Being there (K2 #85)

Question of the Week
I discovered that Facebook only allows changing a Page’s name if you are in the United States. How can I do that without leaving Bhutan?
— Namgay Zam, Thimphu

Answer
Dear Namgay,

Facebook’s policy is annoyingly discriminating against non-Americans, but luckily – as is often the case – there’s a workaround. First, how do the folks at Facebook know your location? Whenever we access a website, the server on the other end sees our “IP address” – a unique number assigned by the Internet Service Provider to our computer or smartphone. The IP address discloses our location in the same way that someone calling from India will have her phone number displayed as starting with 91. So, when Facebook (or any other website) sees, for example, a DrukNet-assigned IP address, it knows that you are in Bhutan. Open any browser and visit www.WhatIsMyIP.com to watch this in action.

One way to fool Facebook into thinking that you are in the USA is to use a proxy server, which acts as an intermediary on your behalf. You connect your browser to a proxy server (which “happens” to be in the USA), and the proxy server then connects to Facebook; the latter sees the IP address of the proxy server. The sad news is that finding and working with free proxy servers is a major hassle.

Luckily, there’s another option: you can use the free software called Tor (The Onion Router). This software was originally designed to protect the identity of the user, including concealing the user’s location. When using Tor, your information is first encrypted many times, then passed on via many randomly-selected relays around the world. Each relay only “peels” one layer of encryption (hence the Onion metaphor), until the original data reaches the destination. By the time the data reaches Facebook, your original IP address is long gone, and Facebook only sees the IP address of the last relay (also known as the exit node).

To start using Tor, visit goo.gl/AkrVGL, then download and install the Tor Bundle Package. Launch the Tor browser by double-clicking the Start Tor Browser app in the Tor Browser directory. Once the browser is open, visit www.WhatIsMyIP.com and check the displayed country; this is the random country where the exit node is located. Any site you use will now think that you are in that country instead of Bhutan! Since you want Facebook to think that you are in the United States, the last piece in the puzzle is to force Tor to use a USA-based exit node. This is done by using a text editor (Notepad for Windows, TextEdit for Mac) and adding the following line, exactly as written, to the torrc file inside the Tor Browser\Data\Tor directory:

ExitNodes {us}

This tells Tor to use an exit node in the USA. Now, re-launch the Tor browser, go to facebook.com, and voilà – you should now be able to change your Page’s name!

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Readers are encouraged to submit technology-related questions to boaz@thimphutech.com

Detachment and Liberation (K2 #83)

Question of the Week 
I feel that Facebook is bad for me and I want to delete my account. How do I do that?
— Facebook addict

Answer
Dear Facebookaholic,

There’s a small but growing trend of people quitting Facebook. Some are worried about their online privacy. Many find that using the social network depresses them. Yet others are worried that they spend way too many hours chatting or playing Candy Crash instead of spending face-to-face time with their family and real friends. Whatever the reason, leaving Facebook is not difficult.

Initially, you may want to deactivate your account. What does deactivation mean? When you deactivate your account, your timeline disappears immediately. Your friends will no longer be able to find your information, photos or old posts. Deactivation is reversible — all your information is still stored on Facebook’s servers. If indeed you want to deactivate your account, click on the account menu at the top right, select Settings, then Security at the left column, then click Deactivate your account. One caveat: if you administer any Facebook groups (or events), your admin status in those groups (or events) will not be automatically restored upon reactivation.

As long as you keep away from Facebook, your account will remain inactive. To reactivate it, simply log back into Facebook. That’s it - you are back in the trap, with all your status updates, photos, and old friends (unless they happen to “unfriend” you).

Deactivation can be a good way to test the waters and see if you can survive without Facebook. If you decide that that’s it - you are 100% sure - you can go the whole hog and permanently delete the account. This can be done by visiting www.facebook.com/help/delete_account. Before you do that, however, you might want to “liberate” your information that is stored on Facebook’s servers, including those unforgettable Pattaya photos, by downloading the entire archive of your account content including photos, wall posts, and more to your computer. To download the archive, click on the account menu at the top right, select Settings, find and click Download a copy of your Facebook data, and follow the instructions.

