Million Clues! Joins the Dot Com Family

Finally we are in the dot com hall of fame. Today, we registered our own domain as millionclues.com. All visits to millionclues.blogspot.com will be redirected automatically once the shifting is completely over. We had been using the co.nr redirection service from freedomain.co.nr for a while. This will continue for another couple of weeks.

The domain is registered with Go Daddy via Blogger and now we have full DNS control over the domain. Integration with Google products and protection against spam are also offered along with the registration.

A Google Apps Account was also created automatically. Google Apps provides free email service for users in this domain. Now we have a new mail id: arunbasillal at millionclues dot com. Google Apps also includes Chat, Calendar, Google Sites and it can create Sub-Domains for millionclues.com.

Blogger will automatically transfer all previous posts to the new domain. This is expected to be complete in another 24 hours. The pages are already linked via the new domain, but accessing a page reports a ‘Page Not Found 404’ error right now. This will be back to normal once the transfer is over. To access individual pages, type in ‘.blogspot’ to the end of the individual page address in the address bar of your browser. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Welcome aboard to Millionclues.com…

10 Reasons to Prefer Feedblitz Email over Feedburner Email

Feedburner, being a comprehensive service which includes both Feed Burning and Email Subscription Options along with Tracking and Analysis, is the most preffered service by bloggers. Presently, Feedburner is a Google owned add-free facility with built-in integration with Blogger and other Google products. On the contrary, Feedblitz is a dedicated Email Delivery agent, which is add-supported but free.

Most bloggers fail to realize the advantages of a dedicated Email Subscription Service. We listed out 10 advantages that Feedblitz Email Service have, over Feedburner Email Service, and the article got published at Quick Online Tips, which is a popular technology blog, publishing breaking technology news, blogging tips, computer software and Web 2.0. I would like to share the article in here for the benefit of MC! Readers.

Find out Why Feedblitz is much better than Feedburner Email by clicking here. You will also find solution if you insist on using Feedburner on your Blog for Burning Feeds.

Related Feedblitz Stuff: 

• Adding a Email Subscription Service To Your Blog
• Unique Subscription Options in Feedblitz

Send SMS to any Mobile Right From Your Inbox

160by2 provides an Email to SMS facility which let you send SMS to any mobile number within India right from your Email client, thereby saving you from the trouble of a separate pageload and login. 160by2 will deliver the message in packets of 80 characters (each SMS will contain 80 characters of the message) and the delivery is almost instant. We tested this facility and we received the SMS within 30 seconds. You will also get an Email from 160by2 that confirms the delivery of your SMS.

Before you can start sending Email SMS's, you will need a 160by2 account. Signup is free and will not take more than 5 minutes. During signup, you have to provide the Email id from which you are planning to send SMS.

To Send SMS via your Email, the message has to be formatted as described below.

• The recipient should be recipient’s mobile number, followed by @160by2.com so that it reads <receiver mobile number>@160by2.com. For example: If the recipient is 9995394558 then the recipient Email address in your Email program must look like 9995394558@160by2.com
• The Subject line must be your username of 160by2 or your mobile number that you used to signup with 160by2. If the Email address and the username or mobile number does not match, an Email from 160by2 will report the failure of delivery. 

The greatest advantage of this service is that the SMS can be sent irrespective of the email program you use. So even if your employer blocks all email services except the company email, you can signup with 160by2 with the company email and then send SMS to all your friends.

Related:

• Send Free SMS via GPRS 
• Get Free Useful SMS Updates From MyToday.com 
• GupShup Lets You Send Group SMS Free of Cost
  

Feedblitz has some Unique Subscription Options

We had been using Feedblitz email delivery service even before Million Clues! was born went live. But it’s only recently that we noticed some unique subscription options available with Feedblitz, which are hard to be found elsewhere, including Feedburner. In addition to regular email, Feedblitz can send content updates to Twitter, Skype and Instant Messengers like AOL Messenger, Microsoft Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger (see image)

Regardless the method of subscription, each one needs verification, so you can be assured against spammers. If email delivery is chosen, a confirmation link is sent to the email address provided for validating the user. Every other service has its own kind of verification to ensure that the user is the valid owner of the email address provided. For instance, when Yahoo! Messenger is chosen, the user is asked to add a friend with the name ‘FeedBlitz.Alerts’ and send a instant message with content ‘OK 124738’ to this friend.

So if you do not check your email regularly, then you can choose any one of these alternatives to subscribe to a blog. This is another reason to use Feedblitz Email Service rather than Feedburner Email.

You may also like to read:

• How to add an Email Subscription Service in your Blog / Website
• Why should I use an Email Subscription Service?
• Must read for Newbie Bloggers
• Chekout our whole New Domain
  

BlogCamp Kerala: Face-to-Face meet of Passionate Bloggers is happening on 16th of this month in Kerala

An offline meet of around 120 bloggers, which is named BlogCamp Kerala, is happening on the 16th of this month at Alappuzha. The event, as they call, is an Unconference, which will be taking place in a Houseboat! And it will be the First Unconference to be held on a Houseboat.

