These 4 Chrome extensions make Gmail better right now

These add-ons will track your messages, schedule your meetings, and more.

Gmail raised the bar for what we expect in an email service. But if you’re only using its native features, you’re getting just a taste of its power. There are a wealth of Chrome extensions that expand Gmail’s capabilities and help you streamline your workflow. Here are four you should install today.

Full Contact

Most of us have a similar reaction when we receive an email from a new professional contact. We immediately try to learn more about them by searching their profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks.

Full Contact shows you email senders’ social profiles and other details.

Full Contact eliminates that legwork by providing the job titles, company details, and social accounts for each email sender. Without leaving your inbox, you can scroll through their Facebook posts, tweets, and other social updates. Add your own notes, then sync all the contact’s info to your address book so you’ll always have it at hand.

Snapmail

We don’t recommend emailing passwords and similarly sensitive material. But if you absolutely must, this Mission Impossible=style extension will ensure your message is seen by authorized eyes only.

Snapmail

Snapmail encrypts and destroys sensitive email messages.

It adds a Snapmail button next to the Send button in your message. Pressing it encrypts the message and creates a URL for the message, which is sent to the recipient. Once they follow the link, a countdown timer informs them that the message will self-destruct in 60 seconds.

MixMax

MixMax delivers on its promise to “make email awesome.” The extension adds a host of must-have functions to Gmail, including email tracking, one-click business templates, and “send later” scheduling.

MixMax adds several functions to Gmail, including “instant” meeting scheduling.

Its Instant Scheduling is particularly useful for setting up one-on-one meetings. MIxMax does all the heavy lifting so you and the other party don’t have to email back and forth to find a time that works for you both. You select available times from your Google Calendar, and MixMax adds them to your email. Your recipient selects whichever one works for them, and MixMax puts it on your calendar and sends each of you a confirmation message. It’s like having your own personal assistant.

MailTrack

MailTrack removes the mystery around unanswered emails. This extension is a simple email tracker that uses checkmarks to keep you apprised of your message’s status. It adds one checkmark next to the message when it’s sent and adds a second once the message has been read. Best of all, it can tell you exactly which recipients have read a message sent to multiple parties.

MailTrack

 

The MailTrack extension lets you know which recipients have read your email, even in a bulk message.

MailTrack’s basic functions are free for an unlimited number of emails. For $3.50 a month you can add options including real-time desktop notifications and daily tracking-activity reports.

Michael Ansaldo

Michael Ansaldo is veteran consumer and small-business technology journalist. He contributes regularly to TechHive and writes the Max Productivity column for PCWorld.
More by Michael Ansaldo

Source:  http://www.pcworld.com/article/3017750/software-productivity/these-4-chrome-extensions-make-gmail-better-right-now.html#tk.nl_pwr

Firefox Browser Brings 64-Bit Goodness to Windows in Stable Form

It's taken a long time, but Mozilla has finally released a 64-bit version of Firefox for Windows in non-beta form. Mozilla had previously offered 64-bit builds of Firefox for Mac OS X and Linux, but this is the first time it's been available in stable form for users of Windows 7 and above.

That said, there are some limitations in transitioning from 32-bit to 64-bit.
"Firefox 64-bit for Windows, by design, has limited support for plugins and users will notice that certain sites requiring plugins that worked in previous 32-bit versions of Firefox might not work in this 64-bit version. As we’ve shared previously, Mozilla intends to remove support for most NPAPI plugins in Firefox by the end of 2016," Mozilla stated in a blog post.
It's been an interesting road up to this point. Mozilla's been toying with 64-bit flavors of Firefox in Windows for nearly a decade, but none of the previous builds ever graduated out of beta. Some even stalled in alpha, and for a short period in 2012, Mozilla made the decision to stop developing a 64-bit version altogether.


More recently, Mozilla promised to deliver a 64-bit build of Firefox for Windows by the end of the year, and here it is with just over two weeks to spare.


So, what's the payoff for downloading the 64-bit build? Just like the 64-bit version of Windows, Firefox can properly address more than 4GB of RAM. Casual users aren't likely to notice a difference in performance, though in theory, the 64-bit build should allow for more tabs to be open without taking a performance hit.


Beyond that, developers should be able to build more complex web goodies, including games, though for now the biggest payoff is being able to say, "Hey, I'm running a 64-bit version of Firefox!" Awesomesauce.


The 64-bit version is introduced in Firefox 43, which also brings about Private Browsing with Tracking Protection, improved API support for m4v video playback, the ability to choose search suggestions from the Awesome bar, and a few other new features.
Be advised that n-place upgrades will keep you on the 32-bit build. To grab the 64-bit version of Firefox, go the download page and click the 64-bit download arrow next to your language of choice (or just click here for English).


