What is ReadyBoost?

What is ReadyBoost?

ReadyBoost is a feature of Windows 8, Windows 7 and Windows Vista that allows computers to use a flash drive as a memory cash to make the computer run faster.  Since flash drives have faster random access read and write times than a hard drive, Windows uses the flash drive as a high speed memory cash to make your computer run faster.

Flash drives, also known as thumb drives or USB memory sticks, are available for under $10, so using ReadyBoost is an inexpensive way to get more performance out of your older computer.  I use the SanDisk Cruzer Fit USB Flash Drive in my laptop for ReadyBoost- it doesn't stick out like a full-size flash drive and works great with ReadyBoost.




This link has detailed instructions on using ReadyBoost and a cheap USB memory stick to speed up your computer.


Recommended Reading:
Use a Cheap USB Flash Memory Stick to Speed up Windows 7

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What is an iPod?

What is an iPod?

An iPod is Apple's brand of portable MP3 player.  These devices store digital music files and play them through headphones.  Some iPod models can also store and play videos on the small iPod screen.

iPod Touch features a touch screen and runs iOS like iPhones.  You can run iPhone apps and play games on an iPod Touch.  You can think of an iPod Touch as an iPhone without the phone.

What is the Difference Between an iPod and an MP3 Player?

iPods are a type of MP3 player.  MP3 describes the file format used to store digital music files.  iPods differ from other brands of MP3 players in that many people think they are easier to use.  Apple has integrated music downloading from iTunes to make it easy to download and manage songs.

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What is PayPal?

What is PayPal?

PayPal is an on-line money transfer service that replaces checks and money orders for making payments. PayPal users put funds into their PayPal account with a funds transfer from their bank or credit card.  The PayPal account can then be used to transfer the funds to someone else's PayPal account to make a payment.

Using PayPal eliminates the risk of getting a bad check since the funds are confirmed immediately.  If you receive funds into your PayPal account, you can transfer these to your bank to access the money.

PayPal is the main method of payment for eBay items.  PayPal charges the seller a transaction fee of about 3% for sales on eBay.




Recommended Reading:
What is eBay?

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What is eBay?

What is eBay?

eBay is an e-commerce site where visitors can buy and sell items.  All kinds of items are offered for sale on eBay.  Individual sellers can sell household items and electronics that are no longer wanted to make money.  Some eBay sellers buy large quantities of imported items and sell them individually at a profit.

eBay is a good place to look for rare or unique items since millions of items are for sale from around the world.  eBay is a good opportunity for sellers to reach a large market to get the best price for their items.

What Selling Formats are Available on eBay?

eBay started off selling through an auction format.  Items were listed at a starting price, and buyers could bid in an auction by offering a price higher than the current high bid.  The person with the highest bid at the end of the auction wins the auction.



eBay has added other selling formats, such as "Buy It Now" (BIN) where buyers can instantly buy an item by offering the BIN price.  Buyers like this format since they do not need to wait until the end of the auction to find out if they will get to buy the item or not.

Another option is "Best Offer" where buyers can make the seller an offer and the seller can accept or reject the offer.  This is a good selling format for items that are difficult to price.

How Much Does it Cost to Sell on eBay?

The final value fee from eBay is 10% of the final price.  If you accept PayPal for payment the PayPal fee is about 3% of the selling price.




Recommended Reading:
What is Etsy?
How to Ship Sold eBay Items
Avoid the Nigerian eBay Scam

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IP Security Cameras: Monitor Your House Over the Internet

IP Security Camera

An IP Security Camera is the name for an "Internet Protocol" Security Camera that can be accessed from anywhere in the world over the Internet.  With an IP Security Camera in your home, you can monitor the video feed over the Internet using a computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.  A password is used to restrict access to the video feed to authorized users.

Wireless IP Security Camera

A wireless IP Security Camera uses a wi-fi network to transmit the video to the Internet, so no Ethernet cable is needed.  This makes placing IP security cameras in your home or business very easy.  Most IP Security cameras do require a power outlet.

