People who have websites love to know how many people are coming to their site and how often. They also like to know more than that, they like to know who is coming to their station, where they came from, how they found the site, what kind of web browser they are using, etc…and StatCounter can provide you with this valuable information. The best fragment about StatCounter getting this information for you is that it won’t cost you anything except some simple code changes.
That’s right a StatCounter for you website that is totally free and easy to use. It is a free service but that doesn’t mean it isn’t without its limitations, they offer the free service with some good features in hopes you will one day decide to buy the upgraded services. The free services are ample for any hobbyist unprejudiced looking for some data tracking on their visitors, but if you have a website that gets millions of hits you might not want this product.
StatCounter is a simple web based program that uses a bit of code on your page to keep track of the information about your visitors. It is stored on a server located at (http://www.statcounter.com/) you can login to your registered tale and view the information. StatCounter gives you some great tools for searching through all of the website traffic info and finding the information you reflect important. Like I said before though its free version has some limitations like only allowing tacking of 250,000 hits a month. If you go over that you won’t get any of the data stored and wont know about these visitors. The log size is little to 100 logs which is pretty small if you get a large amount of traffic this objective won’t suffice.
If you have a simple website with limited traffic then the free version will work for you and it has some important data that can be helpful. StatCounter also won’t do any stupid advertisements on your website which is nice, nothing looks uglier than a web advertisement that you don’t want on your site. Once you create an account and fabricate some simple coding changes to your website you can start tracking the traffic your website creates. The online interface is clean, sharp and easy to use, you can get you traffic information snappily and easily. This is important because no one wants to spend hours trying to figure out how a program works and not understand what the program is displaying for you. The simple intuitive interface makes the program one of the best free online tracking programs around.
StatCounter like most other free software tools offers versions that are upgraded and are feature packed to give you more in-depth detail and information that could potentially be valuable. You will have to do some research and determine if the upgraded versions will better suite your website tracking needs. I have never used any of the software except the free version because I am cheap, but I am sure that they live up the expectations.
The website is easy enough to use, the login is fast and reliable, and if you are having issues you can contact their support team or search the FAQ for answers. So far using the program I have found the data tracked by StatCounter to be pretty useful. I found that about 98% of my web traffic is using IE 6 which from a programming stand point that comes in handy. You want to make sure your webpage is viewable in all formats including the lesser known web browsers such as Firefox and Safari.
The StatCounter free website data tracker is one I would suggest for users who want simplified data about users who visit their site. I wouldn’t suggest buying the upgraded versions without researching the products and checking what other options there are for traffic counters that cost money. So go try out the StatCounter free counter, it is free and doesn’t retract long to get up and running.
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Filed under Live Support Software by on Jan 27th, 2012. Comment. 
Id software has taken it’s Quake 3 engine, and transformed it into a web based game. You’ll have to go to www.quakelive.com and sign up. It is still in beta, but it looks like they’ve added assist for in game advertisements which will support it free after it is released.
After you sign up, you’ll have to download the browser plugin but it is automated and not difficult at all. Once that is installed you’ll be presented with a list of games that are being played at the moment inside your browser. To enter one of the games to play yourself, you’ll have to simply click on it.
You will immediately explore the game as being Quake 3 Arena, which is essentially what it is. Arguably you could say that this game is over 10 years old. There is one big contrast between Quake 3 and Quake Live. Quake Live keeps track of your stats and lets you rank against the other players.
This ranking system and statistics tracker goes very in depth. It keeps track of how many bullets you shoot for instance, and the accuracy with which you hit enemies. Along with the statistics, it also keeps track of special achievements that you rep while playing the game. In one example, if you shoot someone with a rocket while you are in the air, you’ll get an achievement. If you capture 3 flags during a capture the flag game, you’ll get an achievement. There are a lot of achievements you can get.
One other thing that is good about Quake Live is that it lets you run through an obstacle course and depending how well you do it will give you a personal expertise rating. Then when you are choosing a game to play, it will try to rank you with players of the same type of rating. The idea is to keep hardcore players from mingling with unusual players who are still learning. The only problem with this system is that you can choose which level you want to play and some of the higher skilled players sometimes come to the new player areas.
