Abigail Rennemeyer - freeCodeCamp.org

freeCodeCamp Hashnode Publication Guide – How to Get Started Writing

Abigail Rennemeyer — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 05:00:00 +0000

As you may know, the freeCodeCamp community now uses Hashnode for our publication's backend instead of Ghost.

Many of our contributors already have Hashnode accounts and publish there regularly on their personal blogs. But if you're new to Hashnode, this guide will help you get started.

And if you're already familiar with Hashnode, read on anyway – there will be some important tips you'll need to know to write and submit drafts for freeCodeCamp's Hashnode publication.

Here's what we'll cover:

How to set up your Hashnode account
How to submit drafts to the freeCodeCamp editorial team
How to use the Hashnode editor
Text formatting in the Hashnode editor
Other writing tips – freeCodeCamp's publication style guide

How to Set up Your Hashnode Account

To start writing on freeCodeCamp's publication, you'll need a Hashnode account. If you don't already have one, you can sign up for one for free at hashnode.com.

Once you have an account, send us your username at editorial@freecodecamp.org and we'll invite you to the publication.

You'll see a notification in your Hashnode profile once we do that:

You'll also see the freeCodeCamp publication listed as one of your available publications.

Then you can share drafts with us when you're ready.

Something to keep in mind: if you have a different Hashnode profile/username from what you had on Ghost, the URL for your author profile will change. We'll eventually have redirects in place, but this will take some time.

In the meantime, we just want you to be aware of this in case you've listed this URL on your personal portfolio, résumé, and so on. We appreciate your patience as we get those redirects set up.

How to Submit Drafts to the Editorial Team

When you set up your account and sign into Hashnode, you'll see the home screen. Click on "Write", and you'll be taken to this page:

Go ahead and write your draft (or paste it in from whatever other editor you use. If you do this, make sure you check that all formatting, code blocks, and so on render correctly. You'll also need to delete and directly upload any images you want to share, as this is the best way to assure they'll render correctly in the published version of the article).

When your draft is ready to submit, you'll click the "Publish" button in the upper right. Then you'll see the option to choose which publication – you should see both your own blog and freeCodeCamp's publication. Select freeCodeCamp's publication.

Hashnode will ask you if you want to switch, and if you do, it'll refresh the page, switching to freeCodeCamp's publication.

Then you'll see a "Submit Article" button in the upper right. Click that.

But there's a key (required) second step: you then also need to copy the draft URL and send it to editorial@freecodecamp.org. Make sure you send the draft URL and not the preview URL – this will make it much easier for us to get to your draft (as we can just click into it, rather than searching through the Hashnode interface).

You'll need to do this – that is, email us the draft URL – so that we can establish an email chain in case we need to share any feedback and make any edit requests before publishing.

Note: you must email the draft to the editorial team for us to review it (as well as submitting it via Hashnode's "Submit Article" button). You can't just click the submit button (or just email it) – both steps are required.

How to Use the Hashnode Editor

Hashnode's editor is pretty straightforward to use – and isn't all that different from the Ghost editor.

Here's what the page looks like when you get ready to write:

When you write a draft in Hashnode, you'll need to:

Send us your photo for the cover image (if you'd like your photo included. If not, no worries - our designer will create a cover without your photo). Note that you just need to do this the first time you submit a draft. After that, we'll have the photo saved. If you ever want to change the photo we use for the covers, just send us a new one and we'll update it in our spreadsheet.
Add an article title (we don't use subtitles in freeCodeCamp's publication, so you can ignore that)

And then you can start writing.

Once you've finished your article, make sure you click the "Publish" button. You'll see this menu (you'll be able to scroll down for more options, which I'll talk about below):

Then you'll need to:

Select the freeCodeCamp publication ("Select a blog")
Check your article slug and make sure it's nice and clear/concise (like javascript-array-tutorial or learn-python-by-building-projects)
Create a table of contents. Note that the auto-generate ToC feature in Hashnode won't work for our publication – so you'll need to manually create your own. More on that below.
Select and add the tags you'd like your article to have. We recommend 3-5 tags, or as needed.
Finally, click "Submit for review", and then email the draft URL to editorial@freecodecamp.org. Again, both are required in order for us to be able to access and review your draft and send you feedback.

The process after that will be pretty similar to our current process: we'll share any feedback or update requests, you'll make your updates and let us know via email that they're done, and we'll do our final review and either ask for more edits or we'll publish the article.

Note that the /news front end will remain the same – readers won't know the difference. It's just the back end/editor/writing experience that's changed a bit.

Text Formatting in the Hashnode Editor

To access text formatting options, just type a forward slash and a pretty extensive menu will appear:

You can scroll down, click through the buttons along the top, or just start typing what you're looking for (like "table", "embed a link", "code", "quote" and so on) and the menu will filter through options accordingly.

There are a few things we'd like to call out that are a bit different from Ghost:

1. How to Add a Table of Contents to Your Articles in Hashnode

There are two ways to add a table of contents to your article: using a handy ToC generator that one of our contributors created, or manually (which we'll describe below).

How to use the ToC generator

One of our contributors created this freeCodeCamp Table of Contents (TOC) Generator (thanks, Ashutosh!). It's designed to simplify your writing process by automatically generating a structured TOC based on the headings in your draft post.

To get started, simply paste the Hashnode Preview URL from your freeCodeCamp post into the input field. You can get this by clicking the "Preview" button in the top right of your draft, under the three dots, and copying the URL from your draft preview from the new tab.

The TOC generator works with both single-level (H2 headings only) and multi-level (H2 and H3) structures, so you can choose the level of detail you want for your TOC.

Once you've selected the TOC type and entered your post link, click the "Generate TOC" button. The generated TOC will appear in the output box on the right, ready for you to copy and paste directly into your article. The links in the TOC will automatically correspond to the headings in your post, making it easy for readers to navigate.

If you encounter any issues or have questions, refer to this detailed guide for further instructions on using the TOC Generator effectively.

How to add your ToC manually

If you'd prefer to manually add a ToC to your Hashnode draft, you'll have to follow a bit of a workaround at the moment.

What you'll need to do is create the ToC in markdown in another editor of your choice (that is, NOT in Hashnode) and then paste it into your draft in Hashnode.

So, for example, it'll look like this:

So, here are the steps to create the markdown ToC in your editor of choice (not Hashnode) with the headings (and, if necessary, subheadings) you'd like to include in the ToC:

Open the article preview (in Hashnode) by clicking the three dots and selecting "see preview" in the top-right corner of the page. This will bring you to Preview mode. Scroll down until you see your first heading that you'd like to include.
Next, you'll need to get the IDs from the headings to create the internal links (just as you've likely done in Ghost). So just inspect each heading and grab the "heading id" text from the devtools:

Format it like this: [Heading Text](#heading-heading-text). Yes - you do need that first "heading" term before the rest of the dasherized text. You'll get this automatically if you just copy the heading id text as shown above. Just paste it in after the #.

So again, it'll look like this in your other editor of choice:
Then, paste that directly into your Hashnode draft where you'd like the ToC to be (typically right after the intro). This should properly format as rich text in Hashnode with the internal ToC links!

2. A Note on Markdown in Hashnode's Editor

At the moment, you shouldn't write in markdown directly in Hashnode's editor, as it doesn't fully support all markdown features.

You can use basic markdown formatting if you're used to writing that way – like using ## for headings, * or - for bullet points, and so on – and the editor will convert those into rich text.

But for now, links and images don't work in markdown. So if you go to add a markdown link, for example [freecodecamp.org](https://www.freecodecamp.org), it won't render properly as a link in the published article. It'll just look like what you typed. Same with images.

So for the time being, just use in-line linking like this (which you can do by highlighting the text you want to link and then choosing the little link symbol from the menu that pops up and pasting in the link there).

A note on images

As for images, you can drag/drop them in where you want them, or use the / menu we talked about above and search for "image". Then you can upload whatever image you'd like to use.

And if you're looking for a way to add a caption, you won't find it at the moment. So instead, just add alt text to your images. You can do this by clicking on the image, and you'll see a menu appear. There's an uppercase "T" in that menu – click on that and there you can add your alt text:

Note that if you write the markdown elsewhere (in another text editor) and paste it into the Hashnode editor, it should work fine (including images and links). Hashnode's editor will convert the markdown into rich text.

Adding tables in the Hashnode editor

If you'd like to include a table in your article, it's pretty easy to do in Hashnode. The editor's table builder is quite good for simple tables, and you can just copy and paste simple markdown tables into the editor directly.

If you need a more complex table - for example one that needs line breaks or a list within a cell - it's best just to put the markdown table into a code block. That will ensure that all the formatting renders properly.

3. How to Format Math Equations in Hashnode

Hashnode uses a tool called MathJax to add properly formatted equations to articles (you may have heard of similar tools like LaTeX or KaTeX). You can read about how to use MathJax on their website here.

So if you're using mathematical equations in your tutorials, please format them using MathJax. Don't include screenshots of equations, as this isn't accessible and won't be readable by screen readers.

Here's a helpful preview tool for your MathJax equations so you can make sure they've turned out correctly.

You'll also need to add the "MathJax" tag as one of your article tags (just make it the last one). This lets the editor know to apply the proper formatting.

Other Writing Tips

For more general writing tips and guidelines, you can still refer to our publication style guide here.

Happy writing!

Introducing freeCodeCamp Press – Free Books for Developers

Abigail Rennemeyer — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 16:49:54 +0000

The freeCodeCamp community has published more than 10,000 tutorials on our publication over the years. But lately we've focused on creating even longer resources for learning math, programming, and computer science.

This is why we've created freeCodeCamp Press – a division of freeCodeCamp where we publish full-length books and handbooks on our online publication – all available to everyone for free.

What is freeCodeCamp Press?

The freeCodeCamp community publication publishes technical tutorials in many forms. We publish shorter, more focused guides that aim to answer a specific question. We also publish longer walkthroughs that help you build a specific project.

