Ask a TechLord

Derwood Hubler asks: What are some good alternatives to Google Adsense for monetizing my blog?

Here are a few I recommend you look into.

Friendfinder has an extensive network of dating and social sites that generate revenue for you in the form of sign ups and referrals.




Chitika offers a wide variety of ad units that target products and services based on the content of your blog.




Bidvertiser offers text ad units similar to Adsense. The ads displayed are based on how you categorize your blog/website, as well as the advertisers available. The more popular your blog is, the higher the payout.






WidgetBucks offers rich media filled ad units that are targeted specifically to the content on the current page.



Although Google Adsense is considered the top performing advertising network, it is always a good idea to diversify when possible. Be sure to check the latest Google Adsense terms of service to determine which types of ads you can run in conjunction with Adesense ad units. Generally speaking, any other advertisements that are contextually based on the page's content causes problems.

I just bought a new game that says I need to have the latest version of DirectX installed. How can I find out which version of DirectX is installed on my computer?


Normally any application or game that requires the latest version of DirectX will notify you during the installation process if you do not have the right version. If you want to determine what version you have before installing software, follow these steps:

1. Windows XP: Click Start, then select Run. Windows Vista: Click Start, select All programs, Accessories, and finally Run.


2. Type dxdiag into the window that pops up.

A new window will open up that is titled DirectX Diagnostic Tool. This window shows you system information related to the display, sounds, and inputs. On the first page at the bottom of the list, you will see your version of DirectX.

If you need to upgrade your version of DirectX to a more recent release, visit the Microsoft Update site and choose the custom button. This will show you the non-critical updates available for your system, which includes DirectX updates.

I just downloaded a bunch of fonts to my computer, but when I try to use them they don't show up in my programs. Do I need to install them, and how do I do that?

To install fonts to your computer, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, then choose Control Panel.


2. Click the Fonts icon.


3. Select the File menu, then click Install a new font.


4. Navigate to the location you downloaded your new font(s) to. The fonts will appear in the "List of fonts:" window.



5. Click OK to install the font(s).

If you navigate to your newly downloaded fonts and they do not appear in the window, then they are not in the correct format. Double check the website from which you downloaded the fonts to make sure you picked the right format (i.e. windows, not mac).

Some fonts are also designed to work only within specific programs. If you are installing fonts for a specific program, the above steps will not work for you. Installation instructions will vary based on the program, so refer to the help file of the program for further instruction.

1. Press and hold any icon on your iphone until all of the icons begin to wiggle.


2. Any icons that now have a black X in the upper left corner are applications that can be uninstalled. Pressing an icon's X will uninstall the application.


3. Press the home button to return to the normal mode.

If after synching your iPhone with iTunes the applications reappear, check the Applications tab in iTunes to make sure "Synch all" and/or the individual app is not checked off to be synchronized.

Also remember that purchased applications can be redownloaded and installed at any time for free, so don't worry about accidentally deleting an app. Just navigate to the app, press Install, and you will be prompted to redownload.

I read your post about recovering bookmarks using system restore when no backup exists. How do I backup my favorites?

There are two methods to backing up your internet explorer favorites.

Export method (internet explorer 7)

1. Click the 'Add to favorites' icon.



2. Select Import and Export.



3. Follow the instructions in the import/export wizard, choosing the export option.

This method generates one HTML file that contains an organized link list of all your favorites. Save this file in a location you will remember! Whenever you need to restore your favorites, just follow steps 1-3 above using the 'import' option.

Favorites folder method (all versions of internet explorer)

Your favorites are stored within a folder on your hard drive. You just need to find that folder, copy it, and save that copy in another location so that you can revert back to it if needed.

1. Click Start, then select My computer.


2. Double click the hard drive icon. You will find this under the 'Hard Disk Drives' section of the window.


3. Find and open the folder titled Documents and Settings.


4. Locate and open the folder labled with your profile name. Your profile is the name you initially set up when you set up Windows.


5. Right click on the icon titled favorites, then select Copy from the menu.
6. Paste the copy of your favorites to a location of your choosing.

When you need to restore your favorites, just copy your backup file (using the instructions in step 5), follow steps 1-4, then paste the file into the folder. Restart internet explorer and your favorites will be restored.

Where can I find a program that can edit sound files like MP3s and WAV?

Audacity is by far the best solution I can recommend. The list of features definitely rival those of larger commercial programs. Not only does it import and export to every major sound file format, but it incorporates special effects and wide variety of plugins so you can get the effect you are looking for. Audacity is open source software, which means it is free to download and use.

