Tip #43 - Making Word Clouds

100 Computer Tips in 100 Days

Tip #43 - Making Word Clouds

I think you’ll enjoy this easy and fun project that will impress friends and family.

The Flintstones Word Cloud

A word cloud is a collection of words displayed creatively. It was initially used to show visually the frequency of words on a web page and was a tool in optimizing it for search engines. Search engines rate a page by these word frequencies and store them in their databases and use them when you are doing a webpage search. The more frequently a word appears on a webpage, the larger the font size for that word. Now word clouds are used for many reasons, including creating unique gifts for special events. An internet search for “word clouds” will yield many websites. The results shown here were created using the website www.tagxedo.com.

Word list for the Word Cloud.
Note how multiple words are
connected using a tilde (~).

You can create a word cloud by typing a list of words in a word processing program – any problem will do – and copying and pasting them into the tagexdo website or by typing them directly in on the website. In the Fred Flintstone example shown here, I typed the words into a word document. My list included all of the main characters in the TV program as well as some associated terms. For names or multi word terms use the tilde key to create a non-breaking word, for example Fred~Flintstone. The tilde key is above the Tab key and to the left of the number 1 key. Don’t forget to use the Shift key to access it.

When you’re finished creating the list, select the text (Ctrl/Command + a) and copy it (Ctrl/Command + c).  Open your browser and go to www.tagxedo.com. Click the Create button to open the creation window. Click the Load button and paste your list (Ctrl/Command + v) in the Enter Text box and then click the Submit button.

Now the fun begins. Use the controls on the left to change color themes, font, and other options. Experiment with the shape control to force your word cloud into different shapes. You can even upload a shape to customize the word cloud. In my example I used a dinosaur picture for my word cloud. When you’re finished, click the Save option to save and print your creation or the Gift button to create amazing gifts.

Have fun creating your own word clouds.

My book, 100 Amazing Computer Tips - Shortcuts, Tricks, and Advice to Help Everyone from Novice to Professional, is available NOW at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble in both print and ebook formats. There's also a handy link on top right side of this window.

Happy computing!

Diane

Don't forget to click the Subscribe to 100 Computer Tips in 100 Days via email link on the right side of the screen so you get email alerts when Diane adds a new post.

Tip #42 - Google Translate Tool

100 Computer Tips in 100 Days

Tip #42 - Google Translate Tool

Have you ever wanted to write a note for someone using a language other than the one you speak? Google has made it easy for you to accomplish this.

In any web browser type the address: “translate.google.com”. You will see two side by side boxes. In the left box, type the text you need translated in your native language. Google will try to automatically detect the language you are using. As you type the text in the left box, it is being translated in the right box. If Google isn't translating it into the correct language, use the To: box to identify the language to use for the translation.

Hover above a word or phrase in the translated text to see alternative suggestions. You can even hear your translation by clicking on the speaker below the translated text.

Since my language skills are pretty shaky even in English, I can’t vouch for the quality of the translations but they've got to be better than my high school foreign language skills.

My book, 100 Amazing Computer Tips - Shortcuts, Tricks, and Advice to Help Everyone from Novice to Professional, is available NOW at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble in both print and ebook formats. There's also a handy link on top right side of this window.

Happy computing!

Diane

Don't forget to click the Subscribe to 100 Computer Tips in 100 Days via email link on the right side of the screen so you get email alerts when Diane adds a new post.

Tip #41 - Facebook Privacy Settings

100 Computer Tips in 100 Days

Tip #41 - Facebook Privacy Settings

The question I’m asked most about Facebook is, “who can view my information.” If you haven’t changed the default settings on Facebook the answer is that everyone can see all of your information. They can’t change it but they can access your timeline and pictures and see who your friends are. If you are troubled by this, let me tell you where you can change these default settings.

