Monday, August 8, 2016

Gmail Shortcuts To Save Work Time.

   

Gmail has become the most popular email service provider. It provides 15 GB of storage, controls less spam (having spam filtering capabilities), and is available on the mobile device. Gmail makes working with e-mails an effortless and pleasant experience.
There are many Gmail shortcuts which most of us hardly use, but if we use them, it can make the Google Mail experience better. Here are the ones I find really effective.

1. Keyboard shortcuts

These work on the fundamental rule – “working with the keyboard is always faster than working with mouse”.
For using these shortcuts one has to turn the Keyboard Shortcuts Option ON, available in Gmail settings.
Numerous shortcuts are available. Let’s have a look at a few:
ShortcutsExecution
cComposing a new mail
eArchiving mails
rReplying
fForwarding
shift + uMarking emails as unread
shift + iMarking all the selected mails as read
*nDeselecting all emails
j/kMoving to new or older emails
lLabelling
g aGo to all mail
g dGo to drafts
g iGo to inbox
[enter]Go into the thread pointed to by the cursor
xSelect/deselect the current thread pointed to by the cursor

2. Search operation shortcuts for easy and faster searching

Gmail supports refined searches making search process fast and precise. A few tricks can help you search for almost anything (mails, attachments, drafts etc.)
from : [e-mail of the sender] – will get you a list of all emails from that particular sender.
filename : pdf – it helps to find emails with pdf attachments
has : [attachment] – it gets you an email with a particular attachment
is : unread – it gets a list of all the emails marked as unread
larger : [size of email] – it finds all the emails that are larger than the size stated
“[text]” – it finds the emails with text that match exactly the stated text
after : [date] – it finds the emails sent or received after the particular date.
The above stated search operators, when combined together, works wonderfully to make your search more specific, for instance,
from : [e-mail of the sender] larger : [size of email] – finds all the emails from that particular sender with a size larger than specified.
“[text]” after : [date] – it finds the emails with text that match exactly the stated text sent / received after the particular date.

3. Adding signatures

Gmail provides with the option of adding a signature automatically to all the outgoing mails. It thus helps saving time consumed in adding a signature to each mail individually.
One can add a signature by going to Settings > General and scroll down the Signature section. A formatting window will appear with tools for formatting signature. Signature can be created with images, links, bullets, etc.
Tip – Though HTML codes cannot be used as signature, but one can copy- paste HTML content directly in the Gmail Signature area provided and it will be automatically appended at the end of all the outgoing messages.

4. Right-click menu box

When one right-clicks on a message in the inbox, a drop down menu appears. One can archive, delete, or mark a message as read/unread.

5. Canned responses option

The “canned responses” feature available on Gmail gives the option of saving e-mail templates, thus saving our time of composing the same message again.
One has to go to Settings > Labs and enable “Canned Responses” and the messages can be saved as a template. Gmail provides the option of overwriting these saved templates. The saved template can be inserted into a new compose email window with one-click.

6. Preview Pane option

This feature of Gmail allows you to read all your messages in a new preview pane. One does not have to open message to read its content which helps in saving a lot of time. This feature is extremely useful for the users working on large screen. With small screen available reading space becomes small making it a little difficult to read the text.
One has to go to Settings > Labs and enable “Preview Pane” and a new button will appear to change the layout of the inbox, allowing to split the inbox horizontally / vertically.

7. Quick links

As the name suggests, it helps to get to links in just a few clicks. Quick links add a new widget in the inbox providing one-click access to any Gmail URL.
One has to go to Settings > Labs and enable “Quick links”. A new box will get added to the left sidebar and you can add any Gmail URL (specific message, advanced search result, label, etc.) as quick links.

8. Setting default reply to all

If one has to send a reply to all the e-mail address available, he / she should immediately change setting to “Reply to all”. It prevents you from selecting each recipient manually, one by one. And you do not miss any of them.
One has to go to Settings > General and scroll down to “Default reply behavior” section to enable “Reply all”. Gmail will make it a point that “Reply to all” option is automatically selected when one tries to reply message to multiple recipients.

9. Selecting all email in a label/page

One can select all the emails under a label/page with one click (you do not have to select them one by one manually). Selecting the checkbox at the top will help you select all the emails on that page.

