Perfect for time-poor children

Perfect for non-computer-confident mums!

Check it out here: http://www.itsinthestarsonline.com/18-mothers-day-gift-certificates-you-can-send-via-email/

Enjoy – I wonder if the Apple people are in the back rooms making this happen for real!

And please note – this is in German – but there are English subtitles available.

At the bottom – right of the YouTube video screen, please click on the CC button. This will display English subtitles. If you don’t see the CC button – which is next to the Annotation and Settings buttons, you might have to update your Plugins, or the Flash Player. Let me know if you need a hand

enjoy!

Click here to view the embedded video.

I understand the vast majority of people use Internet Explorer to go onto the internet, and others use Opera, or Safari or some other program. Even so, this article might have a little lesson embedded in it for you.

I have given my reasons previously for why I prefer Firefox – and I hope you will use it too – but I won’t go into those reasons today.

And I’ve written before about keeping safe online. One of the ways we keep safe is to ensure that we are on a secure site when entering sensitive information. That might be typing in a password, or entering our credit card details.

If ever you do something online that is a potential risk to you = you MUST make sure you are on a safe website.

One of the ways to check that, is to look out for two signs that a webpage is secure.

1.  in the web address field it will have https://   normally a webpage has at the start:  http://

If the webpage is secure, then it will have https://  – did you notice the ‘S’ there? That’s the bit that says it’s secure – the page is encrypted – meaning that it’s got special coding so that the mean and nasty people out there won’t be able to see your personal information.

2.  The second way to check if the site is secure is to look for the Gold Padlock.

Now in Firefox this padlock used to be in the bottom right corner of the screen.

But some time it was moved. They moved it to an area where they could incorporate some extra information.
This area is called: the Site Identity Button.

So now it lives up at the top of the Firefox window, right beside the web address field.

To see it, you simply need to click on the Favicon.   Don’t know what that is? Don’t worry, it’s really not a common word is it? As usual computer come with jargon.

The favicon is just a little picture, that helps identify the website you’re on.

My Favicon for The Web on Wheels looks like this: 

If you’re reading this on our website then you will see it up at the top of the page, next to the webpage address.

So it looks like:  www.thewebonwheels.com.au/where-did-the-firefox-gold-padlock-go?

If you click on the favicon of a webpage, the you will see if the padlock is there or not, as well as other security information.

So, when you’re on a webpae that should be secure, please check for the gold padlock at the top of the page – in the Site Identity Button.

Here is an article from Mozilla Firefox that explains it all for you:

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/Site%20Identity%20Button#os=win&browser=fx10

cheers

Viv

Hotmail is used my millions of people as a free email service.

So if you’r using another email service, this post doesn’t really apply to you.

I personally don’t like Hotmail, because it is web based. Meaning the email service is all on the Internet, on Microsoft’s computers.  (Microsoft is Hotmail is MSN)  So you MUST be on the Internet, to access your email.

And there are always ads on the site. And I hate that.

But it’s free, and free usually comes with a price.

Anyway…

On with this little post.

In one of the ‘features’ on Hotmail, they have a Quick View section on their site.

This is to give you quick and easy access to some messages, or documents, or photos that are important, or frequently accessed.

This is to save you digging around in your Inbox, or in the various folders you might have.

The Quick View panel is on the left hand side.

Hotmail have an article explaining it, and I’ve posted it below for you.

I hope it makes using one small part of Hotmail a bit easier for you.

(and thanks to Rhonda for having this issue – that way we all learn something)

Here is a link to the article – where you’ll find some other Hotmail articles too.

http://windowslive.ninemsn.com.au/hotmail/article/1066634/hotmailquickviews

Hotmail now has a handy tool called Quick Views which lets you zoom around your inbox and find the stuff you’re after in a flash.

If you’ve been travelling and have some of your own photos stored in SkyDrive, but also some pics your travel mate has sent you as well, it’s now easy to view them all at once.

Quick View categorises your most-popular content across your entire e-mail account. So if your content, in this case holiday pictures, is somewhat hidden in folders you’ve set up, your inbox or even other accounts you’ve added to Hotmail (like Yahoo! Mail or Gmail), it’s now easy to find. No matter where it’s stored.

With just a few clicks, the Quick View tab shown on the left-hand side of your inbox allows you to quickly view photos, documents or even shipping details from your latest eBay purchase.

So try out the new Quick View tabs on the left-hand side of your inbox, we’re sure it’ll make navigating around your inbox and finding what you’re after, easier.

Look for this update and many more over the coming weeks as we start delivering them to your Hotmail account.

Throughout messages you read on blogs, such as this, on websites and in emails, you will see  various links to websites.

In brief, a ‘Link’ is a ‘Hyperlink’ and it generally is blue, and underlined, such as:  www.abc.net.au

When you move your mouse over the ‘Link’, the mouse arrow, very often, will change to a hand or some other symbol and become ‘Active’.  (the symbol, or picture depends on your computer’s settings)

When you see the arrow change to a hand, and you click the link, it will take you to whatever the link is designed to do. (i.e. to a picture, a website, somewhere else on the webpage…)

They may be links to photos, or to a different website, or it might be a link that will let you read the rest of an article.

