You Probably are Overpaying to Keep Your Computer Secure

03/29/2012

 
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Some of you over the holidays received a computer for a gift.  If you received a PC as opposed to a MAC you probably got a trial version of a program to secure your computer against viruses, spyware, etc.  Once this trial period is up (usually after 30 days), you need to pay to renew this program.  The cost of this can be as much as $80 per year.

If your computer is for personal use or you use it for a very small business, you do not need to pay for internet security. There is free security software that you can use instead.  Some of it is good.  Some not as good.  Assuming that you keep your computer for 5 years, you are paying $400 to protect it that you can avoid spending.  Save $$$.  I use security software from a highly respected company.  It is legal and not a pirated copy.  Computer Concierge NY LLC can install this on your computer too.  Given an $80 per year charge for security software once the trial period ends, my cost to you to install it will pay for itself in less then a year.  If you expect to keep your computer 5 years, our cost to install will pay for itself several times over the life of your computer.  Did I mention, the software is absolutely free?

Have a new computer and unsure how to set it up?  There is more to setting up a computer than taking it out of the box and following the online instructions.  Our costs for a basic computer set up can save you as much as $300 over the life of your computer assuming you are keeping it for 5 years.  The set up includes the same free security software used on my computer.  The $300 savings more than doubles the costs to set up your computer.

One other thing.  A major consumer electronics retailer that sells and services computers will not tell you of this free software.  If they install your computer, their costs to you will be higher than what we charge.  They will not install this free software for you.  They will likely try to sell you what you do not need.  They have done it to friends and customers of mine. They tried to do it to me.

If you have questions about this or other technology issues I can be reached at 917.572.3468.  I look forward to saving you money.  I also can train you to make better use of your technology.

 

GCF Learn Free

06/06/2011

 
For those wanting to learn a new subject or brush up on a new one, GCFLearnFree.org is a good site to start.  With courses on subjects like computer software (particularly Microsoft Office), everyday life, money, and career this is a good place to go to for free courses. You can study at your own pace and there are accompanying videos that aid in your grasping the subject and greatly support the content taught. You also can register for courses given online that are graded by instructors. These instructors also will also provide help and feedback as well. You can finish these courses in a few days or up to 4 weeks. Upon completion for these you are awarded a certificate of completion.  You are not awarded a certificate for completing the self paced courses. There are also some good GCF videos on YouTube as well.  See link:  http://www.youtube.com/user/gcflearnfree

Some of these courses are very basic like "Cash Back".  Others like the ones for the various editions of Microsoft Office Excel and Microsoft Office Access are more involved.  By creating an account you are able to see what courses you have taken or are in the process of taking.  Courses that are more involved have various sections and a challenge at the end of each section. What I like about the Microsoft Office courses are that they are not only offered for the current version but for several previous versions. It is not necessary to be using the current version to get instruction that is meaningful for you. For those who are beginners with regards to computers, their Computer Basics course is useful and informative.  Most of their courses are computer related. Their Facebook page notes that  they provide "innovative online learning opportunities to anyone who wants to improve their technology, literacy, and math skills."

You may wonder how are they able to do this for free. GCFLearnFree.org is supported by the Goodwill Community Foundation. GCFLearnFree.org serves to support the educational mission of the Goodwill Community Foundation which is "to create and provide education, employment, and life enrichment opportunities for people who desire to improve the quality of their lives" as per the GCFLearnFree.org site. It certainly is a good site to go to for your lifelong education.
 

What the Internet Has Made Free

05/23/2011

 
Since the internet, there are things that are now free that you used to pay for.  Some of these include items where a savings has made it free. An example is writing a letter that costs $0.44 to mail but sending an email is free as you have no postage.  So here are just a few things that used to cost but are now free online:
  1. Skype - you can videochat with anyone who also has a Skype account anytime, anywhere for free.  No more tracking message units, long distance phone calls, etc.  Yes there are other videochat sites.  I am using Skype since it is so well known.
  2. Newspapers-  yes more and more newspapers are moving to a paid service online.  That said, there are still many that you can access for free.  
  3. Directory assistance - at one time this was entirely free then for local calls a charge was added.  You can access sites like anywho.com and whitepages.com to get phone numbers for free.
  4. Paying bills - most banks allow to to pay checks online for free.  No postage costs or paying for checks.  Plus you can set up automatic payments that save you time.  The checks are automatically written at a time interval you specify.
  5. News, weather, sports - no more calling a 900 number or other number for which you were charged.  This up to date information can be obtained on the internet.
  6. Dictionary and Thesaurus - this also saves on space.  You can access definitions and synonyns at sites like Dictionary.com or Thesaurus.com
  7. Your personal phonebook - can be put on sites like Gmail, Yahoo, etc.  No need to buy a phone book.  Further, you do not need to worry about losing your phonebook and losing all contacts.  You can access it anywhere you have internet access.
  8. Trip planning - Get routes on google maps.  Purchase and print tickets and boarding passes. Flight status is online. You used to need to be a member of AAA to get their triptik online.  Now you can go to their site and download a triptik at no charge which you can print even if you are not a member of AAA. Further you can get quite a bit of travel information online that you used to have to pay for.
  9. Photo sharing - no longer need to pay for extra pictures for friends and relatives.  You can send pictures via email or photo sharing sites like snapfish.com or yorkphoto.com.  
  10. Historic weather data from the Farmers Almanac. 
  11. Encyclopedia - wikipedia.com and http://www.encyclopedia.com/ have made that encyclopedia collection your parents had just about obsolete and a lot less expensive.  Plus they free up space around the house for other things.
  12. About.com is a great source of reference for which a lot you previously had to pay for. 
  13. Sales tax - although this is changing, depending on where you live you may save sales tax by ordering something online.
  14. Shipping & handling - see sales tax above.  Due to online price comparisons, companies may waive shipping charges on certain items or if an order is greater than a certain amount.
  15. Movie showtimes - the cost was either a newspaper or a phone call.  Now free online along with reviews.
  16. Accounting software - GnuCash is a free accounting software program for small business usage. QuickBooks has a basic program that is also free.
  17. Money management - mint.com 
  18. Ecards - rather than buying and mailing birthday cards, anniversary cards, etc you can now send someone an ecard.  There are still those that are free plus you also save postage.  I would not send a sympathy card as an ecard but this post is about things that are now free not how to do a card on the cheap.  
I am sure there are other things that the internet has made free that you at one time paid for.  Any additions to this list are welcomed and if I get enough will publish them in a future blog giving you credit.  
 

Take College Courses Online for Free

05/06/2011

 
On the web there are many good sites for learning to put it mildly. But did you know you can take college courses online for free? For some of these you can listen online to prerecorded lectures/discussions. http://www.ocwconsortium.org/ has a listing of courses online.  MIT has courses there as well on  http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm . Another good site is http://www.apple.com/education/itunes-u/whats-on.html. The latter has mainly courses on audio. Among other colleges having open courseware are Tufts, Notre Dame and Yale a pretty good selection to say the least.  Just do a google search for "opencourseware".  Best of all they are free! A lot also have downloadable handouts as well. You also can search on youtube.com for lectures and courses.  Type the name of the college or university followed by lectures or courses and see the selection available. A good way to continue your lifelong learning with no admissions application, tuition, fees or other costs.
 
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