Know Which Apps to Remove From MSConfig with This Startup Applications List

If your pc is getting slow, cleaning out start-up programs is a great way to speed it up.

"One of the biggest slowdowns on a Windows computer is the barrage of applications that start up when you boot Windows. This application list will tell you which of those are safe to remove from msconfig.exe."

Read the whole article: Know Which Apps to Remove From MSConfig with This Startup Applications List

Crate is a Drop.io-Style Webapp for Quickly Sharing Files

I was a big fan of drop.io and used it with several clients so they could get large files to me for putting on their website. It was free and easy. But drop.io shut down (*sniff*), and I had been unable to find a similarly easy site that didn't require the sender to download an application or go through long registration processes.

This morning, Lifehacker tells of a new similar service called "Crate." I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds like it might be just what I was looking for. If you have an opportunity to try it first, let me know what you think!

Read the whole article: Crate is a Drop.io-Style Webapp for Quickly Sharing Files

**Update: I've used it now and it's SLICK!! LOVE IT!

Ways different generations use the internet

This is a very interesting article about the online activities of different generations of Americans. The article focuses on the decreasing interest in blogging, but I found much more interesting information in the infographic itself. For one, 20-40% of all generations use the internet for "Religious info."

Read the whole article: Everyone Uses E-mail, But Fewer People Blog [INFOGRAPHIC]

How to Keep Your Password Safe on the Web

Yeah, yeah, we all know we need to worry about this. And we all know we need better passwords than the ones we're probably using. But, it takes too long to come up with good passwords for each site we visit, and then you have the issue of either trying to remember all the password or remember a complicated system to figure out your passwords!

This is a good article to remind us of the importance of strong passwords - and some good ideas for ways to accomplish using them well. I just started using LassPass (mentioned toward the end of the article). We'll see how that goes....

Read this great article: How to Keep Your Password Safe on the Web

Teach Parents Tech

This is a super site with short (most under one minute) videos with quick how-tos on a variety of commonly used tech topics. It's set up so you can pick & choose some videos to send in an email to your parents, but they're also fun to just watch.

The videos have been put together by "a few folks at Google to help keep tech support a family business."

A very fun thing to watch for: at the end of each video is a photo of the person who created the video as a child with his/her parents. Cute!

Try it out yourself: Teach Parents Tech

WARNING: Acai Berry Twitter Attack Spreading Like Wildfire [UPDATED]

New Twitter attack. Don't click on anything with the domain "acainews."

Read the whole article: WARNING: Acai Berry Twitter Attack Spreading Like Wildfire [UPDATED]

Malicious Goo.gl Links Spreading on Twitter [WARNING]

Of course, it's never a good idea to click on mysterious links - here's a story of a real problem on Twitter right now. Read the whole article. Malicious Goo.gl Links Spreading on Twitter [WARNING]

4 Ways Mobile Devices Impact Your Business and Marketing

You just can never get comfortable with your website or marketing plan - because things are always changing. That's why you need a company like Tech Help Please behind you! We keep up with all the latest new trends and analyze what you really need (and what you don't). We've got your back.

Read the whole article: 4 Ways Mobile Devices Impact Your Business and Marketing

Tech Help Please offers affordable custom websites that you can update with just an email. Contact us for more information!

SMB Owners Still Not Sure About Social Media

Small business owners are BUSY. You have a lot on your minds - and many of you don't have time for social media. BUT, your customers are on social media sites.

Even if you are a small business in a small town - you may be ignoring customers or losing customers by not competing online. Read this great article (link below) for some surprising statistics.

Tech Help Please was founded with this in mind. We create affordable websites that can easily be updated by sending an email straight to the site. Nothing new to learn.

And if you don't have time for separate social media campaigns, we can set it up so that same email can update your Facebook and Twitter as well. One email - three results. It's so easy. Let us show you how we can help you!

Check us out at www.techhelpplease.com

Read the whole article: SMB Owners Still Not Sure About Social Media

The five most overhyped tech products of 2010 | Tech Sanity Check | TechRepublic.com

Great Tech Sanity Check from TechRepublic.

