In Brief having a Public DNS has two advantages.

1. Faster Performance, Page loads
2. Better Security

Below are a few way a public DNS helps in more details courtesy Google

• Performance. Many DNS service providers are not sufficiently provisioned to be able to support high-volume input/output and caching, and adequately balance load among their servers. In addition to load-balancing user traffic to ensure shared caching, Google Public DNS implements “smart” caching to increase the speed of responses. Google Public DNS independently resolves domain names and keeps the resolutions in the cache until their time-to-live (TTL) expires, at which point they are automatically refreshed. The cycle of caching and refreshing is performed offline, asynchronously with user requests, so that responses are almost always available directly from cache. For more information, see the page on performance benefits.
• Security. DNS is vulnerable to various kinds of spoofing attacks that can “poison” a nameserver’s cache and route its users to malicious sites. The prevalence of DNS exploits means that providers have to frequently apply server updates and patches. In addition, open DNS resolvers are vulnerable to being used to launch denial-of-service (DoS) attacks on other systems. To defend against such attacks, Google has implemented several recommended solutions to help guarantee the authenticity of the responses it receives from other nameservers, and to ensure our servers are not used for launching DoS attacks. These include adding entropy to requests, rate-limiting client traffic, and more. For more information, see the page on security benefits.
• Correct results. Google Public DNS does its best to return the right answer to every query every time, in accordance with the DNS standards. Sometimes, in the case of a query for a mistyped or non-existent domain name, the right answer means no answer, or an error message stating the domain name could not be resolved. Google Public DNS never blocks, filters, or redirects users, unlike some open resolvers and ISPs.

Before we Begin on how to configure Google Public DNS Service I have listed out a few more alternatives below

List Of Free Public DNS Servers

Google

• 8.8.8.8
• 8.8.4.4

OpenDNS

• 208.67.222.222
• 208.67.220.220

ScrubIt

• 67.138.54.100
• 207.225.209.66

dnsadvantage

• 156.154.70.1
• 156.154.71.1

vnsc-pri.sys.gtei.net

• 4.2.2.1
• 4.2.2.2
• 4.2.2.3
• 4.2.2.4
• 4.2.2.5
• 4.2.2.6

Configuring your network settings to use Google Public DNS

When you use Google Public DNS, you are changing your DNS “switchboard” operator from your ISP to Google Public DNS.

In most cases, the IP addresses used by your ISP’s domain name servers are automatically set by your ISP via the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). To use Google Public DNS, you need to explicitly change the DNS settings in your operating system or device to use the Google Public DNS IP addresses. The procedure for changing your DNS settings varies according to operating system and version (Windows, Mac or Linux) or the device (computer, phone, or router). We give general procedures here that might not apply for your OS or device; please consult your vendor documentation for authoritative information.

Note: We recommend that only users who are proficient with configuring operating system settings make these changes.

Important: Before you start

Before you change your DNS settings to use Google Public DNS, be sure to write down the current server addresses or settings on a piece of paper. It is very important that you keep these numbers for backup purposes, in case you need to revert to them at any time.

After changing your settings, if you encounter a problem and cannot connect to the Internet, call Google’s support numbers for troubleshooting instructions.

you can download this tutorial and print it, in the event that you encounter a problem and need to refer to these instructions.

Google Public DNS IP addresses

The Google Public DNS IP addresses are as follows:

• 8.8.8.8
• 8.8.4.4

You can use either number as your primary or secondary DNS server. You can specify both numbers, but do not specify one number as both primary and secondary.

Changing your DNS servers settings

Many systems allow you to specify multiple DNS servers, to be contacted in a priority order. In the following instructions, we provide steps to specify only the Google Public DNS servers as the primary and secondary servers, to ensure that your setup will correctly use Google Public DNS in all cases.

Note: Depending on your network setup, you may need administrator/root privileges to change these settings.

Microsoft Windows

DNS settings are specified in the TCP/IP Properties window for the selected network connection.

Example: Changing DNS server settings on Microsoft Windows Vista

1. Go the Control Panel.
2. Click Network and Internet, then Network and Sharing Center, then Manage network connections.
3. Select the connection for which you want to configure Google Public DNS. For example:
   • To change the settings for an Ethernet connection, right-click Local Area Connection, and click Properties.
   • To change the settings for a wireless connection, right-click Wireless Network Connection, and click Properties.