And now we're publishing more comprehensive books and handbooks that will teach you everything you need to know to get started with a certain programming language or tool.

We're going to publish a lot more of these 5,000+ word handbooks and full-length books of 40,000 words or longer.

When an author submits a substantial tutorial that we consider to be a book or handbook, the editorial team reviews and edits it as usual. This helps make sure it's as complete and polished as possible.

We've also started designing cover images for our books and handbooks. If the author wants to take advantage of this professional cover and the consistent look it gives their handbook or book, one of our team members (Estefania) designs and creates it. These covers look something like this:

Example handbook cover (freeCodeCamp Press)

After showing the proof to the author, we add the cover to the book or handbook and publish it. These covers help create a consistent look and feel for these substantial resources and make them easy to recognize.

I Want to Write a Book or Handbook for freeCodeCamp. How Do I Do That?

If you're already a contributor to the publication, and you'd like to write a longer-form book or handbook, that's great! Pick a topic you know a lot about and start writing.

You can look at some of our other books and handbooks in the next section to get an idea what these books are like, and how they're structured.

It's a serious endeavor to write a book or a handbook, so take your time. Do your research, test your code, and create something great.

If you haven't applied to become a contributor to the publication yet, but think you and your books would be a good fit, you can read our style guide here. Then, if it looks like your style is similar to freeCodeCamp's, go ahead and apply.

freeCodeCamp's Published Books and Handbooks

Here are some of the handbooks freeCodeCamp Press has published so far on our community publication. We're publishing more almost every week, so this is just a sample:

And here are some of our books:

We're just getting started publishing free books and handbooks for the developer community. And they're all accessible for free right on freeCodeCamp News.

We hope you enjoy these open learning resources, and that they help you level up your coding skills.

Logical Fallacies – Definition and Fallacy Examples

Abigail Rennemeyer — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 04:19:00 +0000

When you're debating someone, you want to use all the resources at your disposal to convince them you're right.

And that's great – but you should be careful that you don't end up using a logical fallacy to help you make your point.

What is a Logical Fallacy?

A logical fallacy is an error in reasoning that makes your argument less effective and convincing. And you want to be able to spot these fallacies in other people's arguments (and your own) so you can call them out or fix your own strategy.

There are two major types of logical fallacies, formal and informal.

In formal fallacies, there's a problem with how you structure your argument, and how you're making your points. You might be speaking the truth, but the logic breaks down because of the way you're putting your arguments together.

In informal fallacies, there's a problem with what you're saying, and the information might be incorrect or misleading.

In this article, we'll focus on these informal fallacies as they can be pretty common in everyday debate. And keep in mind that we're not talking about the effectiveness or persuasiveness of your argument, here – after all, fallacious arguments can be very persuasive.

Instead, it's all about giving you the tools to identify these weak arguments so you don't make these mistakes in your reasoning.

List of Logical Fallacies with Examples

In this article, we'll look at the most common informal fallacies so you can learn to identify them and avoid them.

The Sunk Cost Fallacy – Definition and Example

Have you ever finished a task (that you really didn't want to complete) simply because you'd put so much time and effort in already? You probably felt like you didn't want all that hard work to go to waste, or to be for nothing.

You were likely falling prey to the sunk cost fallacy. It states that it's actually better to abandon a project that's going nowhere (at any point) rather than waste any more time, energy, and resources trying to finish it for the sole purpose of finishing it.

The reason for this might seem counterintuitive, but think about it: rather than spend another minute of your precious time doing something that isn't going anywhere, it's better to switch gears ASAP (before you spend any more time) and start putting your energy into something productive.

Example of a Sunk Cost Fallacy

Let's say that you've decided to write a book. You spend hours and hours doing research, making an outline, and writing the first 10 chapters. You've put months if not years of your life into writing this book.

But then perhaps your interests change, or you no longer wish to be an author. You might think you should finish the book because you're so close or because you've already spent so much time and energy on it.

Instead, though, you should leave that project behind and focus on what's ahead. Maybe you're trying to get a new job, or learn a new skill, or move to a new city. Any of these current and relevant initiatives would suffer if you continued to work on your unsuccessful book project.

So how do you distinguish between this sunk cost fallacy and persevering until you finish something difficult? Well, it helps to think about whether the experience will benefit you in the long run – in which case, it would be helpful to see it through.

For example, let's say you've done three years of a four year degree program at a college or university. But your interests have changed, and you want to pursue something that doesn't require that degree.

Still, it might make sense to finish the program, as a college degree typically only helps you in future career moves – not to mention the life experience you'll gain in the process.

The Ad Hominem Fallacy – Definition and Example

Ad hominem means "against the person" in Latin. So the ad hominem fallacy happens when you attack a person's character, appearance, personality, or other irrelevant aspects in an argument instead of attacking what they're saying.

These types of attacks are fallacious because they're not relevant to the argument, and so they distract from the point at hand. It doesn't really matter if you think your mom is being a jerk – she's still right that you shouldn't speed while driving.

Example of an Ad Hominem Fallacy

Many people associate ad hominem fallacies with political debates. Unfortunately, some candidates don't seem to be able to help themselves.

What if Candidate A said that you shouldn't trust Candidate B because Candidate B doesn't dress well? There's no established link (that I know of!) connecting a "good dresser" with trustworthiness or good political decision-making, so this would be an ad hominem fallacy.

Or what about when Candidate A insults Candidate B for being too nerdy, or not cool enough? These qualities, first of all, are subjective, and second, they shouldn't affect Candidate B's ability to govern effectively.

On the other hand, sometimes people just deliver insults that aren't actually logical fallacies because they aren't part of the argument. For example, if you were to say that all New Yorkers are rude and unfriendly (but you aren't trying to make a point), that's just an (untrue) insult and not a fallacy.

So when you're debating someone, leave their personal characteristics out of it unless they're relevant to your point.

The Straw Man Fallacy – Definition and Example

When you hear the term "straw man", what comes to mind? Probably a figure of a person made of straw, like a scarecrow, or something else insubstantial. That straw figure isn't too solid, and you could just knock it over with a little push or a strong gust of wind.

The same holds true for straw man fallacies – they represent weaker arguments that are oversimplified or that distract from the main point the debater is trying to make.

So instead of responding to someone with a well-reasoned, to-the-point counterargument, someone using a straw man might reframe that person's argument in a vastly oversimplified way, or might latch on to an irrelevant point that's tangentially related and go after that. Basically, they create a "straw man" in place of a real argument.

Example of a Straw Man Fallacy

Perhaps you're discussing education with someone who believes that for-profit colleges are harmful to the broader educational system because they take advantage of their students, don't provide them high-quality education, and waste students' money.

Instead of responding with appropriate counterpoints (such as concrete examples of for-profit colleges who benefit their students), you try to undermine the person's argument by saying "See, they're against higher education and don't think people should go to college!"

In fact, the person has a much more nuanced claim, but you've ignored it and constructed a vague straw man fallacy in response.

Or maybe you're trying to figure out a solution to the number of people living without homes in your area. You might suggest setting up temporary (or permanent) tiny homes for houseless individuals, allocating resources for trash cleanup, and providing medical care during the pandemic.

Your opponent, however, might misconstrue your argument and insist that you're trying to welcome the homeless community to your area by providing so many benefits for them.

The False Dilemma Fallacy (AKA The False Dichotomy Fallacy) – Definition and Example

Have you ever argued with someone and they only give you two options when you feel like there are many more? Chances are they were falling into the trap of the false dichotomy.

Using a false dichotomy or false dilemma in an argument means that you oversimplify your argument or only focus on two outcomes when in fact there are other reasonable possibilities.

This strategy tries to hide important facts and considerations and tries to trick your opponent into thinking the argument is more cut and dry or simpler than it really is.

Example of a False Dilemma Fallacy

Let's say that you're still working on finding homes for houseless people in your community. You might suggest a range of housing options, such as tiny houses, community living, repurposing empty apartment buildings, and so on.

You could also offer to relocate people who wished to leave your area, or you could help them find jobs so they could afford their own home eventually.

Someone opposed to your efforts might say that houseless people either need to get a job so they can afford their own place or leave town. And they wouldn't offer any of the other options you explored.

To someone uninformed about the crisis of homelessness in your area, those two options might sound reasonable. But to someone who had studied the issue extensively, it would be clear that those extremes weren't the only options.

How about another example?

Maybe you're at a political debate and one of the candidates asserts that you're either a Democrat or you're a Republican in an effort to make some point.

In reality, though, this likely wouldn't be the case. Certain people in attendance could be Libertarians, for example – but the politician didn't include that as an option.

So keep in mind, when you're making an argument, that there are likely many nuances that relate to your point. Don't ignore them – simply take them into account and build them into your argument.

Do keep in mind, though, that some arguments really only do have two viable options – so they wouldn't represent false dichotomies. For example, if a General says "Either you're with us or you're against us" during a war, those are the two main options.

The Slippery Slope Fallacy – Definition and Example

The slippery slope fallacy refers to arguments that get increasingly dramatic and out of hand very quickly. Especially when the ever-more-dramatic conclusions aren't realistic or likely to happen.

These types of arguments are often made when someone wants to emphasize how drastically bad an outcome would be.

Perhaps a better name for this fallacy, though, would be the Domino Effect – one thing might lead to another which might lead to another which might...and so on. The problem with these assumptions is that they're all hypothetical, which makes your overall claim very weak.

Example of a Slippery Slope Fallacy

Perhaps your teenager wants to buy themselves a truck. They've been saving up, and they have the money. But you don't want them to drive a truck, for any number of reasons – perhaps you're worried about gas mileage, or parking in a city, or that they'll take it off-roading and get hurt.

Now, these are all fairly reasonable arguments as to why you wouldn't want your kid driving a truck, and they could easily result from that purchase.

But what if, instead of these sensible arguments, you let your emotions get away with you and instead said "You can't get a truck because then all your friends will want trucks and their whole families will then get trucks which they'll start driving all over the place and over-polluting the earth!"

