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Tabs at mail.google.com on iPhone don't work

posted Aug 21, 2015, 5:27 AM by Info@ HelpAsNeeded

Tabs at mail.google.com on iPhone don't work

Tabs are not windows / pics worth a thousand words

Using Chrome and other browsers on a desktop PC, tabs appear at the top of the screen above the address bar. Users can move between tabs using the mouse or Ctrl + Tab (see picture Chrome.W7.Tabs.png):


Using Chrome on iOS, tabs do not appear (see Chrome.iOS.HAsN.png):


... UNLESS the user is at mail.google.com, in which case four tabs -- for Google+, Gmail, Calendar, and Web -- appear below the address bar (see Chrome.iOS.Gmail.png):


Though a window may have a tab, a tab is not a window (young people may not understand this :). Unfortunately, the menu on Chrome for iOS offers users the opportunity to create a "new tab" when it really means to offer the opportunity to create a "window" (see Chrome.iOS.HAsN.Menu.png):


Until recently, using Chrome on iOS at mail.google.com, we were able to select one of those four tabs to move between Google apps (windows) but no more -- when we click on the tabs nothing happens.

Are you having this trouble? What problems are you having?

Changing Gmail Display Name

posted Jun 18, 2015, 3:27 PM by Info@ HelpAsNeeded   [ updated Jun 18, 2015, 3:49 PM ]

Can you change the display name on email messages sent to recipients?

Some people have answered this saying, incorrectly, that this has nothing to do with Gmail. One way to solve this is through Google's recently announced "My Account."

Go to your "My Account," choose "Security Checkup," click as necessary through recovery information, connected devices, account permissions, until you get to "check your gmail settings," and select the "remove display name: FirstName LastName," and Remove.

See image below for illustration.

Can we help you?

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fQ8U-lMSy5w/VYHHmDbGM-I/AAAAAAAAACk/hsYDDEx2F2A/s1600/DisplayName.Remove.20150616.jpg

Configuring "Mailto:" On Websites and Browsers

posted Jun 18, 2015, 12:22 PM by Info@ HelpAsNeeded   [ updated Jun 18, 2015, 3:50 PM ]

Are users having problems with a Mailto: link on your website, or are you having trouble with a Mailto: link on another website? It may be a problem with the browser or the website.

Mailto: is a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) scheme that allows users to click a link on a website to send an e-mail without first having to copy the destination e-mail address. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mailto). Unless users have a mail service configured in their browser, the link may not work.



The following may help you configure your particular browser:

Chrome: Select Menu, Settings, Show Advanced Settings, Privacy, Content Settings, Handlers, Manage Handlers. (details: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/1382847?p=ib_protocol_handler&rd=1)

Firefox: Select Menu, Options, Applications, Search: mailto (details: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/change-program-used-open-email-links)

Internet Explorer (limited support): https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/154359

Can we help you?

DISCONTINUED: Update: Using Google Maps API in Gadgets

posted Sep 20, 2014, 12:46 PM by Info@ HelpAsNeeded   [ updated Aug 30, 2016, 6:09 PM ]

GOOGLE DISCONTINUED WEB HOSTING IN GOOGLE DRIVES EFFECTIVE AUGUST 31, 2016 SO THIS EXAMPLE IS NO LONGER FUNCTIONAL. SEE: https://googleappsupdates.blogspot.com/2015/08/deprecating-web-hosting-support-in.html

Here's an update on changes to Google Drive since our July 28 post, "Using Google Maps API in Gadgets," that affects the use of Drive hosting capabilities.

First, Google has introduced a "new" Drive. Beware -- the new Drive doesn't support hosting. If you opted for the new Drive, simply select the Gear icon, and switch back. You should see the Hosting URL at the bottom right much as it appeared before. If the URL doesn't appear, try logging out and logging back in.

