So, you are thinking about buying a bare bones computer, from one of many good vendors on the Internet. But, you are not sure that it will be a good deal for you. Your suspicions might be correct.  I have purchased bare bones systems for a long time, but I know what I am wanting, and where the “cuts’ have been made to be able to offer great deals. Not everybody, though, will feel that comfortable making that decision.

I found a good article on the subject written by Peter Stewart, and I wanted to share that with my followers in its entirety.  I have also sent a blast out to my followers. The 7 tips were good.

Getting a new computer should be a cool thing, especially a cheap computer. After all that time struggling with you old machine, probably fighting with it to get the latest software to run, your new computer should be a ray of light for your computing future.

Oh, if it were that simple. If things were really that easy or simple when buying a cheap computer, life would be much easier, but just like every other thing, its not that simple.

Barebones computers have become extremely popular, and for good reason. Getting a barebones computer which does not include a monitor and comes with the bear minimum of parts makes them an upgradable, practical and cheap computer.

But not all things are rosy in barebones computer land…

1. Missing parts

Although barebones computers do come with the essential pieces, most people need at least one or two extras for their day to day barebones system. This is simply due to different applications people use them for. Don’t get caught missing that extra part from your barebones system that you then need to get later. You still need to do some homework and research to find out what you really need from your barebones system.

2. Super cheap computer deals

Beware, many corners can be cut to get those sub $200 dollar barebones systems. They can be great, but not always, carefully analyse the components of the package. Also remember that a barebones system couldn’t possibly include a monitor for that price, which adds a lot to the price.

3. Mismatched parts

This could become a problem if building your own computer, but it even happens in pre-assembled barebones computer deals. There is a chance that you get something that doesn’t fit with the barebones system. There are lots of different connections and speed ratings between parts. Make sure the ones you get match up to the other parts and your needs. Although not common, incompatibilities between parts are not unheard of.

4. Outdated components

To get super-cheap deals older parts are sometimes used in cheap computers. Although this can be a great cost-saver and some old parts are fantastic, there is nearly no chance of an upgrade without putting a major amount of money into your barebones computer again, perhaps as much if not probably more than you paid for your great deal.

5. Defective parts

Although this is another one that has gotten better as the competition has gotten stronger, there is a chance of defects in cheaper products. Your motherboard could be faulty, your power supply might give up after a month or two. These may not be intentional problems, but come hand in hand with “cheap computer stuff”.

6.Refurbished computer parts

Refurbished computer parts are a great way to save some money. Not always the biggest saver, but there can be problems with the updates to these computers in much the way as mismatches happen in barebones systems. Often the computer is slightly updated to meet needs, but is really quite an old model, just with upgrades. Can be fine, but the parts they replace might be replaced with something newer but inferior.

7. Claims of great warranty

To try and entice you into feeling safe, offers of long warranties are made. Most of the parts in the computer could have past their warranty dates, so the warranties are purely from the company that put the computer together. They can be hard to contact and take their time to get replacements to you as well as expect you to mail the computer to them so that they can do the repairs.

Barebones computers can be a great way to put together a second computer, build a computer for simple purposes, like writing documents and casual web surfing. Barebones fit perfectly as a second computer. Just keep these things in mind and you won’t get bitten by the bargain bin monster.

About the author:

Get the most honest and useful reviews to make the right choice at our Desktop Computer Hardware Reviews site or get practical computer buying tips at our Computer Buying Guide site

Written by: Peter Stewart  I have left you his links to his website.

We’ll talk again soon,

Raymond C Province

Ray Province

Keyword fit is a very important issue in article writing. Does every word need to be followed exactly though? Can there be some wiggle room? That is our question for today.

From my personal experience, you can add some extra words to a long tail phrase or keyword phrase, in order to make for a better English sentence. Here is an example: eye doctor Los Angeles. You wouldn’t believe how many times I have seen this used verbatim in articles. Take the time to make a proper English sentence out of the phrase.

My logic for this is based upon the intelligent design of new search engine algorithims. Quality English syntax can be handled. Your human readers will also appreciate your attempt to write well.

Leave the keyword fit garbage to the $1 an hour people on Guru.com. Well crafted articles will not hurt your SEO. Get your words in the title, in the first 50 words, and in the last paragraph. You will then be well on your way.

We’ll talk again soon,

Raymond C. Province, M.A.
Celtic Ozark Solutions

Ray Province

The HootSuite ap for iPhone is one of those rare applications that I actually paid money to own. In my case, I bought it so that I could more easily manage the Twitter accounts of my clients, for which we do social media micro blogs.  It also lets me handle my own account.

The surprise is how well the ap works.  It has been flawless for me.  It also allows me to better manage “mentions” from people who follow me. That’s a chore, because I have over 5000 people I tweet with all the time.  I don’t like losing people in the Twitter Ocean.

