Industry guru Dave Taylor offers free tech support on technical and business topics, including iPhone, iPod, Microsoft Windows, Sony PSP, cellphones, online advertising, CSS, Web design, business, Unix, Linux, SEO, Mac OS X, and shell script programming.


Online Tech Support Starts Here!

How to SEO optimize YouTube videos?

When I do a search on Google why are videos showing up on page 1 now, and more importantly why isn't my YouTube video showing up? Is there some way to improve my chances of being found on YouTube and Google for videos I upload?

Question answered on May 19, 2012 at 08:30 AM :: Comments to date: 0

Review: The Skooba Design V.3 Tablet Messenger Bag

Dave Taylor of http://www.AskDaveTaylor.com/ reviews the Skooba Design Tablet (iPad) V.3 Messenger Bag. There's lots to like about it too. Oh, and stay alert, see if you can spot his cat lurking in the background!

Question answered on May 18, 2012 at 02:25 PM :: Comments to date: 0

Review: VXI BlueParrott Xpress noisy environment bluetooth headset

I've written before about the problems I've had with the built-in hands-free bluetooth system I have in my 2008 Toyota Highlander. I've given up using it, actually, as I got tired of people complaining that they couldn't hear me. I even called up Toyota asking if there was an upgrade path and their answer was "nope." Not so useful. To compensate, we've been testing out a lot of different bluetooth hands-free systems, both little speaker devices that hook to the visor and headsets.

Problem is, a car is a noisy environment, particularly when I'm zipping down the highway at 70mph, surrounded by traffic.

Enter the amazing VXI BlueParrott Xpress wireless headset that's specifically designed for high noise environments like construction sites and crowded spaces. Should be plenty enough for my car, right? Read on to find out...

Question answered on May 18, 2012 at 08:31 AM :: Comments to date: 0

How do I work with Microsoft Briefcase on my Windows PC?

Category: Windows PC Help

I need to keep a set of files in sync across my laptop and desktop computer and a colleague told me that I should use Microsoft Windows Briefcase. I have no idea what that is or how to use it. What's the scoop on Briefcase?

Question answered on May 17, 2012 at 08:55 AM :: Comments to date: 2

Easiest way to Post on Facebook to Local Friends?

Category: Facebook Help

I feel like I'm pretty savvy about Facebook but I haven't figured out an easy way to post a status update that's just readable by people in my local community. I mean, if I'm talking about a BBQ or a fiesta, there's no reason my friends overseas need to see it. How can I set my Facebook Wall status update visibility to a specific geographic region?

Question answered on May 16, 2012 at 09:32 AM :: Comments to date: 0

How can I recover an iPad with an unknown security code?

Category: Apple iPad Help

i read the article about the iPad password and pin numbers [see: How to create a complicated password for your iPad], my question is what happens if your boy picks the iPad, knows your pin and decides to change it and not tell his parents? Now it seems he'd have exclusive use of the family iPad that is on the coffee table for mum and dad and him to enjoy? Is there a two pin option?

Question answered on May 15, 2012 at 08:03 AM :: Comments to date: 1

Change author on WordPress blog post?

I have two accounts set up for my WordPress blog and I'd like to be able to have all my posts from a single account. Every so often I forget which one I'm logged in as, however, and post as the wrong WordPress user. Is there a way to change authors after the fact?

Question answered on May 14, 2012 at 11:33 AM :: Comments to date: 2

How do I send an invitation to an iPhone iOS calendar event?

How do I send an invitation to a calendar event on my iPhone 4S? I like to remind my friends when we have something coming up, but hate that I can't just have my iPhone do the work and have to get onto my iMac to get those email invitations...

Question answered on May 12, 2012 at 07:55 AM :: Comments to date: 1

Can I see who viewed my profile on LinkedIn?

I have to admit, I usually spend time on Facebook, but as I'm looking for a job, I have updated my LinkedIn profile and spend time on there digging around and seeking positions. What I'm wondering is if there's a way to see if it's doing any good. That is, can I gauge whether people are actually finding me in searches they're doing on LinkedIn?

