The month of August may lead to back-to-school shopping lists, stir up classroom memories from years ago, or inspire you to expand your knowledge of certain subjects. In this spirit, we’ve gathered smart online tips and notes about educational resources.
We want you to be able to outsmart cybercriminals, so study the warning about scams attached to the Amazon name so you’ll be able to identify their tricks. To help you learn more about social media, check out our description of Throwback Thursday and instructions on how to adjust your Facebook News Feed. And don’t miss the Sites of the Month for great places for your brain to visit.
You’ll also find just plain fun things in this August issue; after all, everyone deserves recess! For instance, pick up some clever craft ideas in the Pinterest section and watch videos about cake cutting and tight rope walking.
We think you’ll find the information contained in this newsletter to be a valuable tool for enhancing your Internet experience.
Here’s what’s inside our August 2014 Newsletter:
SCAM ALERT – BEWARE OF EMAILS CLAIMING TO BE FROM BIG ONLINE RETAILER
NEWS FROM THE SHOP
GO PINTEREST-ING! COOL STUFF TO PIN ON YOUR PINTEREST BOARDS
THIS MONTH’S FAQ – WHAT DOES #TBT MEAN?
SITES OF THE MONTH – GREAT SITES TO CHECK OUT IN AUGUST
TWO TO VIEW – A COUPLE OF AMAZING VIDEOS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS
SHORT TUTORIAL – HOW TO ADJUST WHAT YOU SEE IN YOUR FACEBOOK NEWS FEED
The Gulfcoast Networking Team
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SCAM ALERT – BEWARE OF EMAILS CLAIMING TO BE FROM BIG ONLINE RETAILER
As the world’s largest online retailer, it’s not surprising that Amazon is a big favorite of scammers. They masquerade as Amazon in an attempt to lure people into opening emails and replying with account details and other personal information. This information can then be used for identity theft.
A wide variety of phishing scams fall into this category and most appeal to either greed or fear. For example, the email may claim that you will get a free Amazon coupon or gift card in exchange for simply filling out a brief survey. Or the email may purport to be from Amazon’s security department, claiming it’s received a password reset request from an unrecognized device; you are told to follow a verification procedure in an attached file to protect your account.
If you receive one of these emails, do not open any attachments or click any links that it contains. Emails from the actual Amazon company will never ask you for personal information. Visit this link for more details…
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=15835501
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NEWS FROM THE SHOP
Need a new computer this fall? We have the latest systems available and we can get you set up with a system with either Windows 7 (our preference) or Windows 8.1 if you wish.
We will be a coin stop in the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce Invasion to Business Success this month. Visit the Chamber website for more information and we will see you at the wrap-up social on Thursday August 21st at the West Pasco Board of Realtors.
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GO PINTEREST-ING! COOL STUFF TO PIN ON YOUR PINTEREST BOARDS
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/291537775851445223/
Clever Bathroom Storage From Pipe
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/291537775851692367/
Whoo, Whoo Wants An Owl Craft Idea?
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/291537775851692290/
Blueberry And White Chocolate Cheesecake
You haven’t started pinning on Pinterest yet and you want to get started?
To sign up, go here https://pinterest.com/join/signup/
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THIS MONTH’S FAQ – WHAT DOES #TBT MEAN?
Question: Some of my Facebook friends are posting old photos with the hashtag #TBT. What does it mean?
Answer: The hashtag #TBT stands for Throwback Thursday — a weekly social media posting theme that invites users to post content, usually photos, from their past. In addition to Facebook, Throwback Thursday posts are also very popular on Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr.
It’s easy to participate in Throwback Thursday and the “blasts from the past” are a fun conversation starter. Just scan a photo from that dusty photo album on your shelf and post it using one of these hashtags: #TBT, #ThrowbackThursday or #Throwback. Just for fun, you can also check out what celebrities have posted on Throwback Thursdays by visiting https://celebrity.yahoo.com/photos/celebrity-throwback-snaps-1374180938-slideshow/this link.