Second, when we wrote this post in July, our Hosting URL -- https://googledrive.com/host/0By9lQUVEpNaiUEVmVXVLb2VCY2M/GMaps.xml -- worked fine. When we tried to repeat this same exercise today with a new XML file, we found that the URL of both the old and the new file is a truncation of the URL we used in July: https://googledrive.com/host/0By9lQUVEpNaiUEVmVX. We double clicked this URL and successfully used the URL that appeared: https://fe5f3770ba32de3297efdb8c8f24f301bed8b927.googledrive.com/host/0By9lQUVEpNaiUEVmVXVLb2VCY2M/GMaps20140920.xml.

DISCONTINUED: Using Google Maps API in Gadgets

posted Jul 28, 2014, 7:09 PM by Info@ HelpAsNeeded   [ updated Aug 30, 2016, 6:10 PM ]

GOOGLE DISCONTINUED WEB HOSTING IN GOOGLE DRIVES EFFECTIVE AUGUST 31, 2016 SO THIS EXAMPLE IS NO LONGER FUNCTIONAL. SEE: https://googleappsupdates.blogspot.com/2015/08/deprecating-web-hosting-support-in.html

Google Maps JavaScript API allows programmers to develop applications that use Google Maps. Google Maps API is written in HTML and JavaScript. Google Gadgets are XML files that contain HTML with JavaScript and other tools.

Here's an example* using Google Drive to create a Gadget for Google Sites using the Google Maps API example, "Hello, World."

1. Copy the Hello, World code (shown below) from the Google Maps API tutorial.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
 
<head>
   
<meta name="viewport" content="initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=no" />
   
<style type="text/css">
      html
{ height: 100% }
      body
{ height: 100%; margin: 0; padding: 0 }
     
#map-canvas { height: 100% }
   
</style>
   
<script type="text/javascript"
     
src="https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/js?key=API_KEY">
   
</script>
   
<script type="text/javascript">
     
function initialize() {
       
var mapOptions = {
          center
: new google.maps.LatLng(-34.397, 150.644),
          zoom
: 8
       
};
       
var map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById("map-canvas"),
            mapOptions
);
     
}
      google
.maps.event.addDomListener(window, 'load', initialize);
   
</script>
 
</head>
 
<body>
   
<div id="map-canvas"/>
 
</body>
</html>
2. Open Notepad (or other editor) and paste the code.

3. Edit the code as follows.

3.1. Replace the "API_KEY" string with your own Google Maps API Key.

3.2. Add the following components.

<Module> to indicates that this XML file contains a gadget.

<ModulePrefs> with information about the gadget such as its title, description, author, and other optional features.

<Content type="html"> indicating that the gadget's content type is HTML.

<![CDATA[ ...insert HTML here... ]]> to enclose HTML content.

</Content> to signify the end of the Content section.

</Module> to signify the end of the gadget definition.

See the edited file below:
<Module>
<ModulePrefs title="GMaps.xml example">
</ModulePrefs>
<Content type="html">
<![CDATA[

<html>

 
<head>
   
<meta name="viewport" content="initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=no" />
   
<style type="text/css">
      html
{ height: 100% }
      body
{ height: 100%; margin: 0; padding: 0 }
     
#map-canvas { height: 100% }
   
</style>
   
<script type="text/javascript"
     
src="https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/js?key=AIzaSyCLV4A5uRztqWDxVjo8m0CccnttbmO0dsk">
   
</script>
   
<script type="text/javascript">
     
function initialize() {
       
var mapOptions = {
          center
: new google.maps.LatLng(38.889269,-77.050176),
          zoom
: 8
       
};
       
var map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById("map-canvas"),
            mapOptions
);
     
}
      google
.maps.event.addDomListener(window, 'load', initialize);
   
</script>
 
</head>
 
<body>
   
<div id="map-canvas"/>
 
</body>
</html>

]]>
</Content>
</Module>
4. Upload the file as GMaps.xml to a public folder on Google Drive.