Question answered on May 11, 2012 at 08:38 AM :: Comments to date: 1

Tips on avoiding nasty computer virus and malware infections

Category: Windows PC Help

It's easy to stumble into Internet dangers and have your computer infected before you know it, with each mouseclick recorded, each email scanned by malware, or worse. Heck, you can end up being part of a botnet or zombienet, with your computer involved in illegal activities without you even realizing. Yikes. But there are smart strategies you can use to minimize the danger...

Question answered on May 10, 2012 at 01:04 PM ::

Game review: Jetpack Joyride for iPad

My jetpack is a friggin' machine gun. Really, I propel myself through the air by pulling the trigger. At least, that's the idea in Jetpack Joyride, the free-to-play iOS game by Halfbrick, the lovely folks that brought us Fruit Ninja.

The concept is incredibly simple, the controls incredibly intuitive. Hold down a finger on the screen to propel yourself, release to descend. Your goal is to run, jump and fly as far as possible through a procedurally-generated laboratory, gradually gaining speed, while dodging obstacles such as missiles and zappers, and picking up coins and spin tokens.

If you're an avid gamer, you might be thinking of a flash game right now that has a similar concept. There's a few out there. None, however, reaches anywhere near the charm, smooth execution, and depth of Jetpack Joyride.

Question answered on May 10, 2012 at 08:35 AM :: Comments to date: 0

How do I change a Pinterest board cover photo?

Category: Pinterest Help

Been getting into Pinterest -- thanks for all your great Pinterest help -- and now I want to fine tune things. I have a ton of Pinboards, and want to change the image that shows as the largest "cover" image. Is this possible, or does it just automatically show the latest image added to the board?

Question answered on May 9, 2012 at 08:37 AM :: Comments to date: 0

How do I search for a registered trademark?

I'm trying to come up with a new name for our software product, having been informed by a customer that a really big firm that has lots of lawyers already has our current name trademarked. Ugh. We don't have money for a lawyer at this juncture, is there some way I can do a trademark or registered trademark search online?

Question answered on May 8, 2012 at 08:59 AM :: Comments to date: 1

Review: SuperTooth Crystal in-car Bluetooth speakerphone

My expensive Toyota Highlander has a problem, and it's one that's bugged me for a long time: I paid the extra thousands of dollars for the high-end navigational system and hands-free Bluetooth cell phone speaker system, and while I love the nav system, the cellphone support is pretty awful. No it doesn't display caller ID when a call comes in. No it won't let me copy my phonebook -- or even my ten favorite numbers -- onto the system, but the kicker is that when I use the hands-free system, at least 50% of the time the person on the other end complains about how hard it is to hear and understand what I'm saying.

I called Toyota and asked if there's an upgrade path for the microphone. I'd pay $100-$200 to have a really high quality mic with noise reduction system hanging from my visor, but there's nothing. No upgrade path at all. Tough luck. Even third party solutions - of which there are quite a few - basically involve completely rewiring my dashboard and hooking the unit in as an external audio subsystem. And costs hundreds of dollars just to install.

Enter a category of Bluetooth devices called "in-car speakerphones". The idea is that these are self-contained speaker, mic and Bluetooth devices that let you sidestep the entire car audio system, and since they're generally designed to clip onto your sun visor, they're just inches from your mouth and should be clear when used hands free too.

SuperTooth sent us one of their new Crystal units, remarkably priced at about $70 on Amazon.com, and from everything I can tell, it's a big improvement on my far more expensive Toyota system.

Question answered on May 7, 2012 at 08:40 AM :: Comments to date: 0

Change visibility of Facebook update after posting?

Category: Facebook Help

I sometimes post status updates on Facebook that are constrained to a small circle of friends, then forget and the next few posts I make are also just for them, even though I want it to default to "Public". My standard approach is to delete and repost the Facebook updates, but if there are any comments or likes, it's awkward. Is there any way to change the visibility of something on my Wall after it's been posted?

Question answered on May 5, 2012 at 08:39 AM :: Comments to date: 0

Can I organize iPhone photos in albums / galleries?

I take a lot of photos on my iPhone 4s and I like it as an easy camera. Add photo stream and they're even automatically uploaded to the Web, which is really slick. Problem is, after a few hundred photos, it's hard to keep things organized. Is there some way on the IPhone itself (e.g., iOS 4) that I can create photo albums and move some of my photos into those new albums?