You can see how that escalated quickly, right? And even though the arguer has a point about emissions in general here, it's probably not a realistic outcome of this situation (and it's probably not an effective argument to use to convince your teen not to buy a truck).

The Circular Reasoning Fallacy – Definition and Example

Have you ever noticed someone arguing in a way that they seem to go around in a circle? It might seem like they're making an argument, but they'll use their conclusion to justify their argument, and their argument to justify their conclusion.

If this sounds confusing, that's because it is. When someone says something like "This tee-shirt is wet because it's covered in water," they're making a fallacious argument. In fact, the tee-shirt is wet because you fell in a lake, for example.

In this case, someone saying something's wet because it's covered in water is just stating the obvious. They're not offering an explanation for why it's that way.

You can often recognize a circular argument when the conclusion – the thing the person is arguing in favor of (or against) – is also one of the premises (or arguments) they're using to justify their assertion (it's wet because of water, which is wet). In other words, if this is true because that is true, that is true because this is true.

Example of a Circular Reasoning Fallacy

So here's another example: you say that your friend Jessie lies all the time, and you know this because they never tell the truth. But your argument (that Jessie lies all the time) and your premise (because they never tell the truth) are the same thing. That means that this is a circular argument.

Here's another way to think about it: if your argument's premises assume that your conclusion is true right from the beginning, rather than proving or finding that it's true, you're arguing in a circle. Just remember: if your argument is defined in terms of itself, it is probably fallacious.

And if you want to know why it's sometimes called "Begging the Question," you can read all about it here. (Hint: it's a mistranslation of 16th century Latin that was actually a mistranslation of the ancient Greek phrase...fascinating.)

The Equivocation Fallacy – Definition and Example

Equivocation means that you're taking a word or phrase and changing its meaning slightly so that it means something else. Or you're using one word or phrase instead of another to hide the true meaning of what you're saying.

In other words, you're being ambiguous with your language. If something is ambiguous, it means that you can interpret it in more than one way or that it has two meanings. This is exactly what happens in an equivocation fallacy.

The word "equivocation" comes from the Latin for "equal voice" – meaning that it appears that what you're saying means one thing but it really means or can also mean something else.

The important thing to remember about equivocation fallacies is that they attempt to deceive in some way.

You might jokingly use ambiguity in a story, play, or playful conversation – but you're not really trying to convince your listener of something serious (or it's clear that you're being tricky or silly).

But when you use equivocation in a serious debate, political campaign, advertisement, or something similar, that's when it's more malicious and fallacious.

Example of an Equivocation Fallacy

So how do you tell the difference? Be mindful of the setting in which you use ambiguous language, or you see it being used.

Here's a simple example: "Nine out of ten dentists recommend Colgate toothpaste." First of all, what does "recommend" mean here? This could be misleading – do they really specifically recommend Colgate, or do they just recommend that you brush your teeth in general?

How about another example? What if you break up with someone, and they ask you never to drive by their house again. So you walk by – but you justify it by saying that you didn't drive by. You walked.

Clearly your ex meant that they didn't want you going by their house in any way, but you used the ambiguity of the situation to tweak their words and do it anyway.

The Post Hoc Fallacy – Definition and Example

You might have heard the phrase "post hoc ergo propter hoc" before, even if you've never studied Latin.

This Latin phrase translates to "After this, therefore because of this." Now that might sound like a jumble of conjunctions and such, but it basically means that if event B happened after event A, that must mean that event A caused event B.

Post hoc ergo propter hoc → (B is) After this (A), therefore (B is) because of this (A).

This fallacy says that because one thing happened after another, it means that the first thing caused the second thing happen. The argument is a fallacy when someone asserts something based purely on the order that things happened. This means they're not taking into account other factors that affected or caused the event to happen.

If this sounds a bit familiar to you, it means you might have thought about correlation vs causation before. The post hoc fallacy is related, but is more focused on the order of events (and their relationship).

Example of a Post Hoc Fallacy

Let's look at an example to help decipher what's going on in this type of fallacious argument.

Maybe there was an earthquake during which a building fell down. That's a pretty clear example of causality – the earthquake (event A) caused the building to fall down (event B).

But what if, after that same earthquake, a lot of people moved away from the city? Now, some of them might have moved because the earthquake was the last straw. But many might have fled because of rising housing costs, pollution, over-crowding, poor infrastructure, poor schools, or a bunch of other factors.

In other words, the earthquake likely wasn't the only direct cause of people moving away.

So anyone who argued "Look, people are moving out of the city because of the earthquake!" and didn't account for all these other likely causes was making a fallacious argument.

Here's another example: perhaps you're searching for a job, and you're not having any luck. But then someone gives you a good luck charm, and after a few more applications, you get a job.

You might be tempted to think that the good luck charm got you the job. But what's more probable is that you put a lot of effort into your applications, you studied really hard for your interviews, and you found your perfect company fit.

The Appeal to Authority Fallacy (AKA Argumentum ad Verecundium Fallacy) – Definition and Example

When you're gathering evidence to support your conclusion, you'll likely want to cite some experts. They've done research on the subject and know a lot about it, so it makes sense to use their knowledge and opinions to support your own arguments.

But be careful – if you don't use those expert's information correctly, or if you assume they're always right because they're experts, you could be falling prey to the appeal to authority fallacy.

An appeal to authority fallacy is easy to commit, but can be hard to recognize. This is because of the weight we all give to "authorities" in various subjects.

When you're engaging in an appeal to authority fallacy, you're likely either misusing someone's authority, citing an irrelevant authority, or citing a poor authority.

Let's see what these look like with some examples.

Example of an Appeal to Authority Fallacy

Let's say your mom's a lawyer and you seek her advice about a particular legal problem you have. If she practices that type of law and has experience with the problem you're having, you can likely cite her authoritative opinion with confidence.

But if you're arguing with your mom about the best way to save the sea turtles, and she asserts that she knows best because she's an intelligent person, she's using her own authority in a fallacious way (and with little to no justification).

Here's another example. Perhaps you watch a lot of Greenbay Packers football, and Aaron Rogers is your favorite quarterback. You happen to see a State Farm insurance commercial where Aaron endorses State Farm's services. You might think, "Well, I like Aaron Rogers, and he recommends State Farm, so it must be great insurance!"

While State Farm might be great insurance, Aaron Rogers doesn't have the authority to say so. He's an authority on being a great quarterback, but not on the quality or efficacy of insurance. So this is an example of an irrelevant appeal to authority.

So, when you're searching for evidence to back your claim, just remember – authorities aren't the only sources you should cite.

And you shouldn't just expect people to trust what those experts say with no evidence. After all, even the experts can be wrong, and just because they know a lot about one thing doesn't mean they know a lot about everything.

The Appeal to Ignorance Fallacy – Definition and Example

No one knows everything – it's just a fact of being human. We're all still learning, and while some might know more than others, we'll all be ignorant about certain things.

With that in mind, it's pretty easy to see why the appeal to ignorance fallacy is so common and so useless.

When you say something like "Well, no one's ever seen Nessie (the Loch Ness Monster) before, so they can't prove that she's real", you're making an appeal to ignorance. Why? Because no one knows whether she exists or not – because they've never seen her!

But the clearest way you can tell this is an appeal to ignorance fallacy is that you can turn it right around, and it still seems to make sense: "Well, no one's ever seen Nessie before, so they can't prove that she's not real!"

Either way, in both these claims, you're making an assertion based on something no one knows (the ignorance bit). Because no one knows it, you shouldn't use it in an argument.

Example of an Appeal to Ignorance Fallacy

Let's look at another example of an appeal to ignorance fallacy in action.

Perhaps you're an archaeologist who's studying an ancient civilization that lived around 2000 years ago. You study any remaining stone structures, pottery, tools, jewelry, and anything else they left behind.

You try to piece together what life would've looked like for these people based on their artifacts, where they lived, nearby societies, and so on. But you have no written evidence that tells you anything more. No one has found any inscriptions, written documents, or anything else with writing on it.

It would be tempting to assert that, since no one has ever found any evidence of writing, this society didn't have a written language. "We've never found documents or inscriptions, so they must not have written their language down."

But you could also assert that, even though no one has found those documents yet, they still might be out there and just haven't been excavated and discovered yet.

This argument is an appeal to ignorance, because you don't know something/haven't seen any evidence of something, but you're using it to support your argument (that the society doesn't have a written language) all the same.

The Appeal to Popular Opinion Fallacy (AKA Bandwagon Fallacy or Ad Populum Fallacy) – Definition and Example

Have you ever heard the expression "jumping on the bandwagon"? It refers to someone changing their opinion or developing an opinion just because a bunch of people hold that same opinion.

There's not necessarily good evidence for that opinion, but people hold it anyway – maybe because it's been believed for a long time, or just because of the sheer number of people who believe it. But even though many people believe this thing, it may be factually incorrect or misleading.

This is a form of the appeal to popular opinion fallacy. You argue that something is true, good, or right just because a large number of people (or some popular or influential person or people) are doing it or believe it.

What's wrong with that? If everybody's doing it, it must be good – right? Well, not necessarily. People aren't always completely rational and don't always think things through. Think of the term "mob mentality". What does that conjure up? Probably a bunch of people causing chaos – in other words, not a good thing.

So before you say something like "Well everyone believes this, so it must be true", think again. Because this isn't a case of "strength in numbers" – an ad populum fallacy results from a lot of people believing incorrect or misleading information.

Example of an Appeal to Popular Opinion Fallacy

What if your young teenager comes to you and wants to get a tattoo. They argue that all their high school friends are doing it because some celebrity just got this new tattoo.

Now, whatever your feelings about tattoos, this is a logical fallacy. Just because everyone's getting this tattoo doesn't mean it's the right choice for your kid. Maybe they haven't thought it through, or maybe they can't handle serious pain/needles, or maybe they will change their mind in a few years and regret such a permanent choice.

