Category: Help

  • Blogger.com: use a custom domain

    One of the best features of Google’s Blogger.com is the ability to use a custom domain. This means you have to purchase your domain at a registrar, like GoDaddy or even Google. So, instead of having a URL like mycustomdomain.blogspot.com, your blog URL could be www.mycustomdomain.com.

    Before we get started, you know that the domain “mycustomdomain.com” is not available. I’m just using it here as an example. So, first of all, check to see if the domain you want is available. Since there are many new domain suffixes (technically, Top Level Domains, or TLDs) available now, like .info, .biz, .pro, and many others, you should be able to find one that fits your brand. Depending on the type of domain suffix, domains cost between $3 – $15 per year. So, start this process by buying your domain at a registrar of your choice.

    Second, it’s very easy to set up your blog as a subdomain of your custom domain. Blogger.com requires that you use “www” as the subdomain, so your custom domain would look like: www.mycustomdomain.com. It’s also possible to map your top level domain (TLD) to your blog. So, this means, for example, if someone enters mycustomdomain.com in their browser’s address bar, Blogger automatically takes thcode to www.mycustomdomain.com.

    Set up your custom subdomain

    Setting up your custom subdomain, in the form of www.mycustomdomain.com, is easy. You need to log into your Blogger.com account, and also log into your domain registrar’s site so you can update your DNS records.

    After you’ve purchased your custom domain, follow the steps below (from Use a custom domain on Blogger help):

    1. Go to your blog and click on Basics under the Settings tab. In the “Publishing” section, click the link to add a custom domain.
    2. Type the url of the domain you’ve purchased, keeping in mind that it must begin with www in order to work.
    3. Click Save.
    4. You should see an error, and two CNAMEs listed below. Each CNAME is composed of two parts – Name, Label or Host and Destination, Target or Points to. The first CNAME is the same for everyone, Name being “www” and Destination “ghs.google.com.” The second CNAME is particular to your blog and your Google Account, and is therefore different for each person.
    5. Go to your domain registrar’s website and locate the DNS (Domain Name System) settings in the control panel.
    6. Now it’s time to enter the CNAMEs. Where it says Name, Label or Host simply enter “www” and list ghs.google.com as the Destination, Target or Points to.
    7. Now enter the second CNAME in the same way.

    Once you’ve saved your changes to the DNS settings, it should take about an hour for these changes to propagate around the planet. In the meantime, you can set up your top-level domain (TLD).

    Set up your custom TLD

    While you are logged into your domain registrar’s DNS settings tool, create these four A records that map your domain to the following Google IP addresses:

    216.239.32.21
    216.239.34.21
    216.239.36.21
    216.239.38.21

    Again, save these changes and wait at least an hour.

    Activating your new custom subdomain and TLD on your blog

    After you’ve waited an hour or so for your DNS changes to propagate around the globe, log back into Blogger.com, and follow these steps:

    1. Go to your blog and click on Basics under the Settings tab.
    2. In the “Publishing” section, click the link to add a custom domain.
    3. Type the url of the domain you’ve purchased, keeping in mind that it must begin with www in order to work.
    4. Important: Check the box that says Redirect mycustomdomain.com to www.mycustomdomain.com. (where mycustomdomain.com is — you guessed it — your actual custom domain).
    5. Click Save.
    6. Test your new custom domain in the address bar of your favorite browser. Start by testing the TLD form (mycustomdomain.com) and then try the subdomain form (mycustomdomain.com).

    Congratulations on your new custom domain! Note that you can do this at any time, and any links to the original blogspot.com address (like mycustomdomain.blogspot.com) will be redirected automatically to your new custom domain (likewww.mycustomdomain.com).

  • Install and Configure WordPress: Overview

    Install WordPress correctly and save yourself lots of headaches later on. Because WordPress (and all the other software you need to run it) is completely free, you can install it on your computer to practice or set up a staging server before you go live on the Internet. This is always a good idea, because you can fix setup problems before any visitors come to your site.