So, when I send you message, or write these blogs, many times I will include links. If they’re from me, you can be sure that they’re safe.

But…

Here’s the thing. 

Sometimes those links don’t work!!

And….   It’s NOT you!
Sometimes your computer, or the system you’re using (eg. Hotmail, Outlook) decide to look after your security and block your ability to go straight to an outside website or to download pictures.

Or sometimes – I’ll let you in on a secret… I might make a mistake!! (don’t let anyone know that )

Sometimes it’s simply that your computer is set to get only plain text email messages. So no matter what you do, you won’t get the nice looking, easy-clicking tricks; your message will be just as it says – plain text without any of the fancy stuff.

If a link in an email doesn’t work, try looking on your screen, usually toward the top of the email message and see if there’s some sort of message saying something about the link not being allowed. It might say,  “Click here to download pictures”  or  “to protect your privacy downloads have been prevented”  or “links have been disabled” – or something similar.

Most of the time, it also gives you the option to click in that message area and give your computer permission to go ahead and allow the picture to come onto your computer, or allow you to get to the website.

So if you click a link and it doesn’t work, first: Don’t panic.  Don’t throw the computer out of the window!

Take a breath, and look at your screen. Really look at it.

Is there some wording somewhere that explains why the link  didn’t work? If so, it will tell you what to do.

And if you’re still not having any luck – Let me know and I’ll try and get it sorted for you.

Cheers Viv

It an be so hard. By the time our parents get to a ‘certain age’ they have accumulated a lot of things. A lot of it can be trinkets and things of no particular value – but certainly there can be sentimental value.

But do you want to give them another ‘thing’ that they have to display on the mantlepiece in case you visit?

Or more perfume/after shave/socks/jocks.

No.

I’ve heard a lot of people grumbling today about gift vouchers. But I think they can be a great idea. Rather than being a gift that not much thought has gone into, I think you may well show that you have indeed thought about the gifts you give, and sometimes, well, they’re just not appropriate. Maybe it’s the thought that counts, but really, we all have experienced that feeling when someone gives us a gift that we really don’t like, Maybe the design of the t-shirt is something we truly never would wear, or the hat that simply doesn’t suit. Or the ‘lovely’ bowl that’s well, plain ugly.

So isn’t it better to give a gift voucher to shop or place where we can go and buy something for ourselves that we wouldn’t usually do – splurge, indulge, and feel great about it.

I think that’s a great gift to give.

So for the folks who have a computer but don’t really know how to use it … give them a gift voucher. A gift of using that computer the way it should be used. Or setting up Skype to see the family. Or arranging a video call to see the grandchildren – that is a wonderful gift.
www.thewebonwheels.com.au/Christmas-gift-vouchers

give, with love.

Cheers
Viv

I just made a small donation to Wikipedia.

Have you ever used their amazing website?

Anything you want to know – you can find the definition or explanation there.

It’s extraordinary the depth of  information they provide.

The website is a ‘wiki’. This means it is a collaboration by many users, who are able to contribute and edit the shared information. This is also a very good reason to realise that the information can sometimes be someone’s opinion or interpretation.

but even with that word of caution – you can pretty much back in the accuracy of 99% of the site.

And the kicker is… it’s all entirely free!

Why don’t you take a look – type in the term you’re interested in… elephants, microbioogy, Jupiter, electricity. You’ll be amazed.

And while you’re there, why not help them out.

If we all make a small donation, they will keep going and it will remain free.

Here’s the link to the site:   www.wikipedia.org

Here’s the link if you’d like to donate:

https://donate.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FundraiserLandingPage?uselang=en&country=AU&template=Lp-layout-default&appeal-template=Appeal-template-default&appeal=Appeal-default&form-template=Form-template-default&form-countryspecific=Form-countryspecific-control&utm_medium=sitenotice&utm_source=B11_Donate_Jimmy_AvsB&utm_campaign=C11_1114_AvsB_AU

You’ll see how easy it is to do in any language.

Our video example is just a short phrase.

Use the same site to translate a whole website if you like – type in (or paste a link) the web address, and click on Translate.

Why not give it a whirl and impress your friends! Click on the Play button – right in the middle of the screen, and the video should start to play for you.  – It’s about 3 1/2 minutes long.

(No there’s no affiliate link – I really liked the challenge last year and wanted to share)

The World’s Best Productivity Strategy – Part Two

In part one of this series, we discussed how “Saying No” is the world’s best, fastest and easiest productivity strategy, primarily because it simplifies.

You will succeed on the basis of what, where and how you say “no”. And “Saying NO” allows you to get more control over your daily life and activities–IMMEDIATELY!

For these remaining 100 days of the year, you must resolve to give “NO” the strategic resolve it deserves!

The following are fifteen simple, effective and empowering strategies that you can use to get results–IMMEDIATELY!

1. What strategies, initiatives and activities will you say “no” to?

There is great feeling, focus, empowerment, and impact when everyone agrees on paper the activities that will not be done.

