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techie tips: kwout – quote and embed images from any web page

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The image above is a perfect example of why kwout is so amazing.

Posting a screen shot with a link can take way too many steps

Usually I’m trying to take a screen shot, editing it in a photo editor, uploading it to an online photo storage place, and then adding the html to show that image in my posts and then edit the URL to link it somewhere.

Not any more!

kwout has cut out all the middle steps.

I inserted both images above with the links using kwout So easy!!

techie tips will run on Tuesdays (ususally) and will be a chance for me let some of my inner geek show. Watch for more fun episodes. Same Bat-time, same Bat-blog!

techie tips: blogger users — this tip’s for you!

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techie tips: blogger users — this tip’s for you!

Just recently I found the most amazing little snippet of code that makes my life so much easier.

Opening links in a new window

I like my links to open in a new window, especially if I’ve included a link in the middle of a sentence. This will allow my readers to come back to my post.

Before I found this code, I was editing the HTML and adding the target=”_blank” code to each link. This was very tedious.

A quick google search helped me immensely! By adding that one line of code in the < head > section of the template html code, all links automatically open in a new window.

techie tips will run on Tuesdays and will be a chance for me let some of my inner geek show. Watch for more fun episodes. Same Bat-time, same Bat-blog!

techie tips: iphone 4 tips

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I’ve had an iPhone 4 since December 2010. Over the last few months I’ve learned some tricks that might not be obvious that you need to know about.

Screen Shots

Tapping the home button and on-off button at the same time will take a screen shot that’s stored in the camera roll.  You’ll see some examples of screen shots below.

Fast App Switching

“when you click the home button to leave an app and return to the home screen, the app essentially freezes where you were and what you were doing and brings you back to it when you launch the app again. So, instead of starting over each time, you pick up where you left off. This isn’t really multitasking, but it’s a nice user experience.” Sam Costello, About.com Guide

Do you double tap?

So you’ve clicked the home button and your app window closes. But guess what, that app is still running! If you double tap the home button, you’ll see the apps that are still running.

You can use the double tap to switch between the apps that you use without having to go hunting through your many iPhone screens and folders.

With the multitasking window open, swipe left or right.  You’ve just found your iPod controls and volume controls.  Knowing this I took the iPod app off the first screen and tucked it away in a folder.

   

Close those apps!

The apps that you leave open are draining your battery and potentially using up your data. To actually close the apps, touch and hold on any app in the multitasking window and it will start to shake. Click on red cancel icon on the top left corner and the app will close.

When I first learned about this, it was the end of January. After using my phone for a months and a half, I all my apps were open.  It took me a while to close them.

Battery Life Percentage

Sure the little battery indicator is cute, but it’s pretty useless. You can’t really tell what that black bar means.  Buried deep in the iPhone settings (Settings > General > Usage), is a battery percentage setting.  I find it much more useful.

 

There are more tips and tricks so stay tuned….

techie tips will run on Tuesdays and will be a chance for me let some of my inner geek show. Watch for more fun episodes. Same Bat-time, same Bat-blog!

techie tips: disqus

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I have come to like the Disqus commenting system very much. After visiting many blogs with the Disqus system, I installed it here and have been using it for a while. There are a few things that I like about it.

Comment form position: Top of Thread

In the Disqus Appearance Settings, you can choose where the comment form is placed.  This is the box where my readers can enter in their comments.  I have set it to be above the comments.  This is quite handy for when I’m running a giveaway.  I wish more blog writers moved their comment box to the top. I know that if I don’t like scrolling through 100s of comments, that others probably don’t either.

Comments by email

I like that I can receive my readers comments in my email inbox.  This lets me know that people have commented and I can reply as quickly as possible.  This email also lets me know if Disqus flagged it as spam.  Sometimes it doesn’t like a comment (not sure why). But a quick trip to the online admin panel and I can approve the comment.

So dear readers, you can be assured that I always know when you comment.  Please comment as frequently as you like and I’ll reply as quickly as I can.

iPhone App

Disqus is currently working on an iPhone app. I’m sure this will make replying to and moderating comments easier on my iPhone that trying to navigate their page in Safari.

Branding

Because Disqus allows users to have an account, you can customize your profile with a picture and username.   I have chosen to use my blog button as my avatar.  This allows me to reply to comments or comment on other blogs/sites with the same picture, therefore branding myself.  I hoping that on the blogs that I read and comment on most frequently, the author and other readers will start to recognize my picture.

Finding new blogs to read

If you’re ever on a blog with Disqus as their commenting system, you can click on a commenter’s picture and a new window pops up showing that users profile.  On the Activity tab, you can see other comments that user has made on other blogs and websites.  I have found new blogs to read this way and I can only hope that other people will find mine.

Many settings to customize it for your site or blog

I could go through each and every setting, but it’s this simple: you can change so many settings to make it work for you and your site.  And you can even add your own CSS code to customize it even further.  I won’t bore you with all the settings that I have chosen.

What are your tips?

Do you use a commenting system on your blog?
What features that you really like?
Are there features of Disqus that you think should be pointed out?

techie tips will run on Tuesdays and will be a chance for me let some of my inner geek show. Watch for more fun episodes. Same Bat-time, same Bat-blog!