o      Time for a Break...

     o      Seeing a Website in All it's Glory...

     o      Those USB Blues

     o      How To Improve Search Engine Rankings

     o      How's Your e-Shorthand?

     o      Netscape Comes Back Swinging

     o      'My Program Won't Work Anymore'

     o      Hot Tip - instant translation
________________________________________

TIME FOR A BREAK...
_________________________________________

SOMEHOW or other each issue develops a theme (quite
without forward planning I assure you) and this time the
emphasis seems to be on the browsers, websites and things.

This might be the time for you to consider downloading an
alternative browser - as part of the learning curve. If you are
still wedded to Internet Explorer you'll be surprised by the speed
of 'smaller' browsers such as Opera, not to mention the scope
of IE's main rival, Netscape. Pam Allen, a confirmed Netscape
fan, previews the latest version here.

Then Herman Drost discusses improving search engine ratings
and if you haven't got around to thinking about your own web page
- yet - file this away for future reference. I'm more than half
convinced, having found out the hard way, that one should start
considering the whims of search engines before you embark on any
sort of website - this is definitely a chicken before the egg type of
situation.

Of course we haven't concentrated on Internet angles totally.
There's also good advice about USB ports and those dreaded .dll files
which have a horrible habit of going AWOL.

Please don't forget to pay a visit to the NewbiesAndNitwits.com
where there is a new article, Message Board Basics 101 . While you're
there also have a look at our Internet page which includes articles on
Newsgroups, Chatrooms, Virtual Photo Albums, On-Line Auctions etc .

Naturally Message Board Basics 101 has been placed on the site, at this
precise moment, because I have an ulterior motive. To date only one
brave soul has actually posted a message on the NewbiesAndNitwits
Forum/Message Board. I'm hoping this will encourage the rest of you.
This is your opportunity to ask questions, and to let us know what
you like, or dislike... Let's have some feedback...please.
___________________________________

SEEING A WEBSITE IN ALL IT'S GLORY...
_______________________________________________

ALTHOUGH I don't believe in straining one's brain by trying to
remember too many keyboard shortcuts, I have recently fallen
in love with one of them.

The next time you are looking at a web page try hitting your F11
key and all those toolbars you've added to your browser will
miraculously disappear. You'll see the website in all it's glory -
the way the designer intended you to.

Toggling between Full Screen Mode and 'normal' view is very simple
(with F11) so all your precious toolbars remain within easy reach. You
can still fill in a password (with Roboform) or do a quick search (with
Google), but what a pleasure to surf without toolbars cramping one's
style continuously.

When you hit F11 using Internet Explorer the Full Screen Mode shows
one small toolbar at the top. If you want to remove this take your
cursor to this toolbar, right click and choose AutoHide from the menu.
To restore the toolbar hold the cursor over the area for a second or so.

If you really can't survive without toolbars you can also customise Full
Screen Mode by right-clicking on the top toolbar and selecting the toolbar
you can't live without. (This may not work in Opera where Full Screen
Mode initially shows no toolbars at all).

And if you can bear to recall another shortcut, Control+N will open a
new browser window - which can be useful at times.

Copyright 2002 Sheldene Chant.
____________________________________

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____________________________________

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__________________________________________

THOSE 'USB' BLUES
by Pam Allen
________________________________________________

MOST new computers come with USB ports, those long, narrow slots
that allow you to attach hardware components and 'hot swap' them. This
means that you run the install program for your new hardware one time,
but you can switch it out whenever you want.

For instance, you may have two USB ports, and own a USB printer,
camera, scanner, webcamera, etc. You install all your hardware, plug your
printer into one port (where it stays permanently), and you can easily
switch the other USB port between the other devices. Just unplug one, and
plug in the next one.

That's how it's supposed to work, anyway. My first USB device was a
scanner. It would install fine, and work fine, until I turned off the computer.
The next time I turned it on, I'd get an 'unknown device found' message. I
got really tired of having to reinstall the scanner everytime I wanted to use
it, so I finally called tech support. Apparently, even though they're enabled
at the manufacturer, sometimes USB ports aren't 'reading' the system
correctly.

The fix is actually quite simple, and will save you tons of headaches. Go to
Start->Settings->Control Panel and click on the 'System' icon. Open the
Device Manager tab, and scroll down the the section that says 'Universal
Serial Bus Controllers' and click the plus sign next to it. You should see a
few entries called 'USB root hub' and 'PCI to USB universal host controller'.

