INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Social Media Warning
Posting Vacation News Can Trigger Burglary

PC Clean-Up Special
It's That Time of Year Again

Thunderstorms
Don't Let Them Erase Your Data

After-Hours Trouble?
How to Contact Us

Cash-n-Carry Computers
See Them in our Lobby

Travel-Size Phone Books
We Have Them!

Cedar County Fair
Wow!Bigger & Even Better!

Phone Portal Services
Manage Your Services the Easy Way - Online

Fiber Optic Myths
Is That Really True?

Hartelco TV Service
HD Channels & More

Digger's Hotline
Don't Take Unnecessary Risks

Two to a View
A Couple Of Amazing Videos You Don't Want To Miss

This Month's FAQ
How Do I Share A Video From This eNewsletter?

Sites Of The Month
Great Sites To Check Out In July

Short Tutorial
Opening Multiple Tabs At Browser Startup

WEBSITE COMPASS ONLINE
Your Guide To Understanding The Internet

Hello Hartel.net Subscribers!

We hope your July is filled with fun in the sun whether that's in your backyard or away on a vacation. If you do take off on a trip, make sure your Facebook posts don't alert burglars to your empty house, as our Social Media Warning explains.

Back by popular demand, we have our Back to School Clean-Up Special on computers and Norton Anti-Virus 2011 at a reduced price.

And you don't want to lose any data during the summer storm season, so we can help. If you do experience a service outage, here's a quick reminder how to have service restored as soon as possible.

We have Cash-n-Carry Computers for Back to School, or at anytime. And travel-sized phone books are the perfect companion for your travels in NE Nebraska.

Be sure to see our link to the Cedar County Fair, and to make your life easier, read more about our new Phone Portal Services. Your fiber optic questions are answered, and we remind our TV customers of the new HD channels and the Big Ten Network that's now available.

If you're working outside this summer, it's so important to call before you dig as it could save you lots of money and your neighbor's anger if their utility line is cut.

And if you'll be spending lots of time relaxing on your porch or deck, check out Great Sites for ideas on decorating outdoor spaces, choosing healthy foods for meals, and finding the next book to read in your lounge chair. Also in this issue, we do our best to brighten your day with a couple of funny videos as well as a quick tip on how to share videos with friends.

The goal of each of our eNewsletters is to keep our subscribers informed regarding their Internet connection and to improve their Internet experience. We think you'll find this information interesting.

To see what's inside this issue, simply scroll down the eNewsletter or click on the links within the index to the left. Thanks for reading!

- The Hartel.net Team
 

Cybercriminals are increasingly using social media to search out burglary opportunities. These thieves watch for information about upcoming or current vacations and time their crimes for when homes will be empty. When users of Facebook, Twitter, foursquare, and other social media sites post when they will be (or are) out of town, they run the risk of unknowingly making their homes prime targets for burglary.

Thieves get this information in several ways:

• Facebook: Say your status reads, "Can't wait for Monday, starting week-long trip to the Caribbean." If you haven't adjusted your privacy settings, this information can be seen by all of your Facebook friends. Even if your privacy settings are secure, people who can see it may decide to "share" or pass on the information to others who might be disreputable.
  
  
• Twitter: On Twitter, if you haven't activated the "protect my tweets" setting, anyone (even those not following you) can see the information you post. A tweet like, "Stopping in Omaha on our long drive to Denver" lets everyone know you are not at home.
  
  
• foursquare: This application is meant to let people know where you are. If you live in Boise and you have checked in at a restaurant in San Francisco, that's a huge tip-off to anyone who wants to get into your home without you there. And foursquare is doubly dangerous because you have the option of sharing your activity on Facebook or Twitter.

To protect yourself, post as little as possible about your vacation plans, and ask others not to talk about trips before they happen or while in progress. Remember, you can tell everyone about your vacation when you return. If you're simply too excited to not post your plans on Facebook, be sure your privacy settings are secure. To do this, in the upper right-hand corner of your Facebook home page, click Account and select Privacy Settings. Then click the Customize Settings link, which will take you to a page where you can specify what others see.

Online Backup from Hartelco stores your files safely and securely in data vaults located in several other states. Your files are not only safe from a hard drive crash, but also safe from fires, tornados, and other catastrophes.

