Tech Questions & Answers Archives - Page 3 of 192

Q&A: Can using Bitly to shorten URLs hurt my blog’s Google rankings?

Posted on December 8, 2018

Question from Kevin: For a while now I’ve been using Bitly to shorten my blog post URLs before I post them on Twitter and LinkedIn so I can track the clicks on them.

Yesterday I heard that using a URL shortener can cause a website to rank lower in the search engines.

Is that true? If it is true how can I get all the Bitly links removed from Twitter and LinkedIn?

I’m asking because my blog’s Google rankings took a nosedive a few months back. Do you think Google is penalizing my blog for using Bitly?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I install a 3.5″ floppy disk drive in my desktop computer?

Posted on December 7, 2018

Question from Deanna T.: Hi Rick. I have a question for you.

Is it possible to install a 3.5″, 1.44MB floppy disk drive in a Dell Inspiron 660s computer?

The reason I’m asking is because the trusty 11 year old PC I use in my fabric shop has finally bitten the dust.

I’ve replaced it with a refurbished Dell 660s that works great, but all of my data files are on 1.44MB floppy disks.

I found out today that the company that wrote the software I use has a new version available that’ll work on my new computer, but I’ll need to retrieve the data files from the floppies.

I was hoping I could just buy a 3.5″ floppy drive and install it in the computer.

Is that possible? Can you even still buy a floppy disk drive? As you can tell, I’m a little on the dumb side when it comes to computers.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: How do you delete a document in WordPad?

Posted on December 6, 2018

Question from Stacey: Hi Rick. I created a document in WordPad and now I want to delete it.

The problem is I can’t find any way to delete a document in WordPad.

I’ve looked everywhere and I can’t find a “Delete” button. Can you tell me how to do it?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Will browsing in ‘Incognito Mode’ on a company laptop keep IT from seeing my browsing history?

Posted on December 5, 2018

Question from Roland: I have a laptop that’s provided by my employer for business use. I have a question about also using it at home for personal use.

I’m allowed to take the laptop home every night, and I’m wondering if using Chrome in “Incognito Mode” will prevent the guys in IT from finding out which websites I visit?

The higher-ups in the company (and my direct boss) are all of a different political persuasion that I am and they would be very upset if they knew about some of the websites I visit.

I just don’t want to get into trouble over something like this. Thanks in advance for you answer.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Will changing my Twitter username remove all of my Tweets and Followers?

Posted on December 5, 2018

Question from Gail F.: Hello Rick! I hope you’ll be able to answer a question for me.

I have a fairly active Twitter account for my business. I’ve had it for 3 years and it has almost 4,000 followers and right at 18,600 tweets.

What I need to know is will changing my username cause me to lose my followers and tweets?

Rick’s answer: I have good news for you Gail. Changing your Twitter username will have no effect whatsoever on your followers or existing tweets. There are a couple of things to consider however: [Read more…]