I have to admit, that I was super-excited about the iPad, until I actually got my hands on one (belonging to a friend) in June. I was disappointed that there were limited programs that you can download and no cd drive for adding more programs. It's a great toy for reading your email and surfing the web, but if you need to get work done on other programs, it's not a help. My friend was aghast that I could put down his new baby, but I was instantly no longer in the market. Guess I'm too much of a work-a-holic. :)

Read the whole article: The five most overhyped tech products of 2010 | Tech Sanity Check | TechRepublic.com

How can we be a work-a-holic for you? Affordable websites that you can update with an email (from your iPad! haha).

How to Find the Person behind an Email Address - Reverse Email Search

"You get an email from a person with whom you have never interacted before and therefore, before you reply to that message, you would like to know something more about him or her. How do you do this without directly asking the other person?

Web search engines are obviously the most popular place for performing reverse email lookups but if the person you’re trying to research doesn’t have a website or has never interacted with his email address on public forums before, Google will probably be of little help.

No worries, here are few tips and online services that may still help you uncover the identity of that unknown email sender. "

Read the whole article: How to Find the Person behind an Email Address - Reverse Email Search

Need more help? Find affordable website design and much more at techhelpplease.com

You Can Now Log in to MySpace with Facebook

"At a press event this afternoon, the two companies announced an expansion of their existing partnership that puts a connect with Facebook button on the MySpace homepage and enables a wide range of personalization and sharing features on MySpace.

Through a product the companies are calling “Mashup with Facebook,” users who log in with Facebook (or connect their existing MySpace account) are able to pull in their likes and interests, which makes it easy for them to do things like follow updates from their favorite entertainers. MySpace also has plans to integrate “Like” buttons across the site, meaning MySpace content like music and videos will start getting shared back to Facebook."

How can we help with your website? Find affordable custom webdesign solutions at techhelpplease.com .

Read the whole article: You Can Now Log in to MySpace with Facebook

Twitter to Release a Real-time Analytics Solution This Year [REPORT]

Do you ever wonder if all your tweeting is worth it? Well, soon you'll be able to find out!

"Twitter plans to launch a free analytics dashboard that will help its users – especially businesses – understand how others are interacting with their tweets."

Read the whole article: Twitter to Release a Real-time Analytics Solution This Year [REPORT]

Google Docs Adds Autocorrect and Shortcut-Based Text Substitutiion

"Good news for people who can't help making the same typos over and over, or those who find text substitution apps like our own Texter a real time-saver: Google Docs now features automatic, customizable text correction and substitution."

I use Google Docs all the time for my business and my family, and Tech Help Please websites partner with Google Apps. They're incredibly useful - and now have even more handy features. Would you like to find out more about using Google Docs with your business or organization? Visit techhelpplease.com or contact me to find out more.

Read the whole article here: Google Docs Adds Autocorrect and Shortcut-Based Text Substitution

Affordable Website Design - Tech Help Please

Facebook Bug Deactivates Many Accounts, Throws Messaging Future Into Doubt

According to Read Write Web, Facebook has confirmed that a bug that went live today was designed to find and disable accounts that seem fake. The social networking site is apparently working to fix the issue and to get those accounts up and running."

Always beware when asked to upload personal information. Read this article for more information, but if you get this official-looking message from Facebook - check it out before sending personal information. Read the whole article here: Facebook Bug Deactivates Many Accounts, Throws Messaging Future Into Doubt:

35 Entertaining 404 Error Pages

What do guests to your site see when they surf to a non-existent page?

35 Entertaining 404 Error Pages: "“404 Not Found.” These three little words can make any Internet explorer an unhappy camper. After all, who hopes to click on a broken link or stumble upon a moved or deleted page while cruising around the web?

Luckily, some web designers have chosen to end the misery of encountering a 404 error page. Instead of letting their site readers bump heads with a nasty dead-end error message, they’ve managed to squeeze a little entertainment out of it."

