Announcements

Hey You! Need Computer Help?

If the answer is "yes" then you should check out our free message board. You post a question, and hundreds of folks scratch their heads and try to help. Of course, you should scan the board and try to help other people with their problems. Kind of a "good Krama" deal.

Anyhow, if you haven't tried it, why the heck not? Join the over 2000 other happy board users (OK, the one fella isn't so happy, but the rest are :-). Here's the link:

http://www.worldstart.com/message-board/ctmb.htm

I'm Really Excited About This One!

We have an AWESOME deal on Quicken Lawyer 2002 (both personal and business editions)!

How good of a deal? Well, Quicken has too many of these and one of our suppliers worked out an incredible deal with them. Quicken only approved 4 resellers in the country to sell these overstocks - and we're one of them!

The prices? Retail on the Personal Edition is $69.95, on the Business it's $79.95. Your price? $24.95ea with FREE US Shipping (yes, these are the boxed, retail versions)! Next to us, Amazon has the best price we were able to find- $29.95, but then they tack on another $5.97 for shipping. So, we beat 'em by over $10.00. No one else had it for less than $34.00 (and they all charge shipping).

Oh, if you want both (there's not really any overlap in legal material) you can get them as a package deal for only $39.95 and save another $10.00!! (Actually, it's a retail value of about $150.00, so you really save $110.00!)

So yes, we do have a fantastic deal for you!

Take a look:

Quicken Personal Lawyer Deluxe -

This is awesome. It covers just about any legal form the average person would ever need. It includes forms that cover wills, living trusts, healthcare directive, final arrangements, child care agreement, authorization for a minor's medical care, elder care agreement, authorization to drive a motor vehicle, notice of death, notice to terminate joint credit card accounts, pet care agreement, request for birth certificate, power of attorney, and tons more.

I've already used this one for several forms, including the "authorization for a minor's medical care". Now I can leave my kids with a babysitter and not worry about hassles in the event of an accident. Oh, and all our relatives have a copy of this form too!

Quicken Business Lawyer Deluxe -

This is my favorite and I use it all the time.

This new version is better than ever. It is divided into categories and really explains what you need in any given situation. In fact, this program even comes with a free (paper) book - Nolo's Encyclopedia of Everyday Law.

In additon to that, it includes seven bestselling business law books to help you with just about every legal problem you could come up against. Topics include: starting and running a small business, legal forms for small business, employers legal handbook, domain names, how to write a business plan, tax info, marketing without advertising, and tons more. It's not only legal help, but also a fantastic guide to running a successful business.

Of course, it is full of legal forms - over 150 of them - including stuff for choosing a business structure, getting licenses, insuring your business, borrowing / lending money, protecting trade secretes, buying a business, hiring / firing employees, hours / wages / benefits, working with independent contractors, dealing with IRS audits, and tons (and tons and tons) more.

As a business owner, I have to say that this program has been invaluable to me. It has saved me hundreds - if not thousands - in legal fees and has answered countless questions. (Don't worry, for the big stuff I still contact my lawyer to confirm).

OK, I've gone on long enough. The links to both editions are below and each page has an option for buying both if you like:

Here's the link to the Personal Edition:

http://www.worldstart.com/store/quicken-lawyer-personal-deluxe-02.htm

Here's the link to the Business Edition:

http://www.worldstart.com/store/quicken-lawyer-business-deluxe-02.htm

PS - I highly recommend these programs to everyone. Let's face it, at one time or another we all need some sort of legal help. If you use just one of this program's forms, you'll save way over what you've paid for it.

Computers 101

Q:
How do I remove unwanted programs?

A:
So, you have unwanted programs leeching off your hard drive, huh?

You usually have two program expulsion options. The first, and usually best, is to click your Start button, Programs, and select the program folder (group) in question. Usually, in addition to the program shortcut, there's also an uninstall program you can run.

If there's not, try the Add & Remove Programs option. Hit Start, Settings, Control Panel and open the Add/Remove Programs icon.

Most 32 bit programs should be listed there (older 16 bit dos & win 3.1 programs usually aren't). Just select the one you want taken off and click the Add/Remove button.

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

Tip of the Day

Troubleshooting Video problems

Does your display flicker? Are your animations not working correctly? Have you been notified that you have “display problems. This program can’t continue”? This tip will help you solve those video problems.

Hold down the Alt key and double click on the My Computer icon, then select the Device Manager tab (XP Users: it’s the Hardware tab). Double click Display Adapters.

Next, double click your video card. The Device Status window will list any problems with your video card. If a problem is listed here it is usually a conflict between two devices. Click on the Resources tab. If there are any conflicts listed in the Conflicting Device List, make sure the Use Automatic Settings is checked and reboot your computer. You can also try running through the steps under the Troubleshooting button in the General tab of the Properties window.

If either of these solutions doesn’t solve your problem, reload your video driver by repeating the above steps up to double clicking on your video card. From there click on the Driver tab, then Update Driver and follow the on-screen instructions. Have your video card driver disk or cd ready when you reinstall the driver.

-- Greg Barnett

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

Special Feature

Fundamentals of Web site Design (part 3 of 3)

Test, Test, Test!
Now the third and final side of the design triangle is Testing. Many web designers, both amateur and professional, consider skipping this step due to its tedious nature. But a good final product absolutely depends on testing.

Testing is important for three critical reasons. First, testing allows you to see what your visitors will see. Enlist the help of family and friends, and ask for their opinions about how the site ‘works’ before putting it up live. This step can save you headaches (and embarrassment!) later. Check your site in as many different browsers as you can. Some load more slowly, some do not support the newer versions of HTML, and some don't do a perfect job of displaying your carefully chosen graphics. When you know how your pages behave in different circumstances, you can make adjustments. Some sites will even suggest that visitors use a particular browser and version for best viewing.

Second, testing determines if all of your links work. Check the links on your site then check them again! There is nothing worse than clicking on several links only to find dead ends. This gives the impression that your site is outdated or sloppy. Also, make sure that your visitors can get from any page of your site to any other page of your site without having to use the 'back' button on their browser. One more time: Make sure all of your links work properly!

Finally, testing allows you to determine 'load speed.' If folks have to sit and tap their fingers waiting for your graphics to load, they're more likely to surf to another site. Aim for an 8-second or less load speed. People won't hang around much longer than that.

A note of caution: There are two elements that can have a negative impact on the viewer’s experience. Frames are complicated and not all browsers support them. Music can be a sudden intrusion to a quiet room and startle the visitor. Remember that not everyone shares your taste in music, and you don’t have control over the volume of your visitors’ speakers. Unless the purpose of your site relates directly to music, such as selling CD's or promoting a particular artist, stay away from sound files.

When it comes to design principles, remember to “keep it simple sweetheart” (KISS). If people 'notice' the background, graphics, menu bars, fonts, etc. you've chosen, you've directed their attention away from your product and your site has failed you.

So now that you've determined the purpose of your site, designed the look, feel and style, written the text, and placed your content, it's time to go live for the entire world to see! When you’ve taken the time to do your planning well, this can be a wonderful moment - a time when you can feel a great deal of pride in a job well done.

--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

Star Trek in Sound and Vision

Now for something really fun! This is a site for all you Trekkies. This site claims to be “the DEFINITIVE source on the net for Star Trek WAV sounds, desktop wallpaper pictures, icons, screen savers” and much more.

Now the really nice thing about this site, outside of all the really cool stuff, is that you can choose the heavy graphics version or a text catalog for faster loading. Not many graphic sites will give you this option.

So check it out, and of course, enjoy it!

http://www.stinsv.com/

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