A Review of Verizon Internet Service

I’ve had Verizon Internet Service for three years now (times flies!). I recently upgraded from the Basic Plan to the Premium Plan, and thought I’d share a little bit of my experience, for those of you still on dialup or may be looking for another ISP.

When I first ordered DSL with Verizon, I knew NOTHING about DSL. I bought a modem from Verizon, and those weird-looking phone jack filters, but I realized I had to buy my own ethernet cables (they have ends that look like the telephone jacks but are larger). I spent many hours (make that days) reading forums, tutorials, and advice on how to get the DSL set up on computers and how to secure the netwerk. It was a process– a long process– or trial and error for me. I learned a lot along the way. I just hope I never have to do that again.

Verizon tech support was awful, deplorable. It was obvious that the support people read from a list of “things to do” when someone needed help. Things like “use only Internet Explorer” was not good advice. I also HATED the “Remote Assistance” that the support reps kept pressing me to use. I did it a few times, and after I saw my mouse cursor magically move and start to do things with my files that I did not want done, I refused RA every time. These people had NO idea what they were doing. It’s sad when you know more than tech support.

Verizon now offers “upgraded” tech support for a fee every month. No thanks. I believe good tech support should be available right from the start. And I’ve been through so much now that I think (hope) I can handle things from now on. Thank God for the Internet, and for people who post their problems and answers in online forums! Kim Komando at Komando.com also has some very good tutorials about how to secure your network by altering settings and using passwords.

About the speed: I live very close to a Verizon sub-station, so I believe this is the reason for my good speeds. The speeds are not enough to shatter my chandeliers, but they are very good and they consistently maintain speeds close to the rates I pay for. I had the Basic Plan for 2 years, which guaranteed me a rate of “up to” (very important words) 768 kilobytes per second on downloads (receiving information), and.. I can’t remember what it was for uploads but it was pitifully small. It took me one minute to upload one megabyte of video to YouTube. Ugh.

When we first got the Basic Plan, the speed was a pleasant change. We’d had dialup which only gave us 46-56 kilobytes per second, so you can imagine what something in the 700s felt like. But after two years, we’ve added a bunch of computers for the kids, and they watch videos and surf the Net and download stuff, too. This was cutting in to the total speed for the network. My personal speed for my computer had slowed to 300kbps when the other computers were going. (I work from my computer, so it is important that I have good speed). Some nights the network was so congested that I drove to my local library to work from their wireless cable connection.

The Premium Plan is speeds up to 3 megabytes per second. This is almost 4 times faster than the Basic Plan, for only $10 more a month. It’s not cable-fast (what are cable speeds, like 40mbps?) but it was better than 700kbps! We decided to go for it. I’ve been testing it out all week.

I really like it. Verizon has proven itself consistent with service, even if their tech support is a big fat negative. My speeds are very close to the full 3mbps here. So I am a satisfied customer.

Mrs. Mecomber’s final opinion? If you’re looking for some reliable speed, Verizon does the job for a good price. However, if you need tech support, be prepared to spend more money or search out your solutions yourself.

Handy IM Programs

I’m still looking for the perfect Instant Messaging program. We use MSN here at home amongst our computers, mostly because I have bee dissatisfied with the free LAN network chats. I am not saying that I like MSN more, but at least it works! I have tried them all– Yahoo, BORG, Tonic, ICQ, AIM, etc.

I’ve tried Trillian and liked it, but it was still too big for me. I JUST want to IM, you know? I don’t want whiteboards, videos, games, music, videos, file sharing, winks, backgrounds, handwriting, diet pill reviews!, etc. Sheesh! I JUST want the IM. It is SO difficult to find! But Trillian is a great “all-purpose” IM if you have a lot of contacts who use all sorts of IMs. Read more about Trillian here.

There’s also Miranda IM. I’ve heard about it; I think I even tried it years ago. I uninstalled it because I was looking for a LAN chat program, and not a third-party IM. But I may try Miranda again. It looks so simple and clean. Read more about Miranda here.

If you have found a great all-purpose, no-bells-and-whistles IM, please let me know!

A Review of IZEA’s SocialSpark

I’ve been a member of IZEA’s PayPerPost for several months now. The experience with the IZEA community has been nothing short of wonderful. Not only have I made dozens upon dozens of new friends, learned more about the art and science of blogging and web design, and honed my writing skills, I’ve been getting paid for writing opportunities (opps, in the IZEA lingo) while enjoying the community!

