Happy Tech Tuesday! Happy you found you way here, and chances are that you clicked the link in my IG bio..because that's where I probably directed you at the end of my post. That's the call to action that is usually at the end of most people's post. Whether you're providing a service, selling a product, providing tutorials, blogs, or fundraising. But let's say you're posting everyday, you have multiple things going on...who's changing that link everyday?? That's extra work for you, and the other posts are still there with the same directive, right? So today we're digging into how to make a links pages for a couple different platforms. Squarespace First up, Squarespace. Now this may be the easiest platform to create a links page. Go into your Squarespace dashboard like you would to manage to your website. Scroll down through your listing of pages, to where it says "Not linked" this is where you're going to create the page, because we don't need this showing the site menu/navigation. Hit the "+" icon and you're going to be given options to add a new page. Now depending on if your site is Squarespace 7.0 or 7.1 this option may look a little different. You can pick a layout for the page, I'd go with a blank one if you're minimalist or one that has a banner image at the top, but completely up to you. Add page Squarespace 7.0 Add page options Squarespace 7.1 Add page layout options Squarespace 7.1 Once you've chosen your page layout, it'll give you the option to name it, Links is typically what you'd go with but if you want to name it IG Links or something, that works, it just should make sense for the page's purpose and of course so you can identify it when going in to manage. Now you've got your canvas (the page lol). Go into Edit Mode on the page. Add a title (if you chose blank) by hovering to the left side of the page and clicking on where you see one of those sideways teardrop indicators, meaning you can add a new element or item. Add Text first to give the page a heading, It'll give you regular text, toggle with the heading size/style in the paragraph settings inside of text. Paragraph settings that come up in text editor on Squarespace Repeat the step 5, to add another element to the page, this time it's going to be a button. You can make the button small, medium or large. Change the text displayed on the button, by default is says "learn more" ya know typical website instruction lol. And add the link you want the button to take visitors to. Then hit apply, and you've got your first link button. Repeat as many times as you want till you have all the relevant links configured. Note, the design of the buttons, ie color, shape, are all based on what's in your Design settings for your template, you can go in and edit the button style if you're not liking it, but remember this applies to the entire site. So buttons anywhere else on the site will be affected. To get to the design settings for the button: Squarespace 7.0 - Go to Design, Site Style, and at the top type in buttons, to bring up all the relevant style/design options for your site: Squarespace 7.1 - Go to Design, then buttons..you can change the shape and if it's a filled button or outlined. The design elements are a little less granular in this version, it runs with color palettes that apply to the whole site. So the buttons colors will reflect whatever palette you have applied. Wix Next up, the Wix platform. If you've ever worked with me, I'll tell you that just about anything can be done on Wix in terms of design. So let's walk through creating a links page on this platform. You'll want to go into the Wix Editor, so on your Dashboard over towards the center you'll see a "Site Actions" button, Click on it and then select "Edit Site". Once you're in the editor, on the left hand side you'll see icons. You want to click the first one at the top that says "Menu and Pages" then you'll see a list of your site's pages, and at the bottom you'll see "Add New Page". Once you click that, give the page a name "Links" is always good and clean. Now that you've created the new page (the editor automatically takes you to the new page once you hit done), you can start adding things to it. So back to that menu on the left hand side. But this time you're clicking the plus sign, this will open up to all the elements you can add to a page. But let's add a title/heading. Now unlike Squarespace you have the free range to make the text be whatever you want, so font style, size, color, go crazy (you can even animate the font) Now we're going to go back to the left, to the left (did you read that in the key of Beyoncé? lol) and hit the "+" again and this time we're going to select buttons. They make it easy to stay in theme, with a section that has buttons already themed to match your layout, or colors styles you've previously applied on other areas of the site. Once you select the button, it'll be added to the page. Now you can go in and change the label on the button, the button size will adjust to the amount of text you put. But if you want more room on either side of the text you can also drag any of the edges to make it wider. Button Settings in Wix editor Where you can drag to make the button larger (giving more space around words) So now that you have the button formatted, you need to link it something right? Of course you can do this while you're editing the text but if you didn't, to get back to edit the link or to check the link setting, click the small chain link icon. You will be able link the button to an external page, a page within your site, a document, to send an email, or even your phone number. Repeat as needed to create and add buttons to your page. Also remember to hit save and Publish to make these changes/pages viewable on your site. With the design flexibility of Wix you can place the buttons all over the place (no seriously they can be thrown around like confetti on the page...don't recommend that though lol). You just want to make sure they're aligned and positioned well, the align to grid feature (where it shows you if you centered horizontally and vertical with other items on the page) is really handy. I almost forgot! Make sure you go into "Manage Pages" and hide this page so it doesn't show in your site's navigation. It doesn't hide the page from visitors but removes it from the navigation. I hope this was helpful, got questions by all means let me know! Do you already have a links page for your site, hosted on your site? Will you be making one? Or you sticking with Linktree?

