Something to Think About Archives

April 26, 2017 By yclmanager5 Leave a Comment

Protect Yourself!

I wanted to share this article from my bank with you about protecting your cards and identity.

Going paperless for accounting is safer!!
PayPal provides extra protection for online purchases. You’ll need to compare their options with what your credit card offers. The combo of both is probably your best option.
I had never heard the trick about testing for a skimmer at the gas pump.

April 12, 2017 By yclmanager5 Leave a Comment

Opt Out of Unwanted Mail and Email

STOP PREAPPROVED CREDIT CARD OFFERS

Go to OptOutPreScreen.com and opt out of receiving those annoying preapproved credit card offers or insurance offers. The service is free for 5 years.

While you’re there, you can pay $2 for their Mailbox service which allows you to get off numerous direct mail lists. You can also opt out of Direct Mail Association (DMA) members’ email lists. Regretfully, most of the junk email you receive isn’t from DMA members. But every little bit helps!

PS – Don’t forget the National Do Not Call Registry to cut down on telemarketing calls! DoNotCall.gov

March 1, 2017 By yclmanager5 Leave a Comment

What Does Google Know About You?

The answer is “A lot!”

Go to MyAccount.Google.com

Privacy Checkup

Google will walk you through the settings and help you choose your preferences.

Or look at the individual sections to change your preferences.

Personal Info

Change each setting for your preferences.

Ad Settings

Google follows what you search for and develops a “profile” for you. They narrow down your search results then to fit your profile. If you do a search that gets strange results, you can delete it from History to keep your profile more clear.

Location Tracking

You can turn off tracking or delete your history.

It is worth your time to check the Google settings. You want to give enough info to have good search results but not enough to display your whole life to the Internet.

February 22, 2017 By yclmanager5 Leave a Comment

Where Is My Email Stored?

Here’s the scenario. You write an email in Outlook and send it to your best friend. Your friend then opens the email in her Gmail account.

Where is the email stored? In 4 places.

Your Outlook (email management software) saves a copy in Sent Items.
Your server (Cox, CenturyLink, Verizon, etc.) saves a copy in webmail Sent Items.
Your friend’s server saves a copy in her webmail Inbox.
Your friend’s Gmail (email management software) saves a copy in Inbox.

You can delete both of your copies if you want to. Delete from Outlook. Log into webmail and delete from webmail.

You can not delete your friend’s copies.

That’s why you always want to THINK before you hit SEND!

September 28, 2016 By yclmanager5 Leave a Comment

Prevent Eye Strain While Working

There are some simple tips to help prevent eye strain while you’re at your computer.

Change the brightness of your monitor screen to match the light level of your room. EX: If you’re working with the lights off in the office, dim the screen. Or the reverse, brighten the screen when the sun is shining in the windows and adding to the florescent lighting.
Adjust the monitor and/or your chair until your eye level aligns with the top of the monitor. We naturally look downward by about 10-15 degrees. Next best option: Align so you are looking at the center of your monitor. Do NOT look up at your monitor! That’s bad for your eyes and your neck.
Increase the font size of your Windows displays and of your software programs. Use at least a 12 point font. You can even use a larger font later in the day to help with eye strain.
Be wary of the colorful background designs offered by Windows, Firefox and other software manufacturers. Yes, they are entertaining but they are harder on your eyes than a simple design where the contrast between the background color and the font is greater.
Take frequent breaks. No, not to play solitaire! Blink your eyes. Look out the window, across the room, somewhere in the distance. Do a couple of easy stretches sitting in your chair or standing at your desk. Close your eyes and take some deep breathes.

August 10, 2016 By yclmanager5 Leave a Comment

Evidence is Mounting on the Connection of Cell Phones to Cancer

Can your cell phone cause cancer? The answer to this question has just changed from “possibly” to “probably.” You need to educate yourself and your family about the dangers to minimize your risk. Click this link to visit the Environmental Health Trust to learn about the latest research and recommendations.

March 7, 2016 By yclmanager5 Leave a Comment

Microsoft Office 365

Have you ever considered switching over and using Office 365? This video gives an overview and examples of how Office 365 could benefit you.

October 16, 2014 By yclmanager5 Leave a Comment

Dropbox Hit With Reused Passwords

Dropbox was accused of a security breach. They state that their database wasn’t attacked. BUT hackers used passwords they stole from other sites to try to access Dropbox accounts.

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/10/14/dropbox-blames-security-breach-on-password-reuse/

This is why you can not use the same password for multiple accounts! This is a serious problem. Please! It’s worth the effort to make your data safer.

Option 1
Use LastPass.com to record and input passwords. I will help you set it up if you need some assistance. Basic service is free. Premium to sync multiple devices is only $12 a year.

Option 2

Create a series that you can remember but changes with each account. Should be at least 8 characters including a capital letter and a special character.

Example: Series is 12yahoo34$%

Then for your Google account it is 12goOgl34$%

for Southwest Airlines it is 12soUth34$%

for Yelp it is 12yeLp34$%

Call me for help!