GeekSugar

How To: Behave on an Internet Forum

GeekSugar — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:00:00 -0700

I love the hilarious "how to" vids I come across on VideoJug that keep me on point with subjects ranging from learning how to speak geek, getting a free airline upgrade, and even how to safely (and eco-conciously) clean my computer. But really, I'm always on the lookout for a great "how to" that I can share with my geeky cohorts that may just make them lol. So for today's how to, I present: How to Behave on an Internet Forum.

Maybe some of you haven't been on a forum since the early 2000s, but these intricate and finite rules can apply to comments on blog posts, too. You know the annoying offenders that troll forums: They post snide, off-topic remarks, attack other commenters when they post their opinions, and everybody just wishes they would go away? You don't want to be that guy do you? I didn't think so. Check out the video and ensure that you won't.

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Website of the Day: Just Left Home

GeekSugar — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:22:31 -0700

Feeling lost and like the Internet is your only connection to a home you left behind? The website Just Left Home was set up to be a resource for people who'd recently left whatever cushy nest they were used to and needed a resource for, well, everything in their life.

As they say, it's intended to be a "homepage-away-from-home cure-all miracle pill."

When you go to Just Left Home, you're greeted with big buttons to the places you probably visit most online: Facebook, Twitter, Amazon; on the right side of the page, or "Outside World," you get links to the JLH forums, also a helpful resource.

Even though this site was created for people feeling lost in their world, it's totally helpful to me, who's pretty secure. I guess we can all use a little help.

To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more.

I know that this long list looks scary, but trust me, once you get the hang of it, it'll be a snap the second time around.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click the pink "Share" menu on the top left side of the page.
Choose "Blog" and "Regular Post."
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Click "Next."
Choose the audience for your story to "Website of the Day" in the dropdown menu.
Add keyword(s) (for example mine for this photo was "Website of the Day").
Change channel to "Technology and Gadgets."
Fill in tag field with relevant tags.
Click "I’m done" to submit content.

So join the Website of the Day group and share information about all your favorite sites! Yours just might end up on the geeksugar homepage!

Good Idea or Bad Idea? Banning Anonymous Internet Posting

GeekSugar — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 03:00:09 -0700

File this under "Oh, really?!" It seems a Kentucky State Representative, Tim Couch, wants to make anonymous Internet posting illegal. Couch is trying to pass a bill that would require you to register with your full name and address every time you posted anything on the Internet, in order to cut down on online bullying. Um, one word, Mr. Crouch: Hmmm. How exactly are you going to do this? Does this apply to blogs (because I know that Joe Blogger is not going to be pleased with that $500 fine)? And who's to say that everyone posting anonymously is a bully? What about forums in which you would reveal more because you're anonymous?

Of course, I can think of lots of awful Internet bullying situations, but I somehow doubt this could fix that. As I scratch my head, I'll leave it up to you guys to discuss.

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Online Etiquette: Acceptable Instant Messenger Behavior

GeekSugar — Mon, 19 May 2008 08:00:33 -0700

I got a cheap laugh out of the instructional How to Behave in an Internet Forum video last week, but soon realized there's never been any real etiquette on this wild Internet.

I've put together a list of tips for acceptable instant messenger behavior that addresses some of my biggest pet peeves. This one goes out to all you iChat, AIM, Yahoo messenger and Gchat regulars.

Start with a "Hello" or some sort of greeting: I am on iChat all day long for work and readily available to anyone who IMs me, but I still think you should say "hey!" to someone before you start asking them a question. Call me old fashioned, but it's like starting an email with "Can you please do this for me" instead of a nice greeting.

There are more rules, trust me! Just read more!

Try not to trail off: It's always awkward when you are engaged in a conversation with someone on iChat and they suddenly stop responding to you. If you're chatting with someone and busy, just let them know with a simple "BRB" or "one sec." It will calm their insecurities that you are ignoring them.