So with the "stay-at-home" orders, working from home, and social distancing, there's been an uptick in video conferencing tools, specifically Zoom. Last week I was sharing how to make it fun by changing your virtual background but this time we need to talk security. Now they were in the news a few times, over the past week or so citing security issues and "zoom bombings". I personally know of a meeting that was "zoom bombed". What that mean is someone is disrupting the meeting, they do so by taking control of the screen being shared, sharing inappropriate things/images (listen someone took over a meeting and shared porn), shouting racial slurs and or profanity. But just like any platform or software they have their security issues, here's how you can protect your meeting. First things first...update! On the heels of all the reports and incidents Zoom has released an update to the platform, so PLEASE don't dismiss the update! It takes less than five minutes. You should be updating to 4.6.(19273.0402), if you're using Windows the version number is 4.6.9 (19253.0401). This addresses a lonnnnngg list of things. If you're not sure what version you have, sign into your Zoom, select your profile, then go to "About Zoom". If you haven't been prompted to download visit the Zoom download center here to update your version of Zoom. *Before we get into the settings a good housekeeping tip...don't share your meeting links publicly.* Settings, settings, and more settings Now let's get into these settings because this where you're going to control and make sure you're meeting is secure. So in your desktop app, click on your profile, then select settings. Now the settings here are slimmed down, so if you scroll to the bottom of the first tab of settings (should be general by default) you'll see "more settings" click on it, as this will take you to the full range of settings (it's going to open Zoom in your web browser). Zoom settings page in web browser The important settings first... Let's get your meeting locked down first. Under meeting settings (just scroll down some) you'll see the "Require a password when scheduling new meetings" and "Require a password for instant meetings". Instant meetings are ones you just start on the fly, as opposed to scheduling them. If you've updated you'll see that this setting is enabled automatically and can't be toggled off. So anyone that wants to join your meeting will need a password. There's also a setting for a password required for meetings using your Personal Meeting ID (PMI). If this isn't enabled, do it!!! Next up, screen sharing. Now some of the zoom bombing incidents have involved hijackers taking over the screen. You can control who has the ability to screen share in your meetings. You can disable screen sharing all together, but most meetings especially business ones someone is sharing. So under that, you can set it so only you the host can share or you can set it that all participants can share. Next setting under that, is almost like raising your hand in class but not lol..it's who can start sharing when someone else is sharing, it can be toggled between Host only or All participants. Want to take it a step further? You can disable desktop sharing and only allow for participants to share certain applications. And that scribbling on the screen being shared, you can disable annotation to take care of that problem. This setting is right underneath the "disable desktop/screen share" setting. You can remove participants from the meetings. Go to "manage participants" while in the meeting by hovering over the participants name, click more, then remove. One more setting that also helps prevent unwanted attendees in your meeting, the Waiting Room feature. This means attendees wouldn't be allowed into the meeting without you letting them in from the waiting room individually. Now clearly if you're having a large scale meeting this may not work. *Zoom allows a maximum of 100 participants per meeting (500 if you get the Large Meeting add-on) Make sure to check these settings before you schedule your next Zoom meeting!

Hope y'all are all safe and holding up well, in what is our temporary new normal. We are now experiencing what "that meeting could've been an email" looks like if it was a person on steroids. Except all the meetings are virtual Zoom meetings with video. Now not everyone has an actual at-home office, or a corner where there isn't a bunch of clutter or other people hanging out in the house. If you've got kids, you're just trying to make sure you're on mute while they throw a party in the background of said call. So here's a hack for you, you can change your Zoom background to something else while you're on the call! How to change the video background in Zoom So if you've already joined a meeting, most meetings don't have the video start as soon as people enter, all depends on the meeting organizer or the administrator. Most common practice is to mute people when they enter. You're going to go to the bottom left side of your Zoom application screen where the video icon is, and click the up arrow, select "choose a virtual background" (Zoom desktop application screen) This will bring you to a few built-in options ( I do mean a few there's like 3) You'll see the 3 included options (the space one looks good right about now). You'll see the box below about the green screen, because this feature works best with it, but it let's the program know to detect the green screen. But if you also look at the end of the options you'll see a small plus sign, to add/import your own images for the background. Ta-Da! New background that doesn't include your couch pillows, or kitchen lol. Now the background I used clearly didn't come with Zoom even though you'd think they'd have an office background since they're used across a wide range of businesses *shoulder shrugs*. Of course you could just download a stock photo, or some other image from the internet, or you could create your own! Annnddd it didn't take a ton of creativity to make this background! How to create your own background to use in Zoom So I design websites but I am nobody's graphic designer. So I go to my old faithful Canva! If you've been a reader for a while you KNOW I love me some Canva and they are constantly adding new features, templates that keep me happy and creating! So if you go to Canva, templates and then select "zoom virtual backgrounds" you'll get a bunch of templates that you can edit. You can just click Canva Zoom Background Templates if you want to go straight to the templates. So kick up the virtual meetings up a notch, and this let's you see yourself somewhere else other than your house for a little bit too. Oh and you can really make your virtual happy hours, and parties fun doing this too!

