You MUST Watch This Video!

If you've never been scammed on the Internet, it may only mean that your time has not yet come. And if you think you're too smart to be taken in…know that they even got me a couple years ago! I've been using the Internet since 1993 and am a computer/Internet professional. Yet one day I ventured into new territory, was in a hurry and wasn't paying attention…and they got me!

Feel free to read all the gory details in my article: Confessions of an Identity Theft Victim

I was lucky and definitely learned to always pay attention and always go to any master site to login and never use email links. But more importantly than my little tale of woe…you really MUST view this video (link below) from ABC investigative reporter, Brian Ross. Here he exposes some of the thousands of scams currently on the web. Every day, hundreds of people are still being taken in and end up losing thousands of dollars or even their identity, because they are innocent and don't realize that there are so many scams out there just waiting for them and their money or credentials.

Don't let it happen to you! View this video report so you can be empowered by knowledge.

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=2935397

Stay safe out there!

Moment of Silence

With heartfelt sorrow…I send my personal sympathies and condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives, as well as those who were wounded and also those who were terrorized in the tragedy yesterday at Virginia Tech. {tears & hugs}

My New Software LOVE!

Okay, saying I'm in love with software is a bit extreme<smile>…but I must admit that one software program once did literally change my life. Microsoft Word came into my world back in 1994 when I was forced to learn it. Which I did…kicking and screaming! I'd been a Word Perfect guru and instructor when my boss dumped a 1,300 page Word developer's book on my desk and asked me how fast I could learn it. Begrudgingly, I quickly did learn it and that fact changed my life.

Within months I got a promotion from graphic designer to developer…a few months after that I became a Microsoft MVP…a couple months later I went to my first Microsoft Summit…where I met Greg Chapman…came home, divorced my (miserable<eg>) husband…started an amazing new life with Greg…and soon moved from the corporate world into a cool career as a Word developer, instructor, web dev, writer and editor. All thanks to learning a software program!

Now I don't expect my new love to change my life as drastically, but I'm suddenly feeling much more organized and seeing a brighter light at the end of that so much to do tunnel. What's this amazing software that could quite possibly change the way I live my life?

Microsoft OneNote!

Yup. It's actually been sitting on my computer for years now, although I've never gotten around to learning it. I used it a few times. "Humm, nice software." But I never experimented with using it on a regular basis. The version I'd tried was OneNote 2003, which is a good program. But I've been studying and using OneNote 2007 for about a week now and I'm realizing…it is amazing!

If you enjoy being organized or wish you could be, don't miss the next issues of TechTrax, my ezine, because I'll be adding training articles and videos on Microsoft OneNote.

This program is just too cool to keep to myself!

Beware of Tax Time Identity Thieves!

Tax time is of particular interest to identity thieves because they know a lot of people are dealing with their last minute forms, are anxiously awaiting refunds, or would be highly susceptible to emails appearing to be from the IRS.

Don't be fooled!

The IRS would NOT contact you via email. They would write or possibly phone you. So any email you get saying it's from the IRS is bogus. Thieves are attempting to get you to click phony links and provide them with your personal identification information. Don't click any links that ever request your personal information or passwords...no matter who it is from!

For more details, check out this article from MSNBC: Tax time starting a new phishing season

And to see how easy it can be for even a professional to be duped into giving away a password, read my confession, here: Confessions of an Identity Theft Victim

Happy Easter!

'nuff said!

Cheers!
Dian ~

Quiet Those Dog Tags

If you have a dog, you may not even notice how much jingling those dog tags do. With three dogs, and a couple of grand-puppies who also come by for their weekly doggie-daycare play date in my home, all those tags can make you crazy.

I also create a lot of free computer training videos . There I am sitting at my desk trying to concentrate on what I'm teaching users and hoping for a few minutes of quiet as I record technical instructions, and here comes the noise...jingle, jingle, jingle! One of the dogs innocently walks into the room and their dog tags are jingling away. Very distracting.

But about a year ago, I found a fantastic cure...Quiet Spot Pet Tag Silencers!

These are simple, little tag pouches that stop all that jingling. You just slip it over the tags on your pet's collar, wrap the tiny velcro straps around the tag ring on the collar and they're good to go. A bonus is that the logo on the pouch is imprinted in light sensitive ink to help your pet be seen at night.

Even if the jingling doesn't really bother you, tags can easily become worn causing that important identification information to be lost over the years as the tags rub against each other. The Quiet Spot Pet Tag Silencers help protect tags because it holds them securely so they don't rub against each other helping to ensure that ID tags remain readable for years.

Know that I have no personal connection to this company or this product. I just have a lot of pets and am thrilled that I no longer have to listen to all that jingling!

You can purchase these pouches on their web site at www.quietspot.com. Or go to their web site and find a retail pet store in your area that sells them.

Did Google…Get Ya?

The popular search engine, Google, has become the much anticipated April Fool's jokester. Several years ago, Google came out with its first April Fool's bogus web site promotion. Since then, Google fans watch to see what spoof those comedians at Google will come up with each year.

You may have noticed that Google occasionally promotes their latest beta (in testing) offering. These can be incredibly useful tools. But come April 1^st, they like to slip in a link that seems like it might be plausible. Well, that is until you actually read the information on the link and consider reality!

Here are links to explain each of the past Google spoofs…for your enjoyment.

April 1, 2007 = http://www.google.com/tisp/

Previous giggles:

• Pin All Your Romantic Hopes on Google
• Quench your thirst for knowledge
• Google Copernicus Center is hiring
• The technology behind Google's great results
• Google MentalPlex™ Frequently Asked Questions
  • Fun Illustration of the above