IP Security Camera Features

• One key feature is wireless vs. wired IP security cameras.  Wireless cameras are very handy if you do not have Ethernet jacks near your camera locations.
• Motion detection is another useful feature in an IP Security Camera.  Some cameras use the same type of IR (infrared) motion detector that is found on motion sensing lights.  Motion detection can be used to trigger recording of the video stream to a memory card in the camera and even to trigger the camera to send an e-mail notification.
• Security software is another feature of an IP Security Camera.  Some software allows you to draw a box on the video frame to define an area to generate alerts if motion is detected in the video within the defined area.
• Some IP Security Cameras allow you to listen using a microphone on the camera and even to speak over a speaker on the camera.
• You can get an IP Security Camera with night vision capability.  These IP Security Cameras use IR LEDs and a sensor that can detect IR.  This allows the camera to produce video in total darkness.
• Some cameras have pan and tilt motors to allow you to position the camera to view the desired area.

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What is a UPS?

What is a UPS?

UPS is an acronym that means "Universal Power Supply".  This is a back-up power supply for computing equipment that allows computers to keep running through a brief power outage.

During thunderstorms, it is not unusual for the electric power supply to homes and businesses to go out for a few minutes due to lightning strikes on utility equipment or tree branches falling and damaging power lines.

A UPS has a battery and an a DC to AC converter to supply 120 volt A/C power to run equipment.  The capacity of most UPS can run a computer for an hour or so when no power is available.  The main purpose is to allow users to save their work in an orderly fashion and power down their computer without losing their work.  Most UPS also include surge protection to protect items plugged into it from power surges.

Do you need a UPS?

If you have a desktop PC, you may benefit from a UPS.  A UPS will protect you from losing your unsaved work when power outages occur, and can allow you to continue working for some time without electric power.  You can also power peripherals such as printers using a UPS.  You will also benefit from surge protection which protects your computer equipment from power surges.

If you have a tablet computer or laptop, you do not need a UPS since these devices have a built-in battery and are not immediately affected by power interruption.  You may want to consider a surge protector to protect your equipment from power surges.

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What is VoIP?

What is VoIP?

VoIP is short for "Voice over Internet Protocol".  VoIP is a way of making a phone call using the internet to send the data instead of using a phone network or cellular telephone network.  The advantage of using VoIP is that you can make free long distance phone calls using your existing internet service.

How Do You Make Free Phone Calls with VoIP?

You can download software that allows you to make VoIP calls from your computer.  Skype is one example of free VoIP software.  Skype also allow you to do videoconferencing if you have a webcam connected to you computer.

You can also buy devices that allow you to use VoIP to make free phone calls using your existing phones.  Ooma Telo Free Home Phone Service is one example.

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What is Retina display?

What is Retina display?

Retina display is an Apple brand of display technology used in iPads, iPods, iPhones and Apple MacBook laptop computers.  The display is designed to have high enough resolution so that the human eye cannot see pixelation at normal viewing distances.  In other words, if a curved line is displayed on a Retina display, the individual square pixels that are used to render the curved line should not be visible.

What is the Resolution of a Retina display?

The third and fourth generator iPad and iPad Air have a Retina display with a resolution of 2048×1536 pixels.  The display density is 264 pixels per inch.  This works out to a pixel density of 69 pixels per degree at a viewing distance of 15 inches.



Recommended Reading:
Can You Get a Stylus for an iPad with Retina Display?

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What is wi-fi?

What is wi-fi?

Wi-Fi is short for "wireless fidelity".  Wi-fi is a wireless networking technology that is commonly used in homes and businesses to provide wireless internet access.  Each computer, laptop, tablet computer, printer, game console, or other device on a wireless network has a wi-fi module installed.  The wi-fi module can be a card that is installed, or wi-fi capability can be integrated into a device.

How Does wi-fi work?

Devices with wi-fi capability communicate with a wireless router using radio signals to transmit data.  The wireless router provides access to the internet and allows devices to communicate with each other on the wi-fi network.  For example, you can stream video from your smartphone to your TV using a Chromecast and your home wi-fi network.  Game consoles can update their firmware and install games using the wi-fi network to access the internet with no need for an ethernet cable to be plugged in.

What is the Range of a wi-fi Network?

Most home wireless routers have a range of about 100 feet.  This means that you should be able to access your wi-fi from all areas of your home and even from outside in your yard if you wish.  In residential areas, you can usually pick up signals from wi-fi routers within a few houses of your location.  You can add encryption to your wi-fi router so that only people who know your password can use your wireless router.