If you've been thinking about starting a blog, you've heard Wordpress come up in the discussions or search results. If you're a veteran blogger you're most likely on the Wordpress platform. One of the most enticing things about Wordpress is that there's literally hundreds of plugins available to add functionality to your site. Now with soo many options out there, how do you drill down to what's needed, what's junk? Well I'm gonna share with you plugins you should have if you're using the Wordpress platform. Yoast SEO SEO is critical, because what good is having a blog with content or a website nobody sees? Yoast SEO helps analyze your content (posts, pages, etc) to help improve their ranking in search engines. Down to the readability of your content. Sometimes it's not a fan of my conversational tone but it does help with making sure my descriptions and keyword usage are up to par, always. Google Analytics by Monster Insights In the blogging, brand partnership game metrics matter. If you have a press kit, or do any type of work or plan to with brands they want to know your website metrics. Enter (well install lol) Google Analytics by Monster Insights. Installing this plugin helps get those metrics, let's you know the traffic posts are getting, how visitors are accessing your site ( mobile or desktop), even where your visitors are geographically. It'll even tell you how long people stay on the site and also if it notices problems on your site. It's really easy to configure too! Protect your site!! Now we have two I recommend for this task. Now clearly you have to log into your WordPress site to make changes, but because there are so many plugins offered by third parties, there is a greater chance for vulnerabilities..ways hackers or malicious code can get into your site. Sucuri Ignore the strong "r" that you're trying to use to pronounce it lol.. The Sucuri plugin helps secure your site through : File integrity monitoring (scanning wordpress installation files for changes, added files. Remote malware scanning for malicious code Audits events (logging of events, and possible suspicious ones) Website firewall, extra layer of security for your site Security hardening ( bolster security options already implemented along with additional settings) Wordfence Security Another good security plugin is Wordfence Security. It tracks logins and events within your wordpress installation. Can enable two factor authentication for your site. Captcha for you login page to prevent bot login attempts. Malware scanner, ability to blacklist IPs, checks site for suspicious content, and then some. It's also free for unlimited sites. They also offer a premium version. In this age of ever evolving technology it's a basic thing that you should have implemented on your site. Shortcodes Ultimate Shortcodes are Wordpress specific codes that allow you to do things or add style/functionality with just a little bit of work and a tiny bit of code. Now I've had this plugin before the modernized Gutenberg editor. It enables me to add lists, fancy quotes, buttons, and more inside my blog posts. I like to break things up, jazz up my articles, because sometimes a straight up and down page of reading is well...boring. ShortCodes Ultimate has 50 shortcodes to help with that, and it works with the new Gutenberg editor. Advanced Gutenberg is also another plug-in that'll give you expanded features to make your posts more engaging. Because sometimes it's not just the content but how it's presented. Looking to add an additional page to your site? Now clearly nobody is expecting you to use CSS or any other form of code to design another page, but you also don't just want a blank page with just text. So my favorite page builder for Wordpress is Elementor. It let's you visually build a page, so you can see the elements being added and adjust. It's drag and drop, which is easy for most people to use. Need help with getting your terms and conditions setup? Well then if you haven't guessed by now there's a plugin for that lol. The WP Autoterms: Privacy Policy Generator, Cookie Notice Banner, Terms & Conditions Generator, helps with that, it can help you quickly get the privacy policy configured, apply your cookies notice (premium version), because your visitors should aware of the cookies when they visit your site and you'll be GDPR compliant. If you're looking for a plugin that simply adds the cookie banner to your site for free, Cookie Notice is a good one. So at the very least I hope you install the security plug-ins, and if you've come across any great new plugins drop them below? Have questions about a plugin, let me know!

If you know me you know I do community service year round, if you know me then you also know I like to save some coins if I can. While I haven't mastered coupon'ing yet I sign up for all the savings/point apps I can, will always search for a promo code before buying, and LOVE a sale! But what happens when I stumble across something that allows for both?? Let me introduce you guys to Giving Assistant! It's like your secretary to help you give back...get it Giving Assistant? *lol* I'm done, I'm done...But seriously that's what it does. You can shop and get cash back for spending money ANNNDDD you get to donate to a charity of your choice. You can check to see if your charity is already signed up to receive donations through Giving Assistant, and if their not tell them to get on it, it's an easy and effortless way to give and fund raise! Quick run through How Giving Assistant works... Sign up on GivingAssistant.org Designate your nonprofit for donations (You can actually donate your cash back earnings to over 1.5M nonprofits and charities, even small-town, local ones! ) Once you do that you have a slider in your settings to designate the percentage of the cashback that goes to you and what goes to your charity) Log in and browse for what you may be shopping for by category, so home decor, clothes, electronics, etc. Or you can simply search for your favorite store. Once you find your store, or one that's in the category click on it, and it opens a link to the store activating your shopping session for cash back ..easy right? How Giving Assistant works for me and my family Now of course I love to shop online (going to the store or mall is draining to me) so starting a session through Giving Assistant is easy. I've added it to my bookmarks toolbar for quick access when opening a window. I browsed all over the site after designated Safe Shores as my non profit. (I'm an Ambassador for them, and my husband fund raises for them annually via his #SantaCause campaign). Once I find what I'm looking for, I tend to look for my favorite stores, because I already know what the budget is looking like. Then I get to browsing. This week I was definitely shopping with intent. Our house was broken into this past Tuesday and while we didn't lose alot of material things, needless to say my nerves were rattled. I was looking for cameras to have installed on the house so we can see everything going on and deter anyone from doing it again. I opened a session through Giving Assistant for Lowes, and found what I needed in about 20 mins, had checked out and setup in-store pickup! *Did I mention that they had 4% cashback that day?* So while I was filling a need for my family I was still able to support my favorite charity without a second thought. Oh annnd they've got lots of promo codes and deals on here too so you can save some money while donating some! Giving Assistant is also a fundraising platform and, to-date, over 22K nonprofits have raised money via their technology platform. So if you're looking for another way to fund raise for your organization, check it out! Giving Assistant is free to sign up for, really easy to use, and it only takes about 5 minutes, annnnd if you sign up through my link you get $5 automatically and once you earn some cash back I get $5! So whatcha waiting for?? Happy Shopping and saving! *This is a sponsored post, I’ve been compensated but thoughts, opinions and experience are my own. This post contains affiliate links, an affiliate link means that I earn a small amount when you click through the link or sign up*

