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Finding Free Things Online

March 28, 2011 Leave a Comment

It can be so tempting to see the word “free” and want to rush right in and take advantage of whatever it is you have found. It might be the latest technology that you will get for free if you just click on an advertisement. It might be that you can download something for free and it will make your computer run 100 times faster. It may come as a surprise to you, but some of these things are not necessarily free. You may be led into something that you are not interested in.

One of the rules of thumb to consider is that if the statement or offer is to good to be true, chances are it isn’t something that you want to click on. If someone is offering you a brand new computer, gaming system, or cell phone just for giving some personal information, you need to be on the alert. Giving out your personal information online is just one way to set yourself up for things like identity theft. You don’t want to give out things like your social security number or other financial information.

There are things for free online. There are reputable survey companies that pay for your responses to the emails they send. There are companies that have offers for big ticket free items for participating in clubs, signing up for emails and making purchases. But remember, that means that the item isn’t necessarily free and there will be some work, time, and money that will need to be invested in order to get the offer approved. So before you click anything that offers to give you something free, be sure to read all of the fine print available.

Filed Under: Internet, Technology Tagged With: , ,

The Convenience of Banking Online

March 24, 2011 Leave a Comment

When was the last time you got out the checkbook to make a purchase? Even if you do write a check, some stores run in through a computer and the money is removed from your account immediately, much like it would be with a debit card. Instead of marking purchases in check registers or attempting to balance the account every weekend, online banking has become easier, more efficient, and requires less paperwork. If you haven’t already signed up online access to your account, now is a great time to get started.

Individuals and businesses used checks in the past to not only pay for something but also to keep a record of where the money was going. In fact after the checks were cashed they were mailed back to the person the wrote them to be used for documentation. Banking online has completely changed the way that people do business and keep track of their money. No longer is it necessary to look into the checkbook register to see how much money you have in an account. Just sign in to the bank’s online site and get instant access to all of the information that you need.

Today you can see what charges came from your debit card, instant transfers, and even checks if you still need to write some. The best part of online banking is the documentation that takes place. You aren’t responsible for writing information about payments and checks down. At any point you can look into the accounts history and see just where the money went. When tax time comes you can search for certain purchases or even sort the money into the categories where it was spent.

Filed Under: Internet, Technology Tagged With: , ,

Setting Up Online Bill Pay

March 20, 2011 Leave a Comment

Have you ever waited till the last minute to pay a bill? Have you ever just completely forgot about one and ended up with a hefty late fee? Instead of trying to keep up with each and every bill, sign up for online bill pay with your bank. This can take away a lot of the anxiety that comes with trying to remember how much you owe, who you need to pay it to, and when that amount is due.

It will take some time input each of the creditors so set aside a little bit of time. Some banks offer to help you with the data entry. You can enter in the name of the business and it will look up the address and phone number. If this service isn’t available, just gather up as many of the bills that you can and sit down to enter each one. Check and double check the information to make sure that it is accurate. If you enter the wrong address or account number this can cause the bill to be left unpaid or just delay it.

Once you have all the information in the system you can decide how much you want to pay and when. Choose one or two times a month to sit down and take care of all of the bills. Another option is to set up automatic payments to be made at the same time each month. For example, if your car payment is the same amount every month and is due at the same time, you may be able to set up an automatic payment. You never need to pay late fees if you use your online banking bill pay.

Filed Under: Internet, Technology Tagged With: , ,

Email Etiquette

March 16, 2011 Leave a Comment

Even though you aren’t face to face with someone when you send an email, it is still a good idea to adhere to some type of etiquette. Enjoy the fact that you can write to the boss, your mother, or even a friend from the comfort of your own home with cushy bedroom slippers and and a nice cup of coffee. But even through the atmosphere is relaxed, make sure that the email isn’t.

No matter who you are writing to be sure that you aren’t writing in all caps. Most people use all capitals as a way to signify something important or to simulate the idea that they are yelling. If you send an entire email written that way, it may not go over very well.

Write something in the subject section at the top of the email. This can give someone an idea of what they can expect to see. If it is just a note to say hi, you can just write “hi” in the subject box. When it comes to work correspondence this is even more important. If there is a certain project or customer that the email is in regards to, be sure to put that name in the subject line.

Emails to friends and family can have little things like “LOL” (laugh out loud) or “idk” (I don’t know) but typically these aren’t a great idea at work. Even through you are writing from home in your pjs, you still want to maintain the idea of professionalism. Also, in order to save a little time, you may want to add a signature to your emails that provides your name and contact information.

Filed Under: Internet, Technology Tagged With: , ,

Teaching Kids About Plagiarism and the Internet

March 7, 2011 Leave a Comment

With more Internet access comes great responsibility. Before a teacher may not have been able to tell whether or not Little Johnny copied his report from the encyclopedia. However teachers today know that will the information that kids are able to access online there is a real temptation to cut and paste and put their name on top of the assignment as if they had done all the work. It is important to teach kids the benefits of the Internet and how their can use them wisely.

When kids are first learning to write reports using information online, take the time to show them how plagiarism can be detected. Many people look to online companies that offer monthly memberships or even a price for each document that is searched. If you have this great; you can runt heir report through and let them see what the computer picked up on. If you don’t there are easier ways.

You can always run parts of their report or assignment through a search engine. Take a sentence or two, cut and paste, and let them see the sources that come up. It might be interesting for them to see the same site they were using for research and the exact sentence that they copied, in bold for them to take note of. In this case, it might be better to show kids how it works instead of just explaining it to them.

You don’t want to take away all the Internet has to offer students or kids. Teaching them how to use the tool the right way gives them a confidence when they look to research something. They won’t worry about being accused of plagiarism because they will know what it is, what it looks like, and how it can be detected.

Filed Under: General, Technology Tagged With: , ,

Securely Shopping Online: One Time Use Credit Cards

February 10, 2011 Leave a Comment

There are so many different worries and concerns when shopping online that some people may shy away from making major purchases. In doing this they miss out on major deals and state of the art equipment. There is no reasons to completely stop shopping online. You just need to take certain precautions to make sure that your credit card and contact information are kept safe.

Now credit card companies are offering a new way for their customers to shop online. Instead of using their actual credit cards, they can get a special, for one use only, credit card number and use it to make the purchase. If someone ends up with that number they cannot use it again to make a purchase and it is not connected to the customer. Bonus features like these keep people shopping online and give them a more secure feeling.

If this is something that you think your credit card company offers you can check online and find out how to sign up for it. Each company is different and you need to figure out what needs to take place for each and every online purchase to have a separate credit card number. While it may take some time to figure out this feature, it will be well worth any effort that you need to put in.

PayPal is another way to make purchases securely online. You can pay with a balance that you have added to your own PayPal account or you can use your credit card. PayPal works as a middle man. They are the only company that gets your credit card. You can use the same credit card or multiple cards on the same account. It is necessary to sign up for an account with PayPal but most people find that they will use the service more than one time. There is no fee to use PayPal this way.

Filed Under: Internet, Technology Tagged With: , , ,
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