Staying Connected During the Summer Rush

From our provider:

Rate This Article

0 Comments

With summer quickly approaching, friends and family will have plenty to celebrate! Graduations will kick off the festivities in May and continue through June; weddings will begin hogging calendars on back-to-back weekends; and summertime birthday parties are a dime a dozen! And lets not forget vacations, babys first step or the 8 year-olds first trial on a bike without training wheels. No matter what the activity is, there will be plenty of memories to capture and treasure. Today, parents can go beyond just picture-taking by upgrading to video and interactive media tools. With tons of low cost (or even free) services offering ways to show off homemade videos or establish an online photo album, the Internet is helping loved ones connect and share key moments with each other 24-hours a day.

With the resources available, even the most tech-challenged parent can easily learn how to digitize images, create videos, develop a Web site and share all of it with loved ones. Sometimes certain events arent open to everyone, like a graduation where five tickets just isnt enough to bring along Aunt Mary and Uncle Joe. A wireless connection will be the "golden ticket" for broadcasting the event live for the rest of your friends and family.

As a Geek Squad agent and father of two, Im already preparing myself and my computer for the upcoming summer events. From the kids graduations to the summer parties my wife will be dragging me to, my computer and software need to be ready for the massive amount of uploads and time Im about to spend online. With proper set up and networking, Ill be able to broadcast and share all of this summers memorable moments.

Geek Squad offers the following tips on how to use technology to capture your action-packed summer: Get connected. Be wireless. Get personal.

Establish your network: If you dont have an Internet connection yet, or are looking to go wireless at home, youll need a high-speed modem (i.e. DSL, Cable) and a router for starters. To go wireless, youll need a wireless router and either a desktop with a wireless Network Interface Card (NIC), or a wireless-enabled laptop.

A wireless network means you can access the Internet without the restrictions of wires, turning a laptop into an on-the-go movie studio or the worlds largest photo album.
You can "unwire" whatever you need, from a single laptop to a multi-computer home office so that capturing memories can happen whether youre playing catch in the front yard or doing cannonballs in the pool.

Get the tools you need: If youre going the digital family tree route, youll need to pick up a Webcam or digital camcorder to make your family album.

If video or photo editing on your computer is sluggish, adding more memory could help.
Run a virus scan and spyware check to make sure your computer is clean and all its resources are going where they should.
Install a digital music or digital video applications to bring your family memories to life.

Share those special moments with family and friends. So youve successfully completed your album or video of little Mikeys graduation - now what? If youre ready to share the album or video with out-of-town Aunt Nelly, check out the following sites and upload for free:

Pickle: www.pickle.com
DropShots: www.dropshots.com
Famster: www.famster.com
MyPhotoAlbum: www.myphotoalbum.com
MotionBox: www.motionbox.com

When done properly, you can share videos and photos with every family member who has a computer and internet connection and keep out the unwanted public eye at the same time.
Back up EVERYTHING: You dont want to spend weeks editing your video or resizing photos only to have everything vanish from a computer crash. Back up everything frequently, and in multiple places.