How Do You Install a wi-fi System?

It is easy to install a wi-fi system in your home or business.  You need internet access, typically a DSL line with a modem or DSL router.  Your internet service provider will install this part.  You then simply connect a wireless router using an ethernet cable.  You can buy a high speed wi-fi router for under $100 and install it in a few minutes to provide wireless internet access.

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Can You Get an Android Tablet Keyboard?

Android Tablet Keyboard

When I ordered my 7 inch Android tablet, I ordered a case that has a built-in keyboard to go with it.  I knew I would have trouble typing on the on-screen keyboard in Android.  I type a lot and wanted to use my Android tablet as a laptop substitute.

USB Android Tablet Keyboard

The keyboard plugs in to the USB port on the tablet.  You can set the Android tablet to use the external keyboard rather than displaying the on-screen keyboard- this saves a lot of space on the screen.  You can use the entire screen for what you are viewing, rather than having the on-screen keyboard take up half of the screen.

I would estimate that I can type more than twice as fast using the external keyboard than I can type using the Android on-screen keyboard.

Wireless Bluetooth Android Tablet Keyboard

If your tablet has Bluetooth, you can get a wireless keyboard instead of one that plugs into the USB port on your tablet.



Recommended Reading:
This article describes how I found a cheap Android tablet and added a keyboard to use it as a laptop substitute:  Find an Android Tablet for Under $100

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Can you get a stylus for iPad?

Stylus for iPad

If you want a stylus to use with your iPad, you'll need to find a capacitive stylus.  Some of the older touch screen devices like Palm Pilots used resistive touchscreens- all you needed for a stylus was anything with a point on it make of plastic so it wouldn't scratch your screen.  Now iPads, Android tablets, and smartphones use capacitive touchscreens.  Luckily, you can find a high quality capacitive stylus for under $15.

How Does a Capacitive Stylus for iPad Work?

A capacitive stylus transmits electric charge to your hand to mimic touching the screen with your hand.  The stylus has a special tip that is flexible, about the size of a finger, and is conductive.  This allows the stylus to be sensed by the iPad touchscreen.  A capacitive stylus for iPad will also work with Android tablets and smartphones.




A stylus for your iPad will allow you to use handwriting and to draw much more accurately than you can using your finger.  A stylus can also give you better control for gaming on an iPad.


Recommended Reading:
Find an Android Tablet for Under $100

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What is Google Chrome?

What is Google Chrome?

Google Chrome is an internet browser with versions that run on computers, laptops, tablet computers, and smartphones.  With Google Chrome, you can view web pages and surf the world wide web.

How Much Does Google Chrome Cost?

Google Chrome is available free.  You can download Google Chrome in the internet or from Google Play on your Android device.

What Are Alternatives to Google Chrome?

There are a number of popular web browsers that compete with Google Chrome:

• Internet Explorer
• Safari
• Firefox
• Android Browser

Recommended Reading:
Android Browser War- What is the Best Android Browser?

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What is a Tablet Computer?

What is a Tablet Computer?

A tablet computer is a computer with a touch screen that does not require a keyboard or mouse.  Unlike a laptop, a tablet computer does not have a screen that opens and closes.  A tablet computer is a single rectangular piece.  You use a tablet computer by using the touch screen interface to click icons to start apps.  You can type on a tablet computer by using an on-screen keyboard and clicking on the keys shown on the tablet's touch screen.

The most popular types of tablet computers are Android tablets, iPad Tablets from Apple, and the Surface from Microsoft.

What are Common Features in Tablet Computers?

Tablet computers typically have touch screens, built-in wi-fi, and a slot for a flash memory card for memory expansion.  Tablet computers typically have 4GB or more of internal flash memory built-in.  You will usually find a headphone jack on a tablet to connect headphones and a USB port to connect accessories to the tablet computer such as an external keyboard.

How Much Do Tablet Computers Cost?

You can get a cheap Android tablet with a 7 inch screen for under $100.  An iPad with a large screen can cost over $400.

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What is Chromecast?

What is Chromecast?