   If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

4. Select the Networking tab. Under This connection uses the following items, click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), and then click Properties.
5. Click Advanced and select the DNS tab. If there are any DNS server IP addresses listed there, write them down for future reference, and remove them from this window.
6. Click OK.
7. Select Use the following DNS server addresses. If there are any IP addresses listed in the Preferred DNS server or Alternate DNS server, write them down for future reference.
8. Replace those addresses with the IP addresses of the Google DNS servers: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.
9. Restart the connection you selected in step 3.
10. Test that your setup is working correctly; see Testing your new settings below.
11. Repeat the procedure for additional network connections you want to change.

Mac OS X

DNS settings are specified in the Network window.

Example: Changing DNS server settings on Mac OS 10.5

1. From the Apple menu, click System Preferences, then click Network. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
2. Select the connection for which you want to configure Google Public DNS. For example:
   • To change the settings for an Ethernet connection, select Built-In Ethernet, and click Advanced.
   • To change the settings for a wireless connection, select Airport, and click Advanced.
3. Select the DNS tab.
4. Click + to replace any listed addresses with, or add, the Google IP addresses at the top of the list: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.
5. Click Apply and OK.
6. Test that your setup is working correctly; see Testing your new settings below.
7. Repeat the procedure for additional network connections you want to change.

Linux

In most modern Linux distributions, DNS settings are configured through Network Manager.

Example: Changing DNS server settings on Ubuntu

1. In the System menu, click Preferences, then click Network Connections.
2. Select the connection for which you want to configure Google Public DNS. For example:
   • To change the settings for an Ethernet connection, select the Wired tab, then select your network interface in the list. It is usually called eth0.
   • To change the settings for a wireless connection, select the Wireless tab, then select the appropriate wireless network.
3. Click Edit, and in the window that appears, select the IPv4 Settings tab.
4. If the selected method is Automatic (DHCP), open the dropdown and select Automatic (DHCP) addresses only instead. If the method is set to something else, do not change it.
5. In the DNS servers field, enter the Google Public DNS IP addresses, separated by a space: 8.8.8.8  8.8.4.4
6. Click Apply to save the change. If you are prompted for a password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
7. Test that your setup is working correctly; see Testing your new settings below.
8. Repeat the procedure for additional network connections you want to change.

If your distribution doesn’t use Network Manager, your DNS settings are specified in /etc/resolv.conf.

Example: Changing DNS server settings on a Debian server

1. Edit /etc/resolv.conf:

   sudo vi /etc/resolv.conf

2. If any nameserver lines appear, write down the IP addresses for future reference.
3. Replace the nameserver lines with, or add, the following lines:

   nameserver 8.8.8.8
   nameserver 8.8.4.4

4. Save and exit.
5. Restart any Internet clients you are using.
6. Test that your setup is working correctly; see Testing your new settings below.

Additionally, if you are using DHCP client software that overwrites the settings in /etc/resolv.conf, you will need to set up the client accordingly by editing the client’s configuration file.

Example: Configuring DHCP client sofware on a Debian server

1. Back up /etc/resolv.conf:

   sudo cp /etc/resolv.conf /etc/resolv.conf.auto

2. Edit /etc/dhcp3/dhclient.conf:

   sudo vi /etc/dhcp3/dhclient.conf

3. If there is a line containing domain-name-servers, write down the IP addresses for future reference.
4. Replace that line with, or add, the following line:

   prepend domain-name-servers 8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4;

5. Save and exit.
6. Restart any Internet clients you are using.
7. Test that your setup is working correctly; see Testing your new settings below.

Routers

Every router uses a different user interface for configuring DNS server settings; we provide only a generic procedure below. For more information, please consult your router documentation.

Note: Some ISPs hard-code their DNS servers into the equipment they provide; if you are using such a device, you will not be able to configure it to use Google Public DNS. Instead, you can configure each of the computers connected to the router, as described above.

To change your settings on a router:

1. In your browser, enter the IP address to access the router’s administration console.
2. When prompted, enter the password to access network settings.
3. Find the screen in which DNS server settings are specified.
4. If there are IP addresses specified in the fields for the primary and seconday DNS servers, write them down for future reference.
5. Replace those addresses with Google IP addresses: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.
6. Save and exit.
7. Restart your browser.
8. Test that your setup is working correctly; see Testing your new settings below.

Mobile or other devices

DNS servers are typically specified under advanced wi-fi settings. However, as every mobile device uses a different user interface for configuring DNS server settings, we provide only a generic procedure below. For more information, please consult your mobile provider’s documentation.

To change your settings on a mobile device:

1. Go to the screen in which wi-fi settings are specified.
2. Find the screen in which DNS server settings are specified.
3. If there are IP addresses specified in the fields for the primary and seconday DNS servers, write them down for future reference.
4. Replace those addresses with Google IP addresses: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.
5. Save and exit.
6. Test that your setup is working correctly; see Testing your new settings below.