Also, everyone has different reasons for getting tattoos. Some do it to commemorate someone or something, some do it for the beauty of the art, some do it while intoxicated on vacation, and so on. But if a group of young teenagers is getting a tattoo on a whim to copy a celebrity, perhaps that's something you want your kid to think about more carefully.

So your kid arguing that "all my friends are doing it, so it's cool" doesn't take that into account. They'd need to think about getting a tattoo for their own reasons, and justify it to you that way.

Here's another example: you're FaceTiming with your family, and it's an election year. Most of your family belongs to one political party, but you belong to another.

Your mom starts trying to convince you to vote like they do – "The whole family votes this way! And we've been voting this way forever! Come on, you should be like your family and support the same candidate/things we do."

While it's understandable that your mom would want your political beliefs to align with hers, she's making a fallacious argument here. Just because they've always voted that way doesn't make it right.

She shouldn't say you should vote like she does because "that's what the family's always done/it's what they all do now". She should point out the benefits of her candidate, how they could help you out, why their policies are fair, and so on – and then let you decide for yourself.

The Hasty Generalization Fallacy – Definition and Example

People make generalizations all the time (that, right there, was a generalization!). And sometimes this is ok. If you're just stating something that's generally true, like "I like to cook" or "Puppies are cute", there's typically no harm in that.

The problem arises, though, when someone uses a generalization a bit too zealously in an argument without sufficient evidence. These types of "hasty" generalizations can fall into stereotyping, racism, falsehood, exaggeration, and more.

Often someone makes such a generalization when they're basing their opinion or argument off of the behavior or characteristics of just a few members of a group. This often means they're not taking the behavior of the whole group into consideration.

So why are these generalizations bad? Aside from lacking evidence and being based on problematic premises, people often assert hasty generalizations as if they were 100% true all the time. Which, of course, very few likely are.

If you want to avoid making hasty generalizations, you can use certain qualifiers when you make a generalization – like "Sometimes", "Often", "We often see", or "It may be the case that...". Those types of words and phrases let your listener know that you're not arguing that this thing is true across the board for everyone. It's just a general trend you've noticed.

Example of a Hasty Generalization Fallacy

Hasty generalizations are quite common, as people use generalizations all the time in regular conversation. And again, many generalizations don't hurt anyone. But let's look at some examples of bad generalizations.

If you say "People in the southern part of the US are so conservative and close-minded. I really can't stand how all they care about is football and BBQ", you're using a hasty generalization (a couple, actually).

While it's true that some people in the south have these characteristics, it's not true for everyone living in that region. And by making those assertions, you're perpetuating stereotypes that are likely overblown and miss a lot of nuance about southern American's characters and beliefs.

Here's another example: let's say you're having a fight with your significant other and you say, "You always pick fights with me!", you're likely exaggerating and making a hasty generalization. Unless it's literally true that they are always the one to start the fight, you're probably getting carried away in the heat of the moment.

One way to save yourself from making a hasty generalization in this case would be to say something like "You pick fights with me a lot" or "You often pick fights with me."

The Tu Quoque Fallacy (AKA Appeal to Hypocrisy Fallacy) – Definition and Example

Tu quoque in Latin means "You, too". And when you attempt to distract from your own guilt by calling out someone else's similar guilt, you're committing this fallacy.

The name makes sense – it's like you're saying "Well I may have done this, but you did it, too!" Now, think about that. Just because someone else did something similar to (or the same as) what you did, it doesn't make you any less guilty. You've still committed whatever crime or done whatever bad thing you've done.

This is also called an "appeal to hypocrisy" fallacy, because the person making the argument (let's call them Person A) often calls out the fact that someone else (Person B) did something similar to what they did. Person A argues that they may have messed up, but Person B did the same thing so should be punished. Person A is being a hypocrite because they're trying to escape the blame they'd like to assign to Person B.

It's tempting to use this type of argument, because people are always looking to shift the blame from themselves to others. It's especially enticing when that other person is not blameless and therefore seems to deserve some share of the guilt.

But this isn't an effective argument strategy because, while distracting, a tu quoque argument doesn't actually prove you innocent. It just draws attention (falsely) away from the issue at hand, which is your misdeed.

One thing to remember about tu quoque fallacies is that the information the person making the argument cites is typically irrelevant to the case at hand. Just because Person B is guilty also, doesn't mean Person A is any less guilty. So that accusation that Person A makes is irrelevant to their case.

Example of a Tu Quoque Fallacy

Let's go back to our teenager. Perhaps they've been caught skipping school, and their parents want to ground them for a week. The teenager might argue, "Yeah I skipped third and fourth periods, but Marta did, too!"

While it's not great that Marta skipped class as well, it doesn't really make that teen any less guilty of skipping school. They just knew someone who did the same thing, and are trying to justify what they did by bringing up Marta's transgression as well. But it doesn't mean that they skipped any less school.

Here's another example: perhaps your friend caught you cheating on a test, and threatened to turn you into the teacher. But you saw them cheat in another class last year, so you say "I may have cheated today, but you cheated on that math test last year, too!"

Again, their cheating a year ago doesn't make you any less guilty right now. While it might feel good to say, "You did that, too, so how could you think I should be punished for it!", it's not really a strong or relevant argument to make.

Instead of resorting to this type of argument, make sure you take responsibility for your actions and keep your points relevant to the issue at hand. Don't think you can get away with something just by calling out someone else's hypocrisy. It's likely not going to help your case.

The Loaded Question Fallacy – Example and Definition

When you ask a question that intends to reinforce your position and undermine someone else's, you could be asking a loaded question. These questions are helpful to you but harmful to the person you're asking, and may skew the opinion of anyone listening in your favor, perhaps unfairly.

Instead of asking a straightforward question that attempts to get more or new information, a loaded question often includes an accusation (or a confirmation of an accusation) – an oft-quoted example is "Are you still beating your wife?"

In this question, you're referencing an accusation – that the person beat their wife – without directly accusing them of doing it currently. But by including it in the question, you're turning listeners' minds to the fact that this person did, at one point, beat their wife. So either way, they'll appear guilty.

Example of a Loaded Question Fallacy

Let's look at some more examples of loaded questions, and why they're fallacies.

Perhaps you're at a rally in support of clean energy, and a rep from Exxon is there. If you're not old enough to remember, Exxon had a horrific oil spill in Alaska in 1989 that devastated 1300 miles of coastline and released over 10 million gallons of oil into the ocean.

You might call out that rep and loudly ask them if their company is still polluting the world's pristine oceans and killing millions of sea creatures.

Whatever your feelings about Exxon or environmental justice, it's not fair to set the company up like that for those listening. Your question is heavily loaded, and doesn't give them a shot at convincing others of their current position, whatever it might be. You're making your argument by essentially biasing the crowd against them from the start.

Here's another example: what if a company hires formerly incarcerated people, and you find out that one of them was a bank robber. If you asked their employer "You're really gonna let a thief handle your products?" you're creating a negative bias against them.

It's not necessary to refer to them as a thief or allude to their past as a bank robber. By doing so, you're only creating prejudicial feelings against them that may not be relevant or meaningful at this point in time.

So just remember – when you're asking questions to try to prove your point, keep them relevant, unbiased, and focused on the issue at hand.

The Red Herring Fallacy – Definition and Example

You might wonder where the term "red herring" comes from. It's a bit of an odd name for a fallacy, don't you think?

Well, there has been some debate about this in the past but most sources agree that a red herring signifies a distraction or something meant to mislead someone.

Fun fact before we continue: there's not actually a species of herring called a red herring. A "red herring" refers to a herring that's been brined and smoked until it becomes extremely pungent and turns a bright red color.

So these red herrings were used as training aids for animals because of their strong smell (to attempt to lead them in a certain direction).

Anyway, back to our fallacy: if you make an argument with the intention of distracting from the real issue at hand, it might be a red herring. Also, if you drop some seemingly related bit of info into a conversation or debate that leads your listener down the wrong path, that's also a red herring.

Ultimately, a red herring argument distracts or leads your listener away from the crux of the issue so that they get off course or off topic.

Example of a Red Herring Fallacy

Remember, a red herring basically a diversionary tactic in an argument. It's meant to lead the listener away from the main point of the conversation.

Suppose you're arguing with someone who is in favor of a dam that's being constructed in a beautiful river. You bring up the environmental impact that said dam will have, and how devastating it'll be to the surrounding natural habitat.

Your opponent might say something like "Yes it will destroy the habitat for many fish and other river animals, but if we don't build the dam it'll take jobs away from so many people who would've worked on it."

Now, this person has just used a red herring fallacy to try to distract from the environmental impact of such a dam. Instead of arguing for the benefits of the dam itself, and arguing against the environmental impact, they're dropping in a red herring – the potential impact on the workers who would've been hired to build the dam.

While that itself is a whole separate issue, it doesn't deal with or respond to the issue at hand, which is what happens to the natural environment when the dam goes in.

How to Avoid Logical Fallacies in Your Arguments

We've just discussed a whole bunch of logical fallacies, and you might be thinking – how can I make any arguments at all without saying something fallacious?

It's not always easy, as some of these fallacies are very tempting and easy to fall into. But as long as you stick to the point, don't try to deceive your listener, cite relevant evidence from relevant sources, and avoid any derogatory or misleading language, you should be ok.

Good luck, and happy debating!

What is a CV? CV vs Résumé + Curriculum Vitae Meaning

Abigail Rennemeyer — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 05:41:05 +0000

Depending on where you live and the field you're in, you've probably heard the terms "résumé" and "curriculum vitae" or "CV". And you might be wondering – are they the same thing? Are these terms interchangeable?

Well, the answer isn't a simple yes or no. Turns out, it basically depends on whether you're in academia or not, and possibly where you live. But more on that below.

If you're job hunting, or just want to keep your credentials up to date, you'll want to make sure you have a résumé or a CV on hand.

Let's look at each document in detail. In this article you'll learn what a CV is, how it differs from a résumé (and when that distinction matters), and when you might need each one.

What is a CV?

A CV, or curriculum vitae, actually has two meanings, depending on the field you're in.