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Source: http://www.maximumpc.com/firefox-browser-brings-64-bit-goodness-to-windows-in-stable-form/

10 Educational YouTube Channels Made for Marathoning

What used to be a depository of cat videos and dimly-lit vlogs has quickly become the Internet giant of all kinds of video content. YouTube is now the go-to place for nearly any video you could want — and that makes it a wonderful educational resource.
Whether you want to learn about sex, learn about STEM fields, learn about cars, or  learn about photography, YouTube has you covered. There’s even a YouTube kids app for educational content aimed at children, and there are certain steps you can take to optimize your YouTube learning experience.
Today we’re going to take a look at 10 educational YouTube channels that are so funny and fascinating that you’ll want to sit down and binge-watch all of the content they’ve produced over the last few years.

What Is Marathoning?

Marathoning, or binge-watching, is when you watch large amounts of content all at once. Think of it as the Netflix model. Instead of watching one YouTube video every week as it’s released, you find a channel that you love and watch several years of videos in the span of a few hours or days.
Like it or not, this is the model to which we’re moving. Having TV shows that air at specific times on specific dates is becoming a thing of the past. Many people record their favorite TV shows to watch when they want, and YouTube and Netflix are basically made for this kind of consumption. In fact, many folks — especially the younger generation — are ditching traditional cable for more versatile streaming options.
It might not seem practical to sit down and watch hours of a single YouTube channel’s videos, but once you find a channel you really love, you’ll find that it hard to stop. And besides, they’re educational, so you be comforted by the knowledge you’re acquiring!

CGP Grey

CGP Grey is a legend within the YouTube community. His videos are known for explaining extremely complex topics (like gerrymandering, first past the post voting, and the process of becoming the Pope) and making them interesting and relatable.
You’ll never see his face; instead, you’ll see graphics, images, and drawings explain everything, which means this is very visual rather than just someone talking at you. Occasionally you’ll see a stick figure guy sitting at a desk explaining things, but that’s a part of his signature style.
His most popular video, shown above, explains the difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain, and England. It currently has almost 8 million views, and as an American, it taught me so much about that confusing mess of islands across the ocean.
He doesn’t release videos that often — maybe one every couple of months — but he has built up an impressive backlog for you to tackle in a few sittings.

MinutePhysics

Physics can be a tough subject to wrap your mind around. It deals with such complex subjects, often on huge, unimaginable scales, and it can be difficult to get a concrete idea of what is actually being discussed.
But physics is super interesting, and MinutePhysics has tons of short videos (under five minutes, often under three minutes) that allow you to get all of the interesting with none of the confusing. The drawings illustrate concepts that might otherwise be too abstract to comprehend.
This channel’s most popular video, shown above, deals with the classic question: What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? The other videos deal with topics ranging from Schrodinger’s cat, through parallel universes, to why the solar system is flat, and things are explained that you might never have thought to question, like, Why is the sky dark at night? And, What exactly is fire?
Recently, the upload schedule has been inconsistent, but again, you’ll find a large backlog of wonderful content just waiting to be binge-watched.

AsapSCIENCE

What’s that? You find science fascinating but hate that it’s always explained in such a dull way? Well, worry no longer, because AsapSCIENCE has your back.
Run by Canadians Mitchell Moffit and Gregory Brown, AsapSCIENCE is home to tons of videos explaining scientific concepts — again by using drawings. It’s a similar style to MinutePhysics, but covering a wide range of scientific concepts, including classic questions like, Which came first, the chicken or the egg? And, What hurts worse, getting kicked in the balls or giving birth? You can even find more adult topics addressed, like penis size, orgasms, and marijuana.
More recently, Mitchell and Gregory have been appearing in videos themselves to explain topics, giving their channel a nice diversity of content. They have a whole playlist of interesting illusions, and their most popular video (over 20 million views!) brings us back to the “What color is this dress?” fiasco from earlier this year (shown above).
Seriously, even if you don’t like science, you have to give this channel a try. You’ll find you love science after watching just a few videos.

Veritasium

Veritasium is a YouTube channel with such high production values that you’ll feel like you’re watching a real TV show. Instead of drawings, you’ll walk through the streets with Derek Muller as he goes to different locations to try out various experiments and test different scientific concepts. It feels like a real science show — because it is.
With over 3 million subscribers, this is no amateur YouTube channel. Derek’s videos tend to be on the longer side of YouTube — around 10 minutes — but that’s because he really delves deeply into the various questions and ideas, and explores them to their conclusion. The length makes them even more ideal for binge-watching, since you’ll be changing videos less often.
You can meet the world’s roundest object, learn about how the six degrees of separation work, and find out if silence actually drives you crazy. Give it a shot. You’ll love it.

Vsauce

“Hey, Vsauce, Michael here.” Trust me, that’s a phrase you’re going to hear a lot. Every video on this YouTube channel subscribed to by 9 million people and counting starts with that sentence, and Michael Stevens’ iconic voice and persona are sure to draw you in right away.
Vsauce is about exploring the bizarre, about answering the questions you never thought to ask, and about teaching you something in a way you wouldn’t expect. You’ll mostly see his talking head, occasionally with graphics or images to demonstrate different ideas, but this channel is very much made by Michael’s charismatic personality.
Find out who owns the moon, why we kiss, and is your red the same as everyone else’s red? His most popular video, “What if everyone jumped at once?” (shown above) has over 17 million views. Watch one, and you’ll be sure to want to watch more.

