Computer Bytes No. 27

Ever wonder about those letters that come right after the ‘dot’ at the end of a file name. These two, three and four letter extensions define the type of file. The File Name can be anything you or the person that created the file chooses, usually a name that will remind you of the contents. However, the assigned file extension tells the computer what type of file it is and which program to use to open it. Most files fall into basic categories such as execution-application, text or word document, graphic, spreadsheet, web files and zip.

The following are some of the more common file extensions. EXE is an executable or application file and is executable or self-extracting by double clicking. If you receive an EXE file as an attachment to an email, open with caution as this is a favorite method for sending viruses. Word processing and text programs such as Word Pad have extensions such as DOC or TXT. Word pad documents will not run in a word processing program and word processing documents will not run in word pad, and trying to do so may cause you to compromise the format and content of the document.

Graphic programs offer a variety of extensions that may show the number of colors, format and how the file is managed through the graphics program. The more recognizable file extensions for graphics are GIF (Graphic Interface Format), JPG (Joint Photographers Group), TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) and BMP (Bit-mapped Graphic Photo).

Spreadsheet files may end in XLS which is the extension used by Excel. Other spreadsheet programs may have their own unique extensions. There are many file extensions for the pages uploaded to the Internet. These extensions let you know what type of page you are viewing be it text, audio, video or something else. An HTML extension (Hyper Text Markup Language) is typical of most text pages. Pages that have a PHP extension (originally Personal Home Page) is a page containing a server-side script that performs a function. There are other embedded program extensions in web pages that will allow them to perform a wide assortment of functions from Email Forms (CGI), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), Java (JS) and Perl (PL).

An extension you probably have seen if you have viewed an on line manual is PDF (Portable Document Format). You must have a special program - Adobe Acrobat Reader - installed in your computer to view PDF files. These files may include text, fonts, images and graphics which make it perfect for on line manuals and instructions. If you want to send a large file quickly use WinZip or PKZip to compress the file. This will result in a ZIP extension.

If you are unsure of a file’s extension and the correct program to use to open it, you can enable the viewing of File Extensions on your computer. Doing this will allow you to view the file extension making it easier to select the correct program for use. There are many more file extensions and should you care to look further into this topic perform a search on Google or Yahoo for ‘common file extensions’.

This article prepared courtesy of MoncriefWebDesign.com…

Computer Bytes No. 26

It has been said that ‘money makes the world go ’round’ and who wouldn’t want to have more of the green stuff. If you are looking for ways to increase your income and stay home at the same time, look no further than your computer. There are many ways you can generate income by using your computer.

The obvious is Ebay. We’ve all heard about the person who put some obscure object up on Ebay and it sold for thousands of dollars. While this may be true, it certainly is not the norm. Selling on Ebay can make you extra money if you are willing to work diligently and consistently. Before selling on Ebay or starting any new venture, you should research the item or items you intend to market to see if they are a demand item. If selling through Ebay, investigate mailing and shipping regulations; review the Ebay fee structure; decide how you are to be paid . . . Check, Money Order, PayPal; do you have the necessary marketing accessories like a digital camera, packing supplies, boxes; and would it be advantageous to open an Ebay store, in other words investigate everything.

If you want to test the on-line auction ‘waters’ before joining Ebay, you may want to visit OnlineAuction.com first. This is another auction site; however, there are no listing fees. This gives you the opportunity to see if you like on line auctioning before investing money in inventory or having to pay listing and reserve price fees on items. As before read this web site’s Terms and Conditions and make yourself familiar with all policies first.

Have guns or gun accessories you would like to turn into cash? There is a site dedicated to the auctioning of guns and related items. AuctionArms.com is a site that is solely for the sale of guns and such. It takes you through the sale, certification of the buyer through an FFL dealer and shipment of merchandise. If you have coins to sell, check out Yahoo.com. When selling or auctioning any item on line you want to always deal with a reputable site. A non-auction option is Peddernet.com which is an on line posting web site for items you may have for sale. Items offered range from tractors to jewelry. This service is free, allows you to post one picture and is updated daily.

