The Downside of Going Viral

It’s a great feeling when someone appreciates what you’ve written or created. I know I’m not the only one who enjoys having a Facebook update get a lot of likes. There’s nothing wrong with a little positive attention, but a lot isn’t necessarily better. Picture this scenario. You do something noteworthy and a reporter from the local TV news station wants to interview you. That’s great! You like it, your Mom calls saying she saw you on television and tells you how proud she is.

4 minute read
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Creating a Logo Without Breaking the Bank

One of the many steps to starting a business is creating a logo. If you’re a master of design, this step will be easy. But if your design skills are a work in progress, you’ll want to pay someone to create a logo. I recently went through this process and I’m pleased with how my logo turned out. I’d like to share with you the resources I found in the process.

6 minute read
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Two Simple Ways to Speed Up Your Web Site

There’s nothing wrong with slowing down and taking your time. I love to meditate and try to be in the now when I eat or go for a walk. But even if you’re patient and enjoy taking life slowly, your web site should be like greased lightning. Here’s why: Mobile devices User abandonment Google ranking Let’s cover each one in turn. Mobile Devices Smart phones are an extremely popular way to browse the web, but data plans often have slow speeds.

5 minute read
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Embedding YouTube Videos from Playlists Into Wordpress

To show videos on your Wordpress site, you can copy and paste the address for the video into your post. But while working with a client this past Wednesday, we discovered a problem. If the video is part of a YouTube playlist, Wordpress shows the playlist instead of the individual video. The solution is to copy and paste only the address for the video, without the playlist, but YouTube doesn’t make that easy.

2 minute read
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How to Sort Music on Your Flash Drive for Your Car Stereo

A few years ago my CD changer died and I decided it was time to install a new deck. The new deck had a USB port so I could plug in a flash drive with MP3 or WMA files and easily listen to all the music. It’s been great to have so much music to listen to (way more than my 12-disc changer), but there was a slight annoyance.

3 minute read
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How to Keep Excel From Always Opening Full Screen at Startup

This scenario won’t apply to many people, but I’m putting it out there for Google to index. Even if it only helps one other person in a similar situation, it’s worth it after the time I spent looking for a solution. What Was Happening Every time I opened Excel 2013, the window was maximized, covering the entire screen. With a large monitor, this is never what you want. I didn’t find any way to control this from Excel, and there wasn’t much online.

2 minute read
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Help, I Forgot My Password!

It’s happened to the best of us. You thought you wrote it down. You’re sure it’s on a sticky note somewhere. Maybe you used a capital letter instead of a lower case one. Whatever happened, you find yourself at the login screen with no idea what your password is. Fear not, there is a way through. Before I show you what to do, let me just beat the drum again on the value of using a password manager.

4 minute read
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What Web Browser Should I Use?

In A Short Tour of the Web Browser I discussed elements of common web browsers. Today I’m going to discuss which browser to use. Before I can answer, I need to ask another question. Asking what browser to use is like asking, “What is the best food?” Without a qualifier, the answer won’t be of much use. The secondary question is: Why do you ask? Windows and Mac users already have a web browser that comes installed.

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How to Choose the Best Internet Service Provider

My brother Matt emailed me today saying he was fed up with CenturyLink’s slow internet service and blackouts. He asked for pointers on how to find a good internet service provider and what to look for. He also admitted he wasn’t an informed consumer when they originally signed up and probably chose the cheapest option. I would imagine he’s not alone. I, on the other hand, spent hours and hours researching our options for internet access when we moved from California to Indiana.

8 minute read
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Is Hosting Packaged With Web Development a Good Deal?

Emily, a new friend of mine, asked a web hosting question that I bet you may encounter too. She’s planning to set up a Wordpress site and didn’t know what web hosting service to use. Her web developer offered to throw in a domain name and web hosting along with his development services. She asked whether she should take the offer or use a more well-known hosting service. Instead of just giving my answer, I’m going to lay out the pros and cons so you can make a more informed decision.

5 minute read
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About this site

Hi, I'm Dan. This site is here to help you enjoy using technology and find the right services for your needs. As a solopreneur, you have a lot to worry about. Technology shouldn't be one of your worries.

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