5. On Google Drive, check the box to the left of the file name. Open the Details and Activity display for the file. Select Details. At the bottom, copy the Hosting URL: https://googledrive.com/host/0By9lQUVEpNaiUEVmVXVLb2VCY2M/GMaps.xml

7. On Google Sites, select Insert, More gadgets, Add Gadgets by URL, and paste the Hosting URL. Select Add, and OK. The result appears below.

GMaps.xml example

The gadget spec URL could not be found

*Thanks to Robert Wilcox and Mori.

Good Customer Support Furthers Customer Retention

posted May 24, 2014, 12:34 PM by Info@ HelpAsNeeded   [ updated May 24, 2014, 12:44 PM ]

Customer acquisition costs tend to be pretty high, so the best strategy usually is to treat existing customers very well so that they remain customers. Here's an example of how not to treat existing customers.

MelbourneIT is listed as having registered the 6th most domains, with 2.2 M, according to information on Webhosting.info as of May 24, 2014. According to information from MelbourneIT, Microsoft was one of their domain resellers until Microsoft discontinued Office Live Small Business in 2011, at which time former Microsoft customers began to interface, often for the first time, directly with MelbourneIT.

My organization provides technical support to a number of web sites, some of which own domains that were a party to this transition from Microsoft to MelbourneIT. While we don't know how many accounts Microsoft delivered to Melbourne IT, it seems to us that Melbourne IT should be grateful for these new accounts. However, it seems that MelbourneIT never understood the idea of treating its customers well but instead treats its customers lousy. We won't take time to list all the examples but will list a few.

First, their tech support is lousy -- they don't offer support by email, but instead direct you to post queries to an online forum. When we wanted support changing a particular web host from Microsoft to Google, our online queries went unanswered for a week. We went so far as to call them -- in Australia -- from the United States and had a support tech ask for the account password. It seems to us that support personnel should not have access to passwords, much less should they ask for passwords over the phone. MelbourneIT had a "challenge question" on the account that they should have used, but didn't.

Second, we decided to transfer the domain we were having trouble configuring to a US registrar but we couldn't because of problems with the registry. We submitted a complaint to InterNIC which produced a response from their Policy Office - Legal and completed a successful transfer.

Now -- this month -- Melbourne IT decided without any warning or notice to automatically renew the remaining MelbourneIT domain at $39.95 -- more than double the $14.95 fee we had been paying per domain per year. Fortunately, the credit card company to which this domain renewal fee was submitted identified this as a potentially fraudulent charge so they blocked the charge and alerted us of the charge. We investigated this charge using MelbourneIT's online customer support service, and received the following explanation:

"As a reseller of Melbourne IT, Microsoft were free to set their pricing at whatever level they thought appropriate. When they rather abruptly closed the office live system and replaced it with Office 365, all their customers reverted to being managed my us. As a gesture of good faith, we agreed that we would process the next renewal on all those domains at the same price Microsoft would have charged. As it's now the second time the domain is to be renewed, the pricing is now at our standard level - what you are being invoiced is the same as what it would cost you to buy a new domain or renew an existing one if Microsoft had not been involved in the process."

We don't set prices, but $15 seems to be the going rate for domain registrations, so we informed MelbourneIT that we would not renew. we informed them that we were going to transfer to an other registrar. We turned off the automatic renewal setting on our account. We asked them to stop sending "domain expires on 2014-06-16" notices (they refused to agree to do so). We asked them to stop billing us. Despite all this, they continued to bill the credit card and despite our instructions to the credit card company, MelbourneIT was paid for this renewal at this exorbitant fee.

We have asked for an immediate refund and hope, despite all that has transpired, that we will find satisfactory resolution and that we will be done with this organization.

PS: Webhosting.info shows MelbourneIT's total domains have declined by over 1% in the past month, from 2,240,000 on April 14, 2014, to below 2,210,000 on May 19, 2014. Perhaps MelbourneIT is abandoning the business?

Social Media 101

posted Feb 12, 2014, 3:59 PM by Info@ HelpAsNeeded

We've just pulled together a table below to help explain what tools can be used to solve particular social media needs, such as describing service offerings and sending service offering information. Three points to bear in mind.

