Email Tips
21: Email Bounced Back?
There are many reasons why emails you send may get bounced back. First, check that you sent the email to the correct address. It’s easy to transpose characters. If the address was correct, the recipient’s mailbox may be full or there may be a temporary problem with the mail server. Try sending the email at a later time.
22: To Download Or Not To Download
Always be safe. Never download or open an attachment unless you are expecting it – even if it’s from a friend. If it’s from someone you know, send them a new email (don’t hit "Reply") and verify that it’s from them. Certain viruses can hijack email accounts, so even attachments from friends can’t be trusted unless you knew they were coming.
23: Avoiding Spam
Never use your main email address for any postings on newsgroups or websites, and never reply to any spam that you do get – even if it’s to be taken off their list. On AOL, don’t use your main screen name to go into chat rooms – since that screen name is also your email address – or you’ll get spam for the rest of your days. You can also create rules to block emails that are consistently sent from the same person.
24: Fighting Spam
Never reply to spam emails and never hit the "Click here to be removed from list" link. Usually these actions will only make things worse. If you want to fight spam, go to Spamcop.com to report spam messages. Simple instructions at the site will walk you through the quick process.
25: Filtering Out Spam
One of the best ways to deal with spam is to set up rules in your email program to filter it out. In Outlook Express go to Tools > Message Rules > Mail. Set the condition to "Subject Contains" and then put a word that only spam would contain, such as "Viagra" or "Refinance." Add as many words to the spam rule as necessary. Specify that these messages be deleted or put into a spam folder for later review. Be sure to use words that only spam would contain!
26: Email Déja-Vu
If you keep receiving copies of the same message, even after you delete it, it may be corrupted. Ask your ISP or email administrator to delete it. If you start to get lots of old email messages again, go into your email preferences and check the box to "Delete Messages from Server." If there’s a button for "Delete Now," click it.
Search Tips
27: Using Search Modifiers
In addition to using only very specific keywords (instead of whole sentences) you can get more precise results by using the "-" modifier to exclude words and the "+" modifier to include them. For example, "cheese +swiss -chedder" will find sites about Swiss cheese but not cheddar.
28: Translate Search Results
When you’re doing Internet searches using Google, translation among various languages is only a mouse click away. If one of your search results is in a language you can’t read, click "Translate this page," which is to the right of listings on the Google Search results page.
29: University Search
Google's University Search enables you to narrow your search to a specific school website. It’s good for things like admissions information, course schedules, or alumni news.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Constantly moving your cursor to the menu bar and navigating menus can get tedious. Keyboard shortcuts can save you loads of time if you just learn to use them. Pick one shortcut at a time and use it until you know it by heart, then move on to the next.
30: Ctrl+A Select All
31: Ctrl-C Copy
32: Ctrl-V Paste
33: Ctrl-D Add the current page to your Favorites or Bookmarks in most browsers.
34: Ctrl-N Open a new Browser window.
35: Ctrl-O Open a file on your computer
36: Ctrl-P Print a Web page in most browsers.
37: ESC Stop a Web page from loading in IE.
38: F11 Toggles between windowed and full-screen mode in Internet Explorer.
39: Ctrl+Enter Using IE, you can type in URLs quickly. If you’re going to Cybersocket’s Web site, just type "cybersocket" in the address bar and then press Ctrl-Enter. IE automatically adds the "www." at the beginning and the ".com" at the end.
I hope that these tips will help you surf faster, better, and safer, and smarter!