The gifts have been opened, the boxes have been set out with the recycling, and your tree may or may not be down lol...around this time of year there are alot of gadgets given as gifts. Lots of tablets, laptops and of course smartphones! But if you've got kids then of course there's concern of what they're being exposed to and what they can access with a device, so I've gathered ways you can safeguard and enable ALL the parental things on your kids devices. Enabling parental controls on an iPhone or iPad iPhones and iPads are at the top of alot of kids wish lists, but giving your kids access or rather exposing them to the internet, world of social media as a parent can be terrifying, believe me I know. But did you know you can enable parental controls on them? You can restrict App Store purchases, web content, explicit content, and manage the time allowed on certain apps even the device itself. Enabling parental controls on iPhone or iPad: Go to Settings and tap Screen Time. Tap Continue, then choose "This is My iPad or iPhone" or "This is My Child's iPad or iPhone." Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions. If asked, enter your passcode, then turn on Content & Privacy To control/restrict App Store purchases: Go to Settings and tap Screen Time. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions. If prompted, enter your passcode (you created this during the Privacy and restrictions setup) Tap iTunes & App Store Purchases. Pick a setting and select "Don't Allow" (it's set to allow by default) Want to restrict some built-in apps like wallet? To change your Allowed Apps: Go to Settings > Screen Time. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions. Enter your Screen Time passcode. Tap Allowed Apps. Select the apps that you want to allow. Now of course we know once kids get a hold of a phone or tablet they're always on it, you can manage that too by turning on screentime: Go to Settings > Screen Time. Tap Turn On Screen Time. Tap Continue. Select This is My iPhone or iPad or This is My Child's iPad or iPhone. You can configure this on the device directly or setup Family Sharing so that you can manage it from your iPhone or iPad. For a little more insight into iOS parental controls check here on Apple's Knowledge Base. Can you restrict or enable parental controls on a Android device? Yes, yes you can. My son currently has an Android, (iPhones are expensive so his first one out the gate wasn't gonna be that...budget lol), so I definitely had to figure this out ASAP because kids do wild stuff on this here internet, and adults do too. Android as we know is apart of the Google Family, so you can manage all the things just by having a Gmail account. More specifically using this Gmail account and Family Link. Your child of course will need to have a Gmail account and their device must be running Android 5.1 or higher. For me my main concern was being able to use the location feature in Family Link. He catches the bus to and from school on his own now, and stays after school sometimes. You can set screen limits, app time limits, manage Google Play Stores downloads/purchases, and lock or unlock their device. Now because everything is linked to the child's email these controls also carry over to their Chromebook, if they have one or use one. To set Screen limits: Open the Family Link app . Select your child. On the "Daily limit" card, tap Set up or Edit limits. Follow the instructions on the screen to set daily limits. Don't want to limit the screen time completely but certain apps? Open the Family Link app Select your child. On the "Today's activity" card, tap "Set limits" Next to the app you want to select, hit the hourglass symbol Set the daily time limit, then hit "set" Parental control settings in Google Play store: Now this one is rather simple, you simply set the content rating you want to allow for purchases or downloads. But you can set it to have you approve purchases as well. This will send a request to you to approve a download from Google Play if you have this feature enabled. On your computer, visit the Google Play My Account page. Click Family Group. Click a family member's name. Select All content, All paid content, Only in-app purchases, or No approval required. Inside the Family Link app though I can view my son's location, app usage time, I can even make his phone play a sound if he can't find it or isn't picking up because it's on vibrate or silent. Want to keep an eye on your kids with devices but still give them some privacy? Now of course a HUGE concern for us is social media and the potential for cyberbullying, child predators, etc. And while we do random phone checks and things, we got a surprise we didn't like before so we're trying to avoid that and teach some lessons at the same time. So I installed Bark on my son's phone. Photo: Bark Website Bark allows me to monitor his social media accounts, as well as texts and email. Now this isn't an app that's sending me all his messages and posts, it's sending me things that get flagged as dangerous, sexually explicit, violent, or suicidal. So it'll send me an email and the content shows up on the dashboard for me to review. This means I don't have to go and ask for the phone all the time, and can just start a conversation...and believe me I have. Like hey dude, you don't see anything wrong with this post or what you said? He'll ask why or give me that perplexed teenager look like "what do you mean?". But either way we can talk about it, instead of me being caught off guard. Now this isn't free, it's $9/month but they give you a week trial to test it out. * I'm a Bark partner and the link that is included is an affiliate link, but the views are my own and I love the visibility I get with using Bark * Now we know not all the tech gifts are phones or tablets..maybe you got the kids a console...like a Nintendo Switch So alot of kids, young and old (I'm actually eyeing one for the house lol) got Nintendo Switches' for Christmas. For some parents it's your first rodeo into the land of video games and for others you just want to keep an eye on the little ones. Well the Nintendo Switch comes with parental controls you can set. You can set game time limits because well kids will sit there for hours if you let them. You can set what games they can download as well, or choose to just get notifications of what's been downloaded. You can manage the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls from a free app that is available for iOS and Android. So did you buy your kids any gadgets or devices for Christmas? Do you monitor your kids devices?