 Because Facebook has been criticized in the past for making these settings hard to find, they have added a privacy icon that is available to you all the time in the upper right side of your Facebook screen. Click the privacy lock and you’ll see Privacy Shortcuts such as: Who can see my stuff? Who can contact me? and How do I stop someone from bothering me? Click on the down arrow to adjust these settings. For more settings click the See More Settings at the bottom of the pull down list.

Setting most things to “Friends” will prevent anyone who isn’t your friend from seeing the information. It is a good practice to review these settings periodically because the Facebook people are known to change the defaults periodically. 

Keep reading my blog for information about setting up Facebook lists.

My book, 100 Amazing Computer Tips - Shortcuts, Tricks, and Advice to Help Everyone from Novice to Professional, is available NOW at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble in both print and ebook formats. There's also a handy link on top right side of this window.

Happy computing!

Diane

Don't forget to click the Subscribe to 100 Computer Tips in 100 Days via email link on the right side of the screen so you get email alerts when Diane adds a new post.

Want more tech news or interesting links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Diane McKeever, the writer of 100 Computer Tips in 100 Days, by subscribing to her Facebook posts or visiting her web page, www.dianemckeever.com . 

Tip #40 - FREE Microsoft Office Alternatives

100 Computer Tips in 100 Days

Tip #40 - Microsoft Office Alternative - Apache OpenOffice and LibreOffice

Many of my clients do not need all of the power that’s packed into Microsoft Office’s suite of software. If you fall into this category then you should consider downloading and using Apache OpenOffice from www.openoffice.org.  or LibreOffice from www.libreoffice.org. Both programs are offshoots from the original OpenOffice program. Apache OpenOffice is supported by IBM developers and LibreOffice is supported by freelance volunteers. Both are similar to Microsoft Office but they are FREE!

Both programs contain a word processor, a spreadsheet, a presentation application, a drawing application, a formula editor, and a database management application. You can seamlessly open, save, share and edit Microsoft Office files. The latest version of Apache OpenOffice was released in May 2012 and over 30 million copies were downloaded by the end of 2012. Libreoffice also has seen considerable success having been downloaded over 7.5 million times between January 2011 and October 2011.

So if you are one of those people who want to get away from what seems like Microsoft’s monopoly on office-type software, consider downloading and using Apache OpenOffice or LibreOffice.

My book, 100 Amazing Computer Tips - Shortcuts, Tricks, and Advice to Help Everyone from Novice to Professional, is available NOW at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble in both print and ebook formats. There's also a handy link on top right side of this window.

Happy computing!

Diane

Tip #39 - Navigating Through Documents

100 Computer Tips in 100 Days

Tip #39 - Navigating Through Documents

Here are a few really easy keyboard shortcuts to help you navigate to the top or bottom of a document. This also works if you are viewing a webpage and have scrolled down and want to get to the top of the page quickly.

Ctrl (Command in Apple world) + Home (the Home key on your keyboard) will get you to the top of the document

Ctrl (Command) + End will get you to the end of your document

You can also use the Home and End keys to get to the beginning or end of a line of text. I like to use the End key after I have edited a word in my email or word processing document to get to the end of the line so I can continue writing my message.

The Home and End keys may be hard to find but they are there! Look on the right side of your keyboard. If you have full sized keyboard the Home and End keys should be in the section between the alpha keyboard and the numeric keypad. If you have a laptop or a smaller keyboard you’ll probably see them along the top right side. 

Happy Computing!

Diane

Buy my book at Amazon.com. It's only $14.99 and it's packed with 100 Amazing Computer Tips! They're nicely organized and really easy to follow.

Don't forget to click the Subscribe to 100 Computer Tips in 100 Days via email link on the right side of the screen so you get email alerts when Diane adds a new post.

Want more tech news or interesting links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Diane McKeever, the author of 100 Computer Tips in 100 Days, by subscribing to her Facebook posts or visiting her web page, www.dianemckeever.com . 