BlogCamp will feature lots of hot discussions, mainly focused at SEO, Blogging Ideas, Campus Blogging and audio Blogging. Prominent Bloggers from Kerala will show up at this event, so this is a golden chance to meet local passionate bloggers. The event is sponsored by Kerala Tourism. 

Details of the event are available at their official portal. Visit the portal or dial, +91 9846831128 (Mr. Jacob) or +91 9846430463 (Mr. Subramanian) (Both numbers at Kerala) for more details and registration. SMS 'Go BCK' to 53636 for Mobile Updates.

Official Speak about BlogCamp…

BlogCamp Kerala is an event conceived by a group of volunteer bloggers who want to meet up and share ideas and have casual discussions about blogging, internet, technology and more.

The main essence of the Blog Camp Kerala is “Unconference”. Blogging for the most of us is a passion first and a profession next. We celebrate unconferences in its best, thanks to its power of active participation, and its wholesome fun.

I am looking forward for the event. Thanks to Mr. Subramanian and Mr. Jacob for the details. Just 11 days to go.

BlogCamp Kerala Official Portal | Read about BlogCamp Kerala on The Hindu Newspaper

China Removes Website Restrictions For Olympics

China recently removed some of the Website Blocking Restrictions, so that users from all around the world who come to China for the Olympic season can enjoy all their favorite websites. Major Video sharing and networking websites that were previously banned would be available now for the Olympic season. This relaxation is temporary and the original state would be restored shortly after the Olympics.

Though the blocking is lifted, content that was blocked earlier and those materials that matter the socio-economics of China will remain behind bars. Still this relaxation could mean a memory of the good old days for the Chinese in general and the newbie’s would get a chance to discover new sites. Happy Olympics!

Related:

Access Blocked Websites Using This Hack

Best Blogging Practices and Search Engine Optimization

I got a chance to guest post on VitaminCM. And this was my first post there. I did a lot of research into making this one and thought I should share it in here too.

The article is targetted at both Fresh and Pro Bloggers. It discusses the best ways to gain more audience from Search Engines and the best practices that can bring your Blog into the lime light.

Read the Post at VitaminCM

The Complete Internet Pack: Must Haves For Safer, Faster and Efficient Browsing

Internet offers a wide range of services that spans between emails, chat, video calls, downloads, information and stuffs like that. A successful Netizen (a netizen is someone who uses internet) needs a whole array of tools to aid his path through the internet. Such tools will help him to get things done faster and makes browsing a pleasure.

Nomatter what kind of connection is yours, or how often you connect, there are some 'Must Haves' for every one. Infact, those with slower connection need them more.

The Must Haves can be classified into:

• Web Browsers and Browser Essentials
• Download and Upload Managers
• Security Tools
• Networking and Connectivity Tools
• Feed Readers
• Offline Essentials

Everything discussed in here are freewares and most of them have versions compatible with Linux and Mac.

Web Browsers
The Internet Explorer on Windows is a good Browser, but there better browsers which are much faster and safer than the Internet Explorer. And a good Browser is the primary Must Have for every Netizen.

• Mozilla Firefox recently Launched Firefox 3 series in beta. Firefox is fast, fully customizable and is the most recommended Browser for everyone. If you are a developer, Firefox offers lots of tools that might get your job done. Firefox supports plug-ins which can be downloaded online.
• Opera is another recommened browser. Its the best competitor to Firefox and is well suited for both Geeks and Newbies. Both Firefox and Opera supports tabbed browsing.
• Apple Safari is yet another cool Browser. Its from apple so it has got to look damn. Ranks three in comparison with the others, but consider this one if you are a normal internet user who wish to get rid of Internet Explorer. Safari supports tabbed browsing too.
  

Browser Essentials
Quality websites uses Java, Some Flash and Stuffs like that. You might end up in pages with cross marks all over, just because you dont have some softwares installed on your system. Here are some Must Haves

• JAVA Support - Websites with built in Java Applets need Java Runtime Support. Dowload this file and install. To know if you have JAVA right now, Open Contol Panel and Check whether you are having a Java Button there.
• Adobe Flash Player - Websites with embedded Flash Videos needs Flash Player. Dowload it here
  

Download and Upload Managers
Downloading is one of the most Important job done online. Every Browser has its own Download Manager. But a dedicated Download Manager improves Download Speed and can keep track of all the downloads irrespective of the browser. Download Managers usually have Resume Support, which means that you can pause a download and complete it later. Download Managers usually have a integrated Upload Manager too.

• Free Download Manager is the recommended Download Manager. We have been using it for years and it has been a Faithful Friend always. Download the Latest Version here
  
• uTorrent (read as mue-Torrent) is a Torrent Downloader. FDM also supports Torrent, but if you wish to have a dedicated Torrent Downloader, uTorrent is recommended.

Security Tools
Internet is the home to countless Hackers and Spammers. So Internet Security is a major concern. Basically you need protection from Viruses. You also need to monitor how your computer connects to the internet.

