When I first heard about Twitter (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddO9idmax0o), I just didn’t “get it”. Why would anyone be interested in wasting their precious time by listening to unimaginative small talk from others such as:
1) “I just woke up”
2) “Going out for pizza now”
3) “I’m having a cup of coffee with a friend”
4) “Overslept this morning”
5) “Waiting for my flight”
I mean why should I be interested in all the little common, ordinary things that people do throughout the day?
Then over time I realized that my thoughts about Twitter were only thoughts about Twitter when used in a meaningless way or (in my opinion) a wrong way! Twitter is just a tool and if you don’t know how to use it, it’s not a useful tool at all. Sure you can follow people who post everyday, unremarkable information, but what’s exciting about that? Soon you’ll get bored to death!!
Twitter becomes incredibly valuable when you start following the “right” people (you don’t even have to ask their permission!). I’m a tech guy so by following the key people in my field – the tech “thought leaders” so to speak, I can instantly know what they think is cool, interesting and important. I can instantly access a link that they have shared and go to a great site that they have recommended. How else can I be in daily contact with the great leaders in the tech field? This is priceless!
It’s like a running stream. After I have “dipped my toe” into the running information stream that is Twitter, I can then pass on (signal) to others what I have learned from the “best of the best”. This is done quickly in a tiny 140 character microblog – a burst of information to anyone who is following me. There is no time for long discussions now, just quick hits, a fast relevant snippet of great value.
My followers post to their followers and the great Twitter stream of wonderful information continues. The best of what others post is passed on in real time. Instant information and instant feedback.
Professor Randy says:Who you follow on Twitter makes all the difference in the world – to you and to your followers!
Today we have a shocking tale of disrespect, so stay with me!! Have you ever heard of or done business online with any of these big, wonderful, well known companies?
1-800-Flowers, ShutterFly, eHarmony
Buy.com, U.S. Airways, Yahoo
Classmates.com, Fandango, Tiger Direct
Columbia House, FTD, Barnes & Noble
Expedia, Hotwire, Victoria’s Secret
Hotels.com, Priceline, Pizza Hut
Intellius, Travelocity, Movietickets.com
Orbitz, Vistaprint, Continental Airlines
Like me I’m sure you have not only heard of, but probably done business with these “reputable” companies/retailers. Well these wonderful companies are making millions of dollars scamming you (nineteen of these companies made more than $10 million in 2009). They are giving your credit card information to third party marketers (Webloyalty,Vertrue, Affinion), which allows them to charge your credit card anywhere from $9 to $12 every month. How could this be? It’s all done under the guise of simply getting you to give them your email address.
Here is how the scam “goes down” :
1) You go to the website to buy. 2) After your purchase or right before you confirm the purchase, 3) You see an offer for cash back or a discount coupon for your next visit. 4) All you have to do is give your email address – no credit card info. Cool huh? 5) You fill in your email address and finalize the purchase. 6) You have just been scammed ($9 to $12 charged from your credit card every month)!!
This is unbelievable, appalling, but true. How is this possible? How did this happen?
You thought that the retailer was offering cash back and discount coupons. You thought that your trusted online merchant was asking for your email but you have been betrayed!! You didn’t read the tiny, tiny, fine print that says this:
“By entering your email address, you agree to join a loyalty program and allow the store to authorize marketers (Webloyalty,Vertrue, Affinion), to charge your credit card every month!”
Incredible right? When you shop online you should expect the store that you are doing business with not to share your credit card and personal information. But you have been purposely mislead all because your trusted store gets a cut of the profits from this scam.
You might want to check to see if you see any tiny little charges appearing on your monthly credit card statement that contain the words “rewards,” or “club”. These are from the marketing companies Webloyalty,Vertrue, Affinion which have been given a “green light” because your online retailer gave your information to them by fooling you into innocently filling in your email address!
Professor Randy says:How can we trust these companies anymore? Don’t use them anymore! They have played us for a fool! Boycott them!!
Happy New Year! On this the first day of 2010 I would like to give you ten great tech links (actually nine because #1 is my personal Happy New Years wish to you). These nine links will take you to nine great sites full of useful tech information and more(don’t miss #10). Enjoy!!