Question answered on May 4, 2012 at 08:30 AM :: Comments to date: 0

Make my cursor arrows bigger in Windows 7?

Category: Windows PC Help

My eyesight's going to heck and sometimes when I'm using my PC I just can't find the darn cursor or arrow and I have to move the mouse all over the place until it surfaces. Really annoying! Is there a way to make the cursor bigger in this $&#@*$()& Windows 7 system?

Question answered on May 3, 2012 at 08:05 AM :: Comments to date: 1

Set up auto-reload on my Starbucks iPhone app?

I'm a big fan of the Starbucks app on my iPhone, but it's a hassle when I'm standing in a big line at my local Starbucks and there's an insufficient balance on my virtual card for the transaction to go through. Is there a way to program the app so that it'll automatically reload if I get below a certain balance?

Question answered on May 2, 2012 at 08:26 AM :: Comments to date: 0

Conference Report: SXSW 2012

Conference report by contributing editor Gary Moskoff...

South by Southwest, SXSW, the original un-conference, is like nothing I have experienced before.

This was my first year attending and I was warned that it was going to be something different. To truly experience the conference, many said to follow the @SXSWparty feed on twitter and that I'd find all the parties, but that was not the case. One had to really think outside the box and do a lot of research to find the right parties to attend.

For instance, one of my favorites included the Skype party, a mix of bands and DJ's performed, the party itself was a lot of fun, but I was most impressed by the way they included the audience in the show by live streaming individuals dancing around the perimeters of the show and then using the imagery in real time on the big screen as visuals to enhance the overall experience for all to enjoy. I also enjoyed the Warner Brothers show where LP and the Punch Brothers stole the show for me!

Question answered on May 1, 2012 at 11:22 AM :: Comments to date: 0

How do I restructure my Wordpress blog without losing SEO?

I have a wordpress blog that was using categories in the url structure like this:

/category_name/post_name/

Then I had read somewhere that if you change it to just /post_name/ that it will automatically redirect the old to the new.

It does that, however, somehow Google Webmaster Tools is reporting both and giving us warnings about duplicate title tags, etc.

Do you have a solution for that?

Question answered on May 1, 2012 at 08:35 AM :: Comments to date: 0

Use Google Image Search to Identify a Photograph?

I often see images on Facebook and Pinterest that have snarky comments or no comments at all, and I'd really know where they come from and the actual subjects of the pictures. For example, a few days ago someone posted a photo of a bedroom that's actually underwater. Awesome. But where is it?

Question answered on April 30, 2012 at 08:39 AM :: Comments to date: 3





Search
Find just the answers you seek from among our 3000+ tech support articles by using our Lijit search engine.

Help!
Need Help? Ask Dave Taylor!


Subscribe to
Ask Dave Taylor!

RDF XML
Add to My Yahoo!
Subscribe in NewsGator Online


Free Updates!
Sign up and get free tech support and special offers on books, seminars, workshops and more.



All Categories
Apple iPad Help
Articles and Reviews
Auctions and Online Shopping
Blogs and RSS Feeds
Building Web Site Traffic
Business and Management
CGI Scripts and Web Site Programming
Computer and Internet Basics
d) None of the Above
Facebook Help
Google Gmail Help
Google Plus Help
HTML and CSS
Industry News and Trade Shows
iPhone and Cell Phone Help
iPod, Sony PSP and MP3 Player Help
Mac OS X Help
Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising
Pinterest Help
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Shell Script Programming
Tech Support Video Help
The Writing Business
Twitter, LinkedIn and Social Network Help
Unix and Linux Help
Video Game Tips and Help
Windows PC Help
WordPress Help
Archives by Category
Apple iPad Help
How can I recover an iPad with an unknown security code?
Stop or Disable in-app Purchases in iTunes?
Redeem a free Starbucks app code on your iPad?


Articles and Reviews
Review: VXI BlueParrott Xpress noisy environment bluetooth headset
Review: SuperTooth Crystal in-car Bluetooth speakerphone
Review: Screen Recording Suite for Windows


Auctions and Online Shopping
Can I buy stuff at an Apple Store with just my iPhone?
Set up 2-step SMS login verification security for PayPal?
How do I sell my used Apple iPad 2 to Amazon?


