The task of changing the power button action is much easier in Windows 7. You just need to right-click “Start” menu and then select “Properties”. The option to change the power button action will be available on the “Start Menu” tab of the properties dialog box that opens. In Vista though, this is one of the gripes.

If you’d like to have the Power button to shut down your PC, here’s how:

• Click the “Start” button, type cmd in the “Start Search” box and then press Enter.
• In the Command Prompt window that opens, type the following command powercfg.cpl,1 and then press Enter
  
• This will display the Power Options dialog box.

You can access this dialog box through Control Panel also. In the Control Panel, you need to select Power Options > Change Plan Settings > Change Advanced Power Settings.

• Now, browse to and expand the “Power buttons and lid” option.

• Here, you can change the settings of both the hardware power button on your computer and the power button on the Start menu. You can choose to change the power button action to Sleep, Hibernate or Shutdown.

Note: The screenshot above is taken on a laptop. You can see that you can configure separate power button settings when your laptop is on battery power, and when it is plugged in to power. In battery mode, it is best to configure the power button action to shutdown or hibernate mode; this helps you save battery power for later.

However, if you have quite a few bookmarked websites that you use often, then disabling the bookmark toolbar will not work. In this case, you can choose to reduce your bookmark toolbar to a single button. While there is an extension that does this for now, it doesn’t work on all builds of Chrome. A simple tweak can create this button in seconds, and here’s how:

This is how your normal Google Chrome Bookmarks toolbar looks like.

Let’s change this.

Note: This works for Google Chrome versions 2.x – 4.x installed on Windows.

First, disable the existing bookmark toolbar. Click the tools icon and then clear the check mark for the “Always show bookmark bar” command.

• Close Google Chrome.

• Next, locate the shortcut for Google Chrome on your Desktop or Start menu. Right-click on this shortcut and then select “Properties.” This will display the Google Chrome Properties dialog box with the Shortcut tab open.

• In the Target box, you will see the path to similar to “C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe”. Or in other cases, the path may be something like “C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe”. Now add a space followed by “-bookmark-menu” to this path. Your final path in the Target box should be similar to: C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe  -bookmark-menu

NB: Another pathway that would be accepted by Windows, if the above doesn’t work, is to add another quote mark to the end of the pathway, exactly like below:

“C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe” -bookmark-menu”

• Hit the “Apply” button and then click “OK” to save your changes. You should now be able to see your Bookmark button beside the address box.

Now you’ll be able to bookmark to your hearts content in Chrome.

Backlinks from blog comments, be they dofollow or nofollow have value in the search engines; so don’t forget nofollow links as they also hold some weight with Google (depending on where those links are coming from). Commenting is a legit way to get backlinks; even big companies are now getting in on the act.

Commenting is good, spam is not

But alas, with the good comes the bad. I’ve seen many dofollow sites getting spammed to death (literally). The spam gets to the point many of the pages cease to even load properly and the blog owners either turn off their comments or mass delete almost everything after a while.

You may have seen those comments before, either one liners to “thank” the blog owner or some copy paste comments which commentators spew on a dozen other sites (it saves them time) and loaded with dozens, even hundreds of links to questionable pharmacy, shoes, bags, jewelry, and what-have-you sites. All this spam necessitates moderation, but moderation brings up other questions as well; are there any good moderation guidelines to follow?

Since I can’t speak for other blog owners, I’ll just list down what works for me in deciding whether to approve a comment or not:

• If the commentator is linking to warez/adult/one page/shady sites I usually don’t approve the comment. This also applies for sites that look as though they might be shut down anytime. You wouldn’t want to link to sites that could be penalized by Google – like sites with copied content, or sites that are here today, gone tomorrow, cos your blog might be the one to get penalized next.
• Normally I do not approve one liner comments, but this is not a fixed rule. Comments like, “Thanks for the great post,” normally won’t get approved. Hey, I don’t think it’s that hard to read the blogger’s post before commenting.
• I generally frown on “outsourced” comments, unless the commentator makes a good comment. The thought of “comment packages” doesn’t sit too well with me, but again, it’s not a hard and fast rule for me.
• Anything rude, profane, or negatively unconstructive also won’t get approved.
• Copy-paste comments which can be spotted on other sites and are clearly recycled, won’t get approved.
• Keywords in the name field – I guess I go on a case by case basis.