    Prepare

    Things to do before you install:

    • Locate a computer or server where you can install WordPress. This could be your desktop computer (Mac, Windows, or Linux) or a server. You can rent server space from a web host for a few dollars a month.
    • You’ll need to be able to log in to your installation computer or server, and may need special access to complete the setup. Your web host will give you a user name and password with instructions on how to log in (or you should get a new web host!).
    • Collect the content you need to launch.
    • Find or create graphics and photos. Optional: shoot a video to add to your site..
    • If you are setting up a public (web) site, be sure to set up analytics software like Google Analytics, and get the tracking code for your site, so you can learn more about who visits your site, how they find it and where they go. Or, you can use WordPress’s built in tracking, and extend it with the WordPress JetPack plugin.

    Set Up

    Once you have all the information you need, here’s an overview of how to set up a new WordPress site.

    1. Install Word Press. If you are using a typical web host, you can install using Cpanel and the WordPress Installer tool. Your host may offer a different WordPress installation tool. Or, download the WordPress code and follow the installation instructions from WordPress.org to install it your own computers. Important: to run WordPress, you also need to install and configure MySQL, PHP, and a web server like Apache — all of these are completely free, though.
    2. Log in with your administrator account you created during the installation. This is the account you’ll use to configure the site, add or remove users, install plug-ins, themes and updates, and other important stuff. If someone else needs to administer your WordPress site, create a new administrator account! Don’t ever share your user name and passwords.
    3. Install back up software and back up your new site. Many backup plugins also let you schedule regular backups. Do that.
    4. Select or add a theme. This controls how your site will look. WordPress comes with some very good theme, or you can select from plenty of free or inexpensive themes.
    5. Add users.

    For Public Web Servers

    1. Set up analytics, like Google Analytics, to track visitors.
    2. Set up Askimet to help manage content spam.

    Add Content

    Now you are ready to add content, like articles, photos and videos.

    1. Start with a placeholder page, or build your home page.
    2. Add more content, new posts and pages, as a draft, so you can review it before it goes live.
    3. Add photos and images.
    4. Review and test the new material.
    5. Back up!
    6. Publish your new pages.

  • Free Web Browsers and Email Programs Protect Your Computer

    As Internet technologies like email and web browsing transform from amusing distractions to essential business tools, the dangers of using the Internet continue to grow at an alarming rate, Spam email, once a minor irritant, now poses a serious threat to businesses, as unwanted emails have become the most common transmission vector for malware and viruses. (See sidebar below, Computer Biology 101, for definition of terms.) Many of these viruses are designed to steal valuable information, such as passwords and credit card information.

    Windows computers are especially vulnerable to these types of attacks. Some people whose Windows computers have been attacked have decided it’s easier to buy a new computer instead of trying to fix the one they own. If you can’t afford to buy a new computer every time your check your email, I suggest you switch to the Free, Open Source Software from Mozilla — Firefox web browser and the Thunderbird email client.

    These programs are free, as in “no cost” and “no obligation.” Plus, you can use them without removing your Microsoft Internet programs — just remember to reset the default choices for your Windows web browser and email programs. Go to Start > Control Panels > Internet Options to set the default email program. In Firefox, select Tools > Options; then check the box under General, to set Firefox as the default browser.

    Mac, Linux, and Unix computers are not vulnerable to the Windows security exploits, yet the versions of the Mozilla programs for these operating systems are excellent, as well. In addition to these programs from Mozilla, there are many other free or inexpensive programs that are not vulnerable to the IE and Outlook exploits, such as the Opera web browser.

    If you can’t install these programs on your computer at work, you should, at the very least, update your home computer, if you are using Windows. Although switching your web browser and email program to a less vulnerable software package will not protect you from all the possible attacks that now threaten your computer, this simple step will protect you from the host of spyware and malware programs that target Microsoft’s myriad security weaknesses.

