| |
No More Waiting in Line!
"Please hold. Our next customer service representative will
be right with you. Your wait time is approximately 14 minutes."
You'll never hear that from Atlantic.Net, especially since we just
launched another way for you to get the support you need —
instantly — with Live Chat. Now, you can contact an Atlantic.Net
Member Services Representative just by clicking the "Live Chat
Online!" icon on any Atlantic.Net
Web page.
You'll be connected immediately to a live representative with whom
you can chat and get technical support or answers to your billing
questions. This means that, even if you only have one phone line,
you can get support while troubleshooting your account at the same
time, as long as you're able to get online. Plus, our technicians
can send you Web pages, files, or graphics to help guide you in
right direction! Besides tech support and customer service, you
can also get immediate answers from our Internet consultants if
you have any questions about other Atlantic.Net products or services.
Written by Colleen Kissick
Coverage in Canada?
That's right! Atlantic.Net now has local
access coverage in three Canadian provinces: Alberta, British
Columbia, and Ontario. So whether your vacation plans include a
hike in the Canadian Rockies or a visit to your pal Pierre in Toronto,
you can still keep in touch with your friends back home or earn
free service by recommending
Atlantic.Net service to your pals north of the border.
Pop-ups Got You
Down?
If closing all those pop-up ads has you
more frustrated than a sausage vendor at a vegan picnic, try munching
on this. For every "inventive" soul out there designing
pop-ups,
there are others designing free software programs to get around
them. Universities commonly use Lavasoft's
Ad-aware to prevent pop-ups from appearing on their machines. You
can find Spybot
and other adware removal programs at CNET
Download.com. For help removing spyware
programs like Gator and Comet Cursor, visit PC
Hell.com. Opera
Software offers a Web browser that allows pop-ups to be turned
off on the fly, so you can leave them on until you hit a site that
abuses them. Then, just hit F12 and click on "Refuse pop-up
windows" in the menu. Close the ones that have already opened,
and relax, because no more will appear while you visit the site.
Unfortunately, until other Web browsers catch up to Opera, if you
want to prevent pop-ups from appearing on your screen, you'll need
to think twice before you download that cool freeware that asks
for your name and e-mail address. Visit About.com
for more prevention tips.
Written by Janet Vega
Clickin' Thrift!
Okay, so your taxes are due, money's tight, and
you don't have time to work an extra job. You don't even have time
to run all your errands! Well, how'd you like to save a little time
... and money ... online?
• Save gas. Shop online. Most major retailers,
such as Barnes
& Noble and Abercrombie
and Fitch, offer full service e-stores where you can purchase
products and have them mailed to you. Just type the name of your
favorite retailer into search engines like Dogpile
or Google.
Or skip the search and head to the granddaddy of Internet shopping,
Amazon.com,
which not only offers thousands of products online, but gives you
price comparisons between new and used items, so you can always
find the lowest price and the best quality. Add to that free
shipping when you spend $25, and you save even more.
• Bank online. You can pay bills, transfer
money between accounts, and order checks without leaving the comfort
of your easy chair. Bank
of America, Wachovia,
Citibank,
and Wells Fargo
are just a few financial institutions offering these services and
more. Still have bills you need to put postage on? Well, don't waste
time running to the post office. Buy your stamps
online as well.
• Lower your bills. If you like to comparison
shop, then visit Lowermybills.com,
a price comparison Web site dedicated to saving you money on long
distance, credit cards, and other bills. Type in your area code
and the site will tell you the best deals in your area.
• Save time. Update your finances with help
from sites like Quicken.com
or American
Express, where you can download bank statements or bills, find
out how much a loan will cost you, or even track your stocks.
Written by Mat Shaffer
Surfin' Safari: Put Some Spring
into Your Cleaning
Your dog's itching for a romp in fresh
flowery meadows, but your conscience won't let you enjoy that springtime
weather until your house is clean. And after spending all winter
with the heater on, those dust bunnies have morphed into dragons.
You just don't know where to begin? Well, start right here.
• Don't do double duty. Do it right the first time. AllAboutHome.com
offers you cleaning tips on everything from doorknobs to ashtrays.
• If you're worried about what those store-bought products
do to the environment, Care2.com offers you The
Five Basics for Nontoxic Cleaning.
• Get help from Heloise. She'll show you how to prioritize
your spring
cleaning needs with her famous hints.
• Throw open the shutters, roll up the rugs, and then give
Baby Boomer News' Five
Tips to Make Your Spring Cleaning a Breeze a read.
• Add a little humor to your household chores with this glossary
of cleaning terms. Warning: those of the male persuasion may
take offense to this list.
• If you really feel like giving yourself a good workout,
knock a few items off of this home
maintenance checklist.
• Create your own hilarious
home cleaning story with Wacky Web Tales, where you provide
the word tools and they create the mess.
