Blog: Tech News & Tips - Page 14 of 29

Instagram Account Security

Posted on February 27, 2018January 13, 2025 by Gail Eddy in Technology Tips

I’ve spent a lot of time talking about Facebook, and how to make your Facebook Account more secure. You should be doing the same thing with your Instagram account! Here are some suggestions to make your Instagram account more secure.

First – Change Your Password!

I know I’ve said this before. (You’re tired of hearing me say this, aren’t you?) You should change your password on all of your banking, social media, email, etc. accounts at least once a month. Ideally, you should use a different password for each account. You should also use a password that contains upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters. Check out my tips from last weeks blog. If you think your account may have been hacked, you should change your password right away. (By the way, I use a password protected document to keep track of my passwords.)

Make your Instagram Account Private:

From Instagram: “When your account is private, only people you approve can see your photos and videos on Instagram. Your existing followers won’t be affected.” Essentially this means that your account will be shared with friends only. If your Instagram Account is not set to Private, every post can be viewed by anyone. So, for my personal account, I have it set to private. For my business account, it is all public. Remember, if you choose to un-follow someone, they will no longer be able to see your posts or other information.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication:

Two-factor authentication makes any account that you log into more secure. Many banks require two-factor authentication. When you enable 2FA on your Instagram Account, Instagram will send you a code to you via text or email that you will need to enter in order to access your account. Generally, once you have logged into your account from a specific device, you won’t need to do the 2FA thing again, unless you log out.

What did I forget? How do you keep your Instagram Account as secure as it can be?

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PC’s for the past fifteen years. His company is highly rated by both the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and by Angie’s List. You can find more on our website, or give us a call 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area as well as remote service throughout North America.

We’ve been using Amazon Prime for the past few years. We like the free 2-3 day shipping and the online streaming. I haven’t tried the Kindle lending library yet. I’ll try that next! Prime is normally $99/year, but you can try it for 30 day for free by clicking on this link: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial (Yes, we’ll get a small commission if you check it out.)

Password Tips For More Secure Banking, Social Media

Posted on February 20, 2018June 11, 2024 by Gail Eddy in Technology Tips

It seems like recently all I’ve done is advised people to change their passwords. Friends have had their Messenger hacked, other friends are sending out spam emails. Here’s the official Geek For Hire word on the subject: You Can’t Change Your Passwords Too Frequently! So, the big question is – how do you pick a good password? We have several tips to follow here.

Whatever you do, don’t use any of these passwords! Common Password List First, don’t make the password too easy to guess. We like the recommendations in this Lifewire article. Their first step is to pick a favorite phrase and turn it into an acronym. Here are some examples from their article:

“You know nothing, Jon Snow: yknjs
Can’t See the Forest Through the Trees: cstfttt
If the Shoe Fits, Wear It: itsfwi
The Last Mile Is Always Uphill: tlmiau
Honey Badger Doesn’t Care: hbdc“

Passwords should be AT LEAST eight (8) characters long and those are all to short. You could use something like:

“The Quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog” or tqbfjotld which is nine characters.

The next tip is use letters, numbers, and special characters. A study done a few years ago estimated that a password with six alphanumeric characters would take a computer 103 years to crack. Eight characters, including special characters like “@”, “%”, and “#”, would make it that much harder, and take much longer, to crack.

My recommendation for a good password?

Take a favorite phrase and turn it into an acronym:

“So long, and thanks for all the fish” = “slatfatf”

Then, add a capital letter, a number, and a special character so that

“slatfatf” becomes “S1@tFatf”

Longer is always better. If the website allows you to use more than eight characters, please do!

You could then add “Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy” or hgttg” to the end (or beginning) of “slatfatf”. Your password could then become “S1@tFatf*hGttG”

Play with different passwords that will work for you and keep them in a password protected document on your computer or in the “cloud”. Another trick I use is to type the new password into my (password protected) document, then I’ll copy and paste it into the password field of the website I am accessing. That way I’ll be sure not to have any typos.