If you're reading this..well one you're reading my blog (THANK YOU!!) and two, you've been thinking about starting your own blog. I've actually gotten this question a couple of times over the past few weeks. So I thought I'd share the basics to starting a blog. First thing you should identify is what your blog is going to be about. That's important to know what you're going to cover. Are you sharing recipes, lifestyle hacks, mommy and me things, travel, etc. (Giphy) Once you've decided what you're going to focus on (that can change by the way) now you can start the building blocks. 1. Decide on your name for your blog, then go purchase the domain. This isn't a hard step but it definitely makes it real. Most of the time I suggest going to GoDaddy and checking to see if it's available. If it is, BUY IT. Even if you're not ready, ready, buy it anyway. You can always hold on to it until you're ready. Domain names run maybe $7-$15 a year, they renew annually. Wanna know a secret? GoDaddy usually has a promo code where you get the domain for the first year for $.99 Now there are sites that will let you create a site completely free, Wix will, and so will Wordpress. But because they are free, your site won't come up as "blogofmythoughts.com" or whatever you actually end up naming it, it's going to have that company's name in it somewhere (www.blogofmythoughts.wix.com doesn't really roll off the tongue does it?). So upgrading to even the lowest tier of the paid plans is a good idea. At minimum it'll allow you to connect your own custom domain. 2. Pick a platform to host your blog..it's gotta live somewhere on the internet Now this is something that takes some more pondering. I'll tell you that WordPress is an amazing platform for blogs, for a while it was the go-to for anyone who wanted to start one. This blog you're reading..hosted on WordPress. But there's a learning curve that comes with Wordpress that everyone doesn't have time for. Wix has a blogging feature you can add to your sites as well. So let's say you don't necessarily start your website with a blog in mind but later on decide you want to add it on, you can do that to any site you have on the Wix platform. Another platform I hadn't mentioned yet because it's not free, is Squarespace, which also has a blog component that can be added to any site built on the platform. With Wix and SquareSpace the actual blog post editors aren't as robust (opinion) as WordPress, because at it's core that's what WordPress was and still is for blogging, it's just grown ALOT. While were here, WordPress hosted sites don't have to be done just through WordPress.com but here are a few other sites that offer WordPress hosting: Host Gator Blue Host GoDaddy Those are just a few of the options. 3. Design it All of the previously mentioned platforms come with the ability to load or use templates, so it's a matter of finding one you like and tweaking it for your blog style. You can preview themes for WordPress, SquareSpace, and Wix before committing to either, and of course you can hire someone to help with this vision as well! WordPress has more of a learning curve as I mentioned, you'd need to install the template, where as the other platforms you'd just pick one to apply. (Photo: Pexels) 4. Write! I'd like to say this is the easy part but for me it wasn't, I mean clearly my niche is technology. You have to sit and think about the posts you're going to write, make them good and make sure they connect with your audience. So that is something that comes with time and finding your writing style. I can't say that coming up with topics to write about consistently is easy because it isn't but for some people content calendars and planning out what you're going to write about is EXTREMELY helpful. It allows you to do research on whatever it is your post is gonna be about. Full transparency, I have the hardest time starting a post, not the content, but the first few sentences will literally have me stuck lol. 5. Make sure you have some type of images on your site or your blog It doesn't have to be a gallery of images, but a few to make the site inviting, and when you're making posts there should at least be a main image at the top of your blog and a featured image (if you're using WordPress). Here are a few sites to get free stock photos from: Pexels Pixabay Createher Stock (for melanin magic images) They also have a subscription that's about $7/month Now clearly this isn't a start to finish, every little step, post but this is a good starting point. Have more questions, happy to answer! Oh and here's a freebie quick guide to making posts in the new Gutenberg editor in WordPress! Download the Intro to WordPress' Gutenberg editor for blog posts Download Do you already have a blog? Thinking about starting one? Hope this helps! Happy Blogging!

Guess what today is, Guess what to-day is? Apple Event Day!! (please please say you read this in the Camel from the Geico commercial voice, that's how it was intended lol). Seriously this is one of the highlights of the year for me as a tech enthusiast and all around nerd lol. But enough about me and my excitement, let's get into everything that was announced today! First up Apple Arcade... Apple Arcade (Photo: Apple) While games on your phone aren't new, the way Apple is bringing them to your iPhone is! Apple Arcade is a subscription service that grants you access to over 100 hundred games for just, get this $4.99/month! Apple Arcade is going to be playable across AppleTV, iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Oh and did I mention that these games can be played offline annnd the monthly fee covers, up to 6 family members! Games on Apple Arcade are exclusive to Apple Arcade. The catalog of games ranges from puzzles, simple games to full blown RPGs. In my gaming day (I just don't have time anymore because adulting lol) I LIVED for a good RPG! This is a great deal if you're into games on your phone, considering most decent games on the App store are about $5 each! It launches on September 19th and comes with a 1-month free trial. Just some of the games in Apple Arcade Next...Apple TV+ Everyone's got a streaming service now...seriously, there's tons of options/alternatives to traditional cable out there. So of course this tech juggernaut threw their hat in the ring with Apple TV+. Now of course people would get it just because they've already got Apple TV, you already in the fold, but what about the people who haven't jumped on board or think they have enough options? You throw in exclusive content of course! Apple announced exclusive new series, documentaries and movies coming to Apple TV+. The one that caught my eye was See (starring Jason Mamoa and Alfre Woodard) it's set in the future where the human race is now blind following some mass virus, and two children are born that can see! You can check out the trailer here. Apple TV+ launches on November 1st, you can also watch all the shows in the Apple TV app. Oh and how much does all this cost?? Just $4.99/month! Apple TV+ (Photo: Apple) New iPad..sure why not! Now this isn't earth shattering but Apple announced a new of the iPad. The seventh generation of the iPad has 10.2 inch retina display, Apple Pencil support, and a soft keyboard! Beefed up performance with the A10 Fusion Chip. It's known in the tech world as Apple's low end laptop really. It's got improvement capabilities for working with Files in iPadOS, external USB support, and file server support! Not to mention it'll have support for the full sized smart keyboard as well. New iPad (Photo: Apple) There's also improved browsing in Safari, like what you'd see on a desktop browser you're getting on your iPad...websites will be optimized for iPad. They're adding support for Squarespace! You'll be able to edit your site from your iPad browser! That's huge! The new iPad starts at $329 (Apple with these NOT alarming