Chromecast is a small device from Google that plugs into the HDMI port of your TV to provide streaming video from a computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.  Chromecast uses your home's wi-fi network to transmit the video from your device to the TV wirelessly.  No other equipment is needed except for your Chromecast stick, your home's wireless network, and your device (tablet, phone, laptop, computer).

How Do You Control a Chromecast Video?

You use your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone to access the video you want to show.  You can show anything from your Chrome browser on your TV set using Chromecast.  There are apps available to show additional video sources such as Hulu Plus.

With Chromecast, you "cast" the video from your device to your TV set using the Chromecast stick.  The TV shows the video that is displayed on your device in the Chrome browser.  You can use your device to start and stop the video.  People in the room can take turns sending video to the TV using their devices.

How Much Does Chromecast Cost?

You can but a Chromecast for about $35.  There is no monthly fee for Chromecast- you only need to buy the Chromecast stick once and you can use it without limitation.  Some streaming video services charge a monthly rate, such as Netflix and Hulu Plus.  Other video services like YouTube are free.

Recommended Reading:
Cable TV Alternatives

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Kiva Microfunds

Kiva Microfunds

Kiva Microfunds is a non-profit organization that collects funds to provide microfinancing to entrepreneurs and students around the world.  People can lend money by sending funds to Kiva in small amounts such as $25.  The Kiva website states that the repayment rate is somewhere around 99%.  As with any loan, there is risk that the loan will not be repaid for various reasons.  Field partners distribute the funds and collect payments from the recipients.  As the funds are repaid, the money can be lent to other entrepreneurs.

Kiva Entrepreneurs

The Kiva website allows contributors to read stories about entrepreneurs and select which will receive funding.  The details on the Kiva website explain that the entrepreneurs shown on the website have already received loans from field partners.  The funds that are provided to Kiva are used to fund the field partner.

Kiva Microloans

The Kiva concept is to use microloans to help small businesses and individual entrepreneurs get business started, which helps the entire community.  Kiva also provides an easy way for people to learn about opportunities to help people all over the world.  A unique aspect is that the funds get paid back, and you can re-invest in other entrepreneurs.  The International Bank of Bob: Connecting Our Worlds One $25 Kiva Loan at a Time tells the story of how loaning and re-loaning funds has helped thousands of people all over the world.

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Chitika

What is Chitika?

Chitika is an advertising network that delivers search-based advertising on blogs and websites.  The advertising that is displayed is selected based on the search terms that a user enters in search engines.  This differs from context-based advertising such as Google AdSense in which the advertising selected is based on the contents of the webpage where the advertising will be placed.

Chitika is a word in the Telugu language spoken in India that means "in a snap".

How Can You Make Money with Chitika?

If you have a blog or website, you can sign up with Chitika to display advertising and start making money.  You will get paid based on how many times visitors to your site click on the Chitika advertisements that are displayed.  This is a form of Cost Per Click (CPC) Advertising.  There also is an aspect of Cost Per Impression (CPM) Advertising with Chitika ads.  I have noticed that even during times that I get zero clicks, I can get a small payment.

What is Chitika Gold?

The starting level of advertising is Chitika Bronze.  If you have enough search engine traffic, for example a couple hundred visitors from search engines per day, you can advance to Chitika Silver or even Chitika Gold.  The advertising you get with Chitika Gold pays more than the Chitika Silver ads.


Recommended Reading:
How to Make Money Blogging

What is CPC Advertising?
What is CPM Advertising?

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Cable TV Alternatives

Cable TV Alternatives

A basic cable TV package costs about $40 per month.  A cable package with hundreds of channels- the type most people get- costs about $100 per month.  What are alternatives to paying $1200 per year for cable TV?

List of Cable TV Alternatives

1. Get Free HD TV over the air.  You can buy an indoor HD TV antenna for under $50 and get high definition network TV over the air for free.

2. Get Netflix for $8 per month.  Netflix is a streaming video service that features recent TV shows and movies.  You can watch as much Netflix content as you like on your TV or computer for $8 per month.  You can also order movies through the mail and access a wider collection if you sign up for this service.

3. Get Hulu Plus.  Hulu Plus costs about $8 per month and has a selection of new TV shows available as well as movies.  If your TV does not have a built-in Hulu Plus app, you'll need a streaming player such as Roku.