As an example, we rescued a hard drive for a business who's computer crashed. They hadn't yet gotten Online Backup from Hartelco, and they spent over $10,000 having the data retrieved on their failed hard drive, and they lost business while their system was down.

Online Backup is very inexpensive, and can be customized to run automatically and backup whichever files you choose - it's up to you. And your files are available to you for retrieval 24/7.

Give us a call at 402-254-3901 to learn more about Online Backup...and sleep soundly.

People have asked us why we mainly sell Dell-brand computers, so we thought we'd share with you the simple answer: They're the one brand we DON'T normally see on our repair bench! We strive to sell only products which are best for you. So stop on by our booth at the Cedar County Fair in the Commercial Building. We'd love to see you.

Our normal office hours are 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, and we're open weekends and evenings by appointment. So stop on by at 103 West Centre Street in Hartington or call 402-254-3901. We have a PC that fits your budget!

The smaller, travel-sized books are printed every several years, and this year are also available in our lobby for only $2 each. They're convenient, have all the same information as the larger books, and are great for the car or truck. Stop by today and get your travel-size phone book while supplies last!

See the full schedule of events for the Cedar County Fair online at www.cedarcountyfair.net.

Again, the fair runs from July 13-17. Get your tickets now, and be sure to stop by and see us at our booth in the Commercial Building. We'll see you at the Cedar County Fair!

• Manage your voicemail messages, switch greetings, and add email address to receive your voicemail messages via email.
• Call screening functions can be easily adjusted.
• On-demand conference calling is now available. No longer any need to pre-schedule conference calls. We setup an account for you, and you can use the service at anytime and have up to 16 callers join in one conference. Call us at 402-254-3901 for details! Even out of town customers can use this time-saving and fuel-saving service!
• And more!

There are many other easy ways to use the Phone Portal. Note that voicemail customers can use their voicemail services like they always have - by using the handset on their phone. Just give us a call at 402-254-3901 to discuss the advantages of Phone Portal today!

Q: Is it true that you'll be digging in my yard when you connect the fiber optic cable?
A: No - not at all. In almost all cases, all the digging has been completed.

Q: I've heard that you'll be charging me to connect the fiber optics.
A: No. There is never any additional charge for fiber optics.

Q: Will this new fiber optic cable affect my TV service?
A: Not yet. We are still working to find a way to provide TV over the fiber optic cables and keep our customer's rates low. Stay tuned for details.

Q: Why did Hartelco install fiber optics in the first place?
A: Installing of the fiber optic cable throughout Hartington and Bow Valley is similar to back in the 1970s when all the phone lines were on poles with aerial wires. Over time, those aerial wires wore out and needed to be replaced. In retrospect, it was a very smart decision to upgrade the phone lines and bury them underground rather than to expose them to ice storms and blizzards.

In a similar fashion, those copper phone lines that were buried all those years ago have now begun to deteriorate in certain areas. Rather than replace the copper lines with the same type of cable, the Hartelco Board of Directors decided to borrow the money to upgrade to fiber optics - the best forward-looking type of cable found today. Fiber optics is said to be "future-proof", meaning that the lines should not need to be replaced because of becoming obsolete. We look forward to what the future holds.

Q: Does that box in my house need to be plugged in? Will it use lots of electricity? What's that "beeping" sound?
A: In almost all fiber deployments, a battery backup is needed in case of power outages. A battery backup is installed in each home and business, and the units should be already plugged into an electrical outlet to charge it. It's been said that the types of battery backups that we install only use as much electricity as a standard night light!

Now about that "beeping" sound - that means that the battery backup has lost electrical power and it's letting you know that it's running on battery power. There's nothing to worry about, but if you hear a beeping sound and there's not been any weather-related outages, you may want to check your circuit breaker or make sure the grandchildren or young children haven't accidentally unplugged your battery backup. Unplugging the unit from the electrical outlet would cause the phones in your house to go dead. Stranger things have happened!

Please be sure to keep your battery backup plugged in at all times. If it's not plugged into an electrical outlet now, please plug it in as soon as possible.

Q: When will I see a speed increase in Internet?
A: Fiber optic cables provide the pathway for voice and data transmissions. We are constantly upgrading the speeds of broadband DSL, and we will continue to do so in the future. If you need a faster speed than the 12 Mbps download speed that we have advertised, please contact our office at 402-254-3901.