How to Use LinkedIn – Company Profiles

Is your business on LinkedIn? No, I didn't ask if you on LinkedIn, I wonder if your business is on LinkedIn. If not - you need to read this article and get it up there! I'd love to be your contact! You can find me at http://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-help-please or http://www.linkedin.com/in/karingraddy

How to Use LinkedIn – Company Profiles

The Complete Business Guide To Facebook Deals

Small businesses will be able to benefit from this just as much as larger ones! Check this out:

"Yesterday Facebook changed the game for businesses who maintain physical presences across the country with the release of Facebook Deals. Suddenly, Facebook users have a reason to check-in to places. For those business owners who aren’t clear on what opportunities Facebook Deals provides, here’s a comprehensive guide."

Read the whole article: The Complete Business Guide To Facebook Deals

View PDFs in Chrome

Now this is a handy thing! I love how you can preview pdfs in Safari, but I use Chrome more often. This article explains how to turn on the pdf viewer in Chrome. It's very simple and will save you tons of time!

Read the article here: View PDFs in Chrome | Browsers & Add-Ons | Mac OS X Hints | Macworld

Why Do So Many Geeks Hate Internet Explorer? - How-To Geek

If you are still using Internet Explorer, PLEASE upgrade to the newest version - or, even better, switch to Firefox or Chrome! IE is not the only browser, but it IS the worst!

This great article explains why geeks hate IE. Don't feel like you have to read the whole history of IE section, if you don't wish. But do start reading at "What Made It Go So Very Wrong?"

Then, RUN to your computer and check your version of IE. If you have version 6 and have ever complained to someone that their webpage was not working - quickly upgrade your browser, then take them cookies and humbly apologize! :)

"Supporting IE is Like a Fork in the Eye for Web Devs

"Here’s a sample of a day in the life of a web designer: You spend hours making sure that your page looks great, and you test it out in Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and even Opera. It looks great, awesome!

"Now you open up IE and the page looks like somebody put it into a blender and hit the Whip button. Then you spend double the amount of time trying to fix it to look tolerable in IE6 and IE7, cursing loudly the entire time."

Read the whole article: Why Do So Many Geeks Hate Internet Explorer?

Facebook Privacy Breach: What Happened and What You Can Do

No - you don't have to give up Facebook. But, if you're worried about your privacy, be careful which 3rd party applications you use - i.e. FarmVille, TexasHoldEm Poker, FrontierVille, etc.

"Facebook, to its credit, now allows users to monitor which applications are accessing which parts of their profile through the “Privacy” and “Applications, Games and Websites” function under the “Account” option. Take a look and, if you don’t like what you see, block a specific app, or apps, completely. From the “Applications, Games and Websites” function, you can also “Turn off all platform applications.” That’s the safest bet, as long as you’re willing to lose your hand in poker or give up your farm."

Read the whole article:

Facebook Privacy Breach: What Happened and What You Can Do

Facebook Offers New Ways to Stay Secure

"Facebook provides a number of ways to help you protect yourself and your account, and today we are announcing new features to help make your experience on Facebook more secure."

These include single-use passwords for when you're at a public computer, remote log-out, and more. This is good information to know.

Read the whole article here: Facebook | More Ways to Stay Secure

Google Launches Contest to Encourage Kids to Code

"With a world that is increasingly reliant on computer technology, encouraging students to explore programming is crucial. But a recently released report by the Computer Science Teachers Association reveals a marked decline in the number of computer science classes offered in U.S. schools, as well as a lack of standards governing what should be taught at the K-12 level."

Read the article: Google Launches Contest to Encourage Kids to Code

5 Free Ways to Improve Your Typing Skills Online

Oooh - I'm going to share these links with my kids. I'm a pretty good typist, but my kids can use some improvement. Well, now that I think about it, I would love to be able to type with fewer mistakes. A great way to give yourself a break and improve a skill in a few minutes a day. Read the article: 5 Free Ways to Improve Your Typing Skills Online

Another reminder to THINK about what you post on Facebook

Filling out questionnaires to find out more about your friends are fun - but if the questions about your first pet's name happens to be the same question you used as a security question somewhere - you could be giving hackers a key to your privacy. Here's an article with a good reminder: The Most Clever Facebook Security Hack Ever

Facebook introduces a new kind of Groups

Facebook groups look like a great way to keep in touch with 'groups' of friends. Keep those inside jokes inside! :)

Perhaps the most exciting part is that you'll be able to have group chats with anyone inside your group.

