I originally posted this list in January 2007. However, through my keen observation skills, I discovered that all computer users have not yet read and digested this information. For this reason, I’m posting it again because I won’t stop working to educate computer users until every computer user knows these 10 skills.
Computers have become almost a main stream household appliance. Whether you have been using a computer for fifteen years or one, these skills should be second nature:
This is a reintroduction and retitling of a previous video/tip because of a copyright infringement complaint from Franklin Covey. Hopefully, the new title and verbiage will satisfy their legal staff.
All week long I help computer users of all ages and experience levels. Too often, I see that many computer users (beginners and experienced alike) do not utilize or know about some basic web browsing skills that will speed their work and give them less problems when using the Internet.
In this week’s tip, I will highlight the inefficient habits computer users use and replace them with tips that will make YOU a quicker and more profecient web user.
1. Using an old browser
No matter how old your computer is or what operating system you are using, DO NOT USE INTERNET EXPLORER 6 (IE 6). IE 6 is late 20th century technology and is not compatible with much of the web today and it also poses the greatest security risks.
Instead, use Mozilla Firefox, Opera, or if you must use Internet Explorer, use version 7.
2. Using a search engine instead of the address bar
3. Closing the web browser or clicking the Home icon before going to another web site.
When changing channels on a television, you don’t always go back to channel 1, then go to the channel you wanted do you? Likewise, with the web, you can simply click a bookmark or type web address in the address bar to move on to a new web site. You don’t need to close the window or click Home first.
4. Keeping the default browser home page
Your Internet provider often installs their web site as your “home page” (the first page you see when you launch your browser). However, if you never use that page, change it to something you will use.
With older browsers (see Habit 1 above), we had little choice but to click on links, then the back button to reach our previous page. True, some people learned to use multiple browser windows, but even that is a dated technique now.
Modern browsers give us the efficiency and elegance of opening multiple pages in what are known as tabs. Tabbed browsing will drastically cut your use of the back button and change your web browsing life forever…for the better.
6. Wasting paper, time, and money by printing more information than necessary
The Internet definitely gave paper companies a new lease on life because we print more today than ever before. However, too often, Internet users want a certain amount of information from a web site and end up getting 6-8 or more extra pages of information they don’t need.
Instead, take advantage of this easy to follow tip that lets YOU select exactly what you want to print and print only that.
7. Search from a search engine site
Searching the Internet is by the greatest, in my opinion, function available for our computers. However, with modern browsers, again see Habit 1, there is no need to visit the search engine site to start your searches. Instead, use the built-in search bar in your browser. You can find it in the upper right corner of IE 7, Firefox, Safari, and Opera.
Watch the short video below to see all these tips in action and also use the links in this article for more details. Master all of these tips and you will be a web surfer with 7 highly effective habits!
I love learning. My goal is to learn something new every single day I open my eyes. Luckily, I learn multiple new ideas, techniques, or facts every single day. When it comes to my job troubleshooting computers, I believe anyone can do it if they follow the formula I use.
You need to be able to be able to learn and learn quickly. Computers, software, peripherals and the infinite combinations of them change at a rapid pace. Learning to be flexible and adaptable is a must.
Remember and/or document solutions that you discover so you can use them again.
Work with as many different computers and situations as possible. Every computer is different than the next because of the way they are configured, what software is installed, whether the software has been updated, what security packages are installed, and more make every computer a unique challenge. The more of them you work with, the better your foundation becomes for the next one.
Read as many online troubleshooting blogs, tech newsletters, support pages, and magazines as you can possibly digest. And again, document and/or remember the information that you deem the most helpful or applicable to everyday computer users.
Hone your Internet searching skills (I use Google almost exclusively) so you can quickly find answers to problems you may have not yet encountered. When I say hone your skills, I mean learn how to properly word a search phrase and re-word it if necessary. Learn how to quickly scan the results of a search for the most logical and applicable result. Learn how to use tabs in your browser to make your searches and reading even faster. Learn how to discern which possible solutions apply to your specific situation. And finally, learn how to properly implement the solution you just found.
