June « 2009 « Fresh Idea

29Jun/090

Just Opening that with New Windows

The Results Window setting is an important preference setting in my life. It consists of a single check box which, when checked, opens a Web page in a new window when you click a search result. This is a useful way of staying anchored in the search results page, from which you might want to sample several Web pages that match your keywords. Without this preference, your browser opens the Web pages in the same window that Google is in, forcing you to Back-button your way back to Google if you want to see the search results again. And if you drill deeply into a site, it becomes even more difficult to get back to Google.

If you dislike multiple browser windows cluttering your desktop, leave the Results Window box unchecked. If you prefer a hybrid experience in which you sometimes want to anchor at Google while exploring several search hits, leave the box unchecked and get in the habit of right-clicking search result links when you want a new window. Choose Open in New Window from the right-click (shortcut) menu that your browser displays.

If you use a browser that displays Web pages in tabs within a master window, such as Firefox, Netscape, or Opera, Google can still open results in a new window for you. The Google search aids in Firefox (one of which is built in to the browser and the other of which is a version of the Google Toolbar called Googlebar) also can be set to open Google’s search results in a new tab — my favored setting. But that setting works only when you enter keywords into the built-in Google keyword box or the Googlebar.

Filed under: Google No Comments

22Jun/090

Opening the floodgates

You can increase the number of search results that appear on the page, raising it from the default ten results. I think it’s a good idea, so I keep my preference set at the maximum , one hundred results per page. Google reminds you that shorter pages are displayed more quickly, which is a good point for people who hit the site for lightning-quick searches many times a day. Google’s results are so uncannily accurate that you might usually need only ten results. Still, I like the higher number because the long page of search results arrives more rapidly than shorter pages at competing search engines.

Furthermore, I have the impatient attitude of a demanding Web surfer, and I never like calling up a second page of search results. If the content I want isn’t on the first page of results, I usually try new keywords, so stocking the results page with one hundred hits gives me a better chance of quick success. You might not agree with my reasoning, in which case you should leave the number or results set to the default or choose a medium number of results from the drop-down menu.

Google is fast no matter how many results per page you request. The only thing that might hold you back is your modem speed. If you access the Internet using a high-speed connection (cable modem, DSL, corporate, or university connection), you might as well set the results number to 100 and be done with it.

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16Jun/090

Credit cards over the phone

Many companies use accept credit cards over the phone, and they find that profits are expanding because of the convenience their customers enjoy in being able to shop and pay from home or any other location where they can use a telephone to access your business and they did not need dress up to go shopping, they don’t have to find a babysitter, they need not put gas in the car, and they don’t have to worry about stopping at the bank for cash while en route to your establishment.

Applying for a small business merchant account or large business too is as simple as browsing the internet. Most financial institutions and reputed banks operate online. Going through miscellaneous of websites will make you give an idea about the rates offered by different banks or financial bodies in the market. Fill out the forms for Merchant Account Quotes. Compare the features, quotes, and all of the various merchant account providers and select a deal that suits the requirement of your business the best. Don’t forget to go through the terms of the contract thoroughly before agreeing to it. Once you decide how much it will cost to put in a phone ordering and payment system and what you will have to pay for a set-up, you will be able to negotiate a deal that will optimizes your assets without jeopardizing your investment.

Filed under: Technology No Comments

16Jun/090

How Google remembers your preferences

When you set preferences in Google, the site is customized for you every time you visit it, as long as you’re using the same computer through which you set the preferences. To provide this convenience, Google must place a cookie (a small information file) in your computer. The site and the cookie high-five each other whenever you visit Google, and then the site appears according to your settings. For this system to work, the reception of cookies must be turned on in your browser.

Some people are militantly anti-cookie, claiming that the data files represent an invasion of computer privacy. Indeed, some sites plant cookies that track your Internet movements and identify you to advertisers. The truth is, Google’s cookie is fairly aggressive. It gets planted when you first visit the site, whether or not you visit the Preferences page. Once planted, the Google cookie records your clicks in Google and builds a database of visitor behavior in its search results pages. For example, Google knows how often users click the first search result and to what extent they explore results lower on the page. Google uses this information to evaluate the effectiveness of its service and to improve it.

As to privacy, Google does indeed share aggregate information with advertisers and various third parties and even publicizes knowledge about how the service is used by its millions of visitors. The key word is aggregate. Google’s privacy policy states that individual information is never divulged except by proper legal procedure, such as a warrant or a subpoena, or by individual consent. The privacy policy is published on this page: www.google.com/privacy.html

I have no problem with the Google cookie or with cookies in general. The convenience is helpful, and I don’t mind adding to the aggregate information. It’s rather comforting being a data droplet in Google’s information tsunami.