Tip #38 - Managing Friends Posts on Facebook

100 Computer Tips in 100 Days

Tip #38 - Managing Friends Posts on Facebook - Unfollow not Unfriend

I’m sure you love your Facebook friends, well at least most of them, but there are some things  they post that I’m just not that interested in, such as  the high scores they get or their need for flowers, animals or buildings in the latest game craze. Have you ever considered unfriending someone just so you can be free of hourly updates? But you don’t need to do that.  There is an alternative.

When you see one of these posts move your mouse over the post itself. You will see a little down facing arrow or a V in the upper right side of the post. Move your mouse on the arrow and click. From the menu click on unfollow. You will never see another post from that person on your News Feed. If you'd like to see what they've been posting you can always go to their timeline. While there you can click the Follow button to again see their posts. Now, isn't that better than unfriending?

Another option available is "Hide". You can use this to hide all of those Candy Crush updates that friends share with you. When you see one of these posts use the same option menu to choose Hide. This  post will be hidden and you will be given options about hiding future posts that are similar from this game or news feed. By choosing the game feed you will be able to view the posts from that person, but not the game feeds. Whew! Did that cut down the number of posts you have to view? Now you won't be getting Candy Crush updates from any of your friends..

This tip and 99 more are in my book, 100 Amazing Computer Tips. It makes a great present and is only $14.99 for a print version or $7.99 for an ebook!  

Happy Computing!

Diane

Buy my book at Amazon.com. It's only $14.99 and it's packed with 100 Amazing Computer Tips! They're nicely organized and really easy to follow.

Don't forget to click the Subscribe to 100 Computer Tips in 100 Days via email link on the right side of the screen so you get email alerts when Diane adds a new post.

Want more tech news or interesting links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Diane McKeever, the author of 100 Computer Tips in 100 Days, by subscribing to her Facebook posts or visiting her web page, www.dianemckeever.com . 

Tip #37 - Picasa Photo Organizer

100 Computer Tips in 100 Days

Tip #37 - Picasa Photo Organizer

Picasa is a free program from our friends at Google (www.picasa.google.com). It is a terrific program to help you organize, edit and share all of those pictures you have downloaded from your camera. It is easy to download the program and the download page has lots of pictures to guide you through the process.

People are often concerned about where Picasa moves their pictures. Unlike other programs, Picasa does NOT move your pictures. It merely displays the pictures that already exist somewhere on your computer. When you use Picasa, the folder that the pictures are stored in is listed on the left side of the screen and thumbnails of the pictures are on the right side of the screen. When you single click a folder the thumbnails of the photos in that folder will appear at the top of the preview area. You can also use the scroll bar on the right side of the screen to scroll through your pictures.

If you see any pictures that are misfiled, you can drag the pictures from the thumbnail area on the right to the folder listed on the left. When you release the mouse button a window will appear confirming your movement. If you see any pictures you would like to delete, click the picture and press the delete key on your keyboard.

One of the best features is the ability to edit pictures. When you double click on a picture you are in the editing screen. Play with the editing tools until you are happy with the revised picture. Then choose Save from the File menu. You will see a box that alerts you to the fact that Picasa saved the unchanged original of the picture as well as the revised copy. It is important that you save your changes because unsaved changes are displayed on the screen but will not be implemented if you upload this picture for use in sharing or project creating. 

Apple users may point out that they have iPhoto and don’t need Picasa. I believe Picasa is considerably better than iPhoto. Give it a try and see if you don’t agree.

Happy Computing!

Diane

Buy my book at Amazon.com. It's only $14.99 and it's packed with 100 Amazing Computer Tips! They're nicely organized and really easy to follow.

Don't forget to click the Subscribe to 100 Computer Tips in 100 Days via email link on the right side of the screen so you get email alerts when Diane adds a new post.

Want more tech news or interesting links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Diane McKeever, the author of 100 Computer Tips in 100 Days, by subscribing to her Facebook posts or visiting her web page, www.dianemckeever.com .