It really is true that some of the best things in life are free. Here’s a very comprehensive list of the best free software:

Free Software – Reviews by PC Magazine

Several of the applications I use are on the Hall of Fame list… Gimp (for graphics), OpenOffice (word processing, spreadsheet, etc.), and Firefox web browser. Someday soon I’ll switch over to Ubuntu Linux for my operating system (I currently use Mepis, which is very nice and easy to use, too). Hopefully this list can help you save some money and help you be more productive!

Here’s a series of great video tutorials from Yaro Starak which shows you why and how to start your own blog.

Become a Blogger

In 10 short videos, they’ve outlined the steps you need to take to get started with your own WordPress blog, and I highly recommend giving these videos a look. And of course, if you need any help implementing any of these ideas, we’re here to help.

It’s very important to keep up with the latest patches and updates for your computer. Here’s a site which will check your computer to see if you have adequate protection and the latest updates. Requires Windows XP or Vista with Javascript and ActiveX enabled.

http://websitecleanup.com/go/976e06

I’ve always had a problem with getting tables to center properly while creating valid code. The Site Wizard has come to the rescue! Here he shares an article on how to do it, with a workaround for Internet Explorer:

How To Centre a Table – from The Site Wizard

The title refers to Nvu and Komposer (two popular web page editing tools) but you should be able to follow along no matter what editor you’re using.

There’s a new version of WordPress which fixes a very serious security flaw… one that could enable one user to change other user’s posts – not good! The latest version is 2.3.3. If you need help checking your version or upgrading, please get the update here, or contact us for installation – we’re happy to help!

Here’s a great article which shows you how to convert various kinds of documents by simply attaching them to an email. Sweet!

http://websitecleanup.com/go/4f9251

With so much info on the web these days, it’s nice to find quality sites, like the ones featured on Ryan Caldwell’s Performancing.com… check it out:

2007 Performancing Blog Awards

With 28 categories and the best according to readers and the editor, you’re sure to find something informative, interesting and fun. Enjoy!

Recently I came across this interesting article on Lifehacker:

Do You Back Up Your Web Networking Life?

I thought the article and comments were very interesting, and it got me to thinking about all of the places one might have information stored on the web. Granted, sites like MySpace and Facebook probably don’t contain important business information, but what about places like LinkedIn? If you have recommendations and other interaction from people, you probably don’t want to lose that information should something happen to LinkedIn.

I looked around and did find an “Export Connections” link which allows you to download your contacts on LinkedIn. But what about all the other data? You would probably want to keep your recommendations and profile as well. To get a copy, go to your “View my profile as others see it” page and then use your browser’s “Save as…” feature to download the information to your computer (usually found in the File menu). This way, you have a copy of the text on the page and could use it to rebuild, if needed. Another method of backing up your information is to use the “Save as PDF” feature of LinkedIn. This is not nearly as complete, though. But it could help, so what the heck… it only takes a minute and could save you some measure of work.

There’s a new version of WordPress hot off the presses! It’s a good idea to upgrade to this newest version because there are some serious security flaws in 2.3.1…

Download WordPress 2.3.2 or contact us for upgrade assistance.

Along with the new year comes our new site! Hope you like it. And along with all this cleanup, it’s time once again to clean out my many tabs in Opera. I had been collecting resources for web site design because I wanted the relaunch of our site to go well. Here they are, in no particular order:

• 43 Web Design Mistakes You Should Avoid
• 6 Things to Note Before Changing Your Site Design
• Passive Voice Is Redeemed For Web Headings
• Fancy Formatting, Fancy Words = Looks Like a Promotion = Ignored
• How to Use Your Web Analytics Software to Improve Your Website
• SEO Made Easy
• How To Create a Search Engine Friendly Website

I hope you can pick up some good info on these links – I know I did!

What do you think of our new site? We’re glad to hear your opinion in the comments.