Archive for Web Tools
What You Get With Jing Pro
Posted by: | CommentsIf you’re in the camp that says short videos are the hot thing and every small business owner should be adding this medium to their social arsenal of ways to reach customers, then you might want to think about going ‘Pro’ with Jing.
Last week, I wanted to do a Jing video for my blog article and it’s easy enough to use the free Jing to record and share my video. The sticking point is that it’s NOT easy to put on YouTube and then embed the video on my website. I know there are programs to convert the Jing .swf file into something YouTube likes (MPG4 is best), but once I run the conversions, the resulting video still didn’t work right. I tried both iWisoft and one other converter and couldn’t get either of them to do the conversion correctly.
Then I remembered the Jing Pro for just $15/year. So I signed up for it! Now, I had to re-record my video since it won’t convert what’s already been recorded, but no big deal.
What You Get With Jing Pro
- Jing condenses your video so it’s not as large – better for sharing.
- Upload directly to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, FTP or Flickr (note that you will need to setup/link these services before you do your video. It’s nice to have the 1-click and ability to send right where you want it.
- Ability to go from your webcam (for a shot of your face), and then back to your screen. This is kind of cool.
- No more ads at the end of your video
- Still restricted to 5” of recording. Wish it was 10” for Pro users
Here’s my current configuration. The instructions to upload to multiple social places are easy to follow.
Regarding the 5” Time Limit
Jing explains in their blog they did not increase the time limit because they want the product to be for more for the on-on-fly type videos that you want to quickly do and share with people. File sizes with longer time lengths was also mentioned as a deterrent.
Most social media people say that videos are a big attraction, but they need to be short – under 3” to keep surfer’s attention. It seems we get on-line, our patience and attention levels go way down. I know when I’m searching for information, I like to get right to what I’m looking for.
So if you’re into video for posting on a website or sharing socially, what are you using and why? Please leave a comment or contact me via lynn (at)extremevirtualsupport.com.
Network Solutions
Posted by: | Comments-Guest Blogger – Charles Cooper
Building and main
taining a website can be a challenging and taxing experience, and is something that not everybody knows how to go about starting. There are, of course, various outlets for people who only want to set up amateur web pages with minimal content, but these are often unprofessional, and rarely generate significant traffic. Then there are blog sites and social networking opportunities for people who only want to get their thoughts and comments to friends, or to limited interested parties. However, if you are seeking to really build a real, professional looking website with a standard domain name (such as anything that uses .com, .net, .org, etc.), you may need help from a company like Network Solutions or someone similar.
Network Solutions’ “nsHosting” is its own system for domain hosting from which you can build your own, real website. The first and perhaps most crucial start-up service offered by a company like Network Solutions is a simple and easy to use step-by-step guide to choosing a domain name. You will be able to search the name you’re hoping to use and see if it is available or for sale, and eventually you will be able to spend whatever money you are willing to invest to purchase the domain name you wish to use for your site. Once that happens, the name is yours and you can begin to build your site around it.
Web hosts also offer various levels of web hosting that can be purchased for your site. For example, if you are only starting a small, start-up web site that won’t need to grow, your fee (for data storage, email accounts, etc. associated with your site) will generally be relatively small. The larger you need your website to be, in terms of storage and data transfer ability, the more you will need to pay – sometimes the highest available package offers practically unlimited space on your website, which can be useful if you’re starting a major business or expect a huge amount of traffic. Finally, some sites also offer a deal in which you pay an annual fee or something similar in exchange for unlimited web hosting, meaning you could set up as much as you want under just that one fee.
You have a great deal of freedom when starting a new website, because you’re putting something into existence that has never been out on the Internet before. But often, it is difficult to know where to start the process. Companies like Network Solutions offer simple services to make the process go more smoothly, and to help you make the best website possible.
(Disclaimer – this article was written by Charles Cooper and I have been compensated for placing it in my blog. I was domain customer of Network Solutions before they approached me, because I’d heard positive comments about their services.)
JotForm–Create a Form for Your Website, Blog, Facebook & More
Posted by: | CommentsIf you have a website, blog or Facebook Business Page, you most likely have a contact form on one of your pages. WordPress & Facebook both have free Plug-ins and Apps to do the job, but this week I took a look at JotForm-Easiest Form Builder. JotForm was easy to use, as promised, and has some great features we’ll discuss.
With JotForms, it’s not necessary to even establish an account to make and use a form. Everything is web-based, so no software to download. Some possible form ideas are below. JotForm also supplies templates for most commonly used forms to help you get an even quicker start.