Numberphile

I’m not going to lie, the word “math” always conjures up memories of hours of boring homework for me — so I wouldn’t be recommending this channel unless it was genuinely fantastic. It’s an entire YouTube channel themed around mathematics, specifically around numbers (as the name might suggest).
Anything related to numbers is fair game, from how big infinity is through what a googol and googolplex are to what 666 is. You can even learn how to shuffle cards or how to cut a cake (shown above).
Numberphile’s concept — making videos about numbers — sounds boring, but watch a couple of videos and you’ll be hooked. People are interviewed about fascinating, obscure ideas that you may never have heard about otherwise, and they talk about it in understandable terms. This is math made accessible to the masses.

SciShow

We can’t talk about all these other science channels without talking about SciShow. SciShow is one of the classics — it was even around back in 2012 when we talked about scientific YouTube channels, and it has got even better since then.
SciShow’s main goal is to make science accessible to everyone. So, in order to reach that goal, everything talked about is discussed in a way that even science amateurs like myself can understand. SciShow explain what anesthesia does to your brain, how to escape quicksand, do you really only use 10% of your brain, and, What happens after you flush the toilet?
Most of the videos tend to be short, around five minutes, but they often delve deeper into topics that require it (like overpopulation) and SciShow has a series of videos called Quick Questions that answers specific questions in under 3 minutes, like, What does your uvula do?
With a constant stream of new videos, you’ll likely never run out of content, and there’s something for everyone, from a Quiz Show, to a Talk Show, from a List Show, to a News Show. Get to watching!

CrashCourse

Crash Course offers the gold standard of educational videos. The production quality of its animations is amazing, and the topics range from economics, to astronomy, and from the U.S. Government, to World History, and more!
These videos are legitimate educational materials used in schools all over the United States — and for good reason. They’re well-made, they’re insightful, they’re interesting, and best of all, they’re fun. If you had told me in high school that after graduating I would willingly sit down in my free time and watch hours of educational videos about world history, I would have called you crazy. But now as an adult, I’ve done just that.
If you’re curious about a topic or even still in school studying, these are videos that can really help you.

Healthcare Triage

Healthcare is confusing. And I don’t just mean the crazy healthcare system in the U.S., but in general. Trying to find out what is best for you is a nightmare. What is actually healthy? What’s a myth? How do you sift through thousands of studies and decide which were done well?
Thankfully, Healthcare Triage has done the sifting for us. They go through all of the studies, the evidence, and the science, and present the audience with fact-based videos to help inform their lives.
You can learn how vaccines don’t cause autism, how organic food isn’t better for you, and how video games don’t cause violence — all backed up by reputable sources that are linked in the descriptions of the videos.
You won’t find a more entertaining format for learning about healthcare. It’s a boring topic, but so necessary to learn about.

How to Adult

Maybe you have just graduated high school or college and moved out on your own. Maybe you’ve been living on your own for a while now but still haven’t quite figured out what you’re doing. If so, you might be asking yourself, how do I adult?
How to Adult is one of the most useful things out there for anyone just trying to figure out how to handle the basic things we aren’t taught in school. What’s the difference between renting or buying a house? How do you do your taxes? How do you do laundry? How do you write a resume?
If you have any kind of question about how to do something you should probably know how to do, How to Adult has you covered. This channel covers a wide array of topics from career advice to relationship tips to how to handle your mental health. For practical, real-world advice that you can use in your day-to-day life, look no further.

Source: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/educational-youtube-channels-marathoning/

Tab Groups add-on adds full tab grouping functionality to Firefox

Tab Groups is a brand new add-on for the Firefox web browser that replicates the functionality of Firefox's built-in tab grouping feature.

Mozilla announced some time ago that Tab Groups would be one of the features that it would remove from Firefox as part of the organization's "great or dead" project.
A core reason for the decision was the feature's low usage numbers, but also that it caused overhead during development as it needed to be adjusted regularly based on changes made to Firefox's core mechanics.

Mozilla hoped that add-on developers would re-introduce the feature to Firefox. The first add-on to do that was Simplified Tab Groups which added the core functionality to Firefox but did not replicate the functionality exactly.
While it supports the main functionality, that is the creation of different groups of tabs and the ability to switch between those groups, it did not offer the UI that was a major part of the feature in Firefox.

Tab Groups Add-on

The new Firefox add-on Tab Groups fills that gap as it replicates the functionality exactly. It has been created by Quicksaver, an author responsible for add-ons like FindBar Tweak, OmniSidebar or Beyond Australis.





The add-on picks up existing tab groups and takes over flawlessly in the background. This means that you can install it right now to replace the native Firefox implementation without losing any functionality in the process.

In fact, it is recommended to do so considering that you may not be able to restore tab groups once Mozilla removes the feature from the web browser.

Mozilla plans to migrate tab groups to bookmarks, and to save a backup file to the desktop as well. The Tab Groups add-on is compatible with that backup file which means that you can restore it as long as you have access to that file.

The Tab Groups add-on adds a toolbar icon to Firefox that opens a visual representation of all tabs and groups open in Firefox currently.





