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Jon Udell considers the limits of the question “How do you know this person?”

If you don’t read http://blog.jonudell.net/, you might consider adding it to your blogroll.


Of interest is one of his latest posts on how Facebook wants to know how you’re connected to people, and how one seemingly logical choice is missing…



“Like other social applications, Facebook wants to know how you’re connected to people. So it asks: “How do you know this person?” …  


The choice I usually want — “Through the Web” — isn’t available. One friend coerced “Met randomly” by adding “The web as a conversation engine” — but that’s an unsatisfactory workaround. There was nothing random about how we met. Given our shared interests and our online expression of them, it was inevitable that we would come into contact.


“Through the Web” should be a first-class answer for “How do you know this person?” 


I’ll reckon, it’s difficult to know anyone “through the web.” You can stumble upon or find people through the web, but you come to know them through interaction as a result of an introduction via the web. And as the cartoon that my old boss (shameless name drop), Trip Hawkins, shared with me one afternoon far too long ago calls out “On the Internet, Nobody Knows You’re a Dog.”


So, perhaps the question is better put: “How do you know this canine?” 😉

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Brian Krebs reports on the rise in bogus electronic greeting cards

In his post on Not-So-Friendly Greeting Cards, Brian Krebs of the Washington Post calls out the rise of fake online greeting cards that can install keystroke loggers on to your computer, rather than delivering what you thought to be an innocent e-card from a long lost aunt.



“You might want to think twice before opening that e-greeting card sent to you via e-mail. Cyber crooks have recently been blasting out millions of fake online greeting cards in the hope that recipients will click on the included links and infect their computers with password-stealing viruses.

“Previous e-greeting card scams harbored their viral payload in an infected e-mail attachment, but fraudsters now are simply embedding links in the fake card messages. Anyone who clicks on such a link without the benefit of the most recent security updates for their Web browser is likely to have their PC silently whacked with an invasive keystroke-logging program.


“… It is sad that the state of e-mail security has come to this, but Microsoft Windows users would be well-advised to simply delete any e-greeting cards that land in their inboxes.”


For more info, see the Wiki link on the Storm Worm, and here on Symantec’s site.


Also, here’s the link if the embedded links above don’t work: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2007/07/notsofriendly_greeting_cards_1.html


And see my past note on how there’s no immunity from security vulnerabilities.


More info:



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Your questions: How do I run Windows XP compatible applications on Windows Vista?

I extracted this from a comment on a previous post, and a question I receieved this weekend from a neighbour:



“I upgraded to Vista, but found that some of my applications I used on Windows XP don’t work… How do I run Windows XP compatible applications on Windows Vista?”


With Windows Vista, there may be problems running some older versions of applications, but you can set the compatibility mode for many applications.


“If a program written for an earlier version of Windows doesn’t run correctly, use the Program Compatibility Wizard to change the compatibility settings for the program.” (See “Make older programs run in this version of Windows” on the Windows Help and How To site for more details.)


To Run the Program Compatibility Wizard…



  1. Open the Program Compatibility Wizard by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Programs, and then clicking Use an older program with this version of Windows.


  2. Follow the instructions in the wizard. 

Setting the Compatibility mode to Windows XP (for apps you ran successfully under that OS) runs the program using the settings from Windows XP. I’ve had good success with this with most of the applications I have on Vista at home, even with kid’s games running from CD (which seem to be some of the most challenging). 


As noted on the Program Compatibility Wizard page:







Do not use the Program Compatibility Wizard on older antivirus programs, disk utilities, or other system programs because it might cause data loss or create a security risk.


In these cases, visit your vendor’s site for more details on application compatibility with Windows Vista.


To change settings for a program manually, use the individual program’s Compatibility tab: find the application’s .exe and then right click on the icon. Next, select the Properties and click on the Compatibility tab.


There’s a helpful page on the How-To-Geek’s site on using Windows Vista Compatibility Mode – see the Geek’s site for more helpful tips, a great general tech help site.


Also see…


  • What is program compatibility?
  • Program Compatibility Assistant: frequently asked questions

  • Tags: Windows Vistacustomer support, Windows Vista tips 

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    ABC News reports on the dark side of customer service

    An interesting article on ABC News’ website, Call Center Confessions, in which customer service agents discuss the ups and downs of providing Customer Service, “from death threats to fetish callers.”

    “The angry customers who cursed at her were bad enough, and the fetish perverts who called late at night to ask what type of shoes she was wearing freaked her out.

    “But the death threats really sent Tina Parcell over the edge.

    “Parcell was working as a customer service representative for MCI when an irate customer “threatened to slit my throat if I didn’t get his name off the do-not-call list.”

    “After she hung up on him, Parcell realized that the caller had her first name, last name and location, and that he only lived an hour away from her. She immediately told her manager, took a break to compose herself and warned her family members.”

    Eek. And I thought the emails and posts I get were tough.

    Also of interest…

    Tags: ABC News, customer servicecustomer support

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    Kevin Turner: “make it habitual to take care of customers”

    Of interest… Kevin Turner is featured in a CNET News article from Ina Fried…

    What are some of the things on your road map for the year? What are your main priorities right now?

    Turner: I’m working hard on making sure we’re winning customers, and that includes share, it includes Linux, it includes making sure that we’re bringing value to the marketplace for customers. I’m making sure that we just make it habitual to take care of customers, that we really step up our game, that I really rally the partners to help us step up our game because they represent us. The customers vote by what they buy. Being a trusted adviser is a more and more important thing in a decision-making process for an IT person. I want us to keep stepping up the customer satisfaction and the partner satisfaction that we’re driving.