Technically Easy

Category: Internet

All posts that are related to various aspects of the Internet can be found within this group.

A Few Ways to Enhance YouTube Experience

The new generation of internet users is probably unaware that there was a time when YouTube did not exist. Well, this is true, but given how popular the platform has become, such a train of thought is probably understandable.

Despite being around for many years, YouTube continues to exceed the expectations of their audience and is constantly introducing great new features. However, some of them go under the radar for the majority of us.

The website has a lot more to offer, and if you are interested in learning about it, then be sure to continue reading this article.

Video downloading

There are instances where you would like to be able to watch video offline, or it might disappear from YouTube without any prior notice. The solution is quite simple – downloading directly to your device.

You see questions like How to download YouTube videos on Mac appear quite a few times. The device of your choice is not that important because you either use downloading software or a browser. Of course, there is an option to subscribe to YouTube Red and download videos that way, but few people are willing to pay money for it.

Keyboard shortcuts

This one is meant for those who prefer to use their keyboard more than their mouse. You have a few shortcuts for YouTube as well.

Pressing M will mute and unmute the video, Spacebar will pause and resume, L skips the video, J rewinds it.

Kids version

Photo by Robert Collins on Unsplash

If you have children who already spend time on the internet, try to redirect their attention to something more educational and kid-friendly.

YouTube seems to be invested in making more entertainment for their young audience, and such an initiative can only be commended.

Virtual reality

Have you ever wanted to experience the world of videos in an entirely different setting? If so, then you should definitely try out virtual reality. That is right. Even YouTube has entered the world of VR.

While the feature is still in development, you can definitely expect to see it getting more upgrades in the future. YouTube will not allow themselves to fall behind on this one, as they see a lot of potential in virtual reality.

Watching videos later

Whenever you are unable to watch the video, you can always add it to the “watch later” list. It helps if you are unable to remember the name, but would want to see it again in the future.

Movies

Photo by Denise Jans on Unsplash

Streaming services like Netflix has made a massive impact on the world of entertainment. Accessing a lot of content for a monthly subscription fee is quite appealing.

YouTube has also decided to introduce something similar. They now have a movie section which allows you to watch it not just old releases, but films that are currently in theaters. Of course, they do not have every single movie available, but any cinema enthusiast can get his or her money’s worth by becoming a member of YouTube movie services.

Captions

Turning the captions on allow watchers to better understand the context of the video. Not everyone is fluent enough to understand every word spoken, and reading subtitles is of great help to them.

Captions are either computer-generated or written by real people. It is inevitable that it will have some mistakes, but it would be a disservice to captions to say that it has any noticeable drawbacks.

Dark theme

If you cannot stand the light while browsing YouTube when it is dark in your room, switch to the dark theme. It is not something exclusive to the platform, but a lot of users have been asking for this feature to be introduced.

Timestamp of Videos

Photo by Lukas Blazek on Unsplash

Would you like to share a particular time of a video rather than making someone watch the whole thing? If so, you can copy the URL with a timestamp of your choice by right-clicking your mouse on the video. The copy of the URL will have a timestamp when you paste it.

To conclude, if you are still new to YouTube or have not bothered to move past only watching the videos, consider trying out at least one of these features. Who knows, it might be the thing to make you like the website even more.

July 26, 2019
10 Must-Have Instagram Tools for Event Marketers

When you’re an event marketer, you need to have a strong social media presence. Sure, there’s still nothing as effective as making connections in person and getting clients via word of mouth recommendations, but you still need social media to do the rest of the work for you. The thing about social media, though, is that that’s work, too. And having to balance posting on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can get overwhelming. Especially if you’re just starting out, it can feel like re-inventing the wheel.

Luckily, there are some great tools you can use to make your life easier. Socialrocketer published their top Instagram tools list, and we’ve written one up specifically for event marketers. So if you want your Instagram account to be as powerful as possible, read on.

1. MagicSocial

For an Instagram account to be successful, you need lots of followers. Once you have many of them, others will naturally start following you, too. But getting followers on your own doesn’t just cut it anymore, not with all that competition. That’s why MagicSocial is such a great tool that gets you the followers you need, fast. As of October 2017, Instagram already had 77 million users in the US – and using this tool is a great way to get them following you!

2. Hashtagsforlikes.co

If you want your event marketing Instagram to be successful, you need to use the right hashtags so that followers looking for your events and potential industry connections can find you. But doing hashtag research to find out what’s trending takes a lot of work. Instead, use Hashtagsforlikes.co to do that for you while you focus on making your content as awesome as possible.