This game is very good if you’ve only got a limited amount of time to play. All you have to do is jump in, fight, then get out. While it is the same thing as Quake 3, it will appeal to the die hard Quake fans such as myself. If you never got into Quake but thought it was pretty neat this is your chance to test drive it out for free. If first person shooters do not appeal to you, you probably won’t like Quake Live.
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Filed under Live Support Software by on Jan 15th, 2012. Comment.
Five years ago, Microsoft released its latest and greatest generation of operating system, Windows XP, it was the first major operating system it had offered since Windows 98 and included a variety of pieces of software so that consumers would have more functionality in their computer out of the box. Microsoft will be doing the same thing with Windows Vista and bundling a number of free pieces of software designed to develop you more productive. Read on to know what software will already be on your computer when you install Windows Vista.
Microsoft will be retiring Outlook Express in Windows Vista and instead you will have a program called “Windows Mail.” The new software will feature a Bayesian SPAM filter, which is very effective at stopping spam over time. The mail client will come with a great new interface as well as a phishing filter which will help spot scam emails which are trying to steal your personal information for purposes of identity theft.
Entirely new to the operating system will be Microsoft Windows Calendar. The software will be able to read from and publish to web-based calendars so you can view your schedule from anywhere. The calendar software also features wait on for the “iCalendar” format.
Built into Windows Explorer will be a program called “Windows Photo Gallery,” which will do a lot of things that programs such as Google Picasa do. It is essentially a photo-album for your computer, and users will be able to sort, categorize, title and rate images.
Microsoft Windows Movie Maker will receive a welcome upgrade and will be able to burn DVDs of the movies you make with it through a program called Windows DVD Maker. The new version of the Movie Maker will feature a number of interface enhancements and additional effects.
Windows Media Center will come standard as part of Windows Vista. Previously it was only available through Windows XP Media Center Edition. The software helps you categorize and sort your music and movies, as well as allows you to watch and portray live TV with a video capture card. It acts as a “home entertainment hub” and works well on televisions.
And last but not least, we are getting new games! Microsoft decided that its fifteen year mature version of solitaire needed a revision, so it decided to re-do all of its included games with its advanced new graphics. New games added include Chess, Mahjong, and a title called “Purble Station,” which is a children’s game.
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Filed under Live Support Software by on Nov 30th, 2011. Comment.
Do you, as a fast growing Facebook group does, want to see an 88 year old Betty White hosting Saturday Night Live? If the Facebook group, which is named “Betty White to Host SNL (please? )!, has its map, you will. Started about a month prior to the Super Bowl, the group has snappy grown to over 360,000 users.
Think about this: a social media platform rallying for an 88 year old icon to host a 35 year old show. What does this all mean?
At a time when most people are winding down, or perhaps already wound down, Betty White is as hot as ever. With her scene stealing role in the wildly popular Super Bowl Snickers ad serving as the catalyst, Betty White is attend.
White has always been a approved actress. She is known to play roles in which not is all that it seems. Most notably, her very funny portrayals of sweet talking but dirty minded Sue Ann Nivens on the Mary Tyler Moore show in the 1970’s, and the naive but feisty Rose Nylund on the 1980’s hit show The Golden Girls, gave her the platform to both surprise and amuse.
The Snickers ad was in many ways an extension of that theme. It featured White playing football and being accused of playing like, well, White, until she act a Snickers bar and then she was transformed into a young athletic man. Having an 88 year old host what is quiet a young person’s show would continue that theme even further.
Still, with the average Facebook user too young to have watched the Mary Tyler Moore Show and probably just barely old enough to see Golden Girls during their respective runs, it seems a bit surprising that Betty White is being promoted through a grassroots Facebook effort to host Saturday Night Live.
So what is prompting all of this? An educated guess would be that the country still mired in a deep recession, with an uncertain future and constant geopolitical threats may be looking for a little ‘comfort food’ for their late night entertainment. Betty White represents the best of the past while simultaneously carrying a delighted appreciation for the present. Surely hardly any, if any at all, of the Facebook group’s participants know her personally, but the image she represents, of laughter, fun, and a comforting grandmotherly appeal could very well be the driver.