Select them one at a time and click the 'Remove button. Yes, you want to
completely remove those USBs from your system! Make sure you have
your Windows disk handy, and reboot. The system will tell you that it has
detected new hardware and is going to install it. It will ask for your
Windows disk to be inserted. Follow the instructions, and your USB ports
should perform correctly!

Even doing this, at times a USB device won't show up properly. My
scanner is still missing in action on occasion, even though the USB port
sees that it's there (I don't get the 'unknown device' message, the scanner
simply doesn't show as being 'on'.). In this case, I simply unplug the
scanner from the USB port, turn off the computer, plug it back in, and
reboot. Works like a charm!

(c)2002 Pam Allen
_________________________
Pam is co-webmistress at this site and has
another site, Quick Decor, which features
speedy and inexpensive decorating ideas.
_____________________________________

NN&N BACK ISSUES
To view the archives of Newbies, Nerds & Nitwits
visit NNandN Back Issues
________________________________________

HOW TO IMPROVE SEARCH ENGINE RANKINGS
by Herman Drost
_________________________________________

YOU finally got your web site listed in the major search
engines, however it is buried amongst millions of others and you
still have not seen an increase in traffic to your web site. Why
not? You need to improve your search engine rankings.

Here are the steps to increase your search engine rankings:

1. Check your listings
If you are going to see an increase in traffic to your web site,
you need to be listed in the top 20-30 sites. Go to
http://www.marketleap.com to see if you are listed
in the top 30 sites on the major search engines. If you are not
listed in them, you should at least submit your site to the
major search engines (read 'How to get listed in the major
search engines'. http://www.isitebuild.com/majorsearchengines).
If you are already in the top 10, then keep monitoring your
site's rankings to maintain your position. If you are not in the
top 30, continue with the next step.

2. Select the right keywords and phrases
Go to www.wordtracker.com or the overture suggestion tool
(http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion) to
find the most popular words and phrases that suit the theme of
your web site.

Weave these words and phrases into your meta tags (title,
description and keyword tags), web copy (particularly the first
200 words of your web page) and links (i.e. if your site is called
camping.com and you have a page for camping tools, name
the link www.camping.com/campingtools.htm, instead of
www.camping.com/generic.htm).

Optimize each web page with different keywords. Visitors can
then enter your site from different pages, depending on what
keyword they entered in the search engines.

3. Exchange reciprocal links
Search for other sites that compliment your own site and ask for
a link back to your site. Ideally the site should have the same
keyword phrase as yours and already have a high search engine
ranking. These are quality links.

Having many sites linked to yours, will increase the popularity
of your site in the search engines, resulting in a higher ranking.

4. Write articles
Choose your best keywords and weave them into
the theme of your articles. Include a link to your web site in
the resource box at the end of your articles. Submit your
articles to ezine publishers and article announcement lists.
This gives your article the potential to be read by thousands of
ezine subscribers. Your article will become linked to many web
sites, resulting in higher rankings.

5. Participate in forums
Find a forum that is related to the theme of your web site.
People visit these forums to look for content that answers
their questions. Once you have provided helpful information,
you can leave a link to your site in your signature file.
If this is a highly trafficked forum, leaving your link there,
will increase your site's popularity.

6. Monitor your rankings
The best way to check how your site is doing in the search
engines is to check your web site statistics. A high quality web
hosting service will show you which pages receive the most traffic
(hits and visits) and where it is coming from (which search engines).

7. Exercise patience
Search engines typically take one to three months to spider
your web site, so your changes will not be seen immediately.
Think of the steps outlined above, as a long-term marketing
strategy for your web site.

Tip
Generating a massive amount of traffic to your web site,
doesn't guarantee sales. Here is a short list of factors that
will also help convert your visitors into sales:

Professional site design
Well-written web copy
Fast loading times
Simple navigation
No broken links
Optimizing for different screen resolutions
Optimizing for the main browsers

As you can see, improving search engine rankings that result in
sales means the continuous monitoring and refinement of your web
site. Since 85% of your sites traffic (this is very targeted
traffic) comes from the search engines, it is well worth the
investment.

