February 22, 2012

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Widgets?

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Image by kenwood via Flickr

So, what exactly is a widget?

One hears the word everyday, especially with savvy computer geek friends that understand the computer world and all that goes with it. But if you are not on top of the latest in computer technology, and happen to also be a bit technically de-clined, then figuring out what a widget is takes a bit of research.

A widget is an application, for the computer, that is made of bits of code. This allows users to access simple functions that have can give information, such as a calendar, the weather or news, or allow the benefits of immediate access to games, social networks, or even YouTube.

The good news is that this widget, or “badge” as it is sometimes called, can easily be placed on your computer or website to allow easy use of information; it’s also free. Users can copy a widget to their blog or websites to use as they wish. Widgets also work on mobile phones allowing you access while on-the-go.

These tiny mini-apps are a great way to have easy and immediate information at your fingertips and to interface and connect with other sites and people on your own blog or website. Widget use on social networks, as well as blogs, personal websites, etc. can help drive others to your site and increase your readership.

Realize that each widget belongs to its maker; you cannot change the code for any widget. The good news is that if it is not what you want, you can simply get rid of it.

And that is what is known as “user friendly”.

Filed Under: Software, Updates Tagged With: , ,

Tips to Get Rid of Inbox Spam

Spam is a really annoying aspect of the Internet, and the sheer volume of it keeps growing. There are certain things that you can do to make your online browsing experience more pleasant, such as reporting any spam that comes into your inbox. Here are a few of the most effective tips for reducing the amount of spam that plagues your computer.

  1. Only visit secure websites. When you’re browsing online, you should make sure that you only visit trusted websites, like BetUS Casino Games. As long as you enter your information into secure websites, you shouldn’t have any spam to worry about.
  1. Filter your email. Most email providers make it easy to filter incoming mail. All you have to do is add trusted addresses to your “do-allow” list and blacklist the ones that you don’t want to receive any further messages from. While this does require receiving the spam at least once to know who it’s coming from, it’s still a very effective way to help filter out unwanted advertisements and messages.
  1. Create an alternate email address. If you like to sign up for offers or participate in online surveys, then you should create an alternate email address to use. In fact, you may even want to have a few. This makes it easy to keep the bulk of unwanted spam from your inbox because you only use your primary address for anything that is important or personal.

Unfortunately, spam is a fact of life when it comes to the Internet. However, by taking the above precautions, you should see a significant decrease in the amount that you receive.

Filed Under: Software, Updates Tagged With: , ,

Using Widgets and Plug-Ins

Widgets and plug-ins are excellent items that can be used on websites, blogs and pages so that your site gets more exposure and draws more people to it. They can range and vary so much that it is hard to focus on just one but a good example is a pop up advertisement you may see on a site. Those are there with a widget. Let’s say you want to display your local weather on your site because you run a hotel or RV camp. The weather that is displayed on the site is done with a plug-in or widget. These are typically third party items that can be used by anyone with a little HTML know how and a website or blog.

One thing to consider in choosing a widget or plug-in is what you are trying to show to your readers or clients. You don’t want to overwhelm your readers with a ton of widgets showing random things but you do want to utilize them to your advantage. Think about what you are trying to share and use that to decide what type of widget to use. Another good example is if you had a clock store. You may want a widget on your site that displays the time in every country. If you have a movie website you might like to show your customers a plug-in that displays different movie trailers or even the times that the movie will be showing; automatically updating as the times change.

Regardless of what kind of site you own, you can benefit from having a widget or plug-in as long as it helps your customers stay on your site a little longer. A customer that stays longer has more opportunity to purchase your product or service and if they are enjoying themselves then they are more apt to return.

Filed Under: Applications, Software Tagged With: , ,