If you have a service or product, you may want to have your own site on the Internet. You can put it up yourself using a purchased boxed program or you can have it done professionally. (See Computer Bytes 25 for more information.) Be cautious of emails, letters, or other promotions that offer to put you to work on your computer making thousands of dollars. Most of these require an up front purchase with little potential for return on your investment.

There are many ways to use your home computer for income. Just remember, before starting up any business . . . do your homework. Find out what is required not only of yourself but of the county, state and government offices. If you plan on being in a full time business you will need to get a Tax Number. If in doubt about tax regulations, contact your CPA or local tax office.

Courtesy of MoncriefWebDesign.com…

Has good old Apple lost a little luster? iPhone users are complaining mightily about 3G reception problems. A Swedish technical magazine blames the hardware. Apple has declined to comment…

My Way News - Swedish magazine blames iPhone 3G woes on hardware

The US economy still can’t make up its ever fickle mind…

Apple chief says iPhone software sales take off: report | Reuters

To date more than 60 million iPhone software programs have been downloaded. That has produced $30 million in sales for Apple. Steve Jobs says Apple’s Apps store could generate $1 billion in sales annually!

Don’t you just jump up and down with glee when your Sunday inbox is full of these? Quoting…
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Yeah, right…

Weekend marketers’ resources…

Online marketing search engine
Custom search dozens of hand-picked marketing resources, blogs, media sites and vendor pages…

NeerCorp Marketing - Online and Sports Marketing
NeerCorp is a marketing agency located in central Pennsylvania that specializes in online and sports marketing…

AZ Online marketing: Project management for Internet marketing.
AZ Online Marketing provides a project management resource to accomplish the Internet marketing needs of medium, small, and home based businesses…

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The Associated Press: Delta to offer Wi-Fi on mainline domestic fleet

The nation’s No. 3 carrier, Delta, is partnering with Aircell, an airborne communications provider, to install the network on Delta’s domestic fleet of more than 330 aircraft…

Be wary spending your advertising dollars…

MARKETING MANAGER / PROJECT MANAGER (POKER / GAMING) - New Media Age
Sector: Consumer Services, Design / Creative Agency, Digital Agency, Etail / Retail, Financial / E-Commerce, Gambling / Gaming, Integrated Agency, Leisure, Lifestyle, Marketing Agency, Media Agency, Online Services, Other Job Sectors…

Schwartz & Benjamin Launches daniblack.com - Forbes
Schwartz & Benjamin is adding another layer to its widely successful footwear empire. The company is expanding on the success of its first wholly-owned footwear brand, daniblack, with the brand’s own e-commerce website, www.daniblack.com…

E-commerce beating bricks and mortar - Miami Herald
Q: I’ve been told that Internet retailers are growing faster than traditional ”bricks and mortar” stores. Is this true? A: Yes, according to the U.S. Commerce Department: “Total retail sales (excluding petroleum, autos and restaurants) grew 3.7%…

…More on JVs…

You can find businesses to joint venture with online or off. Try to find businesses that have the same target audience, but are not in direct competition with your business. Here are a few ways to find joint ventures online:

-subscribe and participate in email discussion groups, online forums, and newsgroups that deal with your target audience

-subscribe to ezines that deal with your targeted audience

-note on your website or ezine that you are interested in doing joint ventures

-search in your favorite web directories and search engines to find businesses that would desirable joint venture partners

Once you find a business, simply email them your proposal. Explain the benefits of the joint venture. Detail why it would be a win/win situation for both of your businesses. Give them a lot of compliments about their business, website, products and services. Using all three
methods above can greatly your chance of constructing a profitable joint venture.

