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About autocreate740

I am a senior citizen retired after working for 50 years in various professions. I find social media intriguing, blogging uplifting, and technology in general a welcomed challenge. My newest interests are Aromatherapy and Essential Oils. I have recently acquired an Aromatherapist Certification from the New York Institute of Aromatics. I write about all of these interests as topics on my various blogs. I am hopeful that the posts I create bring information that is useful and moves my readers to explore more.

Do you have technology manners?

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fyi_snub_etiquette Have you thought about whether your manners are good or bad, where technology is concerned. What is your Netiquette IQ?  How would you grade your text, email, voicemail manners?  Do you even know what they should be? Martha Irvine asks just these questions in her article Email, voicemail, text_no response.  What Gives?  http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/email-voicemail-text-response-18595268

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After reading her article, I thought it might not be a bad idea for me to investigate what are considered some of the things you should and should not do.  It turns out some of the suggestions I found have been around for some time.  PC World,  had guidelines as far back as 2009.  Check out these summaries, and then click the link for more detailed descriptions.

Text Message Manners
Too many texts?
…A good rule of thumb is to consider how many times you would be comfortable calling the same person in a day. Think of each text conversation as a phone call and ask yourself whether you are imposing on the other person.

The “other people” factor.

…It is not necessarily rude to text while you’re in the presence of others–if the point of the text message is to involve the recipient in the physical gathering. On the other hand, communicating extensively via text when you should be fully engaged in what’s going on in the real world will surely annoy those around you.

A reply is not always needed.
It is acceptable to respond to a text message with a phone call, an e-mail message, or any other form of communication. The recipient is free to choose the medium of the response, or even whether to respond at all. Similarly, there is no strict rule governing how promptly a person should respond to a text or instant message. The recipient may reply at any convenient time, though in general text messaging and IM are most appropriate for subjects of some urgency.
Read more at: http://www.pcworld.com/article/169139/text_messaging_etiquette.html

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Email Manners
Mind the spam. Distribution lists are a godsend for getting the word out about something en masse, but take care not to spam your recipients.

Carefully consider who gets a reply. “Reply to all” is a powerful but widely abused e-mail feature. When more than four or five recipients are involved, you should use “reply to all” only if the message is of critical importance to the vast majority of those listed.

Out of office messages are more useful than you think. Arranging to send an automated “out of office” e-mail response to anyone who sends you a message can be a big time saver for people who are trying to get in touch with you.

Forget not the power of the pen. These days, whether you’re sending a thank-you note or a simple greeting, a handwritten note will have much greater impact than a dashed-off e-mail message.
Read more at: http://www.pcworld.com/article/169138/email_etiquette.html

Voicemail Manners
Brevity is key. The average person can read a message at least three times faster than you can speak it, so most listeners find every second they spend listening to voicemail agonizingly tedious. One commonly cited maximum tolerable length for a voicemail message is 30 seconds.

Simplicity swings both ways. Having a short outgoing message is a simple but extremely important to avoid angering your callers. Don’t fill your outgoing message with alternate phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Instead offer callers one alternative means of reaching you (either a cell phone number or an e-mail address, usually). If someone urgently needs to track you down, they will find you.

Just pick up the handset. Never leave a voicemail message for someone while you’re speaking through a speakerphone.
Read more at: http://www.pcworld.com/article/169142/voicemail_etiquette.html

I hope this is helpful 🙂

Learning Black History with APPS

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new black history picBlack History APPs have blossomed into many choices for us all.  Below are some interesting ones that I found while searching the Internet. Take a moment to check them out.

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February is Black History Month or National African American History Month! In celebration of this month, these three apps can be used to share the accomplishments and achievements of Americans of African descent anytime of the year. Most of these apps can be used on an Android or iOS. One can be used on any smartphone with Internet access. The best thing is that they all are free. Download and learn something new! via Black History Month Apps | District of Columbia Public Library.

