Free advertising: I heard from a reader who runs a nonprofit and wants to get the word out. That led me to Google Ad Grants. Qualifying nonprofits get up to $10,000 a month in free search ads. More info here.
5 genius tech tips you’ll use all the time
I read every comment you leave at the end of this newsletter, and one theme always stands out: You want to know all the hidden things your tech can do! Lucky for you, uncovering those “I had no idea!” moments is my superpower. I’m here to teach you the things you didn’t even know you were missing!
🪟 Secret Windows restart trick
Frequent shutdowns can fix most computer issues, but you can try a Shift shutdown to close all processes and apps and clear the RAM completely.
- Hold down Shift before you restart.
- Keep holding it until your PC powers down, then choose Continue when it turns back on.
♻️ Did you know … Windows is more environmentally friendly than macOS? Windows puts your deleted files in the Recycle Bin; macOS just throws them in the Trash. (Bet you never thought of that before!)
🧭 Wipe your location from photos
Your phone stores metadata every time you take a picture, including the date you snapped the photo, your camera settings and even where you were located when the picture was taken. Yikes. Before you share a photo, send that data to the intergalactic bit bucket.
- On iPhone, open the image you want to share and tap the share button (square with an arrow pointing up). Next, select Options and toggle off All Photos Data.
- On Android, open your gallery, select the photo, then go to Details and click Remove location data.
☎️ Fix your phone’s call audio
Let’s say you’re on the phone with a pal, and your background is so noisy that your friend can’t hear you. Good news if you have an iPhone: There’s Voice Isolation mode.
- Place your call, and when your recipient picks up, swipe down from the top right of your screen to access the Control Center.
- At the top of your screen, you should see an orange microphone icon next to the word Phone. Tap that, and you’ll see a separate screen with an Audio & Video option. Scroll to and tap Voice Isolation.
On a Samsung phone, open Settings > Sounds and vibration > Sound quality and effects. Here, you’ll see Adapt sound. You can customize this or choose a preset option. Super easy.
Google alternatives that don’t sell all your data
Google is one of the best examples of “If it’s free, you’re the product.” And its employees, business decisions, stock price, biases and preferences have a big impact on what its “products” (Smile! That’s you and me!) see when we use Google Search.
Forced advertising: Soon, you’ll see ads on Snapchat next to messages from your friends. Sponsored snaps will show as unread messages in the main chat tab, but they won’t trigger push notifications, at least. Snap’s stock price is hovering near an all-time low. This is def not a coincidence.
The first banner ad on a website appeared in 1994. Was it for … A.) AOL, B.) Apple, C.) AT&T or D.) Intel?
Smart ways to make more money and find new customers
Small business owners must build trust, set trends and share their customers’ values. Connecting with customers is one of the most important ways to make money.
Success starts close to home. Before connecting with customers, you must build strong bonds with your teammates. Tap or click here for five leadership secrets every small business owner should know.
Don’t click the ads – Might be malware
When I have a question now, whether it’s finding a recipe or doing math, I’m using AI a lot more than doing a good ol’ Google Search. My go-to is ChatGPT, but Perplexity is useful, too. I often ask both AI bots the same question as a way to double-check things. Google Gemini is a big “meh” to me so far.
🐔 Chick flicks: Chick-fil-A is dreaming up its own streaming platform. Step 1 is family-friendly content like game shows, followed by original series, animation and other licensed content. If it works, think of all the advertising bucks and data they’ll get their hands on.
$1.25 per issue
For a Popular Science magazine in 1978. Old editions like this one were loaded with cigarette promos, limited-run cars like the Jeep Honcho and DIY kits for early home computers like the Sol-20. I always get a kick out of ‘70s ad copy. They just don’t write them like they used to!
⛔ I hate when tech companies do this: Firefox’s new default feature, “privacy-preserving ad measurement,” actually gives your data to advertisers. Turn it off. Click the three-line icon in the top right corner, followed by Settings > Privacy & Security. Scroll to Website Advertising Preferences, and disable Allow websites to perform privacy-preserving ad measurement.
Ad detour: Google Maps is pushing pop-up ads to drivers that appear as notifications, covering the bottom half of the screen. Google says the ads only expand when tapped on and disappear quickly. Still, talk about a distraction.
I miss the bouncing DVD logo: Remember when I told you how YouTube hijacks your TV screensaver with its own videos? Now Amazon’s doing it, too, but it’s way more annoying. When you let your Fire TV fall asleep, it’ll show you a 30-second ad before your screensaver pops up.
🚫 NSFW ads on YouTube: A Redditor spotted ads for a p*rn game. Somehow even worse, the sketchy footage was stolen from a different p*rn game. Talk to the kids about not clicking these ads. Funny how YouTube is slow to remove this kind of garbage but quick to disable ad blockers. Priorities, eh?
53% of kids under 12
Remember ads they’ve seen on YouTube better than ads watched on any other platform. That’s two times better than TV ads! Even crazier, 60% of teens watch the full ads on YouTube instead of skipping. You can thank Google’s world-class ad targeting.
✅ Check out my new website: Komando.com is now full of all kinds of surprises, including 60% less advertising, a search tool that actually works, and better ways to listen to my podcasts and watch my videos. Reply to this email and let me know what you think, or drop a comment when you rate this issue below.
Please go away: When you see an ad you don’t want to see again on Facebook, look in the top right corner of the ad itself. Find the three-dot icon and tap Hide Ad. If only it was that easy to get rid of annoying people.
Is nothing sacred? YouTube is cracking down on ad blockers. If you have one enabled in your browser, YouTube might skip straight to the end of the video you’re attempting to watch, play it without audio or just refuse to load the video altogether. The only fix? Disable your ad blocker for YouTube or pay $13.99 for YouTube Premium. Ugh.
🖨️ Print-happy warning: When you print a doc at FedEx, Staples or UPS, check the fine print. Their policies say they can use whatever you print for advertising or share it with unnamed third parties. No, thanks.