4. Get Amazon Prime.  Amazon Prime is another streaming video service option, also about $8 per month.

5. Watch YouTube.  There are all kinds of entertaining and even educational videos available for free on YouTube.  You can watch YouTube on your TV easily using a Chromecast Streaming Media Player.  This allows you to stream video from a laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

6. Get satellite TV.  Satellite TV costs about $100 per month depending on which premium channels you get.  You will likely pay as much or more than cable, but you may be able to bet more channels that you want.  Here's a detailed article on satellite vs cable TV value.

There is a lot potential to save money by cutting cable TV.  This article explains how I save $1236.12 per year by using Cable TV alternatives!

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LED vs LCD TV

LED vs LCD

LED is an acronym that stands for "Light Emitting Diode".
LCD is an acronym that stands for "Liquid Crystal Display".

What is LED vs LCD TV

An LCD TV is a television that uses LCD technology to produce the image and cold cathode fluorescent (CCFL) backlighting.  LCD requires backlighting to produce a display since liquid crystal does not produce light by itself.  So called LCD TV's using the CCFL backlighting are rapidly being replaced by LED TV's that are coming down in price and produce higher image quality.

An LED TV also uses LCD technology to produce the image, but use LED instead of CCFL for the backlighting.  The term LED TV is misleading, since LED TV does not actually use LED technology to produce the image.

Some LED TV's have a grid of LED's for backlighting behind the entire image area.  This allows a lot of control over making areas of the image darker and lighter as needed to produce the best image.  Some LED TV's have LED's around the edge of the TV and not behind the image area.  This technique is used to produce extremely thin TV panels.

With price reduction of LED backlighting technology, you can now get a 32 inch full High Definition LED TV with 60 Hz refresh rate for just over $300:

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What is Solid State Drive

What is a Solid State Drive?

A solid state drive is a technology that replaces conventional computer hard disk drives that use a spinning disk.  From the 1980's until around 2012, the primary storage system on computers used a hard drive with a spinning disk and a read/write head that reads and writes data to the disk.  Solid state drives use flash memory technology to store data instead.

Tablet computers use solid state drives instead of hard drives.  Shock or vibration can cause damage to a hard drive- solid state drives can withstand much more abuse since they have no moving parts.

What is SSD?

SSD is an acronym that stands for "Solid State Drive".

What are the Advantages of a Solid State Drive?

A solid state drive has no moving parts and is more reliable than a hard disk drive.  Since solid state drives use flash memory, random access of data is possible.  This characteristic makes access of many types of computer files faster from a solid state drive than a hard drive.  Solid state drives do not suffer from fragmentation since random access of data is supported- defragmentation of solid state drives is not needed.

What are the Disadvantages of Solid State Drive?

Currently, solid state drives cost several times more for the same capacity as a hard disk.  Also the maximum size of available solid state drives is smaller than the largest size of hard drives that is available.  Hard drives can provide higher data rates for sequential access of data such as video files.

This external solid state drive costs about $100 for 128 GB of storage:


This external hard drive costs about $70 for 1 TB (1000 GB) of storage:

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What is HD Radio?

What is HD radio?

HD radio is high definition digital radio transmission from local radio stations.  In addition to the usual analog signal, HD radio stations also transmit digital radio signals in the same frequency band as their analog signal.  Both AM and FM stations can broadcast HD radio signals.

HD radio also allows local station to add HD channels in the same frequency band as their analog signal.  This opens the possibility of adding additional radio broadcast channels.

How Can You Get HD Radio for Free?

One nice thing about HD Radio- you don't need to subscribe or pay fees to receive high quality HD digital radio broadcasts.  HD Radio is free.  All you need is a receiver capable of receiving HD radio.

This HD radio boombox is a tabletop radio with HD capability:



This in-dash HD receiver allows you to receive HD radio in your vehicle:

The HD Radio homepage allows you to search for local stations that broadcast HD radio.

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Difference Between Windows 7 and 8

Difference Between Windows 7 and 8

Windows 7 became available in October 2009, replacing Windows Vista.  Windows 8 became available in October 2012.