3. SocialSteeze

Follower automation services are a must-have in today’s Instagram world. And according to Hackernoon, SocialSteeze is “a tool that helps you get real followers for Instagram, making it easy to get more followers, grow your Instagram, and in turn, grow your business.”

4. Buffer

If you have lots of social media profiles–which you should, if you want to run a successful business–then Buffer is great. This tool allows you to share content to at least 10 social media profiles and helps you manage the scheduling of your posts, too. 80 percent of Instagram users follow a business on the platform–so why not use this tool to get them to follow you, too?

5. Planagram

Any robust social media plan is going to have many posts planned in advance. If you have a strategy for when you’re going to post the different events you manage, so that you can show off the bachelor parties and weddings that have gone great, use Planagram to schedule up to 10 images at once.

6. Grum

If you have a lot of large files you’re working on that take a long time to upload to a phone, or you simply prefer to work on a computer instead of on a small device, Grum is a great tool. You can work directly from a computer instead of having to write those long captions on a tiny screen keyboard.

7. Collec.to

If you like the idea of running Instagram contests and campaigns–for example, some free swag in exchange for the best picture of one of your events–then Collec.to is a must-have tool. Additionally, you’ll get metrics with this tool that is available both for free and with paid versions.

8. Over

If you like having cool quotes placed over images, then Over is a great tool. They’ve got lots of free photos and beautiful fonts and templates that allow you to get as creative as you want. Considering that 73 percent of Instagram users purchased a product they saw on Instagram, using the right tools will help you succeed.

9. Socialgoneviral.com

Socialgoneviral.com is another app that gets followers fast, which means that once they get you some, you’ll start seeing more followers immediately.

10. Repost

If you want to post another user’s content on your profile–for example, a happy customer in the middle of one of your events–the Repost tool makes this possible. And you can automatically quote the original poster, which means more engagement, too. 97 percent of advertisers chose Instagram as their most liked and most useful social media platform, so just imagine how powerful your social media presence will be by using tools like Repost.

These are some of the best tools you can use as an event marketer making your Instagram as effective as possible. What other tools are you using to stand out on social media?

February 15, 2019
Use Google to Perform a Reverse Phone Lookup: Quick Tips

First of all, we need to talk about reverse phone lookup and what is that. This is a way to keep track of the numbers that call you, by typing it on a search engine to see who’s the called.

There are many ways in which you can find who’s calling you on the web. We’re going to talk how to use Google for this purpose. Keep reading this article and find out more.

There are so many pieces of info you can find out by using Google; it’s actually gold. Until 2010, Google has a phonebook search operator which could’ve made your life easier. But in 2010, Google got rid of it, because many people found themselves in it and wanted out.

It’s not as easy as it was before to find a person now by performing a reverse phone lookup, but Google might still come in handy. Here’s how:

Type the whole number and the area code.

The number phone will appear listed at lots of different phone directories. It might be difficult at first, but if you have patience, you will find the one you need.

If the number is of a business, the business is the first one to appear in the first results. If the number is of a household, you probably won’t get the address that comes with it. However, if that person has their number on the internet somewhere (maybe a social media platform?), then the number will show up with a person.

If you have the name of the person…

….type it in the search bar, together with their zip code. This is how you can find out their phone number, address, and even a map from Google Maps with their address – however, keep in mind that, if the address was not made public, then it might not show up in the search results.

Remove yourself from the Google phone directory.

As we mentioned above, Google doesn’t have a public phone book listing anymore, but the information is still there, so you might want it to remove it from the directory.

What you need to do it visit the Google Legal Removal Requests page to read all the necessary info. When you choose to remove from the directory, you need to remember that you won’t remove it from the entire internet.

Is it successful to do this?

Many people don’t have any kind of reason to complain about the reverse phone lookup methods used on Google, but you should keep in mind that it’s a difficult thing to do, and you might not always find the results you want, especially if the number is unlisted.

November 26, 2018
Amazon Receives Cease and Desist Notice From eBay

Amazon has received a legal letter from eBay as a cease and desist notice. The notice stated that Amazon’s staff had contacted eBay merchants with the intention of getting them to defect. It’s alleged that Amazon’s staff has communicated with eBay sellers through eBay’s My Messages internal system.

Based on the Wall Street Journal, eBay accused Amazon of poaching sellers in a letter requiring them to stop the recruitment through eBay’s system. Apparently, about 50 Amazon sales representatives around the world have sent about 1,000 messages to eBay’s merchants, requesting them to join Amazon.

If this turns out to become an accurate accusation, then it seems to be an illegal attempt to gain sellers. This is because eBay merchants have their business information publicized on eBay. This makes it easy for Amazon representatives to make a compile list with that information instead of going through messages.