Many heavy Facebook users admit that even a 30-day “detox” period has tremendous benefits. Perhaps its worth giving it a try.

Facebook edits (K2 #72)

Question of the Week
I just noticed that I made a mistake in a Facebook status that I wrote. Can I fix it or is it there forever?
— Chimi, housewife in Thimphu

Answer
Dear Chimi,

You’re in luck! Up until recently, there was no way to edit posts. While comments to a post could be edited, Facebook did not allow editing the posts themselves. So once you updated your status, there was no way to fix any errors or add information to your status. The only way out of a mistake would be to delete a post, but that would also delete all the witty comments and all those precious “likes” that your post accumulated. Users therefore often decided to keep the post and live with the embarrassment.

A couple of weeks ago, however, Facebook made the change that many users have been waiting for. You can now edit any post, from the browser or from the Facebook app on Android. The Facebook app for iOS will have this feature “soon”. Your guess about “soon” is as good as mine.

To edit a post from your browser, hover the mouse above the post. You will see a small icon of a pencil or arrow at the top-right side of the post. Click on the icon, then select ‘Edit’ or ‘Edit Post’. You will then be able to edit the post - add, delete, and change text - to your liking. Once you’re finished, click on ‘Done Editing’. The post will now show a small link with the title ‘Edited’. When you (or anyone else who can view the post) clicks that link, the complete version history of the post will be shown. This means that savvy users can still find your original mistake if they look really hard...

Similarly, from the Android app, click on the small arrow at the top-right side of the post, then select ‘Edit Post’. Make your desired change, then click on ‘Save’. That’s it.


Some users fear that editing a post can cause trouble. For example, say you leave a comment on a post that your friend wrote. Later, your friend edits the original post in a way that makes your comment look irrelevant, or even foolish. Still, the advantages are probably worth that risk. Or at least, Facebook seems to think so.

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Readers are encouraged to submit technology-related questions to boaz@thimphutech.com

Online Marketing (K2 #69)

Question of the Week 
How can I use online marketing to promote my services?
– A new entrepreneur in Thimphu

Answer
Dear entrepreneur,

Online marketing is indeed a powerful tool. Let’s start with the obvious: Facebook. The world’s largest social network is very popular in Bhutan – there are around 118,000 accounts in the Kingdom – and so a free Facebook page for your new venture is a natural place to start your experiments with online marketing. Go to www.facebook.com/pages/create and follow the instructions. Add your business information, then invite your friends to “Like” the page. Make sure that you regularly update the page with relevant photos and new posts – a stale page is as attractive as a dusty display window.

You can also experiment with Twitter (twitter.com). Although the number of tweeple (Twitter people) in Bhutan is still relatively small, many of them are social influencers and can help spread the word. Linking your two accounts (Facebook and Twitter) will make sure that Facebook posts also appear on Twitter, saving you work (facebook.com/twitter).

If you have earmarked some real money for marketing – and have access to an international credit or debit card – you can increase your visibility using online ads. Facebook advertising (facebook.com/advertising) is one popular option. People see these ads when they use Facebook. You can target a specific audience, for example Bhutanese users (in case your business is for the local market) or any other country or countries (for example, if you are a tour operator). Another popular option is Google Ads, which appear when people search for information on Google, but they are more complicated to set up (google.com/adwords). Barring international payment cards, your best bet is advertising on popular local websites, such as KuenselOnline.com or thebhutanese.bt.

Lastly, here are a few more tools to consider. Mass email and online forums can be helpful, but use with care, as spamming will create a negative effect. Online surveys (surveymonkey.com) are a low-cost way of conducting market research before launching your business. And while not exactly “online” marketing, taking advantage of B-Mobile’s Cell Broadcast Service can help your message reach the 80% who are not online.

