What is RSS?

What is RSS?

Those AskPresario.com readers that visit the site often may notice that just recently I added two new features to the right sidebar.  These features are the ability to receive notifications about new AskPresario articles via email and the ability to subscribe to the AskPresario RSS feeds.  After thinking about it for a second, I realized that since most of the people coming to the site are looking for technology help – they might not know what RSS is.  Therefore I decided to do this article to shed light on the subject.
First let me give the technical definition.  According to Wikipedia, RSS is a family of web feed formats specified in XML and used for Web syndication. RSS is used by (among other things) news websites, weblogs and podcasting. The abbreviation is variously used to refer to the following standards:

1. Really Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0)


2. Rich Site Summary (RSS 0.91, RSS 1.0)


3. RDF Site Summary (RSS 0.9 and 1.0)


4. Real-time Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0)

Now for the simplified definition.  RSS allows website owners to provide summarized versions of their new content with links to the full content.  RSS is now used for many purposes, including marketing, bug-reports, or any other activity involving periodic updates or publications. Many corporations are turning to RSS for delivery of their news, replacing email and fax distribution.  On Web pages, web feeds are typically linked with the word "Subscribe", an orange rectangle, , or with the letters or .

A program known as a feed reader or aggregator can check a list of feeds on behalf of a user and display any updated articles that it finds. It is common to find web feeds on major websites and many smaller ones.  Client-side readers (programs installed on a local computer) and aggregators are typically standalone programs or extensions to existing programs such as web browsers. Web-based feed readers and news aggregators require no software installation and make the user's "feeds" available on any computer with Web access.

For more information on RSS feeds and the history of this format, visit the Wikipedia page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_(protocol).

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Something for the Mac Lovers

I have gotten some emails complaining that Ask Presario does not contain enough information for Mac users. Hey – I will admit that! It is not because I don’t know anything about Macs. On the contrary – I actually use to do a lot of installation, upgrade, and repair work on Macs in my tech days. However, I am just not a big fan of them. Even though I am the first to admit that Apple has made leaps and bounds in both their operation system and PC compatibility issues, I guess I am just a die-hard PC man. However, I came across a Blog that does love Macs, and they even wrote an article for PC people who are moving over to – or thinking of moving over to Apple. So for you Mac people, I am including the link here to the article called ‘Switch from Windows XP to Mac OSX with ease!’ The site address is idiosyncrasies.org, and they have a whole section of their Blog for Mac people.There – don’t say I didn’t do anything for you Mac lovers.By the way, as much as I don’t like Macs – the new 1 inch thin, 17 inch screen Apple MacBook with the Intel Duo Core Processor(image placeholder) has caught my eye. Will it replace my 17 inch Toshiba Satellite? Not until I feel like dropping $3,000 on a new laptop.

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VoIP Digital Telephone Service - Skype Recommended

As a technology person I have been following the world of instant messengers, internet telephone services, and video conferencing for quite a while. Until the past three to four years, the quality of these services on a consumer has been good enough to use as a fun tool, but not really good enough to replace traditional communication. High prices, tacky interfaces, dropped calls, long delays, distortion, and lack of features plagued most of the software out there. But since broadband internet connections have become more affordable and popular, companies have been putting more effort into investing into the Voice Over IP (VoIP for short) services. Companies such as Microsoft, Yahoo, and AOL have even expanded their instant messenger programs to include VoIP features. This article reviews my favorite service - Skype.

When I started doing business overseas, the idea of using a service called Skype was presented to me as an alternative to expensive landline rates. At first I was doubtful and didn't want to go through the hassle, but after about 10 minutes it was setup and ready to use. Once I started using the service, I quickly became a fan and started using it for calls to regular phone numbers as well.

The things that make Skype so popular with digital phone users is that it is free to download, easy to setup, easy to use, and has a simple interface that isn’t bogged down with advertisements or spyware. All you need is a computer, an internet connection (high speed is recommended), and a headset and microphone (I started off using the inexpensive Logitech Internet Chat Headset ) and you are ready to go!

Since EBay bought the company a few years ago, the service has gotten even better. For an incredibly low cost (compared to cellphones and traditional home service) you can purchase pre-paid minutes to call regular phones from the Skype interface and have your calls forwarded to another number when you are not on Skype. The service is even easier to setup, use, offers more features, and they have recently added a video camera service to allow surprisingly clear video conferencing. The features don’t stop there - Skype also allows you to purchase an incoming phone number and voicemail – which allows you to use the service as a regular phone system.

Skype has become so popular that there are tons of Skype accessories available (click here). One of the most popular types of accessories are the USB telephones you can hook up to your computer to use with Skype, such as the US Robotics USB Internet Phone. There are also adapters that allow you to use traditional phones with Skype such as the Skytone Adapter by Radian Works. For home offices, they even have accessories called digital call centers such as the Actiontec VoSKY Skype Call Center that will allow you to use Skype from your cellphone.

Since I decided the VoIP is the way that I wanted to go permanently, I checked out all of the Skype competition. There are a lot of companies out there offering similar services - however, I am comfortable with my choice and now use Skype for my business telephone and a majority of my day to day calling.

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Ask Presario Back in Business

It's back up!

After a long hiatus due to a combination of hackers hitting the AskPresario.com website and my focus on some of my other projects, I have decided to give it another shot. Luckily Blogger.com has the option of sending you a copy of the articles when you post them, so luckily I was able to salvage the old stuff from the website. Even though some of the articles date back to almost two years ago, they contain some good information that is still valid.

Anyways, I will try to post some update tips to the website soon. For now, check out some of my most recent projects that I have been involved with:

Presario Productions
Web Development, Print Marketing and Technology Consultation Services

Presario Publications
E-Books, Copywriting, and Press Release Writing Services

Presario Domains
Web Hosting and Domain Name Registration Services

MillionPets.com
Making History One Pet at a Time! A place for pet owners to show their love for their pets.

WhoIsAlastair.com
A site dedicated to the people with the first name Alastair.

Have Fun!

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Cleaning Laptop and LCD/TFT Screens

I actually have had a lot of people ask me in person about the best way to clean a Laptop and LCD/TFT Screens, but it never dawned upon me to put it on AskPresario.com until I received an email about it. This article should shed some light on the subject.
The best way is to go to your local computer or office supply store and get a lint free, microfiber cloth. I have used several, but my favorite is a set of products made by Kensington called 'Screen Guardian'. Their microfiber cloths are safe to use dry to remove dust and lint, or you can get their additional liquid cleaner that comes in a spray bottle. Unlike some of the others I have tried, I haven't had any problems with streaking with the Kensington products.Do NOT use paper towels or any rough cloth on your screen, because this can cause major damage. Be careful in using hash chemicals like standard soap and glass cleaners, because these can leave permanent streaks on your screen. With hundreds of dollars at stake, it is best to make the investment of a few dollars and buy the correct tools to do the job.

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