SocialSpark is the latest release from this extremely innovative company. It’s been their baby for many months, and they were quick to release it and open it to bloggers and advertisers alike. I’d seen many “behind the scene” videos that detailed the development and the woes of deadlines, technical problems, and exhilaration of this new idea. So, my history with SocialSpark goes back a little ways.

I love IZEA. Do I love SocialSpark? Yes! with a few reservations. I joined SocialSpark in early April. The website, while beautiful and loaded with goodies, is slow and confusing to navigate. I’m trying to be fair and not compare it too much to the minimal PayPerPost experience. I very much like the ease of using the PayPerPost website, so I found the SocialSpark design a shock– a lot like culture shock, lol!

Navigating SocialSpark is difficult. A lot of computer newbies have found it somewhat painful to use. Just to get to my inbox of messages or view opps, I have to click a series of links. It would be a great improvement to redesign the site slightly, with fewer clicks, more options, and many more shortcuts. Right now, the cumbersome design and elongated chain of clicks is a large hurdle that dampens the glitzy SocialSpark experience. But don’t take me wrong– SocialSpark is still very navigable. I’ve been spending a few weeks at the site and can now say I’m becoming comfortable with the site.

Also, there’s a definite learning curve to SocialSpark, with its own unique language– queue, opps, sparks, props. It’s not for the faint of heart! However, IZEA has one of the best– nay, THE best– public forums I have ever seen. The IZEA boards have been my lifeline to understanding everything there is to know about IZEA, and more. And I’ve made a good many very dear friends there. The community is the best blogging community I’ve ever had the pleasure of joining. So that makes the annoying problems sting a little less. So overall, I believe SocialSpark is sorely lacking when it comes to intuitive navigation. But SocialSpark is truly still developing, and there are a lot of things still on the table. And that takes us to the very beauty of SocialSpark. Just the fact that I can offer my input and they will listen to it is what makes you say WOW about SocialSpark.

SocialSpark is exactly what the word means– it’s social. It was created to be a conglomerate mega-pool of users, bloggers and advertisers alike, to share ideas, create ideas, listen, and be listened to. You can create a profile (see mine) and make friends- even with advertisers! You can send and receive messages, share and write non-sponsored opps called “sparks” to get the word out (or to use as an impetus for a bad case of writer’s block)! SocialSpark is the big boy in the social networking neighborhood, kind of like a networked Starbucks. You converse, hash out ideas, and enjoy the refreshments with others. I love SocialSpark for this, and especially for bridging the vast desert land that had existed between blogger and advertiser.

SocialSpark is still a tween, in my opinion. It’s not quite full grown, and is still budding. There are some bugs to be worked out and of course there are tweaks needed to make it more friendly (better clickability and better linking). But I think these will all be resolved. And judging by the incredible support by the people at IZEA and the community in general, I think SocialSpark will absolutely shine in the near future. If you are interested in joining, I highly recommend it.

this review is sponsored by SocialSpark

Blogoria for Searching

Last I heard, there were over 7 million blogs. Holy cow, that’s a lot! I contribute to that batch– I’ve got 7+ going. Hee. Marketing all seven is SUCH a chore. I monetize most of them, so I am always keen for ways to connect with other bloggers, advertisers, and to increase my traffic. I use a variety of networks for these purposes; some work, some don’t. I also am looking for new blogs and bloggers to give me ideas for content, too. So a good, reliable Blogger Search website is crucial for my blogging business. I found another one and this one looks good. I see a few people I know already in the group. It’s Blogoria.com. Registration is easy and- get this!!!– using the website is a PIECE of CAKE! I hate having to hash through reams and reams of ads, profiles, and other junk just to find what I’m looking for. Blogoria is simple, sleek, and looks great! You can search by “channels” (topics), country, blog name, language, etc. And if you have blog(s), list them for more exposure. The more exposure, the better.

Building Your Own Server

I’d read months ago that Microsoft wanted to make it possible for every home to have their very own home-based server. (I’d also once read about every home having their very own electricity generator– how cool is that?). Having a home server is actually very appealing, since I am a do-it-yourself kind of gal. It’s not terribly difficult, either. Popular Mechanics online has a brief (yes, brief!) article on how to do just that.