You can drag and drop tabs to groups using it, and switch between groups with a single mouse click. Options to name groups for better recognition are provided as well.
New groups are created with a right-click on a tab and the selection of "Move to Group > New Group" from the context menu. There you find options to move tabs between groups directly as well.

You may use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-Shift-E instead to open the Tab Groups interface. The options provide you with the means to change the keyboard shortcut, and to disable the zooming animation.

Last but not least, a backup and restore function has been implemented on the options page on top of that which you can use for safe-keeping.

Closing Words
Tab Groups is the real deal. It replicates Firefox's Panorama functionality, takes over without you noticing that it does, and can even load the backup file created by the browser when the native tab grouping feature is dropped.

If you use Tab Groups currently and want to continue using the feature, this is the add-on you need to get for that.

By Martin Brinkmann on December 2, 2015 in Firefox - Last Update: December 2, 2015

Source: http://www.ghacks.net/2015/12/02/tab-groups-add-on-adds-full-tab-grouping-functionality-to-firefox/

Firefox 42: Find out what is new

By Martin Brinkmann   Firefox 42 will be unveiled officially on November 3, 2015 by Mozilla. This guide walks you through the core changes and feature editions of Firefox 42 for the desktop and Android.
All other Firefox channels will receive updates as well on this date. In particular, this means that Firefox Beta will be updated to Firefox Beta 43, Firefox Developer Edition to version 44, Firefox Nightly to version 45, and Firefox ESR to version 38.4.
The information you find below covers only Firefox 42 and no version that is still in development. I suggest you check out our Firefox category here on Ghacks if you are interested in keeping an eye on future changes as we cover those regularly here.
Firefox 42 is a big update that brings along with it notable new features and the long awaited 64-bit version of the browser for Windows.

Firefox 42 download and update

If you are running Firefox already you may use the internal update checker to download and install the new version. Please note that updates may not yet be available depending on when you are reading this post.
To check for updates tap on the Alt-key on your keyboard, and select Help > About from the menu that opens up.
This displays the current version of the web browser and whether an update is available. If it is, it may either be downloaded and installed automatically or manually depending on the update settings of the browser.
If you are new or want to download an installer instead, use the following links to do just that.

1. Firefox Stable download
2. Firefox Beta download
3. Firefox Developer download
4. Nightly download
5. Firefox ESR download

Special Case: Firefox 32-bit to 64-bit

Firefox about:buildconfig page

You cannot upgrade a 32-bit version of Firefox to 64-bit directly. What you need to do instead is download and install the 64-bit version, and have it use the Firefox profile that you are using in the 32-bit version so that you don't lose any data in the process.
I suggest that you create a backup of the profile before you do that though to be on the safe side.
How do you know if you are running a 64-bit version of Firefox? Load about:buildconfig in the browser's address bar and check the "target" string under build platform. If you see "64 in the string you are running a 64-bit version of the browser.

 

 

Firefox 42 Changes

The introduction of 64-bit stable builds are not the only important change in Firefox 42.
Private Browsing with Tracking Protection





Originally designed to come out with Firefox 39, Tracking Protection is finally launching in this version of the web browser.
It is an add-on for the browser's private browsing mode that blocks a selection of web trackers automatically in that mode.
To enable or disable it, load about:preferences#privacy in the browser's address bar and check or uncheck the "Use Tracking Protection in Private Windows" box on the Privacy page once it opens.
The effect? A comparison of the loading time of the top 200 Alexa websites came to the conclusion that load time dropped by 44% on average with Tracking Protection enabled. In addition, it reduced the average data usage by 39% and the number of HTTP cookies set on the system by 67.5%.


New Control Center with site security and privacy controls





A new shield icon is displayed under certain conditions in regular browsing and private browsing mode.
In regular mode, it will tell you if the connection to the site is secure or not. In private browsing mode, information about trackers found on the page and controls to disable the Tracking Protection feature are added.


Audio indicators and one-click audio muting





Audio indicators and muting options are finally available in all versions of Firefox. The browser indicates if audio is playing in any of the tabs open in it with an icon that it adds to the right side of the page title.
You may click on the icon to toggle the audio at any time to either mute the audio or unmute it. Please note that this won't affect playback of the media content on the page in any way though.
This can be very useful to indicate where audio is coming from, especially if it starts playing in the background, for instance when triggered by advertisement or an auto-playing video on a page.


Other changes

• Improved performance on interactive websites that trigger a lot of restyles
• Login Manager improvements: improvements to saving usernames and passwords, options to edit and show all logins in line, and migration of passwords from Chrome and Internet Explorer on Windows.
• Media Source Extension support is available on all sites visited in the web browser.
• WebRTC improvements: IPv6 support among other things.

Developer Changes

• CSS Filter Presets (click here for additional information)
• Debugging Firefox for Android over WiFi (see this page for additional information)
• ES6 Reflect implemented
• Firefox OS simulator configurations in WebIDE (see this page for additional details)
• Source code of pages are displayed in tabs now instead of new windows. You may revert the change however.

