Issue #7

 Newsletter

December 2005

In This Issue

 - Holiday Wishes
 - New Computer?
 - Tip of the Month
 - Featured Article

Do you have a question you would like answered in future issues, or do you have a topic you would like to see addressed in our monthly tips?  If so, please send us an email by clicking the icon below. You can also unsubscribe from this newsletter by sending us an email.

We would really appreciate your honest feedback and comments Please click on the link above to send us an email and let us know what you think about this month’s article and tip. Thank you!

Did You Get A New Computer For A Gift?

If you are giving or receiving a new computer as a gift this holiday season, please keep in mind the four critical items that no computer can afford to go without:
                     - Antivirus Protection       - Antispyware Protection
                     - Windows Updates          - Firewall Protection

For a deeper look at these four items, please review our article in the first edition of our newsletter.  Also, if you need help setting up your new system or installing any of the above mentioned items, please give us a call!

Many of the computers that we service are plugged in to a power strip with a surge suppressor. While a battery back up unit is the best form of surge protection, a surge protected power strip is also better than a power strip without surge protection.  But did you know that the surge protection can actually wear out? On average, you should replace your surge protectors about every 2 years. 

A brick wall will eventually crumble if it is hit with a hammer day in and day out, and similarly your surge suppressors protection eventually crumbles.  Every day your surge protector gets hit with little spikes and surges in power. Over time, these little surges will break down the wall of protection you are receiving.

A good surge protected power strip should cost you about $30, and it is one of the best investments you can make in terms of helping to extend the life of your computer.

Last month began a multi part article about Google.  We examined a brief history of this amazing company, and this month we will take a look at how to get more out of your Google searches.

Searching for items on Google is very easy.  You simply type in what you are looking for in the search box, hit the Enter button on your keyboard or the Google Search button on the screen and your results are displayed immediately.  

The more specific your search terms are, the better your results will be. For example, a search for “microbreweries in Milwaukee” will return a much different list of results than a search for “Milwaukee Bars”.

You may notice that in the examples above that I have capitalized Milwaukee and Bars.  Google searches are not case sensitive, and will return the same results regardless of capitalization.

To find results that match your query exactly, simply add quotation marks at each end of you search.  For example, a search for Milwaukee bars will return different results than a search for “Milwaukee bars”.

Google has developed a web page dedicated to search basics, and that page can be viewed by clicking here.

Once you have the basics of searching for items on Google down, you may want to try some advanced searching techniques.

Just like their basic search tips page, Google has developed a web page with advanced search techniques and tips. You can view the advanced search overview by clicking this link. 

After you define your search parameters, you hit the Enter button on the keyboard or the Google Search button on the screen and you receive a listing of results that fit your search criteria. But then what?

The results page has much more information than simply the results of your search. 

You can view images related to your search, local results, shopping results, and much much more. 

By clicking this link, you can learn all about how to work with the results page to help find exactly what you are searching for.

Now that you have searching down pat, it is time to learn about some of the other exciting features that Google has to offer, such as Blogger, Mobile, Maps, Froogle, Groups, and more.

But that will come in next month’s article.  Until then, happy Googling!

Next Month
Google is much more than just a search engine, and next month we will examine some of the great services Google has to offer.