You can also create an email address that anyone in your group can use to send a post to the group. Whenever something is posted to the group - it sends a private message to each person - so stuff doesn't get lost on their wall.

I'm off to create a few test groups!

Read the article: Facebook | New Groups: Stay Closer to Groups of People in Your Life

DIY Laptop Repairs and Upgrades: Keyboards and Trackpads

From Lifehacker:

"A laptop that's hard to type or point with isn't much of a help when you're getting things done away from your desk. But you can fix and replace your keys and touchpad rather than take a big credit card hit.

This post is part of a week-long series on laptop repairs and upgrades that focuses on the fixes that can keep a laptop usable after the inevitable breakdown of one part or another."

Read the article here

What would you think of a WTF Church? Read the article...

"At first everyone thought it was just a misstep: The college ministry’s banners proclaimed “WTF” in big bold letters. But rather than the familiar if profane abbreviation we’re used to, the words “worship,” “teaching” and “friends” appeared below each letter...."

Read the whole article, then let me know - what's your take on this?

The Unwritten Rules of an Organization are just as, if not more, important than the written rules.

This one might be a no-brainer, but it's always a good reminder - and it's good to name aloud!

"In an organization the unwritten rules are just as, if not more, important than the written rules. If you are considering making changes, implementing something new, adding staff, or any of dozen other decisions in your organization, you need to also consider the unwritten rules of the organization."

Read:

The Unwritten Rules of an Organization…Equally Important @ Ron Edmondson

Reminding People Why We’re Here makes direction & decisions that much more clear...

Reminding People Why We’re Here | Church Marketing Sucks: "When people have a sense of why they’re here, direction and decisions become that much more clear."

Now You Can Follow Twitter Users Without an Account

For those of you that may be interested in following the tweets of one or two people or brands, but don't want to mess with getting a Twitter account of your own, here's how you can receive tweets as text messages with no Twitter account.

Click here to read the article: Now You Can Follow Twitter Users Without an Account

Green Stop Signs

Are your congregation's communications sending mixed signals? What is it you're really trying to say? How can you make that message clearer to all? Check out this great article: http://www.churchmarketingsucks.com/2010/07/green-stop-signs-in-church-marketing/

Hate being put on hold? Let Lucy do it for you!

Here's a neato little service I just found. It's free - because I love sharing helpful things that are free!
Go to www.lucyphone.com
Enter the toll-free number that you want to call. OR if you don't know the number, you can enter the customer name, and Lucy can find the number (of most major companies) for you!
Lucy will call you first then "patch" you through to the company.
Use the company's phone menu just as you normally would. Get put on hold? Press ** and your phone will be disconnected but Lucy will stay on the line.
Once a live agent is on the line, Lucy will call you back immediately and connect you both. Get put on hold again, just press ** again!
Too cool, huh?

Think your business is too small for social networking? Think again!

"According to a February–March 2010 survey from office services firm Regus, smaller companies see the most success, with nearly half of small businesses around the world having acquired a customer through social networks." More Businesses Finding Customers on Social Sites

Great idea: Use Your Mobile Number As A USB Drive Label

Here's the article with some more tips: http://url4.eu/5o4e1

Helpful tip for Firefox users:

A fast way to go back to the last webpage you viewed: "Alt" and the back arrow

Summer Marketing Strategy Poll Results | Church Marketing Sucks

Summer Marketing Strategy Poll Results | Church Marketing Sucks

What's your congregation doing this summer to keep reaching out? Or are you just waiting for fall?

If you're not a church - do you "slack off" in the summer?

Yes, Your Facebook Profile Boxes Are Gone

Yes, Your Facebook Profile Boxes Are Gone: "many users were taken off guard as application boxes began disappearing from their profiles yesterday afternoon."

