16 Gmail Hacks Every Writer Can Use - The Digital Reader

 Today when Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere, he decided to make a stop at The Digital Reader. With a little digging in the posts our speedy kitty boy found one about Gmail.

 

Site owner Nate Hoffelder has put together sixteen ways to improve your Gmail use. According to the beginning of his post the hacks work with Gmail in the Chrome browser. Each of the sixteen hacks has instructions to use the feature, enable the feature, disable the feature, or add a Chrome extension. The features describe are scheduling an email, pause your email, stop senders from tracking if you open their email, tracking if a recipient opens your email, and twelve more hacks.

 

Do as I say, not as I do.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Stopping people from tracking you opening their email and you tracking people opening your email."

 

Note: This is a huge post. Bring a thermos of tea and six muffins for today's reading selection.

 

To read the post tootle over to Gmail hacks

Blur your home on Maps and erase your data to remove your life from Google's grip - USA Today

 

 

 Today Panzer made a trip to the USA Today site. With a little digging in the posts, our inquisitive kitty found one about deleting Google's data collections about individual users. A few days ago Panzer told you about limiting Amazon's Kindle ereader data collection.

They have all that?

The USA Today's post by Kim Komando explains how to delete the personal data Google has been collecting on you. The post is divided into five sections. Four of the sections explain how to delete various portions of the data collected. There is a section on data collected about your home on Google Maps; one on the data collected about your Google Assistant interactions; one on the data collected about your Google searches; and, finally, one about the data collected about your Chrome use. Each section contains instructions for deleting the data. The fifth section contains instructions about how to receive Alerts about yourself. This is an informative and useful post for anyone who uses Google for anything and you need to read it.

Panzer says, "I'll bet Google Maps even knows where my food dish is."

Note: This is a l-o-n-g post. If you plan to delete all the data Google has collected about you, bring a thermos of tea and twelve muffins.

 

To read the post tootle over to private data on google

 

To read the previous post about Kindle data tracking, tootle over to Kindle ereader

Library Extension Turns Amazon.com Into a Branch of Your Local Library- The Digital Reader

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he decided to make a stop at The Digital Reader site.There with a little digging in the posts he found one about a browser add-on that works with Amazon and libraries.

You can just check it out right at home.

According to The Digital Reader site owner Nate Hoffelder, there's a browser add-on that allows you to use Amazon as a search engine for your local library. The post includes a screen shot to help you use the add-on. It's as easy as going to Amazon and looking at an ebook, then seeing if your library has the book and check the book out from the library.

Panzer says, "Be sure to read the Comments section."

Note: This is a medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection."

To read the post tootle over to library extension

Is Google abandoning Android? - TeleRead

Today's trip into the Catosphere took Panzer to the TeleRead site. There our inquisitive kitty pilot found a post about Google.

Let's watch it together.

According to the post by Chris Meadows, Google hasn't been making any changes to the Android tablets since the Pixel C. The post explores the question of the possibility that Google is switching from Android to Chrome OS for the tablet. It also addresses the lack of business apps for Android. While there's no conclusion or answer to the question in the post's title, it does contain pertinent information about the situation. The post opens with a link to and quotes from a post by Ryan Whitwam.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... This little kitty thinks it will be interesting to see what Google does with Android."

Note: This is a longish-medium length post. Bring half a thermos of tea and two muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to Google

As Apple and Google take aim at ads, publishers tremble - Digiday

It's been a long day. I need a nap.

Today, Panzer got his author proof copy for the print version of Cat Wisdom for humans. He's been busy checking the page layouts and looking for any errors. Our happy little kitty made a quick trip into the Catosphere and stopped in at the Digiday site. With a little digging he found a post about Apple and Google's new ad blockers.

According to the post by Lucia Moses, Apple is adding an ad blocker to their Safari browser. Panzer told you when Google added an ad blocker to their Chrome browser. There are differences in the types of ads the two ad blockers will block. Google's will block ads which don't conform to the group Coalition for Better Ads rules and will charge users a fee if they do want to see ads. Apple's will block autoplay ads. The post includes links to information about both Google and Apple's original announcements about their ad blockers.

Panzer says, "This little kitty hates those autoplay ads."

Note: This is a v-e-r-y l-o-n-g post. Bring a thermos of tea and a half dozen muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to Apple and Google

To read Panzer's earlier post about Google's ad blocker, tootle over Google ad blocker

Google's ad blocker could make it the "judge and jury" of online ads - VICE News

Today Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere just enjoying the relaxing ride. Occasionally, our inquisitive kitty boy finds new and interesting places he's never been before. Today was one of those days. He discovered a site called VICE News. With a little digging around there he found a post about Google's new ad blocker.

Panzer doesn't usually cover news outside the publishing world, but this post has some interesting information in it. According to Noah Kilwin's post, Google will introduce a new ad blocker next year for the Chrome web browser. The ad blocker will block company ads which don't adhere to the rules of a group Google belongs to called the Coalition for Better Ads. Of course, Google will determine which ads don't adhere to the rules and are therefore blocked by the ad blocker. There's also going to be a pay system called Funding Choices where you can pay to receive ads. This post includes several links to other posts about the new ad blocker and the Funding Choices options.

Pay for ads? Why?

Panzer says, "Umm ... I just don't understand humans ... Why would you use an ad blocker with an add on so you can pay to get ads?"

Note: This is a long post. Bring a cup of tea and three muffins for today's reading selection. Bring a thermos of tea and half a dozen muffins if you plan to follow all the links too.

To read the post, tootle over to Google ad blocker

Authors: Have You Blabbed or Scoped yet? - The Book Designer

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he saw some strange images flickering around outside the Panzermobile. Our big brave kitty pilot followed the ghostly sights to The Book Designer site.

According to a post there by Frances Caballo, those images Panzer was seeing in the Catosphere came from the apps Periscope and Blab. Turns out these two are new broadcast apps. You can live-stream videos of yourself and others. Periscope works on the iPhone or Android and Blab works with Chrome or the iPhone. Caballo included instructions for downloading and using the apps.

Thinking about it makes me tired.

Panzer says, "My time in between naps is already full. There's no time left to learn anything new."

Note: This is an extremely l-o-n-g post. You'll need a thermos of tea and a half-dozen muffins.

To read the post, tootle over to Blabbed and Scoped

Make a Soundtrack to Your Book Using Booktrack - GalleyCat

Booktrack?

Panzer was over at GalleyCAT today.  He's been researching what's involved in adding music to an ebook.

My bad boy found a post at GalleyCAT that has a link to a YouTube video about Booktrack. It turns out Booktrack gives you the ability to add not only music, but sound effects to wherever you want in your ebook.

Our traveling cat captain took the Panzermobile over to  the Booktrack site to check it out on his own. He learned Booktrack works with Google Chrome, Opera, and Firefox. (Sorry Internet Explorer users.) There are several links to tutorials for YouTube videos at the site to help you use the service.

If you want to read the GalleyCAT post about Booktrack, tootle over to
Make a Soundtrack to Your Book Using Booktrack - GalleyCat

If you want to jump right into the Booktrack site, tootle over to Booktrack.