Firefox for Android

Most changes made to the Android version are identical to those of the desktop version. This is true for Tracking Protection in private browsing for example or under the hood improvements.
The changes listed below are exclusive to Firefox 42 for Android.
Android changes

1. External urls (for instance from chat applications or email apps), can be opened in the background now in Firefox for Android.
2. Family friendly browsing supported when restricted profiles are created on tablets.
3. Voice input for searching from the URL bar supported.

Security updates / fixes

Mozilla reveals security patches after the official release. We will update the review as soon as they become available.

• 2015-133 NSS and NSPR memory corruption issues
• 2015-132 Mixed content WebSocket policy bypass through workers
• 2015-131 Vulnerabilities found through code inspection
• 2015-130 JavaScript garbage collection crash with Java applet
• 2015-129 Certain escaped characters in host of Location-header are being treated as non-escaped
• 2015-128 Memory corruption in libjar through zip files
• 2015-127 CORS preflight is bypassed when non-standard Content-Type headers are received
• 2015-126 Crash when accessing HTML tables with accessibility tools on OS X
• 2015-125 XSS attack through intents on Firefox for Android
• 2015-124 Android intents can be used on Firefox for Android to open privileged files
• 2015-123 Buffer overflow during image interactions in canvas
• 2015-122 Trailing whitespace in IP address hostnames can bypass same-origin policy
• 2015-121 disabling scripts in Add-on SDK panels has no effect
• 2015-120 Reading sensitive profile files through local HTML file on Android
• 2015-119 Firefox for Android addressbar can be removed after fullscreen mode
• 2015-118 CSP bypass due to permissive Reader mode whitelist
• 2015-117 Information disclosure through NTLM authentication
• 2015-116 Miscellaneous memory safety hazards (rv:42.0 / rv:38.4)
• MFSA 2015-115 Cross-origin restriction bypass using Fetch

Additional information / sources

• Firefox 42 release notes
• Firefox 42 Android release notes
• Add-on compatibility for Firefox 42
• Firefox 42 for developers
• Site compatibility for Firefox 42
• Firefox Security Advisories
  
  
  
  Source: http://www.ghacks.net/2015/11/02/firefox-42-find-out-what-is-new/

Introducing the new Google+

Introducing the new Google+

November 17, 2015

If you head over to Google+ today, you’ll see that things look a little different. Since we last posted, we’ve spent a lot of time listening to what people using Google+ had to say. There were two features they kept coming back to: Communities, which now average 1.2 million new joins per day, and Collections, which launched just five months ago and is growing even faster. Whether it’s the Nonfiction Addiction Community, where people can be found discussing the best in Crime or Travel storytelling, or the Watch Project Collection, where more than 40,000 people are following an antique watch hobbyist, these are the places on Google+ where people around the world are spending their time discovering and sharing things they love. And so we’ve reimagined Google+ to help them do that. Today, we’re starting to introduce a fully redesigned Google+ that puts Communities and Collections front and center. Now focused around interests, the new Google+ is much simpler. And it’s more mobile-friendly—we’ve rebuilt it across web, Android and iOS so that you’ll have a fast and consistent experience whether you are on a big screen or small one. You’ll need to opt-in to this new version of Google+ on the web to see the changes—check out our Google+ post for more on how to give it a try.

Creating great products that solve real needs and make life easier for people is something Google is always striving for. Your feedback got us this far—as we continue to refine Google+, we’d love to keep hearing from you. In the meantime, we look forward to seeing how today’s changes help kickstart even more conversations around everything from Zombie Cats to Vintage Calculators.

Source: https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2015/11/introducing-new-google.html

Edit your online visibility with Google About Me

Google's About Me page enables you to manage Google account information that are publicly available on the Internet.
Whenever you create a social media account, and sometimes others as well, you expose some information to the public.
While there is no guarantee that anyone else stumbles upon the information ever, it means that it is theoretically possible that it happens.
Public means that the contents get indexed by the social network site and third-party sites as well. If you use a search engine to find information about someone on the Internet, these public information may be returned.
Since that is not always desired, social networking sites provide you with options to manage what you reveal about yourself up to a point.
Google's About Me page makes this simple. All you need to do is visit https://aboutme.google.com/ in your browser of choice, sign in to your Google Account if you have not already, to see what others see about you.





The page lists among other things public contact information, work history, places, sites, gender, birthday and other personal information.
Next to each section is an edit button that you can click on to add, edit or remove information from it. For instance, you may quickly change the visibility of an email address displayed to the public, or add a new site that you contribute to.
The information provided are a reflection of what is shown on the Google Plus about page. While you may edit them on the page as well, it is not as straightforward as on the About Me page as it lists information visible to only the account owner as well on that page.
Plus, it seems easier to open the Google About Me url than the Google Plus url.
The About Me page links to the Privacy Checkup online tool which lets you review and adjust "what data Google uses to personalize your experience" and "update what information you share with friends or make public".
Here is a quick rundown of what it allows you to do:

• Choose what Google+ profile information are shared with others.
• Whether people with your phone number find you when they search for it.
• Choose who can see your YouTube videos, likes, and subscriptions.
• Choose whether to remove geo location information from photos you share.
• Manage Google activity and history logging, e.g. location history.
• Select whether you want ads based on interests.

