Edition 88, 29-06-2009
1. New newsletter and house style
2. To Twitter or not to Twitter
3. MacTip: ctrl+c rather than cmd+c
4. Free use of HotSpots
5. Helpdesk tip
6. New: XSPhone
7. Clicked
8. Your opinion
Our logo, the website, envelopes... A new style is gradually being rolled out to everything that conveys information about XS4ALL. Even this newsletter, which we have been sending out since 1999, has had a facelift. It looks fresher and the use of colour and headings makes it easier to “scan”.
In each newsletter you will find two articles by guest writers Bob Overbeeke and Herwin Lans. You can read their first articles today in this newsletter. And naturally we will continue to keep you informed of developments, special offers, the latest news and tips on help and internet security.
By Bob Overbeeke
The Twitter internet service, which enables you to keep everyone informed of your ups and downs by means of short messages, is growing fast. Twitter is constantly in the news. Many people are wondering whether all the attention is deserved and what Twitter can do for them or their business. Whether the attention is deserved will only be clear in a few years when we know whether Twitter has stood the test of time. What is clear is that Twitter differs from existing internet services in that many people only know whether it is their kind of thing after they have been twittering for some time. Many people twitter about private matters as well as their work, which means that friends and colleagues can gain a surprising insight into their lives. The short messages from acquaintances can give you the strange feeling that you are keeping track of them just as well as your friends. Some people use Twitter to ask questions such as “Which is the best internet service provider in the Netherlands?”.
If you have enough followers, the question will be answered in no time. And because messages are public, strangers will pop up and start following your messages after a while, often because they share your interests. As with many social networking sites, with Twitter you can specify who is allowed to read your messages: your followers or everyone in the entire world. You can specify that in the settings under ‘Protect my updates’.
A salient point: most XS4ALL employees twitter publicly about their ups and downs. If you want to find out first what kind of things the citizens of the world are twittering about, take a look at http://www.twitterfall.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com
XS4ALL on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/xs4all
By Herwin Lans
Macs are great, but anyone who switches to the Mac naturally has a lot of new things to get used to. A different look and feel, crazy buttons and different shortcut keys. After years of pressing ctrl+c to copy, a switcher suddenly has to use cmd+c.
If you are not happy with that, you can set up OS X in such a way that you can still use the familiar ctrl+c.
This is how you do it:
1. Click the Apple icon at the top left in the menu bar.
2. Choose “System Preferences”.
3. Choose “Keyboard & Mouse”.
4. On the Keyboard tab, click “Modifier Keys” at the bottom.
5. After “Control Key”, select the “Command” option and click OK.
Free wireless internet across the whole of the Netherlands! Discover the 950-plus KPN HotSpots, where, as an XS4ALL subscriber, you can access the internet wirelessly free of charge by WiFi. Unlike Mobile Internet, which enables you to go online wherever you are in the Netherlands, HotSpots can be found at all kinds of fixed locations, such as railway stations, filling stations, catering outlets, holiday parks and conference venues.
What do you need? A laptop or a mobile phone with WiFi capability. Many laptops come with a wireless network card as standard, which enables you to go online without any problem. Logging into the HotSpots is easy. When you reach the location, select the KPN wireless network. Then open a browser. On the page that appears automatically, enter your XS4ALL login name and password in the blue bar.
Read more: http://www.xs4all.nl/allediensten/pack/hotspots.php
Forgotten your password? You can request a new password 24 hours a day by using our password machine.
More tips: http://www.xs4all.nl/helpdesk/tips.php
Free application for the iPhone. Make low-cost calls using your fixed-line number.
Read more: http://www.xs4all.nl/nieuws/bericht.php?msect=nieuws&id=1039&taal=nl
Crash course: What is Twitter?
http://www.medianed.com/2009/03/04/spoedcursus-wat-is-twitter/
Twitter guide - 12 tips
http://jeanetbathoorn.wordpress.com/2009/05/18/twitter-handleiding-12-belangrijke-tips/
What do you think of our newsletter? Send your views to nieuwsbrief@xs4all.nl
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