The most noticeable difference between Windows 7 and Windows 8:

• Windows 8 incorporates interface features for touch screen devices such as laptops with touch screens and tablets
• The Windows 8 Start Screen displays a grid of tiles that can show dynamic content
• Windows 8 also added authentication methods useful for touch screen platforms such as PINs and picture passwords
• Windows 8 updated Windows Explorer, renamed File Explorer in Windows 8
• Anti-virus has been added to Windows Defender

The Microsoft Surface Tablet runs Windows 8 to support touch screen features.

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What is a Megapixel?

What is a Megapixel?

A Megapixel is 1 million pixels.  Each pixel is a single "picture element" or dot on a display screen.  An image 1200 pixels wide by 900 pixels high would be about 1 megapixel.

Digital cameras and cameras on cell phones are rated in terms of megapixels.  The megapixel rating of a camera describes how many pixels are captured in a single digital picture.  The more pixels that a camera can capture, the higher the image resolution of the resulting image and further you can enlarge the image without pixelation.

Image resolution (megapixels) is only one factor that determines the quality of digital pictures that can be produced by a digital camera.  The optics and dynamic range of the image sensor are also important factors.  For most people, images that are a few megapixels in size are adequate for viewing on a computer screen or making small prints.  If you want to zoom in or produce large prints, you could benefit from a higher resolution camera with 10 Megapixels or more.

File Size per Megapixel

You can use settings on a digital camera to reduce the number of pixels that are captured if you do not want to store large files for each image.  For example, an uncompressed 1 megapixel image requires about 1.5 megabytes (Mb) of storage space.  If compression such as JPEG is used, the files size is typically reduced by about half.  If you take 10 megapixel images, each one will require about 15Mb of storage space (7.5 Mb if compressed)

The top selling digital SLR Camera on amazon has a 18 Megapixel sensor.

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What is a Digital SLR Camera?

What is an SLR Camera?

SLR is an acronym that stands for "single lens reflex".  An SLR camera is a Single Lens Reflex Camera.

An SLR camera shows the view of the scene through the lens in the viewfinder.  This allows the photographer to see exactly what the photograph will look like when composing a picture.  Other types of cameras such as point and shoot cameras simply use a clear window as a viewfinder.  SLR cameras also allow the lens to be changed.  This is useful for using telephoto lenses or lenses for low light photography.

What is a Digital SLR?

A digital SLR camera is an SLR camera with a digital sensor rather than film.  A digital SLR camera has the same optics and housing as a film SLR camera.  A digital SLR camera has a computer to capture and store digital images.  Many digital SLR cameras have LCD screens that allow digital pictures to be displayed and even edited on the camera.  The LCD screen can also be used instead of a viewfinder for a live preview of the image that will be captured.


#1 Digital SLR on Amazon!



Recommended Reading:
How to Get a Good Digital SLR Camera Cheap!

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RGB vs CMYK

What is RGB?

RGB is the method of displaying color used by most electronic screens and computer monitors.  RGB stands for "Red, Green, Blue".  Displays use pixels that are colored by changing the intensity level of red, green, and blue to generated the desired color.  When red, green, and blue are at maximum intensity white is produced on the display.  When all 3 colors are at minimum intensity, black is produced on the display.

What is CMYK?

CMYK is the process used to print photographs and prints.  CMYK stands for "Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black".  Inks or toner of these colors is combined to produce the desired color at each point in the print.  Since the combination of cyan, magenta, and yellow results in brown, black is also needed.  The absence of ink or toner on a white background produces white.

What is the difference between RGB vs CMYK?

RGB is used to produce colors on displays, CMYK is used to produce color on paper or photo prints.  RGB can display a huge range of colors, more than CMYK.  When digital photos are printed, they must be converted from the RGB format that you see on a computer screen into CMYK for the printing process.

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Where to Sell Photos Online?

Best Sites to Sell Digital Photos Online

There are several stock photo sites where you can sell your digital photos online and make money.  These sites will sell your photos to be published on blogs, websites, and even print publications.  You can make anywhere from a few cents to a few dollars each time your photo is purchased.

Some stock photo sites are more selective than others about what photos they will accept into their stock.  The list below is sorted roughly from least selective to most selective.