prices today lol) is available for ordering today and will be available in stores September 30th. iPhone 11 iPhone 11 in 6 new colors (Photo: Apple) Alright Alright I mentioned a new iPhone didn't I? I made you guys read a little before getting into the highlight for most of us (me included because I'm overdue for a new iPhone I have a 7 Plus). Apple announced a new iPhone today! Apple unveiled the iPhone 11! The iPhone 11 has a dual camera system, 12 MP wide and 12 MP Ultra-Wide camera. The newest iPhone also comes in six new colors purple, green, yellow, black, white and PRODUCT(RED). Night Mode on iPhone 11 (Photo: Apple) Now for me a better camera was at the top of my wish list but I hated the way it took photos in rooms with bad light or at nighttime outside. I was famous for hitting you with the "use your camera it takes better photos in this light". Apple heard my cries and answered with Night Mode! The ultra wide camera allows for you to capture more in a single shot! Also among camera/video improvements, QuickTake it allows you to switch to recording video right from photo mode just by pressing and holding the shutter (button you hold to take the photo) *The new iPhone is also water resistant, so less putting phones in rice, I mean there are plenty of things we can throw in the rice..a bad day, some butter lol. Ok back on track. (Photo: Apple) The new iPhone 11 will come in several storage models 64GB, 128GB and 256GB models, starting price is $699 (you just knew it was gonna be higher right? I thought so too). The new iPhone 11 will be available for pre-order this Friday September 13th, with shipping and in-store availability on the September 20th. Oh wait...there wasn't just the iPhone 11 announced but the iPhone 11 Pro and the Pro Max! So in true Apple fashion there's always more! Here's what you're getting with the 11 Pro and Pro Max. Besides the beautiful XDR retina display, you get not one, not two but THREE cameras! There's a Wide, Ultra-Wide, and a telephoto lense! So you're going to be able to capture amazingly high quality photos and video! The A13 Bionic chip makes this phone faster as well. The new iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max come in four colors midnight green, space gray, silver and gold. They'll come in 64GB, 256GB and 512GB models, with starting prices at $999 and $1,099. Both will be available for pre-order beginning Friday, September 13 and in stores beginning Friday, September 20. The iPhone 11, 11 Pro and Pro Max will all ship with iOS 13. iOS 13 will be available for download on September 19th for models 6s and later. Apple Watch Series 5 Apple Watch Series 5 (Photo: Apple) There's a new iteration of the Apple Watch, hello series 5! Now I just got my series 4 for Christmas so no upgrades on this end, but there's some new features with this version. So if you're a current Apple Watch owner you know that to see the time or "wake up" your watch you have to rotate your wrist. With the new "Always On" Retina display you don't have to worry about that. Oh and guess what, it'll retain that single charge for a full day of wearing it, even with the display being on. Feeling lost or trying to find your bearings? The Apple Watch series 5 has a compass, so for those that like to hike and things like that, this will come in handy! Another great new feature, Emergency International calling (if you have the cellular model) This will work even if you don't have the cellular feature activated and regardless of where it was purchased. Apple Watch will also have period tracking. The new Apple Watch Series 5 (GPS non cellular) starts at $399 and Apple Watch Series 5 (GPS, Cellular) starts at $499. This item is is available to order today with shipping and in-store availability beginning on September 20th. Soooo I've given you my take on the announcements today, are you guys excited about the new releases? You upgrading to the new iPhone 11..the iPhone 11 Pro, or the Pro Max? Maybe you're finally gonna jump the shark and get an Apple Watch? Let me know!

Summer is winding down, back to school shopping sales are in full swing sooo that means school is starting back. Is it just me or did summer really fly by? Anyway, back on topic lol...I get asked often by parents if there are things they can have their child can do online for coding or app development, etc. Well yes, yes there is. Let's get into the some ways your kids can learn tech online...oh and did I mention most of these resources are free?? Let's go! Code.org First up is Code.org, which is a great site because it can be used for such a wide range of ages. They have resources for kids as early as kindergarten! What also makes it so inviting is that they have lots of code based activities. Some that incorporate cartoon and movie characters that they know and love (like Frozen, The Avengers, even Gumball), so it helps get them excited! They've got full lessons and shorter ones as well, Hour of Code is one of those. It's what it sounds like in that you're getting a intro lesson and you'll end up building an app or quick in under an hour..at the very least you'll have have a basic understanding of the concepts, and it's presented in a way kids can understand and follow! Intro on how to make a Flappy Bird game on Code.org Sploder Have a kid that's into games but isn't quite into the coding part yet? I find that Sploder, helps them with the concept and storytelling behind games. Sploder is an online site that lets kids (or adults) create and publish their own games for free.99! No really they can create (or you if they're not old enough for emails yet) a free account and design games! Sploder offers a platformer game creator, a retro game creator, a physics puzzle (the jury is out on this one, none of my students or my son used it) and one called The Algorithm Crew, it's kind of cool, more mission based style of play. It's drag and drop style in most of the creators and your kids can test each level of their game before publishing. I always had my students QA each others games because sometimes you miss stuff. The excitement though when they published and couldn't wait to share the link with their parents! Screen of the Retro Game Maker on Spolder Scratch The last one I'm going to introduce is Scratch. This was born out of the MIT Media Lab. This is what alot of schools use, and alot of other coding programs and curriculum's use to introduce coding. It presents the arguments in the form of blocks, that the kids have to place and connect together for actions or commands to be executed. It has some step by step tutorials as well, or you can go in and use a project as the base, and "remix" it. Meaning you're using some of their code in your project. I did a project on here years back it's a falling objects style game I did for Little Debbie when I was an ambassador really simple not really advanced but it was fun. You can play it here if you want! Inside my Falling Objects style game for Little Debbie Got older kids?? Maybe they'd enjoy building an app? So a question I get asked often when I teach classes or have parents with older kids, is "What's the next step, is there something more advanced?" Well MIT (some brilliant minds and things over there) has another platform, MIT App Inventor. This platform is free, and has full blown tutorials to help your kids or you, build an app. Some of the easiest apps can be built in under an hour! There are definitely other sites out there as well, some you can pay for, others have trials, but I encourage you to start here and see if you kids have an interest in coding or other aspects of STEM. I know STEM camps can be costly so this is a great way to let them explore without banging up your wallet. They can grasp alot of these concepts early, don't believe me I took DJ on the news with me to share about year ago, you can check out our interview with Good Morning Washington!