10. Switching multiple Gmail accounts

Often working and switching to multiple accounts is time taking. One has to log out from one account and login to the other. Gmail provides a shortcut to this.
If one has multiple Gmail accounts, switching to another account can be done directly, without logging out of the current account. One has to click profile picture at the top right corner and click “Add Account” button to login to another Gmail account.
The Gmail inbox URLs for your accounts will look like as below:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/#inbox
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/2/#inbox

11. Undo a sent email

It does happen that after clicking the send option, you realize that you need to make some changes in the email / the mail was not to be sent. Gmail provides you with the option of “undo” the mail sent.
One has to go to Settings > General and enable “Undo Send”. An option is available providing the option of up to 30 seconds to undo the last sent mail. One can also adjust the cancellation period from Settings > General.

Top Ways People End Up Getting Hacked and how to stay safe ?

   

In this day and age, internet users are under constant threats from hackers and cybercriminals. Additionally, said users know very little of the precautions that need to be taken in order to protect themselves. As difficult as it may sound, it is really entirely impossible and extremely simple for internet users to protect their presence online, and it can be made simpler if one is aware of the most common ways people end up getting hacked. Keeping this in mind, here are the top 5 ways that hackers mostly resort to in order to victimize internet users.

1. Brute Force Attack

It is important to note that cracking a password as simple as '12345' can take no more than a second, so it really does not come as a surprise at all that hackers rely on brute force attacks to get access to confidential information and files. Seeing how people, including Mark Zuckerberg, tend to use simple passwords,hacking becomes a breeze that is unless users start using stronger passwords and avoiding using them over and over again while creating new accounts.

2. Password Reuse Attacks

As mentioned earlier, using simple passwords can put users at great risk – Mark Zuckerberg – co-founder and chairman of Facebook too made the same mistake which resulted in several of his accounts being compromised in the process. If he had used several different passwords, the problem would not have been so difficult to deal with in the first place. Since most users tend to make the very same mistake, hackers find it to be one of the most effective ways to compromise several different accounts of the same user.
To avoid this problem, it is necessary for users to create strong and unique passwords for each account. Additionally, if they find it difficult to remember these passwords, they should utilize a password manager rather than make things incredibly easy for hackers and cybercriminals.

3. Social Engineering

Social engineering includes several techniques like whaling, vishing, phishing, spear phishing and privilege misuse. The method is used to trick users into giving out confidential information. This could be in the form of an email from a service provider or even a colleague, which makes it all the more legitimate for users to let their guard down thus giving hackers and cybercriminals the edge they need to achieve their goals.

4. Malware

Another common way people end up getting hacked is by involuntarily downloading malware programs. These programs are usually transmitted via email attachments, emails that link to other pages and websites that offer free downloads. To prevent this from happening, users need to make sure their emails are originating from a reliable source. Moreover, they should also stay clear from unknown and unreliable sites.

5. Physical Theft

A lot of people tend to make the terrible mistake of noting down their credentials on post-it notes or in their diaries/journals. Even though the method is not necessarily a high-tech hack, it still counts seeing how many people end up losing their information through physical theft.

6.Phishing scams

Lucky you! A Nigerian prince has selected you to help smuggle millions out of his country. For a little bit of effort — a few simple wire transfers — you'll get a substantial cut. What could be easier?
bet you're asking yourself, "Who would fall for that?" Well, tens of thousands of people do every year. That's why Nigerian scams, known as 419 scams, are still very popular.

Also See: How to protect your phone and avoid being hacked


Other versions might say you won a contest or have a job offer. Maybe someone wants to meet you, or you can make money for shipping some goods.

The catch is that you have to send in personal or banking information, or pay a fee. Of course, your information and money is going straight to hackers.
Use common sense before reacting to any e-mail. Scams rely on making you act quickly. If you think about things long enough, you can usually see through them. Just remember the old saying, "If it looks too good to be true … "

7. Trojan horse

Many hackers want to slip a virus on your computer. Once installed, a virus can record everything you type and send it back to the hacker. It can send out spam e-mail or attack other computers.
To do this, the hackers disguise the virus as something harmless. This is called a Trojan horse, or just Trojan.
One of the most popular ways to deliver a Trojan is a variation of the phishing e-mail scams.

For example, the e-mail might say it's from a shipping service, bank or other reputable company. There's been a problem with a transaction! To learn more, you have to open an e-mail attachment.

The attachment might look like a normal file, but it really contains a Trojan. Clicking on the file installs it before you can do anything.


