Special Section

Software Testers Wanted!

Here's the deal - E-mail newsletters are a dying breed. We (and everyone else in the industry) are constantly fighting ISP blocks and sp@m filters (sorry, I had to make that second-to-last word look funny so the keyword filters would let this e-mail get to you).

We spend hours each day figuring out why people aren't getting their newsletters - and convincing ISPs that we are a double opt-in newsletter that people have asked to receive.

As a result, many of you have noticed that you don't always get this newsletter. Some days it passes through, some days the sp@m troll stops it at the bridge. In any event, it's getting harder for publishers to get their material to their readers.

So, I wrote a free program called the Newsletter Reader that solves the problem.

It works like a cross between a web browser and an e-mail program. Instead of the newsletter being "delivered" to you, it's pulled from the internet like a web page. You control the subscriptions and never have to give out your e-mail.

Oh, and since it's not e-mail, you don't get a backlog of newsletters if you're away from your computer for a week (plus you don't use hard drive space storing them). When you launch the program, you get the most current newsletter.

Want to see back issues? This software makes it easy - you can choose a recent issue from a drop box, use navigation buttons to go back and forward through issues, or just look at a master list of archives. It's designed to make browsing your newsletters easy - and (gasp) even fun!

Plus the program allows you to print, save, and even forward newsletters. It was specifically designed for electronic newsletters, so it does a much better job on the delivery and useage than e-mail ever could.

Oh, and we're not limiting the scope of this to just our newsletters. We're hoping to get a lot of other publishers using this software. So, if you publish a newsletter, this may be something you want to try too. Oh, and adding your newsletter is free.

Anyhow, we're still in the Beta stage of testing and we need to see if we've missed any bugs. I think we've got 'em all, but it's been awhile since I've written any software. So, if you would like to try a pre-release version of this, head to the link below:

http://www.worldstart.com/newsreader/index.htm

Again, this is going to be a free program. All we ask is that you let us know if you find any bugs - and of course, let us know if you like it :-)

Computers 101

Q:
How do "secure servers" work? When I give my information, is it really safe?

A:
There are two things that indicate a secure web page:

First, you will notice that the domain changes to "https://". Second, a little padlock appears in the status bar at the bottom of your browser.

When you log onto a secure server it communicates with your browser for a few seconds. During this communication, it sends your browser encryption information that only it and your browser can read.

Once this encryption is set, it acts like a normal web page, except that all info coming or going is encrypted. This encryption makes it extremely difficult for any third party who would intercept the transaction to decipher it. All this extra protection is why secure servers seem to run slower than their non-secure counterparts.

Secure connections only protect the info as it is coming and going, not when it's just sitting on the server.

That being said, you probably have a better chance of getting ripped off by a sales clerk copying your credit card number at a department store than getting your information stolen over the internet.

In fact, I have never personally heard of anyone getting their card number stolen during an online transaction, secure or otherwise. Sure, I've heard of people using their credit card online, then having the number stolen, but they could not prove if the theft happened during the transaction or after (I'm betting after).

~ Steve

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

Tip of the Day

Finders Keepers

You've searched high and low for that specific information on that particular web site, but you don't want to add it to your Favorites because the list is so long it can hardly be considered a "favorite" anymore (whew!). So, what do you do?

I say, you found it, so keep it!

You can save it as a Web Archive. This little trick lets you save the must-have web page in all its glory without needing to remember the long www.blahblahblah or anything else for that matter.

Okay, I know what you're going to say. You already know how to save web pages to your computer as html files so why should you save them as web archives?

Well, let me tell you why.

Saving the page as a Web Page, complete (htm, html) file puts the web page plus a large folder on your computer with all the stuff the page needs. Usually it takes a while and that darn folder it makes is full of junk that is just unnecessarily eating up space. Now, compare that to the one, simple little file a Web Archive makes. No folders, no junk, just the good stuff.

Here's how you do it:

Let's say you're cruising along the web and viola, there it is. The one page of information you have been searching for. Say a quiet, heartfelt thank you, then stealthily go to your browser's menu and choose File / Save As.

A new window pops-up and lets you choose where you want to save it (I'm stashing mine right on my desktop), what you want to name it, and how you want to save it.

Once you've picked the save location and name, go to the Save as type: pull down menu and choose Web Archive, single file (*.mht), then click the Save button.

That's it—you're finished. Now, whenever you want to check out that precious info, you just have to open the file you saved. Cool.

~ Kim Ganues

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

Amanda's Cool Site of the Day

Movie Bloopers

The "how to use this site" section here was too good to pass up so I'll give it to you here so you can just jump in: "Welcome to Movie Bloopers! The first site on the internet devoted to mistakes in the movies we love. Using Movie Bloopers is very easy. On your left, you will see a list of blooper categories. These bloopers are visitor submitted bloopers. These bloopers are updated daily and contain a text description of the blooper. Across the top you will see blooper categories as well. These are our featured bloopers..."

Are you ready to dive in? Well that's fabulous because they have oodles of categories for you to search through. Like what? You ask. Well, how about: Action, Comedy, Cult Classics, Drama, Horror, SciFi, and for those of you who love it, Star Wars.

Choose the section of movies you want to view and pick a title off the list. Then you will get text and pictures to view. This site is awesome!

http://www.moviebloopers.com/

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