Announcements

HEY! Are You Missing Out?

We had a good response to our Betty Crocker Cookbook deal yesterday, but it wasn't as great as I had expected. Don't get me wrong, we actually sold quite a few, but I really think a lot of you may be missing out on an incredible program.

Again this software has 9 Betty Crocker cookbooks, including Great Grilling, Best of Healthy and Hearty Cooking, Best Christmas Cookbook, Best of Baking, Good and Easy Cookbook, Cookie Book (my favorite :-), Cooking Basics, Best Loved Recipes, and Healthy New Choices.

It's a really well done program and includes an awesome nutritional calculator (count them calories!), a powerful search engine, a "favorite recipe" section, allows you to import your own recipes, e-mail recipes to friends, adjust serving sizes, and more!

This has a retail of $39.95, but your cost is only $19.97 and US shipping is 100% FREE! In addition, you have our 30 day satisfaction guarantee - if you try it and don't like it, just send it back for a fast, courteous refund. Nothing to lose!

Here's the link for more info:

http://www.worldstart.com/store/mastercook-betty-crocker.htm

PS - If you skipped this yesterday please give it a look. It's a fantastic program, and I don't want you to miss out :-)

Computers 101

Q:
How safe am I giving out information on the internet?

A:
I get this type of question about once a week...

Giving out your personal information to sites on the net is a touchy subject. My suggestion would be to only give out info to sites that you trust. If you don't trust a particular site, don't give out your info. I'm not too worried about giving out my info to most business / major contest sites but I'm not going to give it to someone who just would like to have it in order to see where their visitors are coming from.

Note that most good, reputable sites will have some sort of privacy policy that tells you exactly how the information you give them will be used. If you're at all unsure, it may be worth reading the privacy policy for the site in question. If you can't find one, any paranoia you have regarding that site is probably justified.

Most sites that ask for your personal information are doing so because you're signing up for something or making some type of purchase. After all, how can you buy something online if you won't give out your address and credit card info? When this is the case, I carefully look through the site to make sure it looks OK (I check for stuff like contact info, addresses, etc.) before I give out my any of my information.

If a site is asking for a credit card number, they will only get it if I'm actually making a purchase. If it's for any other reason, forget it. If they are trying to get my social security number, they don't have a chance unless I see good reason for them to have it (applying for a loan, joining an affiliate program, etc.)

Oh, one more thing since we mentioned credit cards. I get a lot of people who are worried about sending their credit card info to a company via the internet. As long as the site is secure (you should see a little "lock" in the Status Bar of your browser - lower left hand corner), you should be safe.

Of course, you have to trust the company you're dealing with. If you give your card to a site that's shady (porn, illegal items, etc), then you shouldn't be too surprised if you run into problems.

On the other hand, if you're dealing with a good, legit site, then you shouldn't have any problems. However, remember, not all companies are the same - before you give any site your credit card info, be sure they have stuff like contact information, a privacy policy, and you may want to check their return policy, too (assuming it applies). Doesn't hurt to do a little homework.

For the most part, it seems like credit card theft on the internet is more likely the result of having a dishonest employee (and that's not just an internet problem), than the transmission getting intercepted. It just kills me when I see people who won't use their card online, but they don't hesitate to pass it to any scummy looking store clerk, never giving it a second thought. In my opinion, you're usually as safe, if not more so, online.

I guess the best advice is to be careful. If you don't have a good reason to give out your info, then don't. If you don't feel comfortable with a site or don't completely understand why they need your info, then don't give it out.

-- Steve

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

Tip of the Day

Frolicking in the Recycle Bin

Here are a few things you can do to make your recycling experience more enjoyable:

No Confirmations

Ever notice how every time you delete something, Windows asks you if you would really like to do it? If you find yourself shouting "YES, I wouldn't have hit delete if I didn't want to delete the stupid thing," then you may want to disable the deletion confirmation.

To do so, just right-click the Recycle bin, Properties, and deselect the checkbox for "Display delete confirmation dialog box."

Recycle Size

By default, the Recycle Bin sucks up 10% of your hard drive. If you have a ten gig hard drive, Windows is setting aside 1 gig just for digital garbage. I have mine set at only 5% (500 meg on a 10 gig hard drive). If you have a hard drive larger than say, 5 gig, I would free up some space by right-clicking your Recycle Bin and moving the little slider to the left. I would set aside 300-500 meg for recycling.

You'll notice that you can also set the computer to bypass the recycle bin and just permanently delete files. I WOULD NOT do this. I've accidentally deleted more than my fair share of files, and I'm embarrassed to admit how often that the Recycle Bin has come to my rescue.

Skip the Bin

Next time your 100% sure, without a doubt, for certain, that you want to delete a file, hold your Shift key down while you delete. The file will be deleted - skipping the Recycle Bin completely!

-- Steve

Have a tip for the newsletter? Submit it below:
http://www.worldstart.com/writers-guidelines/index.htm

Amanda's Cool Site of the Day

Hangaroo

How about a little bit more fun this week with Hangaroo? The Hangman game with the kangaroo. I know you’ve played Hangman before, but have you played it with a kangaroo?

This Hangman game even has neat subjects like - Movie Titles, Popular Quotes, etc. And the animated Kangaroo is a cutie! So, get busy, guess some letters, and save that kangaroo. Oh, and you can play a sliding puzzle while you wait for the game to load.

*No kangaroos were harmed in the making, playing, or viewing of this game.

http://www.humorhaus.com/hh148-ea.htm

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