It’s a bad idea to list any emails on your web site. Instead, direct visitors to use your web site’s Contact Us form. Here’s why:
Spammers constantly scan web sites for email addresses, which they can find automatically. Once they do, the email address will be flooded with spam.
You can’t track leads generated from your web site if people contact you by sending an email, even if they click on the email link. You can track leads collected through your Contact Us form or similar web.
If you want to collect email addresses of prospective clients on your web site, not through your email server, there are ways to do this efficiently and accurately that will capture all of these customer emails in one central database, and won’t expose your email address to spammers.
What if your site doesn’t have a Contact Us form, or a way to capture visitor’s email addresses? Contact us on this web site, and we can help.
Since the ability to access the World Wide Web is so essential, all computers, smartphones, and tablets are pre-loaded with a default web browser. This is the browser that opens automatically when you click or tap on a hyperlink.
If you use several devices, like a laptop, a desktop, a smart phone and a tablet, you might find yourself using several different browsers. This can be confusing and adds an extra layer of difficulty to the very common activity of browsing the web. If you find yourself in this situation, consider using one browser across all of your devices. There are several advantages:
Using one browser means you only have to remember how that one browser works, instead of learning and remembering how to use several different browsers.
Most modern browsers allow you to sync your browsing history, bookmarks, and other account information across all of your devices. If you find a page or site on your computer that you’re interested in reading later, using browser sync features means you can open that page easily later on your smartphone.
The disadvantage of the single browser approach is that you have to configure all of your devices to use the same browser by default, which often means downloading new software and changing the default settings for each device. If you are using a company computer or smartphone, you might not even be able to do this. But if you can, and you’re willing to invest a little time and effort up front, using a single browser will save you a huge amount of time and mental energy down the road.
The Best Browsers for Multiple Devices
If you want to select a single browser to use on all your devices, there are really only two choices:
These are the best two choices because these two browsers run on all of the major computer operating systems:
Windows
macOS
Linux
They both also run on the major mobile operating systems, especially:
Apple iOS
Google Android
This way, if you select, say, Firefox, as your default browser, you know you can use it on pretty much any device you will encounter.
Which Browser Should You Use?
Both Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome are very reliable, and perform well. They also both offer excellent developer tools.
The best single browser option for most people is Google Chrome. If you are using an Android device, you are already using it as your default browser. Google Chrome also runs on Google’s confusingly named Chrome OS, which is especially useful if you use a ChromeBook.
If you are concerned about privacy, however, Mozilla Firefox is one of the best choices. Because Google’s business model depends on learning as much as possible about you and your web browsing habits, Google’s computers are constantly watching and recording where you go on the Internet. If this is troubling to you (and there are many reasons to be troubled by this) consider using Mozilla Firefox to protect your privacy.
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
For more information about computer vulnerabilities, and ways you can protect yourself, start at CERT.
For detailed technical information about current computer security issues, go to SecurityFocus.
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.
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.