This is surprising that Amazon needs to recruit sellers since they are a company with over 575,000 employees. Perhaps the eBay merchants were in specific niches where Amazon is planning to expand their merchandise offer to shoppers.

Things to Avoid When Appealing Your Amazon Suspension

If you’ve been recently suspended through Amazon, don’t panic. With a successful plan, you can appeal to their Amazon suspension service. Here are some tips on things to avoid if you want your appeal process to become successful.

Don’t resort to legal action

Amazon’s Seller Performance likes to see their merchants take accountability for their actions, and they’d rather directly deal with the seller throughout the appeal process. Most sellers seek an attorney for legal assistance, and the attorney begins to contact Amazon Seller Performance to speak on their clients’ behalf.

Even when an attorney is involved, the amazon suspension process is delayed. On some occasions, Amazon becomes unresponsive until the seller personally contacts them about their suspension.

In these situations of infringement suspension, attorneys can contact a complimentary party to seek a solution and can request that the complaint is removed. Once it’s withdrawn, the seller must contact Amazon Seller Performance for the results.

Don’t open a new account

Once your seller account is suspended, sellers can think that they can create a new account, and try again. However, creating a new account after suspension will delay reinstatement and damage your appeal process.

Amazon has multiple ways of linking seller accounts, and your second account is more likely to be discovered. Once they spot your second account, it’s virtually impossible to have their account reinstated. At this point, the seller has spent too much time trying to open a new account and reduced the chances of reinstating their original account.

Focus on creating the best appeal for the current account. Creating a second account is a waste of time and reduces their chance of reinstatement after the issue.

Conclusion

Mainly, we believe that the amazon suspension service is great for getting your account reinstated. By taking a formal and direct process, you’ll find it easier to appeal the suspension. In conclusion, contact Amazon immediately to ensure that your account is reinstated so you can sell your company’s products again.

November 20, 2018
What to Look for in the Best Open Source Search Engine

Open source software promises a brighter future where everyone can use their creative talent together to improve the things that they use. Even though open source programs may not have the same immense popularity as some closed source applications, you’ll find many open source projects being worked on worldwide.

One of the most promising domains for open source software is in search engines, and that’s what we’re going to be discussing in this short guide. Search engines are integral to making the internet a place that is easy to browse, and one that uses open source code has many potential benefits.

We’ll be taking a look at three aspects which are essential to any open source search engine, and when you’re acquainted with them, it will be far easier for you to choose the right one for your needs.

User-Friendliness

The first thing that you’ll want to account for is the interface of the search engine, as it will need to be simple enough for you to understand it. Of course, the degree of user-friendliness that’s required will vary from person to person, but an open source search engine should often be as easy as possible to use without compromising functionality.

A search engine that is simpler to use will have more users and will be more likely to thrive, but more importantly, it will be less likely to frustrate you when you try to use it. What’s the point of an open source search engine if you dread using it because it is unnecessarily clunky?

Development Style

You’ll also want to consider how an open source search engine is developed, as various platforms will have different design philosophies. For example, some search engines may feature a more controlled form of development in which all of the changes (no matter how small) have to be overlooked first, similar to a giant group project.

On the other hand, you can also go your own way in developing an open source search engine by finding some source code and seeing how far you can take it. The beauty of open source software lies in its versatility and the wide range of possible development techniques.

Speed

Finally, you’ll also have to account for the speed with which a search engine can index the results. Nobody wants to sit around for 15 minutes while they search the web, so the best open source search engine will be able to provide you with accurate results within moments of searching.

Conclusion

All three of these aspects are essential to a quality search engine. For example, user friendliness and speed will determine whether the search engine is worth using in the first place, and the style in which it is being developed will give you an idea of where it is headed. We hope that this guide has been both informative and helpful.

November 7, 2018
How to Get Genuine Instagram Likes

These days many people are active on social media networks. Out of all the social networks, Instagram is getting more popularity day by day. Everyone wants to be instafamous and for that he/she tries to get as many likes as he/she can.

But when you are just starting and have very few followers or you have followers but they are not engaging with your posts, it becomes really very difficult to get the likes on your posts.

Same is in the case of businesses that want to promote their brand or products on Instagram but couldn’t succeed because of the low engagement rate as we all know, if the posts of a business don’t have many likes, that business cannot get the trust of other users.

So, it becomes difficult for the businesses too to improve their profiles when they find it difficult to get likes.

So, if you are an individual or a business owner that want to increase the likes on Instagram posts to impress the followers/customers or other users but don’t know how to do this, then time to get Famoid services.