See Also: Steps to Maximize your Wireless Network Security


Similar scams appear on Facebook and Twitter. You think you're going to watch a funny video your friend posted. Instead, a popup tells you to update your video player. The "update" file it provides is really a Trojan.
The key to defeat this tactic, as with phishing e-mails, is common sense. However, up-to-date security software is essential as well. It should detect and stop most Trojans before they can install.

8. Drive-by downloads

Security software is good, but it isn't always enough. Programs on your computer might have weaknesses that hackers can use to bypass security software.
To take advantage of these weaknesses, hackers set up websites embedded with viruses. You might get there by clicking a malicious link in a phishing e-mail or on social media. You can even find these sites in a search for popular programs or topics.

It isn't just malicious sites, though. Hackers can sneak malicious code on to legitimate websites. The code scans your computers for security holes. If it finds one, a virus can download and install without you doing anything.

To stay safe, you have to keep your programs up-to-date. Every month, Microsoft releases updates for Windows and Internet Explorer. These updates close critical security holes that hackers exploit.
Other critical programs to patch are Adobe's Flash and Reader, and Oracle's Java. Using old versions of these programs is like sending hackers an engraved invitation.

You should also be using the latest version of your programs. Anyone using Internet Explorer 6, 7 or 8 needs to update or switch browsers immediately.

9. Bypassing passwords

Hackers are masters of guessing account passwords. In the real world, however, very few hackers bother.
Instead, they go around passwords. They might get your password from a data breach at a company or website you use.

It's important that you use a different password for every account. That way, if a hacker discovers one, they can't get in to every account.
Perhaps the hacker slipped a virus on to your system. It records your passwords and sends them to the hacker; no guessing needed.
As mentioned above, you can stop viruses with up-to-date security software and programs.

A hacker might tackle your account's security question. Most security questions can be answered with information people post publicly.

You should change how you answer security questions. Give a random answer that has nothing to do with the question. That way, no one can guess it.

10. Using open Wi-Fi

sure you have a Wi-Fi network at home. Is it encrypted? If you don't know the answer, then it's probably, "no."
That means hackers, and neighbors, can connect to your network from outside. They can see and record everything you do. They can surf to bad websites and download illegal files on your connection. You might be getting a visit from the police.

You need to take a few minutes and secure your network. Trust me; it's worth it. The instructions will be in your Wi-Fi router's manual.


That being said, now that you know of the top 5 ways people end up getting hacked, you will be able to better protect yourself. Furthermore, you can also ensure you do not end up making similar mistakes. But then again, if you are not sure where to start and how to simplify the process of protecting yourself online, you can start by taking advantage of what PureVPN has to offer. Not only will you be able to enhance your online security and anonymity, but you can make sure nobody monitors or tracks your online traffic.

Security tips for Web Bloggers to stay protect online

   

Nowadays, people access blogs for exchanging ideas with others. Bloggers retain their blogs and constantly update them either for financial benefits of just out of passion.

Worldwide Blogging is considered as a serious business by many people as for some it is the main source of income, while other bloggers just get some extra income out of it. Keeping this in mind and also the fact that blogs are considered being the 5th most trustworthy source of information that you can find on the internet, if you own a blog you should definitely consider any available options for protecting it.

Malware infection on blogsMalware infection is a common “harm” that can be caused to your blog, believe it or not, as cyber criminals are very creative in doing their malicious work. Some sources of infection for your blog can be:

  • Your web hosting control panel
  • Infected advertisement banners
  • Breaking the administrator password
  • Code injections in the blog’s HTML
  • Plugins integrating with your blogging platform

Checking whether your blog is infectedWhen you created your blog, you may had thought that marketing and writing skills are all you needed to have. Well that would be wrong. A blog owner needs to know how to keep the blog data protected and which measures to take for staying protected against cyber-attacks. You can define whether your blog is infected by the presence of these symptoms:

  • The appearance of your blog has changed and your content and graphics replaced by others (website defacement).
  • Your blog’s visitors are prompted to download and install apps like Java or Flash player just upon their visit to the blog’s page.
  • You receive an error message when you try to access the blog.
  • You see banners about guns, drugs etc. appearing.
  • Immediately when you try to access the blog you get redirected to another site (URL redirects).
  • You receive notifications from your hosting providers about spam alerts coming from your site.
Here are 7 important tips for keeping your blog secure

1) Set strong passwords
Any accounts that are connected to your blog should have a strong password while you should avoid using the same password (despite its complexity) for all your accounts and apply 2 factor authentication. All the above should be combined with frequent password changes.