Learning to carry out a solution requires that you to learn how to safely and properly make use of tools like Windows Device Manager, the registry editor, the command prompt, task manager, computer management tool, anti-virus, and anti-spwyare scans to name a few.
Always keep track of the steps you take as you work towards a solution. By keeping track and leaving yourself some bread crumbs, you can often back track if a solution results in a dead end and you need to star over.
And most importantly, follow Harry Callahan’s (Clint Eastwood) advice, “A man’s got to know his limitations.” Computer problems can eat up more time than a late night infomercial. Know when to walk away and re-evaluate a situation.
I’ve laid out most of the steps and techniques I use every day to solve computer problems. Feel free to use them and develop your own skills. When you decide that you need more help, follow Callahan’s advice and then call in the professionals.
If you have high speed Internet and haven’t tried Google Earth, give it a try. Even if you aren’t a geography buff, you will find Google Earth to be a fascinating resource to try out. Google Earth is another free product from Google that combines their excellent searching skills with a fully interactive globe. You can search for street addresses, points of interest, historical locations and then layer on other geographic information to your liking. You must have a high speed Internet connection because the application relies on that connection to pull in the information you want from Google’s servers.
The newest version of Google Earth also adds Google Sky which lets you look into the heavens from your desk and learn and enjoy the starts, planets, and whatever other gassy objects are up in the sky.
Watch my short introductory video about this great product, then go try it for yourself. If you already use Google Earth, leave a comment below and tell me what you like and what you do with Google Earth.
Poisson rouge means red fish in French. Poissonrouge.com is one of the greatest web sites for kids that I have ever been to. Chances are it will keep about 75 percent of adults entertained for an hour or two as well. The site is simple, visit and click on anything to discover new areas. The site will seem endless as you or your children click through feature after feature. No keyboard skills are required and the site is so well designed that it will hardly seem like you are on a website at all.
Another great web site is Hero Machine. This one may at first seem like it is just for boys, but my 9-year-old daughter has spent her share of hours on it as well.
Grand Theft Auto IV was released this week and, as always happens when a version of GTA comes out, there has been a lot of discussion about video game violence and sexual content.
Without going into detail GTA is a game that features guns, civilians, cops, cars, prostitutes and an environment that allows you to act in any way you please. As you can imagine, most teen game players choose to use the game as a simulation for testing their skills at abiding the law.
While I am all for creative freedom, I think that these games should be at least monitored by parents. I am not one of those guys who believes that kids shoot up schools because they play video games, but I think that the games make for good practice and help develop violent imaginations. Essentially I think that companies wouldn’t play millions of dollars to have their products advertised on billboards in the games if the games had no influence on those that play them.
Monitoring these games can be difficult though. Parents often are at a disadvantage because they don’t know how to work the controls, they may not even know how to turn the system on. Kids are not that anxious to play a game around their parents that allows you to kill prostitutes rather than pay them for their services.
While kids usually don’t play these games around their parents, there is a way to see everything that a video game has to offer. Head on over to YouTube. Doing a simple search for the game title will typically lead to dozens of screen recordings. Add the word “review” to your search and you will find well constructed reviews to help you see what the game is all about.
Most consoles now have parental control that allows parents to set the system up so that it won’t play rated M games (M=mature). The decision on whether kids should play these games or not is up to the parents, but parents should be able to make informed decisions.
Here are some techniques for making the selection of files and text easier and more efficient for you as you work with your computer. This tip also includes a narrated video to further demonstrate these important skills.
Double click on a word to select it
Click and drag in the margin of your word processor to select entire line(s) of text
Push the Ctrl+A key on your keyboard to select all text in a document
Text that spans multiple pages: Click once where you want to start selecting, scroll to the end of the text and then hold the Shift key down and Click your mouse after the last word you want to select.