(c)2002 Herman Drost
_________________________
Herman Drost is a Certified Web Site Designer, owner
and author of iSiteBuild.com
Affordable Site Design, Hosting and Promotion Packages
http://www.isitebuild.com
___________________________

REGISTRY FOR NEWBIES
So you're not such a Newbie after all? Like to know what
makes Windows act the way it does? Then this ebook will
give you a quick, easy understanding of your PC's Brain. It's
called 'The Registry For Newbies' and you can read all about
it here
___________________________________

HOW'S YOUR E-SHORTHAND?
____________________________________

IAC - in any case
IAE - in any event
IANAL - I am not a lawyer
IC - I See
IMCO - in my considered opinion
IDK - I don't know
IK - I know
IMHO - in my humble opinion
IMnsHO - in my not so humble opinion
IMO - in my opinion
IOW - in other words
IRL - in real life
IS - I'm sorry
IWALU - I will always love you
IYKWIM - if you know what I mean

(More email acronyms in the
next issue)
__________________________________

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Editor´s note: When you click to rate it, make sure you
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_______________________________________

MS WORD MAGIC
Discover how to create stunning letters, presentations,
greeting cards, promotional materials, memos, reports
and more - just like the professionals. 'MS Word MAGIC'
another ebooklet from the Newbie Club is guaranteed to
delight Newbies and Not-So Newbies - and all for just
$9.95! Read about it Here

__________________________________________

NETSCAPE HAS COME BACK SWINGING
reports Pam Allen
__________________________________________

NETSCAPE comes back swinging. For some reason, I've always had a
fondness for Netscape, probably because I rather dislike the whole
Microsoft monopoly.

Although Netscape has been famous for its bugs and crashes (though, to
be fair, it never had near as many security holes as Internet Explorer), the
entire browser engine has been revamped with Netscape Preview Release
7.0.

It installs quickly and easily (once you get that massive download
accomplished!), and it imports your current Netscape bookmarks,
addresses, settings, and aol IM buddy list automatically. You can do a full
install to take advantage of the included programs and plugins, like IM and
Winamp, or you can choose to just install what you need.

It's incredibly stable, I've been running it for a few months now, and only
had it crash twice, both times when I was on sites that were opening
dozens of pop up windows. There are scads of new features, like the ability
to search from the address bar, and a nifty new tool that allows you to
highlight a word on any webpage, right click, and do a web search for that
word or phrase. How handy if you need to find related material!

Give it a try, I think you'll be really impressed!

Visit www.netscape.com to download this software

Miniumum System Requirements: Windows98
                                                   64 MB RAM
                                                   26 MB hard drive space

(c)2002 Pam Allen
_____________________________________

POIGNANT PEARLS & POTBELLIED PIGS - a
monthly ezine packed with original and amusing
articles, which will remind you not to take yourself
too seriously. Subscribe Here  or, if you're wary of
pigs in pokes, surf to www.sheldenechant.com to
find out more - and read the current issue.
______________________________________

'MY PROGRAM WON'T WORK ANY MORE!'
Tutorial from The Newbie Club
______________________________________

DLL, or dll, stands for Dynamic Linked Library. One of hundreds
of files that reside on your PC right now. They're shared by
multiple programs, and shouldn't be deleted unless you know
EXACTLY what you're doing.

In fact my advice is to leave them alone at all costs!

Sometimes, when a program won't work, you may get a scary
error message, telling you that a particular dll file can't be
found. That's why the program won't work - you're short of an
essential gear wheel to work the machine.

These dll files 'disappear' for a number of reasons, but to
reinstall it you may find the file you want at this site ...
http://dll.yaroslavl.ru/

It also has a tutorial on how to reinstall it.

Other sites exist like this. Just enter 'dll' into Google at
http://www.google.com and take your pick.

Copyright 2002 Roglan International
______________________________________

NEED A FRIENDLY, HELPING HAND?..
Frustrated and confused about PCs and the Internet?
Sick of feeling like a patronized, second class citizen?
The Newbie Club will treat you with the respect you
deserve and teach you all you need to know with their
revolutionary free Learning System. A visit to:-
- TNC - will change your PC and Net experience forever.

* ----------------------HOT TIP--------------------- *

YOU never know! One day you might need to translate
a document from French, Italian, Spanish, German, Russian
or Portuguese...If you are interested in instant translations,
without having to download software, then visit this site -
babelfish.altavista.com - where you can
simply paste in your text and click on 'Translate'.

* -----------------------HOT TIP---------------------- *

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    --------------------- Signature File----------------------

                  Editor/Publisher: Sheldene Chant
                   6 Strapp Lane, Amanzimtoti 4126,
                   KwaZuluNatal, South Africa.
                   mailto:sheldene@icon.co.za
________________________________________