iOS 13 screens (Photo: Apple) We're approaching the end of summer and with that comes back to school shopping and college dorm move-ins...but it also means that Apple's new iOS will soon be available! Apple typically has a fall event the second week in September ( no official date for that yet but it's coming and the iOS official release is the following week. But let's get into the features on the next iOS! Stepping to the dark side.... *I won't insert a Star Wars reference here but trust me I wanted to lol* If you didn't notice from the above picture, they're going dark in this release, by bringing you Dark Mode. This new feature doesn't just work on an app by app basis it's the entire OS! It's better for low light environments, and easier on your eyes too. You can even schedule dark mode the way you can the "Do Not Disturb" feature. So at certain times of the day you can have your phone automatically change to dark mode. Email App being used in Dark Mode (Photo: Apple) Remember we've been talking about privacy right? So often we're asked to sign in with our emails, our social media accounts, then we end up with countless random spam emails or unnecessary newsletters. Oh and then what if that service or app you signed up for ends up getting hacked or they share your information with other entities?? Sign in with Apple Screen (Photo: Apple) In iOS 13 Apple is giving you the ability to sign in privately. You'd use your Apple ID to authenticate and Apple will provide the developer or app requesting with a unique random ID. Now you're probably thinking what if they need my email address, you can keep your email address private and Apple will share a unique random email address instead. Cool right? Improved Reminders..because we have to track ALLL the things Maybe it's just me but I find myself relying more on my reminders when my days or week gets packed. Like even small things, like grabbing milk because "mom brain" "multitasking brain" whatever you want to call it. In iOS 13 your reminders are better! Reminders are now integrated with your messages! You can tag a contact in the reminder and the next time you're messaging them the reminder will pop up! The Reminders app also has smartlists to organize your reminders for that day, ones that are important, or flagged; a new toolbar helps to add dates and locations to your reminders. Improved Reminders (Photo: Apple) Health is wealth right? The Health App is getting better! Your Health app is getting quite a few updates! You'll now be able to track your period in your phone. Keep notes on symptoms, length, flow, and spotting (if you have any). It'll be able to predict when your cycle is going to start and stop, as well as help predict your fertility window. This information could be really helpful when we go to the GYN ladies to discuss fertility or discuss concerns we may be having. Your Health app will also be able to track your environmental audio levels from the Noise App on the Apple Watch, that feature that lets you know if your environment is too loud. There's also a new Oral Health feature to track your toothbrushing time But wait there's alot more! While iOS 13 isn't a going to scramble the entire overall look and feel of your iPhone's OS in an unfamiliar way, there are so many other cool features! Custom Fonts - You read that right, you will be able to install custom fonts from the App Store and use them across your apps! If you're a gamer, you'll gonna be able to use your Playstation 4 or your XBox controller with your iPhone Overwhemled with robocalls? The new Silence Unknown Callers feature will only allow calls from numbers in your contacts, email or messages to actually ring on your end, unknown numbers are sent to voicemail! *I can't wait for this because I am TIRED* Contacts now have relationship labels Because who doesn't like to have fun, Apple Arcade is a new subscription feature that'll give you access to more than 100 games for one monthly fee, and they can be played offline. I'm definitely not done but you can check out the full list of new features in iOS 13 here. Can't wait till after Labor day for the latest iOS? Well if you're feeling froggy lol or have a spare iPhone laying around (iPhone SE or later) then you can download the Public Beta of iOS 13 as it's out now. Keep in mind this is still a beta version meaning it's not finished and could have bugs and may not work right all the time. It could potentially break your phone so I don't recommend using it on your primary phone or your only iPhone. You can sign up for the Apple Beta Software Program here. So are you excited about the new iOS? Do you care? Are you amongst the group that'll download it months later? Are you going to do the public beta?