• AVG Antivirus Free is a free and effective Antivirus solution. AVG brings you regular updates so you can be sure that you are protected always. This is a highly recommended Must Have.
• Comodo Firewall Pro is an award winning Free Firewall. It lets you control the way each and every program on your system runs. If you are low on system resources, just install Comodo instead of a Antivirus, since Comodo can partly function as a Antivirus.

Networking and Connectivity Tools
Socializing with Friends and Relatives need a Chat client or a Video Conferencing tool or a Net Phone. The good thing is that, all these facilities are available in a single application, so you dont need to go in search of many.

• Yahoo! Messenger is one such tool which converges all facilites and is a Must Have. With Yahoo! Messenger, you can chat, talk, share pictures, view Webcams and even host a Web Conference.
• Though Yahoo! Messenger has everything within it, you might consider using Google Talk or Skype for connecting with friends in a purticular network.

Feed Readers
Readers are Softwares that bring website content direcly to you, right at the time the website is updated, so that you dont have to keep checking your favorite webpages for updates. Feed Readers work with Websites and Blogs that have RSS support. There are many online Feed Readers, which require no download, but the advantage of a offline Feed Reader is that you can read your Feeds offline.

• Feed Demon is highly recommended for Offline Feed Reading. It is light, Easy and Efficient. There are tons of other Feed Readers available, but Feed Demon is a Must Have if you have the habit of reading Blogs and Websites.
• Google Reader is a online tool that does the same job. This need no download and you can start using it right away, if you have a google Account. Signing up is a easy job.

Offline Essentials
There are some tools that everyone might need, to handle the files that are downloaded from the Internet. For instance, Data is transferred online mainly as zip files, so you need a decompressor to open such files.

• PowerZip can handle most common Compression formats. Its free, light and userfriendly. The interface might look bit old, but it gets the job done.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed for handling pdf files. Must Have because you will find pdf everywhere on the web.

The above mentioned Tools are just the Essentials. They will save your day in most of the cases. But if you have some specific requirements, you should consider downloading tools for them. The Right Tools For the Right Job is the thumb rule.

Do Not Share Your Half-Baked Blog / Website

It is said that ' The first impression is the best impression ' . You may not trust this in your own life but when it comes to the internet, the first impression is always the best. And you have only one chance to make the first impression.


I am telling you this from my personal experince. When I started blogging, I told my friends right from the start. But at that time I did not have many articles in here. So they were not really interested. Then I had to work really hard to persuade them to look into my blog again. If I had waited till today, then I would be having lots of readers. So this is what I learnt...

If you are a new blogger or the owner of a new website do not tell your friends that you have a blog or a website. Wait till you are sure that your blog is ready. And be sure that you are targetting your readers. Make sure that the best articles are on the homepage. Thats where you have to give an idea of what your blog is about. Else they will back out.

And For the newest bloggers here is another tip... Be focussed. That was one more of my mistake . I was not really focussed. Target your readers rather than your self. And if you are writing about lot of topics be sure to label it and display the labels on the home page.
And if you are planning to advertise, wait till you have enough loyal readers. Else every one will think that you are blogging for money alone. Thanks to Nigel for this grand tip. Once your blog gets into the stream, then you can monetise it.

One more thing. The first thing that you should add to your blog should be the subscription option. Then even the first reader will have a chance to keep track of your posts. Remember the golden rule " First Impressions can be made only once "

b.

Logging Into Websites Blocked By the Admin

Do u see the message ' This page has been blocked by your administrator '? And you still wanna use that website..? Here are some tips which might help you access them.

• Try the secured server https. All you have to do is type in https://www.website.com instead of http://www.website.com.This might work in some cases
• Try Browsing Using a Proxy Browser. Proxy Browser means a browser that is capable of visiting a website from a fake address. Many websites like Kproxy.com provide proxy browsing services. Just Google for Proxy Browsers and get a list of websites.

Sending an Executable File in Gmail

As a matter of security from malicious code or so, G-mail beta does not allow users to send Executable files in Gmail. This helps to keep Gmail virus free. But this can be irritating at-times, like when you are trying to send something which is definitely virus free. Like if you did like to send a program that you made for evaluation to your friend or so. Here are 2 ways to send such files. Thanks to my friend Sam.

Method 1 :
Add the executable file to a zip archive. Its not over yet. Add this zip archive to another zip archive. So that your executable file will be inside two zip archives simultaneously. Then attach it and then you can send it comfortably.
eg:. If your file name is asd.exe , first add it to a zip archive named abc.zip or so. Then add this abc.zip to another zip named xyz.zip or so. Then attach it.

Method 2 :
Rename your executable file to something which is not an executable. That is change the extension .exe to somthing like .jkl or so. then attach it and inform the reciver at the other end to rename it to .exe before he can use it. That's it.
You can rename the file using command prompt.
For eg: if you wish to rename asd.exe to asd.jkl take command prompt and then go to the directory where your file is. then type ' rename asd.exe asd.jkl' without the quotes.

Good Luck!