Merry Christmas! My wife and I are in Indiana visiting my sister, her husband and the entire family. My brother-in-law was having problems with his computer and I helped him out by fixing a couple of things. He was very appreciative for the help I had given him and wrote the following letter. Today (Christmas) I would like to share with you what my brother-in-law wrote:
“My brother-in-law worked over my computer last night – took him nearly two hours of his time. I sat next to him to learn but I confess even though he’s a good teacher, it made me progressively more nervous.
He opened programs which I didn’t know even existed, which became more and more foreign to me and uncomfortable. Randy was running programs to eliminate files “I didn’t need”. I wondered quietly -“How does he know?” I never delete anything! There was lot’s of “trash” on my hard drive. How did he know? Was it that obvious? It’s true, I admit my hard drive is full of garbage.
Then he ran another program to help me “boot up” faster. I had too many programs which automatically start up and Randy says “slow me down”. I agree that my “boot up” is slow and getting slower, but eliminating things which work automatically sounds counter intuitive to me. Anything that works automatic should be left alone! But off it came!
Next he checked for malware. I asked “what is malware”? His explanation was somewhat confusing but he used words like “spy”, “virus”, “bad”, “let destructive programs into your computer” and “destroy your motherboard”. Enough, enough! The mal was the mal of maleficient, malfunction, malinger, malignant; he was looking into my computers soul; which I saw as a reflection on me!!
Lastly, he was going to run a program which he said could take all night! It was to defragment my hard drive. It helps put things in order – “there is a lot of wasted space”. It was just as well that I went to bed, I’d rather sleep through a defragmentation I thought to myself.
Well, I know this – I’m glad it was my trusted “Tech Professor” doing the cleansing of my computer. It’s not everyone that I would want to let in to see these inner workings.
I couldn’t help but think on the day before Christmas as our family gathered that the little boy whose birth we are about to celebrate had done the same thing for me in a much more important and profound way. Through His love he cleansed my motherboard and His Holy Spirit guides me to keep it clean. There is still a threat of malware but I have His ever presence with me.
So this Christmas – the best gift besides maybe the “Tech Professor” is to let God’s Son cleanse and defragment you and make you whole again. Merry Christmas”!
Professor Randy says:Have a wonderful day! Merry Christmas!!
Great news! Today we have the third and final part of “The Cell Phone Scenario Demystified”, and we will be taking a look at the second cell phone technology (standard): CDMA.
3) A list of the five top U.S. cell phone carriers and one very popular phone from each carrier.
4) The definitions of a“locked“ and of an“unlocked“ cell phone.
5) One of the two cell phone technologies: GSM.
Today let’s continue!
6) Cell Phone Technologies: CDMA
A) CDMA coverage is very strong in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. CDMA is particularly strong in rural areas.
B) Of the U.S. carriers, Verizon, Sprint, and U.S. Cellular use the CDMA technology.
C) Carriers that use the CDMA network do not use SIM card enabled phones.
D) Since CDMA phones don’t use SIM cards, switching phones is not nearly as easy (if you want to switch carriers you have to buy a new phone!).
E) Unlocked phones do not work on the CDMA network.
F) Since CDMA phones have no SIM card you do not have the capability of using a local number when visiting a foreign country.
G) CDMA is a more complex proprietary standard (designed by U.S. Qualcomm) and requieres more cell phone battery output.
H) If you will be making calls only in the U.S. (North America) then CDMA is a good option. Some CDMA phones support GSM for international use.
This is my humble opinion:
1) Choose the best carrier over a particular phone. You don’t know how many times I’ve heard Apple iPhone users complain about having AT&T as their carrier! What good is it to have the greatest phone in the world if you can’t fully enjoy it because of a sub par carrier?
2) Get an unlocked GSM phone. Because they are more popular globally, you’ll have more freedom of choice and you can buy one that is not offered by any U.S. carrier. They cost more than carrier susidized phones but the cost is less and less every day. If your GSM carrier raises it’s rates or changes it’s coverage you can simply switch carriers without having to buy a new cell phone.
3) When you go with a carrier subsidized (“free” or “heavily-discounted”) phone you obviously will have to sign a two year service contract. In order to make up for the low cost of the phone your carrier will charge more expensive phone rates (both domestically and overseas roaming). Eventually you will end up paying much more for your “free” phone and service than you would have had you originally bought an unlocked phone.
