March 7, 2006 Newsletter

Greetings Brainstorm Internet Customers The goal of each of our monthly eNewsletters is to keep our subscribers informed regarding their Internet connection and to improve their Internet experience. To meet this goal, each monthly newsletter will usually contain information related to: 1. Warnings on a recent virus, e-mail hoax, or security issue that may affect you 2. An update on new services and other local interests 3. An answer to a frequently asked Internet related question 4. A short, step-by-step tutorial on an e-mail or browser related task We think you’ll find the information contained in this newsletter to be a valuable tool for enhancing your Internet experience. Thanks for reading! Please send any feedback about the newsletter or future tech tips you would like to see to kerri@brainstorminternet.net. Thank you for choosing Brainstorm Internet. - The Brainstorm Internet Team
Inside this newsletter: Security Alert Small Change, Big Impact Online Technical Support Now Available! Click this image wherever you see it on our website for immediate tech help. Ask The Help Desk What Is A Blog? Short Tutorial Turn Off E-mail Sound Alerts When Receiving Incoming E-mail www.gobrainstorm.net Office: 247-1442 Toll Free: 1-877-651-6299	Security Alert: Small Change, Big Impact... We are making email faster, safer and more secure to provide you with better security in our email system. This is a small change but it will have a big impact on improving how well your email works. This change will provide the following benefits: •Block junk email better •Keep Brainstorm customers off spam blacklists •Make our customers computers more secure •Reduce email delays So what do you need to do? Perhaps nothing, your computer may already be properly configured. It is a good idea to check now so that when the change comes on March 31st you are all ready to go. We have several ways to help you check your email settings: • Visit our email settings support page where we have posted easy to follow instructions for checking your settings and making any necessary changes • Click on our Online Live Chat at www.gobrainstorm.net to chat with a live person • Call us at 1-877-651-6299 M-F 8am to 10pm or Sat/Sun 9am to 6pm
Online Technical Support - Now Available In need of support and no time to make a phone call? With Brainstorms online technical support, just click on the support icon at www.gobrainstorm.net and you’ll get convenient support right at your fingertips. Online chat is now available for billing questions, customer service and all your technical needs. It’s simple, quick and available at the click of a button. New Year - New Changes Brainstorm has been busy behind the scenes, updating its network to provide you with the best internet experience possible. Our network will continue to be updated to the best equipment available over the next few months. We look forward to providing you the best service possible.
DSL Now Available In The Vallecito And Bayfield Areas Brainstorm is excited to announce the availability of high speed internet to the Vallecito and Bayfield areas. If you are tired of slow dial up speeds and ready for a real internet experience now is the time to get DSL from Brainstorm. Call us today and we can get you connected fast, the process is simple and only take a few minutes. With packages starting at $25.99, we have packages to fit every budget so call and get connected today at 970-247-1442.
Ask The Help Desk - What Is A Blog? Question: I have heard a lot lately about the growing popularity of “blogs.” What are they? Answer: A blog (a shortened form of “web log”) is essentially a frequently updated online journal. It is most commonly a text-only web page with writings by the blog’s author posted in reverse chronological order. Many blogs also include pictures as well as links to other related stories around the Web. Some blogs even have links to audio and video clips. Blogs first emerged in 1999 and have exploded in popularity over the past couple of years. Some estimates have shown that over 50 million Internet users are regular blog readers with literally tens of thousands of new blogs being created each week. Part of the appeal for blog writers is that they can create and update their blogs with little technical know-how, unlike a sophisticated website. Although many blogs are simply musings about the author’s personal life intended for viewing by friends and family, the attraction to many bloggers is in creating a community beyond their current network of friends. With this in mind, most blogs consist of material on specific topics such as favorite hobbies, politics, favorite tv shows, favorite sports teams, current events, favorite movie stars, etc. To get started learning more about blogs, check out these popular blog-hosting websites: www.blogger.com, www.blogwise.com and www.typepad.com
Short Tutorial Turn Off E-mail Sound Alerts When Receiving Incoming E-mail Most e-mail software programs are set as a default to check for incoming e-mail messages every ten minutes. If a message or messages have been received, an e-mail sound alert notifies the computer user that a message or messages are available for him/her to read. However, it can become somewhat annoying to hear these e-mail sound alerts going off every ten minutes. To turn off the audio on these e-mail sound alerts, follow the steps below. Removing E-mail Sound Alerts In Outlook Express When Using Windows XP: 1. With Outlook Express open, go to the “Tools” menu and drop down to “Options.” The “Options” window will appear. 2. Click your cursor arrow on the “General” tab. 3. Look for “Send/Receive Messages” and uncheck the box next to “Play sound when new messages arrive.” 4. Click “OK.” Removing E-mail Sound Alerts In Thunderbird 1.0.7 When Using Windows XP: 1. With Thunderbird open, go to the “Tools” menu and drop down to “Options.” The “Options” window will appear. 2. Click your cursor arrow on the “General” icon. 3. Find the settings for “When new messages arrive” and uncheck the box next to “Play a sound.” 4. Click “OK.” Removing E-mail Sound Alerts In Netscape 7.2 When Using Windows XP: 1. With Netscape Navigator open, go to the “Edit” menu and drop down to “Preferences.” The “Preferences” window will appear. 2. Under “Category,” click your cursor arrow on “Mail & Newsgroups.” 3. Click on “Notifications.” 4. Uncheck the box under “When new messages arrive.” 5. Click “OK.” Removing E-mail Sound Alerts in Mail.app 2.0 When Using Macintosh OS X: 1. With mail.app open, go to the “Mail” menu and drop down to “Preferences.” The “Preferences” window will appear. 2. Click your cursor arrow on the “General” icon on the toolbar. 3. Look for “New mail sound:” and select “None” from the pop-up menu. 4. Close the window by clicking on the red dot in the upper left-hand corner. Removing E-mail Sound Alerts In Thunderbird 1.5 When Using Macintosh OS X: 1. With Thunderbird open, go to the “Thunderbird” menu and drop down to “Preferences.” The preferences window will appear. 2. Click your cursor arrow on the “General” icon. 3. Find the settings for “When new messages arrive” and uncheck the box next to “Play a sound.” 4. Click “OK.” Removing E-mail Sound Alerts In Netscape 7.2 When Using Macintosh OS X: 1. With Netscape Navigator open, go to the “Netscape” menu and drop down to “Preferences.” The “Preferences” window will appear. 2. Under “Category,” click your cursor arrow on “Mail & Newsgroups.” 3. Click on “Notifications.” 4. Uncheck the box under “When new messages arrive.” 5. Click “OK.”   We hope you found this newsletter to be informative. It’s our way of keeping you posted on the happenings here. If, however, you’d prefer not to receive these bulletins on a monthly basis, click on this link to unsubscribe. The link will open a new email message to us, all you need to do is hit the send button and we'll take you off this list.