Closing Words
Google's About Me page does not reinvent the wheel but it makes it easy to edit account information quickly on a single page.

Source: http://www.ghacks.net/2015/11/11/edit-your-online-visibility-with-google-about-me/

The Beginner's Guide to Google+

When Google+ entered the social space in 2011, it was met largely with skepticism. Joining a crowded field with platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, many users questioned the need for another social network.
But roughly two years later, Google+ has established itself as the second-largest social media site in the world and boasts a monthly active user base of 235 million. And some of the products that Google built into the platform, such as Hangouts and Communities, along with its added integration in Google News that can benefit an active poster, have made Google+ an intriguing network for all users.

See also: The Beginner's Guide to the Hashtag

If you're a newbie to Google+, these tips will help you get started.

Creating a Google Account

First things first, in order to have a Google+ account, you must have a Google account. To do that, go to plus.google.com and find "Create An Account" located at the top right of the screen. From here, you will be asked to provide a few pieces of information, including your name, birthdate and current email address.
Next, you'll be prompted to add a profile photo to accompany your Google Account. You can either take a web camera shot of yourself to add to your Google profile or upload a headshot. Regardless, the image must be a minimum size of 250 x 250 pixels.

After adding your profile picture, you will then be redirected to your new Gmail account. From this new account, you can navigate to Google+ from the dashboard icon located on the top right in your account.
You are now ready to add friends, family and others to your Google+ Circles.

Creating Circles

The first time you access Google+, a screen will prompt you to add people you know or want to follow, as well as a list of suggested users Google has curated for you to follow — also known as a Circle.
Much like how Twitter works, you can follow someone and see all the activity that he or she publishes publicly. When you want to add someone to a Circle, there are already four default Circles you can choose from: "Family," "Friends," "Acquaintances" and "Following."
But if you want to add a person or brand page to a Circle that isn't listed, you can create a new Circle in the open box provided below the list.

Circles act very much like filters — you can share content with those in your Circles and you can see what they choose to share publicly. People and brands will be notified when you have added them to your Circles, but they don't know which Circle or who else is in that Circle with them.

Adding Extra Details to Your Google+ Profile

After you've added all your favorite people to Circles, Google will ask you to share just a little more information about yourself — including your current place of employment, where you went to school and where you live — to make your profile a bit more interesting. These sections will be public initially, but you can edit the visibility of this information once you have your profile set.

See also: The Beginner's Guide to Facebook

Google+ is a very visual platform, so beyond your profile picture, you also have quite a bit of real estate on your profile page for a cover photo. If you're a Facebook user, you already know the large cover photo on that platform, which is 851 x 315 pixels. But Google+ takes that to an even more extreme level: 2120 x 1192 pixels.

With your profile set up with a profile picture, cover photo and background information, you're ready to browse the network.

Navigating the Stream

When you arrive at the Google+ home screen, you will see a variety of posts, products and more.

On left sidebar of the platform, you'll see 10 options to choose from, including "Profile," "What's Hot," "Communities," "Events" and "Hangouts On Air," among others, many of which we will cover shortly. On the right side of the screen is your Hangouts box, which shows the list of individuals or brands in your Circles. From here you can text chat or video chat with those on the list.
In the center, you will see all posts from your list of Circles. You can filter through these posts by navigating to the Circle of your choice — from "Friends" to "Following" and more. This section will also include posts that Google+ has deemed popular on the network.
When interacting with posts, there are a number of things you can do, including +1'ing a post (which is essentially "liking" the post), sharing the post or commenting on the post. On the top right of each post, there is a downward carrot symbol that gives you more options for things you can do with this post, such as viewing its activity, embedding the post, muting the post or linking to the post, among other options.

Now that you know how to interact with a post, let's dig into how to create your own.

Posting on the Platform

Google+ makes it incredibly easy for your posts to target a large or small group of accounts when you post on the platform. When you try to post on Google+, you will need to select who you want to share it with — whether that's with the public, "Family" or with just one person, for example.

Much like with Facebook, you can tag individuals or brands in your posts. Tagged users or brands will get notifications that they have been mentioned on the platform. A tagged post can also serve as a private message with an individual or group. If you do tag another page, be cognizant of whether you want to share that post with just that person, brand or Circle, or if you want to share it publicly while also tagging that page or multiple pages.

Communities

If you're looking for where a lot of the conversations take place on Google+, look no further than Communities. Launched in December 2012, Communities are where users can find vibrant discussions around very specific topics with other users who are just as interested in the conversation. And the topics on the platform seem endless — ranging from social media to animals to comedy and more. In order to join the conversation, all you need to do is request to join.

See also: Google+ Communities: A Beginner's Guide

Sharing to Communities is much like sharing to a Circle. Although you can post to the Community directly, you can essentially share to these pages from anywhere on the platform. If you are posting to a public Community, this post will also show up on your profile page and will be visible to users who navigate to your page.
There are also private Communities, where you have to request to join in order to post content or see other users' shares. And unlike public Communities, anything you post within a private Community is exactly that — private from anyone outside of the group to see.

