Living a Digital Lifestyle Newsletter - May 9, 2009

LIVING A DIGITAL LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

Volume 1, Issue 61 May 9, 2009

Today's issue will be tips and articles all courtesy of Kim Komando. You can go to her website here. There will be several links that you can click on for yourself, to take you to different articles. I may include those articles in this newsletter, but then again, I may not. If I don't then you can follow the links yourself. If you happen upon a link that is closed to you, then that means you have to be a Kim's Club member to get access to that information. You can become a member very easily and the information is on the site. (By Kim Komando)

Post a slide show of photos to a blog

Q. My son recently competed in the Winter Special Olympics. I'd like to show off his accomplishments. I want to create a slide show from my photos of the event. Then, I want to put it on a blog for family and friends to view. Is this possible? How do I do it?
-Jenny in Salt Lake City, listening on KNRS 570 AM

A. Good for your son! I'm sure he had a blast at the Special Olympics. You certainly can put a slide show of your photos on a blog. This is a great way to share your photos. A slide show is much more engaging than pages and pages of photos.

There are different ways to create a slide show for the Web. I recommend using Google's Picasa and Picasa Web Albums. You can easily get your slide show up and going. Both Picasa programs are free. You'll find a download link for Picasa on my site. You can also learn more about Picasa Web Albums.

First, you will need to download the Picasa software for your computer. It is a great way to manage your photos. It scans your computer for photos. You can then organize your photos into albums. You can also synchronize albums with Picasa Web Albums. This service hosts your photos, making it easy to share them.

After you install Picasa, click File>>New Album. Name your album and create a description if you choose. Then click OK. Your album will appear in the left pane of Picasa. Now, find the photos you want to include in your slide show.

Copy the photos to the album

You can drag the photos one-by-one to the album. Or, you can select multiple photos by holding down the Ctrl key as you click. Then, drag one to the album. The rest will follow along. Note that the photos won't be moved from their original location. Rather, a virtual copy is placed in the album.

You will probably want to add captions to your photos. To do this, double-click a photo. You'll get a large view of the photo. There are also controls for making slight adjustments to your photos. Click directly below your photo and type your caption. Use the arrow keys at the top of the window to go to the next picture.

When you're done adding captions, click Back to Library. You're now ready to upload your photos to Picasa Web Albums. Before you do this, though, you need a Google account. If you don't have one, visit picasaweb.google.com. Click Create an Account and follow the prompts.

When you're done, return to the Picasa software on your machine. Find the album you created. You'll see some controls below the album name in the main window. To the right, you'll see a slider labeled "Sync to Web." Slide it to the right. When prompted, enter your Google user name and password.

Reorder the photos, if you like

Next, go back to the Picasa Web Albums site. You should see your album on your home page. Click it to open it. You'll see all the photos in the album. The captions will appear below each photo.

The photos appear in the order they will play in the slide show. You may want to change the order. In that case, click Edit>>Organize & Reorder. (Note: This option is not located on your browser's Edit menu. You want to click the Edit button directly above your photos.) On the next screen, simply click and drag to reorder the photos. Click Done when finished.

Picasa Web Albums gives you several options for your albums. You can make them public. Anyone can search for your photos and access them. If you make an album unlisted, it is difficult to find. But anyone who knows the address can view it. Sign-in is required. That restricts access to those you permit.

The slide show feature won't work if a sign-in is required. So, you'll want to make your album public or unlisted. On the album page in Picasa Web Albums, click Edit>>Album properties. Select your preference and click Save changes.

Create the slide show

Now that your album is online and properly ordered, you can create the slide show. This part isn't terribly intuitive. Click "Link to this album" on the right side of the window. Next, click Embed Slideshow.

In the box that opens, you can specify a few options. First, select the size for the slide show. Then, select "Show captions." Click the play button to preview the slide show. When satisfied, you can copy the code labeled "Embed slideshow."

Embedding the slide show on your site is much easier. All you need to do is paste the code in a blog post. Or, you can embed it in your site's sidebar, if you choose.

Of course, you may not have a Web site yet. That's okay. You can get a blog up and going in minutes. And it won't cost you a dime. Blogger, LiveJournal and WordPress 8 are three free blogging services. Your slide show will run on all of them.

Beware of debt management offers

Q. I picked exactly the wrong time to expand my business. And I did it with debt. Now, I'm having trouble making my payments. I received an e-mail today (Yes, it was spam.) for debt consolidation. Does this sound reasonable to you?
-John in Dallas, listening on Dallas KRLD 1080 AM

A. Debt isn't necessarily bad. But it can easily get out of hand. Runaway debt is a scary thing. If you find yourself in trouble, you may look for outside assistance.

There's nothing wrong with getting professional help. Credit-counseling and debt-consolidation services can be beneficial. But take a deep breath before jumping into anything. Unscrupulous businesses and criminals love desperate people.

I'm not qualified to give you financial advice. But I can tell you how to do your research. When looking for help, it's easy to fall for a seedy program.

Search engines are really useful. Googling "Debt Consolidation" turns up thousands of sites. That's great, right? The more options the better? Well, maybe not.

This may be one of the worst ways to find debt relief. You're going to run across flashy Web sites and big promises. You'll also find pages lined with ads. Large advertising budgets don't always equal the best services.

There are several kinds of debt services. It's important to understand what each can and can't do for you.

