Tech News 2009

VPAR Technology Newsletter March 2009

Tech Tips for the Novice Byte by Byte

You might be technology challenged if you heard that your computer had a virus and you wondered how it caught a cold. If this describes how you feel, take heart, help is just a click away. If you have avoided new technology because you thought it was too difficult or time consuming to learn, now is the time to eat that elephant byte by byte. We are going to provide some tips that you can learn easily and quickly to spruce up those computer skills.

Be mindful of what you type. By now everyone knows there is a major difference in a famous residence.com and the famous residence.org. Don't let that scare you as there are more than enough FREE information sites to help you out. However, you must be careful about downloading files from sites that you visit. Viruses are everywhere and you must exhibit care to keep your computer virus free. Most viruses are disguised as files with .exe in the name. Just as in days gone by when your mother told you to consider the source before deciding what to do about what you heard, the same applies today when accessing web sites. Keep reading as we have some helpful tips to get you started. You are just a few clicks away from being more computer savvy, I promise.

Do you wish you had an assistant that didn't cost you any money? Try Outlook's Out of Office Assistant. It is a tool that will make you look professional when you aren't at the computer. Take a break, attend a class, all the while allowing others to know when to expect your reply. You can find this under Tools on the Outlook task bar. Click on Tools, scroll down to Out of Office assistant and click. Now you can leave a message that will auto respond to emails that you receive. It's like having an answering machine for your computer. The message only works if you click "out of office" so be sure that the dot is in the right spot.

Maybe you need to have a little help on improving your computer skills the fun and free way, try Basics . This site has tips for beginners with topics about networking, viruses, and cookies. This is a good place to start. Even if we want free, we want the best so click on Best for Free. There are links to basic information and links to higher levels of computer literacy. This link will be useful for the novice to the geek. The world is at your fingertips. Click away and have fun learning.

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