List of Sites that Buy Digital Photos

1. DreamsTime 
2. Fotolia 
3. DepositPhotos 
4. Shutterstock 
5. iStockPhoto 

If you want to sell prints of your photos, you can sell photos on Etsy.

If you are getting started, you can try submitting some photos for free.  This will help build your name and reputation and gives you a way to get your work published.

List of Sites to Publish Free Digital Photos

1. Wikimedia Commons
2. MorgueFile

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What is CPC Advertising?

What is CPC Advertising?

CPC is an acronym that stands for "Cost Per Click".  With CPC advertising, payment is achieved when a visitor views and ad and then clicks on the ad.  Unlike CPM advertising, there is no payment for impressions unless the visitor clicks on the ad.  No action other than clicking on the ad is required to generate payment.

How Can You Make Money with CPC Advertising?

You need to have ads that are relevant to your visitors in order to get people to click on your ads.  AdSense advertising from Google is selected based on the content of your webpage or blog posts.  This helps ensure that relevant ads are shown and are more likely to generate clicks.  Chitika ads are selected based on the search terms that a visitor used to reach your site.  This is a different method to select advertising of greatest interest to your visitors.

See also:
Definition of CPM advertising from ClickFact.
Definition of CPA advertising from ClickFact

Recommended Reading:
How to Make Money Blogging

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What is CPM Advertising?

What is CPM Advertising?

CPM advertising is also known as cost per impression advertising.  CPM is an acronym that stands for "Cost Per Thousand", where M comes from the roman numeral for 1,000.  Advertisers pay a fee per every 1,000 times an ad is shown in CPM advertising.

For example, you might offer advertising on your blog or webpage for $10 per 1,000 impressions.  The payment for CPM advertising depends only on showing the ad to visitors.  Visitors do not need to click on the ad or take any other action to trigger payment for CPM ads.

How Can You Make Money with CPM ads?

If you have a blog or website, you can sign up for advertising programs that offer CPM, such as AdSense from Google, or Chitika ads.  These services take bids for advertising on your blog or website and sell the advertising space to the highest bidder.  This is an easy way to generate revenue from advertising and requires almost no work!  Once you set up your advertising account, you will have a source of passive income that works for you all the time.

See also:
Definition of CPA advertising from ClickFact
Definition of CPC advertising from ClickFact

Recommended Reading:
How to Make Money Blogging

ClickFact

Copyright © 2013 Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy

What is CPA Advertising?

What is CPA Advertising?

CPA is an acronym describing internet advertising that means "Cost Per Action".

There are several types of advertising models for websites and blogs.  CPA advertising results in payment if the website or blog visitor completes an action, for example clicking on a link to a website and purchasing a product.

Other forms of on-line advertising are Cost Per Impression (CPM) and Cost per Click (CPC).

CPA has the lowest conversion rate since a chain of events is required.  The visitor must view an ad, click on an ad, and then purchase something to complete the action.  However CPA pays more than other advertising models.

See also:
Definition of CPM advertising from ClickFact
Definition of CPC advertising from ClickFact

Recommended Reading:
How to Make Money Blogging

ClickFact

Copyright © 2013 Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy

What is Affiliate Marketing?

What is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is a way to make money from your blog or website.  Once approved and registered in an affiliate program, you can show advertisements and links to products for sale.  The affiliate gets a commission on each product sale that is generated from the marketing effort.

For example, I am an Amazon.com affiliate.  I can show ads and links to products for sale on amazon.com.  If a visitor to one of my blogs clicks on one of my ads or links and ends up buying a product at amazon.com, then I get paid a commission, which is a percentage of the product value.

Affiliate marketing is an example of  CPA (Cost Per Action) marketing- you don't get paid unless someone actually buys something.  Some forms of advertising pay for impressions- you get an advertising fee every time your ad is shown.  Some forms of advertising pay for clicks- every time a visitor clicks on an ad, you get an advertising fee.  However with affiliate marketing, you only get paid if someone 1) views your ad or link, 2) clicks on your ad or link, and 3) buys a product.

How Do You Make Money with Affiliate Marketing?

In order to make money with affiliate marketing, you need a blog or website where you can post affiliate marketing ads and links.  The more traffic you have, the more earning potential from affiliate marketing.

