How To

How to back up your hosted WordPress site

When was the last time you backed up your hosted WordPress site? Your host likely backs up the entire server on a regular basis, but it's a good idea to keep your own local backups, just in case.

To properly back up your WordPress site, you need to back up all your WordPress files and your database. Here's how to manually back up your hosted WordPress site:

WordPress files

Step 1: Using an FTP program like FileZilla, connect to your blog host (GoDaddy, BlueHost, DreamHost, etc.) with your FTP username and password.

Step 2: After establishing a connection, … Read more

How to automate your digital life

If you use more than one networked service, the odds are good that at some point you've caught yourself repeating an action one time too many and wishing you could tell the Internet to do it for you. Maybe you want an easier way to import a feed into Facebook, or you want to ping a friend every time you star something in Google Reader, or maybe you want a text reminder to call your mom every Friday at 3 p.m.

IfThisThenThat (IfTTT) lets you create automatically triggered actions based on a wide range of networked services. It … Read more

How to create a Google+ vanity URL

Google+ is fresh, and you might already be wondering how to point friends and family to your profile. But unlike Facebook and Twitter, Google doesn't offer vanity URLs, leaving you with a lengthy and hard-to-memorize profile link, like https://plus.google.com/111601729473858041964/.

Get on board with Gplus.to instead--it's a service that shortens your Google+ profile into a simple, memorable link. In this How To, CNET's Brian Tong shows you how.

How to import, invite Facebook friends to Google+

While you're settling into Google+, you might notice that it's a little lonely without your friends.

Since most of your friends are currently on Facebook (and might not even know about Google+), you'll need to help them make the switch.

Here's how: 

Step 1: Log into your Yahoo Mail account. If you don't have one yet, create one. Then, head to the "Contacts" tab in the mail dashboard. Click "Import contacts" and then select the Facebook icon in the next screen. You'll be asked to authorize the connection.

Yahoo … Read more

How to check in to multiple location services with one click

Locator services like Foursquare are fun and more addictive than they seem at first glance, even though checking in repeatedly can be a pain. Often, users resist new services because the notion of doubling or tripling the number of check-ins makes us want to just stay home--but Checkin King makes life easier for Android-using location loggers. Here's how to get started: 

Install and run the Checkin King app, then read and accept the license agreement. (The developers have a short batch of questions for you, but you can skip ahead if you like.) Select the services you … Read more

How to post a blog feed to Facebook

If you've got your own blog and a Facebook account, you've no doubt thought about merging them at some point. Facebook is understandably nervous about users flooding their friends with endless content streams, so each user is limited to one imported blog, and it's not easy to get to the starting point. Here's how you can do it:

Find the RSS feed for your blog. This is pretty easy; you can usually find it on the page by looking for the orange and white feed icon or the words "Subscribe" or "Follow" … Read more

How to disable Gmail's automatic contact creation

Gmail is set up to create a new contact for each e-mail you send. However, there are times when this can be more of a hassle than a handy tool. For instance, if you are replying to a lot of Craigslist ads for different pieces of furniture to put in your new apartment, your contacts list will likely get cluttered with nonsense e-mail addresses. Luckily there is an easy option that you can readily toggle off and on to control this feature of Gmail. Here's how:

Step 1: Log in to Gmail.

Step 2: Open the "Mail settings&… Read more

7 Google+ essentials

Adopting a new social network like Google+ is taxing enough--re-adding friends, creating "Circles", adjusting privacy settings, etc.--so learning to navigate can be a bit overwhelming. 

Luckily, we did the heavy lifting for you. Here are seven Google+ basics you should learn:

1. Bold, italics, and strikethough. Do you miss the funky fonts and formatting you had in MySpace? Neither do we. Google+, however, gifts you with three simple formatting tricks: *bold*, _italics_, and -strikethough-.

2. Tag friends in posts. Get a friend's attention in a post by tagging them. Type "+" or "@&… Read more

5 little-known Gmail tips and tricks

Think you've mastered your Gmail? Here are five Gmail tips and tricks that you may not know about:

Tip 1: Select multiple messages Tired of clicking individual messages but don't want to select all of them? Select the first message in the set, hold the shift key, then select the last message of the set.

Tip 2: Bypass the blank message prompt Do you send messages where the subject is the entire message? Then you're familiar with the prompt asking you if you're sure you want to send the message without text in the body. To … Read more