Social Networking Class - February 27th 2010

Links from yesterday's Social Networking class:

• New York Times article that covers the latest Facebook privacy setting changes, and how to change them...

• Facebook page that explains the new homepage view...

• Twitter.com, where you can set up your new account (or not)...

• Twitip.com, a great site I found that gives you tons of great tips on using Twitter...

• Blogger.com, the site where you can set up a blogspot blog like this one...

• BloggerBuster.com, where I found definitive instructions for inserting Google maps into your blog (and which is even better than how I did my original maps to the class locations on the right...)

That last one is not a trivial set of instructions, but I'm confident that you'll do just fine figuring it out as you get more confident using your Mac. If, however, you go a little cross-eyed trying to figure it out, just drop me and email or give me a call, and I'll help you figure it out...

Blogging on the iPhone!

Check out my new blog:

http://jiclark.net/iphone/

It is entirely created & managed from my favorite mobile device!

- Posted from my iPhone

Internet/e-mail class

From the "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the Internet & E-mail" class that I did this morning, here are a few links:

• First, for the Safari "plug-in", Glims, that I was using which gives you auto-save/restore of last session's windows and tabs, auto-closing Downloads windows (and much more), look here:

MacHangout.com

• Second, for the Google search tips blog entry that I used to demonstrate all the cool custom search tricks you can use with Google, look here:

Google Search Tips (Ultimate Google Guide)

...and for the downloadable cheat-sheet put out by Google themselves:

Google Tips & Tricks.pdf

• Lastly, for a ton of tutorials from Apple dealing with how to get the most out of their built-in Mail program, look here:

Find Out How: Mail Basics

If you have questions or run into problems, don't hesitate to let me know, I'll see what I can do to help!

I'll post more links to helpful info as I come across it...

Mac classes - February '10

February is here already? Boy, does time keep flying by; seems like it's faster every month...

Mac class news for the month:

 This month, the regular FREE "Overview of Mac OS X" class will again take place on the last Wednesday of the month, Wednesday, February 24th from 5-7 p.m. These overview classes are held in the computer lab at the Ridgway Library. There are only eight seats available, and the Library has asked that I handle the sign ups, so give me a call at 970-417-8434 (or drop me an email) if you'd like to attend. (Be aware that first-timers take priority over anyone who has taken the class before, but there are often openings for repeaters).

There are six Macs in the computer lab, so only two of the eight attendees need their own laptops. This class is beginner-oriented, but we cover some different things every month; repeat attendees are encouraged (when there's room)!

I'm offering two other classes every month through May. I've settled on the second and fourth Saturday morning of each month.

 On Saturday, February 13th, from 10 a.m. to noon, I will be covering the two main things most of us do on our computers: everything you've always wanted to know about E-mail & the Internet. There will definitely be something for everyone in this session!

 Then, on Saturday, February 27th, from 10 a.m. to noon, I will be covering the ins and outs of "Social Networking". If you've been wondering what all the fuss is about Facebook, Twitter, Blogging and the like, then this is the class for you!

These classes are always held in the small meeting room at Ridgway Town Hall, and carry a fee of $20 for the two-hour session.

Both of these classes are open to drop-ins, with no sign-up necessary...

Mac classes - January '10

Happy New Year everyone! I trust you all had a warm and happy holiday season.

Mac class news for the month:

This month, the regular FREE "Overview of Mac OS X" class returns to our regular schedule of the last Wednesday of the month, from 5-7 p.m. This month's class will take place on Wednesday, January 27th. These overview classes are held in the computer lab at the Ridgway Library. There are only eight seats available, and this year the Library has asked that I handle the sign ups, so give me a call at 970-417-8434 if you'd like to attend (and be aware that first-timers take priority over anyone who has taken the class before, but there are often openings for repeaters).

There are six Macs in the computer lab, so only two of the eight attendees need their own laptops. This class is beginner-oriented, but we cover some different things every month; repeat attendees are encouraged (when there's room)!

I'm offering two other classes this month. [And I'm going to start offering the "focused" classes on Saturdays, to allow for more folks to attend.] So, on Saturday, January 16th, from 10 a.m. to noon, I will be covering iPhoto. This class will be held in the small meeting room at Ridgway Town Hall.

Also, on Saturday, January 30th, from 10 a.m. to noon, I will be covering iTunes and your iPod/iPhone. This class will also be held in the small meeting room at Ridgway Town Hall.

Both of these classes are open to drop-ins, with no sign-up necessary...

"Disc" vs. "Disk"?

Who knew? Apple actually has a Knowledge Base article that addresses the distinction:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2300

For those too lazy (or busy) to go and read it, the difference essentially boils down to this: "disc" refers to optical meda such as CD's and DVD's, and "disk" refers to magnetic media such as floppies and the hard drive in your computer...

If you're wondering how widespread that distinction is held, I checked, and Wikipedia concurs (in the technological realm anyway).

You learn something new every day, if you're open to it...

Long time no blog...

Greetings fellow Mac-enthusiasts!

I'm amazed that it's been almost a year since I last posted a blog update... Just goes to show you how busy I've been! Anyway, I plan to make time for some new updates in the near future. I have quite a few interesting tidbits saved up to post, and the short, dark days of winter are upon us, so I should be able to find more time to post. [Yeah, riiiiigght; I hear some of you saying...] ;-)

Just for a teaser, I'd like to share a link to a site I stumbled onto not too long ago

. It's one of the most comprehensive repositories of keyboard shortcuts I've ever seen. This guy not only documents all the usual tried-and-true favorites, he's also gathered all of the most obscure and rarely seen shortcuts, many of which can be indispensible when you find yourself in a bind... So, here is Dan Rodney's:

List of Mac OS X Keyboard Shortcuts & Keystrokes

...here's an example from his site; a Guide to the Mac's Menu Symbols:

He's really done an amazing job there... Enjoy. And don't forget to check out the rest of his site. Dan is quite an accomplished guy, with lots of talents to share. Now that I think about it, maybe I'll try and look him up when we go to NYC at Thanksgiving to visit our daughters (who're both in college there now...)!

That's it for now, until next time, happy computing...