How to access your favorite websites in 1-click?

Have you ever wish to just click a Facebook icon on your taskbar and presto! Facebook loads up instantly? Or how about setting-up your frequented websites visible on your taskbar - so that you could always click on 'em in a flash?

You must have heard the rumor that Google is about to kill the address bar in Google Chrome browser, i was in introspect upon reading that news, how would a user then type the url or website address just in case the address bar will be gone?

Thankfully, the chrome browser innovated another useful era of smart bookmarking (i called it bookmarking as for my personal tag), officially the process is called Creation of Application Shortcut.


To illustrate this process, let's take my case as an example. Normally, when i launch my Chrome browser, it fires up three tabs:

Google Reader

Blogger

Facebook

Then as my surfing to the net wallows over time, more and more tabs are opened, in which, as soon as i minimize the chrome browser, i couldn't see anymore of those websites that i opened, unless i have to restore the browser back to the main screen.

This application shortcut feature of Chrome, now allows me to pin those favorite sites onto my taskbar, so that they are always visible (just as long as you don't set auto-hide taskbar) to me while juggling thru multiple applications on my screen.

To set-up your favorite sites for the first time,
1. Open up your google chrome browser
2. Goto your favorite website (ie) facebook.com
3. Click on the Wrench icon > Tools > Create Application Shortcut

4. A pop-up message appears. Customize it to you taste. But make sure to leave a check on "Pin to Taskbar"

5. Ta Da!!!! you should now see your Facebook app icon on your taskbar.

Repeat steps 1 to 5 for all your other favorite websites that you want to pin to your taskbar. If you're addicted to Youtube, then go ahead and create an app shortcut.

Well, other geeks may know this trick already but let me emphasize the points why this is so cool:
1. Accessibility wise, you can always view, open and click instantly your frequented sites without having to open a browser.
2. Neatness plus full screen mode, yep! when you open the app from your taskbar, you're actually getting a full screen mode of the website, sparing the clutter of a browser's address bar, toolbars and other bars of epithet.

3. And lastly, the app icons on the taskbar are beautiful, personally, i love aesthetics, but thinking without bias, the effect is awesome.

PS: i tried this via Google Chrome browser only, i haven't downloaded the latest RC version of Internet Explorer so i couldn't confirm if this feature is also available. With Firefox, i'm sorry but i'm no fan of it.


In the comments below, tell me if you like it or post if you have other suggestions on how to surf the web easily.


macdosage@gmail.com

Con Se Quence

"But time growing old teaches all things."
Aeschylus

the thought of it is like meeting Captain Ahab

the unsureness is like sailing in the vast open sea

to know beyond is like entrusting to Othello

while revenge is as bitter as that of Iago

the love is as true as that of Juliet

and the unfaithfulness is as deep as Delilah

but the story as meaningful as the Alchemist

in the end so inspiring without twist

the journey no matter how long

it will come to end, might be right or wrong

the choice is yours to pick

will your heart's desire be there to speak?

 macdosage@gmail.com

3 must-haves when dealing with customers so they won't intimidate you

Customer service is very subjective. You thought you've given your best, but it wasn't actually enough from the perception of the customer. You thought you've given your best shot for Customer Satisfaction but it wasn't at all appreciated by the customer.

In times like these, you can't help but feel dejected despite your efforts. As if, the big things and small things done were dumped to the recycle bin, if not, the trash. Dealing with this common reaction of emotion is hard, yet, with the right mindset, you could overcome it.

Here are three attitudes to muster when faced with customer service struggles and difficulties:

1. Confidence
It becomes noticeable when you're well-versed with your product. Knowledge-wise and experience-wise, these are the major players to reap the success in executing the ooze and vigor when discussing, presenting, explaining, and most of all, convincing someone to jump into your side of thoughts and ideas regarding your product. May it be a technical issue or simply a merchandise.

2. Composure under Pressure
You will never be spared by customers who are attacking below the belt, trying to push your buttons and all. The pressure increases when things go wrong, not to mention the silent stare of your boss - which means a whole lot of different signals giving a multi-tasking rigor in your mind.
Keeping your composure is the key, never underestimate the power of mindhack by psyching yourself to emerge as the driver, not the passenger.

3. Assertiveness
Without hurting directly the feelings of the customers, and yet you were able to emphasize and "connect" the message to them, with the aftermath of a positive reaction - that is, favorable on your side, then that's what you call being assertive. Getting what you want without letting the other person feel bad about it.


Each of us are customers in our own way. If you're given the task to decide what's best for the customer in a first hand basis, without sacrificing the tenets of the company, put yourself in the customer's shoes. Feel and balance the results, then trust your guts what's best.







macdosage@gmail.com

echelon

"when you're inspired, focus on execution"

define your angst against mine

let go your whims to die

none will catch to subdue

or contain thy lost for you

decipher my thoughts at flow

with the cares about to go

unmute the echoes of within

unravel the sentiments therein

damn, again this thing

corner begets infinity

twist more for sanity

& hold the breath solidly

Word (square) - i'm addicted!!!

Among the board games that have sprouted ever since i've unearthed their great power as a time killer, i favor Scrabble over Chess most of the time. My 3rd best is the Games of the General. Late last night, time flies as i was overindulging with this newly discovered internet-app cum web-app from the Chrome Webstore.

Segway, I recently discovered the Google Chrome Webstore (GCW) a month ago but i haven't had the time to create a sole post about it. To put it all in a perspective, the GCW is like the App Store (for those who are well-versed about iPhone stuff) or could be simply analogized as a market place for web applications exclusively for Google Chrome. I've shopped a ton (free apps only) late last week but those were just an aftermath of panicky shopping and i ended up now with the apps like below:

Going back to the Scrabble-thought in the memory lane, i just wanna share to you this great online board game called Word2 (read as Word-Square; heck! i can't find the html code for Superscript). True! the concept is the same as Scrabble, only this time, you are playing in the midst of online populace who are logged in to this networked game of words. Taking turns to play ain't a worry because it all depends on how you flip your tiles to form a word and connect it to the existing lay-out. The biggest twist on this though is, you can only add your word of choice on those tiles of words you've been through (which can be easily spotted as bold tiles - see the image below).

As you can see above, my tiles are the ones in bold letters: "RESTATES", "TIMID", "PLAIN", while the ones that are grayed out "STAND", "DING" were someone else's. So, i can only add my new words to the ones i'm working on.

Sounds ridiculous, but come to think of it, this varied rule is kinda strategic. Your opponent is your own self. This narrows down the tendencies to add words by two things:
1. Your set of tiles (see image below)
2. & Your creativity and ingenuity in forming words

Just like scrabble standard, the number of tiles on set are 7 letters. If you're doomed, like there's no way around to plug even just a vowel or a consonant to those words you've formed on the board, you can always click SWAP TILES, rendering your life by a negative 1. The default life is 2, but you could add up by forming words on the board with the STAR-sign.

Actually, the game is simple, just what i've said, your worst enemy would be yourself. If you ran out of words and keep on clicking SWAP Tiles, think again.

The color coded blocks on the board are like scrabble's Triple word, Double Word and so on. If you played all your 7 tiles at once, you'd hit a jackpot!!!

If you want to expand your vocabulary in the English lang, i can only emphasize enough to try and play this, make sure u don't cheat by going to wordsmith.org plunging to look for anagrams of your tiles. (hahaha).

macdosage@gmail.com