Lorenz, Joan F.. Click 2: to Your Pathway.

Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc. 2006. c115p. ISBN 978-0-8059-7105-7. $13.00. ISBN 978-1-4349-4980-6. Sony e-Book. $8.00.

Are you always misplacing or forgetting your Internet logins, usernames, ids, and/or passwords? Perhaps you have attempted to keep track of this information, but have failed to find a good way of organizing it? In this computer password logbook and Internet address book, Lorenz, a resident of New Jersey, who has worked for thirty-five years in the food industry, attempts to help you work “smarter, not harder, in your professional” and/or personal lives by creating an “easy-to-access storage place for your passwords” for “computer programs and other things.” (Publisher’s synopsis) Including a brief one-page “don’t and do,” two lined pages for documenting your favorite websites, and a page of suggestions for passwords, this directory is arranged alphabetically. Each lettered section is four pages and consists of variously labeled entries in which you can record the Date, Program, ID, User Name, and/or Password(s). Each lettered section includes four different types of entries. The four types of entries enable you to log the following information by entry:

1. Date, Program, ID, User Name, Password; or
2. Date, Program, Password, Program, Password; or
3. Date, Program, User Name, Password, Password, Password; or
4. Program, Password;

The first and third types of entries are repeated twice per lettered section, whereas the second is featured once and the fourth is reproduced ten times. While this product evidences the author’s thoughtful attempt at helping you stay organized in the computer age, its presentation and design are improvable. Firstly, the multiple types of entries and their purposes may need to be explained in a brief introduction. Secondly, the labels in the entries may need to be revised to better reflect changes in the computer world and on the Internet. Thirdly, all the pages of this directory should be numbered. Only some pages are numbered. All pages of this directory also should be lettered. Only the first pages of lettered sections are lettered. Fourthly, the title and subtitle of this organizer could be better chosen to explicitly set forth its purposes. Finally, this directory ideally should be published as a World Wide Web application, in an expandable, printed format (ex. loose-leaf binder), and/or as downloadable, editable computer applications or documents that can be used on a variety of computers and mobile devices. Whereas some individuals may find this printed organizer helpful, others may not. This product is not recommended for libraries for a variety of reasons, many, but not all, of which are mentioned above. Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book as a member of the Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team. Visit Dorrancebookstore.com to learn how you can become a member of the Book Review Team. Availability: Amazon.com, Dorrance Bookstore, Sony Reader Store

Hultin, Lisa and Hultin, Claire. Love, Sex & Deception: the Chronicles of Online Dating. (Book Review)

Morgan James Publishing. 2010. c.218p. ISBN 978-1-60037-775-4. $17.95.

In light of the fact that online dating has moved into the mainstream, with more than 800 dating sites and 60 million subscribers (p. 4), this publication written by a daughter and mother, who have dated online, compared notes, and “actually survived!” is timely and relevant. By Lisa Hultin (B.A., Telecommunications, Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia; freelance writer, Tao Entertainment and LoveSexandDeception.com), a resident of Atlanta, Georgia, and Claire Hultin (freelance writer, Tao Entertainment; author of The Doctrine of Lucid Dreaming; writer of socio-political excerpts for Srilankaguardian.org; founder of www.dreaminglucidly.com; owner of Electronic Novelties, LLC), a resident of Los Angeles, California, it purports to be an entertaining read as well as an informative guide consisting of stories, advice, tips, and tricks for online daters and others. It also is intended to serve as a “‘comfort book’” for persons who may be in “‘dating limbo,’” while experiencing the cyber world of online dating. (p. 1) Covering online dating as well as in-person dating, since many online dating experiences evolve in the latter, it is organized into themed chapters covering the “new frontier,” sexuality online, dates who lie, college kids and online dating, disaster dates, scammers, illegal activities, swingers, manners, good protocol, and more. Each chapter includes an introduction written by the authors, their commentary and responses, as well as online dating stories contributed by individuals, most of whom are women and many of whom reside in larger cities in the United States, not limited to Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York. Presenting eye-opening views of what daters most likely will encounter when they plunge into cyber dating, the contributions are real, anecdotal, seemingly truthful, and sometimes emotionally evocative. They cover the gamut of online dating experiences. From them, you may learn how to protect your affections, trust, and time, positive strategies for finding true love and avoiding deception as well as the do’s and don’ts of online and in-person dating. While this book is entertaining and to some extent informative and educational, it needs better documentation and presentation. Firstly, in some cases, the stories only are signed with contributors’ first names and locations. In other cases, contributions are anonymous or signed with first names only. While this obviously protects the identities of storywriters and encourages their more complete and truthful disclosures, confessions, and recollections, it also leaves readers in the precarious position of having to judge whether what they are reading is in fact “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,” as they would say in a law court. Secondly, this book lacks footnotes or endnotes, a bibliography, and an index, all of which should have been included for readers. Finally, it includes many spelling errors. Written by authors who have gained their expertise from firsthand experiences and including contributions by participants, it mainly will interest readers who have experienced online dating or want to learn more about it. Not a reference book or how-to-manual, it is recommended as a supplementary resource for many public libraries, particularly for those found in large and medium-sized cities, where the online dating and in-person dating scenes may be more active and developed. Review copy. Availability: Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com