I didn't use profile boxes myself, but I know many folks who had "Causes" and other boxes. Facebook had announced this upcoming deletion to application developers, but I'm not sure how much it was passed on to the casual FB user.

Microsoft Launches Outlook Facebook Integration [Exclusive]

This could be very handy for some - but I'm not sure I'd want all my facebook updates coming to my inbox. My inbox is full enough already. There would have to be a way to filter only what you want coming to your inbox...

Microsoft Launches Outlook Facebook Integration [Exclusive]

Is your website hard to maintain? I have an easy solution.

Is your website is often out-of-date because you just don't have time
to keep it updated, or you're not really sure how to update it, or you
can never get in touch with the volunteer who promised to keep it
updated?

What if you could update your website as easily as sending an email?
What if you could add new pictures to your website simply by attaching
them to an email?

We'd love to get you set up with a website like that! Set-up costs
average around $500. Then you only pay $40 per YEAR for domain name &
hosting. Sound unbelievable? Contact tech@techhelpplease.com or find
out more at www.techhelpplease.com

Automatically block Flash content on webpages

Another cool add-on for the Chrome browser. 

"Each flash element is being replaced with a placeholder that allows you to load only selected elements on a given page.

You can also manage a whitelist of allowed websites via a configuration panel. In general, FlashBlock helps with lowering memory usage, reducing cpu cycles, and can be used as an alternative to AdBlock."

Get it at https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/gofhjkjmkpinhpoiabjplobcaignabnl?hl=en

Awesome Chrome Add-On

If you use the Google Chrome browser - I just found the most awesome add-ons. Do you ever google something then have to keep hitting "next" to find what you're looking for? Then you realize you want something several pages back... but what page was it on?? This handy little extension puts all the "next" pages on one big long page - so you can just scroll up & down all the pages on one page. Sweet! :)

AutoPager Chrome - Google Chrome extension gallery

Spelling mistakes in online forms?

Have you ever filled out something online and realized you made a spelling or grammar error - only after you've hit submit??

If you use Firefox or Chrome (which you should!!), this will help solve that problem - http://goo.gl/aCMK

Check Your Spelling, Grammar, and Style in Firefox and Chrome

5 Ways to Reduce Social Media Distractions and Be More Productive

"Those of us who are social media-savvy suffer from a burgeoning problem that constantly threatens our ingenuity. If we fail to acknowledge and solve this problem, our brilliant ideas may may never see the light of day."

Read: 5 Ways to Reduce Social Media Distractions and Be More Productive

Using Social Media to Put a Human, Friendly, and Helpful Face on Your Company

This is a great article - your church or small business NEEDS to be involved in social media!
"Social media in 2010 reminds me a lot of where the Internet was in 1996.

Back then, there were plenty of companies that believed they didn’t need to have a web presence. They were satisfied with their current status and had no interest in venturing into foreign territory.

Many of those companies ended up digging themselves into holes it took years to dig out of.

Today, there are just as many companies that can’t be bothered with social media. The common assumptions?

Social media is for kids
Social media serves no business purpose
Social media marketing isn’t as effective as traditional marketing
Social media has grown exponentially in recent years and there is no sign that the growth is slowing down. As of the end of 2009, there were a combined 142 million social networkers on the top 10 social media sites. There are over 100 million users on Facebook alone!

What can social media do for your brand? It can:

Attach a “human face” to your company
Engage customers in meaningful conversation
Engage visitors by having them contribute content
Provide immediate customer service
Inform the public about new products and services… and special offerings"
Read: http://www.youngentrepreneur.com/blog/using-social-media-to-put-a-human-friendly-and-helpful-face-on-your-company/

10 Secrets To Creating Your Brand’s Facebook Presence

"Want to know how to most effectively build your brand’s presence on Facebook." Yes, your church or small business has a "brand."

Read: 10 Secrets To Creating Your Brand’s Facebook Presence

Give Your Computer and Peripherals a Spring Cleaning - Maintenance - Lifehacker

"Most of us are more concerned about the tidiness of our directories and files than we are about our physical computer. A dirty computer is a failure-prone computer, so let's dig in with some spring cleaning tips"

Read this article for more - Give Your Computer and Peripherals a Spring Cleaning - Maintenance

Want to reach people 24/7?