2) Control access to the blogYou should create a new administrator account and delete the existing default one as the cyber criminals tend to target these accounts. You also need to define the access rights for all the user accounts and delete those that belong to users to post irrelevant content.

3) Maintain an updated blogging platformBe sure to immediately apply any updates that are released for your platform as these will also close any recently discovered security holes.

4) Regularly backup your blogYour blog’s database needs to be regularly backed-up, so be sure to include this in your schedule. This can be done either with the use of a web hosting package (which includes automatic back-ups) or can be performed manually. At least 2 copies of the blog’s database should be retained.

5) Update your pluginsAlways keep your plugins updated as cyber criminals will use the vulnerabilities that exist for harming your blog and also delete any old plugins that you don’t use anymore.

6) Use only themes from trusted sourcesIf you plan to install a theme that was not obtained from a trusted source, just don’t as you risk of having malicious code installed on your website.

7) Protect your computer from malwareWhile ensuring your blog’s security is important, retaining a clean and safe computer, equipped with a good antivirus and a malware blocking tool is important too and of course always keeping it up to date by installing the latest application and security updates.

Social Media Management Applications Online

   


Social media is one of the most effective ways for you and your business to get more traffic and generate new leads. Having the right social media management tools and a presence on all the major networks like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn is a necessity these days for any business. Social Media factor is quite important for every businessman and web-developer/blogger. 
There are millions of people attached to different social media platforms like Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn and more. Business persons build their stable position over these social media platforms and introduce their business to the people connected from all over the world, deal with their clients and share all the essential updates relevant to their business. Bloggers/web-developers use that platforms to introduce their services to the millions of people.

But, there are several different social media platforms, not only a single one. So, sharing of even a single update on these different platforms by logging in every site individually is the time-consuming task.

That was considered as an issue and was resolved by the development of Social Media Management Applications. These tools help us in sharing time to time updates on all added social media platforms at the same time or according to schedule. Add your social media sites' accounts and all you have to do is create a single post about whatever you want to share, that assisting tool will share the post on all your added social media accounts. You are able to add even more than one account of different social media sites using the premium services of that tools. Now, with that tools, there is no need to waste your time in logging in and out on all your social media accounts.

Engage your accounts with "Top 10 Social Media Management Applications" enlisted below and focus on writing articles and promoting business services. we suggest the use of Premium versions to avail complete features like collaboration, analytic reports, schedule messages, real-time content promotion experience and much more.

No.1: Buffer
buffer app social media management tool

Buffer is the top rated social media management app with its extraordinary features. You are able to add all your leading social media sites' accounts such as Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ using it's free version. Premium version is also available with lot more features. You can add Facebook groups and Pinterest using premium version.
Rating: 9/10

No.2: Hootsuite
top hootsuite social media management tool

Hootsuite is another awesome social media management tool, provides free and premium both. You are able to connect three of your social media accounts using the free version but the premium one provides the feature to add 50+ accounts. Manage your all contents with an awesome and simple dashboard.
Rating: 9/10

No.3: Social Scheduler
top social scheduler social media management app

Social Scheduler provides some more features that make it shining. Using free version, you are able to connect two social media accounts. You may schedule private messages using Social Scheduler. It provides the most reliable and clear dashboard as well. Premium version is quite kind too.
Rating: 8.8/10

No.4: AgoraPulse
agorapulse social media top tool

Want to analyze the audience alongside the content sharing? AgoraPulse will make it easy for you. Enjoy the one-month free trial (no credit card required). Reply to direct inbox messages and review the comments. Daily reports and "help desk" availability. Most affordable prices with lot more features.
Rating: 8.5/10

No.5: SproutSocial
sproutsocial top media management tool

Want to built team-work? SproutSocial is going to help you. Stay updated with its real-time trigger on all social media conversations. Enjoy one-month free trial (no credit card required) with a wide range of features.

sproutsocial features

Choose one of the best suitable plans with the quite affordable price and make your business leading.
Rating: 9/10

No.6: Oktopost
oktopost social media sharing app

Are you a Professional blogger or Business person? Oktopost may lead you towards the better ranking. One month free trial included (no credit card required). All the essential features are defined by Oktopost.
Rating: 9/10