Blogs and RSS Feeds
Change author on WordPress blog post?
How do I restructure my Wordpress blog without losing SEO?
What release do I need for user generated content on my site?


Building Web Site Traffic
How do I claim a business on Google Places?
Visitor information and statistics from Google Analytics?
How do I verify my site with Google Webmaster Tools?


Business and Management
How do I search for a registered trademark?
I'm unemployed. What do I list on LinkedIn?
The Scoop on Merchant Services and Credit Card Processing?


CGI Scripts and Web Site Programming
How can I add a Pinterest search box to my site?
How do I identify direct, not referred, Website visitors?
How do I add an auto-print feature on my Web site/Blog?


Computer and Internet Basics
How do I search for a registered trademark?
Set up auto-reload on my Starbucks iPhone app?
Use Google Image Search to Identify a Photograph?


d) None of the Above
Where's the closest pizza place?
Does the Unilever logo have a hidden message?
Easiest way to convert from one currency to another?


Facebook Help
Easiest way to Post on Facebook to Local Friends?
Change visibility of Facebook update after posting?
Delete an unwanted post off my Facebook fan page wall?


Google Gmail Help
How do I browse the Trash in Google Gmail?
How do I work with my Gmail Google Contacts?
How to Create an Email Group in Gmail?


Google Plus Help
Add a cover photo to your Google Plus profile?
Publish auto-uploaded iPhone photos on Google Plus?
Can't Join Google Plus Hangout: DNS Failure?


HTML and CSS
Add Po.st Social Media (Facebook, Google Plus) widgets to your blog?
Boxes around words or sentences with CSS?
How do I implement add rel=author for Google serps?


Industry News and Trade Shows
Conference Report: SXSW 2012
Report from the San Francisco MusicTech Summit
The 2012 Consumer Electronics Show: Trip Report


iPhone and Cell Phone Help
Review: VXI BlueParrott Xpress noisy environment bluetooth headset
How do I send an invitation to an iPhone iOS calendar event?
Can I organize iPhone photos in albums / galleries?


iPod, Sony PSP and MP3 Player Help
Can I remove songs from an unsync'd iPod Touch?
Get started with iTunes Match!
Can I pre-order a music CD from the Apple iTunes Store?


Mac OS X Help
Review: Remo Recover Mac
Review: Logitech Cube mouse
Secretly capture screenshots on my Mac?


Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising
Add Po.st Social Media (Facebook, Google Plus) widgets to your blog?
How is CPM calculated on Google AdWords YouTube Video?
How do I connect my Google AdSense and Analytics accounts?


Pinterest Help
How do I change a Pinterest board cover photo?
How do I quit a shared Pinterest Pin Board?
How can I add a Pinterest search box to my site?


Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
How to SEO optimize YouTube videos?
How do I restructure my Wordpress blog without losing SEO?
Change in Web site navigation drops PageRank to zero?


Shell Script Programming
Secretly capture screenshots on my Mac?
Parsing "id" strings in a Shell Script?
Copy and Paste from the Mac OS X Command Line?


Tech Support Video Help
Review: The Skooba Design V.3 Tablet Messenger Bag
How to Put a Skin or Sticker on your Apple iPad
Kingston Technology SSD drives for 2012


The Writing Business
What's the best option for self-publishing my book?
How do I get into online writing?
How do I recover a lost ISBN book number?


Twitter, LinkedIn and Social Network Help
Can I see who viewed my profile on LinkedIn?
How to Host a Twitter Chat with TweetGrid
I'm unemployed. What do I list on LinkedIn?


Unix and Linux Help
Install Ubuntu Linux within Parallels Desktop on Mac?
Copy and Paste from the Mac OS X Command Line?
Shell script to convert lowercase to title case?


Video Game Tips and Help
Game review: Jetpack Joyride for iPad
Review: Infinity Blade II for Apple iPad
Resign from Words with Friends game?


Windows PC Help
How do I work with Microsoft Briefcase on my Windows PC?
Tips on avoiding nasty computer virus and malware infections
Make my cursor arrows bigger in Windows 7?


WordPress Help
RSS Graffiti can't publish my feed: "missing publication date"?


Tech Media Network publisher
"Ask Dave Taylor®" is a registered trademark of Intuitive Systems, LLC.
All Rights Reserved.