WebRev Blog

(Pic from HERE)

When I was growing up, we spent many a Friday night at "slumber" parties (a misnomber, seeing as sleeping was the ONE thing DIDN'T happen), prank-calling classmates and youth leaders.  Why we were never arrested for this, I'll never know, but it seemed to be a right of passage for teens.

Well, some things never change.  And, of course, some people never outgrow the temptation to do this.  A local radio fav is Roy D. Mercer, who likes to call people with the help of their friends.

I had a strange call today from a customer, and in the process of trying to figure out what it was about, one of my co-workers suggested that someone may have used a site like PrankDial.com.  I had never heard of such a thing.  Obviously, I can't recommend such an activity (ahem), but I did have to check it out, to see just exactly what this internet-assisted prank-calling was all about.  As it turns out, there are a bunch of websites that help people prank call each other.

As you may know, things have changed a lot since the 1980s.  Back then, if you wanted to know who was calling you, you usually had to pick up the phone.  Then, more and more people began using caller ID.  Once the mobile phones became so affordable that everyone in the household could afford their own phone and phone number, people started developing their own contact lists for convenience.  This made it very inconvenient, however, to prank your friends, because the receiver knew who was calling (and simply did not answer calls from unrecognized numbers).

Apparently, something had to be done, because pranksters are not so easily deterred, and now we have prank call websites, which allow you to make the call appear to be from any number you choose, and which allow you to either use pre-recorded pranks, or to record one of your own (or type one in, so that it can be read by an automated voice).  There are limits to what type of language can be used, and how many calls can be made (to keep commerical operators such as telemarketers and bill collectors from using the service).  And there are examples on several of the sites of previous pranks that have been played - some of which are quite funny.

Because I haven't tried any of the service (no, seriously, I really haven't), and can't vouch for any of them, and really don't have anyone I want to prank right now, I'm not going to list the services here.  You can find them by using your favorite search engine to search for "prank call," or a similar term.  If you do decide to try any of the services, keep in mind that the sites can and probably will track your I.P. address, and that you probably will be required to give enough identifying information that they will be able to spam you later (nothing is really "free" afterall).  If you do try one of these sites, I'd really like to hear about your experience, so please share. 

Whatever you decide to do this weekend, I hope you have a great time.  Oh, and is your refrigerator running? You'd better go catch it!

Rememer when I was complaining a few weeks ago about not liking the newest version of Internet Explorer?  Well, I've been using Firefox since then, whenever possible (it was my favorite, anyway). But I finally got tired of those little pop-ups, asking me if I would like to upgrade to the newest version of Firefox, so I went for it.

Surprise!  The newest version of Firefox has EVERYTHING I found confusing about Internet Explorer, and now I couldn't find my stuff in either browser. 

Don't Panic! I told myself.  You can make it, and all of your stuff is probably still there...somewhere.  I remembered a corporate training session I attended several years ago, called "Who Moved my Cheese?" which is all about dealing with change in the workplace.  I'm glad I didn't call on my other favorite trainig session memory, and throw the whole thing like a Fish!

The good news is that once you get it figured out in one browser, it's easy to figure it out in the other one. 

The first thing you'll probably want to do is resize the window you type your URLs in.  It's at the top left of the screen, and all you have to do is click on the right edge of that window, and drag it as far to the right as you want. 

Secondly, it's now important to know that instead of opening new "windows" in our browser, we open new "tabs."  This is done by clickiing on the tiny little tab at the right of the open one.  This took some practice for me, because I was used to just opening a new window by clicking on the icon in my status bar.

The third thing you'll want to do in both browsers is click on the drop-down "Tools" menu, and find your internet "options," and re-set your home page.  This will put the world right for you very quickly, as things will start to look much more familiar.  The private-browsing options are here, too.  In Firefox, it's that little Orange tab at the upper-left corner of the screen that just says "Firefox."  In Internet Explorer, it's still called "Tools." 

The "home" shortcuts and links to your bookmarks and settings are little icons in both browsers at the top-right of the screen. 

Allow yourself a little bit of time to just explore what is there.  It'll be much less frustrating than trying to find what you're looking for while you're on the phone with a client (just a hypotheical example).  Good luck!

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. 
 

Google has put together a nifty little quick reference and quick-start guide to using the web.  Basically, it's everything you'll wish you had known before now.   This is an e-book, called 20 Things I learned about Browsers and the Web (or click on the image above). If you open the book while you're logged into Google, it'll save your place for you if you need to stop reading and come back later.  You also have the option to print the book.

Some of the topics covered are plugins and apps, cookies, HTML, CSS, Javascript, HTML5, online security, open source, cloud computing, IP addresses and domain name servers, and the history and future of the Internet.  In spite of its "simple" format, this is a very informative little book.  Be sure to check it out!

