Don't like looking at yourself on Zoom?

A couple of weeks ago someone who I've been in Zoom meetings with for almost two years bemoaned the fact that she really dislikes seeing herself on the screen when using Zoom, even after all this time.  If this is something you dislike, too, then today's tip is for you!

Turning off your Self View on Zoom still lets others in the meeting see you; you just don't see yourself.  :-) 

I could tell you how to do this but the link below contains very clear steps as to how to turn off Self View on both a laptop and a mobile device. (You'll need to scroll about halfway down the article for the instructions):
https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/dont-want-to-look-at-yourself-during-zoom-meetings-heres-what-to-do/ 

One more thing........I'll be taking a break from sending these Tuesday Tech Tips until the first part of July.  My "tech" hat is coming off for awhile and I'm donning my grandma/mom/wife hats full time through June 18.  It's been almost three years since our family has been together face-to-face,  and our Germany kids arrive tomorrow followed by our Pennsylvania kids the next week.  We are so excited for this time together!

Have a great Tech Tip Tuesday (Emporians, remember that all this rain is good for the flowers and gardens!)  :-)  "See you" in about a month!

Ellen’s Tips for iOS

It is already Tuesday and this morning we made our way through security and are at the gate waiting on our plane for our return to Kansas City. It appears it’s going to be another beautiful spring day here but we understand we are returning to very hot conditions at home!  :-/  

I am always looking for resources to help me help you be more independent in using your devices. Today’s resource is for those of you who own iPhones or iPads. Ellen’s Tips for iOS is a resource you may want to bookmark. 
https://www.ellenstipsforios.com/blog

Ellen offers regular iPad and iPhone tips through both her free blog and email subscription. I have followed her for the last year or so and have found her videos and tips to be done very well. They are easy to understand and the instructions are usually written very clearly. Her target audience is us seniors.

Ellen also offers a 30- minute FREE session to help you with your questions and also offers other weekly sessions (at a cost). I have not tried any of these sessions. You can read more about all of her services here: https://bookme.name/EllenSweeney?ck_subscriber_id=1284200799

Okay….gotta board our plane! Have a wonderful Tech Tip Tuesday and super week!!

Jeline

Streaming TV

Have you cut the cord yet?  In other words, have you stopped paying your cable TV company for TV programming and entered the world of streaming TV services (Netflix, Prime, YouTube TV, Philo, frndly, etc.)?

Back in 2019 I shared a web-based tool that could help you decide which streaming services would provide your "must-have" programming at the cheapest rate.  That tool (Suppose.tv) is no longer being kept up-to-date.  But about a week ago financial guru Clark Howard's website shared a streaming TV tool that helps you make that same decision.  You simply enter the stations/channels you "must have" and are presented with corresponding streaming services and their monthly costs. Check it out:  https://clark.com/technology/tvsatellite-cable/streaming-tv-comparison-best-channel-lineup/?channels= 

Three more tips about streaming TV - 
1) If you haven't made the switch yet, you can simply sign up for a trial subscription to one or more of the services to give them a try.  We had our cable company turn off our cable for a month while we tried out streaming services which forced us to rely on the new services.  At the end of that month, we made the decision to stop paying for cable TV and our TV boxes were picked up by the company. 

2) If you have been using streaming services for awhile, I'd encourage you to use the tool to see if there are better/cheaper streaming services now that would meet your needs.  We recently discovered we could save $15/month by switching.  We've used YouTube TV and Philo for two years but are switching from Philo to frndly.

3)  Switching from Cable TV to streaming services requires that you learn a new way of accessing TV shows.  With practice and time it will become easier; I promise.

I hope you have a GREAT Tech Tip Tuesday!  

Scam or real?

Do you pride yourself on being able to identify a scam email?  Yep, I do, too.  However, a recent email I received caused me to feel a slight bit of concern until I checked it out more thoroughly.

Check out this quick screencast to see how I did that:  https://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/c3fqlVVYQw6  (Select the little icon in the lower right-hand corner of the video to watch full screen for better viewing).

As always, I hope you have a GREAT Tech Tip Tuesday!

Jeline

Cookies, the inedible kind

Are you tired of seeing "Accept Cookie Settings" pop up on your browsers when viewing various websites?  Changes in regulations in the last couple of years requires websites to alert you about the cookies (little bits of text) they are using to gather information about your viewing habits.  The pop-up may be annoying, but it is a good thing, and you should take a few seconds when presented with that message to "Learn more" and de-select some of the cookies that are being placed on your computer.

I made a quick 3-minute screencast to show you what to do:  http://somup.com/c3fqX0OtvQ  (Select the little icon in the lower right-hand corner of the video to watch full screen for better viewing).

As always, I have you have a GREAT Tech Tip Tuesday!
Jeline

I can't help myself!

In January, I wrote in my tech tip that I had become addicted to Wordle.  I should have known the addiction would not stop there.  Have any of you succumbed to other Wordle-like games? 

The good thing is that each one of the games offers only one game per day, so it doesn't have to become a drain on your time......unless you want to expand the number of games.  :-)  I'd love to hear about your favorites; presently mine are:
Wordle
Quordle
Waffle
Squareword
Octordle
Sedecordle
Hurdle - this website is supported by lots of ads, unfortunately, so I "x out" as many of the ads as I can to de-clutter the game area.

If you are a newbie, I would recommend doing only Wordle for a few days; you will get better with practice.  The list above is the order in which I added the games to my daily list with Hurdle being the most recent and challenging for me. 

One word of caution:  It seems the internet is exploding with Wordle-like games. As always be cautious before clicking on an unfamiliar website. I would caution you to not create an account to play these games; giving out personal information is not required and certainly not recommended.

However, today is too nice of a day to stay inside playing games on your computer or phone.  Get outside and enjoy the warmth and sunshine!

Have a great Tech Tip Tuesday!

Look at what I found!

 Have you ever received a private message on Facebook from a friend that says, "Is this you?"  Or possibly, "Look what I found"?  Unfortunately, it is another technique that scammers use to either gain access to your login information or to install malware on your device.

When/if you click on the link, one of two things usually occur:
1) You are taken to a fake login page for Facebook and if you login the scammers then have access to your login information and can hijack your account to try and solicit money from your friends.
2) Clicking on the link may allow malware to be installed on your device; that malware may then allow the scammers access to your personal information.

This technique continues to be lucrative for scammers or we wouldn't be seeing it.

What should you do if you see this type of message? 
1) Same recommendation as last week's tip:  Don't click. Ignore. If you really think your "friend" may have sent something for you to look at, call them and ask.  I have friends that do send links via Facebook, but I NEVER click on those links.  I'm sure I've missed some good "stuff", but I've never been hacked (famous last words).

2) If you haven't turned on two-factor authentication for Facebook, before today ends make sure you take a few minutes to do that.  This prevents hackers and scammers from being able to access your account and send out malicious messages.  Note:  It doesn't prevent cloning of your account, but it does prevent someone from accessing your actual account. If you are unsure how to turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) for Facebook, you may find one of the links below to be helpful:
https://www.cyber.gov.au/acsc/view-all-content/guidance/turning-two-factor-authentication-facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/help/148233965247823 

Next week, I'll try to move on to something other than "security tips". Unless there is something else that occurs that I feel the need to share with you.  :-)

Have a terrific Tech Tip Tuesday!  I love, love, love spring and today promises to delight with wonderful spring temperatures.  Enjoy!