What is Famoid?

Famoid is a US based Software Development Company that came into existence in the year 2017. Famoid provides the social media services like Instagram likes, Video Views, Subscribers for YouTube and retweets etc.

So, if you are really looking to get more likes on your Instagram posts, then Famoid can help you in this. All you need to do is, just find and buy the Instagram Likes Package that suits your budget and start getting likes.

Instagram likes packages

All the packages for Instagram likes at Famoid are at very reasonable prices. You can buy Instagram like packages or you can buy Automatic Instagram Like Packages. Instagram Likes Packages start from $2.95. With this package, you can get 100 likes. Check Famoid’s Instagram likes packages here.

And, Automatic Instagram Likes Packages start from $44.95. You will get 50 automatic likes with this package. You can see Famoid’s Instagram auto likes packages here.

Why choose Famoid?

As we know it is must these days that if you want to be popular, your posts should have more and more likes and that is only possible with Famoid. If you think there are other companies that offer the same services, then read some points below that will let you understand why Famoid is best among them:

Privacy and safety

Famoid uses Paypal and Safecharge for the payment, so when you buy any package from Famoid you are fully secure.

All you need is just enter the username and email to order any package. All the information that you will provide will be kept safe and will not be shared with any third party.

So, you don’t need to worry about anything while making a purchase and giving your information.

Delivery is instant

With Famoid, instant delivery is assured. As soon as you buy any package from Famoid, your order will be delivered within a few minutes after the completion of the transaction.

Real likes

This is one of the best features that you will get like from the real and active Instagram users. There are no any fake accounts. There are some companies who use fake accounts or bots for likes but with Famoid you can rest assured.

24/7 support

The customer support service is available for 24/7. If by any chance you have any issue with the services, you can contact them at any time and your problem will be solved as soon as possible. The customer support team is highly experienced so you don’t need to worry about anything.

Likes will look genuine

It is seen that many companies that provide the same services as Famoid, give thousands of likes within a few minutes and sometimes it looks really fake. But with Famoid, there is no such problem. All the likes will look natural as you will not get all likes within a few minutes.

So, if you are really looking to boost your Instagram likes and profile, then Famoid is the best option for you. Just visit there and find the best plan according to your requirements.

Moreover, along with Instagram likes, Famoid also offers services for other major Social Networks like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. If you are interested, do try these services too.

October 11, 2018
4 Types of Purchases Augmented Reality is Set to Improve

Augmented reality (AR) was once fodder for science fiction movies. But these days, it’s becoming increasingly popular in everyday life—especially when it comes to selling products. Retailers have started to catch on to AR technology because many consumers are expecting it.

Research by DigitalBridge found 41 percent of shoppers “expect to see augmented reality in retail.” As a result, more retailers are offering AR features and programs to improve customer experiences.

Here are four types of purchases augmented reality is set to improve.

1. Home Furniture

Shopping for furniture can be difficult since you can’t fully envision what it will look like inside your home. AR can demonstrate how furniture will look in shoppers’ homes via superimposed 3D photos.

Want to sell your furniture online, but worried you’ll encounter high return rates? With AR, the buyer is already 90 percent satisfied with look and fit at the time of purchase. This all but eliminates the risk of buyer’s remorse.

Target launched a new AR feature called “See It In Your Space” on their website In October of 2017. The program lets shoppers move and position 3D mock-ups of Target furniture to visualize how it’ll suit their homes.

2. Clothing

AR can eliminate having to return clothes because they looked better in the photos. Shoppers can digitally try on and swap clothes with just a few taps. This makes it easy to try on different styles and make more purchases.

Lemon & Orange built an AR virtual fitting room for Timberland brick and mortar stores. People can change their outfits on the screen, save looks, and are emailed new styles for future reference. In a stroke of promotional genius, the AR mirror was turned into one of the store’s main windows.

3. Cosmetics

Sephora rolled out an AR “Sephora Virtual Artist” platform in 2017. It lets people scan their face and then digitally try on a variety of eye shadows, lip colors, and lash styles.

The ability to virtually test different products and view makeup tutorials in real-time has attracted a lot of interest. Now those using Sephora’s platform can check out looks created by company experts and use a range of exclusive features.

Overall, cosmetics are set to become a lot more convenient and a lot less messy with AR technology.

4. Jewelry

Picking out the perfect ring for a loved one can be daunting, but the decision process is changing with AR. By giving people the ability to virtually try on rings and match different styles against skin tone and light, it’s a lot easier to decide which ring is the most fashionable.

