoever your internet provider, webmaster, or email service is. Be sure to change your password regularly, at least every 60 days.

http://mailblog.aol.com/2010/05/17/why-am-i-getting-spam-from-myself/?ncid=txtlnkusmblo00000031

Protect Your Information Online

Webmaster — Mon, 03 May 2010 23:28:47 +0000

We are in the information age and it has both positive and negatives. What did we ever do without computers? Almost every company has either moved or is moving their business transactions online. That means you have to divulge personal information in some cases when you want to do business with a particular company. If that is the case, you can protect yourself by clearing out your “browser cache.” To do so in Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Options and select “Clear Recent History.” To do so in Mozilla, go to Tools and select “Clear Browsing History” for the last hour. That will clear out any personal information you used like credit cards, social security or phone numbers. It’s important to do this immediately after you have finished completing a web form because the computer will hold that information in memory until you erase it. That’s all for now.

Web Pages Not Displaying Properly?

Webmaster — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 04:02:30 +0000

Typically web designers create web sites that are accessible to the broadest audience. However there are times when alternatives need to be provided to the web audience. Many organizations include as part of their site design alternate pages that would display depending on the browser a person is using. So a user who is viewing a site through Internet Explorer version 6 (IE6) would see a different set of web pages than a user viewing the site through IE7 or IE8. Unlike with print design, to achieve a particular look on a web site requires text and graphical information be communicated to the web browser in a certain way in order to be displayed properly. Older browsers are unable to handle some of the commands that tell a browser to display a page a particular way and so it looks different in different browsers, on different PC’s and even using different monitors.

Part of the design process is to design a site so that it looks the same across the greatest number of technology platforms and then view the finished web sites on all of the most popular browsers to ensure the site will display as intended to the majority audience. In most cases, an organization may choose to have their site developed for the two or three most popular web browsers. When this is not possible, an alternate solution is to have a message to the user display on the site with a link to upgrade the user’s browser: “This site is best viewed using Mozilla Firefox version 3.5 – Download it here.” This way you ensure your audience is able to view your web site as you intended for them to see it.

In short, different Internet Browsers view web page information differently. The most common browsers people are currently using are Internet Explorer versions 6, 7 and 8 and Mozilla Firefox on a PC. On the Mac, people are using Safari and a few people are using Opera.

I have enclosed a link to download the latest version of web browsers that will display most technology:

Internet Explorer Version 8

To check your browser version, from the Internet Explorer Menu click on “HELP” and then click on “ABOUT INTERNET EXPLORER.” If your browser is version 7 or earlier, please update to version 8.

Mozilla Firefox 3.6

To check to see if you have the latest version of Mozilla, click on “About” and select the option to “check for updates.”

Safari (for Mac or PC)

To check your browser version for Safari, click on the “Safari” menu at the top of your window while your Safari browser window is open and then select “About Safari.”

Please Note: you do not have to enter your email address to download the browsers.

ADJUSTING YOUR MONITOR RESOLUTION:

WINDOWS: To adjust your monitor resolution, right-click on a clean space on your desktop and click “PROPERTIES” to access your desktop settings. Then click on the “SETTINGS” tab. Now look for the section that says “screen resolution” and move the slider left or right to the desired resolution. You can click “apply” to test the changes. Play with it until you get it right and click “OKAY” to keep the setting. Leave this setting as is once you get the perfect resolution for your monitor. There is no need to change it again unless you change monitors.

Planning Your Web Site Development

Webmaster — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:59:37 +0000

When it comes to planning your web site development, you want users to be clear on what kind of content they will find on your site. Define the objective of your web site and develop around that.

Ask Yourself These Questions:

What is the one central message of your site? (This is usually derived from a mission statement – business or personal.) What is the purpose of your web site? Then make your web site reflect that purpose.

Decide what elements you need in your site: data-driven pages, applications, multi-media, e-store, advertising, a blog, news, or a combination of elements. The creative team will help with this decision. Use only what is necessary and pertinent to getting your message across.

Decide who is responsible for writing copy. It may be the design firm you chose to develop your web site, an independent consultant you hire, or someone from within your organization.

Web site design that includes a marketing plan usually involves carefully selecting and researching your target audience and communicates to them accordingly. What are you selling? Who is your target audience? What do you want to say to them? How should this message be communicated? Why should consumers choose your product? How will you get people to visit your site? You have to make them want to come back.

The Marketing Plan requires a team to help put the message together. The copy writer considers how the text will be written. The creatives or design people consider how to make the message come to life. They can also create the brand.

Brand is image; usually defined by a logo or symbol identifying the company. When starting to brand, consider the image that people will remember. Your image defines your company. Choose your logo, your branding carefully, as it is something you will want to remain constant throughout the life of your company.

Working With the Design Team

Communicate project specifications to the design team. Be sure objectives are clear. Provide examples when necessary. Design will be created from what is communicated.

The creative team will come up with a design concept based on the client specs. (1st approval)

The client will approve and work begins to create 3 design proposals. The design team’s job is to bring to life the client’s message and present it back to the client.

The client approves one of the designs. (2nd approval) Then web development begins, followed by testing and submitted for the final approval.

The creative maintains control & responsibility for conveying the message but in the end, the client ultimately makes a determination of what “fits” and represents the company brand.

These are just a few considerations. Hope this helps.

What is Tech Talk?

Webmaster — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:32:44 +0000

You want a web site but you don’t know where to begin. There are free web sites, paid web sites, blogs, My Space, Twitter, Facebook, Vimeo, You Tube . . . If you are not on every technological bandwagon, you just may get left behind. How much should web design services cost? What’s the difference between a web site and a blog? What is hosting? What is a domain name? What is social networking? How do I know what to purchase and how often? Why are some web sites and blogs free and some you have to pay for? What’s the point of it all? Technology is ever changing. It’s so hard to keep up.

Keep your eyes posted to these pages and we’ll help you make sense of it all. Learn web development secrets, learn how to purchase design services, and learn how to keep up with technology.