Testing your new settings

To test that the Google DNS resolver is working:

1. From your browser, type in a hostname, such as http://www.google.com. If it resolves correctly, bookmark the page, and try accessing the page from the bookmark. If both of these tests work, everything is working correctly. If not, go to step 2.
2. From your browser, type in a fixed IP address. You can use http://18.62.1.6/ (which points to the website http://eecs.mit.edu/) as the URL*. If this works correctly, bookmark the page, and try accessing the page from the bookmark. If these tests work (but step 1 fails), then there is a problem with your DNS configuration; check the steps above to make sure you have configured everything correctly. If these tests do not work, go to step 3.
3. Roll back the DNS changes you made and run the tests again. If the tests still do not work, then there is a problem with your network settings; contact your ISP or network administrator for assistance.

* Google thanks MIT for granting permission to use this URL for the purposes of testing web connectivity.

Switching back to your old DNS settings

If you had not previously configured any customized DNS servers, to switch back to your old settings, in the window in which you specified the Google IP addresses, select the option to enable obtaining DNS server addresses automatically, and/or delete the Google IP addresses. This will revert your settings to using your ISP’s default servers.

If you need to manually specify any addresses, use the procedures above to specify the old IP addresses.

If necessary, restart your system.

The Guide above has been provided by Google you can read the original tutorial at Google Code

Related posts:

1. Google Updater Service Uninstall, Disable Or Configure The Complete Guide
2. Unlimited Free International Calls & SMS After Activating Google Voice Outside US
3. Unblock Blocked Websites like Myspace, Bebo and Orkut
4. Uninstall Google Gears From Mac OS X, Windows, Linux
5. Facebook Chat, Google Gtalk Intergration Coming Soon

© Arpit Jacob for Clazh, 2009. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Catergories: Google, How To Tags: Browser, DNS, Guide, How To, Performance, Tuneup

First of all lets see how Google updater gets install, this will help in preventing you from getting the update service running in the background. If you are using any of the Google prodcuts, like Google Desktop, Google gears, Google Talk, Google Pack and Google Earth the updater gets installed and starts running in the background silently.

Scroll down if you are looking for the Mac OS X Guide

Google Updater Service on Windows 7, Vista & XP

For people using windows you can hit the CNTRL + ALT + DEL keys to bring up the task manager to see if the Google Update program is running in the background or not.

Now there are a couple of things you might want to do, completely get rid of the Google update which can cause so programs to malfunction or Configure google updater to check the internet at a specified time.

Completly Get rid Of Google Updater Service.

There are a couple of different way you can remove the Google Updater. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.

Uninstall from the Start Menu

1. Go to the Start menu > Programs > Google Updater > Uninstall Google Updater.
2. Restart your computer after you uninstall.

Uninstall from the Control Panel

1. Click the Start menu on your computer taskbar.
2. Select Control Panel.
3. Double-click Add or Remove Programs (on XP) or Programs and Features (on Vista).
4. Select Google Updater in the list of programs.
5. Click Remove.
6. Restart your computer after you uninstall.

Uninstall from the command line (advanced)

1. Click the Start menu on your computer taskbar.
2. Select Run.
3. Enter cmd to open a command prompt.
4. Type cd C:\Program Files\Google\Google Updater to change directories.
5. Type GoogleUpdater.exe -uninstall to uninstall.
6. Restart your computer after you uninstall.

If the Above Methods don’t work you can try the following options.
Disabling the Google Updater from startup List

1. Click on Start Button then in the Run box, type in msconfig in the Open field and click OK or press the Enter key.
2. The System Configuration Utility will open up. On the top you’ll a couple of tabs, select the Startup tab. Go down to the GoogleUpdate startup item and deselect it.
3. Restart the computer.

Disabling the Google Updater service

1. Click on Start Button then in the Run box, type in services.msc in the Open field and click OK or press the Enter key.
2. You will see a huge list of Services, scroll down to find the GoogleUpdate Service. Double click on it to open the Properties box (or right click and select Properties). The Startup Type drop-down will list three options, select Disabled.
3. Click on Apply and OK.

Customizing the Updater: Software update preferences

The Google Updater lets you choose if and how you’re notified about updates for software you’ve installed through Google Pack. To set your preferences for Pack software updates, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Start menu > Programs > Google Updater > Google Updater.
2. Click the Preferences tab.
3. Click Advanced options.
4. In the ‘Updates’ section, select one of the following options:
   • ‘Automatically update software’: The Updater will silently keep your software up-to-date without any prompts or notifications. Occasionally, an issue may need your attention, in which case you’ll be notified.
   • ‘Let me check for updates myself’: The Updater won’t send you any update notifcations and your software won’t be updated automatically. To see a list of available updates, click the Updates tab at any time.
5. Once you’ve made your selection, click Save Preferences.

