Using GMail? Using Priority Inbox? Check out this article to use Priority Inbox to it’s full potential.
I’m using it today and must say it takes some getting used to. I generally get 20-25 pieces of mail a morning and this has helped me ‘weed out’ some of the things that I normally just toss in the trash.
Interweb
GMail Priority Inbox
Browsers Wars…
With the new version of Chrome being released today, you might be sitting there wondering what browser is right for you? The answer to that question is rather simple… It’s up to you!
If you know everything you need to know about browsers then just stop reading here otherwise continue. There are four major browsers making a play on the Internet today. They are Microsoft Internet Explorer (Version 8), Mozilla’s Firefox ( Version 3.6) and Google’s Chrome (Version 6.0472) & Safari (I will not be covering Safari since I’m not a Mac person (boo hoo cry me a river)). Each browser having it’s own theory on how the Internet should look when viewed through the browsing lens. My personal preference? Mozilla Firefox, only because I’ve been using it since it was just called ‘Mozilla’ back in 2002. Chrome is relatively new but quickly gaining on my personal favorite. Let’s take a look at all of these browsers and maybe I can shed light on a topic you might know everything about, or just scratched your head and said, ‘Google has a browser?’.
Microsoft Internet Explorer
The fabled dinosaur which holds the billionaire moniker has been driving users to their homepages since 1995. A browser that has not seen too much overhaul on it’s interface, Internet Explorer (IE) has seemingly lost it’s grip on the browser majority in recent years. Because it was the largest used browser, paired with Microsoft’s flaws in it’s programming, IE has been the target of malware writers for quite some time. Also, security settings of IE can be overwhelming to the novice user, and can sail them into a sea of settings for Java, Active X & other inconsistencies of pages across the web. If configured incorrectly, or too insecure, IE can open the user up to many security flaws that they wouldn’t want to know of if they were using IE for their banking or other financial needs. My advice to the novice user? Security, all the way till it hurts… and it does hurt.
Mozilla Firefox
Rising from the ashes of the Netscape fire came Mozilla in 2002. The browser was an instant hit amongst technology folks, primarily because it had a built in pop-up blocker and overall configuration was a breeze (and still is to this day). The ability to use add-ons for the browser is a great feature which separates it from it’s counterparts. Whether you want to tweet from your browser bar, synchronize bookmarks between computers, or have your weather delivered, Firefox has an add-on for you. Checking for website security has never been easier, also malicious websites are detected much easier with Firefox. This was also the first browser to come up with a way to clear your cookie’s efficiently! You can also change the theme (called Persona’s) of your Firefox browser to change the overall look of the default browser.
You can watch some videos about the browser here.
Mozilla also has many other products which rival Microsoft like Thunderbird (e-mail client), SeaMonkey (e-mail & web), & Camino (a Mac browser).
Google Chrome
Certainly the new kid on the block (ooh ooh ooh oh oh), Chrome has a maker that’s been around since January 1996 as a research project by two PHD students at Stanford. That being said, they know a thing about the Internet, and have hit a home run thus far with their browser. Lightweight is the theme of this experience as you can pretty much tell from the get go that it’s going to be much faster than it’s challengers. Currently in early stages, as each update is released you can really see functional changes that Google is getting from user feedback & error reporting. One thing I really like about Chrome is the ability to build application shortcuts from your browser page. This means you can create a shortcut on your desktop/start menu directly to the page you’re viewing. So for instance I have a desktop shortcut to my Fantasy Football League for when I feel like checking on something I just quickly click the icon and the page opens in it’s own Chrome window w/o the navigation features. Very good if you view the same sites on a daily basis, or multiple times during the day. Currently I have about ten of these types of shortcuts on my desktop.
Each of these browsers have their issues with the ever changing face of Adobe Flash, Java, Silverlight & other web plug-ins and will more than likely continue as the web continues to grow. So the choice is yours during this browser war, or you could just do like I do and use all three! Just remember to always use safe browsing techniques!
Star Wars – Lego Style
Better Gmail through Gmail Labs
If you have a Gmail account, you might want to take a look at some of the new Labs they’ve released over the past few days. To get to the labs just log into your Gmail account, and look for the link in the top right hand corner that says New Labs. Click this to see some of the neat things that Google offers the users of Gmail.
Here are a few examples:
- Ever included Bob (your boss) instead of Bob (your friend) on an email by accident? Oops! Turn on “Got the wrong Bob?” and Gmail will check if you meant to include Bob Smith rather than Bob Jones based on the groups of people you email most often.
- Oops, hit “Send” too soon? Give yourself a grace period of a few seconds to cancel sending, then edit your message before sending again. Turn it on from the Labs tab under Settings.
- Make Gmail work even when you’re not connected to the internet. Turn on offline access from the Labs tab under Settings.
These are just a few as well as the addition of Themes, Tasks & other goodies. If you don’t have a Gmail account, now might be the time. Read all my other stories about Gmail here, or just use the handy dandy search in the top right.
What’s it take to run Facebook?
Well here is some insight. I especially like the part where they talk about 25 TB of daily logs. That’s a lot of Farm Town!
Phish Fighting Test
Did you really take everything from my previous post about Phishing to heart? Maybe you should take this test to find out how strong your Phish fighting skills are?
One Phish, Two Phish…
With the recent phishing attempts running rampant across the web this week, I thought it would be a good time to explain what’s happening and how to further prevent yourself from becoming one of the victims in this scenario. What has been happening is users get contacted by what seems to be legitimate partners asking the user to provide them with their passwords. Phishing is only successful if you let down your guard and do not use a process before providing passwords to emails.
Follow these few steps and you’ll find you will gain piece of mind when working online.
- Most (if not all) companies will NEVER ask for your password in an email. If you receive an email from a website you frequent that asks you to reply with your password, this should raise a red flag immediately. Treat online passwords like your Social Security Number and you’ll never have an account phished.
- All Phishing emails will use bogus links to what they want you to believe is the legitimate website. This was very popular (and still is) for the PayPal scams. You will receive an email saying your account needs updating and to follow a link that is included. This link will not go to the actual PayPal site, but a fake site setup by the hacker to steal your account information. One rule of thumb with this is to always open a new browser window, type in the address and visit it yourself. Meaning, if it’s PayPal, open a new browser and type in ‘http://www.paypal.com’ and log in. From there it’s always good to revisit the email and see what they were trying to warn you of and make sure your account has not been compromised.
- Change your passwords. I know this sounds like a pain in the butt, but it’s the BEST method of protecting your identity. I try to make sure I change my personal email password every 90 or so days. Even adding a character, or reorganizing a password (changing bob12jane to jane21bob) can be effective.
The current phishing scheme has affected some 30,000 accounts online this week and has included the big powerhouses like gmail, yahoo, aol & hotmail. These accounts then go on the black market and for example you can purchase 1000 gmail account names & passwords for 11 USD. With this information who knows what the hackers can find out. Microsoft has launched an investigation into this phish, but the information that has been stolen can never be recaptured.
Gmail was quoted as saying:
“As soon as we learned of the attack, we forced password resets on the affected accounts. We will continue to force password resets on additional accounts when we become aware of them.”
The firm stressed that the scam was “not a breach of Gmail security” but rather “a scam to get users to give away their personal information to hackers”.
Today might be a good day to put Idea #3 from above into practice!
Take care and feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions! You people need to leave me some comments!!
What’s on your mind?
Everyone should have to read this before creating a Facebook account. Thanks CNN!