First is the difference between putting information up on the web and waiting for people to visit--this is called "pull" technology--versus sending information to desired recipients, which is called "push" technology. Both address the challenge of getting the content in front of the desired users.

Second is that there is a lot of overlap in the tools, such that blogs and calendars and drives are all types of web sites.

Third is that along with the increasing popularity of tablets and smart devices comes the migration of processing from laptops and desktops into the "cloud." From the user's perspective, benefits from this transformation include lower cost of end user devices, lower end user device maintenance costs, and the ability to access information in the cloud from everywhere.

Leading industry players including Amazon, Google, and Microsoft are battling to serve this need. The latter two are offering suites of services, including operating systems, word processors, spreadsheets, email, etc. While Microsoft is an investor in Facebook, note that neither Microsoft nor Google have significant Facebook-like or Twitter-like offerings of their own. Microsoft's commitment to cloud services is reflected in the fact that their newly appointed CEO, Satya Nadella, was most recently led Microsoft's cloud services.

Contact us to discuss how we could you help you with your social media strategy and implementation!

(Note: this is a Google Apps site for reasons we could be happy to explain.)

Social Media: Applications and ToolsWeb siteBlogCalendarDriveEletterElistFacebookTwitter
To provide information including news, documents, events, contact information, "About" information.X






To provide news and other articles of interest and comments thereabout. Site owner establishes publication policies, e.g., moderated or unmoderated.XX





To provide information about meetings past and future.X
X




To provide a document repository.X

X



To "push" information of any type to subscribers. In addition to pushing this content, it may be made available online.X


X


Electronic newsletters (eletters) provide information including news, documents, events, contact information, "About" information. A specialized web site with pre-defined format.X




X
To "push" small bits of information for visibility, announcements, and to attract new users.






X
Electronic lists (elists) facilitate communication between interested individuals. Elist owner establishes membership and other policies. Members determine how to receive content, e.g., via email ("push") or by going online ("pull").X



X


iPhone Dictation Commands

posted Feb 8, 2014, 10:38 AM by Info@ HelpAsNeeded   [ updated Feb 9, 2014, 12:14 PM ]

Despite the tremendous progress that has been made in speech recognition systems, creation of documents using speech rather than using fingers on a keyboard is more the exception than the rule. Free voice recognition capabilities are available on Apple iPhones, Apple Mac computers, windows computers running Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 PC, and on Google's voice search applet. In order to make dictation more useful, Apple has developed and published a list of dictation commands, such as "caps on," and "new paragraph." Apple provides a helpful online guide, titled "Mac basics: dictation lets you speak text instead of typing." While dictation operates much the same on an iPhone as on a Mac, we found it cumbersome to view a list of the detailed dictation commands on our iPhone. Accordingly, we have posted the list of Mac dictation commands in a "sortable" spreadsheet at the link below (note: we did not test to verify that every one of these commands works). Those dictation commands also appear below the spreadsheet link.

Click Here for sortable spreadsheet


Punctuation

Result

apostrophe

open bracket

[

close bracket

]

open parenthesis

(

close parenthesis

)

open brace

{

close brace

}

open angle bracket

<

close angle bracket

>

colon

:

comma

,

dash

-

ellipsis

exclamation mark

!

hyphen

period / point / dot / full stop

.

question mark

?

quote

"

end quote

"

begin single quote

'

end single quote

'

semicolon

;


Typography

Result

ampersand

&

asterisk

*

at sign

@

backslash

\

forward slash

/

caret

^

center dot

·

large center dot

degree sign

°

hashtag / pound sign

#

percent sign

%

underscore

_

vertical bar

|


Capitalization

Result

caps on

formats next phrase in Title Case

caps off

resumes default letter case

all caps

formats next word in ALL CAPS

all caps on

proceeds in ALL CAPS

all caps off

resumes default letter case


Currency

Result

dollar sign

$

cent sign

¢

pound sterling sign

£

euro sign

yen sign

¥


Emoticons

Result

cross-eyed laughing face

XD

frowny face

:-(

smiley face

:-)

winky face

;-)