The ‘Forevermark Fitting’ AR platform from De Beers lets shoppers virtually try on a variety of rings through a webcam, and share the results on social media, so friends can admire the new rock.

A growing number of companies and businesses are realizing how powerful AR can be in shaping the shopping experience. These four types of purchases are just a small sample of the scale of commerce that AR is set to improve.

September 27, 2018
Are VPNs Really Good for Privacy?
If you are looking for a VPN and you are worried about the traces you might leave behind while browsing the internet, below you have a list of some rules you should keep in mind while searching for one.

Just in case you don’t know how it works, a VPN is short for Virtual Private Network. By using a dedicated app, you are browsing the internet through that network. Your connection with the network is encrypted and shields you from prying eyes from outside.

Your ISP, for example, won’t be able to see the websites you are browsing, they would be aware only of the fact that you are a using a VPN.

You probably asked yourself the following question: how do I know a VPN is trustworthy and won’t record my browsing history or other personal data?

The first thing you should learn is that your concerns are legitimate and you should choose carefully before you trust any VPN provider.

Some providers can record your personal data, like the time you connected to the VPN, your IP address, some may even take a peek at your browsing habits. This, of course, defeats the purpose of using a VPN, unless privacy isn’t one of your main concerns.

Some providers come up with all kind of excuses, tracking your activity “to make sure you are not doing something against the law” or “damaging their service”. Therefore, in order not to pay for a glorified proxy, you should make sure the provider has your best interests at heart.

Do Your Research

There are, of course, some VPNs on the market that take privacy very seriously, but you need to distinguish those from the ones who only brag about security.

The first thing you should look for while researching a VPN provider is if they keep track of your activity of any kind. The ones that care about your privacy are usually up-front about what data they store and for how long.

Not only they make it clear that they won’t record unnecessary data (none, even), they also signal the authorities the fact that they can’t get any data from them. If it’s important to you not to leave any traces behind, choose a provider with a zero data-logging policy. But there can always be a catch!

Don’t rush and read the fine print. Check the Terms and Conditions on the company’s website to know in detail what are they logging, whether they can turn over your data, and other useful info.

If you don’t find the question you’re looking for already answered, try searching for it on Google. Alternatively, you can just ask using the chat on their website or by email. Of course, some can even lie about it, so make sure you check the reputation of the VPN you intend to use.

The Trap of Free VPNs

It’s best to avoid a free VPN, because, although they are not necessarily unsafe, chances are you are paying for that “free” service somehow.

You can become the primary source of income for your provider if he decides to monetize your data, by storing and selling it to third parties. Some companies like Hola even used their customers’ devices as endpoints, to help other people go online.

This is one of the worst things a shady service provider might to do you without your knowledge. So, in order to quickly filter out the providers that might not care so much about anonymity, choose a paid VPN. Many are not expensive at all for what they can offer.

Keep in mind that even if a small company wants to protect your identity, which might just not be enough. They need to do a great job in order to ensure the level of privacy you might need.

It’s pretty easy nowadays to setup a Virtual Private Network, but unless the provider has the right technology, it could put both of you at risk of getting hacked.

It is true that some free VPNs have your privacy in mind, but they more than often manage to keep the service free of charge by showing you ads (not targeted, of course), by limiting the features to determine you to upgrade to a premium version or by limiting the functionality itself.

Low bandwidth is not something you want to experience while watching Netflix from another country for example.

For as little as a few dollars per month you can forget about that and enjoy your ad-free experience, without wasting time waiting for the websites to load or while downloading large amounts of data. That’s because a VPN can encrypt all your traffic, not just what you type in your browser.

For example, you can enjoy Netflix not only in your browser (where the streaming resolution is currently limited in some cases), but in their app too, in order to watch content in 4K.

Another good practice is to google their name plus “logging”. Skip the search results that go to the company’s website and see if there is some information online about their real logging policy. You might find what happened when the FBI knocked at their door or learn from other users’ experience.

Additionally, there are some steps you should take to protect your security while using a VPN:
- Install an antivirus on your device (even if you are using a smartphone/tablet) and make sure it’s always up to date (they usually have the option to update automatically).
- Update your operating system. Make sure you receive all the security updates as they are released and consider upgrading to the latest edition of the OS you’re using.
If you have to choose between two similar products, choose the one that offers the best compatibility. In this way you will never be forced to compromise on security and privacy. You can go online on your PC, mobile phone or even Smart TV, knowing that your identity is protected at all times.

All in all, there are good deals out there from trustworthy service providers, and if you take into account most of the rules depicted in this article you shouldn’t encounter any issue.
September 19, 2018