Need an Email?

In order to sign up or subscribe for anything on the internet (such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, your favourite cooking website, etc), you will need to register with an email address. Don't have one? No worries, creating your own email address is very easy, allow us to show you how in this blog post.

The benefit to choosing an email such as Gmail, as opposed to the email address that is given to you by your internet service provider (for example, @kos or @sympatico), is that you will always be able to access your email, even if you change who you get your internet service from.

(Note: There are numerous kinds of emails that you can choose from (i.e. Gmail, Hotmail, YahooMail, etc), however, because the library uses Gmail, that is what we will be showing you how to set up today.)

Let's Get Started!

1) Go to www.gmail.com .

2) In the right-hand corner of your screen, there will be a red button labeled “CREATE AN ACCOUNT”. Click on this.

3) This is where you will begin to fill out your information.

a. Names: You will be asked to fill out your first name, last name, and create a username. Note: You will need to have a unique username. In order to see if your preferred name is in use already, simply click on "check availability!", after you have typed in your username. Gmail, will let you know if it is available, if not, they will attempt to provide you with some alternatives.

b. Password & Security Questions: You will now be asked to create a password. Make it something that will be easy for YOU to remember, but difficult for others to guess. (Preferably not a password from this list.) Once you have chosen your password, you will be asked to type it again in the space below (this is to make sure you have keyed it in correctly as the characters are hidden). Once you have selected your passwords, Gmail will now request that you select and answer a security question. The security question is there in case you forget your password.

c. Recovery Email: Fill in this field, only if you have a second email address (for example an @hotmail.com or @sympatico.ca address). If you do, then in the event that your password is forgotten, Gmail will send your password to your second email account.

d. Location & Birthdays: Select your country from the drop-down menu and key in your birthday in MM/DD/YYYY form.

e. Word Verification: Key in the characters that you see in the image. If you find that you can’t read the writing, then you may click on the button that looks like a circular arrow, to refresh the page and read a different set of letters. For the visually impaired, you may select the button that looks like a speaker, to have the words read out loud to you.

f. Terms of Service: Next you are required to read the “Terms of Service”. Once you are satisfied, click on “I accept. Create my account.”

You're Finished!

You have created your Gmail account! You will now be faced with a screen similar to the one below. Click on the blue button that says “Show me my account”.

Now you can access your email from anywhere! Use this email address, when prompted by your favourite websites to register.

Enjoy!

- Picton Computer Lab

For more information, or for a lesson on how to use the many features of Gmail, feel free to contact the computer lab, and our staff would be pleased to help you!

Have You Seen the News?

This year's CAP Interns Alex Wiens and Whitney Lee made the paper! Christine Renaud (Picton Branch Head), has written an article for the Picton Gazette about the computer lab and the Community Access Program. If you haven't seen the article, here it is!

Gazette - CAP Interns Offer Computer Assistance

Two interns have recently joined the County of Prince Edward Public Library & Archives staff thanks to the Community Access Program.

The Community Access Program (CAP) is a Government of Canada initiative, administered by Industry Canada that aims to provide Canadians with affordable public access to the Internet and the skills they need to use it effectively. With the combined efforts of the federal, provincial and territorial governments, community groups, social agencies, libraries, schools, volunteer groups and the business community, CAP helps Canadians take advantage of emerging opportunities in the new global knowledge-based economy. Under CAP, public locations such as libraries act as "on-ramps" to the Information Highway, and provide computer support and training.

The program plays a crucial role in bridging the Digital Divide, especially in rural areas, contributing to the foundation for electronic access to government services; encouraging on-line learning and literacy; fostering the development of community based infrastructure; and, promoting Canadian e-commerce.

An important aspect of CAP is its complementary youth initiative which provides employment opportunities to young Canadians in various CAP sites across the country.

The County library has been fortunate to access funding for two highly qualified CAP interns who will be with the library until the spring of 2012.

Alex Wiens has worked with the County of Prince Edward Public Library & Archives once before. Prior to this internship, Wiens worked as a Digitization Assistant with the Archives.

“I’m very happy to be back working with the library,” says the graduate of the Library and Information Technician Program at Seneca College. Completion of her education involved a number of related placements including work with the Ministry of Health, Earl Haig Secondary School and the Quinte West Public Library in Trenton.

“I enjoy meeting new people and sharing my knowledge of computers and library systems,” says Wiens who is regularly available at the Picton branch to assist patrons with computer training and questions.

Whitney Lee is the other recent intern joining the library team. With a B.A. and a Bachelor of Education from Brock University, Lee brings a diverse working background and extensive volunteer experience to the position.

CAP internships aim to assist members of the community with questions or problems they might have regarding various forms of technology. According to Lee, and not surprisingly, “The most popular questions currently are about e-books and e-readers, and how they function.”

Both interns are available for one-on-one training sessions at the library to help patrons with any computer or Internet related issues and, of course, e-readers and accessing free e-books through the library.

To book a one-on-one tutorial with either Alex or Whitney, drop in to the Picton branch to arrange a time, call 613-476-5962 or e-mail: awiens@peclibrary.org or wlee@peclibrary.org

Presenting... Prezi!

Many people are unaware of the free online presentation tools that are available for students and the general public alike. Prezi is one such version of these tools one of out interns was first introduced to in university.  


Unlike PowerPoint or LibreImpress, Prezi only requires the user to have created an account with the website in order to be able to access their information.  This is useful when you’re travelling and need to access your information but the computer you’re using doesn't have PowerPoint or Impress, or you've forgotten your memory stick at home,still stuck in the USB slot waiting to be ejected!  Using Prezi also eliminates those horrible formatting issues that sometimes arise between a file you've created on your home computer or laptop, and the computer that you’re attempting to play the presentation on. 


Prezi offers a dynamic, zooming and rotating presentation that provides seamless transitions from thought to thought throughout your presentation.  It’s perfect for presenters who really want to keep the attention of their audience. Embedding videos, sound, and links etc are all easily available with Prezi.  You can also “prezify” your previous PowerPoint and Impress slides if you find that you love Prezi so much you can’t stand to use your old versions!

Creating a Prezi account is super simple! 

    

- Start by following the link to www.prezi.com

- Once at Prezi, continue to SIGN UP in the top right-hand corner

- Decide which version of Prezi you prefer (the free version works fine) and click GET

         

- Fill out the simple registration details including name, email and password and click REGISTER AND CONTINUE
- Once registered (your email becomes your user name), you can begin using Prezi or check out one of their easy to follow tutorial videos!

Learing how to use Prezi!

Prezi provides users multiple “How to” videos in order to aid them in getting started with the site’s dynamic presentation software.  It’s as simple as 1-2-3!

Once in your Prezi account, just click the LEARN tab at the top of the page and begin the video series or take a look at their cheat sheets.

                            

Keeping Up With The Times

Although the local newspaper is normally delivered to the front lawn on a weekly basis, not everyone has the time to sift through pages of information before finding their desired article or area of interest. This being the case, there are a number of online versions of the nation's most popular newspapers available to the every day, Internet accessible reader.

For those who are most interested in local County news, check out the following sites:

County Live - http://www.countylive.ca/

County Weekly News - http://www.countyweeklynews.ca/

Picton Gazette - http://www.pictongazette.com/home.html

Wellington Times - http://wellingtontimes.ca/

Belleville Intelligencer - http://www.intelligencer.ca/

Kingston Whig Standard - http://www.thewhig.com

For those wanting to keep up with national and international news, these newspapers are available:

Toronto Star - http://www.thestar.com/

Globe and Mail - http://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Calgary Herald - http://www.calgaryherald.com

Vancouver Sun - http://www.vancouversun.com

New York Times - http://www.nytimes.com

Los Angeles Times - http://www.latimes.com/

All of these newspapers offer free, online editions of their printed press, making them significantly more accessible than their newsprint counterparts. Check them out!

Taking the Time to Talk Technology!

Welcome to the Computer Tech Talk blog of the County of Prince Edward Public Library & Archives! Over the course of the next few months, we will become your go-to spot for your most common technology questions. We will be touching on subjects such as Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, the library’s online catalogue, e-books and e-readers, word documents, presentations and more!

This blog is designed to answer some of the frequently asked questions that the computer lab receives as well as educating readers about popular technical issues and trending electronic items. Please feel free to post questions and comments and the contributors (your Computer Lab staff) will do its best to answer your questions as quickly and skillfully as possible! If you have any further questions, feel free to contact us via email or telephone to set up an appointment for a free one-on-one tutoring session.