Papafagos, Diane. An Easy Computer Guide for Seniors and Beginners.

RoseDog Books. 2005. c.108p. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-8059-9407-0. $13.00. ISBN 978-0-8059-9407-0. $8.00 (E-book).

In this computer guide, intended for seniors and beginners, now retired Papafagos, with over twenty-four years of experience working with computers at Sweet Home Schools in Amherst, New York, The Research Triangle Institute in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and Lockheed Martin in Rivera Beach, Florida, introduces readers to computers, word processing, the Internet, and e-mail by means of easy-to-understand instructions and short, graphic dialogue boxes displayed in a step-by-step manner. Using the Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system and Microsoft Word, the author covers the aforementioned subjects in forty-one, brief chapters, averaging 2 pages each. In the first two sections of her publication, which comprise almost three quarters of her book, Papafagos sets forth information on the Windows operating system and word processing. She discusses numerous topics, not limited to computer hardware and maintenance, navigating within Windows, changing settings, the control panel, keyboarding shortcuts, formatting documents, saving, editing, and printing documents, working with multiple programs or documents, and manipulating computer files. In the last twenty or thirty pages, the author then proceeds to cover the Internet, searching the Internet, and Email. Her chapter on email is the longest one in the book at eleven pages, but it is not necessarily the best. It presents information on composing email, sending, receiving, replying to, and forwarding email, using the address book, uploading and downloading attachments, chat rooms, message boards, and newsgroups. While this publication has many features that make it a good guide for beginners, it also has other characteristics that limit its effectiveness and usefulness. Concise, clear, well-written, and adequately- illustrated, it also is slightly disorganized, outdated, and in need of additional content. The author needs to consider revising the order of the chapters so a more intuitive approach is taken. She should consider grouping chapters by sections and moving some chapters such as the one on “Internet Favorites” to appendices. Papafagos needs to adopt standard book publishing conventions, including a table of contents, sections, and numbered chapters. She needs to redo the index and reorganize it so that index terms do not consist of chapter headings beneath which subheadings are found. Index terms should be keywords that are filed alphabetically. The author also needs to update this edition to cover newer operating systems, software programs, and Internet applications. A chapter on Microsoft Excel would be useful. Papafagos may need to modify the book’s title or include more content for seniors. Its current title is slightly misleading since the book has not been customized for older readers. Finally, the author needs to include screenshots that are better labeled, a back-of-the book glossary of computer terms, a select bibliography, and appendices. This reference guide by an experienced computer professional will best serve readers who only possess basic computer skills and are learning computers on older operating systems and by means of older software packages. In need of reorganization, updating, and revision, it is not recommended for libraries. Review Copy. Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book as a member of the Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team. Visit dorrancebookstore.com to learn how you can become a member of the Book Review Team. Availability: RoseDog Books