File selection (and email as well) works similarly.
To select all files in a folder, push Ctrl+A on your keyboard
To select a group of bordering files, Click once on the first file, scroll to the last file in the group and Click on it while holding down the Shift key
To select multiple files that don't touch each other, hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard while clicking on the files.
The video (under 4 minutes) contains audio as well so turn up your speakers.
If you want to watch the video again, push F5 on your keyboard or the Reload or Refresh button on your browser's toolbar.
“The only dumb question is the one you don’t ask.”
That’s my pat answer when approached with the question…and I hear that question a lot. I believe that by not asking questions you eventually end up costing yourself time, money, and/or knowledge.
When it comes to computers, it behooves you to ask as many questions as possible so that you can learn. Too often, I hear this phrase; “I don’t take your classes because I need to learn more first.”
Re-read that last sentence. If that phrase makes sense to you, re-read it again! If it still makes sense to you, don’t come to my classes.
Also learn to ask questions from people who provide intelligent, understandable answers. Big box store sales/repair people are not the appropriate people to be asking technical questions. Turnover in those positions is incredibly high and practical, knowledgeable advice is incredibly low. Plus, their desire to sell you a product and over sell you service diminishes their ability to give useful advice.
By pointing out these two examples, I’m trying to get you to understand that computer skills, like any other skills, don’t just happen. They are attained through study, practice, and emulation.
A slip of paper pinned to my office bulletin board says it best: “When smart people don’t know something, they ask other smart people for help and advice. That’s how smart people get smart.”
There is no doubt in my mind that our site has the most relevant and easy to understand computer information for the average and beginner computer user. Unfortunately, the average computer user doesn’t know how to browse the web well and has trouble finding the information they need to know.
Search engines are confusing. Searching a web site is even more baffling. These computer users do well when they have a recipe of what to do in front of them or can watch someone else perform the steps.
Enter the above average computer user…YOU!
We desperately need your help in spreading the word about HelpMeRick.com Your neighbors look to you for help and computer advice. Your co-workers look to you when they need to find a lost file. And of course your family knows that you know the answer to their latest computer dilemma.
Unofficially, YOU provide tech support for a multitude of computer users. Those computer users you help need to be visiting HelpMeRick.com to help get answers to their questions and to improve their computer knowlege. You can help them get the computer education they need by using the thousands of answers we provide here at the site.
Send your tech support charges links via email to the exact answer to their question at HelpMeRick.com. No reason for you to have reinvent the wheel.
Grandma needs to know how to send an email attachment. Send her here.
Dan across the hall from you at the office would like to know how to organize his photos easier and then email them. Send him here and here.
Your neighbor, McElroy, is supplying free Internet to the neighborhood, unintentionally of course, but can’t get his kid’s computers to print to his printer. Send him here.
Your sister-in-law called and said that there computer is so slow that the household is almost at full mutiny. Print out the tips found here and mail them to her because her computer is so hosed that the Internet connection is unusable.
Get the picture? Help us, help you. Help us, help your friends.
Then tell your friends to visit HelpMeRick.com often so they don’t get in these messes to begin with or can learn new skills that make them more productive computer users.
And finally, let them know that they also should send their friends, family, and co-workers to HelpMeRick.com for education and computer help. Knowledge is power, and powerful computer knowledge can be found right here.
I can’t believe it has been two weeks already that I’ve used Ubuntu Linux exclusively. If I had to sum up the experience in one word, that word would be “satisfying.” And my regular readers/listeners know that I can’t sum anything up in one word, so I will use this format to provide a complete synopsis of my Ubuntu thoughts.
Minimum Requirements
Ubuntu and its derivatives can run on extremely modest computers. Ubuntu works best on a system with at least a 500mhz processor and 192 mb of RAM…specs that even the six year old Windows XP would choke on and Vista needs triple those specifications to even get close to running at any appreciable speed. Xubuntu is a very basic operating system capable of doing all the major computer functions, but only requires a 166mhz processor and 48mb of RAM! That’s a computer that was sold in the early 90’s!!