But first, what does the Latin "curriculum vitae" actually mean? Well, it means "the course of (one's) life". Which makes it sound like quite an epic document, depending on how much life experience you've had.

CVs in Academia

If you're in academia and/or are applying to an academic position, this makes sense. A CV in this case refers to a detailed document that explains your educational and professional background, any publications you have, research you've done and so on – in great depth.

You'd also use this type of CV if you're applying for large grants or fellowships, for certain jobs in medical and scientific fields, and so on.

CVs in Industry Jobs

On the other hand, in both British and American English, the term CV can be used to reference a short document that catalogues your education, career history, and skills. It's usually no more than a page (front and back at the most) and provides the most important highlights you want your potential employer to know.

Basically, in this case, a CV is what you'd send to a company for whom you want to work as a data scientist, programmer, business development lead, and other jobs like those ("industry" jobs). It would be the first thing the employer likely sees when considering your application, and they'd probably spend about 6 seconds reviewing it.

So, just to summarize:

In academia, a CV refers to an in-depth personal and professional life summary that includes education, career history, publications, and other professional achievements and awards.
In other industries – like tech or business – the term CV refers to the short education, career, and skills summary you submit with job applications.

CV vs Résumé – What Are the Main Differences?

The shorter CV might sound familiar – and that's because it's basically interchangeable with a résumé. In the United States and elsewhere, you can use both terms (CV and résumé) to refer to the shorter document you submit with job applications.

So what are the main differences between academic CVs and traditional résumés? Let's take a look at the primary components of each so we can better distinguish between the two documents.

What to include in an academic CV

As we learned above, a CV intended for the academic world includes more detail and generally more information than a résumé. Generally, you'll want to have sections for:

Your professional qualifications – any certifications you might have
Your educational background – your degree(s), any theses you've written, other courses you've taken
Your work experience – jobs you've had, projects you've worked on, internships you've held, teaching positions you've had, research you've conducted
Your accomplishments – any awards or honors you've received, fellowships or grants you've been awarded, books or papers you've written
Your activities – you can include things like volunteer work, serious hobbies, side projects
Any special qualifications you might have

What to include in a résumé/shorter CV

You might have heard that recruiters or employers might spend no more than 6 seconds reviewing your résumé – and while that's not always true, you have to imagine it might be.

So your résumé needs to be focused and to the point, and should only highlight your most recent experience and achievements, and your strongest skills. Here's what to include:

Your name and contact information – make sure you include an email address, and you can also add your social media handles if you want.
You can include a summary – a couple sentences that gives an overview of your professional experience thus far (a brief "getting to know you" paragraph).
Your educational background – where you got your degree (if you have one) and any post-grad work. If you didn't go to college, you can list any bootcamps or online courses you've taken.
Your work experience – if you've had a number of jobs and have a fair amount of experience, just include the most recent and relevant. If you're new to the job market, include any projects, internships, or other relevant experience.
Your top skills – if you're applying for a job that requires specific skills, and you have those skills, list them. You can also list general skills that would apply to that position.

This is the primary info you want to include. Your résumé shouldn't be much longer than a page (maybe two if you've had a lot of experience/jobs), but if you have more room you can include honors and awards and side projects.

So in short, academic CVs are much more in-depth, cover more ground, and provide a more complete picture of your entire professional history.

Shorter CVs/résumés, on the other hand, focus on your relevant education and work experience, and the skills you have that are applicable to the job for which you're applying.

Example of a CV

Here's an example of a pretty impressive CV. I'll include a screenshot of the first page here, but it's 10 pages long.

Thank you to Dr. Tuba Yilmaz Abdolsaheb for sharing this example!

Example of a Résumé

And here's an example of a shorter CV/résumé, like what you'd take to an industry job interview. This example is for a data scientist, and the entire thing is one page long.

Thanks to Indeed for the example.

And that's it!

Hopefully now you know the differences between an academic CV and a shorter CV or résumé, and will know which one to choose when you're applying for jobs.

Find and Replace in Word – A Microsoft Office Tutorial

Abigail Rennemeyer — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 03:08:00 +0000

Let's say you've written a long article and you're about ready to publish it. But then one of your proof readers lets you know you've spelled a certain word incorrectly, or made some other mistake. And you've done it multiple times, all through that long article.

What do you do? Well, you certainly don't want to scroll through looking for every instance of that error. So instead, you can use Word's handy Find and Replace feature. Let's see how to do that now.

How to Use Find and Replace in Word

Find and Replace is pretty easy to use. It just takes a few clicks.

Step 1: Navigate to the "Find and Replace" screen

When you're in your Word document, go to the Edit tab in the main Word menu (along the top of your screen).

Scroll down until you see "Find", hover over it, and a side menu will pop out. At the bottom of that menu, you'll see "Advanced Find and Replace":

How to find the "Find and Replace" option in Word.

When you click on the Advanced Find and Replace tab, you'll be brought to a screen with options to Find, Replace, and Go To.

Step 2: Find all mistakes

If you just want to find all instances of your mistake, you can select the first option, "Find". Just make sure you check the box that says to "Highlight all items found in: Main Document".

When you click the "Find All" button, Word will highlight all the times you misspelled the word (or whatever the issue is) and will tell you how many times it happened.

In the image below, you can see that there are 4 instances of the misspelled word "Missisippi":

Now, if you don't want to fix each misspelled word individually, you can use the Replace tool.

Step 3: Replace all instances of the mistake with the correct word

To do that, just click the "Replace" button (next to Find), and you'll see this screen:

How to replace your mistakes all in one go.

Once you're ready to replace your misspelled words with the correct word, you have two options:

You can replace them all at once by clicking "Replace All". If you're sure that you want to replace every single instance of your mistake, this is the best option (takes lots less time).
But you can also replace one instance at a time. Like, what if you wanted to leave one misspelling as an example? Then you can choose the "Replace" button, click it, then hit "Find Next", click "Replace" again...and so on.

If you click "Replace All", a little message box will pop up confirming the number of instances Word found, and asking if you want to search from the beginning:

Word does this just in case you didn't start searching/replacing until the middle of the document. If you want to be thorough, just click "Yes" in the screen above.

What about the "Go To" button?

There's one more option on the Find and Replace screen: Go To. Say you want to check page 15 specifically – you can just click on the Page Number option in the dropdown, and then enter the specific page.

This also works with all sorts of features of your document, like line number, comments, footnotes, graphs and charts, and so on. Just scroll down in the little dropdown menu that you see above outlined in red.

And just a little Word tip...

If you ever want to see how to navigate to a specific place in word, the "Help" tab is super useful.

Just click on Help, type in what you're trying to find (like "Find and Replace") and when the answer appears, just hover over it (without clicking). You'll see the path to what you're searching for like this:

It even has a nice blue arrow that points exactly at the thing you're trying to find. If you want to go straight there, then just actually click on that result and it'll take you to the Find and Replace screen.

And that's it!

Now you can find and replace anything in your Word document with ease! And you don't even have to spend hours scrolling mind-numbingly through your long document searching for each mistake (and possibly missing some).

How to Insert a Checkbox in Word

Abigail Rennemeyer — Sun, 28 Feb 2021 19:09:00 +0000

There are times when you'll want to check items off a list or mark them as complete on a form. Fortunately, it's not too difficult to add checkboxes to your Microsoft Word documents.

There are two main types of checkboxes: interactive (that let a user check the box while in the Word document on their computers), and not interactive (that you'd use if you were printing something for people to fill out). We'll look at both options here.

With just a few adjustments and clicks, you can insert checkboxes right into Word – so let's see how you can do it.

Just a quick note: this is a tutorial for Mac using Office 2019. If you use a Windows machine or have a different version of Word, some of this might differ a bit.

How to Add Checkboxes to a Word Document – the Interactive Way

In order to add interactive checkboxes directly into your Word document (like, that users can check off on their computers/electronically), you'll need to enable some special tools.

Step 1: Enable the "Developer" ribbon

Go to the Word tab in your main Word menu (up at the top of your screen) and select "Preferences" from the dropdown.

Select the "Preferences" option under the Word menu.

This will bring up the following menu, where you'll see an option for "Ribbon & Toolbar", like this:

Just click on the Ribbon & Toolbar button and you'll see the Ribbon & Toolbar menu. There are a lot of choices there, but just look on the right side under the "Main Tabs" drop down and scroll to the bottom of that long list (many things will likely already be checked).

When you get to the bottom, you'll see the "Developer" checkbox (like in the image below), and it will likely be unchecked. Just check that box and hit "Save" and then go back to your word document.

Turn on your "Developer" setting.

Now, when you go back to your word document, you'll see that more options have been added to your ribbon (that's the menu at the top of your document, with the options "Home", "Insert", "Draw", "Design", Layout", and so on).

Step 2: Go to the Developer Tab

You'll see two little arrows at the end of that menu, and if you click on them you'll see a "Developer" option – click the "Developer" button.

This will bring up a whole new Ribbon that looks like this:

Step 3: Add your Checkboxes

You'll see the "Check box" option on that Developer ribbon, around the middle. If you click on it, a checkbox will be added to your Word document wherever your cursor is. So just make sure your cursor is located where you want the checkbox to be.

Once you've added all the checkboxes you want, and you're ready to make your form interactive, there's one step that remains.

Step 4: Protect your form

Word is smart, and it won't let you actually check the checkboxes if you're still editing and working on the form. If it did, anyone could come in when they went to fill it out and change the text, make edits, and so on.

So, you need to protect your form. This makes it so the only thing people can do is check those boxes (or uncheck them).

Simply click the lock symbol that says "Protect form" next to it at the right side of your Developer ribbon:

How to protect your form so users can check the checkboxes

Once you've done that, you can now test out your fancy new checkboxes. If you click in the box, an X will appear, showing that it's been checked. If you made a mistake and don't want that check, just click the box again and the X will go away.