Yep, blog moderation might be a killjoy but the fact is, it’s essential. I’ve seen very liberal blogs and very conservative blogs. Blogs with dofollow but hardly approve any comments (you have to wonder why they allow comments in the first place). Dofollow blogs with auto-approve that get spammed to death (Not good). Blogs that strictly won’t allow any keywords in the name field. Blogs that switch back to nofollow after promoting themselves as dofollow. All sorts.

At the end of the day, you have to decide where you want your blog to be, since no two blogs will ever or should be, the same. Blog commenting is still a relevant SEO strategy available for all that doesn’t cost a dime; let’s keep it that way as long as we can.

Should you leave the computer running on all the time or turn it off?

There are arguments for both sides. Some say you should leave it on because turning the computer on causes a small amount of thermal shock to delicate components, while others say that isn’t so.

I guess there is no winner in this argument. This used to be true, but now isn’t (quite). Computers have come a long way since the 1990s; I know, cos I’ve been using computers since the late 80s, and one definitely burned out from overuse! I’ve also left my machine on for more than 24 hours on more than a few occasions. Even then, leaving a computer on versus turning it on and off every day only meant the difference between say, nine years of life and ten. It is now safe to off your machine – and save electricity. The exception is big industrial-strength machines (and maybe if you’re an insanely overclocked gamer), whose machine gets so much hotter that subjecting them to the stress just isn’t worth it.

Do you really have to protect against static shock when handling computer parts?

You know the rules, from wearing a wrist-guard to standing on a static-proof mat to touching the case before grabbing the graphics card. Is there any basis for this?

Although you might feel these rituals are just some kind of old geek’s tale, they really do protect against static shocks, which may gradually damage internal circuits over time. One time won’t do much damage, twice or four times might be fine, but eventually, it takes its toll. However, the good news is, unless you live in the desert, chances are good you won’t have static shock problems at any rate.

Are there really no viruses for Linux, Mac, and other non-Windows systems?

I used to run Macs for a year when I was studying graphic design (because I had no choice). That was when I heard all this talk about the “superiority” of Macs. My lecturer who ran Mac and Linux would take every opportunity to brag about their security. So are there really no security issues on these systems?

Since then, I’ve come to the conclusion that for all practical purposes, there aren’t, which helped me understand why these Mac or Linux fanboys keep on raving about them. But if you want an absolutely accurate definition, there are (some) security exploits which have been found in the wild. They’re just rare, and also easily shot down – most of them have been constructed in security research laboratories. Windows is (by far) still the most commonly found system, so it just makes sense that most malware authors would target it, I guess. But due to being raised on Windows, I went back to Windows. Change is uncomfortable – but I can understand why Mac lovers stick with their Macs!

Does a white screen take up more energy than a black screen?

I believe some wonder about this seemingly petty issue, but 3 years ago, a little hubbub sprang up around Google, which has its search page mostly white. Critics said it burned more electricity to show a white screen than a dark one. Google briefly switched to a dark background, but quickly switched back after users complained that it was ugly. I suspect it was more for the publicity stunt than anything else.

The verdict is, no identifiable power is saved having a black background as opposed to a white one – the monitor is still running and using the same power regardless (which the premise owner pays, not Google).. But if you want to know the “maths,” it is supposedly a big number each day. Anyway, most monitors have switched to LCD screens in the past 3 years, including yours truly….

Are screensavers really necessary?

Screensavers were all the rage in the 80s and 90s. They had a very serious purpose before, which was to prevent monitor burn-in.

Here is what I think: These days, monitors are a lot tougher, especially LCD screens over the old CRT monitors. But screens do still burn in, even LCD monitors. The pattern is very faint (even if it does happen), but it’s still annoying. So if you leave a screen turned on all the time, you should either keep it a solid color (such as blank for hibernate mode), or a screensaver going. My machine uses a screensaver and so should you.

Do you really have to burn CDs slowly?

Ever since CD-Read-Write devices became common, there are opinions that state that the slower you burn CDs, the better they’ll turn out. So, do we still have to go slow in burning CDs?