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Readers are encouraged to submit technology-related questions to boaz@thimphutech.com

Facebook Woes (K2 #66)

Question of the Week
Someone posted inappropriate contents on my Facebook wall. How do I get rid of it?
— M.B.M., Thimphu

Answer
Getting rid of a nasty post made by a “friend” on your Facebook timeline (previously called the wall) is easy. First, go to your timeline and find the offensive post. Move your mouse over the post, and a small icon which looks like a pencil will show up at the top-right area of the post. Click on that pencil, and select “Delete”. You’re done. If you get many of these posts which you need to delete, here’s one solution: there’s a simple setting for banning your friends from posting on your timeline. First, click on the gear icon at the top-right area of the screen. Select “Account settings”. Next, on the column on the left side, click on “Timeline and Tagging”. Look for the option “Who can post on your timeline?”, and change the setting from “Friends” to “Only Me”. You won’t have to worry about unwanted posts on your timeline. The downside: no one will be able post “happy birthday” posts on your timeline...

Question of the Week 
I noticed that people are posting a special message on Facebook that protects their privacy. How does it work?
— Norbu, Thimphu

Answer
This “privacy” post (see image) has been circulating on Facebook for a few years, in one form or the other. The message uses fancy legal talk, such as “The violation of privacy can be punished by law (UCC 1-308 - 1 1 308-103 and the Rome Statute)” and other such blabbering, which convinces many innocent users to keep spreading the message by posting it on their own timeline. However, this is a bogus message; nothing you post on Facebook can change your privacy agreement with Facebook. As we have heard in the news recently, any material you post on Facebook can be potentially shared with the government of the USA. The only way to protect your privacy on Facebook? Keep private information to yourself and never post it online.

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Readers are encouraged to submit technology-related questions to boaz@thimphutech.com

Managing Facebook (K2 #56)

Question of the Week
My Facebook page is packed with so many photos of cats from some of my friends. Is there a way to prevent these photos but without unfriending my friends?
— Tsewang D., Paro

Answer
Dear Tsewang,

*

 

*

Facebook tries to put the most interesting, relevant, or important posts from your friends at the top of your Facebook News Feed, but obviously their system is not perfect. The News Feed can quickly become overwhelming with tons of cat photos, baby photos, or the latest status updates from MBK mall in Bangkok...

Luckily, Facebook has options to control the amount and type of information that lands in your News Feed, without the need to unfriend your cat-adoring acquaintances. The easiest option is to completely hide a friend from your News Feed. It’s easy to do: Just go to the friend’s page, click on the Friends button on the top-right (the button with the check mark), and a menu will pop up with a “Show in News Feed” option. If you uncheck this option, you will stop seeing any posts from this friend in your News Feed. Don’t worry - your unsuspecting friend will not be aware of that! Alternatively, you can fine-tune the information you see from your friend. Just click on the Settings option (below the “Show in News Feed” option), and a second menu will pop up. This sub-menu will allow you to decide how often you want to see posts from this friend (All Updates, Most Updates, Only Important), and which types of posts (Life Events, Status Updates, Photos, and more). One small shortcut: Instead of going to your friend’s page, you can also hover the mouse cursor above a friend’s name in your News Feed and wait a second or two for the menu to pop up.

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Readers are encouraged to submit technology-related questions to boaz@thimphutech.com

Getting alerts (K2 #55)

Question of the Week
I noticed that one of my Facebook friends is always the first to find and post links to interesting news and articles about Bhutan. How does she do that? Is she constantly using Google to find the new content?
— Raj K. in Thimphu

Answer
Dear Raj,

No, there is no need to keep searching the web. Let me reveal the secret: Google Alerts. This free service by Google allows subscribers to get an email whenever new content that matches predefined keywords becomes available on the web.

Google Alerts is very easy to use. Go to alerts.google.com, enter the keywords (for example, climate change, bhutan, lionel messi, or gross national happiness), select what kind of results you are interested in (news articles, blog posts, and more), how often you would like to be notified (instantly, once a day, or once a week), and how many results you want to handle (only the best, or all results). Finally, click Create Alert. That’s it. From now on, you will receive an email when newly-created web content matches the criteria. You can create up to 1000 alerts, and manage these alerts using the Manage your alerts button.