Do keep in mind that once you click "Protect form" you won't be able to make any formatting or other changes (all your Ribbons will be "greyed out" and inaccessible). If you need to make edits, just click the Protect form button again and you'll be able to make those changes.

Now you can add checkboxes to your forms and share them electronically.

But what if you just want to print out a list with checkboxes that people will fill out manually, on paper? Let's look at how to do that next.

How to Add Checkboxes in Word for a Printed Document

If you just want to add boxes to a document that you're going to print and have people check off by hand, it's a bit easier to do. You'll just use bullet points to create your checklist.

Before you can do that, though, you'll need to make some updates to your bullet options.

Step 1: Customize your bullet point options

If you want bullets that look like empty checkboxes, you'll just have to make a few updates to your bullet point options.

First, make sure your cursor is where you want the checkbox to be in your Word document. After following the below steps, that's where Word will insert the box.

In Word, in the Home menu (on your document), you'll find the bullet tab – it looks like three vertical dots, with a small arrow button next to it:

Click that small button with the arrow, and you'll see the above dropdown with the option to "Define New Bullet" at the bottom.

Just click that option, and you'll be taken to a new screen that looks like this:

First, you'll need to select the font that has a checkbox-like symbol in it. So click on the "Font" button (below the examples of bullet characters) and select "Windings 2" (you'll likely need to scroll down just a bit).

Then click "Ok" and you'll be taken back to the customized bullet list screen. Now that your font is "Wingdings 2", you can customize your bullets.

Step 2: Choose the symbols for your customized bullets

To choose the checkbox symbol, simply click on one of the bullets that appears in the "Bullet Character" examples list (that selects it, so you'll be changing that bullet). Then click on the "Bullets" button, and a list of symbols will appear:

You can see that there are a lot of options, but towards the middle/right there's an empty checkbox. Just click on that and click "Ok" and you'll see that whatever bullet was there before has been replaced by the checkbox option.

Step 3: Enter your checkbox in your Word document

Now hit "Ok" again, and you'll be taken back to your word document – where you'll now see a checkbox!

Fun tip: if you add some text (like "Check here if you like puppies" above) and then hit the Enter key, a new checkbox will appear below. So your checkboxes will automatically continue in list form until you're done with your list.

When you're finished with your list, just hit enter again and the cursor will go back to the beginning of a new line without a checkbox.

Do keep in mind that if you insert a checkbox, don't type anything next to it, and then hit enter, the checkbox will just disappear and your cursor will go to a new line.

Here's another fun tip: if you want to change the alignment of your checkbox list, you can just click and hold on one of the boxes and then drag it back and forth to indent it more or less.

That's it!

Now you know how to insert both interactive and non-interactive checkboxes in Word documents. Enjoy!

Chrome Bookmarks – How To Delete or Recover a Bookmark

Abigail Rennemeyer — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 07:18:00 +0000

Being able to save a web page you visit often is very useful. Perhaps you check the Google Analytics of your blog posts every day, or visit a recipe app for cooking inspiration.

Whatever the reason, bookmarks in Chrome can save you time and hassle. Just bookmark the page, and you can easily come back to it any time.

But what if you want to clean up your bookmarks? After all, you might no longer need that concert tickets website from several years ago. Well, that's easy enough to do, too.

In this article, you'll learn how to find your bookmarks in Chrome, and how to delete them, recover them, and otherwise manage them. Let's get started.

Where are my bookmarks located in Chrome?

First, let's see where to find your bookmarks in the first place. There are a couple spots from which you can access them.

How to Find Bookmarked Pages under the Bookmarks Tab in Chrome

First, there's the "Bookmarks" tab in your Chrome menu bar:

The bookmark tab in Chrome is in the top menu bar.

If you click on that tab, it will bring up a dropdown menu which shows several options, like "Bookmark Manager" and "Bookmark this tab". It also lists any bookmarks or bookmark folders you currently have:

For example, I have a "freeCodeCamp stuff" bookmark folder that contains many of my bookmarked pages and tabs.

If you click on a bookmark folder, it'll expand the list to show you all bookmarks in that folder, like this:

How to display your current bookmarks in a bookmark folder

Any bookmarked pages that you don't have in a folder will simply be listed under the bookmarks tab in Chrome.

How to Find Bookmarked Pages under Settings in Chrome

Your bookmarks are also located under your settings tab, the three vertical dots in the upper right corner of your browser:

How to find your bookmarks in settings.

Just click those three dots and you'll see the right dropdown above. Hover over/click on "Bookmarks" and the left menu will pop out. There you'll see a similar bookmark menu with options like "Show Bookmarks Bar", "Bookmark Manager" and so on.

If you hover over, for example, a bookmark folder (the same folder we discussed above), you'll see all your bookmarks. Then you can just click on the one you want to visit.

Voilà - all your bookmarks.

How to Add a Bookmark in Chrome

There are a few ways to add bookmarks in Chrome.

You can visit the bookmarks tab in the Chrome menu bar (that we discussed above) and select "Bookmark this Tab". A separate box will pop up with the name you want to give your bookmark (you can change this - just click into that highlighted box). Then click done.

How to add a bookmark in Chrome.

You can also visit the settings (three vertical dots), click on or hover over the "Bookmarks" tab, and then select "Bookmark this Tab". The same little box will pop up as above.
A third option is to simply click the little star icon in the address bar. That will bookmark the page you're currently on.

Click that star and it'll add a bookmark for you (after you click "Done").

But if you don't want to use your mouse and make that many clicks, there's another option.

How to Add or Manage Bookmarks in Chrome with Keyboard Shortcuts

Sure enough, you can use keyboard shortcuts to add bookmarks and manage your bookmarks.

To bookmark a tab quickly, just key in Command+D / Ctrl+D (see below) - it'll bring up that same bookmark window as above. Then you can just hit enter if you don't want to update the bookmark's name or any other settings and it'll save it.

And to manage your bookmarks, just key in Option+Command+B / Ctrl+Shift+O (again, see below).

How to add or manage bookmarks with keyboard shortcuts.

But we're getting a little ahead of ourselves. Now let's learn how to manage your bookmarks, and why you might want to do so.

How to Manage your Bookmarks in Chrome

Let's say you have a bunch of old bookmarks you don't need anymore. You may want to remove some of them so you aren't scrolling endlessly through a long (and partly irrelevant) list of bookmarks.

How to Delete a Bookmark in Chrome

Well, it's easy to remove bookmarks you no longer need. Simply navigate to your bookmarks tab (through the Chrome menu bar or Settings - three dots - as we discussed above) and select "Manage Bookmarks".

Or you can use your handy keyboard shortcut (Option+Command+B / Ctrl+Shift+O) to bring up your bookmark manager. This is what you'll see (with your own bookmarks, of course):

How to manage bookmarks in Chrome

If you have a bookmarks folder, like I do, just double-click to expand it and see all your bookmarks. It'll then list them all out like this:

You'll notice three vertical dots to the right of each bookmark. If you click on those, it'll bring up options to manage that bookmark:

Options for managing your bookmarks in Chrome.

You can edit and delete bookmarks, copy the page URL, open the bookmark in a new tab, and more.

If you select "Delete", that bookmark will disappear from your list. Be careful - there's no "Are you sure you want to delete this?" message.

But wait...what if you didn't mean to delete that bookmark you just deleted?

How to Recover a Deleted Bookmark in Chrome

If you've just deleted a bookmark in Chrome and didn't mean to do so, it's ok. Just hit Command+Z / Ctrl+Z (the "undo" function/keyboard shortcut) and it'll bring it back.

But what if you've since closed Chrome or done other things? Command+Z / Ctrl+Z won't work. Fortunately, there's another way – it just requires a few more steps.

How to Recover a Bookmark in Chrome that you Deleted a While Ago on macOS

First, go to Finder. In the window that pops up, find "Macintosh HD" in the left menu bar:

How to recover deleted bookmarks later or the next day.

Double click on the "Users" folder (and then you might have to select the user you want to use). Then double click on the following folders in this order (a new window with an alphabetized list will pop up each time you double-click):

Library -> Application Support -> Google -> Chrome -> Default

There, you'll find two files, one called "Bookmarks" and the other called "Bookmarks.bak". The .bak file contains your backed-up bookmarks, which will have those bookmarks that you accidentally deleted.

You're just a couple steps away from getting your deleted bookmarks back:

Make a copy of the Bookmarks file and save it somewhere else (another location on your computer). You'll also need to rename it.
Now, back in Default, delete that original Bookmarks file. You need to get it out of there so you can use the .bak file as your new Bookmarks file instead.
Then you need to rename the .bak file to just "Bookmarks" (get rid of the .bak extension) so that it's now your Bookmarks file. This should get back any bookmarks you deleted.
Now you can close finder and Chrome. When you reopen Chrome, your bookmarks should be back!

How to Recover a Bookmark in Chrome that you Deleted a While Ago on Windows

Open a file browser and go to the directory where Google Chrome stores user data. This is usually in C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default.

Or if you use multiple Chrome people / profiles, your data might be in another directory like Profile 1. I'm recovering a bookmark I deleted on my work profile in Chrome, so my "Bookmarks" and "Bookmarks.bak" files are in C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Profile 1.

Also, the AppData directory is hidden by default, and you may need to make hidden files and folders visible first.

To do that, open Windows File Explorer, click on the "View" tab, then click the box for "Hidden items" and make sure that's checked:

In the Default or Profile x directory, you'll find two files, one called "Bookmarks" and the other called "Bookmarks.bak". The .bak file contains your backed-up bookmarks, which will have those bookmarks that you accidentally deleted.

The "Bookmarks" and "Bookmarks.bak" files on Windows 10

You're just a couple steps away from getting your deleted bookmarks back:

Make a copy of the Bookmarks file and save it somewhere else (another location on your computer). You'll also need to rename it.
Now, back in Default or Profile x, delete that original Bookmarks file. You need to get it out of there so you can use the .bak file as your new Bookmarks file instead.
Then you need to rename the .bak file to just "Bookmarks" (get rid of the .bak extension) so that it's now your Bookmarks file. This should get back any bookmarks you deleted.
Now you can close your file browser and Chrome. When you reopen Chrome, your bookmarks should be back!

How to Recover a Bookmark in Chrome that you Deleted a While Ago on Linux

Open a file browser and go to the directory where Google Chrome stores user data. This is usually in /home//.config/google-chrome/Default/.

Note that .config is a hidden directory, and you may need to make hidden files and folders visible first. Also, the google-chrome directory may be in another location depending on your flavor of Linux and how you installed the browser.

In the Default directory, you'll find two files, one called "Bookmarks" and the other called "Bookmarks.bak". The .bak file contains your backed-up bookmarks, which will have those bookmarks that you accidentally deleted.

The "Bookmarks" and "Bookmarks.bak" files on Linux Mint

You're just a couple steps away from getting your deleted bookmarks back:

Make a copy of the Bookmarks file and save it somewhere else (another location on your computer). You'll also need to rename it.
Now, back in Default, delete that original Bookmarks file. You need to get it out of there so you can use the .bak file as your new Bookmarks file instead.
Then you need to rename the .bak file to just "Bookmarks" (get rid of the .bak extension) so that it's now your Bookmarks file. This should get back any bookmarks you deleted.
Now you can close your file browser and Chrome. When you reopen Chrome, your bookmarks should be back!

And that's it! Now you know how to manage your bookmarks in Chrome on macOS, Windows, and Linux.

How to Add Page Numbers in Word – Microsoft Word Number Pages Tutorial

Abigail Rennemeyer — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 06:35:00 +0000

If you're writing a book or a paper for school, you'll likely want to include page numbers. They'll help readers keep track of how far along they are, and allow them to reference specific spots in the text.

And if you're writing in Microsoft Word, there's an easy way to add page numbers to your work. Let's see what it is.

How to Add Page Numbers in Word

When you have a Word document open, you'll see the main Word menu along the top of your screen, like this:

Main Word menu at the top of your screen.

Just click on the "Insert" tab, and you'll get a dropdown menu with lots of options. About two thirds of the way down, you'll see a "Page Numbers" option, like this:

Just click on "Insert" on the main menu and then scroll down to "Page Numbers".

Step 2: Scroll Down and Select the "Page Numbers" Option

When you click on "Page Numbers" a little box will pop up asking you how you want to format your page numbers.

Step 3: Format Your Page Numbers

You'll have options for where you want to place the numbers ("Position"), how you want them aligned on the page ("Alignment"), and other formatting options. It'll look like this:

How you can format your page numbers.

Step 4 (Optional): Customize Your Page Numbers

If you just click on the dropdowns by each option, you'll be able to choose exactly where and how you want your numbers to appear.

For example, if I want my numbers to appear at the bottom right, I'll just leave those options at the default. But if I want them, say, at the top and insides of each page, I can make the following adjustments:

How to customize your page numbering.

You can also choose whether you want a number to show on the first page (perhaps not if it's a title page, and so on).

If you really want to get into the details of your page numbers, you can click the "Format..." button. There you can choose how your numbers look (you can have Roman numerals if you want!), whether you want to include chapter numbers, and how your numbers should start.

More page number options.

And voilà – now your pages are numbered!

How to Find the Page Numbers Tab in Word

Here's something cool about Word: if you go to the "Help" tab to search for some functionality, it'll show you where to find it in the main menu.

Here's what I mean:

Say I want to find where to add page numbers (and didn't have this handy tutorial). I could just click on the "Help" tab in the main menu and type in "Page numbers".

But that's not the cool part – as you're typing, you'll see a match pop up (highlighted in pink below). When you hover over that option (don't click yet), Word displays where to find that tool or feature (in the red box below) and points to your query with a pulsing blue arrow! Like this:

Click "Help", type in "page numbers", hover over "Page Numbers", and the menu will pop up to the left.

Then if you actually click on your page numbers query in the Help tool, it'll just take you straight there and you'll see the "Page Numbers" box pop up.

Now you know how to add page numbers in Microsoft Word and you can customize those numbers to your heart's content. Happy writing!

How to Take a Screenshot on a Mac – A Keyboard Shortcut to Capture a Screen Shot in MacOS

Abigail Rennemeyer — Mon, 18 Jan 2021 05:47:00 +0000

Sometimes it's useful to capture an image or some text on your computer screen. But what if it's something that's not downloadable or copyable?

In that case, you'll want to take a screenshot of either all or part of your screen. Taking a screenshot is like taking a photograph of something on your screen. It preserves whatever you're looking at exactly and sends it to your downloads so you can access it whenever you like.

In this tutorial, we'll see how you can take a screenshot on your Mac with just a few keystrokes.

How to Take a Screenshot on a Mac – Part of the Screen

The easiest way to take a screenshot, in my opinion, is to use a simple keyboard shortcut: Command+Shift+4. The shortcut gives you the option to select a portion of the screen or to screenshot the whole screen.

If you just want to capture a part of your screen (that you choose), simply follow the instructions below (Steps 1-4). If you want to capture the whole screen, you'll find instructions to do that afterwards.

Step 1: Press Command + Shift + 4

If you just press Command + Shift + 4, your cursor will turn into a little crosshair-looking icon.

Note that you want to hold down each key until you're done keying in the shortcut, so press and hold the command key (and keep holding it down), then press the Shift key (while holding the command key, and keep holding the shift key as well), and then press the 4 key (while holding those other keys). Then you can release all three keys.

Press Command+Shift+4, click where you want the screenshot to start, and hold down your click (don't release it)

Step 2: Click and drag the cursor

To take the screenshot, simply click in the spot where you want your screenshot to start (don't release the click) and drag the cursor to where you want the screenshot to finish.

Drag over and down (while still holding the click press) until you cover all the area you want captured

Step 3: Release your cursor click

When you've got all the area covered that you want to capture, release your click press and you'll hear a little capture sound (if your sound is on). A minified form of the image will appear in the bottom right corner of your screen, like this:

The screenshot image will go to the bottom right corner of your screen

Step 4: Edit and save your screenshot

You can click on that mini image, and it will be opened in an editor. There you can mark it up, add text and arrows (like I've done above), and send it anywhere on your computer that you like. Just click the icon in the upper right that looks like a pen tip and the editor menu will open:

Click the pen tip icon...

...and the editor menu bar will pop up

Once you've marked up your screenshot to your heart's desire, just save it (Command+s does the trick). Then you'll be able to find it on your desktop, in your "Recents", or in your downloads.

How to Take a Screenshot on a Mac – the Whole Screen

If you want to capture the whole screen, you'll start off the same way – by pressing Command+Shift+4.

Then, instead of dragging the cursor to capture just the part of the screen you want, press the space bar. (You'll do this immediately after keying in the shortcut.) This changes the screen capture field to be the entire screen.

The cursor will turn into a camera icon and your whole screen will be highlighted in a light pinkish-red color. To capture the screenshot, simply click on the camera icon, and voilà - you have a full screen screenshot.

How to Take a Screen Recording on a Mac

What if a still image isn't enough to show what you want to show? What if you want to record yourself demoing a new product or writing instructions to a tutorial?

Mac makes that pretty easy, too. Simply key in Shift+Command+5. You'll see a menu pop up that looks like this:

Screen recording menu, courtesy of Apple Support (fun fact - you can't take a screen shot while you're screen recording!).

Select whether you want to record the whole screen or just part of it (those screen-looking icons on that menu) and then, when you're ready, hit record. If you want sound, just make sure you enable your machine's microphone in the "Options" drop-down menu.

To stop recording, either press the stop button or key in Command+Control+Esc.

And there you have it - now you know how to take screenshots on a Mac with just a couple keystrokes.

The Best Time to Post on Instagram – The Best Days and Times To Reach Your IG Followers

Abigail Rennemeyer — Thu, 31 Dec 2020 23:46:00 +0000

If you're trying to build up a following on Instagram, you'll likely want to post at the best possible times. After all, if people don't actually see your posts, did they really even happen...?

While there's no exact science that dictates the best possible times to share content on Instagram throughout time zones and disciplines, there are strategies you can use. And there are certain times and windows that seem to be consistently better than others.

In this article, we'll use the freeCodeCamp Instagram account as an example – since I run it, I'm the most familiar with its behavior and trends.

I'll share my reasoning behind our timing strategies along with what works best for us. I'll also discuss some general advice about posting times and how you can decide when to share your content.

Let's get started.

What's the best time to post to Instagram, in general?

As I mentioned above, there's not really a universally right or wrong time to post to Instagram. It depends on your audience, your goals, where you're located, and many other factors. But let's try to get some insights.

First, some data:

A graph showing how many posts people share in various time slots throughout the day (Source)

This is a very general graph, but you can see that there tend to be the most posts between around 9am and 6pm. This makes sense, as people are generally awake and active during those hours.

To get a little more insight into when people post and why, let's dive in deeper.

Put yourselves in your audience's shoes

Alright, let's think about this logically. Perhaps, if you're an Instagram user, think of your own behavior on the app.

If you're a somewhat typical user, you likely check IG right when you wake up. Nothing like a little shot of inspiration/FOMO/political commentary to start off the day right.

Then, when you're eating lunch, you probably open up the app again to check out all the juicy goodness that's been shared while you were working or doing other things all morning.

As your day winds down, and your brain becomes tired or distracted from work or taking care of kids or job hunting – or however you spend your days – you might check in with Instagram again just to escape and browse for a minute.

See what I'm getting at? People tend to check Instagram before work, when they need a break, or when they want inspiration or information.

Of course, Instagram isn't always restful – many people use it for active learning, sharing their art, consuming and sharing information about politics and social justice, and so on.

But it's up to you to know your audience. Whether you're posting travel photos or tech tutorials, think about who might be interested in those images or videos and when they might be browsing the app.

How to choose the best times to post to Instagram

Now that you've thought about who might be viewing your posts (and whom you want to view those posts), let's talk about some general trends in Instagram viewership. I'll focus on the tech and education spheres, since those are where freeCodeCamp lives.