- Contact Form
- Survey Form
- Job Application Form
- RSVP for Events
- Reservation Form
- Time Sheet
- Event Calendar
JotForm is compatible with over a dozen web formats, including WordPress, Joomla, Blogger, Tumblr and Facebook. Instructions are given as to how to embed your form code into the format you want to use – easy!
Formats JotForm Supports
I use WordPress and tried out the below simple Contact Form on my site and filled it out and quickly received my email notification. Very nice. The drag and drop interface reminds me of Gravity Forms (which I already have and use on my sites).
my jot form
I looked through their website and read the FAQ and a few blog postings. Here are some of the highlights:
- no ads will ever be placed on your forms (they promise)
- no account signup required, but if you are going to be a regular user, get an account
- tracking reports that are downloadable
- secure forms (SSL) available
- sell digital or other products and collect payment using PayPal, Google Checkout and others
- user guide on the site
- templates
- choices of font, colors or backgrounds
I took a look at the Facebook forms, and it is for the FBML app. If you already have FBML on your Facebook Business Page, you’re good to go, but if you’re building a new Facebook page, FBML is no longer available, they’ve gone to iFrames. Hopefully, JotForm is working on this.
Cost
JotForm is free to use – up to a certain point. Here are pricing points. As long as you have fewer than 100 submissions/month, 10 or fewer SSL submissions and 10 or fewer payments sent to you per month, your account is free. If you feel you’ll have a big month coming up, you can upgrade to their next level, which is about $10/month. Then you can go back to the free account with no penalty or losing of your data – very accommodating of them.
Make Your Windows 7 PC a Hot Spot
Posted by: | CommentsI made my PC its own hot spot! Now I can connect my Zune, Windows Phone or any other wi-fi enabled device to it wirelessly and sync or get new content. Let’s take a look at how I did it. All these wi-fi setups have WPA or WPA-2 security, so the same level as your home wifi network (assuming you did set this up).
There are three ways that I found – I’m using the third way because I couldn’t get the other two to work. There may be other possibilities out there, but I’m going to stop with the third try is the charm. I used free software called Connectify by Alex Gizis. You can watch Alex in the short video below where he explains how to set up your own hotspot in just a few minutes.
Connectify
I really liked the part at the end where he said the software could be downloaded from the safe site, download.com. That’s where I went to download and install. While installing, be wary for the additional software they want you to install and uncheck the box (unless you want it). There was an install wizard, so I told it to start up, but I really didn’t need it as it was so simple. The steps were…
- Choose a name for my wifi network
- Choose a password
- Click on the drop-down next to ‘Internet’ and select ‘wireless network connection’
- At the bottom of the pop-up, click ‘turn on sharing’
- Start enjoying!
You can see my wi-fi setup below and that I have one device connected to it – my Windows Phone 7. It was as simple as going to my phone settings and selecting my new wi-fi network and it connected right away. I do notice that when my phone screen goes dark, the connection breaks and when I turn on the display, it’s connected back to my home wi-fi again – don’t know why that happens.
This box sits in your system tray
Uses for A Computer HotSpot
The Connectify website has a great section on this. I like it for my wi-fi devices. Just think if you have an iPod Touch or iPad, you could use it to make free or low-cost Skype calls when traveling. You could access web sites and shop on-line. If your smart phone has a small data plan, just connect your phone to your hotspot and surf or message without incurring data usage costs.
Perhaps you’re at a hotel or airport where they charge you for each device you connect – there’s a big savings. Perhaps you just want to do some file sharing with colleagues – Connectify will do the job. Below is a graphic from the site showing the possibilities. There is Connectify for Android too.
Two Other Ways to Make Your Windows Computer a HotSpot
Virtual Router
I first found Virtual Router by Codeplex. This looked like a super simple way to connect, very similar to Connectify. I downloaded the software and installed it, following the directions, but I got the dreaded error message that so many have complained about – Virtual Router Could Not Be Started. I tried uninstalling, rebooting and reinstalling and still nothing. I checked and my wireless driver was one on the compatible list, but it wouldn’t work. I read some of the help and the remedies were too complex for me, but I did find out about another way…
Windows 7 Virtual WiFi
This is called a ‘hidden secret’ within Windows 7. I found it while reading about Virtual Router and decided to try that second. When I ‘binged’ Windows 7 Virtual WiFi, the top results weren’t from Microsoft at all – I was a bit surprised at that.
