Announcements

WOW - Massive Response!

We had a huge response to our CheckIt! Suite special yesterday!

If you missed out, you may want to take a look at this and find out for yourself why we had hundreds of these sold before lunchtime yesterday! Oh, and yes, it does work if you have Norton on your computer already (they compliment each other nicely).

Again, it can find hardware problems quickly, speed up your internet connection (102% in our case - your mileage may vary), run benchmarks, test multi-tasking ability, speed up system performance, help protect against crashes, find problems when you can't get Windows to run, automatic synchronization between computers, remove unused leftover files, compress files, and TONS MORE!

The price? The retail on this is $69.95, most web stores are a little lower (PC Mall has it for $55.99 and Buy MIcro has it for $45.51, but that doesn't include shipping).

Our price for the same exact product? Only $24.97 with FREE US Shipping! This is the current version of the program and does come in the retail box. Note that this runs on all versions of Windows EXCEPT XP.

Get to the site ASAP for this one. Here's the link:

http://www.worldstart.com/store/checkitsuite.htm

Remember yesterday I said we only had a limited quantity and that our suppliers were trying to get us to sell this back to them? Well, we went through about 2/3rds of our stock with yesterday's ad, so if you want in on this, you need to get to the site ASAP!


Computers 101

Q:
Where do I select or set up a screen saver?

A:
If you would like to adorn your computer with a new screen saver (or set one up), just right-click the desktop and select Properties from the little menu that pops up. A screen will appear with a bunch of tabs on it. Select the Screen Saver tab.

From there, you can select and set up your screen saver.

Have a question for the newsletter? Submit it at the link below:
http://www.worldstart.com/submitquestion.htm

Tip of the Day

Screen Saver Savvy

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a way to get your screen saver to run on *your* command and not after a certain amount of time has elapsed? Well, you guessed it, there is. You simply place a shortcut on your desktop for the screen saver(s) of your choice.

Now, before we start plopping little screen saver shortcuts all over your desktop, keep in mind that if you have a screen saver that normally comes on after a certain amount of time, you may need to disable it.

It's not a problem if the screen saver you make a shortcut to is the one you normally run. It becomes a problem when you have a shortcut to a screen saver other than the default one. What happens is Windows ends up running two screen savers simultaneously. Just because you manually start a screen saver doesn't mean that Windows won't start your default saver after the specified amount of time elapses.

The solution, if you wish to manually run screen savers other than the default saver, is to go to your screen saver control panel and select "none" for your screen saver. Again, if the shortcut you make is for your default saver, you have no problem.

OK, enough of that. To make a screen saver shortcut, do the following:

1. Right-click the Windows Desktop and select New, Shortcut from the little menu that pops up.

2. A screen will pop up asking you for a command line. Click the Browse button.

3. A box will pop up that allows you to hunt for the file you need the shortcut for. By default, it filters results only for program file extensions (.exe). Your screen savers end with the extension .scr, so you'll need to select All Files from the File of type drop down box. Win 2000 users will have a slightly different screen, but it works in a similar way (no drop box - "all files" are automatically selected).

4. Next, navigate to your Windows directory (or WINNT directory for Win 2000/NT). Your screen savers will be there, either under the Windows directory itself or under the System (system32 folder in Win 2000/NT) folder. In fact, you'll probably find that most are in the system folder. The screen saver will have the same name as it does on your screen saver control panel.

5. Once you locate the screen saver of your choice, just double-click it. That will take you back to the shortcut setup screen. Click Next then give the screen saver an appropriate name and click Finish.

That's it. You should now have a screen saver icon on your desktop. Just double-click it to launch your screen saver. You could create shortcuts for all your favorite screen savers following the procedure above.

Now for an extra trick.

If you need to keep your computer secure from prying eyes, you can set up a screen saver password (just like you normally would on the screen saver settings screen). Just click the shortcut to your screen saver when you step away from your desk. Instant protection.

Last trick.

