Northeast Wigwam Computer Tips & Tricks

Tip #2 - Have you ever seen the following error when you’re trying to link to a page?

Most of the time this error is a result of the link being incorrectly typed by the webpage author. I have overcome this problem many times by looking at the url at the top of the page to see what could have been mistyped, and manually deleting or changing the link.

For example, when I saw this link at the top of the page with the above error -

http://www.nativepeoples.com/%20

I deleted the ‘%20’ at the end and changed it to

http://www.nativepeoples.com/

and it worked.

Tip #3 - Ok. Now you try another link and you get the error -

Page Not found

You look at the top of the page and you see the url -
http://www.wordcraftcircle.org/pubs.htm%20

You apply Tip #1 above so that it looks like
http://www.wordcraftcircle.org/pubs.htm

and you still see - Page Not found

This may not always work, but when I’m desperate I delete the ‘pubs.htm’ at the end and change the link to
http://www.wordcraftcircle.org/

and most of the time it works, and I am then able to navigate to the particular page I am looking for. This problem usually occurs when the website has changed and the page you are looking for has been renamed or moved to another area on that site.

Tip #4 - Everyone should know this, but I’ll say it again, before ordering merchandise or entering any personal information over the internet, always check the url at the top of the screen.

If the url starts with

http://

Don’t enter any information! That page is not secure and your information could fall into the wrong hands!

Always, look for

https://

The ‘s’ at the end of the http tells you that page is secure and you can safely enter your information.

Of course, as computer ‘hackers’ and viruses get stronger and stronger, this tip may not be 100% true. Always make sure the website you are sending your personal information to is legitimate.

Tip #1 - Before you trust any Native American website, visit this link -

Techniques for Evaluating American Indian Web Sites

Tip #5 - Have you ever wondered what the .com or the .org or the .net at the end of the url means? Do you care?

While there are currently no regulations that restrict website owners to any rules concerning how they choose what follows the period or the dot (“.”) that follows the website name, the table below is how most reputable websites categorize their sites.

I personally do care about the difference because most of the time the .com tells me the website is commercial and while giving me some free information, it will probably try to sell me something.

The .org is probably a non-profit organization that might also try to sell me something, but sales should not be their major focus, and the .net is an internet hosting or service organization that may be too technical for what I am looking for.

Other common website name extensions tell us what country the website is originating from. Here is a list of those common website name extensions.

For a more complete list of common extensions used by different countries, see CNET’s Domain Name Extensions list.

The above is for informational purposes only and may or may not accurately define a website’s purpose, and as the web matures, some of these extensions may change.

Tip #6 - Finding keywords on a long page.

If you have used Google or Yahoo or a search engine to find keywords, when the page you want pops up, how do you find the keywords on that page?

IE or Internet Explorer: at the top menu on the page go to Edit -> Search and type the keyword in

Safari: at the top menu on the page go to Edit -> Find -> Find... and type the keyword in

Mozilla or Firefox: at the top menu on the page go to Edit -> Find on This Page... and type the keyword in

Links

Free Technical Books - Anyone interested in free online computer books? Not many beginner books here, but there’s Java, Javascript, C++, Unix, Game Development and multimedia, Mysql, SqlServer 2000, and more for those who are tech savvy.

Free Computer Books - Great site with great links and something for everyone who is interested or involved in computer books or articles. There is even a listing of the major computer job search websites such as monster.com.

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