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Description:

This link will lead you to APPs with Quotes from Maya Angelou, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. The APPs are free.  In addition, you can read reviews of the product.  Click the link below. http://tinyurl.com/Maya-Angelou-APP

I hope this is helpful 🙂

Facebook Privacy Settings Review

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hackinjg_facebook

The hacking of e-mail accounts seems to be on the rise.  Just recently, the Bush family email accounts were hacked. Family photos of senior Bush,  phone numbers, and other images were among the personal items that were divulged. While the Secret Service is investigating the hacking of e-mail accounts belonging to the Bush family, we want to take notice of what our personal vulnerability could be, and do our best to protect information we do not want to share publicly with the Internet.

A recent New York Times, FaceBook article reviewed the importance of knowing how to protect your privacy – that is what ‘others’ see – you  post to your account.  Nowadays,marketers want to advertise to Facebook users. The new Facebook search tool provides that access.  For example, by default, search engines can link to your timeline. However, this function can be turned off. If you haven’t checked your account since December 2012, below is a summary of some things you may want to check soon.

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Check:

1)    Who can see my stuff

2)    Activity log ( posts, pictures) look at the original posts settings & likes.

3)    If you have  posts or photos in your timeline that concern you “unlike” or “delete ” it.

4)    Decide how much of your identity you would like to share, then go to your profile page, click “About Me” and decide what you want to be visible in your timeline, such as your birthdate.

5)    If you mind being tracked by advertisers, there are tools which can help you block trackers  (e.g Abine, Disconnect Me).

6)    If Facebook is showing you Ads you would rather not see, hover over the x and choose from the drop down menu – select hide this ad.

  • You can read more details at:

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/07/new-stuff-ive-learned-since-my-facebook-privacy-tool-kit/

  • To find out more about Do not track software –click these links:

https://www.abine.com/

https://disconnect.me/tools

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I hope this is helpful.  See you at the next post 🙂

Google is more than a searching tool

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questions_answers picIf you have not thought about using Google for various online tasks, think again.  Why pull out a separate gadget when you can do some of these tasks right at your computer desktop. As shown in the videos below, Google is more than a searching tool. For example, check out the calculator.

I just typed  calculator in the Google search field.  A calculator appeared on the screen as seen in the illustration below. Then I entered a math problem.  Click the VideoPress word to view the Video.   Press the Play button to see it a second time.

Another way to use Google quickly is to type in the problem right at the search field.  This is a sample division problem.

  1. In the Google search field type 400
  2. Press the space bar
  3. Type a forward slash /
  4. Type the number 5

View the video by clicking the word VideoPress.  Press the Play button to see it a second time.

You can also use Google to find out the weather where you live.  For another city  you can type weather, then type the city you want to know the weather for.

  1. Type weather in the Google search field

You can view the video by clicking the word VideoPress.  Press the Play button to see the video a second time.

I hope this is helpful 🙂

Fyi Only — 2012 in review

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The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 2,600 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 4 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

Free SkyDrive Training

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free_computer trainYou may remember my November 12, 2012 post about Outlook.com mail, Microsoft’s upgrade for Hotmail users.  By now you should have had a chance to upgrade your email, and explore at least some of the options that are available in this software.

The email enhancements to Hotmail, however, are not all that’s great about the upgrade.  Microsoft has made available SkyDrive,  web-based applications which provide free of charge Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.  Since these applications are provided in your personal cloud, you can access your files from various locations. Below is a description of Personal Cloud Storage.

Personal cloud storage (PCS) is an online web service that provides server space for individuals to store data, photos, videos and other files. Many service providers offer a limited amount of personal cloud storage space for free, hoping that once the customer feels comfortable with the service, he will purchase additional space to back up or archive other files via What is personal cloud storage (PCS)? – Definition from WhatIs.com.

Now, for more exciting news!  While searching the Internet, I found the best computer training site, which provides access to free of charge on-line computer classes.  SkyDrive classes is one of the many services provided.  You can take  classes on your desktop computer, iPad, or your mobile phone.  Please check it out at this link: http://www.gcflearnfree.org/skydrive.  You can read the terms of use at this link: http://www.gcflearnfree.org/terms

I assure you that it will be a good learning experience!  See you at the next post.  🙂

Thanksgiving Celebrating

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When we celebrate Thanksgiving this week let’s take a moment to acknowledge the central contribution to our understanding of this day of appreciation by the native peoples, “The First Nations”, of our country.

