No single article could truly capture the excitement and pride that I feel right now so, in the spirit of every long-running television show, we would like to provide you with a look back at our most popular posts.

Organize and Stylize Your Workspace

This 2-part article highlighted a few ways that you could organize your monitors, wires, surge protector and peripherals to get the best use of the space you have to work in.  I even shared a few pics of my setup, which I am still enjoying today.  This article was read hundreds of times and was even mentioned on BlueLounge.com, who happens to be one of our favorite companies.  They are the makers of the CableDrop, a must have for anyone interested in organizing their workspace.

Links:

• Part 1 of “Organize and Stylize Your Workspace”
• Part 2 of “Organize and Stylize Your Workspace”

Decorating is Not Over – Time to Spruce Up That Desktop

Although this article was really meant for adding a little Christmas Spirit to your desktop, the links and sites mentioned provide year-round decorating fun for your PC.  We reviewed 5 sites that provide FREE (in most cases) mind-blowing wallpapers for your computer.  Since stumbling onto these sites, I have found myself changing out my wallpaper almost weekly.  As an added bonus, here are a few quick snapshots of Valentine’s Day wallpapers that we found from the same sites mentioned in the article.

Link:

• Decorating is Not Over – Time to Spruce Up That Desktop

If You Don’t Need it, Delete it!

We talk about PC maintenance several times a month and the topic is really the heart-and-soul of JumpstartMyPC.com.  As it turns out, comparing your old computer to a hoarder was the key to getting everyone’s attention.  In this article, we reviewed several program and processes that make uninstalling old programs a snap.

If your computer is running slow, this is one of the many articles that will help you understand why and teach you how to combat the issue.

Link:

If You Don’t Need it, Delete it!

There were so many more articles that I wanted to add to this list, but these were the ones that really grabbed the readers.  Remember that we have 100 articles for you to review now.  If there is a particular subject that you would like to know more about, simply use our Keyword Search feature (found on the right-hand side of our blog section) to see any articles that we have written on the subject.  You can also browse through the previous articles using the Categories or Archives.

We hope that you have enjoyed the information provided and we would like to ask you to help us continue with the JumpstartMyPC.com blog.  If you think we provide a service that your friends, family or co-workers might enjoy, share our information with them.  You can use the ShareThis button below, or simply tell them to visit JumpstartMyPC.com.

A blog (web log) is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.  Many blogs provide commentary on a particular subject while others function as more personal online diaries. (definition taken from wikipedia.com)  Although the term “weblog” was coined in 1997, it has only been over the past few years that the majority of us have become familiar with the concept.

Why would I care about a blog?  Well, it simply boils down to what you like.  If there is anything in this world that you want to know more about, blogs are a great way to gather information.  Much like magazine articles, blogs provide readers with small, easy reads that can be digested in just a few minutes a day, for FREE.  There are blogs for every subject, from your favorite music group to politics.  I first started reading blogs, without knowing what they were, when my love of gadgets and electronics took me to sites like engadget.com and uncrate.  I found myself logging on every morning and heading to a list of sites that had these simple, informative articles.  It wasn’t until someone explained blogging that I realized what these sites really were.

Readers

I imagine that the majority of our readers are not first time blog readers, but how many of you are true “followers” of a blog.  In other words, do you visit a site every day (or at least regularly) to see the latest post on one of your favorite subjects?  What if you follow multiple blogs?  Do you jump from site to site, looking for new article(s)?  You might not know this, but there are programs/sites available to retrieve this information.  One of the most popular, and easiest to use, is Google Reader.  Google Reader is a web-based tool that “constantly checks your favorite news sites and blogs for new content. Whether a site updates daily or monthly, you can be sure that you won’t miss a thing.” (taken from Google Reader tour page)

Google Reader allows you to add your favorite blogs manually, search for blogs by topic or you can simply follow a blog by clicking on the RSS Feed link from the blog itself (see below).  Every time there is a new article posted, from any of the blogs you follow, you will see it from within the reader.  You can then read, share, rate or even email your favorite blogs to friends and family.  No more jumping from site to site or forgetting to check web sites for your favorite content.

RSS Feeds

Simply put, RSS feeds are links that provide information about frequently updated works.  They can be used for many things (news headlines, audio, video), but are synonymous with blogs.  When you visit a site and see the RSS logo (the orange and white box at the top of today’s blog), you can simply click on the link and add the feed to your favorite program, like Google Reader.  Our site JumpstartMyPC.com has had this available since our first blog post (see image below), and now you know what it is used for.

Take some time today to set up Google Reader and add the JumpstartMyPC.com blog.  Then search for some other blogs that you might interest you.  You can use the search in Google Reader or one of the many blog directories that exist on the web (see below).  Now, when you are surfing around the web and find a page you like, you can bookmark it or, if it’s a blog, you can simply add it to your Reader via the RSS feed.

Blog Directories

• blogs.com
• blogged.com
• blogcatalog.com

I love this video and was just waiting for a chance to share it.  It is from a company called Common Craft, who has been making videos in this style (paper cutouts and thorough explanations) for some time.  I first found them several years ago when a friend recommended that I check into this new web site called Twitter (if only I knew then what I know now).  To this day, I don’t think anyone has done as good a job explaining Twitter and what it is for, how to use it, etc.

Explaining things in “plain English” is exactly what Common Craft does and they do it perfectly.  They have dozens of videos on a variety of subjects, but they seem to have a real focus on computers and technology.  Here are a few of the topics they have covered:

• Twitter
• World Wide Web
• Computer Software
• Blogs in Plain English

The list goes on and on.  These videos are all available on YouTube.com, where Common Craft has their own channel (or grouping of videos).  You can find that channel HERE.  I highly recommend their videos for any subject they have covered.  So, the next time you find yourself asking “what the heck is a blog?” or something along those lines, just jump over to the Common Craft channel and see if they have covered your question with a video.

In the mean time, have a safe and fun Halloween!  Check back on Monday for our next article or follow us on Facebook or Twitter to have the latest article sent to you in a link.  We promise not to post too much, so you won’t get bogged down with a bunch of junk you don’t need.  Typically, we only post 1-2 times a day.  And don’t forget, you can share this article with friends or family by simply clicking on the ShareThis button below.

BETA Testing – We have been working for months to build our business and we are ready to begin sharing with the world… or at least a portion of it.  Later today, our family, friends and Facebook fans (say that 5 times fast) will receive the BETA instructions and begin testing the site.  It is our hope that this small window of BETA testing will help fine-tune our site and get it ready for it’s official, global launch.

We look forward to many more blog posts and a successful venture in JumpstartMyPC.com.  Our goal, as we will undoubtedly repeat over and over, will be to help PC users get the most out of their computer.