Internet - In Internet Explorer, press CTRL + I to display a list of available bookmarks.
Archive for December, 2011
Tips & Tricks
Friday, December 16th, 2011Tips & Tricks
Thursday, December 15th, 2011Windows - If you tend to browse Facebook at work, keep this trick handy in case the boss walks in. Minimize all windows by pressing the Windows + M keys.
Online Diversion: Bark the Dog
Wednesday, December 14th, 2011Can you save Bark the Dog and all his friends? In this online diversion, monsters have robbed Bark the Dog. Monsters were always jealous about the great friends and sweet stuff Bark had, so they planned to steal it all from him in the middle of the night. Little do they know that Bark is the most courageous dog there is, and he wants all of his stuff back! Help Bark regain all of his belongings and save his friends in the ultimate monster-maze puzzle adventure.
Site of the Week:
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011
Schoolyard bullying has been around since the dawn of time, but in this day and age of social media, bullying has risen to all new heights. You’ve likely heard about it in the news lately and now there’s a government-sponsored website, http://www.stopbullying.gov/, that addresses the issue. The site provides information from various government agencies on how kids, teens, young adults, parents, educators and others in the community can prevent or stop bullying.
Social Media Musts of the Week
Monday, December 12th, 2011As 2011 winds down with the holidays, chances our, most of us are online sharing our favorite recipes, family photos and more via social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Now that social media has seemingly integrated itself into our daily lives, hang tight because its use in marketing endeavors will only grow in the coming year, especially with the introduction of Google+ earlier this year and its recent addition of pages for business. This opens the door widely for branding through social media, and businesses are taking note.
In addition to using social media to promote their products, businesses are realizing the ever-growing importance of using the tool to communicate with customers. If they’re not doing so already, businesses planning for 2012 need to budget for social marketing and integrate it with all their online endeavors. Pay closer attention to blog posting, content marketing and interacting with customers even more frequently – because it could get you found in search endeavors. That’s because search engines like Google are continuously perfecting their algorithms – meaning they are likely to include social media relevance in search results. The fresher the content, the more likely your material will be found in search results.
Plus, with the integration of Google+, search results are getting more personal and customized to individual preferences. You may have already noticed that pages that have been shared by your Facebook, Twitter or Google+ networks previously now rank higher in your own search results. But the person sitting next to you may not get the same search results on the same word or phrase. That’s because social media is influencing your search results – and that’s why companies need to take heed and jump on the bandwagon.
Featured Customer: Indian Ink Leasing
Friday, December 9th, 2011“Having been in business for over 20 years, and having the same web page for almost as long, my first reaction of “it works fine” was more pleasantly changed when Steve Brown and his team encouraged and gently provided me the information and tools to take this small business literally around the planet. If you are even considering updating or entering the social media arena in small business, do yourself the favor and explore the options that will take your small business into the 21st century!”
Sherry McKean
President & CEO
President & CEO
Visit Indian Ink Leasing online at IndianInk.com to find out more about equipment leasing.
Habitat for Humanity Wins Facebook Contest!
Thursday, December 8th, 2011Spellmann & Associates is excited to announce that our most recent Facebook contest is benefiting a great cause – Amarillo Habitat for Humanity. We asked everyone to “Like” our Facebook page and from there, choose from a number of non-profits. As the winner, Amarillo Habitat for Humanity has been awarded $5,000 in technology services from Spellmann & Associates.
“We were so excited to be awarded the $5,000 worth of free services from Spellmann & Associates through their recent Facebook contest,” says Becky Davis, Development Director. “We’ve always said that our supporters are the best, and they definitely proved it once again by voting for us to win this prize! Thanks to the generosity of Spellmann & Associates, we will be able to update our website and receive some web-related training as well. We won big – and we are very grateful!”
If you’re not already following our page, “Like” us today and keep your eyes open for more great contests in the future!
Internet: Quickly Create a Bookmark
Wednesday, December 7th, 2011
Internet - Want to add the current web page to your favorites? Press CTRL and D and you won’t have to reach for that mouse!
Site of the Week: The World Factbook
Tuesday, December 6th, 2011
Want to go around the world without leaving the comfort of your home or office? No problem! The World Factbook, published online by the CIA and regularly updated, provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities. Search maps of the major world regions, study a political map of the world, or even a Standard Time Zones of the World map. Do you like flags better than maps? The site even has a Flags of the World section! Bon voyage!
Free Parental Control Software
Monday, December 5th, 2011I speak to a number of schools and churches on the subject of Internet safety. I’ve seen the statistics, I’ve done the research, so hear me when I say this: I don’t care how good you think your kids are, you MUST have some sort of Internet filtering software on any computer they will be using. Period.
Trust me, they or their friends will try something at some point and you need to make sure it gets stopped, and that you know it happened. My favorite software to do this is K9 Web Protection. It will automatically block any attempt for a computer to access an inappropriate site. You, as the administrator can add other sites or unblock sites as needed. K9 can even enforce the times during the day that the Internet can be accessed. If you don’t want anyone accessing the Internet after 10 at night, it will do that. And K9 is free.
Some other great kid-safe resources for parents to check out include Kidzui, ZuiTube, and TotLOL. If you are looking for a great white list or need to give your kiddo a safe email account, check out PikLuk!
