talkingDigital

Do you know the difference between the internet and the World Wide Web? Many people don’t.

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The internet is the massive network of computers that allows you to use email, send pictures via your phone, and see who’s at the door from all the way across town, using that new video doorbell you keep seeing on the home shopping channel.

The World Wide Web is the collection of websites that you access by typing an address into the web browser of your device.

It’s acceptable to say, “I went on the internet to find out if giraffes can see in color.” But it’s more accurate to say that you did your research on the web.

Everything you do on the web is done via the internet, but not everything on the internet is done using the web.

Where does social media fit in?

Sometimes you’ll hear the argument that social media is the new World Wide Web, suggesting that Facebook is the preferred channel for information. Rather than visiting www.beaconseniornews.com to read the news, for example, many people simply follow the BEACON Senior Newspaper on Facebook and let the news come to them. This is a totally acceptable way to get the news, but you don’t want to use social media as your only source for gathering information online.

Don’t limit yourself

The biggest downside of using social media sites exclusively is that they only show you what they think you should see. If you follow The BEACON on Facebook, you won’t get all of the paper’s updates. You’ll only see updates that Facebook thinks you will interact with.

It’s also important to remember that there are great sources for news, information and shopping that you’ll never find if you don’t go directly to sites like news.google.com or www.cnn.com.

But there are some things social media does better by design than the web ever could.

Social media’s advantages

If you lose a pet and don’t post about it on a Facebook page designed to help find lost animals in your area, you miss out on the best possibility of reuniting with your furry friend.

The reason it’s so effective is because when you post your lost pet update, everyone in the group shares the post on their own Facebook pages, connecting with their friends. Suddenly you have a whole network of pet sleuths helping you.

Social media is also becoming the best place to sell your used items. Unlike sites like Craigslist, Facebook shows you the first and last name—and usually the face—of the person with whom you are dealing. It’s also becoming the best place on the web for job searches, business recommendations and even product reviews.

So the next time you hear someone say, “I don’t use social media because I don’t want to see what my friends ate for lunch,” explain to them that social media has as many practical uses—like videos of cats getting scared by cucumbers.

Have you been sleeping well? How many hours did you get last night?

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Do you get up and walk around at least once an hour?

Do you feel awkward reading a text message when your phone goes off in a meeting?

Do you fumble around with your media player when you should be paying attention to what you’re doing?

Perhaps you’ve noticed that more people are wearing bulky electronic bracelets or funky, digital watch-like devices. These are called fitness trackers and they monitor how many steps you’ve taken or when you’ve been sitting too long. They may even display your heart rate or tell you how well you sleep. Some fitness trackers even control your music player.

Whether you are a fitness junkie or a couch potato, you may be interested in what a fitness tracker can do for you.

What to look for

The best fitness trackers connect wirelessly to an app on your smartphone that tracks and provides real-time reports on your activity.

Cheap trackers (under $100) generally provide basic activity monitoring, such as step counts and sleep patterns. More expensive trackers add features such as a watch, heart rate monitor and GPS. Some devices also track types of activity, laps and calorie counts.

Most devices will vibrate when you are getting a text message or phone call. Some are equipped with screens that display caller information or a summary of the text message.

The top three brands

There are dozens of fitness trackers on the market, but only three major brands tend to dominate the positive user reviews: Fitbit, Garmin and Apple.

• The Apple Watch is no ordinary fitness tracker. It allows you to install apps, make phone calls and control your iPhone, but it offers enough health monitoring features to make it a serious—although expensive—fitness tracker. The latest basic model costs around $300, but they go up to $10,000 (seriously).

• Fitbit and Garmin make a number of affordable trackers. Read reviews before making a purchase. Essentially, the more you spend, the more features you get, but the accuracy of the data is about the same across all devices.

Connect other apps

You may want to consider a fitness tracker that you can connect with other apps through your smartphone.

• MyFitnessPal is an app that lets you track your diet. If you want an extra 200 calories in your diet, your fitness tracker will report your walk or jog data and update your calorie budget in real time.

• Endomondo is an app that allows you to record your movement-based activity—runs, bike rides, swims, etc. It tracks laps and distance, and gives you real-time, audible updates through your headphones.

• Runkeeper records historical
and real-time data about your runs. It’s specifically designed for those interested in improving their running skills.

November is here, which means the holiday shopping season has begun. There is no better time of year to get a great deal on gadgets and gizmos for your friends and loved ones—and yourself. The savvy shopper should start planning long before the circulars and email blasts start arriving.

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Here are some tech shopping tips, whether you’re buying locally or online.
Do your homework

It takes time to research the perfect gift and the best price. Too many people walk into a local retailer, walk up to a sales associate and say something along the lines of, “My granddaughter says she wants a tablet.”

Most stores with a computer or electronics department carry more than 20 tablets, and some are so poorly made that they are insufficient for even the most basic tasks.

The lowest price is never the best deal when it comes to tech purchases. Similarly, the highest price is not indicative of superior quality.

Retail computer service people are trained salesmen, not necessarily experts. Before asking which laptop you should buy, consider that he or she will most likely sell you what he or she would buy. Technology that fits your exact needs cannot be purchased the way you’d order at a new restaurant.

Don’t buy tech from a clothing or grocery store

Black Friday deals can be great, but there are many deals that you should avoid. Some tech manufacturers use Black Friday as a way of liquidating overstock of a product that flopped via non-traditional sales channels.

Many large clothing/housewares retailers often offer door-buster deals on tablets, GPS systems, headphones and small drones that weren’t selling well in their native retail locations.

Some of these products have known issues with reliability or construction and the traditional retailers have stopped carrying them due to high return rates.

Buying a generic or obscure brand of tech at a clothing or grocery store is an even bigger risk.

Know your prices

Before you spend $400 for a 55-inch, 4K TV on Black Friday, research the price of the specific brand you’re looking at. Shopping by specifications and price alone can cost you a lot of money.

Many companies produce special products exclusively for Black Friday using lower quality parts and fewer quality controls. If you’ve never heard of the brand, avoid it.

Research the item online

Black Friday ads can be found online long before Thanksgiving. If you see a great deal advertised, visit the store and ask which TV, tablet, camera or laptop is being sold.

Most of the door-buster deals won’t list the model number in the ads because the item is actually not marked down as much as it may seem.

Sometimes the $400 4K TV is only $450 with free shipping on Amazon. Just as often, the item is cheaper online.

The old adage “buyer beware” applies today more than ever. Follow these tips and you will not only find better deals, but you will approach the season with the confidence of an educated consumer.