Written by Colleen Kissick
 Chocolate
with No Calories? This eye-catching
World's Most Difficult Jigsaw Puzzle: Chocolates won't pack
on the pounds, but it just might make you hungry. And in the hours
it'll take you to complete it, you might just have to break for
the real thing. For more mouth-watering deals, check out The
Surf Shop.
Tech Tip: Cleaning Your Computer
Ah spring ... time for singing birds, blooming
flowers, and cleaning collected dust. What better time then to clean
your computer! But don't come sloshing over with a bucket of
water, unless you want fried circuits and really floppy disks. Instead,
gather the following
supplies:
• Clean cotton cloths, free of particles that may scratch
the computer
• Static-free computer cleaner or a spray bottle with water
and a small amount of dish detergent. No ammonia-based liquids should
be used around electronic equipment.
• Cotton swabs
• Non-ammonia based glass cleaner
• Alcohol swabs or a bottle of rubbing alcohol
• Index cards
• Toothpick (plastic works best)
• Toothbrush
Begin by turning everything off on the computer and unplugging all
the cables. Note: Don't forget where you'll need to plug them back
in.
• For the monitor: Always follow the manufacturer's instructions
when cleaning your screen. Many monitors have an anti-glare coating
that may be damaged unless you use the proper cleaner. LCD
screens also require special care. Otherwise, for a glass-front
monitor, spray a cotton cloth with a non-ammonia based glass cleaner
and wipe the screen, making sure to remove any streaks.
• For the computer: Wipe down the plastic case, paying special
attention to those deep corners. If you have a small hand vacuum,
you can remove the dust from the air vents used to cool down the
computer. Following your manufacturer's directions, open up the
computer case and use a can of compressed air to gently blow the
dust out of the PC, especially from around the power supply and
the heat sink/fan areas.
• For the keyboard: Gently tap the keyboard upside down to
allow the dust and dirt to fall out. Using your can of compressed
air, run it between the keys to remove any further dust and debris.
Now cover your finger with the dampened cotton cloth or alcohol
swab and gently go over, between, and around each key, wiping off
any dust or grime.
• For the mouse: Take an index card and fold it in half vertically,
then go into the ridge areas of the mouse and remove the dirt. Next,
if your mouse has a ball inside, remove the plastic plate from the
bottom of the mouse, following the arrows to see which way the plate
comes off, and remove the ball. Clean off the track ball by using
an alcohol swab or lightly spraying the cotton cloth and wiping
it down. Use a toothpick to get the dirt off the wheels on the inside
of the mouse. Replace the ball and the plate.
•The area around your computer: Dust the mouse pad with the
toothbrush and then use the cotton cloth to wipe down the rest of
your computer work area.
When you've finished, don't forget to reconnect all the cables in
their proper places. To minimize these tasks for next time, consider
trying equipment with fewer components to clean, such as a
cordless optical mouse, a
wireless keyboard, or even a wireless
keyboard and mouse combo. Refer to the February
issue of Surf's Up for tips on cleaning your computer's hard drive.
Written by Janet Vega
Got a question for Atlantic.Net's Technical Support team? E-mail
us at support@atlantic.net.
Add a Little Steam to
Your Internet Engine
All aboard! The high-speed DSL train is leaving
the station. If you haven’t gotten your ticket to the fastest
Internet connection in town, here are a few reasons why you should
definitely get on board.
• A DSL connection will outperform your current Internet connection
as the fastest way to connect to the World Wide Web and get the
all information you need.
• A reliable DSL connection with Atlantic.Net can be up to
50 times faster than a dial-up connection, so you and your team
can work more efficiently.
• With DSL, you'll get no busy signals or dropped connections,
because you're always online!
• DSL cuts your costs by eliminating the need for multiple
phone lines to access the Web.
• Business-class DSL services through Atlantic.Net can serve
up to 100 users on one line, affording you increased networking
capabilities.
So don't miss the train. Call Atlantic.Net Business Sales at (800)
521-5881 or visit us at www.atlantic.net
for more information on how you can jump on the right track to getting
connected.
Written by Felicia Thomas
Mail
Atlantic.Net, Inc.
2815 NW 13th Street, Suite 201
Gainesville, FL 32609
Phone
Member Services (352) 336-7716 or (800) 921-9328
Business Office (352) 375-2912 or (800) 422-2936
Commercial Sales (800) 521-5881
E-mail
Commercial Sales
Residential Billing
Inquiries
Commercial Billing
Inquiries
Technical Support
Web
http://www.atlantic.net
http://support.atlantic.net
http://surf.atlantic.net
Other
Contact Information
To unsubscribe from the Surf's Up newsletter,
please
e-mail us at surf@atlantic.net.
You can still read the newsletter online at http://surf.atlantic.net.
|
|