Hangouts

Google+ Hangouts are one of the most popular features on the platform. There are three types of Hangouts — the text chat version that has essentially replaced Gchat, private Hangouts and Hangouts On Air. For this tutorial, we will be discussing the latter two: Hangouts and Hangouts On Air.
Hangouts are a great option for individuals or companies who want to host a private video chat with up to 10 different accounts. Unlike Hangouts On Air, this will not be publicly viewable and will only be seen by those who are invited to join. You can initiate a Hangout from the Hangouts box on the right side of the web platform, or from an individual's profile page.

See also: The Beginner's Guide to YouTube

Hangouts On Air are the public version of Hangouts, which can be viewed by all and are also archived as YouTube videos. You can navigate to this by finding the "Hangouts On Air" icon in the options on the left sidebar of the platform. In order to start a Hangout On Air, your account must be associated with a YouTube account; otherwise, you will not be able to move forward.

Hangouts On Air also allow you to video chat with up to 10 users (including yourself). Because you are choosing to host a public Hangout, it's important to follow a few easy, and important steps:

• When possible, try to host Hangouts On Air when you are in a place with high Internet connection speeds.
• Have headphones in case there is audio feedback on your end.
• Set yourself up with good lighting.

Not all of these are always achievable — in fact, Google now offers an audio-only mode and a bandwidth slider within Hangouts On Air if you are in a location with low bandwidth.

Events

Google+ Events is an essential tool for individuals and brands who want to promote everything from a Hangout On Air to fundraising events to private parties. An added layer for Events is that it can fully integrate within Google Calendar for added organization.
Events can be found on the left sidebar of the social platform. When you arrive in the Events section, you will have to click "Create Event" to get started.
The Events interface is incredibly easy to set up. As with scheduling any kind of calendar event, you should create a strong event title, set the day and time, location (if needed) and any details that are necessary to explain the event. Finally, similar to using Google+ posts, you can set the event to be seen publicly or to be seen by just a select group of people.

What's Hot

The "What's Hot" section of Google+ is one of its major standouts as a social network. As with Hangouts and Events, you can find this section on the left sidebar of the platform. "What's Hot" shows the posts, topics and hashtags that are trending on Google+ at any given time, as well as suggestions for Communities that may interest you.

Speaking of hashtags, Google+ has gone all in with hashtags, and it has added a whole new level to social search on the platform. Using hashtags in your posts can improve your content's discoverability. Beyond that, though, Google+ will also suggest related hashtags for your posts to make them resonate more on the platform.

Google+ Mobile

The Google+ mobile app is a highly-functional, scaled-down version of the desktop platform. You can still post links and photos from the platform, filter through Circles, create events and more on the mobile app.
Google has also created its own standalone Hangouts app, with which you can interact with those in your Circles through text or video chats, just like you would on the desktop version.
This guide is only the beginning of what can be a deeply immersive social experience. But if you are new to Google+, this will be enough to get you started.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Image: iStockphoto, samxmeg

Source: http://mashable.com/2013/10/27/google-plus-beginners-guide/#9WalHeYXmSqy

How to set up Mozilla's Firefox browser the right way

Mozilla Firefox is a great choice for your default browser no matter what operating system you're running, but it's especially handy if you’re running Windows 10 since it takes control of Cortana’s Bing addiction with no effort on your part. Beyond that, the browser's doing a lot of interesting pro-user privacy things these days, such as instituting a truly private Private Browsing mode that blocks tracking ads, and rolling out ads that actually respect user preferences.

Firefox also offers many of the advantages that Chrome does, including cloud-based capabilities that sync your bookmarks, browsing history, and open tabs across devices.

Here’s how to set up Firefox the right way so you can get the most of this fantastic open source browser. This tutorial is based on version 41.0.1.

Firefox Sync

Sync is Mozilla’s answer to Chrome’s cross-platform service that lets you sync your bookmarks, browsing history, installed add-ons, and open tabs across your PCs and other devices.

To use Sync you need to sign-up for a Firefox account, which you can do right from your browser.

Get started with Firefox Sync right from the browser’s menu.

Click on the “hamburger” menu icon in the upper right corner and select “Sign in to Sync” towards the bottom. This will open a tab where you can create a Firefox account. Fill it out as you would anything else, and then click Sign up.

Mozilla will then send you a verification email that you’ll need to click before you can continue. Once that’s done, Firefox will start syncing your data to Mozilla’s servers so you can access it with Firefox on other PCs, and with Firefox for Android.

By default, Sync saves your tabs, bookmarks, passwords, history, installed add-ons, and preferences. If you’d like to change any of that, open a new tab in Firefox and typeabout:preferences#sync. Then uncheck any boxes under “Sync” that you don’t want saved. Personally, I don’t bother syncing passwords since I use a password manager.

To turn off Firefox’s feature for saving passwords, type inabout:preferences#security in a new tab then under “Passwords” uncheck “Remember passwords for sites.”