One final word from David Balaban, computer security expert, as quoted in Business.com:

“It is recommended to use the longest possible passwords that online services allow and leverage a reputable password management solution to store them. Furthermore, you should safeguard the vault with a master passphrase that’s about 30 characters long. Make sure it’s not a quote from a novel or anything that can be found on the internet. Importantly, all of your passwords should be generated randomly and make little sense, or no sense at all. If you can remember it and tell it to someone, it’s not a good password.”

Co-Working Space – Things to consider

Posted on February 6, 2018May 9, 2024 by Gail Eddy in Technology Tips

More and more people are starting small at-home businesses to share their passion with others or simply to supplement their regular income. The newest term for this is “side-hustle”. One problem is needing space to work without taking over too much of your dining room, or bedroom, or the coffee table in the living room! A solution many people use is to head to a coffee shop. But that doesn’t always fit the bill. It’s sometimes noisy with conversation, or (gasp!) coffee grinding. The WiFi may be choppy, or you may only be allowed to use it for a defined period of time. Another option is to find a co-working space. A co-working space provides a place to work outside of your home. It generally is quiet, plenty of desk space, and good WiFi. They may even offer access to a printer, coffee, and snacks.

I recently joined a co-working space and I am thrilled. Sure, I have a separate office at home, but sometimes my office space is not conducive to the work I have to do. I noticed a year or so ago, that for certain tasks I was more productive outside of my home office. But the nearby coffee shops just were not cutting it for me. When I heard about a local co-working space, I checked it out and signed up that day.

Here are some things you should look for in a co-working space:

WiFi:

Is the WiFi fast and consistent? Ask them what kind technology they use and what their bandwidth is. (Bandwidth = how many people can use the WiFi at the same time without noticing a slowdown.) Mine has a T1 installed so it is super-fast, and even if the space is full, not likely to run into slowdowns.

Printer:

Do they have a printer available for you to use? What is the charge per page? Or are there a certain number of pages you can print for free? Is it color or black & white? Front & back, or one side only?

The space:

Is it clean? Is there natural light? (Mine has plenty of windows, but all on the north side of the building. I don’t expect it to get too hot in the summer.) Is there a choice of places to work? For example, regular desks, standing desks, counter areas, etc. Everyone works best in different configurations! If you do use a chair, are they comfortable and supportive?

The Perks:

Is there coffee available? Is it good coffee?! Tea? Other snacks?

Green:

Are the owners or managers conscious of the environment? Does the space use alternative energy – solar or wind? At a minimum, is there a place to recycle paper? If they have beverages available, what kind of cups do they provide? Styrofoam? Compostable? Mugs and glasses?

What kinds of amenities are important in your co-working space?

Facebook Followers Hoax

Posted on January 30, 2018December 2, 2024 by Gail Eddy in News, Technology Tips, Tips

In the past few weeks, I have seen numerous friends posting about all of the “weird” Facebook followers they have. They’ve been a little freaked out about the strange people who see all of their posts. I keep getting asked questions like:

“Why are these people interested in me?”
“Are they trying to steal my identity?”
“How do I stop this?”

First things first:

Change how you are sharing. If you make all of your posts for “Friends Only”, and not “Public”, no one else can see what you’re posting. Even people who are following you can not see your posts if you don’t set your posts to “public”.

Secondly:

It’s a hoax. The instructions tell you to type “Following Me” into the search box. What comes up is a whole list of names of people you’ve never heard of. Facebook presents you with this list because they have names similar to “Following me”. Just like if you were to search for “John Smith”, you’d get people with names similar to “John Smith”.

How to Find Your Facebook Followers:

If you really want to see who is following you without being friends with you, follow these steps on the Facebook app:

Click on your name/ go to your own page.
Just below your photo and name is a little line that says “Followed by xxx people”.
Click on that link and scroll through the list. Most of these will probably be people who have sent you a friend request, but you’ve never responded. Are there people you don’t know with no friends in common with you? Feel free to block any of them that you don’t want seeing your public posts.