Better 3G Reception

Bhutan Telecom recently changed the frequency used for their 3G service from 2100 MHz to 850 MHz. The lower the frequency, the better a signal can penetrate through obstacles. In an urban environment, where there are buildings and walls, 850 MHz has better coverage than 2100 MHz. We can expect better reception and higher data rates following this shift.

When buying a smartphone or data card, it’s a good idea to check whether it supports multiple frequencies (also known as bands). The four most common frequencies are 850, 900, 1900, and 2100 MHz. A quad-band phone is one that supports all four frequencies, and will thus work almost anywhere in the world.

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Readers are encouraged to submit technology-related questions to boaz@thimphutech.com

Internet in Bhutan crawls. What's going on?

Ever since Sunday morning, Internet in Bhutan has been patchy. International websites either load very slowly, or do not load at all.

I could not find any updates by DrukNet on their website (www.druknet.bt) or their Facebook page. And the most recent tweet by @bhutan_telecom is "Missed Call Alert is soon gonna be launched........good news for customers...".

So what's happening here? One can only guess. There are currently two international gateways from Bhutan: P/Ling and Gelephu. According to my cursory examination, the Gelephu gateway has been displaying erratic behavior starting yesterday, but for some reason traffic was kept being routed to both gateways. Destinations that were routed via P/ling (e.g., twitter.com) were doing much better than those routed via P/Ling (e.g., google.com).

At around 9:10 this morning (Monday) all traffic started flowing via P/ling, so hiccups should be less frequent. On the other hand, it means increased load on the only operational gateway.

Business Website (K2, #46)

Question of the Week 
I am starting a business and I need a website, so what are my options?
-- Sompel Tashi, Thimphu

Answer
Dear Sompel,

Your options depend on the type of business you have in mind. For a small, local business, a Facebook page often suffices. It is simple to create and maintain, totally free, and offers good exposure as most Internet users in Bhutan are active on Facebook. The page can include basic information such as opening hours and phone numbers as well as photos and events. By “Like”ing your page, users will get your updates on their news feed. Examples of local businesses using Facebook pages are Radio Valley, the Folk Heritage Restaurant, and Junction Bookstore. To start, go to facebook.com/pages and click “Learn more about Pages” or “create your own”. Once you have enough fans, visit facebook.com/username to claim your own ‘vanity’ Facebook address (such as facebook.com/TheMomoFactory).

If your business is facing customers outside Bhutan, or you need more than what Facebook has to offer, you will need a “real” website. There are some fantastic, free and secure services that will host as well as help you build and update your website. Examples are Google Sites (sites.google.com), Yola (yola.com), Wix (wix.com) and WordPress (WordPress.com). No IT degree is necessary to use these services, although it usually helps to sport some gusto and computer savviness. To compare the various offerings, visit goo.gl/1bwDk.

Tip of the Week

Apple’s newly announced iPhone 5 uses a nano-SIM card, which is smaller and thinner than the micro-SIM used by the iPhone 4, which in turn is smaller - but not thinner - than the full-size SIM sold by B-Mobile and TashiCell.

If you are fantasizing about using an iPhone 5 in Bhutan, wait until it is confirmed that a standard SIM can be cut down to fit the tiny iPhone 5 socket. 

There is also a possibility that our local mobile operators will procure nano-SIMs. For updates on using the iPhone 5 in Bhutan, check out my blog at ThimphuTech.com

If you are not comfortable with taking charge of your own website, or you just don't have the time or the will, you will need to hire the services of a web developer. Initial costs can be quite high, and as web sites need constant updating and patching, consider also a maintenance contract. Make sure you hire someone reliable; many businesses in Bhutan have had a disappointing to disastrous experience due to hiring unreliable web developers. It is therefore important to insist on recommendations, and make sure you talk to past clients.

Good luck with your new venture!

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Readers are encouraged to submit technology-related questions to boaz@thimphutech.com

Tweet: Chatting with Friends at Friendship Hospital

It's one thing if a shopkeeper prefers Facebook chatting to helping a customer - you can just go to another shop. But what do you do in this case?