Wouldn't you love your customers/donors/congregation members to think about you at all times of the day & night?

Check out this really interesting information about when folks are using Facebook & Twitter.

Social Sites Lure Users Around the Clock - eMarketer

Aren't you using social media yet?? Let us help you get started!

How do you "subject" your emails?

Read this interesting poll about the growing use of the word "you" in email subject lines - and why it's important for getting your word out to your readers.

(Yes - even you churches need to read this!!)

Top E-Mail Subject Lines Focus on ‘You’ - eMarketer

Jesus Saves!

Do you regularly back-up your work - and your computer??

Perhaps you've heard this joke:

Jesus and Satan have a discussion as to who is the better programmer. This goes on for a few hours until they come to an agreement to hold a contest, with God as the judge.

They sit themselves at their computers and begin. They type furiously, lines of code streaming up the screen, for several hours straight. Seconds before the end of the competition, a bolt of lightning strikes, taking out the electricity. Moments later, the power is restored, and God announces that the contest is over.

He asks Satan to show what he has come up with. Satan is visibly upset, and cries, "I have nothing. I lost it all when the power went out."

"Very well, then," says God, "let us see if Jesus fared any better."

Jesus enters a command, and the screen comes to life in vivid display, the voices of an angelic choir pour forth from the speakers. Satan is astonished.

He stutters, "B-b-but how? I lost everything, yet Jesus' program is intact. How did he do it?"

God smiled all-knowingly, "Jesus saves."*

Read this article to learn about the five best offline Backup Tools from Lifehacker

[This joke is believed to be in the public domain. If you believe this belongs to you, please let us know the details and we will either remove the material or provide a link at your request.)

140 Reasons We Love Twitter

Do you love Twitter? Do you have no idea what it is? This is an interesting article about why people love Twitter. They sifted the thousands of responses down to 140 that represent the most cited reasons. Seriousness - and silliness - enjoy!

140 Reasons We Love Twitter #thankstwitter4

St. Patricks Day Doodles Take Over Google, Bing, Yahoo and Ask [PICS]

"We’re used to Google and other search engines decorating their homepages for special occasions, and this St Patrick’s Day is no different with various doodles, graphics and costumes marking the holiday around the web." St. Patricks Day Doodles Take Over Google, Bing, Yahoo and Ask [PICS]

5 Must-See Google Easter Eggs

"There’s no doubt Google has a sense of humor — its excellent April Fools jokes are a testament to that. But there’s a wealth of funnies that can found any time of the year too. Here we pull together a handy list of Google “Easter eggs” that you can uncover right now." click: 5 Must-See Google Easter Eggs:

Why Pastors Should Use Twitter

Twitter is an essential tool for ministry–I mean considering the fact that almost EVERYONE is on Twitter (the Dalai Lama recently joining). Understand this: Twitter is growing at a MIND-BOGGLING pace! Currently, Twitter sends over 50 million Tweets per day: Why Pastors Should Use Twitter | Church Brand Architects

How to Build a Facebook Landing Page for Your Business

"You've probably seen custom Fan Pages like those of Best Buy and Victoria's Secret. When you land there, you start on what is essentially a mini website within Facebook, instead of the Page's wall or feed.

These are often used to promote deals, call attention to new products, or simply welcome visitors with an attractive branded splash page. Anyone with a Fan Page can create one, but it takes a little effort. Here's how."How to Build a Facebook Landing Page for Your Business

Windows Maintenance Must-Haves | Exectweets

Marco Chiappetta | Mar 12, 2010
"It’s an unfortunate reality: Windows is constantly under attack by a never-ending barrage of viruses, exploits, and myriad other malware. And even the most cautious users will find their machines infected from time to time. For those lamentable occasions, it’s usually necessary to run a handful of third party applications to assist in the clean-up. There are a number of acceptable tools out there, but here are a few that I can’t live without." Windows Maintenance Must-Haves | Exectweets