From the Facebook webpage, follow these steps:

Click on your name.
CLick on “Friends”.
When the list of your friends pops up, click on the down arrow next to “Other” at the top of the list. Then click on “Followers” to see the whole list.
Scroll through the list. Most of these will probably be people who have sent you a friend request, but you’ve never responded. Are there people you don’t know with no friends in common with you? Feel free to block any of them that you don’t want seeing your public posts.

Were you able to find your Facebook Followers? Let us know if you still need help!

Anti-Virus Programs – Questions & Answers

Posted on January 23, 2018May 6, 2024 by Gail Eddy in anti-virus, Technology Tips

We regularly get the same questions about anti-virus programs, which tells me that there is a lot of confusion out there. In this short post, I’ll provide answers to some of the most common questions that we get.

What does the anti-virus actually DO?

An anti-virus is a software program written to catch viruses and other malware. (Remember from your high school Latin class? “Mal” means “bad”!) It looks for programs that look like they might be a virus and quarantines them so they don’t get mingled with the other programs on your machine. The best AV programs will look for characteristics similar to other viruses and quarantine them as well. Anticipation is your friend.

I have an anti-virus. Why did I get a virus?

The “bad guys” are always one step ahead. Anti-virus programs are written to catch already know viruses, and viruses that LOOK LIKE something they already know about. As mentioned before, the best anti-virus programs will look for characteristics of known viruses, and protect you from them too. So you may have gotten a virus because your anti-virus doesn’t know about that particular strain.

Can I have two different anti-virus programs? (and its corollary) Do I need an Anti-virus and a malware program?

The short answer is “NO!” Any anti-virus installed on a machine expects itself to be the most senior program for reviewing all incoming files. When you have two anti-virus programs, they will be in constant conflict with each and cause your machine to slow down.

I have a Mac. Do I need an anti-virus?

Mac’s get viruses. This isn’t 2010. Spend the forty bucks and protect your data.

How often should I update my anti-virus?

Theoretically, you should never have to update your anti-virus. The best anti-virus programs will automatically keep the software up-to-date. When new virus strains are found, and new software is written (and tested), it is then pushed out to all the subscribers.

How often should I run my anti-virus?

If you suspect that you have clicked on a bad link, run your anti-virus right away. Otherwise, maybe once a month or so.

Which anti-virus programs do you recommend?

We have been using, and recommending, ESET for the past ten years or more. Chris is constantly exposed, through our new customers, to every anti-virus program out there and knows which works well, and which does not. The ESET program consistently performs ahead of the pack.

What other questions do you have about anti-virus programs and its functionality? Let us know!

Information about Geek For Hire, Inc.

I’ve created a Free Report on what to look for to protect yourself from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly. You can find more on our website, or give us a call 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3 support) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area as well as remote service throughout North America.

We’ve been using Amazon Prime for the past few years. We like the free and fast shipping. With Prime, we have access to online streaming too. Prime is usually $119/year, but you can get a free 30-day trial by clicking on this link: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Spam Calls on Your Smartphone? How Can You Minimize?

Posted on January 16, 2018May 6, 2024 by Gail Eddy in Smartphone Apps, Tips

Over the past few days I have been absolutely inundated with fraudulent callers, telemarketers, and just plan old spam calls. But the good thing is that I know what they are and can choose not to answer!

I’ve been using a new app on my iPhone called Call Protect. It works with my AT&T service and it seems to work very well. Here is a list of the spam calls I’ve received today:

It’s pretty annoying to receive all of those Telemarketer and Spam calls while I’m trying to work! If you have AT&T service, you can head over to the app store on your Smartphone to download and install this app for yourself.

I’ve been looking to see if Verizon, Sprint, or T-Mobile have a similar app and haven’t had any luck. If you know, please provide a link to the app in the comments below.

Nature Apps to Help You Explore the Great Outdoors!

Posted on January 9, 2018May 2, 2024 by Gail Eddy in Smartphone Apps, Tips

When you’re wandering around on a hike, you’ll sometimes come across a tree, or a plant, or a bird that you can’t identify. There are nature apps for that!