There is a featured Section, so you can get tweets for HootSuite, and you can get their featured users. As to your own account, you can keep up with live stream, Mentions, DM’s in your inbox and outbox, Sent Tweets, and Favorite Tweets. So, it really has all my favorite features that I use on the big version on my laptop.

If you are serious about Twitter, or you manage multiple accounts, you need to look at the HootSuite Program.  If you are also an iPhone junkie,  the HootSuite Ap for iPhone is worth the couple of bucks you’ll pay. Enjoy your Twitter experience more.

We’ll talk again soon,

Ray Province

Celtic Ozark Solutions

Ray Province

The Godaddy.com people have published their own iPhone application. I have to tell you that I really like it.  It has really opened up some new possibilities for managing my account on Godaddy.com.

I realize that some of you may not be as excited about Godaddy.com as I am. You hear good and bad stories, though, about every Domain Hosting Company. I have just always had a good experience there. Granted, my need for technical service is minimal. I can usually handle my own issues. However, I have needed them at times, and I have always been able to get a live voice from Tech Support that speaks English as well as I. (or almost so!)

The new ap has components that will let you check your email. You can also handle Domain Management, and order new products. You can renew also. In the future, I expect to see total DNS managment as an option.

If you’re a fan of the commercials, there is also a link to that.  A Contact Us section will also allow you to communicate with the Godaddy people. There is also a WHOIS search feature.

It’s not bad for a first edition of the iPhone application. Hang on. I’m sure there is more to come. Want to more more about Godaddy.com services, just click here.

We’ll talk again soon,

Ray Province, Celtic Ozark Solutons

Jailbreaking your iPhone involves putting software on your iPhone that will unlock its full functionality. Many types of programs are unrunable on the iPhone, because of security restrictions placed on it by Apple. Some people also call this process hacking the iPhone.

The reasons behind why people want to jailbreak the iPhone are many. Some of the bigger reasons, though, involve the limited custimizability of the iPhone.  There are also been complaints about text messaging privacy on the iPhone, and a lack of ability to run background applications.  Personally, I would also add the limited ability to “tether” an iPhone, thus making it act like a “WiFi router.”

You need to know, though, that hacking your iPhone will void your warranty.  You also need to know that you open your iPhone up to some bad programming also.  If those risks are acceptable, then you may be able to gain some real functionality by jailbreaking your iPhone.

One easy place to get help with a clean, safe  jailbreak of your iPhone is Blackra1n.com .  The system is easy to follow, and works well. Make sure you also make a backup of your iPhone before trying the process. You will then have a way to reset your iPhone to earlier settings set in your iTunes configuration.

You may also want to check out Cydia and RockApp for a place to start getting aps.  The two sites are safe, and provide some real quality applications.  A lot of them are free.

Jailbreaking your iPhone may open up a lot of functionality for your phone.  It may also be a source of some problems. Just don’t be mad at the Apple folks!

We’ll talk again soon,

Ray Province, M.A.

Ray Province

The BlogPress iPhone ap makes blogging on your website a breeze.  I am always looking for iphone aps that help me be more productive, when I can’t be in front of a desktop or laptop computer.  The BlogPress ap has made it possible for me to blog whereever I am.

I have the ap set up to handle all my blogs on Blogger.com  It can do much more, though.  It also handles my blogging on Wordpress and Joomla.  This includes my websites like this one, which are built on a Wordpress theme.  There are setting for MSN Live Spaces, Movable Type, TypePad, Live Journal, and Drupal.  You can also hook in Youtube,  Twitter, and some other sites.

For my wordpress sites, I had to activate the XML-RPC settings in the Settings>Writing section of my admin console.  There is also a setting there to active Atom style protocols.  This allows the iPhone ap to publish to a private website.

In Joomla, you will have to download and install the MetaWeblog plugin for Joomla. It grabbed it from the Joomla extensions site.  You also have to enable web services in the Global Setting section of your admin console in Joomla.

You may also want to grab the free iPhone ap for Dragon dictation. You can then dictate your blog, and paste it into the page you set up in the BlogPress ap.  Pictures can also be added this way. 

The BlogPress iPhone ap makes blogging on your website a breeze. I hope you will give it a try. Then, the world can become your blogging office!

Ray Province

I have been so excited to hear about the new Apple iPad.  The iPad reviews are dismall, though.  It look like the product is not living up to the general expectations of the public.

CNET has been one of the biggest antagonists so far.  From my way of thinking, CNET still wants to put the iPad into the “mini personal computer” arena.  If this is the case, then it is a bit of a disappointment.  At 64G of memory, you can get a better deal on a small Dell style mini computer, with 1G of RAM, and a hardrive twice that big.  Granted, the touch screen won’t be there.