Configure Google Update using Registry.

If your operating doesn’t include a policy editor (Windows XP Home, Windows Vista Home), edit the Registry directly. Just create the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Update

and add two DWORD values:

AutoUpdateCheckPeriodMinutes – auto-update check interval (for example: 1440 to check for updates once a day)

DisableAutoUpdateChecksCheckboxValue – 1, if you want to disable the auto-updater; 0, if you want to enable it.

Configure Google Update using the Group Policy.

Change the default update check period to once per week or disable it.
Step 1. Download the Administrative Template provided by Google Google Updater Group Policy Template

Step 2. Launch Group Policy Editor

• Navigate to Start > Run: gpedit.msc

Step 3. Importing Google Update ADM template.

• Navigate to Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates
• Right-click Administrative Templates, and select Add/Remove Templates
  Google Updater Configure Group Policy
• Add the GoogleUpdate.adm template via the dialog.
• Once complete, a Google folder will appear under ‘Administrative Templates’ if it’s not there already.

Step 4. Set the update check period.

• Navigate to Administrative Templates > Google > Google Update > Preferences.
  Google Updater Configure Group Policy
• Modify the Auto-update check period override property as shown or mark is a Disabled.
  Google Updater Configure Group Policy

If you want Disable Individual Google products. The Example below uses Google Chrome auto-updates as an Example.

Follow steps 1 and 2 in the first example if you haven’t imported the GoogleUpdate.adm template. Change the update policy override for Google Chrome:

• Navigate to Administrative Templates > Google > Google Update > Applications > Google Chrome.
  Disable Google Chrome
• Modify the Update policy override property as shown.
  Disable Google Chrome

Mac OS X GoogleSoftwareUpdateAgent and GoogleSoftwareUpdateDaemon

Remove GoogleSoftwareUpdateDaemon from the Mac OS X

1. Uninstall any Google programs you currently have installed on your computer.
   Failing to uninstall your Google applications may cause these applications to work improperly and, in many cases, Google Software Update will be reinstalled after a few hours.
2. Open a Terminal window by going to Applications > Utilities in Finder.
3. Google Software Update can be uninstalled for a specific user or for your whole system. Paste one of the following commands in Terminal:
   • Uninstall for a specific user:Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle/Contents/Resources/GoogleSoftwareUpdateAgent.app/Contents/Resources/install.py –uninstall
   • Uninstall for the whole system: (needs root access)sudo /Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle/Contents/Resources/GoogleSoftwareUpdateAgent.app/Contents/Resources/install.py –uninstall
4. After pasting the command, press Enter on your keyboard.

Google Software Update should now be uninstalled

Configure Google Updater for the Mac OS X

Update Frequency
To change how frequently Google Software Update checks for updates, execute the following in the Terminal application:

$ defaults write com.google.Keystone.Agent checkInterval

where is the elapsed time in seconds between update checks.

To disable Google Software Update from checking for updates, execute the following in the Terminal application:

$ defaults write com.google.Keystone.Agent checkInterval 0

Manual Updates
Google Software Update also provides a way to manually update all Google software on a user’s Mac. Here’s how:

1. In Finder, select Go > Go to Folder.
2. In the window that appears, enter one of the following locations. It’s expected that one of these folders won’t be found:
   • /Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle/Contents/Resources/
   • ~/Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle/Contents/Resources/
3. In the folder that opens, double click the file named ‘CheckForUpdatesNow.command’.

Terminal will open to run the file. When you see the message ‘[Process completed]‘ you can close Terminal. Once this is done, your Google programs will be up to date.

Related posts:

1. Uninstall Google Gears From Mac OS X, Windows, Linux
2. Free Public DNS Servers IP Addresses and How To Configure Google Public DNS
3. How to Hide or Remove A Installed Program from Add Remove
4. Unlimited Free International Calls & SMS After Activating Google Voice Outside US
5. How To Upgrade and Update WordPress A Simple Guide

© Arpit Jacob for Clazh, 2009. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Catergories: Google, How To Tags: Guide, How To, Update

Official way to Switch off Facebook Lite

On the top right hand corner before the search box you’ll see two small icons, the first on looks like a spanner click this, this will take you to the facebook lite settings page.