Could all of this be instructive to marketers and the media? Even a year ago, this type of movement likely would not have occurred. But Facebook provides a platform for the masses to make their voices heard quickly and forcefully, across entertainment and to support critical causes; a current grassroots effort on Facebook rose awareness for breast cancer, for example.
The bottom line is that the need for research and focus groups and surveys to pick things like guest hosts of a comedy show may be waning.
Who, after all, would have even a month ago understanding that perhaps Betty White might be a good choice to host Saturday Night Live? Well, apparently hundreds of thousands were so inclined. But until recently they could not so easily communicate that.
For her part, Betty White laughs off the suggestion that she ought to host Saturday Night Live. But then again, she said she would if asked. Lorne Michaels, logon to Facebook, please.
Source: Joe Tacopino, “Betty White, Facebook Star? Actress At Center of Campaign to Execute Her Host of Saturday Night Live“, nydailynews.com
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Filed under Live Support Software by on Nov 27th, 2011. Comment.
A new computer virus is causing a fear. The Conficker worm is believed to strike systems running Microsoft Windows on April 1st, April Fool’s Day. The Conflicker worm will not be your average April Fool’s Day prank, however.
What is the Conflicker worm, nicknamed the Microsoft virus?
The Conficker worm is being called the “Microsoft virus” by some. The Conflicker worm is especially dangerous because it allows remote code execution. The remote code execution will allow the hackers and the worm creators to access any computers that are infected. TheConflicker worm is a type of computer virus that spreads. What is slightly unusual about this one is the fact it has been attaching itself to portable memory drives, like a jumpdrive or USB memory drive. The Conflicker worm can spread to any computers in your network at home or at work.
How do you determine if your computer is infected with the Conflicker worm
According to Cnet.com, a expeditiously way to tell if your computer is infected with the Conflicker worm is to try to access the Web site of a major antivirus vendor, which the worm blocks. If you try to access anti-virus software website like McAfee, Symantec or Norton and you cannot, your computer may be infected with the Conflicker worm already. The Conflicker worm also blocks Microsoft updates.
What can you do to protect yourself from the Conflicker worm also known as the “Microsoft virus”
The most important thing you can do for your computer safety is keep up to date with all Microsoft updates and patches. Many people avoid the automatic Microsoft updates because they feel it is unnecessary. Always use the latest anti-virus software for your computer. Download the software from a reputable website or steal computer anti-virus software at a store. Never click on any popups that offer you a free virus check.
Microsoft offers a free Windows Live OneCare Safety Scanner that may be able to detect if your computer is infected with a virus or worm. McAfee has detailed information on what this “Microsoft virus” does to your computers and how you can detect and remove it. Recognize here for more information. Microsoft offers plenty of information on this latest computer threat here. Many computers users do not want to recall expensive anti-virus software and regret that choice once there computer has been infected. You can get a trial of free anti-virus software from Microsoft called Windows One Care here. You can also run the windows malicious software removal tool free at the Microsoft website.
This is not the first time a new computer virus or worm has cause widespread fear. In 2003, the Blaster worm caused a wide spread panic throughout the world. One of the virus writers responsible for the Blaster worm was arrested and is serving a jail sentence. Another worm in recent history was the Melissa worm. The Melissa worm infected mail systems and caused a mass shutdown from all of the activity. The person who created the Melissa worm was arrested and served time in jail.
Sources
Microsoft “Protect yourself from the Conficker computer worm”
Microsoft “Centralized Information About The Conficker Worm”
Microsoft “Virus alert about the Win32/Conficker.B worm”
McAfee “Protecting yourself from the Conflicker worm
Cnet “Conficker flaw reveals which computers are infected”
Wikipedia Blaster Worm information
Wikipedia Melissa computer worm information
Microsoft Free trial of Windows One Care
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Filed under Live Support Software by on Oct 26th, 2011. Comment.