Sanders Media

My last post got me thinking about ways to avoid trouble in the first place. Smart browsing can negate many of the online dangers we face. Here are some tips I’ve come up with.

1. Know who is using your computer. It is never a good idea to let someone you don’t know well have unfettered access to your computer. While no one wants to come across as suspicious, taking precautions is never a bad thing.
2. Set ground rules. Make family and friends aware of your expectations regarding your computer. It’s not like allowing them to watch your TV. Your computer contains private info, and has the capability send that info across the web.
3. Don’t go to sites that are unfamiliar. Many sites exist solely to plant malware on your computer.
4. Setup user accounts. An easy way to manage the use of your computer is to require user login. This allows you to control access to your computer at the point of entry.
5. Make sure you are using the most current version of your browser. Browsers are constantly updated to keep up with current threats. You can’t take advantage of these updated security features if you don’t update your browser.
6. Purchase a trusted security suite. I know most new computers come with a security suite, but I’ve found these to be sub-par. In my experience,  Trend Micro and AVG have the best total security suites. You’ll want the paid versions as they are much stronger than the free versions. If you’d like to do your own research, go to sites like CNET.com and Amazon.com. Ignore the professional reviews, and stick to the user comments. You can find out what works in real world environments by reading the user reviews.

There is no reason to be fearful of the dangers on the web. You only need to be wary. By using common sense and trusting your instincts, you’ll avoid most trouble.

Well, the unimaginable happened. The graphics card in my computer died, and I was without my computer from Tuesday to Thursday night. I tried to take this time to get other things done. For instance, I cleaned the digital gunk off my wife’s computer. I watched a documentary I’ve been meaning to get to. I even did some household chores.

This certainly wasn’t my idea of fun. I realized how digitally centered my life has become. From syncing my appointments to browsing in my favorite browser, I was dependent upon my laptop. The one area I didn’t miss a beat was with my Google applications, as they are platform agnostic. I guess this taught me to move more things into the cloud.

The one bright side is I wasn’t out any of my own money. I guess it pays to have an extended warranty after all.

The title comes from this website that encourages people to ditch Internet Explorer as their web browser of choice. This is not a Mac vs. PC issue. Rather, this discussion aims to show users safer, more productive browsers. While Microsoft has upgraded IE over time, they are often several months to years behind their competition in the innovation department. Hackers have found numerous ways to pull personal information from IE users. So here is a list of browsers that you should try. I know there are sites that only support IE. This is lazy design in my opinion, but I’ll save that rant for another day.

1. Mozilla Firefox: This has to be the most popular browser after IE. The Firefox developers are usually at the forefront of innovation. You will find that it is built for speed and security. Firefox is compatible with Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
2. Opera: This browser out of Norway has a devoted user base. Like most current browsers, it has features such as tabbed browsing and built in web search. Opera is compatible with a slew of operating systems, including Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
3. Chrome: This is Google’s very own web browser. Since they’ve become such a powerhouse in the Web 2.0 world, it is only a matter of time before Google developed a browser. It has some truly innovative features such as improved tabbed browsing, greater support for web applications and incognito browsing. Read this article to see a deeper breakdown of Chrome’s features. Currently, Chrome is only Windows compatible.
4. Safari: This is Apple’s browser. It has many of the same features as the other 3, but it’s sleek, minimalist design will appeal to users who hate clutter. While Safari used to be Mac only, they’ve now added a Windows version.

These browsers are free, and will greatly improve your internet experience. Ditch Internet Explorer and browse happy!

Web designers, and their clients, have a natural fear of a browser’s back button. That fear can be legitimate. If people press the back button, they will leave and not see your content.

Some designers have gone to great lengths to prevent this. They’ve disabled the browser navigation, so people can’t use the back button. This is not a good thing. Actually, it angers the individual, and practically assures the person won’t come back to your site.

The best thing is to use it to your advantage. Place your branding near the back button. The user will see that image last. Make that area clickable. Definitely make your logo clickable. Finally, check your server logs to see where they came from. This can better give you the ability to tailor your content by showing you what they are viewing.