Here is the argument:  it’s too weak to be a good computer. It’s too big to be just a phone. It’s definitely not going to replace the iPod.  So, that leaves us just one basic thought:  is it just designed to be a fancy Kindle?

The size of the iPad may also end up causing sales to dwindle.  If it does not do much more than a good 3GS iPhone, then people may get tired of carrying the bigger version around. We have become a lazy little group.

Ray Province

Tweeting hot topics can be one way to really help draw traffic to your website.  Simple connections to current topics of interest will help many people take the extra step to go ahead and visit your website. Then, it’s up to you to WOW them.  Here are some simple rules about tweeting hot topics.

Make sure the topic is relevant to your website.  On this website about social media marketing, website development, etc., I would be much better off talking about the new iPad than I would the one year birthday of the children of the “octamom.”  Doing otherwise will not give you favorable results, and it really cheapens your website content. So, what do these results look like?  That’s simple: you want people to re-tweet your work, comment on your post, etc.

Some of the overall best subject matter for tweeting hot topics comes from new technical innovations, the lifestyles of the rich and famous, what’s happening with celebrities, and my personal favorite, politics!  If you can find good topic matter in these areas, you will draw extra hits.

Images and videos are also a great way to bring extra hits to your website from tweeting.  Most of us have now grown up with television, so we love our videos. That is why Youtube is the number two website in the world.  The biggest mistake people make in tweeting video is getting too commercial with it.  Try to give people information, share some knowledge, help people. Then, after you have shared first, you can be justified in pointing people to products and services.

Tweeting hot topics can be a great way to draw traffic to your website. It can also be a way to stimulate conversation on your Twitter page.  Good luck.

Blogging is a geat way to start to develop your social media network. It is also a great way to promote your business and services. Let’s take a moment and look at blogs.

By definition, a blog is a type of website used to share information, articles, videos, pictures, opinions on some topic. The sites are usually maintained by an individual or small group, though large corporations are starting to get in the game.
The word derives its meaning from weblog.

My favorite blogs to use are set up on WordPress, Blogger,Bloglines, and Tumblr. Each of these sites will allow you to set a blog, or multiple blogs, for free. You do not even need to write on different subjects. You may carry the same article, or post, on each of the blogs you set up.

My favorite thing to do with a blog is share information on a particular subject of interest. You are reading such a blog entry now. I am fascinated with blogging on social media, and its affects on our current society. So, I share this bit of expertise on these blog sites.

The best blog articles are 500 to 1000 words in length. They will contain keywords in the title, and a couple of times during the article. In this case, I am writing on social media integration. I have used these so called “keywords” in my title, and in the article.

A keyword is a word that someone might use to find something about my business in a informational search on a site like google or yahoo.
So, I use the keywords social,media, and integration as a way for people to find my work on the Internet. In fact, I even own a website named http://ping.fm/YEPC0 or http://ping.fm/36UWc

When I first opened my Twitter account, I had a great deal of trouble learning to “say what I want to say” in the 140 character limit. After serving for years as a minister, I have learned to write in a conversational style. This method does not work well in the new world of social media.

Then I went through a denial phase. I just started doing multiple “tweets’ to get my whole message out. That didn’t work either. No one was responding.

So, I went back to an idea first taught to me by my philosophy/religion professor in undergraduate school. He had us write one page summaries of all our reading. Talk about a task! This is now my “mantra” for Twitter.

So how long should tweets be? The answer is simple in concept: you should tweet with the fewest possible characters to get you message out! Just like a haiku: one concept.

Other considerations for the length of a Tweet include two important items: any “re-tweet or index code” and any URL you add. My re-tweet is @celticozarkian. That knocks out 15 characters. If I index my social media tweets, #socialmedia , that will take 12. Add a tinyurl, and you can easily be down to 100 characters left.

Here are some new tips on Tweeting for length of message:

• Make the message component 80 characters or less. 50 seems to be the new 140, so shoot for that!
• Make your URL as short as possible. There does not need to be clear meaning in the URL itself. Example: my social media site is http://socialmediaintegration.info . I don’t need all this in the URL, to get people interested in clicking the URL. That is the job of the message.
• Text message jargon is typically OK. Most people now understand an OMG, or IDK, or LOL. It saves you space. (My daughter says I still will not be cool!)
• Use caps to express emotion. Just don’t do all caps, unless you intend to be angry.

Talk to you again soon,

Ray Province

Ray Province is a retired minister, who now works as an IT programmer in the healthcare industry. He also owns Celtic Ozark Solutions, and IT Company specializing in website, development, SEO, and social media marketing. You can reach him at celticozarksolutions@gmail.com or @celticozarkian on Twitter.