First thing's first...Al Gore did not invent the internet, but he was "the first political leader to recognize the importance of the internet and to promote and support its development." ~ Bob Khan & Vint Cerf The internet...hold on..excuse me, the World Wide Web...was born in 1989, (clearly the actual internet started many years before with the implementation of TCP/IP..the set of rules that governs the connection of computer systems to the Internet, in 1983). It's meant to connect the world, grant us access to a vast wealth of information, we can buy things, sell things, build businesses, and connect with other people ( hello social media). So it is safe to assume that while all these things are happening information is being shared right? But outside of who we're actually sending it to, who else sees it? How we connect to the internet... A web browser is a software program that allows a user to locate, access, and display web pages. Techopedia So of course we aren't typing in a string of commands on a blank prompt to get online, we're using a web browser on our computer. If you're on Windows by default you get Internet Explorer, Macs have Safari, Chromebooks come with well Chrome. All have pros and cons. There's also other alternatives out there because well it's tech, there's always more. There's Firefox, Opera, and a host of other ones. Firefox is my go-to even on my Mac. I use a Windows PC for work and I have it on there too. All internet browsers now have a included feature that allow you to surf the web and when you're done it deletes cookies, and helps prevent the browser from storing your data. But it doesn't prevent or stop sites from gathering information about you visiting the site, so you're not invisible online or anything. But really most of the time you're using a search engine to find what you're looking for outside of using a exact web address, right? Soo in that arena it gets a little tighter, the pool isn't as big. When someone say's go search for something they tell...you....to.... "GOOGLE IT" right? Google is unquestionably THE king of this arena. But in a New York times article a couple of weeks ago, another competitor is trying to cut into that lead, enter Duck Duck Go. What is Duck Duck Go? Now I know you're thinking about the childhood game Duck, Duck, Goose; I'm talking about the search engine that is now cutting into the market that Google dominates. It's now handling up to 40 million searches a day! And to think as huge as that number is, that's a small fraction of how many Google searches are done a day. So what is making so many people use something you probably have never heard of? PRIVACY....Duck Duck Go, doesn't collect or share your personal information. They don't store your information or allow advertisers to track you..so no ads about something you searched for earlier in the day or clicked on from another site. Something DDG says Google does, like keeps it forever, which can be hacked or turned over to the government. Oh and this isn't some new service, Duck Duck Go has been around for 10 years and is just making this type of dent in the market. The search results aren't as tailored, or "fill in the gap-ish" as Google, because there is no data stored. But otherwise you can do the same things, Duck Duck Go is even an available search provider in Google's own web browser, Chrome. Soo thoughts? I think, well I know use of Google is so much more than a search engine for alot of us, myself included. But have you tried Duck Duck Go? Do you opt for "private" sessions when you do searches? Any other search engines you use instead of Google?

When you think of March, the first thing that comes to mind is St. Patrick's day for many I'm sure, or the fact that Daylight Savings Time begins. But you know what's really important?? It's Women's History Month!! What better way to celebrate it than to highlight some amazing women doing BIG things in tech! Morgan DeBaun Morgan DeBaun (Photo: Morgan DeBaun.com Morgan DeBaun is the founder and CEO of Blavity. If you are any part of social media, then you have more than likely clicked on an article or two from this Founder's media platform. Blavity is a venture backed technology and media company focusing on cultivating products and experiences for black millenials. Launched in July 2014, Blavity has grown tremendously, spawning and operating 5 brands, Blavity, Travel Noire, Shadow and Act, 21Ninety, and AfroTech. In July of 2018, Morgan raised 6.5 million in funding for Blavity that she plans to use to expand the engineering team and open a second location for the company. Follow Blavity and Morgan on Instagram @Blavity @MorganDeBaun Valeisha Butterfield Jones Valeisha Butterfield Jones (Photo: www.valeisha.org Valeisha Butterfield Jones is the Global Head of Women and Black Community Engagement for Google. You can't talk tech and not mention Google. She's responsible for strengthening and the inclusion, recruitment and retention practices. She's not new to the diversity and inclusion arena AT ALL...she's been helping Presidential administrations and campaigns, Fortune 100 companies, and countless companies in both the public and private sector for almost 20 years. Did I mention she worked with our forever President, as the National Youth Vote Director for the 2012 Obama for America campaign? Valeisha is a powerhouse, keep up with all she has going on (it's a lot lol) by following her on Instagram @Valeisha Kimberly Bryant Kimberly Bryant If you know me or have been following me for a while, you know I LOVE getting our kids involved in coding, all kids but especially little black girls that look like me. Kimberly Bryant is the founder of Black Girls Code. An organization who's mission "to introduce programming and technology to a new generation of coders, coders who will become builders of technological innovation and of their own futures." Kimberly Bryant has her degree in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt, and sought to address the obvious disparity of women, more specifically black women in STEM fields. BGC has chapters all across the country, Bay Area, Washington, DC, Houston, Boston, Miami, Atlanta and more! Follow what she's up to on Twitter and Instagram Tara Reed Tara Reed Tara Reed is the founder and CEO of Apps without Code. A startup that helps other entrepreneurs launch the app they envision with no knowledge of coding whatsoever. She launched her first app Kollecto without using any code but that doesn't mean she hasn't danced in Silicon Valley before. Tara has worked with Google, Microsoft, and Foursquare on the marketing side. Keep up with her on Instragram @TaraReed_ Mandela Schumacher-Hodge Dixon Mandela Schumacher-Hodge Dixon Mandela Schumacher-Hodge Dixon is the founder of wait for it...Founder Gym. Now what is that you ask? Founder Gym is an online program that works with underrepresented founders to teach them how to raise capital and scale their tech startups. Listen this is needed as there are soo many brilliant ideas but many businesses lack the funding and direction to grow their company. Launching a little over a year ago, Mandela's Founder Gym has helped 170 founders! Want to see what she's up to, follow her on Instagram @Mandelash I personally follow all of these women as a women in tech (Network Control Center Engineer, remember? lol) and I LOVE what they are doing individually and the impact it's making, they didn't ask for a seat at the table they built their own! Make sure you're following them if you aren't already!