Understanding Joint Ventures

The term joint venture simply means that two or more businesses join together to work on a project for a set period of time. Participating in joint ventures with other businesses can increase your chances of beating your competition, increase your sales, and increase your profits quickly. Plus:

-you can save money when businesses share operating costs

-you can get referrals from other businesses

-you can save valuable time when businesses share the workload

-you can offer your customers new products and services

-you can gain new business associates

-you can save money by sharing advertising and marketing costs

-you can get free advice and important information from other
businesses…

More to follow tomorrow…

With the fall shopping season on its way, your thoughts may be turning to the Internet regarding expanding your current business or maybe opening a whole new business venture on line. If Internet commerce is in your future, I would like to offer some points to consider as well as some cautions you should be aware of.

What’s in a name? Your .com name is of utmost importance and to search for a .com name - be it your existing business name or a new name - you will need to check on its availability through one of the companies on line that register .coms. The two web sites that come to mind are Network Solutions and Go Daddy. Each of these offer similar services, however, there is a significant cost differential. To check on name availability, simply type in the name you want, select either the .com, .net, .org extension, and hit ’search’. This search will let you know if that name and extension are available. If not, alternate names and/or extensions may be recommended. Something to consider should the name you want not be available is to add in a dash or underline symbol to separate the words. For example, www.thepottingshed.com becomes www.the_potting_shed.com. Caution: When getting your .com name, be sure it is registered under your name with your information as the contact point. This is very important for possible future actions such as renewing the .com, making changes to server information and moving the .com. If you are having someone do this for you, make sure they are willing to register the .com in your name and insist they turn over to you all of the information associated with your .com including username, passwords, pin numbers, and anything else necessary to access your account or make changes.

Once you have a .com name you will need a hosting company. A hosting company is nothing more than ‘renting’ space on the Internet through a company that will provide server space. There any many hosting services available and you should shop around for the best value - always be sure you can upgrade without penalty or extra charge. Some things to consider when looking for a hosting company are how much space your web site will need, will the site require forms and CGI, do you need a shopping basket, as your business grows will you need a sub-domain, how many email addresses are required….the variables to consider are numerous so do your homework. Caution: If you have an outside company build your site, make sure they agree beforehand to give you the IP address, usernames, passwords, along with a complete copy of your web site either on a CD or floppy for your records. If they will not agree, not look for another company. You do not want to get in what is comparable to a hostage situation.

For those without the knowledge to put together their own site, always get information up front regarding who will be the registered owner of the .com name and who will have control of the hosting server. If you are paying for the service, you should have all files and information relevant to the transaction and web site. Having a web site on the Internet means unlimited business possibilities, however, in your eagerness to go ‘global’ don’t overlook the details that keep you in control.

This article was prepared courtesy of MoncriefWebDesign.com…

If you’re relatively new to networking two or more PCs, I highly recommend this article by Kim Komando. It contains some very good tips! TGIF… -Walt

Six things you should know about wireless networking - USATODAY.com
Want to get every computer in your home on the Internet? Would you like to share music, photo or video files stored on the computers? How about stream movies from a computer to the television? Well, you can do this and a lot more with a wireless network.

Whatever happened to typists? It seems that all the spammers are trying to change the spelling to typers… Maybe they’re reverting to German?

…Jack Up Your Sales…

1. Email each customer a satisfaction questionnaire after they purchase. This will allow you to improve your order system, customer service, site, etc…

2. Give a percentage of your profits to a cause your customers would like. It could be a charity, school, environmental improvements, etc…

3. Try bartering before you buy services, supplies, and equipment for your business. You can use the extra money you save to advertise your business…

4. Give away a follow-up email course on an auto-responder. Include your ad with each lesson. People will buy more readily when they see your ad repeatedly.

…Additional Ways To Pull In Extra Profits…

1. Attend trade shows and seminars that are related to your specific industry. Pass out business cards or brochures about your business.

2. Swap articles with other ezines’ publishers. You could get your articles published more often if in exchange you publish their articles.