Nature Apps for Trees:

Leafsnap is one of the nature apps for your mobile device – Smartphone or Tablet – that lets you identify trees from their leaves. Take a photo of a leaf, upload it to the app, and voila!, they’ll tell you what kind of tree it is! For now, it only identifies trees in the northeastern part of the US, but they are working on adding the rest of the country soon. Info is on their website: http://leafsnap.com/ (FREE)

Birds:

Sometimes identifying birds at the feeder or while on a hike can be challenging. This app lets you compare the bird in front of you to its photo on the app. There is a good written description of each bird and a sound file too. More info here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bird-guide-offline-bird-identification-app/id1122226312?mt=8 (FREE)

Mushrooms:

If you’re looking at mushrooms, want to identify them, and want to keep track of where you saw a particular species before, then Roger’s Mushrooms is the app for you. The app includes tutorials so that you can learn about particular species. More info here: http://rogersmushroomsapp.com/ ($4.99)

Noxious Weeds:

In Colorado, we have a lot of invasive species. This app helps you identify a particular plant with photos of the plant itself, leaves, and flowers. There is also a written description of each, including its height, habitat, and max elevation. More info here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/colorado-noxious-weeds/id833042035?mt=8 (FREE)

Clouds:

Did you ever wonder what kind of cloud you’re looking at? Is it likely to bring rain or are clear skies on the way? Coton is the app for you. It helps you identify the clouds you’re seeing, ventures a guess at your forecast, and gives you a little science lesson too! More info on their website: http://cotonapp.com/ ($1.99)

What are your favorite Nature apps for exploring? Let us know!

Information About Geek For Hire, Inc.

I’ve created a Free Report to protect you from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has provided computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly. You can find more on our website, or give us a call at 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3 support) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area and remote service throughout North America.

Here’s a link to our Covid19 Policy.

More Tips Here:

Are VPNs worth it? More here.
Are you interested in learning more about Extreme Privacy?
We have seen a lot of Facebook hacking lately. Here’s what you should do ahead of time to keep your account safe.
And here are the 10 Password Mistakes you don’t want to make!

Your New iPhone: How to Set it Up For Ease and Security

Posted on January 2, 2018January 13, 2025 by Gail Eddy in iPhone, Privacy, Security, SmartPhones, Tips

Did you get a brand new iPhone over the holidays? There are some things you should do right away to make sure it stays secure and you keep being happy with it. Even if you’ve had your phone for several months, make sure you’ve taken care of these.

Lock down your new iPhone:

First – you want to make sure your new iPhone can be locked down. Go to “Settings”, and scroll down to “Touch (or Face) ID and Passcode”. If you’ve already set up a passcode, you’ll need to enter it before continuing to these options. Decide if you want to use the Touch or Face ID, or if you just want to use a passcode. If you do want to use a passcode, we recommend that you select one that is more than four digits. You can select a custom alph-numeric code, or a custom numeric code.

Fine Tune Location Settings:

You’ll also want to lock down your Location settings. Click on “Settings”, and then “Privacy”. You can see which Apps get location data and turn off the ones that don’t really need to know where you are located.

Set up Siri:

When I’m on a road trip, I turn on “Hey Siri”. This allows me to have hands-free interaction with my iphone. To turn this on, click on “Settings”, and then “Siri & Search”. Slide the button to “on” to allow for Siri to listen. You can also select a language and voice for Siri on this screen.

Sharing Analytics:

Decide if you want to share analytics from your iPhone with Apple. Apple collects usage data and location information. To turn this off click on “Settings”, and then “Privacy”. Scroll to the bottom and click on “Analytics”. Make sure the button is turned off.

Targeted Ads:

Opt out of receiving targeted ads. Click on “Settings”, “Privacy”. Scroll to the bottom and click on “Advertising”. Slide the green button On to Limit Ad Tracking.

Save Your Photos!

This is a good time to decide what to do with your photos. Do you have a plan in place for saving them off of your phone? I have set up Dropbox to save my photos onto the cloud every day.