You don’t have to burn slowly any more. CD-RWs and writable media have both come a long way, especially with the higher-end models. So, burn away at 32x speed and don’t bat an eyelid. Out of thousands of CDs and DVDs, you might have ten failures. Cheaper burners may need to stay at 4x speed. But here’s the cinch, if you don’t burn too often, what’s the hurry anyway?

Being a regular poster at some forums, I definitely notice countless newbie bloggers starting out with Blogger every day. While Blogger is free, the downside is many new blogs on Blogger get relegated into a sandbox state at the beginning, which means you don’t appear on anywhere in Google that gets seen by people, except perhaps for obscure terms or keywords (that nobody ever looks up).

So this is the downside of free hosting sites. They might be free, but sites hosted on them typically have a harder time getting visitors during the beginning. At least that is what I notice. Not only that, but free hosting sites may have “fine print” clauses that take a percentage of any ad income you may receive from your “free” site.

So before you embark on your blogging adventure, it is important to get a good domain name; even if you have to register or buy one. Yet, I notice many folks never want to spend money on getting a domain name, but don’t think twice about getting a new PDA! I know I wouldn’t want to start a blog on a subdomain which I don’t even own, as would be the case with a free host site like Blogger. I want to own my site. How about you?

It’s no secret; all the search engines give a slight preference to a good and (preferably old) .com domain. While other TLDs can also work out fine, there is a slight edge to .com. So always get a good .com (if you can).

A couple pointers

Is domain investing profitable? Yes it is. Domain investing can pay off handsomely if you know what makes for good names, and are prepared to invest money and time on it. While virtually all the premium domains have long been taken up, it is anything but closed off. Due to the recession, many domain prices have dropped this year alone, so for a few hundred bucks, you can become the owner of a good domain (even if not premium), and begin planning your website or blog on it. There are many good domains that cost less than an Xbox, so while today you can’t hand register any more premium domains, you can certainly buy your way in, slowly.

All is not lost if you can’t spare the quid required. A common fallacy is that all the good domains are gone; but this is not strictly true now. In my observation, many domains have been dropped this past year alone, most likely due to the recession. So if you search hard enough, you might still be able to uncover some nice names for the price of a hand reg!

Buying or selling domains is also easy. There are many domain selling sites which act as brokers for domain sellers and buyers; some of which I’ve used to sell or buy domains in the past are:

• Sedo
• BuyDomains
• Namecheap Marketplace
• Digital Point and NamePros forums.

As this year draws to a close and a new one begins, if you’ve been planning to start a blog or website, how about starting off on the right foot with a good domain? Have a great year ahead!

Although it was a bit difficult in earlier versions of Word – where you might have had to add these bookmarks by using WordArt or found yourself fiddling with images to display them as a watermark in the background – the task is a lot simpler in Word 2007.

Here’s how to add watermarks to your Word 2007 documents.

• Start by opening your Word document and then access the “Page Layout” tab.

• In the “Page Background” section on the Ribbon, click the “Watermark” button to display its menu.

• A list of different types of watermarks will be displayed. Select the watermark you want to use and you are done.

These were the steps to insert the predefined watermarks in your document. But the problem according to some, is they are too light and faint to see clearly. So, custom watermarks are better. Word 2007 also enables you to insert custom watermarks. Here’s a quick preview of how to do it.

• To add a custom text or image, you need to select the “Custom Watermark” command that is displayed at the bottom of the Watermark menu.

• You can do various tasks related to watermark from the Printed Watermark dialog box that is displayed:

• If there is no watermark inserted in your document, the “No watermark” option will be selected by default. You can also use it to remove existing watermark from your document.

• You may add picture watermarks by selecting the “Picture watermark” option. Click the “Select Picture” button, browse to and select the image that you would like to add to your document.

You can choose the size of the image you want to add. You can also select the Washout checkbox, if you want to make your watermark lighter and more subtle. Click “OK” and then “Apply” to add the image watermark to your document.

This is a very good way to add your logo or picture as watermark in your documents.

• You may select the “Text watermark” option to add a custom text watermark. You can specify your language, custom text, font, size, color and layout for your text watermark from here.

Basically, that’s all to it. You now have a custom image or text watermark added to your document.