4) Check out the unlocked GSM Nokia phones (The E71 is an great older model therefore cheaper). Nokia sells more phones in a couple of days than Apple sells in a quarter, but Nokia isn’t as well known in the U.S. I also really like th RIM BlackBerry Bold 9000 (unlocked of course).
Professor Randy says:Voila!! The cell phone mystery no more! You are now ready and able to make an intelligent cell phone choice. Enjoy your new phone!!
It seems that there is a lot of confusion out there when it comes to cell phones. In my last post, I explained the following cell phone facts:
1) The definition of a “smart phone”. 2) The definition of a “dumb phone”. 3) The top five service providers (cell phone carriers) in the United States and one very popular phone from each of the five carriers. 4) The definitions of a “locked” cell phoneand of an “unlocked” cell phone.
So, let’s not stop now! Today I would like to continue to demystify the cell phone scenario so that any of you who are in the market for a cell phone this Christmas will be well informed and ready to go! Today let’s take a look at basic “primer part 2” on cell phones, cell phone carriers, cell phone standards, etc.
5) Cell Phone Technologies: GSM or CDMA?
If you’re going to buy a cell phone you not only have to choose the cell phone and the cell phone carrier, but a cellular network (or standard) as well! Cell phone carriers in the United States operate over two different networks: GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) and CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access). These two cellular technologies do basically the same things but in different ways which makes them incompatible with each other. You can’t use a CDMA phone on GSM and you can’t use a GSM phone on CDMA!
Let’s take a look at the most important facts concerning the first of these two standards and demystify a bit!!
GSM:
A) Most of the world uses this standard (some estimates as high as 80% of the global mobile market). GSM is used by over 3 billion people across more than 212 countries and territories.
B) Of the U.S. carriers, AT&T and T-Mobile use the GSM technology.
C) Carriers operating on the GSM network use SIM cards (the SIM is a detachable smart card containing the user’s subscription information and phone book).
D) Any “unlocked” cell phone will recognize (activate with) a SIM card from any carrier (switch the SIM card not the phone).
E) If you travel to another country you can use your U.S. GSM phone by purchasing a SIM card (with minutes and local number) in the country you are visiting (thus no international roaming charges from your carrier in the U.S.). If you travel overseas often then GSM is for you!
F) When you switch to a new GSM phone, you can simply remove the SIM card from inside the old phone and insert it into the new one.
G) GSM, being a relatively simple technology, requires less cell phone battery output.
H) Unlocked cell phones work with GSM enabled phones only; therefore, any carrier that services GSM phones will support unlocked cell phones.
Great stuff huh? In my next post I’ll tackle the CDMA technology and then I’ll sum everything up so that you will have “all the information” in order to make a well informed decision.
Professor Randy says:The pieces of the cell phone puzzle are beginning to come together! With a bit of concentration and patience the cell phone scenario will be a mystery no more!!
I must admit that even though I’m a “tech geek”, the present day mobile phone scenario can be quite confusing! Personally I don’t even like to TALK on the phone, and my “dumbphone” of choice is the TracFone Motorola W260-4 (a basic bare bones $20 phone – no internet, no camera, no additional ringtones, no applications, etc.). But the phone is great for what it is intended to do: it makes great phone calls and texts!! And in my part of the country I have great coverage (signal strength) from the TracFone network (also with TracFone there are no bills, no contracts, I buy only the airtime minutes that I actually need). No smartphone for me!!
So with all of the confusion out there (and since you may be in the market for a smartphone this Christmas), I thought that today I would give you a basic “primer part 1” on mobile phones and mobile phone carriers. You’ll have to concentrate somewhat because as I said before – this is kind of confusing! Today I’ll just give you the facts and in my next post I’ll give you more facts plus my opinion.
1) “Smart Phone”
A mobile phone which has computer like software (applications) on it, digital camera, full keyboard, color display, plus internet and e-mail capabilities for efficient communication. The CPU on many smartphones is more powerful than the desktop computers of five years ago!
2) “Dumb Phone”
Opposite of smartphone. A cellphone which has little or no advanced features such as a large, bright screen, or applications such as email and web browsing. Basically just makes phone calls (like my Motorola W260-4). I love it!
