Free samples online - Know the "cost"

On the Internet you can get all kinds of free samples - cosmetics, candy, food, household products, cold remedies, pet food, and more.

Of course, you know why manufacturers do this. They hope that after trying their products, you will continue to buy them.

But there is even more advantage to manufacturers offering free samples online.

Here's why: When you specifically request a sample, you are identifying yourself to the manufacturer as a member of their target market.

They may ask for your age, gender and other demographic information, which will help them focus their marketing efforts later on. And in order to ship the item to you, they get your physical mailing address. They usually ask for your email address as well.

Before giving up your personal information and email address, understand that you may be contacted later by the manufacturers and their "partners" (a euphemism for companies who buy their mailing lists.)


Here are some guidelines when signing up for complimentary samples:

1. Do not use your regular email address, because you may be bombarded with more "offers." Get a free email account at Hotmail or Gmail just for this purpose. Or use a disposable email address such as Mailinator or Pookmail.

2. In all fairness, cooperate with their request for demographic info - e.g., age, etc. In exchange for a free product, your info will help the manufacturer understand its market.

3. Beware of so-called free offers of expensive items, such as brand-name electronic products, pricey leather goods, vacations, etc. If you read the fine print, you may see that you are merely being entered in a drawing for the item. Or, you may have to sign up for several mailing lists in order to see the free offer.

4. On the page where you sign up for the sample, look for an option that says something like, "Please send me more offers." If that option is already checked off for you, uncheck it.


Now that you're an educated consumer, here are some places to get free samples:

dailyedeals.com

all-free-samples.com

freesampleforager.com

nojunkfree.com - includes free samples in Canada and U.K.

For more free samples, use a search engine to search for "free samples". You can also add your country. Thus, if you're looking for free samples in Italy, search for: "free samples" Italy.


Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Time-saving shortcuts for common web tasks

If you've been using the Internet for a while, you have probably developed certain habits in how you do things.

Take a look at some of these shortcuts. They won't save enough time for you to read War and Peace, but a few seconds here and there does make you more efficient.


COPY, PASTE AND SAVE BITS OF TEXT FROM THE WEB

The old way: Drag your mouse to highlight text. Copy text and paste text to a new document in your word processor. Save document. Hope that you remember the filename you assigned it and where you saved it.

The new way: Drag your mouse to highlight text. Use one of the instant web clipboards to copy and save in one step.

Tools:
Google Notebook
Clipmarks


FILLING IN WEB FORMS

The old way: Type your name, address, email, etc. in the form whenever you order something or subscribe to something online. If your password is needed, you guess or look it up.

The new way: Use an automatic form filler that saves your data in a private file on your computer.

Tools:
Roboform
Firefox extensions (search for form filler)
Internet Explorer add ons (search for form filler)


READING NEWS AND BLOGS:

The old way: Visit one news or blog site after another. Check to see if there is any new content.

The new way: Use an RSS reader (RSS = "really simple syndication") to see all your favorite blog updates and news feeds in one single window. If there is new content, it is automatically displayed.

Tools
Google Reader
Bloglines


SEARCH ENGINE SEARCHING

The old way: Type google.com (or other search engine) into your URL box. Wait for the page to load. Type in your search terms and hit enter to get search results.

The new way: Use the search box built into your browser. Firefox, Safari, and the latest version of Internet Explorer have a search box in the upper right corner of the browser window. You can even add more search tools.

Or, download and install your favorite search engine's add-on toolbar, which sits at the top of your browser window at all times. In addition to giving you a box to enter your search terms, the toolbars can be customized to block popups, display security warnings, and have links to your favorite websites

Tools:
Google toolbar
Yahoo toolbar
Dogpile toolbar


ACCESS TO REFERENCE TOOLS, CALCULATOR, WEATHER REPORTS, FLIGHT INFO

The old way: Go to a search engine. Search for dictionaries, encyclopedias, weather, maps, etc. and click to visit the website. Enter your information and get the result.

The new way:

Download and customize a search engine toolbar (see above)
Or, use "widgets" or "gadgets" that you download to your desktop. These are mini-applications that connect you to online services, giving you direct access to calculators, news feeds, work time recorders, sticky notes, stock prices, games and more.

Tools:
Widgets are already installed in Mac operating systems, and in Windows Vista. There are hundreds more at the Apple and Microsoft websites.

You can also use Yahoo Widgets or Google Desktop Gadgets.


Pauline
teachmeinternet.com