    Also, remember to run Windows Update at least once a month to ensure your Windows computer has the latest fixes from Microsoft.

    Resource Links

    Computer Biology 101

    Terms and definitions – things that make your computer sick.

    Malware

    Malicious Software; a blanket term for viruses, spyware, Trojan horses, and other computing nightmares.

    Spyware

    A type of malware that secretly gathers information about you while you use your computer.

    Vector

    An agent of disease transmission. Originally used by biologists to describe organisms that transmitted diseases; now applies to your email and computer.

  • OpenOffice – Free Office Software for Windows, Mac, and Linux Computers

    Posted on by Neil Johnson

    In addition to the free software that lets you surf the Web and manage your email, we recommend the free OpenOffice software suite, which you can use instead of the Microsoft Office word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation software. OpenOffice even includes a drawing program  – all for free.

    Who Should Use OpenOffice?

    Not everyone can select their word processor or spreadsheet. If you work for a company where you can choose the software that runs on your computer, OpenOffice might be a good option. OpenOffice is also a great choice for your home computer. OpenOffice opens and creates Microsoft-compatible files (.doc, .xls, .ppt) so you can exchange files with people who use Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

    One of the best times to switch your office software is when you buy a new computer. Whether you are upgrading your existing computer, or buying a new computer for a new employee, most new computers don’t come equipped with Microsoft Office – unless you pay extra. Instead of paying hundreds of dollars for another copy of Microsoft’s product, you can install OpenOffice for free.

    If you use both Macs and Windows computers, OpenOffice is a great choice because you can run exactly the same software on both platforms – as well as Unix and Linux computers.

    Why Should I Stick With Microsoft?

    OpenOffice is not a good choice if you use Microsoft Access, the database program in the Professional version of their software suite, or make extensive use of any of the other data access features that Microsoft’s products support. For example, some companies open database queries in Excel. OpenOffice does support similar data access features, but they are not as easy to use or as well integrated as the corresponding Microsoft data access tools.

    If you use lots of macros in your Office documents, OpenOffice may have difficulty converting your macros correctly. OpenOffice includes its own macro language, which is similar to Microsoft’s, so if you want to create new macros you can use OpenOffice, and your existing macros (if any) may work just fine.

    Also, some programs, such as Intuit’s QuickBooks, require you to have Microsoft Office installed to export data to Office-compatible file formats. QuickBooks’ “Export to Excel” feature, for example, only works if QuickBooks can launch Excel, which means Excel needs to be installed correctly on the same computer as QuickBooks.

    Perhaps the most common issue is document conversion. OpenOffice will read the Microsoft file formats, but you might see some slight differences in the document formatting. This is most common if you use advanced formatting features; for example, embedded graphics or complex table formats in Word, or internal hyperlinks in Excel. For most types of documents, however, the translation capabilities are quite good.

    OpenOffice Features

    The main compatibility differences between OpenOffice and the Microsoft suite are between each suite’s more esoteric and technical features. In most cases, except for the newest features in Microsoft Office 2003, OpenOffice can do exactly what Microsoft’s packages can do. If you are familiar with the older Microsoft Office 2000, you will find the current version of OpenOffice quite familiar as well.

    OpenOffice includes one feature of note that Microsoft does not include with any of its software: OpenOffice lets you create a PDF (Adobe Acrobat) document by simply selecting File > Export as PDF… There’s no need to buy any additional software, or install anything else.

    OpenOffice’s native (built-in) file formats are also about half the size of the same document in Microsoft’s file format.

    Try, But No Need To Buy

    One of the best features of any open source software package is that it is free, which means that you are free to download it, install it, and try it out to see if you like it. Since your office productivity software (word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation software) are probably the most frequently used programs on your computer, besides your email and Web browser, testing the software before you commit to a big switch is a great way to see if it works for you.

    Related Links