3. Ask people to link to your site’s content. Some people may not want to link to your home page but might want to link to your content.

4. Convert your web site into an ebook. You could offer your ebook as a free bonus for your product or another business’ product.

5. Create ebooks for other web sites or businesses. You could create them for no charge in exchange for an ad or mention of your web site inside.

eBay Stirs the Pot With Seller Feedback Ban - TechNewsWorld
“When a buyer pays for the item but has not received it, the buyer has completely fulfilled their obligations to the eBay community. Thus, they should receive positive feedback. They bought and paid for the item…

A Second Life For Linden Lab Founder - Forbes
In the virtual world as much as the real one, the past months have been filled with bleak economic news. Following a federal investigation, Second Life’s parent company, Linden Lab, banned all gambling in the virtual world–a major source of its business…

…Ways To Increase Your Website Sales…

* Add a free interactive game to your web site. You could hire someone to create it. The game should be related to the theme of your web site and its products.

* Make people feel like it’s their idea to buy, and they will be less hesitant. Tell them in your ad You’re making a very smart decision by buying our product.

* Promote yourself as well as your products. Write articles, ebooks, reports, etc. When you endorse products, people will think your statement is credible.

* Show your prospects a group of testimonials that rave about your product or service. People are more likely to agree with a group.

I love our new Toshiba but resent the hell out of spending the time it takes to remove all the crapware… Of course, Office Depot offered to do it for a mere $99.00. TGIF… -Walt

Basics - Exorcise the Demons That Come Preinstalled - NYTimes.com

Looking for a new market in a sour economy? Look east… The potential gets larger each passing day!

The Associated Press: China says has more people surfing the Web than US

With family in the hospital some of the daily routine has to go. The nice thing about blogging is that your blog is always waiting patiently for your return… Well, maybe just a little nagging.

Computer Bytes - No. 23

The holidays are a time of traveling, visiting and sharing. Along with this goes a lot of picture taking to preserve those special moments. With all of the new digital and video cameras, gone are the days of having to wait a week or more to get your pictures developed. We now have instant access to our photos for both viewing and printing. There are also other ways to share these instant memories. A few easy ways to share holiday pictures is to email them as attachments (Computer Bytes No. 14), display them on your own web space or upload them to one of the many on line sites that offer photo sharing.

If you have an Internet connection you most likely are provided ‘personal’ space on your Internet Service Provider’s (ISP) servers. This means that you can use this space for hosting personal pictures, displaying family information, or anything else you might care to share. In order to use this space for uploading pictures you will need to contact your ISP to verify the amount of space you are allocated, get your site’s IP address, Username, Password, and then use a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) program to upload your pictures to the Internet. There are some free FTP programs on the Net but as always, download with caution.

An easier way to share photos and video is by using one of the many photo sharing sites available. A few of the more recognized ones are Snapfish, My Photo Album, Flickr and Shutterfly. Snapfish.com offers a free account giving you online digital photo printing, free online albums, free sharing service and photo gifts. Myphotoalbum.com is also free and basically offers the same services and Snapfish.

Flickr is Yahoo Photos revamped and you can access Flickr by using your existing Yahoo account information. If you don’t have a Yahoo account it’s easy and free to set one up. Flickr appears to be well policed by the members and allows you to share and organize photos with the option to ‘make stuff’. I could not find any costs associated with this site while reviewing it. The last site in my list is Shutterfly.com. You can join for free however, there are costs associated with getting prints. Shutterfly claims to be No. 1 online photo service while offering free unlimited picture storage, instant online picture sharing and if you so choose you can pick up prints at your local Target store.

Across the country or across the street, the on line sharing of photos is not limited to the holidays so use these on line photo services for sharing vacation shots, birthday parties, baby’s first step, or any other photo you think your family and friends might enjoy.

Courtesy of MoncriefWebDesign.com …

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