One Queen, two Facebook pages

There are currently two popular Facebook pages for Ashi Jetsun Pema Wangchuck: The official page (which is  "Liked" by the official Facebook page of His Majesty), and another page, titled Jetsun Pema [Queen of Bhutan] which apparently is not official.
According to the Facebook Terms regarding pages, "only an authorized representative of the subject matter may administer" official pages. Given past experience, it is likely that the unofficial page will eventually disappear. Thus, if you would like to "follow" Her Majesty, make sure to "Like" the official page.

Who viewed my FB profile? (K2 #14)

Question
I got an invitation to a Facebook page promising to show me the list of users who viewed my profile. I am dying to know! Should I accept?
-- Sonam, Wangdue

Answer
There is absolutely no way to know who viewed your profile. Facebook does not provide this functionality, so do not be tempted! Any Facebook Application or web page that claims to show who viewed your Facebook profile is a scam, plain and simple. Yes, many of us are curious to know who's "stalking" us - but resist the temptation and you will prevent your computer from getting infected by a virus.

Question
 I am getting a "Windows Genuine Advantage" warning. How to remove it from my PC?
-- S. J., Haa

Answer
In an effort to combat pirated versions of the Windows operating system, Microsoft has introduced a system that detects illegal Windows installations. This system is called "Windows Genuine Advantage", or WGA. If the system decided that your Windows copy is pirated, a pop-up window will often creep on the bottom right of the desktop with a message such as "This copy of Windows did not pass genuine Windows validation". In addition, it may cause your desktop wallpaper to turn black, which is annoying. Even worse, it will disable the Windows Update feature which is used to patch up your system for security vulnerabilities. So how should one go about this issue? Apart from the obvious solution of using a legal copy of Windows, the web is packed with information on removing WGA. Unsurprisingly, you are not alone! One place to start is tinyurl.com/K2RemoveWGA. And searching for "how to remove wga" on Google will fetch plenty of other links, including some YouTube tutorials. Be extra careful if you decide to take that route, especially when asked to download "WGA removers": these removers might actually be viruses in disguise; also, be careful when asked to edit the Windows registry. If you don't feel comfortable with these tweaks, it might be better to ask a PC technician.

Question
I have formatted my PC but now have two operating systems - both of them are Microsoft Windows XP Professional. How do I delete one of these?
-- Naku, DGPC, Tshimalakha

Answer
Just follow the steps in support.microsoft.com/?kbid=888023

Readers are encouraged to submit technology-related questions to boaz@thimphutech.com

Using social media for classified ads

 Need to sell your auntie's rice cooker, a used Alto or your "old" iPhone 4? Check out B-Bay, an open Facebook group for "Buying and selling second hand stuffs in Bhutan". Created about two months ago by Passang "Passu" Tshering, the group already boasts more than 850 members.  Using Facebook for classified ads has an interesting advantage. While scams are common on websites such as E-Bay and Craigslist (which are very popular in other countries), it is much harder to cheat on B-Bay: You often know the real person behind the Facebook user, especially in a relatively small and tight-knit society such as Bhutan.

Facebook pages for very small organizations

More than 60% of Bhutan's Internet users have a Facebook account, and the number is still growing. This suggests a simple and free solution for very small organizations who wish to enjoy a web presence, but want to avoid the hassle associated with maintaining a full-fledged website: An official Facebook page. A Facebook page is free to setup, easy to maintain (no technical knowledge is required), and can help to provide basic information about the organization.
For example, the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck Public Library, which does not have an official website, recently created such a page, which allows the library to post information about opening hours, upcoming events, etc. Users can easily follow the events by "Like"-ing the page.
To create an official Facebook page, start here. More information is available here.

New poll regarding Facebook habits

Our "Which mobile provider do you use?" poll is over. The results: 52% of respondents have B-Mobile. 33% use TashiCell. The rest (15%) use both providers, so they either carry two phones, or a dual-SIM one.

A new poll is up, regarding our Facebook habits (see the right sidebar). By the way, there are currently about 31,000 Facebook users in Bhutan - about 5% of the whole population, and roughly 60% of all online users in Bhutan.

The new poll will close at the end of October. So go ahead and vote - it's 100% free!