Category: The Learning Curve

Another Flash Player Update – Get It Now!

You might be one of the 1.3 billion users of Adobe Flash Player. If so are you up to date?

Another Flash Player update was just released, the 20th in the past year. This one fixes a flaw that is already being exploited, and you could be next.

So if you have Adobe Flash Player you need to keep it up to date.

Do I have Adobe Flash Player?

Likely you do. Here’s how to check. Open your browser and go to https://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player.html

If you open in Chrome you will get this:Flash Player Update

As you can see Flash Player is installed in Google Chrome (by default). As of this writing the Flash Version is up to date, 16.0.0.305.

Flash Player Update

If it is not up to date you can go to Customize and Control Google Chrome in the upper right hand corner, and click About Google Chrome. As it opens it will check for updates and let you know if you need to update.

Learn more about updating Google Chrome here.

Although you can’t remove Flash Player from Google Chrome, you can disable it.

Simply enter chrome://plugins/ in the address bar and scroll down to Adobe Flash Player and disable it.

This makes it easy to reverse if you need to use it later.

For Internet Explorer in Windows 8/8.1 go to Flash Player Updatethe settings gear in the upper right hand corner and click Manage Addons.

Click on Show >All Addons.

Find Shockwave Flash Object and disable.

Flash Player Update

In Windows 7 and earlier you can disable Flash Player as above or remove it completely. The best way is to use the uninstaller. It and instructions can be found here.

If you don’t need it at least disable it and if you do need it make sure it is up to date. Either set it up for automatic updates, or at least heed the prompt when it tells you of a new version.

 

 

Hiring a Web Developer

Imagine going out to buy a vehicle. Before you arrive at the car lot you must have already made some decisions.

“I want a big truck with lots of room for camping gear.”

Or ” I have a long drive to the city by myself each day, so I need something economical.”

If the sales rep has his choice his only concern would be selling you the vehicle that offered him the best commission. He knows his best chance to sell to you is to be aware of your needs and wants.

So it’s up to you to set the boundaries before you get there. If he knows you only have a fixed amount of money to spend, he won’t waste his time trying to sell you something that isn’t in the budget. But you need to know what will serve your needs the best. Don’t let the sales rep try to guess.

A web developer can only build the best website for your business after you have answered a lot of questions for yourself.

It is important to look at all aspects of your business and see which ones would benefit from a website.

Question #1: How much can you spend?

How much money do you have available for the project? Frugal spending says that we don’t spend more than we need to, or try to spend more than we can afford. But a web developer who knows your budget can provide the best bang for the buck.

The website is an investment, a tool which you can use to promote your business and provide a return. You can overspend and waste money, but you don’t want to under spend and have a site that doesn’t do the job you intended.

Focus on your business, and let the web developer focus on building your website.

Question #2: What does your customer want from your website?

For example, what kind of interaction do you have with your customers? Many service businesses need to schedule appointments, so an online appointment calendar may save a lot of time for your staff, since customers may be able to book open spaces in your schedule, and even choose the services they require.

Question #3: What can your website do that will make your employees more productive?

How much time do you spend answering general inquiries about your products and services?

FAQs, tutorials, product information and warranty information can all be available for general viewing on your site.

If you have items to sell, you need to consider whether you site will actually sell those items online, or if you wish to motivate them to come to your store, or both.

People love free stuff!

Question #4: Can you provide information or other perks for free?

Is there something of value that you can offer them free from your site? If there is something that they likely won’t pay for anyways, can they get it Free!!from  you (for example, how-to information)? This will build a relationship with them and encourage them to return when they are ready to spend.

Contact methods are important as well. Aside from online booking, email addresses and phone numbers for various departments.

What about your suppliers? Their online catalogs can be linked from your site so they can see the variety of products you offer.

Question #5: Does your staff need to add content to the site?

The platform for the site is important. With a little bit of training your staff can add content to the site. WordPress is especially good for this. If you have frequent updates to products, customer information, or details about your store hours, etc, they can be updated and your customers can subscribe to receive updates.

These are just a few of the possibilities. A good web developer will work with you to make these happen. Don’t worry too much about the layout, colors and other details. Your web designer can make these work. Your main concern is to have it function according to your needs.

These are just a few of the things you need to consider when hiring a web developer.

An excellent website worksheet for this is available courtesy of Troy Dean of www.wpelevation.com 

Download it here: Website Worksheet Template

This information is based on this article by Chris Lema

Multiple Gmail accounts on one computer

If you use Gmail or other Google accounts on a computer, you may notice that if you open a new tab in Chrome or Internet Explorer while logged in to your account, that the new tab will default to the open Google account. What if you have two Gmail accounts, or  someone else in the house wants to look at their account, while you are logged into yours? Can you open multiple Gmail accounts?

How to Log into Second Google Account

Multiple Gmail Accounts

This is not difficult to do. If you are logged into your account, click on your ID picture, in the upper right corner. Click on the “Add account” button.

The “choose account” screen will open. If you are doing this for the first time, you will see only your account.

Click Add Account. Fill in email and password of the account you would like to add. Sign in.

Google Sign in Screen

 

Google will open the account you just signed in with, but the previous account will still be open. Now you can just click on the account you wish to view, since they are both open.

