Hey, Friday people! You’re here, you’re ready, and I’ve got tech tips and tricks to make life better. Be sure to use those share icons to spread tech smarts to all those around you. Let’s do this.

⌛ Quick tip: Don’t be a sucker and waste your hard-earned money on buying extended warranties for your electronics. Most devices and TVs will break within the first 90 days. Otherwise, they’ll probably fail after around five years. Now, you know! — Kim

Let’s get right to the elephant in the room: Your content could be the reason there’s a lack of likes on what you post on social media. Sorry, but blurry pics and shaky videos aren’t appealing to anyone — even your best friends and close family.

"But Kim! I follow all your tips for better pics." Good start, but there’s another mistake you may be making — posting at the wrong time. So, when’s the best time to post so people actually see your stuff?

This all applies whether you’re using social media just for fun or relying on it for your business. If you know someone who owns a small biz, be sure to pass this along!

‘Primetime’ for every channel

Facebook: Weekdays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Wednesday posts should get the most eyeballs. Weekends and outside of normal business hours are the lowest engagement times.

LinkedIn: Weekdays during business hours, especially lunchtime between noon and 1 p.m. Bonus points for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

X (formerly Twitter): Weekdays during business hours (see a theme here?), with the best performance reported between noon and 3 p.m. Also, Wednesday and Friday are the biggest days.

Instagram: Plot twist! Weekdays during off-work hours. Go for lunchtime, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., or in the evening between 7 and 9 p.m. Like X, Wednesday and Friday are the highest-engagement days here, too.

It’s not just time

News flash: There are enough rants online, so yours isn’t getting traction. Here are a few of my favorite ways to get people talking, sharing and liking:

• Ask a question. People love talking about themselves!
• Use built-in tools like polls and Q&As.
• Social media is, first and foremost, very visual. Canva is a simple way to make graphics. So many free templates!
• Video content is hot, hot, hot, and I don’t mean those videos. Just make sure your camera is stable and you have enough natural light so things aren’t shadowy. A cheap tripod does wonders if your videos are shaky.
• A little humor goes a long way. Perhaps you’ve noticed my incredible jokes. Yes, I know they make you groan — but you smile, too, right? You can also try telling a story. For instance, my niece tried coffee for the first time the other day. She said, "This tastes like dirt!" I told her it was ground that morning.

👻 Now, are you ghosting me on social? Here are direct links so you can quickly follow me: Facebook, X and Instagram.

🚦 Find the traffic lights. You won’t have to prove you’re a human anymore. Chrome and Edge are working on a way that will know if you’ve solved a CAPTCHA before, allowing you to bypass the puzzle. If robots can’t identify stop signs or traffic lights in CAPTCHA images, maybe self-driving cars are truly a bad idea.

Pull a switcheroo: First-gen Nest cam owners (that would be me!) can finally manage their devices through the Google Home app. Older cams had to use the original Nest app. A simple 10-minute switch will let you move from the old app to Google Home. Finally.

Blue-screen blues: A recent Windows 11 update is giving some folks the dreaded blue screen of death — don’t download it. If you have an MSI motherboard and you’ve already installed it, here’s a fix. Hint: You’ll need to revert to a previous BIOS. Fun times.

🧵 Holding on by a Thread: Let the world rejoice. Meta’s Threads (Twitter rival) just released a web version of the platform. It's now live. I tried it and stopped using it, like the other 100 million signups. It’s a loser, like Zuckerberg’s metaverse.

Stretching the limits: Dropbox is ending its unlimited plan after some got creative with crypto mining and reselling storage. Now, the Dropbox Advanced plan offers 15TB for three licenses — enough for 100 million docs or 7,500 hours of HD video. It’ll cost ya $24 per user per month. Actually, that’s cheap for all that cloud storage.

I make the complex world of tech simple and approachable. From explaining the latest gadgets in plain English to offering easy-to-follow cybersecurity advice, I’ve got you covered.

👉 Tech understanding is just a click away!

💻 See their screen: TeamViewer remote-access software lets you connect to any PC so you can fix it like you’re sitting in front of it. This is incredibly helpful for troubleshooting. Only use it with people you trust, and never download it if someone on the phone, text or email tells you to.

iPhone’s epilepsy setting: It detects flashing lights that trigger seizures onscreen and dims the video automatically. To enable, go to Settings > Accessibility > Motion and switch on Dim Flashing Lights. Pretty neat. 

I take it back: You now have a whole 15 minutes to edit WhatsApp messages. Say something you regret? Undo it. Plus, it won’t show what you edited. I’m so mad at you I’m fine.

Go away: Say you have a ton of emails from a company (or person) you no longer want to hear from. Search for the email address in the search bar and delete them all at once. In Gmail, hit the Select all conversations option at the top of the page, then tap the Trash icon. Bye!

🆓 You need antivirus (AV) software: I like free stuff. I know you do, too. But using free security software isn’t the best decision. Here’s how to pick the best AV software.

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❓ Have a question for me? Drop it right here, or leave me a voicemail at 602‑381‑8200 ext. 290.

Angry IP Scanner (Who comes up with these product names?) keeps track of everything connected to your network. It scans for IP addresses and other information about the devices connected. It helps troubleshoot tech issues and catch hackers or moochers since it pinpoints unknown or suspicious devices.

Download it here. →

😂 Froot Loops is adding marshmallows to its cereal like Lucky Charms. I guess toucan play that game!

Thanks for being here, friend. See you Sunday for my special weekend edition, including a recipe I can’t wait to make. Summer tomatoes? Yes, please!

And don't forget — you can always reply to this email if there's something specific you'd like me to delve into. I make it a point to go through each message! — Kim