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7 ways to become a more efficient web user – Video Tip

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

The Magical Title Bar – Video Tip


The title bar is the long (usually blue) bar at the top of each program. The title bar contains three familiar buttons on the right; the minimize button (little bar), the maximize or resize button (middle button) and the often used "X" button to close a program.

On the left side of the title bar is a small icon in the far left corner that matches that of the program. The name of the current file (or web page on the web), and the name of the program also reside on the left side of the title bar. And even though one half to two-thirds of the bar is blank, it also has its functions.

Clicking on the little icon in the far left (once) will produce a menu that allows you to minimize, move, resize, maximize or close the window. This comes in handy when a window is shoved to one side and the right hand buttons are not visible. Double-clicking on the little icon closes the window/program.

Use the blank part of the title bar to move and position the window. This only works if the window is in the less than maximum position. Just click and drag the title bar and the whole window follows. This technique is helpful if you need to position two windows for dragging and dropping files. Also, double-clicking your title bar will automatically maximize the window.

Remember to use the minimize button to ‘shrink’ the window to an icon on your desktop so that you can access your desktop or a window/program behind the current window. This keeps the program running and to restore it back to the original position, simple click on it one time from the task bar.

The middle button on the right side of a title bar changes between the maximize button (one square) and the restore button (two overlapping squares). The maximize button will fill the entire screen with the program window. The restore button makes the program windows less than maximum.

You many not necessarily use all these techniques every day, but keep them in mind and they will come in handy from time-to-time.

Watch the short 3 minute video below for a good visual tour of how these functions work.

Make reading the web easier than ever – Video Tip

Although we now have 19″ and larger monitors on most new desktop computers, the text seems to shrink. Why is that? It has to do with screen resolution (how much information can be displayed). Screen resolutions on today’s monitors are up to 3X that of monitors we used just 6-8 years ago. We can see a lot more information, but often the text is too small to view for some computer users.

Never fear. Using this week’s tip, you can easily and quickly enlarge the text of any web page using only your keyboard and mouse. This tip will work with any web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Safari, etc) and any operating system (Windows, Ubuntu, Mac OS X).

All you need is a mouse with a scroll wheel and your keyboard. This tip can be performed without the mouse as well, but I’ll touch on that later. First, when you are reading a web site, particularly news web sites and blog type sites like mine, look for an indication of a printer friendly page. Often designated as Printer Friendly, Print this article, or simply Print, clicking this link brings up a version of the article you are reading that is much less busy and cleaner than how the article presents on the web page itself. This alone may make enough difference for readability.

However, you can quickly increase the size of the text you are reading by holding down the Ctrl key on your keyboard and spinning your mouse scroll wheel away from your body (towards the computer monitor). Amazing, no? Holding down the Ctrl key and spinning towards your body (away from the monitor) will shrink the text again.

The same result can be achieved by holding down the Ctrl key and pressing the “+” or “-” keys as well. I think the mouse method is a little more intuitive and elegant.

Watch the short video below to see this tip in action and see the web as never before!

More on Fake Security Ads and Scareware

Trying to explain why and how fake security infiltrates my client’s computer is difficult. Instead of trying to explain it each and every time, which can be daunting, I am going to suggest this article as a reading assignment. If you use Microsoft Windows, and you want to minimize the possibility of becoming infected by this almost unstoppable force, you… Read More »More on Fake Security Ads and Scareware

Windows Update? Yes, you should…

When Windows XP was released nearly two years ago, it was hailed as a ‘self-healing’ operating system (via the Windows Update system). Two years later, it has, in my humble opinion, held its own as a stable, fast operating system. However, Microsoft remains a large target for the tech degenerates of the world to launch assaults upon. And when these ingrates go after Microsoft, they unfortunately take many of us along for the ride.

That’s my soap box for the week. Where this all relates to this week’s tip of the week lies in the updates that are made available for Windows that help thwart these attacks. These updates arrive on our computers through the Windows Update program. You should see a little globe pop up near your system clock when updates are available. Don’t just ignore the little globe, click on it and install the updates that have been presented.

Print Anything You See on Your Screen – Video Tip

Many times a computer user may need the ability to print what they see on the screen, but can’t access a Print command.  Using the underutilized Print Screen button on the keyboard can rectify this situation.

The Print Screen button is usually located just to the right of your F keys and above the Insert, Home, Delete key section.  

10 Skills EVERY computer user should have (or learn)

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:

  1. Cut, Copy, Paste
  2. Print just what you want (word processing, email, web)
  3. Backup your address book
  4. Select (highlight) text or files
  5. Properly uninstall unwanted programs
  6. Burn a CD
  7. Download files from the Internet
  8. Use MSCONFIG ; Another MSCONFIG tip
  9. Search the Internet
  10. Attach Files to an email

#11: Learn how to best utilize HelpMeRick.com

 

If you already know how to do these skills, please pass this article along to someone who doesn’t…help me help other computer users.

How to print labels the EASY way! – Video Tip

I know I’m late for this year’s Christmas season, but you can learn and start using this tip TODAY to make next year’s Christmas card mailings a breeze.

Too many computer users have no idea what a database is, how to use it, and how to merge it with another program to create labels. Since printing mailing labels is only a once per year activity for many of you, learning how to do it again every single year requires too much time and frustration.