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. 
 

This week, we're discussing integrating the web into our real lives.  We've talked about using the web as a convenient quick reference, "social networking," (a.k.a. "networking"), handling financial transactions online, and shopping.  For our Friday Fun this week, let's talk about  some popular entertainment sites.  As always, when checking out or participating in these sites, use your common sense.  Be sure to keep your firewall and virus protection up-to-date., and do not provide personal information online. 

Movies and Videos

We talked about finding movie listings online earlier this week.  You can also find information about your favorite movies and actors at imbd.com. 

YouTube.com is the most popular video site online - showing videos, mostly 10 minutes and under.  Also see MetaCafe.com and LiveLeak.com.

JibJab.com is a very popular site for satire - users can watch videos made by others, or make their own!

Virtual Worlds

Second Life, and Blue Mars are examples of gaming and social sites on which user create avatars and interact with each other using the avatars. 

Discussion Forums

Delphi Forums and Yahoo Groups are examples of forums where people meet and talk online. 

Online Games

Sites like Pogo allow users to participate in a wide variety of games online, from board and card games, to sports, to casino and arcade games. 

What else?  What are your favorite entertainment sites?  Have a good weekend, everyone!

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is a trainer and tech writer in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. Her weakness is the mocha frappuccino.

This week, we're discussing integrating the web into our real lives.  Monday, we talked about using the web as a quick reference, then Tuesday, we moved on to "social networking," (a.k.a. "networking"). Yesterday, we discussed safely handling financial transactions online.  Now, let's do some shopping.

Trading

Sites like E-Bay and Craig's List are the new garage sale.  They are good places to buy or sell low-cost items (new or used).  As always, use common sense.  If you're going to buy something relatively expensive, make sure you meet the seller (i.e. buy locally).  If you do meet a buyer or seller, do so in a public place, and take another adult with you.  Be sure to use PayPal, to protect your bank account and credit card information.

Discounts

Amazon.com, Overstock.com, and  the Home Shopping Network are examples of sites that use bulk purchasing and cut out the middleman (the retailer) to save themselves and the customer money. As with the auction and trading sites listed above, consider using a site like PayPal to protect your credit card and bank account information.

Home Delivery

Chances are that your favorite retailer is online, and is more than willing to ship whatever you're looking for to your house (for a fee).  In many cases, there are items available online that are not available in the stores, and you may have the option to have those items delivered to the store free of charge (site to store).  Go ahead and try it - type the name of your favorite retailer in your browser, followed by .com.  (Target.com, WalMart.com, etc.)

Arm Yourself

When purchasing larger items like a house or car, a little online shopping beforehand can make you a more educated, informed shopper, ready to negotiate the best deal in person.  Know what's available, and how much it should cost by doing your research online.  The also applies to ordering services.  Sites like AngiesList.com can give you a warning of potential problems.

Also see:

• BBB: Shoping Safely Online
• Nine Tips to Shop Safely Online

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is a trainer and tech writer in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. Her weakness is the mocha frappuccino.

This week, we're discussing integrating the web into our real lives.  So far, we've discussed how the internet has replaced the need for a phonebook, newspaper, or encyclopedia for many people, and that "social networking," is the new "networking.  Now, let's talk about a real stickler for a lot of folks - handling financial transactions online.

In the days of yore (circa 2001) we wrote "checks."  These were little pieces of paper, which kept records of money being transferred from one person's account to another person's account.  They were safer than cash in many cases, because there was a paper trail, a record, which could be used to retrieve money in some cases if it were intercepted by the wrong party (unlike cash).  These little pieces of paper traveled through countless hands, and sat on countless desks - just asking to be fraudulently used.  This number increased if the checks had to be mailed.

So, someone sat down, and realized that it would be safer to minimize the number of people handling these checks, and came up with the idea of electronic billing, which really required only two people - the payor and the payee.  And a new way of doing business was born.

It wasn't really as simple as all of that, and of course there is also the opportunity for fraud in electronic banking and billing, but the fact remains that the fewer people w ho handle money, the fewer opportunities there are for theft and fraud.   Nowadays, people are safely making purchases, handling their bank accounts, paying bills, paying taxes, and making donations online. We're going to talk about online shopping later in the week, and it is important to know that many online retailers and service providers do not accept checks - they require electronic payment.  So, it is important to learn how to complete electronic financial transactions correctly and safely.

Following are some great resources:

• Saving to Invest:  Are you using these 10 Financial Security Measures?
• FDIC: Safe Internet Banking
• Kim Komando: How to Bank Online Safely
• Norton Article Library: Shop and Bank Safely Online

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is a trainer and tech writer in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. Her weakness is the mocha frappuccino.