These modest system requirements are what first drew me to Ubuntu. Compared with the monster hardware required to run Vista, Ubuntu gives new life to computers previously thought ready for the scrap pile. The fact that Ubuntu is FREE on top of all this is just a bonus.
Available Applications
A fresh install of Ubuntu (typically less than 30 minutes) gives any computer user the ability to:
Browse the Internet
Send and receive email
Download digital photos from a camera
Edit digital photos
Create word processing documents
Create spreadsheets
Create slide presentations
Play games like Sudoku, solitaire, blackjack, Mahjongg and more
All of the above are full version programs…not time limited or crippled versions and they are all free.
Who can use Ubuntu?
Literally anyone that can click a mouse or type on a keyboard can you use Ubuntu. The real question is; Who is right for Ubuntu? Here are my thoughts:
Any aged computer user who only needs a computer for Internet, email, and occasional word processing. This is probably my idea of the number one demographic for Ubuntu.
Any aged computer user who wants to do the activities I listed above plus download and do light editing of photos and play basic games.
Families who want a solid, inexpensive, worry free computer system that the kids can do homework on and play Internet games on as well.
About the only group of people who I think should not use Ubuntu are those who require specialized industry software or software only available for Windows.
Ubuntu Support
Dell started selling Ubuntu desktops earlier this year and if you buy a computer with Ubuntu pre-installed at Dell or other vendors you might find, you will have the option for phone support. However, the power of Ubuntu is its community. The Ubuntu forums are second to none in being able to find answers to many existing questions and the ability to ask questions that come up as you use the system. I have found the forums to be extremely well organized and frequented by cordial, knowledgeable individuals. Also, many states offer Ubuntu users groups called LoCo groups for even more localized support.
Ubuntu Weaknesses
As much enthusiasm as I have for Ubuntu, I am not so blinded by love that I don’t see the chinks in the armor. And like ANY software or operating system, Ubuntu has a few chinks. The most glaring, in my opinion, are:
Hardware support. The Ubuntu community continues to work hard at providing drivers and programs that will work with every printer on the market and off the market as well as scanners, digital cameras (use a card reader for no problems at all), web cams and other devices. However, the number of hardware devices that have been available over the past ten years is staggering and Ubuntu has a lot of catching up to to do.
Wireless Internet. Once I figured out wireless on this laptop, I have had few problems, but getting wireless up and running requires some patience, technical know-how, and willingness to research the web for answers. It is getting better, but not as easy as wireless with Windows…yet.
Database. I love working with desktop databases. My skills are unfortunately pretty weak with databases, but I recognize their power and possibility so I constantly dabble in them. I was sorely disappointed with OpenOffice’s database program. It was slow, couldn’t handle much data and hard to customize. This all surprised me since their word processing, spreadsheet and presentation manager program all work so well.
Summary
At the beginning of this article I summarized my Ubuntu two week trek as being satisfying. I was satisfied that Ubuntu handled almost everything I threw at it. I was satisfied that I think the interface is such that any computer user of any age or ability could quickly get up to speed with Ubuntu. I was satisfied to have found a robust operating system that doesn’t break the bank in terms of computer needs and actual costs. As a tech guy who helps other fix their computers, I was extremely satisfied to use an operating system that requires virtually no worries about computer Internet security.
Will I continue to use Ubuntu? Absolutely, as my primary laptop? Will I give up my Windows PC? Not until all the support that I give lies only in Linux, which unfortunately won’t be any time soon.
I love learning. My goal is to learn something new every single day I open my eyes. Luckily, I learn multiple new ideas, techniques, or facts every single day. When it comes to my job troubleshooting computers, I believe anyone can do it if they follow the formula I use.
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HelpMeRick.com started as a monthly tip site for beginners in 1996, and now supports our popular call-in computer show, and hosts thousands of useful computer tips and links.