Facebook Lite Settings

Now click on default site

Facebook Lite Default Site

Select. When I go to Facebook.com, show me, Regular Facebook. and click save you should be done. You also have the option of checking Let me switch between regular Facebook and Facebook Lite If you select this option, a blue bar will appear at the top of Facebook that enables you to switch back and forth between the two versions i.e Facebook Lite and the default Facebook Interface.

Facebook Lite Change To Default Facebook

Use The Facebook Feeback Form

Scroll way down to the bottom of the facebook lite interface at the bottom you’ll see a small link called feedback click this., You’ll see a new page at the top it will say Looking to get back to the regular Facebook? Just click here. Just click the given link it should turn off the Facebook Lite interface and send you back to the regular Facebook interface.

Other Methods are listed below but not Guaranteed to work.

Change Facebook URL Link

You’ll notice that the Url has changed to http://lite.facebook.com/ just change this back to http://facebook.com/. This doesn’t work all the time you can try to use http://lite.facebook.com/home.php

Clear Your browser Cookies and Cache

Clear your browser cookies and cache and try logging into facebook again, the facebook lite interface should be gone now.
For Internet Explorer users go to your menu bar and click Tools –> Internet Options –> Delete Cookies and Delete Files
For Firefox Users go to your menu bar and click Tools –> Clear recent History –> Select all the options and click Clear all

Related posts:

1. Myspace Hack : Profile url And MySpace Email
2. Facebook Chat, Google Gtalk Intergration Coming Soon
3. Unlimited Free International Calls & SMS After Activating Google Voice Outside US
4. Microsoft and Facebook Announce Partnership
5. How To Hack Myspace Private profile picture and video

© Arpit Jacob for Clazh, 2009. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Catergories: General, How To, Web Tags: FaceBook, Hacking, How To, How To, Social-Networks

There are three Major factors you need to look at when you are about to buy Web Hosting. We’ll explore each point one by one and various tools to asses and collect data.

1. Uptime
2. Response Time
3. Tech Support
4. Ease of Use

Uptime

100% uptime is a myth when it comes to shared hosting no shared web host can guarantee you 100% uptime. Why because, servers need maintenance to keep them running in top notch condition maintenance means downtime and In the case of Shared hosting this is very much true. In a month calculate the total time that your site goes down and if it is more than 5-6 hours then your Web host in very unreliable (DreamHost). Its is common for a shared hosting site to go down a few minutes(not more than 5 minutes) once a week.

I used tools like PingDom, mon.itor.us and Site24X7 to monitor my site uptime. Out of the three tools I highly recommend Pingdom (they have a 30 day trial which should be enough for you to do your research) since they have more servers around the world and you can configure it to check your site every minute.

Response Time

Response time is the time that your web site takes to respond to a HTTP request(When a Web Page is loaded a number of HTTP Calls are made depending on how many pictures, CSS and JavaScript files are being loaded). The Ideal response time for a site should not cross 1 sec. Most Shared Hosts cram a lot of websites on to the same server this can cause the web sites to become slow. In case there are a lot of high traffic blogs/Web Sites on the same servers as the one you are hosted on your site is likely to be slow. Use this tool http://www.myipneighbors.com/ to check how many other sites are hosted along with you. It is common for web hosts to put 150-200 low traffic sites on the same server, if you notice more than 2-3 High traffic sites on the same server then your site is likely to be slow.

Again PingDom is a great tool to monitor site response time, they have more than 15 different servers located around the world that tell you response time around various parts of the world. Or you could use this completely free tool to check your site response time from 5 different locations around the world. http://internetsupervision.com/scripts/urlcheck/check.aspx

Tech Support

You might face hiccups along the way when hosting a site. How fast do they reply to your emails. In my case BlueHost provides Instant live chat support. Most Web Hosts have some kind of ticketing system based on priority and complexity of the problem and you would be required to for 2-3 hours before you receive any reply. After being with BlueHost for a while I fail to understand why other Web Hosts also cannot provide live chat support, my previous experience with Media Temple was horrible with replies taking more than 24 hours. On DreamHost when I posted a support ticket I could mark the ticket as HIGH, Medium, Low etc and depending on the priority I found the response varied but on Media Temple they don’t have any such priority marking system which I think sucks big time like in my case my site was down for more than 3 days.

Ease of Use

How easy and intuitive is the Web Hosting Control panel. I have used DreamHost, Media Temple and BlueHost. And I found Media Temple User Interface a pleasure to use and understand. But both DreamHost and Media Temple Control Panels are rather slow in loading. BlueHost has a blazing fast Control Panel they use CPanel with their own enhancements and Addons.

While There are other factors that can slow down your site like having lots of images, widget, scripts. etc which can effect your site. I think I’ll cover them in another post since I myself am guilty of making some of these mistakes. Hopefully when I have finished redesigning my site I can tackle this topic.