The next step is to apply for acceptance into an affiliate marketing program.  Amazon, eBay, and FlexOffers are popular programs.  After acceptance, you can create ads and links to include on your site.  The ads are typically HTML or scripts that you insert on your website or in your blog posts.

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Copyright © 2013 Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy

What is Etsy?

What is Etsy?

Etsy is an on-line marketplace for crafts, vintage items, and handmade items.  Sellers make an on-line store with their crafts and art for sale.  Buyers can search the site to find and buy items for sale.  One thing that makes Etsy unique from other e-commerce sites such as eBay is that Etsy focuses on handmade items and limits the sale of factory-made or mass produced items.

It costs 20 cents to list an item for sale on Etsy.  When the item sells, Etsy collects a fee of 3.5% of the sale price.

How Can You Make Money on Etsy?

If you make crafts and want to sell them, Etsy could provide a way to find buyers all over the world for your items.  The books below can help you become an Etsy entrepreneur- start and grow your business at Etsy.

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Copyright © 2013 Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy

What is Pinterest?

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is a social bookmarking site where users can share pictures.  Pinterest users create boards where they pin images to share.  The images can be linked to websites.

A Pinterest board is typically on a particular topic and features images related to that topic,  For example, a user may create a board on remodeling ideas for their kitchen.  The board may contain pictures of kitchen sinks, paint samples, wallpaper samples, etc.

Why is Pinterest so Popular?

One reason Pinterest is so popular is that it is easy to organize and share visual items with others.  Pinterest also has social media aspects that allow users to interact and share popular images.

• You can "like" an item that is pinned on someone's Pinterest board
• You can "repin" an item that you find interesting on your own Pinterest board
• You can comment on items that someone has pinned
• You can follow people who share your interests on Pinterest

The ease of use and social networking features of Pinterest have helped it grow in popularity.

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Copyright © 2013 Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy

What is a Webmaster?

What is a Webmaster?

A webmaster runs web server that delivers web pages in the internet.  The webmaster is responsible for software upgrades to the web server as well as planning and installing hardware upgrades to increase the capacity of the web server.  Some webmasters develop scripting and content for websites.

A webmaster may also be responsible for some administrative responsibilities such as developing policies, reviewing and editing content of web pages, and responding to complaints and requests from web users.

What Skills Do Webmasters Need?

Webmasters need to be skilled at installing and operating software on a web server.  A webmaster may need to analyze computing requirements and develop a web server including both hardware and software aspects.  Webmasters should also be proficient with HTML, web scripting, and webpage development tools to support delivery and troubleshooting of web content.

The book Webmaster in a Nutshell, Third Edition is a quick way to get up to speed as a webmaster.

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Copyright © 2013 Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy

What is a Patent Troll?

What is a Patent Troll?

A patent troll is a person or company who holds patents and attempts to enforce patent rights and obtain fees, but does not produce products based on the patents.  Patent Assertion Entities (PAEs) and Patent Holding Companies are sometimes referred to as patent trolls.

How Do Patent Trolls Make Money?

Patent Trolls may file patent applications and get patents issued in various technology areas.  Many Patent Trolls do not produce any products at all.  Patent Trolls approach innovative companies with patent infringement claims, which may be settled by the manufacturing company paying licensing fees to the Patent Troll in order to avoid lawsuits. Some Patent Trolls seek licensing fees from end users of technology rather than manufacturers.

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Copyright © 2013 Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy

What is a Blogger?

What is a Blogger?

A Blogger is someone who publishes a blog on the internet.  A blog typically contains editorial content written in an informal style, similar to a personal letter.  Bloggers develop a following over time as people discover their blog and revisit to read new blog posts.

Definition of a Blog from ClickFact

How do Bloggers Make Money?

Blogs may contain advertising or affiliate marketing that generate revenue.  Advertisers pay either each time an advertisement is shown (cost per impression) or each time a reader clicks on an ad (cost per click).

Some bloggers recommend products in their blog through product reviews and other content on their blog.  Bloggers may have affiliate marketing relationships and receive a commission for each sale that is generated from product links on their blog.

Bloggers may also receive free products to review on their blog.  Bloggers may sell their own products on their blog such as e-books to generate revenue.

Recommended Reading:
How to Make Money Blogging

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Copyright © 2013 Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy