Tidbits from the world of computing fill today's column.
If your level of spam mail just doubled, check your Yahoo! settings if you use any of that online portal's features. Yahoo! recently reset everyone's "marketing preferences" to "YES," meaning it will start sending all kinds of spam mail to the e-mail account you specified on your Yahoo! settings page.
Yahoo! is advertiser-supported, so there's nothing wrong with ads, but make sure the settings are the way you want them. Log into your "My Yahoo" account my.yahoo.com and then hit "Account Info" on upper right. Then in the middle of the next page hit "Edit your Marketing Preferences." Make sure you are happy with what that says.
(I think Yahoo! is treading water here, because one of the boxes it now defaults to "yes" is that you wish to be contacted for sales calls via the telephone . . . that's a risky change.)
If Yahoo! isn't careful, it could catch up with Real Networks in the sleazy marketing hall of fame.
A new landmark study shows that instant messaging will replace e-mail as the most-used online feature by 2004. This is no surprise to anyone with a teenager in the house, but I am surprised by the number of people who have not yet tried IM software. The leaders in this field are AOL Instant Messenger and ICQ (both owned by America Online) as well as Yahoo Messenger and MSN Messenger.
All are free, but some use ads to support the service. The trouble, of course, is none of these services easily contact the other because there is no standard format for IM. It's like wanting to make a phone call but not knowing what brand of phone your recipient uses.
Until some standard emerges, many people have three or four IM clients open at once, which is annoying at best and confusing at worst. But as the United States catches up to Europe and Asia in the use of "SMS" messaging from cell phones, IM'ing will become even more important in the coming months. The connection between IM's and cell phones is a natural.
I have received many e-mails recently asking about the safety of buying used PC stuff on eBay. There are many companies (including IBM and Dell) that are getting rid of refurbished goods on the auction giant's boards. Also many failed dot-coms are putting goods on eBay. So there are many bargains to be had. There are some issues to be aware of, however.
Always check the feedback rating of the seller. One scam is that some buyers will sell $2 items for a while to build a good feedback rating, then put up a laptop. Buyer pays and never receives anything. So check the prior items that seller has sold. Are they consistent in terms of value?
Use the escrow system. That way, if you buy an item, your money is held in escrow until you receive the item and check it out. If all is well, you release the funds to the seller. Any reputable seller will allow this option.
Never, ever pay with Western Union wires or any wire option overseas. Your options in getting your money back are reduced when your funds are in Romania or the Ukraine.
Lastly, don't overbid in your excitement. Know the retail price of what you are buying and don't make silly choices.
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James Derk is new media editor for The Evansville Courier & Press. His e-mail address is jderk@evansville.net.