The Mouse Click (Formerly Daily Mouse Clicks)

In the past, we discussed "pinning" in Firefox . Internet Explorer 8 and 9 also has a pinning feature, which is similar. From the address bar (Microsoft calls it the "One Box"), click on the icon to the left of the URL (web address) and drag it to the task bar, your desktop or even the start menu. Now you can click and pop your way to your favorite site, even if you don't have the browser open. In I.E. 9, if you already have your browser open, click on a new tap and it will show you a selection of your favorite websites.

Run into dead ends and rabbit trails when trying to locate something online?  Google really wants to be the best search engine and they strive to figure out the users intentions when they do a search. If you put [Pizza Hut Cartersville GA] into your search, the majority of people are most likely are looking for the restaurant, maybe their hours, menu or actual address or location.  Less relevant would be stock quotes, locations in California or job applications although they may be helpful to a few. In our previous search segment ,  we discussed some of the basics. Now, let's look at some more advanced helpers. Put an asterisk * in a phrase or question you want completed and Google fill in the blanks. For example, you can find the lyrics to a song even if you only remember a few words. For example: [Tie a yellow * around that old *] With my daughter recently going to Japan, this one is really handy. Want to know what time

I want to share with you one of my favorite research resources. Websites come and go, but in many cases, the site was documented before it disappeared.  The WayBackMachine is part of the Internet Archive at http://www.archive.org/ .  This digital library contains millions of web pages which you can locate with the URL. (Sites do have the option to not have their site searched and archived by bots such as the ones used by archive.org, but most do not use it as it would restrict search engines as well. ) So, while you are searching, you find a perfect match but the site is no longer online? Take the URL and pop it into the WayBackMachine. Most likely, you will find your resulting document ready and waiting for you to stop by.

Ever go to a website and see highlighted text that, when your mouse rolls over it, pops up an advertisement?  Obviously many sites use advertising to help pay for their sites, making it available to the public but there are times you really don't want them popping up all the time! So, you can disable them. Roll over and look for the popup. Click the "?" and it will take you to the advertising company that manages the ads. Select disable and it will put a 'cookie' on your machine and the ads are gone. One major website that uses it for advertising is Ehow.com. Nicely, they have a post with more details  about disabling  rollover ads.   Click here to go to the Ehow.com website.

Wow.. Black Friday had a black eye this year with a woman using pepper spray on other customers for an Xbox, a grandfather bloodied by police while being arrested for alleged shoplifting, shootings , fights , and even looting .  Obviously, these are not the norm which is why they make the news, but it makes a person wonder about heading out for those "super deals". So, we move on to Cyber Monday. Well it started last week with online retailers trying to get a jump on the holiday sales and for some websites, will continue all week with great deals, such as Amazon.com* and Walmart.com . Others are offering great discounts, so scout out your favorite stores, check out the great deals and get your holiday shopping done. With that over, can relax and enjoy a relaxed holiday season.  A bonus!  After you're done cyber shopping, print out these coupons and stop by Waffle House for a free waffle or cup of coffee .  Don't wait, as they will expire shortly! *Small prin