No.7: Viralheat
new social media management tool viralheat

Viralheat is another social media manager/publisher and analyzer. Have a deep look at what the people are saying about your services or products over social. Target the keywords and engage your contents with trending affairs.
Rating: 9/10

No.8: Komfo
top media tool komfo

Komfo social media management tool helps in analyzing the contents. Stay updated with latest trends and promote your content respectively using Komfo. Listen what your clients are reviewing about your services over social media and get stand upon competitors. Schedule your messages across social media platforms with easy to use interface.
Rating: 9/10
No.9: Sendible
sendible media management tool

Sendible provides the deep analytic reports for each content you publish on engaged social media platforms. Automatic sentiment analysis tool raises your interaction with the discussions that your clients make over social media, blogs, news and commenting. Enjoy the one-month free trial (no credit card required) and make your social media experience favorable.
Rating: 9/10

No.10: Crowdbooster
crowdbooster social media management tool top

Crowdbooster provides you the real content promotion and management experience. Schedule the posts for your clients using social media marketing service and stay in contact with them all the time. Choose your affordable plan and take a step towards the leading social media management and promotion experience. One month free trial without the credit card is included.
Rating: 8.8/10

Some Important URLs you should know as a Google User

   


Google stores everything privately and here are the 10 important links (URLs) that will unlock everything Google knows about you. They are hidden somewhere deep inside your Google Account dashboard and they may reveal interesting details about you that are otherwise only known to Google. Let’s dive in.

# FIRST URL
The First and the Basic URL to start with Google Experience is :
https://accounts.google.com/SignUpWithoutGmail
By going through this Link you will be able to Sign Up with Google (Gmail) or can create a new Account using your any existing mail Id.
# SECOND URL
https://www.google.com/ads/preferences
By going through this link you will come to know Google keeps track you and it shows more relevant ads to your interests without asking your age, gender and preferences. Google creates a profile which is based on the sites you visit by your Google+ account and other signals. Use this URL to know how Google sees you on the web. You can also View and edit your profile within Google’s system.

# THIRD URL

https://www.google.com/takeout
By this Third URL you can export all your data from Google. Google lets you download your data from its products which includes contacts, Gmail messages, +1s, Google+ circles, Bookmarks, contacts, Gmail messages, Google photos and even your YouTube videos. Grab your data from Google as soon as possible.
# FOURTH URL
https://support.google.com/legal
This URL will let you file a complaint in the event you find your content being used or copied without permission on a Google website. A Blogger, Adsense, Google+ or YouTube – you can file a DMCA complaint with Google against that site for that content. By this we can also remove websites from Google search results.
# FIFTH URL
https://maps.google.com/locationhistory
By the Above URL you can Track the Location of your Android device or the Google Now iOS app, you can also find the Recent location data and on what velocity you are moving and if yes, how fast are you moving this will back to Google servers. You also have the option to export this data as KML files that can be viewed in Google Earth or even Google Drive.
# SIXTH URL
https://history.google.com
As you can see HISTORY on URL itself, this Url lets you know your entire SEARCH HISTORY at one place. It records every search term that you have ever typed into their search box. They even keep a log of every ad that you have clicked on various Google websites.

# SEVENTH URL

https://www.google.com/settings/account/inactive
If you haven’t used Gmail accounts, use this URL to ensure that Google doesn’t delete them after extended periods of inactivity. You need to login to your Gmail account at least once every 9 months otherwise Google will delete your account according to their policies. You can set up your main Gmail account as the trusted content for your secondary accounts. By this, Google will keep sending you reminders every few months to login to your other accounts. However, it is not available for Google Apps.
# EIGHTH URL

https://security.google.com/settings/security/activity

If you are worried that someone else is using your Google account. Then don’t worry go through the above link you can see the activity report to see a log of every device that has recently been used to log into your Google account. You also get to know the I.P. Address and their approximate geographic location as well.
# NINTH URL

https://security.google.com/settings/security/permissions

Sometimes we sign up browser extensions, mobile apps and Google scripts using our Google Account. If the permission level says “access to basic account info”, it basically means that you have used your Google account to sign-in to that app. You can get this long list by visiting the above url.
# TENTH URL
https://admin.google.com/domain.com/VerifyAdminAccountPasswordReset
This is an important URL for Google Apps users. If your Google Account ever gets hacked, use this secret link to reset your admin password. You’ll be asked to verify your domain name by creating a CNAME record in your DNS.
NOTE : In the About URL Replace domain.com in the above URL with your own web domain name.