Realty Times April 26, 2005

Little Tricks To Make Your Online Life Easier
by Bill Koelzer

Would you like to save time typing in URLs? Maybe cut down on the number of keystrokes involved when using UserIDs or passwords? There is a better way. Not able to see all of the info on some websites? Make it bigger with one key! Eliminate these problems and more, with a few easy tips.

Save yourself some time using URLs in Internet Explorer:

All the time I'm seeing agents laboriously typing in "http://www." whenever they want to access a website. This is a waste of time. Here are some faster ways:

  1. Type the domain name into the address field. For example, AgentNews.com, and press Enter. You do not need to include the access method of the address. In this case, "http://" there are other methods available such as "ftp://" or even "telnet://" but that is beyond the scope of this particular article.

  2. Type an addresses domain, say, RealtyTimes into the Address field and then hit Control+Enter. Internet Explorer automatically wraps "http://www...com" around what you typed.

  3. Edit an email address: To move your cursor along the URL between the dots, use the {ctrl} key + your left or right arrow keys to move within the field.

  4. Not sure if a domain ends in .com, .net, .us, .tv or whatever? Just type in the domain name that you do have, such as AgentNews, and hit Enter.

Screen too small?

Press the "F11" key to make your monitor go full screen. Doing this often allows you to see both the top and bottom of long forms, especially when you are viewing lists of incoming emails in web-based email inboxes, such as Hotmail or Yahoo! accounts.

In the online photo albums of KodakGallery or SnapFish, going full screen might mean being able to see the album photos, and the captions, that your friend added to the album without having to scroll. To return your screen to normal size, just hit "F11" again.

Tired of typing your personal information repeatedly?

Just go download Roboform's free 30-day trial program. I love Roboform and you will too, as it can save you hours a month acting as your form-filling software, password tool, password management and password protection.

It gives you true one-click login at virtually any site you've visited before. A single login command causes: (1) navigation to a site login page, (2) automatic filling of the login form, (3) submission of the login form.

My experience is that Roboform works far better than, say, the free version of Gator, and, unlike free Gator, has no ad-ware or spyware inhabiting your computer. The Pro version of Roboform is $29.90, and comes with free upgrades.

If you are using Gator eWallet, as millions do, Roboform can access and automatically copy all of your Gator login, password, credit card, etc. info and incorporate it immediately, without you having to laboriously add it manually. You get free upgrades forever as well.



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