Social networking websites like Facebook and MySpace are household names. They allow users to connect, communicate and share media like photos and videos. What may not be well known is what sparked the creation of social networking. Since 1997, different patterns of demand, imitation and gradual expansion caused social networks to transform from basic, obscure sites to complex, popular ones. Writer Bio

Yahoo! provides a leading search engine and offers a variety of Web-based services. The top Yahoo! search results of the day are displayed in the “Trending Now” section of Yahoo!’s homepage. This gives users a quick overview of the popular topics of the day. Clicking one of the Trending Now topics takes you to Yahoo!’s search page. The Trending Now section was previously called “Popular Searches” and fulfills the same function....

In a hot-water system, zone heat refers to heating your home in sections. Each section has its own thermostat, so throughout your home, you regulate the heat in each zone according to the need. Writer Bio

Writer Bio

While a helpful indicator, the printer status update can be frustrating if you’re uncertain as to the meanings of the various messages. One of the most common status updates is “spooling,” which typically pops up when the printer seems to be doing nothing at all. Despite appearances, spooling is actually designed to enhance printer speed and to improve overall computer performance. Writer Bio

Verizon Wireless provides wireless voice and data service such as cell phone calling and texting for more than 88 million retail customers, as of the time of publication. Most plans for individuals and families include what Verizon terms “unlimited nights and weekends.” This feature can help you save money but it comes with some restrictions. Verizon warns that updating your roaming by dialing *228 can affect which time zone your call originates from....

Smartphones such as the Apple iPhone and Motorola Droid let users perform a variety of tasks, but Internet access ranks as one of the most important. With Internet access, users can check their mail, surf the web and download multimedia content. However, while carriers typically provide Internet access through their data networks, smartphones can also connect to wireless networks via Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity). Wi-Fi refers to a standard, high-quality connection over a wireless network....

The availability of reasonably priced digital cameras and smartphones with photo capabilities has made printing your own photos commonplace. It’s often frustrating, though, to find that larger prints come out grainy and poor in quality. The default photo resolution on most devices is less than a third of what is required for a good, clean enlarged print, and even the best editing software is only able to provide minimal improvement....

A dongle is a small device that typically fits in a computer’s universal serial bus port to ensure that only the legal owner of a software program is using the program. Dongle drivers allow the computer to recognize the dongle. Writer Bio

Since the advent of smartphones, the previously bright line between phones and computers has gradually blurred. Thanks to faster processing power and larger feature sets, the differences between the two have been reduced. In one significant example, Wi-Fi enabled phones allow smartphones and computers to access the Internet via the same kind of connection. Writer Bio

An application is a term used in computing to define a program or group of programs that perform a function. Business application software is a package (can be custom built but packaged as a single unit) that carries out a business function such as accounting or payroll. Writer Bio

Telephony has evolved since Alexander Graham Bell’s acclaimed cry, “Watson, come here. I want to see you,” in 1876. For over 100 years, the traditional method of telephone service has consisted of analog sound waves transmitting across copper wires strung from telephone to central switchboard to telephone. Digital phone service, commonly called Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, is telephone service transmitted over the Internet. VoIP features many benefits over traditional telephone networks, but it has a few disadvantages as well....

Internet service providers and office IT teams shield computer users from the technical details of accessing the Internet, so many users remain unaware that Domain Name Services mediate how their machines access resources located on other computers. Preferred and alternate DNS servers are your computer’s most important resource in navigating to the information you seek on the Internet. Without specific DNS server settings, your computer would fail to load the website you expect to see when you enter the URL in your browser’s address window....

A projector is a device that takes an image, enlarges it and displays it against a wall or screen, commonly used as part of a presentation. Both data projectors and overhead projectors make it possible for you to give a presentation to a large audience while allowing everyone to see your visual aids, but the underlying technology differs quite a bit. Writer Bio

Digital video recorders and DVD recorders both provide a modern replacement for the VCR. By recording digitally, DVRs and DVD recorders provide a higher image quality than VHS tapes. On many systems of each type, users can also import the videos to a computer for editing or uploading to the Web. Though DVRs and DVD recorders have many similar features, some differences stand out between the two. Writer Bio

Email is a vital part of our online lives, with a 2012 Radicati Group study showing that there are over 3.3 billion accounts in existence. These accounts can be accessed through Web mail – where messages are read in a Web browser – or dedicated programs known as email clients. Your choice of Web- or client-based email access can affect the security and accessibility of your email. Writer Bio

According to Microsoft Support, the largest size a Word file can be is 32MB for the total document, not including pictures or other graphics. That means that a file containing pictures or other graphics could be larger than 32MB. It is important to remember that this limit is not the limit on the size of a file Word can open. According to Microsoft Support, the maximum file size Windows can open is 512MB....

Quarantining an object with anti-virus software is similar to quarantining an individual who has contracted something contagious and possibly dangerous. In both cases, the target is removed from the greater population so it can’t do any kind of damage. Just about any kind of worthwhile anti-virus product available has a quarantine feature. When you run a scan, the anti-virus software will generally put some questionable items on a separate list identified as quarantined items....

Cell phones have become an integral part of society. Everyone has one; whether it is a smart phone that costs over a hundred dollars a month to maintain, or a prepaid or pay-as-you-go phone for emergencies. There are many difference carriers, plans, and services to choose from on the market. Verizon is actually the owner of several different pre-paid carriers that it acquired through mergers. This means that small local carriers may actually be owned by Verizon....

Working with a computer program that seems to be malfunctioning can be frustrating. This notion can be especially true with Microsoft Outlook, which many people depend on daily for emails, contacts and calendars. Often settings in Outlook that are meant to help with organizing messages, such as rules or syncing with a mobile device, duplicate email messages and provide other undesired results. Before reinstalling Outlook, inspect your rules, mobile sync options and account settings to ensure engaged settings are not duplicating your email messages....