Intellectual Property

Result

copyright sign

©

registered sign

®

trademark sign


Mathematical

Result

equals sign

=

greater than sign

>

less than sign

<

minus sign

-

multiplication sign

x

plus sign

+


Word and Line

Result

new line

adds line break

numeral

formats next phrase as number

roman numeral

formats next phrase as Roman numeral

new paragraph

adds paragraph break

no space on

formats next phrase without spaces

no space off

resumes default spacing

tab key

advances cursor to the next tab stop


What To Do Now That You Have Hacked Someone's Gmail?

posted Aug 12, 2013, 1:14 PM by Info@ HelpAsNeeded   [ updated Aug 12, 2013, 1:17 PM ]

Now that we have your attention--no, we are NOT suggesting that you hack anyone's email, but rather, we want you to help you recognize it and fix it.

Last time we wrote about a Facebook scam that invited targets to give away their Facebook id and password (http://tinyurl.com/has20130720).

Here's another nasty trick.

First, before you hack into your target's Gmail account, create a Hotmail account that is similar. For instance, if your target's email is barack.obama@gmail.com, create barack.obama@hotmail.com. Next, log into your target's Gmail account and change the "reply-to" setting to the new email that you have created.

while still logged into the target's Gmail, send out your scam from the hacked account--"Help me, my family and I are stranded in some poor village where we came to feed the homeless. Wire money!," or something else. Be sure to delete copies of your sent emails when you are finished so that the target doesn't catch on.

Now, anyone who simply hits "reply" to your email will send emails to you, the hacker.

WHAT TO DO--FOR USERS

If your Gmail has been hacked--or if you want to know whether your Gmail has been hacked--follow these steps:

- from Gmail, click on the gear icon in the top right;
- click "settings;"
- click "accounts;"
- find "Send mail as," and look to see whether a "reply-to" address appears.

If no "reply-to" entry appears, then there is nothing to worry about--replies will come back to you automatically.

If the "reply-to" entry isn't something you recognize, edit or delete it altogether. NOW CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD!

WHAT TO DO--FOR ELIST ADMINISTRATORS

Unless you moderate every message that comes through your elist (Listserv, Yahoo! Groups, Google Groups, etc.), there isn't any way to prevent messages from your users who have been hacked this way from getting through. When you encounter such messages, my recommendation is that you suspend the account until the target indicates that the hack has been corrected.

While this has been focused on Gmail, the same exposure and issues exist with other email accounts.

Follow us @HelpAsNeeded.

Let us know your thoughts.

WARNING--APPARENT FRAUD--Sẻccurƚy Faƈcẻbook

posted Jul 20, 2013, 11:16 AM by Info@ HelpAsNeeded

We just received a very-well socially-engineered notice on Facebook from "Sẻccurƚy Faƈcẻbook" that "Facebook has detected suspicious activity on your account and a security violation action. This problem can lead to permanent suspension or disabling of your facebook account." 

Included was a link to safetyfacebook DOT com, at which we were asked to provide our email address, password address, etc. Facebook indicated that 45 of our friends were also friends with Sẻccurƚy Faƈcẻbook, so presumably each of these friends received a similar notice.

Signs that this is a fraud:

- non-standard characters in "Sẻccurƚy Faƈcẻbook;"

- fact that Sẻccurƚy Faƈcẻbook appears as a person rather than as an organization;

- fact that "facebook" is lower case in associated website;

- fact that Safetyfacebook DOT com is a URL that was created two days ago, July 17, 2013.

IF YOU PROVIDED YOUR ACCOUNT INFORMATION, CHANGE YOUR ACCOUNT IMMEDIATELY.

NOTIFY FACEBOOK.

CONTACT US FOR SUPPORT.

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