Pull out a piece of paper and list all of the superfluous activities that can slow down, or prevent progress from happening altogether.

Everything is fair game and absolutely nothing is sacred in this exercise. Simply put, if it does not advance you forward, then say no!

2. What meetings will you decline or delegate?

List every meeting you have in place for the remainder of the year and determine which you will NOT be attending.

Meetings consume large chunks of productive time, most are run improperly and inefficiently, and most can be declined or delegated to someone else.

3. What relationships will you not keep?

The way you manage your relationships has an enormous  impact on your ability to perform at consistently high levels.

Identify the top three energy-draining relationships, that you are committed to saying “no” to for the next 100 days.

Then focus on creating strategies to free yourself from each of them.

4. What measurements will you ignore?

Say goodbye to all lagging indicators and ONLY pay attention to measurements related to customer satisfaction and the levers that directly drive sales, margin, operating expense and ROI.

5. What customers will you not target?

Identify your IDEAL prospect, client or customer and quit chasing every opportunity as it’s a complete waste of time and resources. Once identified, you must then articulate who you will NOT target.

Finally, make decisions on segments of your customers that deserve “VIP” treatment.

6. What competitors will you not follow?

Way too much time is lost by following and focusing on too many competitors and so-called guru’s. Identify the top three and immediately remove yourself from all of the other email distribution lists, blogs and other related communications.

7. What websites will you not visit?

Web sites are like magnets and vampires, as they draw you in and suck away productive time. Pull up your list of favorites, delete most of them and keep only the ones of greatest value. You must institute a “No Surfing” policy and stick to it.

8. What money will you not spend?

Put yourself on a fiscal diet as every dollar spent should be thought of as an investment towards greater operating income — even petty cash. With this in mind, what things, or even entire budget categories, will you not spend?

9. What trips will you not make?

It’s hard to deny the power of ‘showing up’ in person as great things happen when you show up and interact with customers and colleagues. Nonetheless, trips consume massive gobs of time and money.

Therefore, consider how you can use technology to replace trips, and only travel when it can make a big impact towards your primary goals.

10. What foods will you not eat?

Reaching the next level of performance and productivity begins with how you manage energy. It’s disturbing to see the immense amount of human and corporate potential squandered due to the misuse of energy.

Unhealthy eating habits, lack of exercise, negativity, sarcasm, unfocused goals and strategies are all contributing factors to energy loss. Focus in on your nutritional intake and exercise by eliminating any food, or drink that compromises your energy levels.

11. What excuses will you not engage in?

Excuses drain energy, time, production and profits. Have a brutally honest conversation with yourself and determine the excuses or behaviors that you must do away with. I’m aware that it’s easier said than done, but you will NOT be able to achieve your true potential by fighting for and repeating useless behavior.

12. What will you not say?

Develop the habit of saying NOTHING that does not move the ‘agenda’ forward or uplift others. Speak ONLY of the solution, and waste not a second on the problem or blame.

You will save a lot of time and mental energy which can be directed towards more useful activities.

13. What thoughts will you not entertain?

Remember that which does not move you towards your goal, takes you away from it. Therefore remove those thoughts that are limiting, defeating or downright negative and consciously choose to replace them with thoughts of abundance, optimism, and positivity. Don’t tolerate negative thoughts or conversations from yourself or others.

14. What television shows will you not view?

If there was ever a time hog that needed to be slaughtered, television tops the list.  In even a moderate TV-watching household, it’s simply amazing how many hours are spent in front of the box. The solution–go cold turkey!

15. What will you no longer tolerate from yourself or others?

Saying “no” and meaning it is the easiest word for setting a limit, holding firm to boundaries, and being clear about what you will or will not do.

Identify the standards you wish to measure your life by and refuse to lower or negotiate at any time, nor for any reason.

No is a tool Use the veto power of “No” regularly and with conviction as it’s a powerful strategic weapon that you can use to maximize your results in the final 100 days of this year.

YES, YES, YES

Let’s now focus on what you should say “yes” to. How does greater wealth, health and happiness sound to you?

Say the word–yes, and give me the next 100 days and I’ll turn you into an unstoppable powerhouse!

Beginning September 22nd, I’m going to be releasing The 100 Day Finish Strong Challenge at www.100DayChallenge.com

It’s going to be a wild ride, and I’ll be IN YOUR FACE every step of the way for 100 straight days until I help you achieve every goal you want to achieve!

Say the word–yes, and I’ll teach you about commitment and absolute accountability. I’ll prove to you that you can deliver results that are in a word–astounding.

There’s no more goofing around… no more stalling, delaying, or “starting on Monday”. The train is leaving on September 22nd with or without you.

To get on the pre-registration list and to learn more about this exciting program, please visit:

http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=O9bAw&m=3idDziI6ywy4Ayj&b=QqT_ufwRpwW2ggfFxKMcLg

Everything Counts!

Gary Ryan Blair

P.S. Visit today and pick up your FRE*E Goal Setting Toolkit http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=O9bAw&m=3idDziI6ywy4Ayj&b=QqT_ufwRpwW2ggfFxKMcLg

You are welcome to pass this message along!