If you want to learn more about on site optimisation here are a bunch of links that you find useful.

Tools and Extensions

http://www.pingdom.com/tools/fpt/
http://internetsupervision.com/scripts/urlcheck/check.aspx
http://www.webwait.com/
http://www.websiteoptimization.com/services/analyze/
http://developer.yahoo.com/yslow
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1433
FireBug 

Articles

http://www.glazkov.com/blog/client-side-performance-tip/
http://www.vandelaydesign.com/blog/design/designing-pages-to-load-quickly/
http://paulstamatiou.com/2007/07/25/how-to-optimize-your-site-with-image-sprites/
http://www.thinkvitamin.com/features/dev/enhance-your-page-performance
http://learningtheworld.eu/2007/performance/
http://meiert.com/en/blog/20070621/load-time-the-ux-factor-facts-and-measures/
http://immike.net/blog/2007/07/24/css-redundancy-checker/

Related posts:

1. Shared Hosting Sucks Moved To Dedicated Virtual
2. Moved To BlueHost Media Temple Grid Server Overrated
3. I Am Back Online, DCAMP, DNS Issues, MediaTemple and BlueHost
4. Google Updater Service Uninstall, Disable Or Configure The Complete Guide
5. How To Upgrade and Update WordPress A Simple Guide

© Arpit Jacob for Clazh, 2007. | Permalink | 11 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Catergories: Blogging, How To, Web Tags: How To, Web-Hosting

Part 1: Choosing Your Colors

A good choice of colors can make-or-break your design. That is why the first step is to pick your colors, and pick them wisely.

The first part of picking colors is to decide between light or dark. While you’re subject matter could way in on your decision (like choosing light colors for a site about flowers), it should also be about what you are looking to accomplish with your. If your site is a blog with tons of text (like Clazh), light colors for your layout, with dark text, is a good idea because it improves the readability of your site. If your site is all about showing off your graphical expertise, than dipping into the darker end of the spectrum may help to accentuate the graphical aspects of your design.

Light Color Scheme

Dark Color Scheme

Do you have your scheme chosen? Good. Now moving on to the actual color selection. I am just going to assume that you are older than 10, and can tell what colors go together, and what colors do not. For example, Pink and Light Blue go together, while Bright Green and Bright Yellow could potentially make your eyes bleed. So now, it’s really up to you to choose your colors, based on what you think visitors will find attractive. I would recommend choosing about 5 colors, even if they are only variations of each other. If you just can’t seem to pinpoint a color set, than use Adobe Kuler to help you choose an attractive set.
Part 2: Finding Inspiration

Pablo Picasso once said, “Good artists copy, great artists steal.” As a designer, you are obviously an artist. Being such, you should definitely take his advice, but not in a literal sense. You don’t want to peruse the web, find a shnazzy looking website, and then just rip-off their design. But what you do want to do is to take inspiration from the work (in this case the designs of websites) of others. There isn’t really much to elaborate on, except for the fact that you should just look at the layout of the site, the navigation, the way ads are handled, and the way the content is handled. But don’t think that you’ll be doing everything the same as the sites you use as base material. That would be stealing. ;)

For some sites you can visit to see galleries of other sites to then take inspiration from (what a confusing sentence), you can try these links:

• FaveUp
• Screenalicious
• CSS Drive
• CSS Website
• Unmatched Style
• CSS Remix
• CSS Vault
• Stylegala
• CSS Beauty

Part 3: Deciding on Your Own Layout

Leah Culver’s Stupid Blog

Notice the way that all of the site content has the same background color, and is aligned in the middle of the page, taking up the same width.

Glenn Wolsey

In this example, you can see how all of the content is spread across the width of the screen, with the header being the dominant element.

Ordered List

Here you can see (vaguely in the screen shot) that each category of content is given it’s own “space, where nothing is attached.

One last thing to think about when dreaming up the basic layout is the number of columns you will need. For a blog, you may need 2 or three, where as with a portfolio site, you could get away with one.

Part 4: Making a Mockup

You’re almost there! Just stick with me and you’ll be ready to whip out your HTML editor of choice and start hammering away. But before you do that, you should have a full idea of what the site should look like when the (X)HTML and CSS is complete.

For this step, you will need to have a graphical editor. Now, you COULD skip this step entirely, but it helps tenfold to be able to see what you’re trying to achieve. It’s also much easier to make tweaks this way.

If you do not have a graphical editor (like Photoshop), than you have some expensive, and free options. The two I would recommend would be Adobe Photoshop, or the GIMP. The GIMP being a little less user-friendly but free.

