Tuesday, 26 August 2008
The things people come up with..
All one can ask is - why?
Turn URLs into something absolutely huge
http://www.hugeurl.com/
Or have yourself "the longest alphabetical email address in the world" free from
http://www.abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijk.comLabels: web resources
posted by Helen Whitehead 10:07 AM
Friday, 22 August 2008
Googling yourself
Admit it - you Google yourself sometimes.
Don't you?
Isn't it funny what you can come up with, though.
When I first bought my domain name helenwhitehead.com I started getting emails for an American astrologer of the same name. We were all very polite about it and I promised never to sell a horoscope if she didn't offer advice on elearning...
Today I found:
"Helen Whitehead was reportedly a garrulous and portly landlady..."
Whatever next :)Labels: Googling
posted by Helen Whitehead 4:24 PM
Tuesday, 12 August 2008
Solving email problems
Today I learned how to solve outgoing email problems.
The problem: Email was coming into a new installation of Thunderbird but outgoing mail was throwing up an error message.
We checked:What turned out to be the problem? Using a friend's network whose ISP appears to block the use of port 25
- The details of the outgoing mail server
- The usernames and passwords of the relevant accounts
- The security requirements of the mail server
- The setup of Thunderbird connecting to the Internnet (no proxy or other strange setting being used)
- The appropriate details like reply-to are filled in correctly
Solution - use port 26!
This may help others in future if you have a strange outgoing email problem.Labels: email, technology
posted by Helen Whitehead 7:07 PM
Sunday, 10 August 2008
Handy programs to put on a USB stick
The first program I really felt I needed to carry around with me was Audacity - it was a program I was using a lot to introduce lecturers to podcasting, and it wasn't installed by default on the University's computers. So here's a great idea - keeping a selection of useful programs on a USB stick/flash drive. Useful for any trainer, especially in those institutional settings where you don't have admin access to the computer.
Audacity portable is here along with other portable applications from the same source.
Portable Apps is a menu driven 'work suite' for your flash drive (or any external drive - could be a external hard drive). You download the PortableApps.exe file, and when you run the setup (choosing either a full or a lightweight version) it installs working applications on your flash drive.
If you're not convinced, read a review of portableapps and another from Web Worker Daily
Here's a list from Snapfiles (with the downloads)
More tips from the blog Less Gravity
An alternative site of portable apps from the Italians WinpenpackLabels: flexible working, freelancing, homeworking, m-learning, mobile computing, portable apps, technology
posted by Helen Whitehead 11:11 AM
Tuesday, 5 August 2008
Why I succumbed to Twitter....
I avoided it for a long time – who needs another obsession? – but after the NLab Social Networks Conference, I decided I had to have a part of this, and yes it’s become a regular practice. I follow and am followed by various other people interested in social networks and online communities and I’m already seeing some interesting insights, being pointed to useful resources elsewhere on the Web and being caught up in new discussions both on Twitter and elsewhere (e.g., on blogs and mailing lists.
After comments by Andy Roberts and others on emint, here are some suggested rules for effective use of Twitter:I can see a lot of positive uses for Twitter over and above the simple “What are you doing now application”.
- Only follow people you find interesting.
- Use the Twitter search to find people (not the “invite people” – I find that’s a red herring and not the way to find people!)
- Ask questions or throw out any problems you’re grappling with. Use it like a “garden fence” for the eliterati.
- Use additional services like following a news or sports feed - you can then get that feed to your mobile via Twitter.
- Beware of getting a large feed sent to your mobile – the thing will keep you awake!
- Distributed problem solving
- Finding out a bit more about your contacts and facilitating closer relationships
- Keeping attendees at a conference informed before and after
- A quick way to keep members of a community or network in touch
- Alerts to web content (using short URLs)
- Learning prompts and alerts for learners on a course.
Labels: blogging, internet policy, moblogging, twitter, Web 2.0, web applications
posted by Helen Whitehead 10:44 AM
Sunday, 3 August 2008
Why you should always secure your wifi connection
It's amazing how often I am in places where I can find an unsecured wifi network - especially in the business sectors of cities where you'd think companies would know better. Here's the most cogent reason yet for making sure your personal or business wifi is properly secured:
Mumbai police raided the home of Kenneth Haywood, an American ex-pat, when his wifi was used to send an email taking responsibility for a terrorist outrage. The email address was created just ten minutes before it was sent, probably for exactly that purpose. Mr Haywood had no idea, one assumes, who was using his connection.
Of course some providers want to share and provide free wifi to as many people as possible as a service to the community. Worthy - they shouldn't have to suffer and are not responsible for who uses their wifi.Labels: internet policy, online identity, privacy, safety, security, wifi
posted by Helen Whitehead 12:20 PM
Friday, 1 August 2008
How to Blog course starting 11th August
I'm just finalising the materials for my next blogging course - How to Blog. We call it "an online course with everything you need to know to start blogging - in just 2 hours a week (for 9 weeks)."
There are places on the next course still available and participants can start any time in the week 11-17 August.
Learn how to take control of your web strategy, drive traffic to your website, establish your expertise, take control of your online presence, and create conversations with clients. Alongside other course delegates you will spend around two hours a week online, at whatever time suits you, creating your blog, learning where to find and how to write topical posts, experimenting with marketing and monetising tactics, and learning from the others on your course as we build your own online blogging community and resources.
Still a few places left for course starting 11th August. Previous students are now established and successful bloggers.
More informationLabels: blogging, blogging course, How to Blog course, online course
posted by Helen Whitehead 10:56 AM