If you are using Windows Vista, be warned that the system requirements are a bit on the high side compared to Windows XP. If you don't have at least 1 gigabyte of system memory, you may experience sluggish performance and freezing windows.

The download page is a little bit confusing as to which link to click to actually get the program. The only file you need to get up and running is the "Audacity Installer", the rest are optional plugins that add extra functionality. The plugins can be downloaded and installed at a later date if you need them.

What are some good alternatives to commercial image editors like photoshop?

When "paint" is just not powerful enough for you anymore, there are two fantastic programs I would recommend you look into. Both are open source, which means they are completely free to download and use. Each has a different feel to it, so download both to find out what works best for you.

The GNU Image Manipulation Program, other wise known as GIMP.

It is a freely distributed program for such tasks as photo retouching, image
composition and image authoring. It has many capabilities. It can be used
as a simple paint program, an expert quality photo retouching program, an online
batch processing system, a mass production image renderer, an image format
converter, etc.

The second image editor is Paint.NET

Paint.NET is free image and photo editing software for computers that run
Windows. It features an intuitive and innovative user interface with support for
layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and
powerful tools. An active and growing online community provides friendly help,
tutorials, and plugins.

Please note that Paint.NET requires the microsoft .NET framework to be installed first if you do not currently have it. A link to the framework is provided in the Paint.NET download page.

Blair Kapp asks: How do you delete a comment from a blogspot blog, and what is the best way to add a "contact me" area on my blog?

First, to delete a comment from your blogger blog:

1. Navigate to the comment you want to delete.


2. Click the trashcan icon.


3. Click Delete comment to remove the comment and replace it with a short message that the comment has been deleted. Or, if you'd rather remove all traces of the comment, select "Remove comment forever" and then click Delete comment.

If you are unable to see the trashcan icon, first make sure you are logged into blogger and then refresh your screen a few times (F5 or the refresh icon). If refreshing your screen does not work, try clearing your temporary internet files and/or viewing history.

As for the "contact me" area of your blog, you can approach this several different ways. The easiest way would be to add a text page element titled Contact me with a brief blurb that includes an email address. You could also write a post with your contact details, then directly link to that post via an html link or image button in an html page element. That link could also go straight to a custom made "contact me" form that resides on a page outside your blog. It all depends on what works best for you.

In my last article I talked about downloading a blogger template, making changes to it, then uploading the template back to blogger. I've received a request to explain that a little more in depth, so I'm going to take advantage of the situation and try out a new feature I'd like to implement.

Below is an interactive simulation that walks you through the process.




I've also created a larger version of this demonstration that can be found here. I'm curious to see which size people prefer, or if a non-interactive demonstration would be better suited for a blog.

How do I set up my blogger blog so that there is a 'read more' button and only part of the full post is displayed?

This is known as an expandable post summary. The only way to do this with a blogger blog is to modify your blog template. There is a an official article from blogger that explains the exact steps needed to set this up. Before you try this, though, I'd like to clarify a few points.

1. Before you make any changes to your template you should download a backup copy first. The blogger article doesn't mention that until the end of the article....after you've made all your changes.
2. Make the changes to a local copy of your backup template from step 1. Edit the file using WordPad, it is MUCH easier than using the web editor. When the changes are complete, upload your template.
3. The article references 'Classic templates' and 'Layout'. If you can drag page elements around in the layout editor, use the Layout code. Chances are if you've started your blog in the past year you are not using the classic templates.
4. Remember that once you finish the edits to the template, you must modify each post to indicate where the cutoff should be. You won't see any difference in any of your previous posts, so you will have to go back and edit all posts that you want to add this feature to.

Don't be intimidated by the XML. As long as you have a backup copy of your template, you can experiment all you want until you get things working.

If you are interested in learning more about your blogger blog, I recommend the book "Google Blogger". It's a great resource to guide you through everything you need to know about blogger blogs.

What difference does it make if my wireless router is encrypted or not?

By now you've probably heard a local news story about people who "steal the internet" from unsecured networks. It's usually a story about a shady individual who is sitting in a van parked down the street using the connection to try to steal your identity or your banking information. It's true...something like can happen, but there's a whole lot more to the story.

There may not be a van parked outside your house, but how about Jimmy next door who is downloading pirated games and software using your connection? Or your other neighbor who is downloading hundreds of songs illegally using peer to peer networks? The point is you don't know who's doing what with your connection...but you can be sure that your IP address will be all over whatever it is they are doing.

Unfortunately, my experience has been that a lot of internet providers ship out wireless routers with the encryption turned off by default. It can be a little bit complicated depending on the router, but it is worth the frustration to set it up. In an upcoming post I will show you how to determine if your wireless signal is encrypted, and how to turn it on if it is not.