As I mentioned above, if you place shortcuts on your desktop for screen savers other than the one Windows normally launches, you should go to your screen saver panel and select "none" for your screen saver, otherwise you'll get two running at the same time.

If you do this, you can still use the little password protection trick above. Before you select "none," make sure you password protect your current screen saver. When you select "none," it will disable the "password" button on your screen saver control panel. However, as long as you have previously set a password, Windows will still ask for it if you manually run any screen saver. Cool, huh?

Have a tip for the newsletter? Submit it below:
http://www.worldstart.com/submitatip.htm

Special Feature

Fundamentals of Website Design (part 2 of 3)

Style and Content – “The Look”
The second part of the design triangle is Style and Content. Once you've determined the purpose of your site, it's time to start thinking about the “look” you want – call it style, if you like. Your look will unite the purpose and the content of your site, and will include the navigation system. Remember to refer back to your purpose for direction. It can be easy to lose sight of the main purpose when you have so many fun choices to make!

“Content” includes everything on the site that your visitors can see (and hear, in some cases). Content is more than just words and pictures. It’s also the colors you use, the formatting you choose, as well as typefaces, fonts, and placement of text and pictures. Think of some of the most recognizable logos.

Simplicity, organization, and visual appeal are key. Make your site easy to view and navigate. Explore sites similar to what you are planning. Some you'll love; some you won't. Make some notes about elements you like and think might work on your site. Spend some time selecting colors for your style. Some colors are quite businesslike and formal, while others are more playful or fanciful. When you see a site that is primarily off-white with navy (or other dark colors) accents, are you more likely to think “clowns and circus” or “serious business”?

Again, at the sites you like, observe the way color, typeface, and font influences the look. This example shows how, by changing only the color and font, the word “Circus” can produce some very different ‘looks.’ Which one looks most playful, and most fitting with what a circus represents?

Once you’ve decided on a particular style, stick with it! Consistency is fundamental as your visitors move from page to page within your site.

On a very serious note: While it’s illegal and unethical to steal others' ideas, you surely can select some elements you think will work for your site, then modify and adapt them for your own.

One study showed that the average web surfer will wait only 8 seconds at a new website before clicking away, if content does not grab their attention. As the site owner, you must provide content that holds the viewer’s attention, gives them something to do, and a reason to return. Updating content (not necessarily graphics) will help boost your visitor count. "Check back next week to see…" can be a real “returnability” factor. A regularly scheduled new article on the first of each month, for example, can persuade folks to 'bookmark' your site. You may want to consider an opt-in sign-up box so visitors can receive an email when you update the site. This can be a powerful source for creating return web business.

For that reason, your navigation scheme is another essential part of your look, and ties each page of the site together. You can have a terrific looking site, but if people can't get from one page to the next, or figure out where they are or how to get back to where they were, you'll lose them to a site that is easy to navigate.

"Load speed" is important to your visitors, too. It’s easy to overwhelm your visitors with flash and dazzle, and graphics take more time to load than text. If you use the same graphics throughout your site (repeat use of logos, navigation bars, etc.), you can cut down on load time. Your consistency factor will be higher too. The look, feel, and navigability of your site can be determining factors in whether visitors return to visit or order again.

And again, make sure the style and look you’ve chosen suit the purpose of your site.

The third and final part of this article: Test, Test, Test, will appear in tomorrow’s newsletter.

--Kristine Woodall is President of Island Impressions, a Honolulu web design company. You can e-mail her at kristine@island-impressions.com.

Amanda's Cool Site of the Day

Art Bell Official Website

For all of you who love conspiracies, UFO’s, Area 51, aliens, ghosts, etc, this is the site for you. You can view pictures in the gallery, read the news section for the latest tidbits, or share your own weird experience.

Flipping through the ghost gallery, I looked through at least ten pages of pictures some with long explanations. Now some of them could be pictures of ghosts, but others where truly just manipulations.

This site is for entertainment purposes and only you can decide what you believe is real or not.

http://www.artbell.com/

Do you have a cool, non-commercial site that you want to share?
Send it to Amanda at amanda@worldstart.com