Q: I'm not seeing the speeds that I expected. Now what?
A: There are many factors in making sure that you're getting the speed you wanted, whether you have Internet over copper cable or over fiber optic cable. Our technicians can test the line from our office to your home or business to detect any issues. There may also be problems with certain websites that are slow. Many times the computer in the customer's home has been found to be the speed issue, whether it was from a virus, full hard drive, not enough memory, loose connection, or other problem. If you suspect a speed issue, call Hartelco and we can talk about your options to speed up your service.

Please let us know if you have questions on fiber optics. Just click here to send an email to us. We'll be glad to address any questions in upcoming issues of the newsletter.

The BBB warning (click here to read) urges consumers to carefully read the fine print of their contracts before signing as there could be hundreds of dollars in hidden fees for early termination of service and contract extensions.

There were over 53,000 complaints filed with the BBB against these two satellite companies over the last three years. That's more complaints than all cable TV companies combined!

Hartelco TV always strives to serve our customers the best service with respect and honesty. Our technicians are local people, and we work hard to serve you and to have any issues resolved quickly.

We hope you agree that Hartelco TV is the best entertainment value anywhere.

Charlie Bit My Finger! One of the all-time most popular YouTube videos with more than 338 million views, this captures a funny exchange between two young brothers. The older boy, Harry, discovers what happens when he puts his finger in his baby brother's mouth. It's been described as a life journey in less than a minute — including joy, laughter, surprise, pain, and anger.		Catch These Fishing Bloopers This collection of fishing bloopers, with over 8 million views, will reel you in from the first scene. It features veteran fisherman, Bill Dance, and shows the hilarious results when boats and fishing poles don't quite do what they're supposed to do. Who cares if you catch any fish as long as you enjoy a laugh?

Question: Sometimes I want to share a video from this eNewsletter that I really like. But when I click on "Forward" to send the entire email to friends, they can't view the eNewsletter correctly. Is there a better way to share videos?

Answer: Yes, there's a quick and easy way to share these video links with others. After you click on the "Watch Now" button that appears on the video's screenshot, you'll see a URL at the top of the page in the address bar. For example, with the fishing bloopers video featured above, the URL is the following:

http://www.enewsletterhome.com/
_eNewsletter/2011/07/VIDEO_B.htm

All you have to do is select the URL, then copy and paste it into the body of an email to send the video link to friends. When they receive it, they can simply click on the link to go directly to the video or paste it into their browser's address bar and press "Enter" on their keyboard. Thanks for asking the question and we're glad you're enjoying the videos!

Have A Royal Good Time
royal.gov.uk – If the recent visit to the U.S. and Canada by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (William and Kate) stirred up your royal fever, you won't want to miss the official website of The British Monarchy. Here you'll find a wide variety of content including biographies, speeches, and little-known facts. You can also check out photo galleries, watch the latest videos, and follow recent activities of the Royal Family.

Dishing Up Food Advice
choosemyplate.gov – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has replaced the traditional food pyramid with My Plate, a concept that makes it easy to maintain a healthy diet. This site describes the My Plate graphic and offers many ideas for eating well and staying healthy. Here you'll find details about each food group, healthy eating tips, information on physical activity, and much more. Don't forget to check out the Daily Food Plan section to get a personalized eating plan.

What To Read Next?
yournextread.com – Wondering what book to put in your beach bag this summer? This site can help. Get recommendations by browsing the featured lists or by entering the name of a book you like to see similar picks. You can "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" recommendations to improve future results. And when you find something you like, save it to your list or click on the social media buttons to get opinions from friends.

This Day In History
history.com – History buffs and trivia hounds will love this site. Each day it lists what happened "on this day in history" in business, politics, entertainment, sports, and more. Check out the featured stories such as "First Roller Coaster in America Opens." Or skip to another day such as your birthday to find out what happened in history on that day. Visit the site often to get new updates or sign up for the daily newsletter.

Build A Backyard Paradise
hgtv.com – Can't afford a tropical vacation this year? Create a little paradise in your own backyard with inspiration from the photos and videos on this site. Find ideas for big yards or small: fire pits, fountains, pools, decks, furniture, and many other relaxing features. The site includes ideas for all budgets so you're sure to find at least a few you can use. Your yard may end up so beautiful that you won't want to leave!

