Blogs For You

Archive for the ‘Computer Helpers’ Category

I have come across some pretty interesting information about laptops.  I do almost all of my work on my trusted laptop and thought I would hand down some computer tips for those of you who may be considering getting one to do your blogging on.  There are literally hundreds of different laptops out there for you to consider before buying one.  Personally, I stick with Dell.  Mostly, because they have some pretty good deals, their service repair guys are really nice, their warranties are worth the price, their shipping is very fast but mainly because I use them at work and get a pretty sweet discount when I buy them through the Employee program.  They also offer programs for people in school.

But no matter which one you choose there will always be a better one next year but don’t wait.  IF you want to be a serious blogger you will need a computer (either desktop or laptop) that is reliable, wireless (mainly for laptops), have enough RAM (onboard memory that allows you to stream videos quickly and have multiple programs opened at the same time), have a fairly large hard drive (this is for those of us who download music, PDF files for later reading, and have lots of digital pictures).  You want to buy the extended warranty early on so that the price is reasonable.  You will also want to have a pretty hefty anti-virus program included.  If your internet service provider offers one of the good ones such as Norton or McAfee for FREE then you will not need the one offered with the computer.

There are a few things that you might need to consider when deciding or a laptop versus a desktop.  Laptops can go with you anywhere you want to go (well obviously not on the water or in the bathtub).  All the newer ones have a wireless modem built in and the software to seek out and connect to FREE wireless services if you happen to in range.  (Next post will be about where to find FREE wireless services).  Modern laptops weigh about 3 to 5 pounds which will help your back out tremendously.  You will need a laptop bag of some sort that is padded for those times when you travel with your computer.  Even just going to the library or the local cafe you should place the laptop in the bag to protect it from scratches and stuff.  You should also invest in a laptop cooling pad.  These little guys can get pretty hot if you use them more than an hour or two at a time.  You should read this post about hot laptops it is pretty funny and true. And finally, if you don’t like the little keyboards all you have to do is hook up your favorite keyboard and mouse into the USB ports and away you go.

For most people having more than one email account is confusing but in the electronic age we are being required to have more than one.  If you work in almost any kind of business you will get a business email account.  If you go to school you are given a school email account.  When you sign up for an internet service you are given another email account.  Each of these emails have a specific purpose and should be treated as such.  For personal emails from friends and relatives we recommend one of the free email services.  Generally, the free email accounts are for life, can be accessed on any computer with internet access and can be personalized with a user name other than your real name (if you so choose).  Just remember business email accounts are closed once you are no longer working there.  School email accounts are generally closed out once you graduate and the internet service provider email is contingent on you continuing their service.  And yes, with our service you are entitled to one email account based on your domain name.

Even though it might be a bit of a pain to remember all those email accounts and passwords you really should consider getting another email that is not based on employment, school,  or internet providers.  Personally, I have 4 email accounts with FREE Services from Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail and AOL.  I created each one for a specific purpose and have kept them throughout the years.  If you are looking for one that provides the most services for FREE we recommend trying the GMAIL accounts first.  They offer a large email storage account, great spam protection, the ability to chat with your contacts within the account as well as holding a video conference and you have access to the Google Docs function and Google Reader as well.  Google Reader is the easiest way to read all your favorite blogs.  All you have to do is put in the main address of the website and Google Reader will gather all the new posts from each of the blogs you want to read, including your own.  The Google Docs Function allows to work on, store and share your documents within the program itself.  It’s a great way to store your important documents online without having to pay a storage fee.