I used directions from Blogsdna. The steps are below from the site:
How to Setup Virtual WiFi on Windows 7
1. Open a command-prompt with administrator privileges.
Click on Start menu, All Programs, Accessories, right-click on Command Prompt, select “Run as administrator”). Type in:
2. Configure the “hosted” interface:
netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=Test key=password
This example creates an access-point with an SSID of “Test”,
3. Configure Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)
Open up the networking control panel. Select the interface that currently has Internet connection (like your Ethernet or normal wifi), enable “Sharing”, and then select the special “hosted” interface.
4. Start it
netsh wlan start hostednetwork
I did fine until I got to #3 and I couldn’t find the ‘special hosted interface’, so gave up on that one. That’s when I found Connectify and it all worked.
Conclusion
I wanted to list the three ways I found in hopes that if you’re wanting to try it out, you’ll have links for all three in case the first way doesn’t work.
Let me know if you tried any of these out and which worked for you.
PingChat-Free SMS/MMS Alternative
Posted by: | CommentsPingChat is a free app for iOS, Blackberry and Android phones. Messages, photos, etc. sent using PingChat are free as long as your phone has a data plan or WiFi.
Although their feature list says it works on all phones, that’s not really the case as some BB models can’t use the app as well as some Verizon phones. It won’t work with my Windows Phone 7 phone either and their FAQ says they have no plans to develop for WP7.
I can see this app attracting a younger crowd – perhaps kids and teens with a limited texting plan because this app won’t count against their text limits. Other features are Group Chat, Push Notification (you get notified when new messages arrive), full media support for voice, text, pictures and videos and the app is always on. This is nice because you don’t have to sign in or wait for your friends to sign in –you’re always on and available. I also read that they have a location based service – for letting all your friends know where you are.
To use PingChat, you’ll have to sign up for an account – since it doesn’t use your phone number, you’ll choose an ID/identity. After you’ve done this, you’ll have to share your user name with anyone you’ll want to interact with. After you get your friends entered in, then you’ll have a cool looking UI like the screenshot below.
I think kids could pick up on how to use the app quickly. There’s very little documentation – in fact there’s really just the Support link which takes you to a FAQ where you can hope your questions and answers are. If you don’t find your particular problem there, there is an email option.
It may be worthwhile to note that if you change phones, you’ll need to ‘release’ your ID from your old phone before being able to restore it on your new phone. If you forget, support will release it for you. You won’t be able to transfer or download any of your chat history either—something to keep in mind.
I’m not sure how long they’ve been around, but Enflick (developers of PingChat), mentioned in a recent blog article that they have 5.5 million users.
I wasn’t able to try it out since I switched phones, but a friend told me about PingChat and she likes the interface and the fact that it’s free.If you’re interested in trying it out, go to the website and send a link to your phone and invite a few people to try it out with you. It might be a nice way to have instant communication with a close group of friends.
Dropbox–Sync and Share Files Easily
Posted by: | CommentsLast week, I talked about the 3 best features of Windows Live Mesh. I concluded by sayin
g it was hard to recommend for folks with beginner/intermediate computer skills. It’s a bit complicated and clunky in my opinion.
Dropbox
is a great alternative to Live Mesh for syncing files and folders between computers you own and also for sharing specific folders with business associates or friends.
It’s super easy to use – here are the steps.
- Download the application and install it (there’s a quick video tour too)
- After installation, set up your account with an email address
- Launch Dropbox from your system tray, start menu, or go to the web
- Start adding files and/or folders to your Dropbox space
- To share, you’ll need to go to the web interface, click on the sharing tab and follow the simple instructions to share a folder (you can’t share individual documents), with one or multiple people.
I installed the application on three computers using the same email address and login and wa-la, the folders I put in Dropbox on my first computer showed up across all three computers. I tried putting files in my Dropbox on one computer, and checking the folder on another and everything synced up just like it was supposed to.
But wait, there’s more. Dropbox gives you the handy ‘Events’ tab (see illustration above), to show you everything going on in your Dropbox. So when you add, take away, invite someone to share, or remove someone from sharing a folder, it all shows up under the events tab.
Clicking on the ‘Help’ tab will get you this comprehensive list of topics that will cover just about any kind of question you have about Dropbox.
The Getting Started section is very thorough, giving you information on anything you need to know – from what kinds of files can you put in to how much space you have and how to upgrade your account.
You’ll note that Dropbox can be used with many specific mobile devices as well as any phone with a browser.