Multiple Gmail Accounts

Gmail Account

When you click on your ID icon, the above drop down will show the active account first, with the avatar (photo). You can do the usual things here: View profile, check your account or privacy settings, or change your photo.

All other open accounts will appear below. You can have any number open at the same time.  Just click on the one you wish to view and it becomes the active account.

Privacy

If privacy is important opening multiple Gmail accounts may not be for you. All accounts that are open at one time are accessible to all users. Signing out of one account signs out of all of them.

You will be returned to the sign on-screen to sign into your account.

On the other hand if you have multiple Gmail accounts, or share your computer with someone you trust, or don’t have confidential information, this will work well for you.

Try this and let me know how it works for you.

Comments are always welcome.

Portable Devices – Laptops, Tablets, Smartphones. What works for you?

Portable Devices – Laptop, Tablet or Smartphone

Boots

Suppose you are going outside? What kind of shoes should you put on? You need to know where you are going and what the conditions are. Is it wet out? Then the boots need to be waterproof. Is it cold? Then they need to be warm. No one pair of shoes or boots will be the best for all occasions. What you wear to play in the snow may not be appropriate for a formal occasion.I have a pair of safety boots. I wear them on construction. I have a pair of dress shoes. I wear them to weddings. I have a pair of high rubber boots. I wear them when it is raining. Any of these would serve all three functions, but very not well.

The same with portable devices – computers, smartphones, tablets etc. Any of them will do most of what we need. However different situations call for equipment best suited for the task. I don’t want to spend all day writing, using spreadsheets and doing graphic design on a smart phone or tablet with a touch screen. On the other hand, my laptop won’t fit in my pocket.

So, think about what you want from your portable device. Continue reading Portable Devices – Laptops, Tablets, Smartphones. What works for you?

Phishing Email Experian

This is an example of a phishing email.  It came with an attached ZIP file which as you see below  claims to contain a key change to your credit report, but will no doubt contain malicious code. The usual purpose of this a phishing email is to either get your personal information or install a rogue program on your computer.

A warning from Experian is here. Also note that the attachment may not be picked up by malware or anti-virus scanners, but that doesn’t mean it is safe,SO DON’T OPEN IT!

A phishing email can be very well disguised. The corporate logos can be found and copied and email links can appear to be from the company, but lead to the phishing site.

Always be cautious and realize that legitimate companies will not ask for personal information, nor will they supply a link in an email, but rather ask you to log into their site directly from your browser and check your account.

If you receive an unexpected email with an attachment be very suspicious.

 

Text from Phishing email shown below.

This email was sent because it contains important information about your account. Please note that if you have previously unsubscribed from Experian.com, you will no longer receive newsletters or special offers. However, you will continue to receive email notifications regarding your account. To ensure that you’ll receive emails from us, please add support@exprpt.com to your address book.
Experian
Membership ID #780313491
A Key Change Has Been Posted to One of Your Credit Reports
A key change has been posted to one of your three national Credit Reports. Each day we monitor your Experian®, Equifax� and TransUnion� Credit Reports for key changes that may help you detect potential credit fraud or identity theft. Even if you know what caused your Report to change, you don’t know how it will affect your credit, so we urge you to do the following:
View detailed report by opening the attachment. Phishing
You will be prompted to open (view) the file or save (download) it to your computer.
For best results, save the file first, then open it in a Web browser.
Contact our Customer Care Center with any additional questions.
Note: The attached file contains personal data.
Your Experian.com membership gives you the confidence you need to look after your credit. We encourage you to log-in regularly to take full advantage of the benefits your membership has to offer, such as unlimited access to your Credit Report and Score Tracker. Notifications like this are an important part of your membership, and in helping you stay on top of your credit.
*If it has been less than thirty days since you joined Experian.com, your monthly credit statement includes your information for the period of time you have been enrolled.
freecreditreport.com

 

6647-100345-33-1003

Ouch! Newsletter – Email Phishing Attacks

How would you feel if your best friend turned on you? If email is your best friend you better know how to deal with it. Otherwise you could end up being betrayed. February Ouch! Newsletter teaches you how to avoid the pitfalls of email phishing attacks.

http://www.securingthehuman.org/blog/2013/02/06/feb-ouch-newsletter-is-out-email-phishing-attacks

To view this newsletter in a different language, click here.

Public WiFi – Convenient – But safe and secure?

public wifiPublic Wifi is available in many of our favourite coffee shops and restaurants. You may be greeted with a sign, “Free WiFi”. That is a convenient service that lets us check our email or surf the web while we eat or have a drink. But what surfing can you safely do there? Continue reading Public WiFi – Convenient – But safe and secure?

HTTP vs. HTTPS

In an age when security on the internet is of the utmost importance, secure transmission of data is often an issue especially financial or other sensitive information.
That is why websites will begin with either http or https.

WHAT is HTTP and HTTPS?

HTTP stands for “Hypertext Transfer Protocol”. Add the “s” and you have “Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure”.
HTTP is a request-response protocol. This means that the server is answering a request for information, and sends it without controlling how it gets there.
HTTPS uses a series of communications between the client (for example, your computer) and the server (the computer which will send you the information) to be sure that you are sending your information to only the server and to verify the source of the information and to ensure its security by using Transport Layer Security (TLS) or its predecessor, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).

Using your computer at the coffee shop? Check out Using Public Wi-Fi Continue reading HTTP vs. HTTPS