3) “Service Providers (Mobile Phone Carriers)”
If you’re going to buy a mobile phone you have to choose a mobile phone carrier. There are many, but here are the top five carriers in the United States (and a very popular smartphone for each carrier).
A locked mobile phone is one that has been altered in order to use only one particular cellular network. If a carrier “subsidizes” (provides you with a free or cheap phone when you sign a two year service contract) they will “lock it” to their network. Locked phones (the “lock” is a software setting that keeps the phone “loyal” to one carrier), will not work with any other carrier.
An unlocked mobile phonecan be used on any mobile phone carrier. Unlocked phones cost more up front but all software restrictions have been removed and you will be able to use the phone with whichever carrier you so desire. Many third party vendors sell unlocked phones and there are also many third party services that offer to unlock your mobile phone for a fee (something I don’t recommend).
In my next post (part 2), I’ll continue to “demystify” the confusing mobile phone scenario.
Professor Randy says: Sure, the mobile phone scenario can be confusing but don’t despair! With a little examination and investigation of the facts you’ll be fully aware of what you’re up against and fully prepared to handle it “head on”!
My wife and I are in the middle of relocating and I’ve been spending my days looking for a new home, unpacking boxes, repairing broken household items, dealing with internet and cable companies, buying a car, doing lots of paperwork, etc. I feel swamped!
Since I’ve been unable to spend any quality time to personally research and post, I’m going to give you another great CNET video today. In this video Tom Merritt counts down the top 5 tech items of December 2009.
My hope is that this list will be of help to you as you do your Christmas shopping (especially if you’re in the market for a smart phone)!
Professor Randy says:It’s fun and informative to see what everybody else is buying but you don’t always have to follow the crowd! By doing your own research and by considering your own unique circumstances, you’ll end up buying the exact product to fit your needs!!
Today I’m giving you a great CNET video by Tom Merritt. Tom shows you the best methods for backing up your data which is an incredibly important, yet often neglected area of computing. Enjoy this highly informative video and heed the advice within!
Professor Randy says:Your hard drive will not last forever but you don’t have to lose your precious data! Keep your data safe by backing up regularly!!
In Part 1 (https://randythetechprofessor.com/how-to-optimize-your-website-part-1) we learned five mostly mechanical ways to optimize your web site (SEO: Search Engine Optimization). Today I would like to teach you five, more personal ways to improve the volume or quality of traffic to your web site from the various search engines.
6) Update Content Regularly:
As your readers begin to get excited about the content on your site, they will be anxiously awaiting to hear from you. The easiest way to please them is by hosting a blog on your website and posting to the blog on a regular basis. Also search engines love new fresh content, so it is doubly important that you consistently update the content on your site.
7) Produce Great Content:
Great content is really the only reason for which anyone would visit your site. If you “do your homework” and “know your stuff”, you will produce good content. Over time your content will become known and other people/sites will begin to link to your site. The more people who link to your site the higher your Google ranking. Ask yourself these two questions: How many other people link to me? & How highly ranked are these people? Remember that in Part 1 I told you that “it’s much less about tags and code, and much more about content and links”.
8) Post Your Content On Social Networks:
Since your content is good, it’s only natural that you want other people to see it. How will people find you if you don’t communicate with them? You must do some PR work by posting your content on Facebook, Twitter, FriendFeed, etc. Get yourself known by participating in your particular subject community – going to web sites, forums, discussion boards, etc. People will get to know and appreciate you and little by little “word of mouth” will spread!
9) Store Videos On YouTube:
If you post videos to YouTube, store those videos on your own YouTube channel (get a YouTube account). People who enjoy your content, will subscribe to your channel, watch your videos and make comments. Make sure you describe your videos well, organize them and update your personal information in order to make it easier for other YouTubers to find you on the site. Most people find it easier to watch an informative video than to read.
10) Produce Great Content:
Same as #7 on this list but actually #1 on any list! When you are passionate about your subject you will feel a burning desire to share this passion with other people. Even if you don’t express yourself perfectly, people will be impressed by and attracted to your passion and enthusiasm. Content quality (produced by passion and study) will eventually lead to a great number of links to your site.
Professor Randy says:Links to your web site are great but be careful – don’t put the “cart before the horse”! Do what you love and love what you do – the rest will take care of itself!!
Hello everyone,
