How do you choose the best format?  Researching the various options can be very time consuming.  Luckily, Social Media Chimps has done the work for you.  Check out their comparison of the three most popular eBook formats, EPUB, PDF and Kindle.  You may be surprised at the outcome.

A fellow author asked me what was important to include on his website.  Before setting up my site, I did some research.  One thing became clear — an About page is critical.  Why?  Because the About page is typically the most-visited page on your site.

Some tips on creating an effective About page include:

1) Don’t give it some fancy name.  Call it About.  2) Use a real photo of yourself, not an avatar or drawing.  If someone is interested in you, they want to know what you look like.  3) Use your voice . Don’t be afraid to be funny if that’s who you really are.  And don’t be afraid to be a bit of a nerd either. 4) If you use a video, make it short and include some text for those who don’t like videos. 5)  Keep it short — a couple of paragraphs will suffice.  This isn’t the place to tell your life story.

Remember, your About page is a marketing tool.  Use it wisely.

What do visitors see when they view your blog or website?  The general rule is that the first view of your home page should capture the reader’s attention without having to scroll or click, so that they’ll spend more time on your site. To find out what they see, visit Google Browser Size application and enter your blog or website’s URL.  Click on About Browser Size for more detailed information.  

For the past few weeks, I’ve been having a problem with my wireless connection kicking me offline.  I knew I had to call AT&T, but I also knew I had to be in the right frame of mind to do so.  Responding to various prompts and shouting things like  “technical assistance” and “PC” into the receiver is annoying, but the most frustrating part of these types of calls is being placed on hold while you wait for a real person.  Along comes Fast Customer, a new iPhone or Android app that let’s you bypass the hold process all together.  You simply select a customer service department you want to speak to and Fast Customer will call you back when the rep is on the line.  How cool is that!  Now, if I only had an iPhone.

There have been so many breaches of personal data recently that it’s hard to tell if your information is still secure.  Luckily, an Australian security expert has developed a site – Should I Change My Password -  where you can check your email address against the databases of stolen information.  If it comes up clear, it doesn’t necessarily mean your address is secure; it just means you weren’t a victim of the most recent highly-publicized thefts like Sony PlayStation’s, where information was releases.  But at least it’s a start.

If you feel this information is helpful, please make a donation on the site.

I’ve been going crazy trying to decide which eReader I want.  The minute I decide, a new one pops up.  Luckily, I found a site that compares the top ten models.  Thought I’d share it.

If you receive a message from a friend with an offer of a free cup of Starbucks coffee or something similar, beware, it could be spam and could even install a rogue app in your profile.  If you inadvertently click on one of these messages and find it’s spam, the best thing to do is go to the message in your profile, hover over it until you see a small “x”  in the upper right corner, then click it and hit “Mark as Spam.”  That will remove it and alert Facebook.  Next, you should check your Account Settings, and under the Privacy section, you’ll find an Edit Your Settings link to a list of apps and websites that you’ve allowed to access your information.  You can remove anything that looks suspicious or that you don’t recognize.

The competition in eReaders is heating up!  Barnes & Noble’s new 6 inch Nook has a much longer battery life and is smaller and lighter than a paperback book.  The downside is that this is a pure eReader.  There’s no support for apps or even audio books, but it’s supposed to feel better in your hand with a rubberized paint that makes it easier to grip.  Barnes & Noble claims it has the same crisp contrast as Kindle, and it turns pages faster with less flashing. You can pre-order one for $139.00.

Amazon has released a “Special Offers” version of their WiFi Kindle for $114, $25 less than it’s already attractive $139.  The catch is that this version will display special offers on the home page and screen savers.  But they guarantee that no offers will interfere with eBooks.

With over 945,000 eBook titles available for Kindle, and more added every day, it’s no wonder that this new eReader is the best selling electronic device on all of Amazon.

There are so many tweets and Twitter users, how can an everyday person be heard?  I came across this article that should help.