Import bookmarks

When you first install Firefox you’re given the option then to install bookmarks from other browsers installed on your system. If you missed that boat, you can still do it after the initial set up process. First, check out instructions online for how to export bookmarks from Chrome, Internet Explorer, Opera, and Safari.

If given the choice, export your bookmarks as a .HTML file and save it somewhere on your PC that you’ll be able to find again, such as the desktop or your documents folder.

You can import your bookmarks from other browsers via Firefox’s bookmarks manager.

Now open Firefox and type Ctrl + Shift + B to open the Bookmarks Manager. A new window will open; at the top, click the Import and Backup button and select Import Bookmarks from HTML... Select the HTML file you exported from your old browser in the previous step and Firefox will do the rest.

Must have add-ons

Like Chrome, Firefox has a healthy add-ons catalog that enhance the capabilities of your browser. To start installing add-ons, type about:addons into a new tab and hit Enter.

Privacy and security conscious users will want to use NoScript, a classic Firefox add-on from developer Giorgio Maone that stops JavaScript and other content from running without your say-so. It has granular permissions that give you control over exactly what runs and what does not on every site you visit.

Another privacy favorite is the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s HTTPS Everywhere. This add-on forces most popular sites to connect to you over a more secure HTTPS connection if an HTTPS connection is available for the site. This makes it much harder for anyone to snoop on your online activity. You may not think reading the news or your favorite blog is important enough to keep private, but that kind of activity can betray your political leanings, interests, and religious views (or lack thereof) to name just a few data points you may want to keep private.

Another great tool is Download Manager Tweak, an add-on that adds some power to Firefox’s download manager. You can open the manager in a tab or sidebar, delete a downloaded file, and re-download files.

Firefox also comes with the add-on from read-it-later service Pocket built-in.

If you want to take a look at more Firefox add-ons, check out our look at 25 browser add-ons that make your life easier.

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2991758/browsers/how-to-set-up-mozillas-firefox-browser-the-right-way.html

How to set up Google's Chrome browser the right way

Google Chrome is one of the most popular browsers in the world, second only to Internet Explorer by most measures. Why? Lay credit at the feet of Chrome’s vibrant extension catalog, popular app platform, and deep integration with Google services.

It’s a fantastic browser, but just as with Firefox there’s an ideal way to get the most out of Chrome. Here’s how to set up Chrome the right way.

Sync your data

One of the best features of Chrome is its ability to sync your bookmarks, browsing history, and open tabs across all your devices. Chrome syncs all your data via a Google Account (what you use to sign in to Gmail and other Google services). If you don’t have a Google Account you’ll be able to create one using the same method below.

Open Chrome and type chrome://settings into the address bar. At the top of the page that opens, click Sign in to Chrome under the “Sign in” heading. A pop-up window will appear giving you the option to either sign in using your Google account or create an account.

Once you’ve signed in, click new button under “Sign in” that says Advanced sync settings... Here, you’ll be able to decide what to sync across your devices, such as apps, autofill data, bookmarks, extensions, history, passwords, settings, themes, and open tabs. Just uncheck anything you don’t want to use and then click OK.

Chrome lets you encrypt all your sync items with a passphrase only you know.

Privacy conscious users should also note you can encrypt all your synced data with your own passphrase that is never sent to Google. The downside of this approach is that if you lose your passphrase you won’t be able to access your synced data. Using your own passphrase also means Google Now won’t be able to suggest sites based on your browsing history and you can’t access your saved passwords on passwords.google.com. Personally, I’d go for the personalized passphrase option and then stash it in a password manager for later access.

Import bookmarks

Chrome can easily import your bookmarks for you.

If you’re moving to Chrome from another browser you’ll of course need to bring your bookmarks with you. Chrome makes it really easy to grab bookmarks from other browsers. Click on the “hamburger” menu icon and navigate toBookmarks > Import bookmarks and settings... This will open a pop-up window in a new tab. At the top you’ll see a drop down menu listing all the browsers you have installed on your PC that Chrome can grab data from. Simply select the right browser, click Import and you’re done.

This menu also gives you the option to import bookmarks from an HTML file if your browser isn't listed. You can find instructions online on how to export your bookmarks to an HTML file from Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, and Safari.

Extensions

Chrome has a very vibrant extension and app ecosystem. It’s hard to choose just a few items that most users will find useful, but we’ll do our best.

Hangouts is a great choice since it allows Google’s messaging app to behave as a desktop program.

VPN provider TunnelBear offers an easy-to-use proxy extension for Chrome that allows you to enjoy encrypted, safe browsing. If you’re overseas it can also help you get past geoblocking for many sites, although not Hulu. The downside to TunnelBear is that a free account only gives you 500MB of bandwidth a month, for more than that you’ll need a paid account.

Mute Tab Shortcuts is also a great extension that lets you mute multiple tabs with audio playing at once.

Finally, Vimium is a fantastic extension that lets you control your browser with keyboard shortcuts. Vimium is designed to work similarly to Vim, a popular keyboard-controlled text editor among hacker types.

For more Chrome extensions check out our look at productivity-focused tools in the Chrome Web Store.

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2993076/browsers/how-to-set-up-googles-chrome-browser-the-right-way.html