Use your away message: Sure, you may have set your chatting preferences to make it look like you are always online to keep your boss happy, but that doesn't mean your friends know it. If you leave the computer or don't want to talk to people, put up an away message. If you use AIM for work be courteous to your co-workers by letting them know when you are in a meeting, grabbing lunch or at the gym. That way you won't return to your desk and have 16 unopened windows.
Back at your computer? Change your away message!: When you return from being away change your away message back to available. You don't want your boss thinking you took a six hour lunch break or your boyfriend thinking you spent four hours at the dentist. People might start to worry about you.
Be smart about screen name exchanges: Don't give your screen name to someone unless you want them to know it. And IM you. Often.
Don't want to be bugged? Go Invisible: Most chatting services allow you to set your online status to invisible. If you do, you will have to initiate contact with friends online but you won't have people bothering you when you're busy.
Some things are best said in an email or (gasp!) in person: If you have a lot of important stuff to say (particularly if it's for work or an important project) put it in an email. It's much easier to have all the information in one place for future reference than to go back and forth and try and make sense of a chat chain.
Let people know when you're signing off: Okay, so this one isn't as important, but if you have been chatting with someone for a while and are getting offline let them know! A simple "TTYL" (as in, Talk to You Later) will do the trick. You wouldn't just hang up on someone on a phone call, would you?

Geeky Girl We Love: Amber Mac

GeekSugar — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 09:00:00 -0700

Last month we featured some of the cutest geeky couples and bachelors in the blogoshere, which left many of you wondering - what about the women? Fear not my fine friends, we were just saving the best for last. March is Women's History Month so I figured there was no better way to celebrate than to highlight some of the smartest, most creative and successful women on the internet.

Amber Mac is a Canadian journalist and geeky blogger whose site, Amber Mac, has been one of my favorites since day one. It features videos from her TV reporting, her insight on techie subjects and top headlines. She also happens to be a Mac-addict, which leads me to believe we were meant to be BFF. For the full interview, read more

Geeksugar: Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you become a blogger and when did you start the site?
Amber: I started blogging in 2004 on Blogger.com. As a journalist, my personal blog helps me to have a forum to really post what I find interesting on a daily basis whether it's suitable for a story or not.

Geeksugar: How many hours are you online everyday?
Amber: I probably spend at least 8 hours a day online, maybe more.

Geeksugar: Your first computer was a...
Amber: My first computer was many, many years ago. I'd like to say it was a Mac, but it was definitely a PC (it used 8-inch floppies).

Geeksugar: What the vision for your site and some of the stories you're most proud of?
Amber: My vision for my site is simply a place for me to share things that I find interesting, funny, and clever.

Geeksugar: What is your favorite thing about your job? What is your favorite thing about the site?
Amber: My favourite thing about my job is that I get to actually try to bridge the gap between new media and mainstream media. As for my site, I love that no one monitors what I'm posting so I can say whatever I like. It's pure web freedom.

Geeksugar: Any funny stories about being a blogger?
Amber: The funniest story I have about being a blogger is when I posted that I had free Joost invites (40 of them) and I got hundreds and hundreds of replies.

Geeksugar: How many blogs are in your RSS reader?
Amber: I read dozens of blogs, but mostly I love BoingBoing.net.

Geeksugar: Describe a typical day at work for you.
Amber: I wake up at 7am, surf the web, eat some breakfast, go for a run, head to Citytv for our daily news meeting, and then it's game-on for the day. I file a news report every day, so it's busy but fulfilling.

Geeksugar: Name a blogger you admire and tell us why.
Amber: I admire Cory Doctorow from BoingBoing because he's always finding cool new stuff.

Geeksugar: How do you feel about being called a "geek"?
Amber: I love being called a geek, it's an honor.

Geeksugar: What is the geekiest thing about yourself?
Amber: I love web usability.

Check out our other interviews with geeky girls.

Geek Tip: Smartphone Help

GeekSugar — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 13:03:08 -0800

The Smartphone Winners: The Blackberry and Treo

Smartphones and PDA's (personal digital assistants) have become the hottest all-in-one phone, email, internet, wireless, communication gadgets on the market.

In a study conducted by Forbes magazine, the two leading smartphones- the Blackberry and the Treo - were compared in various categories. Click the Forbes link to see the interesting results!

Check out the Treo vs Blackberry Forum where people have shared their views and opinions about both smartphones.

Want to know more about various networks including GSM (Global System Mobile) and CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access)?

Check out Which Technology is Better?: GSM or CDMA? to learn more.