If you’re wondering about security, Dropbox uses AES-256 encryption. They say no Dropbox employee can access any customer’s account and this level of encryption is what banks and the military uses. It’s up to you what you decide to put in it, I choose not to put what I consider private, or sensitive data in it – you just never know.
Conclusion-Advantage Dropbox
Dropbox is simpler to use because it’s a stand alone application that only does one thing – stores, syncs and shares files.
You’ll have access to your files from any web browser, so no more emailing files to yourself or finding out you didn’t get one critical file you needed. Put files and folder on one computer and it will appear on all computers you have set up with the same Dropbox account credentials.
I think it’s easier to use than Live Mesh. Dropbox always seems to be at work in the background with no intervention from me. When I turn Live Mesh on, it seems one of my computers isn’t awake or running LIve Mesh or something’s going on that prevents syncing. That doesn’t happen with Dropbox. Give it a try.
Graphic of your shared folders-simply click on edit to add more people or remove someone
Artisteer–Be Your Own Web Designer
Posted by: | CommentsIn this post, we’ll talk about how easy it is to create a functional, CSS and HTML validated website using Artisteer. Perhaps you’ve been thinking of starting a blog or website, but you 
don’t know any HTML code and don’t want to learn it. Perhaps you’ve heard about WordPress or Blogger, but feel intimidated about picking out a theme and making it look professional, pretty, or creating your own brand. You can even use Artisteer to create a website without using Joomla, Blogger, etc.
Artisteer is software that takes the guesswork out of coordinating colors, type styles and layouts. Even if you have zero design skills and no eye for color, Artisteer takes over and simply gives you choice after choice of amazing layouts, colors and art to make your website look pulled together.
Artisteer works with all the above software—it doesn’t replace having to install whichever platform you choose. WordPress, for example, must be installed (the self-hosted version of WordPress). Then begin filling out your content using the WordPress back end. Think of Artisteer as your template. After it’s created, you upload it (instructions are included) and your newly created theme is applied to your site.
Let’s Get Started
Artisteer has a great try it before you buy it program. Download,install and use the program for free – then view your finished template. That’s what it’ll look like on-line. You can choose to upload your theme to your site to see what it’ll look like, but it will have a draft watermark across it. Purchasing the software will make the watermark go away. Cost is $50 for the Home & Academic version or $150 for the Standard Version. There is a yearly support fee.
I could write paragraphs about all the choices you’ll have when using Artisteer – instead take about ten minutes to watch the below video
So Many Choices
Where to start with all the choices. Let’s start with our header. Click the tab for header and you can have Artisteer suggest different colors, styles and layouts complete with eye-catching gradients, supplied photos or use a photo of your own. Once you have your components in the header, then you can experiment with moving things around, cropping the image, etc. See what I mean?? Almost endless choices and combinations.
In fact, the only downside to Artisteer is that there are so many choices that you could spend all day clicking the next button to look at design choice after design choice.I’ve used the demo version on my local machine and I’ve spent waaayy too much time tweaking.
The menus and controls on Artisteer are quite a bit like the Microsoft Office interface, so it’ll probably be easy for most to use.
Thanks to David North for inspiring this week’s blog topic. David is the author of North Ideas (you do need to start blogging again, David). He’s also the organizer of the WordPress Oklahoma City Meetup Group. He spoke just last month on how he uses Artisteer to make quick websites for friends – usually friends with non-profits or worthwhile projects. We meet the last Monday of each month. Anyone is welcome to attend.
Google Tool Bar Auto-Fill
Posted by: | CommentsGoogle is good, Google is great, but I resist using every tool they come out with. One I’ve resisted is the Google Toolbar as it takes up real estate at the top of my screen and I wonder what all it will know about me.
However, I was on a training call last week and our instructor mentioned she uses the auto-fill feature from the Google tool bar for filling out web forms. Quickly and effortlessly, the form was filled out with no loss of time or having to stop and look up information.
The download and install took under a minute and I immediately filled out two profiles using the AutoFill function – very easy. You can choose which is the default. You can add a credit card and require a password to access that for web forms. I chose not to do that right now.
Need several ‘identities’ for your web forms – perhaps a business and a personal? No problemo, feel free to make as many profiles as you need.
Of course, the Google Toolbar has many more features. Check them out along with detailed explanations for their uses.
Google makes using the Auto-Fill function of their toolbar even easier by making this very short video.
What are your favorite toolbar features?