There are more than 800 Native American Nations in the United States and Canada. However, many of us have no formal training about the First Nation’s People, and how they contributed to our beginnings. The First Peoples of North America App, available for the iPad, helps us to explore and learn about those contributions. You can download it for free by clicking the link below:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/first-peoples-north-america/id387235807?mt=8

You can explore Native American culture with the Free PowWow App, which is available for the iPhone and iPad. Click on this link to download it: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/powwows.com/id488957524?mt=8

Android users can get Native American folk tales for free by clicking this link: http://www.appbrain.com/app/native-american-folk-tales/com.Ranok.NativeAmericanFolktales.AOTFSFCXBKSAENSYZF

Outlook.com – Best Email for Seniors & You Too :)

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As seniors,  we don’t always have the resources to buy the latest and greatest software.  In addition, seniors are described as not wanting to try new things, especially when it comes to technology. Sometimes that puts us at a disadvantage because we lose out on using tools that might help us to communicate better. When we explore new e-tools, we become more efficient and upgrade our e-skills.  Seniors, can always benefit from learning and using newer techniques.

Are you a Hotmail user? If the answer is yes, then  there is little doubt that you should upgrade immediately and take advantage of Outlook.com. Microsoft has made it very easy for you.  There is no need to create a new account.  Hotmail users can upgrade with their current account. How easy is that?!

Microsoft’s email software Outlook.com is, in my opinion, one of the better ways to develop new skills, as well as to use a new email tool, which handles much of the SPAM issues we all face.

You may think that a new email account would not benefit you. After all, you already have your family sending email to you at an established email address.  Although that may be true, review some of the guidelines that we suggest you explore with this new email software from Microsoft, and do yourself a favor by creating an account, or upgrade from Hotmail. Then use your other email software account for managing SPAM and other miscellaneous email.  You will be glad you did.

In this post, tech4boomers will highlight some of the features we liked about Outlook.com.  In future weeks we will continue to cover other features.

GETTING STARTED

1) Microsoft informs us that if you are already using Hotmail, SkyDrive, Xbox LIVE, or have a Windows Phone you can sign in using your account id.

Click the link below to do that.
Sign up – Microsoft account

Note:  Your birth date is required to create the account.

2) If you do not have an ID then create one by filling out the form.

Click the link to do that.
Sign up – Microsoft account

NAVIGATION – Part A

  • When you sign in to Outlook.com you will notice that Microsoft has sent you an email welcoming you to set up your Inbox.
  • Take a moment to read this message which tells you how to:
    1. Bring in email from another account.
    2. Connect to Facebook and Twitter.
    3. Import your contacts.
    4. Sign-in your mobile phone to receive Outlook mail.

Illustration of Inbox with mail –

Note – When you click a message  in your Inbox,  the Reply, Delete, Junk etc. links will appear. (To see the illustration below click the image, which will open in a new window).

Illustration of Inbox without mail –

Note – if you do not have messages  in your Inbox,  the Reply, Delete, Junk etc. links will not appear.  (To see the illustration below click the image, which will open in a new window).

NAVIGATION – Part B

  • Outlook.com makes it easy to locate your Mail, People, Calendar and Skydrive.
  • Skydrive is is one of the best features of the Outlook.com.  Users have access to free desktop applications.
    1. Mail – leads you to your Inbox where you can read and create mail items.
    2. People – leads you to your contacts for Facebook, Google, Linkedin, Twitter.  In addition, import your contacts from other email services.
    3. Calendar – Schedule appointments, share your calendar with family and friends.
    4. Skydrive – Provides access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote document creation.

Take the leap and treat yourself to this new email.  In future posts we will take a closer look at some of these web applications and how to use them.  In the meanwhile, you can click the link below to see Microsoft’s preview of this email.

Preview by clicking the link below:

http://blogs.office.com/b/microsoft-outlook/archive/2012/07/31/introducing-outlook-com-modern-email-for-the-next-billion-mailboxes.aspx