Debt Negotiation - These companies negotiate with your creditors. They claim to be able to lower your total debt. These services are real. But be prepared for upfront fees. And you'll likely see your credit score dented.

Also, this service attracts disreputable companies. They'll make wild claims, then take your money and run. They may never even contact your lenders. You'll find yourself even deeper in debt.

Debt Consolidation - These companies allow you to roll up all of your debt. Then you only have one, lower payment every month. This makes payments more manageable. But these lower payments will be stretched out over a longer period. You'll end up paying more in the long run.

There are unscrupulous debt consolidators. They will tack on large fees for their services. You may be charged high interest rates on your debt.

Debt Elimination - You'll also see offers to eliminate your debt completely. The idea is that somehow, credit lines are illegal. All it takes is a simple form to absolve you of debt. And these companies will provide the form for a fee. This is a scam. The concept simply isn't true. You have to pay back what you spent. Nothing will get you out of debt scot-free.

As you can see, there are real services and scam services. But even the real services can get you into trouble. You have to find a reputable company. But what is the best way to do that?

A credit-counseling agency can steer you in the right direction. But you also have to watch for dishonest credit counselors. So again, Google probably isn't the best place to start.

You'll want to look for a non-profit credit-counseling agency. In theory, these companies won't push specific services. Rather, they'll review your case and recommend the best solution.

Unfortunately, you can't just rely on the non-profit label. Some non-profit agencies have questionable practices. There are several features a good credit-counseling agency should have. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has a rundown of what to look for. But I'll cover some highlights here.

The agency you choose should be both licensed and accredited. All states have a licensing process. But it is voluntary in some states. Nonetheless, the agency you choose should be licensed.

Two organizations certify the practices of credit-counseling agencies. They are the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) and the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies (AICCCA). These accreditations are voluntary. But the agency you choose should have one or both. Visit their sites for lists of member agencies.

You'll want a personalized approach. Everyone's financial situation is unique. Cookie-cutter plans don't produce the best results. You'll want the counselor to review your situation in detail. And then you want a solution tailored to your specific needs.

A good agency will help with more than your accounts. These agencies offer debt-management and budgeting education. They're going to do more than get you out of debt. You'll get the skills to stay out of trouble. This is an important step many people overlook.

It's a buyer's market

It's been a rough year for the housing market. Home values have dropped drastically. And stiff lending requirements are stifling sales.

But there are signs that the market may be bottoming. Many hope home values will recover. They may put off selling.

However, this is a great time for buyers. The housing dollar goes a lot further these days.

So, maybe you're looking to buy your first home. Or, maybe you would like to invest in real estate.

In that case, head to Roost. It will help you find properties for sale in your area. You can view pictures and maps. Or contact an agent to learn more.

Roost doesn't list homes in all markets. But it is working on expanding its listings. If your area isn't covered, be sure to check back.

Roost is free to use. However, foreclosure listings redirect to a third-party site. You will need to pay for information on the foreclosures.

TO VISIT TODAY'S COOL SITE, GO HERE:
www.roost.com

Solving a DVD-burning problem

Q.I recently bought a new laptop running Vista. Now I'm having trouble burning photos to DVD. The discs I create will not play in a standalone DVD player. They play on a computer, though. I have tried different types of DVDs. Can you help?
-Jerry in Winslow, AZ, listening on KVNA 600 AM

A.I remember the early days of DVD burning. The kind of disc mattered. For example, some machines only accepted DVD-Rs. Others required DVD+Rs. You would encounter the same problems with standalone players.

These days, disc type matters much less. Most computers accept a variety of disc types. And the discs should be compatible with most modern standalone players.

Instead, we have a new complication: Vista. Vista introduced the Live File System. This is a new format for writing CDs and DVDs. It isn't compatible with all burners. And it can cause problems with standalone players.

In comparison, Windows XP uses the Mastered format. All machines should read these discs. They also have fewer problems with standalone players.

This problem has a simple solution. Click here and I'll explain.

When your phone just can't make the call

Paul wrote from St. Louis. He just signed up for a family cellular plan. He, his wife and daughter all got brand-new phones. And all of them are the same model.

His wife is using her phone without any trouble. However, he and his daughter are experiencing problems. The reception isn't great, and calls get dropped frequently. He would like some help.

There is a chance that two phones are duds. But that is doubtful.

The problem could be with your provider. For example, many people have trouble using phones in their homes. There's an easy way to rule this out. See if your wife gets better reception somewhere you can't get a signal. If that's the case, you may want to consider a different provider. Or, there are ways you can improve reception in your home. My tip will help.

But I suspect the culprit is firmware. Firmware is hardware that is built in to hardware. Manufacturers often update firmware to fix problems. Your wife probably got a phone from a batch with newer firmware.

Fortunately, you can update your phone's firmware. Call your service provider. You may be able to update over the phone. If not, visit the provider's store.

Updated firmware can improve more than just cell phones. It can help with just about any gadget. For example, learn how it can improve your camera.

Copyright 2009 WestStar TalkRadio Network. Reprinted with permission. No further republication or redistribution is permitted without the written consent of WestStar TalkRadio Network. Visit Kim Komando and sign up for her free e-mail newsletters at:www.komando.com

That's all for today's edition, folks.

Until next time -

Digitally yours,

Andrea