Note: Save repeatedly. I prefer to save every 5-10 minutes or so. Laugh now, but if something ever goes wrong, I never have too much to make up.

1. Alrighty. The first step in making your mockup is to make a basic layout of content. In other words, you make a bunch of squares based on where you want your content to go. No color, no nothing. Just rectangles with black outlines. Don’t forget to label them, for future reference.
2. The next thing you should do is start to add colors, rounded corners, and the basics of the design. The boxes are no longer necessary, although you may want to still have labels of what area is for what content.
3. Next, you add basic text, like menus, the header/logo, the footer, and maybe some Lorem Ipsum for your post areas if you’re designing a blog.
4. Finally, you should now add the small graphics, and as much detail as you can. When you are finished with this step, what you should have on your screen should be exactly what you want the site to look like when you are done with your markup. If not, now would be a great time to tweak everything until it’s perfect. Another good idea would be to save the layout as an image, and send it to a few friends to get their take on it.

Now that you know exactly how everything should look and function, it will be much easier to code the design. If you can’t do that, than that’s your problem.

Related posts:

1. 10 Free Web Design Icons For Download, Used On This Web Site
2. Best Customizable Multiple Color Styles Wordpress Themes
3. Myspace Hack : Profile url And MySpace Email
4. Part3 Top Best Beautiful Wordpress Themes and Templates
5. A little About Me And The SandPress Theme

© Arpit Jacob for Clazh, 2007. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Catergories: How To Tags: How To, How To, Photoshop, Web-Development

How To Run Multiple GTalk Messengers Simultaneously

1. Right-click Your Gtalk Messenger shortcut on your desktop
2. Click Properties
3. Select The Shortcut Tab
4. You will see A Target TextBos with: “c:\program files\google\google talk\googletalk.exe” /startmenu
5. Change the Text to “c:\program files\google\google talk\googletalk.exe” /nomutex
6. Click Apply and OK. to close the window.
7. Now you can copy the shortcut file and paste Multiple versions on your desktop rename the shortcut to associate them with the appropriate Gtalk Account.

How To Run Multiple Yahoo Messengers Simultaneously

You can easily run multiple instance of Yahoo Messenger without any Hacking or Technical Knowledge. All you are required to do is to download Y! Multi Messenger this is a software that will allow you to run multiple versions of yahoo with just a click.

Just run the install and then start using the Y!Multi Messenger icon that will appear on your desktop instead of the regular Yahoo! Messenger icon.

How To Run Multiple MSN Messengers Simultaneously

To run Multiple instances of MSN messengers you will need MSN Messenger Polygamy

1. Copy Polygamy to messenger folder, usually @ C:Program FilesMessengermsmsgs.exe
2. Then Close The Messenger Program.
3. Then run Polygamy and Press Apply patch.

Open Multiple Copies of Windows Live Messengers

1. Download and install Messenger Plus! Live
2. Launch Preference settings
3. Choose Messenger tab, on Main checked on Allow me to connect to several accounts simultaneously.
4. Done, double click again to launch another copy

Related posts:

1. Facebook Chat, Google Gtalk Intergration Coming Soon
2. How to Hide or Remove A Installed Program from Add Remove
3. Window Live Launches Messenger Web Widget
4. Windows Live Mail, Writer and Messenger Beta Released
5. Yahoo To Stop Email Spam Forever With DKIM

© Arpit Jacob for Clazh, 2007. | Permalink | 16 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Catergories: How To, Software Tags: How To, Tips

• Gaining a High Volume Readership
• Bookmarking vs. RSS
• How You Can Use Branding to Increase Your Blog Traffic and Make More Money

BLOG BRANDING QUESTIONS:

1. Why Brand Your Blog?
2. Who are You?
3. What is Your Blog About?
4. Why Does Your Blog Exist?
5. How Does Your Blog Work?
6. Who Is Your Audience?
7. What Makes Your Blog Unique?
8. Why Should I Subscribe to Your Blog?

Also here’s are Five Beginner’s Blogging Tips From John Chow

Related posts:

1. 5 Blogging Secrets For A Successful Blog
2. Best of The Top 5 Blog Group Writing Project
3. The Best Of The Blog Project Three Contest
4. How To Get Instant Traffic For Your Blog Or Website
5. John Chow Gets Kicked Out of Google

© Arpit Jacob for Clazh, 2007. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Catergories: Blogging Tags: Blogging, How To, Tips

1. Browse and Navigate to the Hard disk where your Windows is Installed.

2. Then go to the following location C:\Documents and Settings\Jacob\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\
Where Jacob is the user name with which you log into windows.

