A Better Computer, Inc. | WordPress and Internet
Business, Website and Internet Tips, Tricks and Techniques! You will find tidbits for and about WordPress, book reviews, video hints, Zoom & virtual meetings, YouTube and business.
Saturday, September 4, 2021
WordPress Tools for Webmasters
Sunday, June 13, 2021
WordPress Virtual Meetup Calendar ~ Redux
WP User Groups
WP Meetup Meetings
Zoom Meetings
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
The Science Behind Limited Menus and Short Sentences
"Remember"
a book by Lisa Genova
For a really long time, I've heard about two "Best Practics" for websites. This advice applies across all Internet sites:
- Limit menus to 5-7 choices
- Write with short sentences
The Science is In!
Thursday, May 6, 2021
Post-Pandemic Blended-Hybrid Virtual Zoom Meetings #2
Blended / HybridVirtual Meetings
May, 2021
People are eager to return to live in-person meetings, and many still want to enjoy joining sessions across the country without actually traveling there.
I had previously explored the "why" of having blended / hybrid meetings.
Now I want to explore the "how" to use Zoom meetings
Friday, April 30, 2021
Post-Pandemic Blended-Hybrid Virtual Zoom Meetings #1
Blended / HybridVirtual Meetings
April 2021
We have a new challenge as the world moves from virtual online meetings to live meetings. There are several "dots" to connect as I explore what these post-pandemic meetings will look like.
First, there continues to be a strong interest in live meetings that have a Q&A session. That has not gone away. If anything, the demand has increased because so many people have been restricted to the confines of their homes.
This article discusses the background and the why of Blended / Hybrid meetings.
Tuesday, April 20, 2021
"Follow by Email" Ends July 2021
On the sidebar to the right was an innocuous box that invited you to submit your email address.
When you did that, you received notifications delivered to that address when a new article had been posted to this blog!
Monday, March 22, 2021
Saturday, March 20, 2021
Playing with Software and Functions and Features "Oh My!"
Playing with Software
This article is based on a phrase I found in a book by John Cleese titled "creativity" (yes, the title is in lower case). The book was published in 2020 by Crown Publishing company.
Friday, February 19, 2021
The Email Magic of PLUS ("+")
Create Unique
Email Address(es)
Here is how to create multiple email addresses and still have only one email mailbox to visit.
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Genealogy Societies on EasyNetSites ~ WordPress?
is closingJune 30, 2021
This is a HUGE problem for EasyNetSites customers. The customers all appear to be Genealogy Societies in the US....
Wednesday, December 9, 2020
WordPress Virtual Meetup Calendar
WP User Groups
WP Meetup Meetings
Zoom Meetings
Thursday, October 29, 2020
Zoom Training Videos
Zoom Training Videos
on YouTube
on YouTube
Rick's curated video list
YouTube has collected thousands of tutorial videos from Zoom meetings and webinars. Some are excellent and some are terrible. Occasionally these YouTube videos even present bad/wrong information.
Many videos have a tendency to just ramble as the presenter adds their oh-by-the-way comments. While this is great for 1:1 training, the comments may not be appropriate for a tutorial.
I am building a curated list of tutorial videos for Zoom administrators...
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
WordPress.com Vs WordPress.org ~ Again
Kudos to the WordPress gang in NE Arkansas!
What is the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?
One of the attendees at last night's meetup was close to my age, and she was trying to understand the computer jargon and Internet terms that were being thrown her way...
A New Analogy:
A Grocery Store ~ A Restaurant ~ A Kitchen
Thursday, October 1, 2020
WordPress: Learn Gutenberg Blocks II
More How To Use
Gutenberg Blocks
in WordPress
I want to share more about how I learned to use Gutenberg...
Thursday, September 17, 2020
Book Review: Show Your Work
Book Review:
Show Your Work
By Austin Kleon
I do not know who to credit this recommendation, but Thank You!
When I stumble across something on the Internet that looks interesting, I log onto my local library's website. If it's available, then I request a copy and continue with whatever reading I was doing. Anywhere from a week to a month later my local library sends me a notification that my book is ready to be picked up. Since I'll have several books in the queue, I usually don't remember why a particular book intrigued me.
This is one of those books!
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
WordPress: Learn Gutenberg Blocks
How To Use
Gutenberg Blocks
in WordPress
I want to share how I learned to use Gutenberg...
The only alternative to Gutenberg and block editing is the WordPress "Classic Editor" It was designed by WordPress contributors and is available as a plugin.
Unfortunately, support for the Classic Editor will end on December 31, 2021.
What to do by Dec 31?!
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
SCORE Member-to-Member Connections
Practice
The August meeting for SCORE volunteers included a brief presentation on how to use ZOOM.
Now volunteers can practice what they learned before going "live" with a one-on-one client mentoring session.
[Step 1] Join a meeting that Rick sets up during the week. You do NOT need a ZOOM account to do this.
[Step 2] You set up a meeting and invite Rick. You'll need access to the SCORE Zoom account.
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
What is the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?
Do I have WordPress.com or am I using WordPress.org?
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
The 3 Types of Websites

What Kind of Website
Do You Need?
A Blog? ECommerce? Informational?
ABCInc and the PickRick brand are rebuilding the MyWordPressWebPage website. Our intent is to simply the process, yet provide flexible directions. I visited over a dozen sites (see Bibliography below) to collect and distill this information.
Sunday, May 17, 2020
Pick Rick | Video Work
Prepend & Append Video Snippets

I revisited my Wave.video account to select and create video snippets that I can use without further payment or copyright problems. I created a file and downloaded it to my local computer.
Next, I used Windows Move Make to slice it into snippets. Here they are:
Sunday, May 3, 2020
WordPress: Gutenberg, Elementor, Divi
Block Editing is a new way to look at data!
"Block editing" is a new phrase in WordPress, but it actually describes a massive shift in the way we look at content.
The idea of block editors has been around for a long time (a long time in "Internet time" BTW) with page builders and plugins. Divi, Beaver Builder and Elementor are familiar names within the WP community.
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Useful Features for Webmasters
Web-Working Tips
I read a lot. I visit a lot of websites. I watch a lot of videos (mostly on YouTube).
I've built a curated list of tools you may find handy. When I update or add to the list, I will publish/re-publish this article on a Tuesday. ("Tuesday Tips" ~ get it?)
Sunday, April 26, 2020
What are Rick's Key Words?
SEO: What are Key Words?
"The definition of a keyword is a significant word, or a word used to find information when researching. When you are looking for resume examples and you type "resume examples" into Google, the words "resume examples" are an example of keywords.""Keywords are: words and phrases that identify what people are searching for and words and phrases that describe the topics you write about. In an ideal world, these keywords are the same, bridging the gap between your content and your audience, and helping them to find it."
Uh-oh: What are my key words?
Sunday, April 19, 2020
What is SEO on Google?
Google is
The Book of the Internet
Google visits every site it can find - billions! - and adds every word on every page to a master index. Then it also evaluates the content and context of each page.
What Google considers is actually a trade secret because it wants to return the best, most current information to its visitors.
Google invites you to enter a word, a phrase, or a question in whatever format you choose!
Sunday, April 12, 2020
Zoom Meeting Security
Zoom Security Concerns
We are hearing A LOT about security flaws in Zoom. Most headlines are over-hyped to encourage readership. This article explores the major threats and how to easily fix them.
Zoom security is a popular topic because Zoom has become the go-to software-as-a-service application for meetings online.
This article is mostly for people who are hosting/organizing virtual meetings, but it has value for people invited to attend them.