Add Shortcuts for Favorite Websites:

Do you have websites that you go to frequently? You can add them as an icon on your new iPhone screen by clicking on the up arrow at the bottom of your Safari screen. Slide the bottom row of options over until you see “Add to Home Screen”. Click on that, personalize the text, and then click “Add”.

What do you do to set up your new iPhone? Share in the comments below!

Year in Review from Geek For Hire, Inc.

Posted on December 26, 2017February 25, 2025 by Gail Eddy in anti-virus, Tips

It’s time for our 2017 Year In Review. This year has seen some big changes in Technology. But we focused a lot on keeping safe when you are using your computer and your Smartphone. It’s primarily about using common sense. Microsoft or Apple will not call you when you have a virus on your machine. Trickier, though are the emails which look like they are coming from a company you use and trust. We spent a good bit of time this year explaining how to protect yourself from scams.

Keeping safe on the internet has been our prime focus throughout the year:

We started the year with how to protect yourself from Phishing Attacks. “Phishing” is when someone tries to obtain your personal information to log into your bank accounts, or hack your email to send scam messages. Protect Yourself from Phishing Attacks
A few months later, we focused on phishing again in Phishing Expeditions
With the Holidays, everyone is just a little more vulnerable, and some people let their guard down when they are shopping online. Here was my guide to keeping safe online during the holidays: Holiday Phishing
Throughout this year, we’ve seen an uptick in the number of scammy phone calls our customers have been receiving. In the spring I wrote about how to tell if the person on the other end of the line is for real or not: 4 Ways To Tell if the Person Calling You is not a Scammer
Early this fall, we learned that the US Government has had software made and sold by Kaspersky Labs on their “Do Not Trust / Do Not Use” list for years. Here is my write-up about that issue: Kaspersky Anti-virus

Online Privacy

We wrote several times about online privacy. Keeping safe on the internet isn’t just about not clicking on those bad links. You also need to make sure that you are keeping your personal information private. Here are several articles about Online Privacy and Social Media:

We also talked about new technology:

With the new iPhone X getting so much attention with their new unlocking technology, we thought it was time to take a look at the history of Facial Recognition
And, Virtual Reality has made some strides in the past few years. We took a look at some of the changes: Virtual Reality Update

And the newest hot topic:

Just recently, Bitcoins and Blockchains have been back in the news. When we started looking at Bitcoins, they were priced around $100 per coin. Early in December, they crossed the $10,000 mark! What you need to know about Bitcoins and Blockchain

Memory Stick aka Thumb Drive aka Flash Drive

Posted on December 19, 2017June 7, 2024 by Gail Eddy in Data Storage, Tips

Last week a customer asked Chris to transfer a bunch of files from his computer to a memory stick. He handed Chris a brand new flash drive along with his laptop. I happened to be there when Chris was transferring the files. He was very frustrated at the speed at which the files were being transferred. You might say they were being copied at a “turtle’s pace”!

I asked Chris why it was taking so long. I thought that all memory sticks were pretty much the same except for their capacity. He then told me that memory sticks have different speeds. The less expensive ones will transfer files very slowly. The more expensive ones will be quick and snappy. He explained that USB 3.0 are generally much faster than USB 2.0. He also mentioned that the packaging typically only lists the speed if they are faster than 150mBps. The cheap memory sticks generally have speeds of 2mBps and don’t broadcast that “turtle’s pace” on the outside.Slow as a herd of Turtles

About 45 minutes later, Chris was done transferring all the files. If you need to copy files to a memory stick and don’t care how long it takes, get the cheapest one.

Expect to pay $15 for a 16gig memory stick that is reasonably fast, and about $20 for 32gig. Find our recomendations here.

I’ve created a Free Report to protect you from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

INFORMATION ABOUT GEEK FOR HIRE, INC.

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has provided computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly. You can find more on our website or give us a call at 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3 support) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area and remote service throughout North America.

Here’s a link to our Covid19 Policy.