3. Inside the Profiles folders you should see a single directory or multiple directories if you are using multiple Firefox Profiles.
Select your Default Firefox Directory.
Example stzbt87m.default

4. Inside this Directory you will see a folder called “bookmarkbackups” go into this folder.
You will see a bunch of html Files name bookmarks and a date. These are the bookmarks that have been backup for the last five days by Firefox.

5. Select a file that is a day or two older than todays date.
For example today’s date is 2007-05-22 then select bookmarks-2007-05-21.html i.e a file which is a day older.Copy this file and rename it to bookmarks.html

6. Put this file in the main Default profile Directory and replace the old file.

i.e C:\Documents and Settings\Jacob\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\stzbt87m.default\

7. Start Firefox (Assuming that it was closed)

Related posts:

1. FireFox 3.0 And Opera Have Inbuilt Support For Video, SVG Is Pretty Cool
2. Google Bookmarks And Reader The Most Popular Services
3. Top Firefox Extensions and Plugins you should Know.
4. Uninstall Google Gears From Mac OS X, Windows, Linux
5. Recover Lost Forgotten Windows XP Administrator Password

© Arpit Jacob for Clazh, 2007. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Catergories: How To, Open Source, Windows Tags: FireFox, How To, How To

If you have signed up for MySpace there is a little less know featured its called the MySpace Vanity Url. Basically this hack for MySpace profile lets you get a good looking URL for you MySpace Profile so that your friends and family can easily remember your MySpace Profile without the need to remember those funny looking numbers for the Profile or the need to bookmark the Profile Page. This way you can easily connect with your friends and family.

Below I have outlined step by step on how to use this Hack for the Profile url.

MySpace Hack For Profile URL

Step 1 : Goto MySpace.com and Login to your MySpace Account with your UserName and PassWord.

MySpace Profile Page

Step 2 : On your MySpace Profile page on the top left corner you should see a link which says. Hello Your “MySpace UserName”, You should see the words “Pick Your MySpace URL”. Click on this link. Take a look at the picture below

Select MySpace Profile URL

Confirm Profile URL

Confirm Profile URL 2

Step 3 : Next you’ll be show a page which allows you to choose Your Myspace URL and Name, Enter the the Url of your choice into the boxes provided. And Click Submit, You’ll get two confirmation alert boxes telling you that you can never change your MySpace URL. Once you clicked both the confirmation boxs if the name you chose is available you can go to the next step else you’ll have to repeat the steps.
Note: We have a work around, you can check this article later to see How To Change Your MySpace URL

Confirm MySpace User Name

Step 4 : You’ll now see a page where you need to confirm Your First and Last Name. Click Submit or Skip

MySpace Profile URL

Step 5 : Thats it you have successfully hacked MySpace to get yourself a great looking Profile URL that you can now share with your friends. Just copy the Profile URL and send it to all your Friends.

In the next Tutorial we’ll see step by step on how to Hack MySpace to get an MySpace Email account like this Username@MySpace.com

MySpace Hack For MySpace Email

Step 1 : First Open your Browser type in MySpace.com now enter your UserName and Password to Login to your MySpace Account. On you Profile Page click the Mail Tab that you see on the top left corner.

MySpace Mail

Step 2 : You’ll see a Welcome screen which says get your MySpace Email, and a Screen to choose your email ID. Enter a User name of your Choice this can be anything if the Email ID is available you can move to the next step.

Email Welcome Screen

Email Enter User Name You want to use

Step 3 : You’ll be asked to confirm your Email. Warning you cannot change your Email ID so choose carefully, since there is no way to hack or tip to change the ID.

Email ID Warning, You Can't Change it

Step 4 : You can skip this step by clicking Skip or you can enter you Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail, Live, Rediff, Or IndiaTimes Email ID and PassWord and let your friends know about the new MySpace Email address you just got.

Share Your MySpace Email With Friends

Step 5 : You’ll be shown a Welcome Screen

Email Successful

Step 6 : Now you can go to your new official MySpace Email Inbox, and a welcome mail from MySpace.

MySpace Email Inbox

You'll get A Confirmation Email

Related posts:

1. How To Hack Myspace Private profile picture and video
2. Facebook Hack : Switch Or Turn Off Facebook Lite To Default
3. Yahoo To Stop Email Spam Forever With DKIM
4. A Terrorist’s Profile On Orkut
5. Unlimited Free International Calls & SMS After Activating Google Voice Outside US

© Arpit Jacob for Clazh, 2007. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Catergories: How To, Web, Windows Tags: How To, How To, Myspace, Social-Networks