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SITES OF THE MONTH – GREAT SITES TO CHECK OUT IN AUGUST
Enjoy Fair Food At Home
http://www.food.com/summer-grilling/state-fair-food/package
August is a busy month for state fairs across the U.S. If you just can’t get enough of iconic fair food, check out this fairly spectacular recipe collection. It features favorites such as chocolate bacon, fried Twinkies, corn dogs, blue-ribbon pies, and more.
Learn Fast And Have Fun
http://www.memrise.com/
If back-to-school season has inspired you to learn something new, you may want to check out this education site. There are thousands of free courses — from languages to history to trivia — all using science-based learning techniques to improve your memory and increase your fun.
How Well Do You Know The World?
https://geoguessr.com/
You don’t need to head to the airport to embark on a journey. GeoGuessor’s games take you from desolate roads in Australia to the bustling streets of New York City and many places in between. To play, simply look at a photo and guess its location; the closer you are in miles, the more points you earn Enter Your Birthdate For Cool Statistics http://you.regettingold.com/
We’re all getting older. But thanks to this site, we can also get wiser. Enter your birthdate to see all kinds of factoids including how many birthday candles have been on your cakes so far, approximately how many breaths you’ve taken in total, and major news headlines from each phase of your life.
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TWO TO VIEW – A COUPLE OF AMAZING VIDEOS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS
http://www.eNewsletterHome.com/_eNewsletter/2014/1408_VIDEO_A.htm
Daredevils Up In The Air
This breathtaking video (as in you’ll be holding your breath) shows men tight rope walking between two hot air balloons, known as skylining.
http://www.eNewsletterHome.com/_eNewsletter/2014/1408_VIDEO_B.htm
Scientific Way To Cut A Cake
You probably cut a round layer cake the same way you cut a pie – in wedges. But check out this better way to cut a cake that will keep it fresher longer.
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SHORT TUTORIAL – HOW TO ADJUST WHAT YOU SEE IN YOUR FACEBOOK NEWS FEED
When you check your News Feed, do you sometimes grumble under your breath about the stories you see there? In other words, is some content just not of interest to you and wasting your time? According to our friends at Facebook, you can make News Feed adjustments by choosing to view stories in the order they’re posted, by hiding stories you don’t want to see, by following or unfollowing friends, and by using friend lists.
Adjust Viewing Order
Click next to News Feed in the top-left corner of your feed to choose which stories you see first. Select Top Stories to see the stories at the top of your Feed, or select Most Recent to see stories in the order they were posted. Keep in mind that Top Stories is the default way to view stories in your Feed.
Hide Stories You Don’t Want To See
To keep stories from people, Pages, or groups from appearing in your News Feed, click the down arrow in the top right of a story. You’ll see the option to Unfollow the person, Page, or group. You can also click “I don’t want to see this” and give Facebook feedback or take more action, like asking the person who posted the story to take it down, or reporting the story to Facebook if it doesn’t follow the Community Standards.
Follow Or Unfollow Your Friends
To adjust the updates you see from friends, you can choose to Follow or Unfollow them. Visit a friend’s Timeline and click the Following button to the right of their profile picture to Unfollow. Unfollowing means you’ll no longer see your friend’s updates in News Feed. Your friend will not be notified if you unfollow them.
Use Friend Lists
Click one of your friend lists on the left side of your homepage to see stories just from the people on that list.
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We hope you found this newsletter to be informative. It’s our way of keeping you posted on the happenings at our shop.
Thanks for your business!
Best regards,
Rob Marlowe, Senior Geek
Gulfcoast Networking, Inc
6335 Grand Blvd
New Port Richey, FL 34652
727-847-2424
(We have used our best efforts in collecting and preparing the information published herein. However, we do not assume, and hereby disclaim, any and all liability for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions resulted from negligence, accident, or other causes.)
©2014 Gulfcoast Networking, Inc
Portions ©2014 Cornerstone Publishing Group, Inc.