Internet Setup


So you’re ready to use the Internet. Let’s follow these steps. All these apps are social, if you use it you can see what I’m doing on all these apps (the music I listen to, the photos I take, the websites I read)

  1. Download Firefox
  2. Create Gmail account – this is mainly for mailing lists, etc.
    1. Add me as a contact: tfitch at gmail dot com
    2. Get a Gmail Notifier.
    3. Install a Google Reader extension for Firefox, there are several to choose from but this one works for me. I tried Bloglines for a long time, but it ate my saved items on more than one occasion and I can’t trust it.
    4. Use a plus sign (+) to have this one account have multiple addresses.
  3. Subscribe to RSS feeds for sites you like. When you see the RSS logo in the address bar of Firefox just click on it. Then tell it to add it to your Google Reader.
    1. Just for kicks, here are the RSS feeds that I follow if you’re looking for stuff to get you started.  Most of it is pointless and scary.
  4. Create a Facebook account
    1. My link on Facebook.
    2. You’ll be amazed at the old friends you might find on there.
    3. You can use it on your phone or via text message
  5. Create a Twitter account
    1. Connect to Facebook to set status
    2. http://twitter.com/tfitch
    3. You can use it on your phone or via text message.

  6. Create a del.icio.us account – website bookmarking without locking in to one machine or browser

    1. Install Firefox extension
    2. Add it to your Facebook account
  7. Create a Flickr account – online photo sharing
    1. Get a Flickr uploading tool to more easily upload content
    2. Add Flickr images to your Facebook profile. There are more than one, I like this one.
    3. Add me as a contact: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tfitch
  8. Create a StumbleUpon account – helps start some old school web surfing
    1. Install StumbleUpon extension for Firefox
    2. Add Facebook app.
    3. http://tfitch.stumbleupon.com/
  9. Create a Digg account – user generating news feeds
    1. Follow Digg’s RSS feed to get all sorts of headlines. See Step #3 above.
    2. http://digg.com/users/tfitch
  10. Subscribe to the RSS feeds at popurls while you’re at it.
  11. Use iTunes
    1. Find Podcasts to listen to from the iTunes Store. They’re free and on _every_ topic I’ve ever needed!
    2. Install FoxyTunes Firefox extension
  12. Install Handbrake
    1. Easily rips your DVDs (maybe not as easily on a PC, but dead simple on a Mac) for use in iTunes or with AppleTV
  13. Install VLC
    1. It’ll play all your video files
  14. Install Last.fm – Social audio sharing. Tell it what you like, it’ll give you similar content
    1. http://www.last.fm/user/tfitch/