Essentially, any computer that “serves” data to other machines on a network is a server. And as American households become populated with multiple PCs, the idea of a central hub that can be used for backup, storage and even remote access becomes reasonable, even essential. Anticipating a household server market, HP recently launched its HP MediaSmart Home Server ($599), using Windows Home Server software as the operating system. The HP server comes with a single 500 GB hard drive (plus three empty drive bays for expansion), and can automatically back up computers on the network, as well as store and stream media.

$600 is still a lot of money in my book. But such a thing could very well be affordable. And the beauty of it all is, you could even use an old, unused PC as s server. The PC needs to be able to connect to your home network, of course (my old Windows ME does not have a Network card so we’d need to install one if we wanted to use that).

A home server is a great idea, because we have so many little flash drives around the house that it’s crazy! Tucking all the information on one big hard drive for the whole family to share would condense all our files and get rid of the immense computer clutter that I hash through on a regular basis.

The thing I would love to work up to is hosting my own websites on my own server. I have absolutely no idea how to even start thinking about doing that, lol. But it’s a nice thought. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about my websites going down because of an ice storm in Texas, or worry about my domain name being scarfed up by a drug rehab website or a splog about Brazilian flooring. :S And yes, that has happened.

I do wonder what the future holds. I’m looking forward to self-generation of electricity!

Buzzfuse for Exposure

I’ve been mulling over the increase in social networking amongst bloggers (which in of itself is exploding in members). Here’s another social network I found: Buzzfuse.com I joined it and have entered a few posts. I’ve seen some traffic from it. Sign up is easy, and free. You submit your information as in any social network. However, be sure to have some contacts’ emails on hand (check with your pals first), because Buzzfuse needs contacts to get the ball rolling with your submission of work. The nice thing about Buzzfuse is you can submit any kind of creation. It doesn’t have to be a blog post; it can be music, a video, photos, etc.

Buzzfuse is GREAT if you have something you want to market. There is a lot of freedom and creativity with it. Also, there’s a promotion going on where members can win one of 1,000 premium accounts ($180 value!) and earn money, if you have 30 contacts and have registered more than two posts.

Buzzfuse is one of the better social networks, and it gets the best of your stuff broadcasted out into the world of the Internet very easily.I have seen it around here and there, but not a whole lot yet. However, it’s one of those networks that I expect to gain popularity because it is so easy to sign up and it is highly organized. Plus, it has a cute button.

Social Networking

I’ve been watching — with a mixture of awe and confusion– at how the social networking market is taking off on the Internet. I believe mankind is extremely social, so it doesn’t surprise me that social groups have arisen even via electronic means. But the amount of social networks are staggering. I’ve been surfing a lot of blogs lately, dropping my Entrecard everywhere I can. It seems every blog has joined some kind of social network, and the choices of networks are endless! Everything from frugals, to moms, to geeks, to making money.. and more. I don’t know why I am so surprised. Maybe it’s because I see so many all of a sudden!

A La Entrecard

Have you heard of Entrecard yet? It’s all the rage in the blogosphere. I have one for my New York Traveler.net blog.

Entrecard is the business card of blogs. You know how businesspeople give you their business card, as a contact? Entrecard does the same thing. They have a great video on the home page that explains the process.

Signup is quick and easy. I think the only downside of the whole thing is right now, you can only register one blog per account. Some people have created several different accounts and made several Entrecards, but I could never keep them all straight!

Entrecard is a great way to drive traffic and find new blogs… and to have others find your blog! The blogs are categorized, everything from education to media to history to travel. You can surf through multitudes of other blogs. I’ve seen everything from hotels Las Vegas Entrecards to kid bloggers with Entrecards. Some blogs I’ve found are outstanding- blogs I never would have known existed if not for this.

When you have an Entrecard and visit a blog with the Entrecard widget on their blog, click “drop yours.” This is like leaving your business card with the blogger. There’s even a small movement of “U Drop, I Follow,” which means that if you drop your card on a person’s blog, they promise to return to drop their on yours. The more people who drop cards on your blog, the more credits you earn. And ahhh here’s the beauty of Entrecard. When you have enough credits, you can “advertise” your Entrecard on another blog (with the blogger’s approval, of course). You essentially get free advertising about your blog in others’ blogs. This is what drives traffic. It allows others to discover your blog whereas they might not have discovered it before. There are, after all, 3 million bloggers on the Internet!

This explanation has been a little complicated. If you want to check out Entrecard, watch that video. You create your own Entrecard to market your blog. It is fun, and very addicting! And if you get a card, swing by New York Traveler.net and drop it off!

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