TODAY'S TOURBUS TOPICS: START A BLOG / EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE

Do you have Blog Envy? Learn the simple steps to creating your own blog today. Also in this issue, get the scoop on the best educational software, find out whether you should replace or refill your inkjet cartridge, and pick up some valuable tips on keeping spam from flooding your inbox. Read on!

A Blog by Any Other Name

...would be a journal, a diary, a bulletin board, a column, a forum, or a log. The term "blog" is derived from "web log" and it all boils down to a web-based running commentary. People blog about politics, technology, sports, media and religion. You'll find rants, raves, memoirs and movements. The popularity of software for personal online publishing has propelled blogging into a media force that must be reckoned with.

But for the every day computer user a blog can sound complicated. How do you start a blog? Are there programs you need to buy? Can anyone change my blog? You don't need a computer science degree to publish your own blog... just follow these easy steps and you'll be blogging before you know it.

http://askbobrankin.com/create_a_blog.html

The Best Educational Software and Technology

My youngest daughter learned phonics and reading skills on my lap at the age of three, then went on to read every book and encyclopedia in the house. We had to go to yard sales, just to keep up with her voracious appetite for learning. I was hesitant to turn her loose on computers, because I didn't want to stifle her natural creativity.

Fifteen years later, I still believe that the best educational technology is a regular download directly from YOU or your child's teacher, but there are some pretty cool educational software and online services that can help the learning process along.

http://askbobrankin.com/best_educational_software.html

Inkjet Cartridges - Replace or Refill?

Inkjet printers are cheap. Keeping them stocked with ink can cost a small fortune. The manufacturers say use only new original equipment cartridges, in part because it's an important piece of their revenue stream. But on the shelf at Office Whopper, next to the $38 brand name cartridges is a $30 no-name job and a refill kit for only $20.

It seems like a no-brainer, but are these cheaper alternatives your best bet? This article examines the price, convenience and quality tradeoffs you must consider when deciding whether to replace, refill or stick with the manufacturer's brand of inkjet cartridges.

http://askbobrankin.com/inkjet_cartridges.html

How to Stop Spam

Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam... about 70% of emails sent over the Internet are unsolicited commercial e-mail. When you consider that over 35 BILLION emails are sent every day, the impact of spam is staggering.

Spam ranges from relatively benign product pitches to blatant porn and identity theft schemes; and mailboxes that are unprotected can quickly be overrun, possibly causing you to miss important messages.

CAN-SPAM, the US government's attempt at stopping spam, has been a miserable failure. But it can be effectively controlled with the right tools. Here's what YOU can do to stop spam today...

http://askbobrankin.com/how_to_stop_spam.html

That's all for now, see you next time! -- Bob Rankin