Microsoft has updated their tool bar, which I find more useful since I use more of their services. We’ll look at that next week, perhaps along with the Yahoo toolbar.
Erase Files Securely From Your Desktop-EraserDrop Portable
Posted by: | CommentsDo you ever need to securely and forever delete files—make them unrecoverable? I just discovered EraserDropPortable. I’ve used several programs for erasing hard drives, like Eraser, from Source Forge or Darik’s Boot And Nuke. But for getting rid of files and folders, I didn’t have anything.
EraserDrop Portable was developed by John Hiller (he developed a Firefox Portable App), and is part of a suite of portable apps. So this app can be downloaded to a memory stick and used from machine to machine, or you can install to your local drive and use it from there.
What It Does
It securely erases files and folders. Just drag and drop to the icon you’ll see on your desktop after installation. Then you choose what method of erasing you want it to perform – from a 1-pass to Gutman. You’ll get a message when it’s finished telling you what it did and if there were any problems.
In addition to securely erasing your files and folders, you can also tell it to erase the free space on your drive. What’s free space and why would I need to erase it? Reading up on this, I’m finding that when/if you delete files by putting them in the recycle bin, they are deleted, but still recoverable. By using EraserDrop Portable’s wipe free space, this shreds and makes unrecoverable all that data previously deleted. I haven’t done this one yet, although I’m sure it’s OK as the documentation says that only free space is overwritten, not my files!
Download, Install & Start
There’s a link in the first paragraph for the download. I had some problems with the install. I clicked on the .exe and it started like all other installs start, but when it got to the directory to install to, it didn’t choose to put it in my Programs folder. Instead, I got the box below with no destination folder selected.
It took me a couple
of tries to find a folder it liked – it wouldn’t let me put it in the Program Files folder, instead, I chose a subfolder and then when the install was finished, I simply moved the folder up a level so it can be found within the Program Files folder.
The directions say to find the folder and click on the app icon to start the program. I did this a couple of times and it looked like something was starting, but I never saw anything. I went back![image[11]](http://extremevirtualsupport.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/image11.png "image[11]")
and read the instructions again and it said a little icon would appear on my desktop. Well, it was there, but I really just didn’t notice it for awhile because it was so small. So look for the little icon that’s below with the red line through it. It seems to appear at the top left of any application I’m using.You can right-click on the icon and change the picture or hide it.
In my research, I found other shredding and deleting programs that do the same things. I feel good about this one because it came from Source Forge, a respected name and offers great, free, open-source software.
Firefox Xmarks-Sync Bookmarks Across Computers
Posted by: | Comments
Sync & Backup
If you have multiple computers around the house or work and home and you’d like to be able to get to your bookmarks on all of them, Xmarks is for you. With this free add-in, you’ll never be without your bookmarks (or favorites) again. A bonus is that Xmarks also functions as a back-up for your favorites. If your computer crashes or you get a new computer, just sign into your account and they’re all back again.
The built-in backup is probably the best feature. The next best is that if you decide to do some housekeeping and clean up your bookmarks on one computer, the bookmarks will be saved and synced among all computers—nice.
I’ve been using Xmarks for several years, but I’ve never talked about it here. It used to be called Foxmarks (because it was used only with the Firefox browser), but it was renamed because it now also works with IE, Chrome and Safari.
Sync Profiles
If you want to keep your home and work bookmarks separate, but in the same account, you can set up a sync profile. You set up what bookmarks will be available at work and which you want to see at home.
Xmarks Search Engine & Enhanced Google Search
Xmarks has come out with some newer features – a search engine that gathers together the top rated sites about a particular subject. For example, I typed in ‘tech blogs’, and I got back the expected top 3 of Engadget, Gizmodo and TechCrunch. In order to use their search, you’ll need to go to xmarks.com and type in the search box. I wasn’t overly impressed.
The other newer features is Search Tabs. This is an add-on to FireFox that works only when doing a Google search.
Follow the directions to install the add-on (only works with FireFox), then restart your browser. Go to Google and type in a search. Besides giving your results, more tabs will be available to give you more information on the topic.
For example, my search was ‘bible versions’. Besides the search results, you can see the other tabs that appear. Click on one of the tabs and you’ll see further information – snapshots of each website that you can preview before deciding to actually go there.
This one impressed me more than I thought it would. I usually use Bing as my search engine, but I’ll remember to use Google for some particular searches as well.
Two other features not explored here, but that you might like to are their Secure Password Sync and Mobile Access download.
Xmarks is a useful website to explore and implement some of its many features.
