Have you noticed that pictures sent from your Verizon phone are small and low-resolution? The fix is to change the phone's camera resolution. Read on for details. I have a Samsung Intensity with Verizon Wireless. This phone's highest camera resolution is 1280 x 960 pixels, which I naturally set it at. Imagine my surprise, then, […]
Practically any organization, whether it's a business, non-profit, or even a single freelancer, can benefit from social media. On June 16, Lakeshore Advantage hosted a social media lunch event with Jason Sadler, founder of IWearYourShirt.com. I went and listened to Jason talk about creating and growing I Wear Your Shirt, and how he uses social […]
On June 16, four West Michigan startups pitched their ideas to aimWest, a group of local professionals and technology experts. The startups are backed by Momentum, a Grand Rapids-based venture firm focused on web technology entrepreneurs. Each of the startup companies are using the web and social media for their fledgling businesses. Members of aimWest […]
Ever wonder how Google finds what you're looking for in the blink of an eye? This video (embedded below) explains how Google search works in plain English, in 3 minutes! It covers indexing, spiders, links, ranking, relevance, keywords, PageRank, and advertising. As always, contact OptimWise for more information or assistance!
In the computing world, some things are worth paying for, and others aren't. For years, I've put antivirus and antispyware software in the not worth paying for category. My current favorite free security program is Microsoft Security Essentials. Microsoft released Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) in 2009, but its roots go back to an acquisition in […]
Browser plugins are small programs that enhance your browser. For example, the Flash plugin allows you to play Flash games and watch video on sites like YouTube, and the Adobe Reader plugin lets you open PDFs in your browser. As with any software, it's crucial that you keep your plugins up-to-date. Plugins are often updated […]
Once upon a time, small businesses got along fine without the Internet. They relied on word-of-mouth and traditional media (newspapers, TV, radio) to help customers find them. As the years went by, small business owners discovered they were losing market share to competitors who had basic websites (essentially digital business cards) to direct customers to […]
Think for a second of how many links to websites you see each day. They come through email, Facebook, and Google search results. Especially if you don't recognize the name of the website, how do you know it's safe to visit? Google provides a first line of defense for search results by warning you of […]
SquareTrade is a warranty company that services laptops, among other products. The company studied laptop malfunction rates over 3 years to determine which were the most reliable. From most to least reliable: Of course, you don't want to buy a laptop based on a single factor. You also need to consider price and features. For […]
It's incredibly important to use good passwords for websites, because they protect your accounts on email sites, banking sites, shopping sites, and social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. Although there are other ways people can get into your accounts, guessing or hacking passwords is still one of the most widely-used methods. Here are a […]
Some of the most popular Google searches are for news headlines and current events. When people hear about stock market rallies, earthquakes, or celebrity deaths, they rush to Google for information. Need proof? Just check out the hot searches at Google Trends. The bad guys take advantage of this by hijacking search results - they […]
Adobe Reader, the ubiquitous PDF reader, has become increasingly targeted by malware. Just check out the Adobe Security bulletins and advisories page for the long list of security updates Adobe has released recently. There are a few things you can do to reduce your risk of falling prey to a malicious PDF. These steps will only […]
