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Welcome back to Tech-Knowledgy, where your tech question are answered. Have a tech question? Either post your question in the Comments section or email me at [email protected].
Q. I have a Facebook etiquette question. If someone from my past asks me to be her friend on Facebook, should she send me a message after I accept her friend request ? I have had quite a few old friends ask to be my friend on Facebook, but after I accept their friend requests, I don’t hear from them again. This makes me feel like they are just trying to increase the number of friends they have on Facebook. Am I supposed to send them a message on Facebook first? Please help!
A. I can understand your concern. No one likes to feel used and if someone friends you on Facebook and then you never hear from her again, you might feel that way. But there is nothing wrong with you reaching out first. Try sending your friends a message and see if they respond. If they don’t respond and you feel used, you can always unfriend them. If they contact you after you unfriend them, you can always explain why you unfriended them.
If any Wonder of Tech reader has another suggestion, please let us know in the Comments section below.
To learn more about Facebook etiquette, please watch this important video:
Q. You mentioned in the StumbleUpon blog that I should close the app (see, You’ll Fall for StumbleUpon!). How do I close an app?
A. This is a great question. Many people think that by leaving an app they are closing an app on a smartphone or a tablet, but they aren’t. The app will continue running in the background. This uses memory and makes your battery drain faster. You could even be using data and going over your data limits after you leave an app.
You didn’t mention which smartphone you have, but if you have an Android phone, you’re in luck. There is a free app in the Android Market called Fast Reboot that will close all of your open apps for you. If you want to close individual apps, you can buy the Fast Reboot Pro version of the app for $1.37. After you download Fast Reboot to your phone, click on the icon and it will close all of your open apps and tell you which apps it closed. Do this twice in a row. If you find apps are open the second time you click on this app, then you have apps that are automatically running in the background.
To make sure that apps aren’t running in the background on your Android phone, go to Menu => Settings => Accounts & Sync and unclick Background Data. You will find that your phone will run more smoothly and your battery life will be longer when your apps aren’t running in the background. Make sure you put Fast Reboot on your home screen and use it often to close all of your open apps.
For iOS devices, iPhones and iPads, double click the Home button at the bottom of your device. A bottom toolbar will appear showing icons of your open apps. Hold your finger down until the icons jiggle and the red circle appears with the minus sign. Click on the minus signs to close the apps. Don’t worry, this will not delete the apps from your device. The apps will not be running in the background until you open them again. Your device will run more smoothly and your battery life will be extended when you take this extra step to manage your memory.
Q. Sometimes I do a Google search and it takes me to a page where I can’t find the words I searched for. Is there a way to have Google take me to the place on the site where my search word appears?
A. To search for a word on a web page, use the Find shortcut by clicking Control + f which brings up a search box at the bottom of your screen. Type your search word into the box. As you type, you will see the letters highlighted on the screen. You can stop typing when you find the word you are looking for.
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App News!
The words “nostalgia” and “tech” don’t usually belong in the same sentence, but in the case of a new iPhone app, the words mesh perfectly. Atari has launched a new app in the iTunes app store called Atari’s Favorite Hits that brings 100 different retro Atari games to your iPhone or iPad. The app is free, but you need to buy the games for $.99 each or $14.99 for the entire set. If games like Centipede, Missile Command and Asteroid make you yearn for days of old, head over to the iTunes app store and grab the free app. Bonus: If you want a more realistic arcade experience, check out the iPad case that turns your iPad into an arcade game from ThinkGeek.
Awesome answers to some very interesting questions.
When it comes to Facebook, I never expect my old friends to send me any messages. I always accept new friends, no matter what… especially people I sort of know already. I use filters and friends lists in order to follow the status updates to people I really want to be keeping an extra eye on 🙂
And thank you for telling me how to close apps. I have an iPhone and didn’t know about this.
Hi Jens, Welcome back to The Wonder of Tech! I’m very glad you enjoyed the blog post and learned from it. Very few people know to close apps and the effect it has on your phone’s memory and performance. I hope you see a noticeable improvement from closing your apps!
Your info on how to find what I am looking for on a website I find through a Google search is awesome! I had no idea that was possible. This has been a constant problem for me when I do research online and want to confirm info through multiple sources! Question, sometimes the website I go to via the Google search will just be a single page with links. If I cannot find the info I am looking for on the page, I assume it will be in one of the links and if there are many links, I tend to give up because I do not have time to search them all. Will the control +f function take me to the correct link?
Hi Kathy, I am so glad you found this information helpful. I agree, when doing research online, the Find shortcut is invaluable. Unfortunately, this search feature doesn’t go that deep, you would have to click on a link and then use the Find shortcut. But the task of searching through these links will be much easier with the Find shortcut.
Hi Carolyn,
The speed has improved on my iPhone. It seemed that almost all of my apps were running in the background 🙂
Thanks a lot for sharing.
Thank you, Jens, for letting us know how the speed improved on your iPhone. I predict your battery life will be much improved as well!
Carolyn, I loved the FB video. That was just too clever…
I ALWAYS send a personal message after someone accepts my friend requests. Even if they are someone I’ve known from the past. It’s a great way to catch up and see what they’ve been up to lately. I don’t accept just everyone any longer as friends either. I learned that lesson the hard way and ended up having to clean out my friends.
Great tips on the apps and things. I’m not a smart phone or even up on any of the latest in that area so that stuff is over my head somewhat! LOL!!!
You always have so many great tips. Thanks for those Carolyn… Hope you are enjoying your day!
Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, Welcome back to The Wonder of Tech! I am so glad you are enjoying the blog, the idea is to help those who aren’t up on the latest tech understand personal technology a bit better. No expertise in technology required for Wonder of Tech readers!
Thanks for sharing your opinion on Facebook etiquette. Good suggestion about being careful which friends you accept. It’s probably better to ignore the friend request rather than having to unfriend the person later.
I agree, that Facebook video is a riot. I love sharing fun videos on this blog. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!