You probably have a group of websites that you like to visit daily, perhaps ones that provide most of your news, weather, sports, and stock reports. Did you know you can identify each of these sites as a home page and they will open as tabs and be ready to view each time you launch your browser? It’s a very handy feature and one that gives you quick access to your favorite sites. Simply follow the steps below for your browser.

Opening Multiple Tabs at Startup Using ... Internet Browser: Internet Explorer 8 or 9 Computer Operating System: Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7

1. With Internet Explorer open, click your cursor arrow on "Tools" and then select "Internet Options" from the drop-down menu. The Internet Options window will open.
   
   
2. In the "Home page" section of the "General" tab, you will see "To create home page tabs, type each address on its own line." Type in the website address (URL) that you want to open at startup. Press "Enter" and then type another address. Repeat until you have entered all the addresses that you want.
   
   
3. Click on the "Apply" button to save your changes and then click on the "OK" button to close the Internet Options window.
   
   
4. Close and then restart Internet Explorer.

Opening Multiple Tabs at Startup Using ... Internet Browser: Mozilla Firefox 5 Computer Operating System: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Mac OS X 10.6

1. With Firefox open, in separate tabs, open the pages that you want to use as your tabbed home pages.
   
   
2. Click your cursor arrow on "Tools" (for Windows) or "Firefox" (for Mac) in the menu bar. Then select "Options" (for Windows) or "Preferences..." (for Mac) from the drop-down menu. The Options/Preferences window will open.
   
   
3. Click on the "General" icon if it is not already selected.
   
   
4. In the "Home Page:" field in the "Startup" section, click on the "Use Current Pages" button.
   
   
5. Close the Options/Preferences window and then restart Firefox.

Opening Multiple Tabs at Startup Using ... Internet Browser: Safari 5 Computer Operating System: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Mac OS X 10.6

1. With Safari open, in separate tabs, open the pages that you want to use as your tabbed home pages.
   
   
2. Click your cursor arrow on the Bookmarks menu and select "Add Bookmarks for These # Tabs."
   
   
3. Name the bookmark "Home Page Tabs."
   
   
4. Click on "Safari" in the menu bar. Then click on "Preferences..." from the drop-down menu.
   
   
5. Select the "General" icon located at the top of the Preferences window.
   
   
6. In the "New windows open with:" field, click on the up/down arrow button and select "Choose tabs folder..."
   
   
7. A window will then open asking you to "Choose a folder or collection." Choose the collection you just created called "Home Page Tabs" and click the "Choose" button.
   
   
8. Close the Preferences window.
   
   
9. Close and restart Safari.

Opening Multiple Tabs at Startup Using ... Internet Browser: Google Chrome 12 Computer Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6

1. With Chrome open, in separate tabs, open the pages that you want to use as your tabbed home pages.
   
   
2. Click on "Chrome" in the menu bar. Then click on "Preferences..." from the drop-down menu. A new tab will open for the "Preferences" page.
   
   
3. Select the "Basics" link on the Preferences page.
   
   
4. In the "On Startup" section, click the radio button next to "Open the following pages:" and then click on the "Use Current Pages" button.
   
   
5. Close the tab for the Preferences page.
   
   
6. Close and restart Chrome.

Opening Multiple Tabs at Startup Using ... Internet Browser: Google Chrome 12 Computer Operating System: Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7

1. With Chrome open, in separate tabs, open the pages that you want to use as your tabbed home pages.
   
   
2. Click on the wrench icon to the left of the address field and click on "Options" in the drop-down menu. A new tab will open for the "Options" page.
   
   
3. Select the "Basics" link on the Options page.
   
   
4. In the "On Startup" section, click the radio button next to "Open the following pages:" and then click on the "Use Current Pages" button.
   
   
5. Close the tab for the Options page.
   
   
6. Close and restart Chrome.

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, click here.

Thanks for your business!

Best regards

The Hartel.net Team




Hartelco
103 W Centre
PO Box 157
Hartington, NE 68739

Ph 402-254-3901

©2011 Cornerstone Publishing Group Inc.

Trademarks: All brand names and product names used in this eNewsletter are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.