First of all, here's something to keep in mind: if you have a relatively global audience – meaning your viewers are spread all over the world – it matters less when you post. Or rather, you can't cater to all time zones at once. If you can figure out where most of your audience is, or even a small majority, focus on times that are ideal for that area.

This is one strategy I follow. I live on the west coast of the United States, and there are many people in the States that engage with freeCodeCamp in some way (whether through the curriculum, publication, forum, YouTube channel, or our social media channels).

Part of freeCodeCamp's strategy is that we don't schedule posts ahead of time. I like to keep the content fresh and current, and I post to freeCodeCamp's account a few times a week.

By way of planning, I simply reach out to the people who's posts I want to re-share, and ask their permission to do so. Once I've gotten it, I add that post's URL to a spreadsheet so I can keep track of which posts I've shared and when.

Now the main question – once I have my planned posts, when do I share them?

Well, I think about the factors I've discussed above, and here's my general strategy.

Focus on weekdays

I want to catch people when they're studying or working or doing something from which they might need a little break. A little zap of inspiration. Most of the content I share on freeCodeCamp's IG account is being re-shared, so it's content someone else has created and posted.

I do this, in part, to show the global nature of the freeCodeCamp community. Many of the images I share feature developers and new coders who have used or are using the freeCodeCamp curriculum to learn to code. And people are doing that everywhere, so I want our Instagram feed to reflect that.

So throughout the week, around lunchtime (Pacific Time), I share photos of people coding, photos of people's setups, and photos of people learning to code. That way, when a person scrolling through their feed sees something that freeCodeCamp has shared, they hopefully receive a jolt of positivity, inclusivity, support, and inspiration.

Focus on daytime

As an additional note, I do try to share content when a large part of the world is awake.

Of course, not everyone will be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (as my mom says) when I post, but the goal is to give as many people as possible an opportunity to see the image before the world of IG moves on and floods people's feeds with too many more posts.

Think about the days of the week

Lastly, I think about what people's schedules might be like. I realize that I don't have a completely typical schedule, but I admittedly use myself as a case study.

I generally work Monday-Friday, and spend my weekends focusing on other things. Sometimes something work-related requires my attention on a Saturday or Sunday, but I try to stick to a regular schedule.

When I start the week on Monday, my inboxes are quite full, various repeating tasks demand my attention, and I have a meeting or two. Tuesday is often much the same.

By Wednesday, I'm pretty much caught up and can work on larger projects or other tasks that aren't so time-sensitive.

Thursdays and Fridays are also more free-form and I often have time to write articles for freeCodeCamp's publication and catch up on backlogs.

All this being said, I'll generally share images on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, and then again on Thursdays or Fridays. It fits in nicely with my work schedule, and I imagine that other people find time on those days to check IG once or twice.

Turns out that these times are fairly ideal – people seem to use Instagram a lot on Wednesdays and Fridays (in the tech sphere, especially), and lunchtime is a popular time for perusing.

I check in on each post throughout the day after I post, and then a day or so later, to see how much engagement it's gotten. If it has over 1000 likes and at least 5-10 comments, I know it's done quite well.

Ok, so when should you NOT post to Instagram?

I've been discussing how I strategize and figure out when I should post to Instagram. But how do you determine when you shouldn't?

Well, I did some research, and the general consensus is that Sundays are the worst time. Fewer people use the app and share during that time, which makes sense if you think about it.

In my house, Sundays are often used to get done everything you didn't do during the week. Or, barring that, to decompress and rejuvenate before starting anew. I don't spend a lot of time on social media on the weekends in general, and sometimes I'm just tapped out on screens by the time Saturday and Sunday roll around.

Other than Sundays, there doesn't seem to be one day that, across the board, is bad for Instagram views and engagement. This is where you'll need to do some research specific to your situation.

Figure out your own ideal posting times

You can also go through this mental process – thinking about your audience's potential schedules, cross-referencing with your own, and so on. It might take some trial and error, but keep track of the results and you'll be able to hone your strategy.

But perhaps you know that most of your audience is in a certain geographical area. Then you should do some research on when people use Instagram in your region, or country, and base your posting schedule off that (as it makes sense for you or your brand).

Here are some generalizations to think about as you conduct your research and figure out a posting schedule (again, based on the tech world):

Weekdays tend to bring about higher engagement
Sometimes you can catch people when they first wake up, so early morning can work
Lunch time is pretty reliable, as many people check/browse their phones as they eat
Later in the workday is also decent, as people get tired of work/whatever they've been doing all day and need a break
Sundays tend to be relatively quiet in IG land

Do you have data that you've gathered about the best times to post to Instagram? If you share it with us, we might be able to include it in this article :) Just reach out on Twitter.

Good luck reaching as many people as you can with your Instagram content!

The 80-20 Rule – The Pareto Principle Explained in Plain English

Abigail Rennemeyer — Mon, 28 Dec 2020 00:47:00 +0000

You may have heard someone say that 20% of your clients bring you 80% of all the revenue you'll make. Or that 20% of the people in x country hold 80% of the wealth.

These statements are referencing something called the Pareto Principle, or the 80-20 rule. The principle basically states that a small percentage of causes are responsible for a large percentage of results.

Let's dive in and look at the Pareto Principle and its related concepts in a bit more detail.

What is the Pareto Principle?

In the 1940s, an engineer and management consultant named Joseph Juran came across the work of Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. Pareto had noticed that around 80% of the land in Italy was owned by only 20% of the population.

Juran observed that this pattern applied to many areas of economics, business, math, and other sciences. He applied the principle to issues of quality control, noting that 80% of problems in business and manufacturing could be attributed to just 20% of the causes.

Juran was the one who named the Pareto Principle and described its parts as "the vital few and the trivial many." This implies that fewer causes/people are important and impactful while many outcomes are affected by those few causes.

Fun fact before we move on: the legend is that Vilfredo Pareto first noticed this distribution in his garden. He saw that around 20% of his pea plants produced about 80% of the fruit. That's what supposedly gave him the idea to apply the principle more widely to economics and wealth distribution.

So how does the Pareto Principle relate to Programming?

Bug squashing

This is all very well and good, you might be thinking – but why should you care if you're a developer?

Well, the 80/20 rule also applies to various areas of programming as well. Think of it this way: 80% of bugs can be solved by fixing just 20% of the problems that cause bugs.

So instead of tackling each bug as it comes, you should work to identify the bugs that are causing the most issues. When you've found those bugs, crush them, and most (around 80%) of your problems will be solved.

Productivity

On a team, some members are likely to be more productive than others. Some power through their code, focus like champs, and get done in several hours what it might take another developer all day (or longer) to complete.

Because of this, it's usually the case that 20% of team does about 80% of the work.

Writing code

When you're developing a project, it typically takes about 20% of the time you've allocated for that project to complete about 80% of the work.

But of course, conversely, the remaining 20% of the project takes up the other 80% of the time you've allotted.

In other words, building out the straightforward and general parts of an app doesn't take that much time. But implementing complex functionality, fixing bugs, and solving problems – a much smaller chunk of the overall project – easily eats up way more time.

How Can the Pareto Principle Help You Be More Productive?

Alright, hopefully you understand how the 80/20 rule works. So how can you use it in your every day life? Is it applicable to people like you and me, or is it just useful to economists and mathematicians?

You can definitely apply this principle to your life to help you become more productive and focus on what's important.

If you're a manager, for example, identify the tasks and responsibilities that are most important and that will produce the most results if you handle them personally. Anything else should be delegated or eliminated from your schedule.

If you're a writer and you want to help as many people as possible, do a little research and see which of your 10 proposed topics will be the most searched for and most relevant to people. Write about those top few subjects and do a really great job on them.

If you're a freelancer and some of your clients give you more work than others, make sure you nurture those relationships and take care of those clients (as, you guessed it, they'll probably be responsible for around 80% of your income).

So hopefully now you see how focusing on the most important, most relevant, most impactful ~20% of the stuff you're responsible for can generate the greatest outcome.

And while this distribution may not always be exactly 80%/20%, you get the idea. A small amount of causes are often responsible for a large percentage of the outcomes.

What's the Difference Between the Pareto Principle, Pareto Distribution, and Pareto Efficiency?

The Pareto Principle, as we've discussed in this article, refers to the observation that a small number of causes are responsible for a large number of outcomes.

The Pareto distribution refers to the mathematical distribution itself - that, for example, 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the people. This distribution is observed in many different fields such as economics, math, business, and so on.

The Pareto distribution is a power law distribution in statistics, which means that, in a functional relationship between two quantities, when one quantity is affected or changes, the other changes proportionately and relative to that initial change.

For example, if you double the length of the side of a square, the area of that square will increase four times.

And finally, Pareto efficiency refers to a situation where all parties concerned are in the best possible state, and none of them could become better off without detracting from the others.

For example, if three people are sharing a cake, they reach a state of Pareto efficiency if the cake is divided into three equal parts and distributed among them. None of them could have a larger piece of cake, because this would mean that one of the others would have to have a smaller one.

If, however, you had a cake divided into four pieces, and you only had three people, you could, in fact, give each person a little more cake by dividing the final piece in thirds. This situation is called a Pareto improvement, because there's room to improve the state for all parties concerned without detracting from any one of them.

And that's about it! Hopefully now you understand what the Pareto Principle, or 80-20 rule, is all about. And maybe now you can use it to prioritize tasks in your day-to-day life.

Inductive VS Deductive Reasoning – The Meaning of Induction and Deduction, with Argument Examples

Abigail Rennemeyer — Sun, 29 Nov 2020 19:05:00 +0000

If you're conducting research on a topic, you'll use various strategies and methods to gather information and come to a conclusion.

Two of those methods are inductive and deductive reasoning.

So what's the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning, when should you use each method, and is one better than the other?

We'll answer those questions and give you some examples of both types of reasoning in this article.

What is Inductive Reasoning?

The method behind inductive reasoning

When you're using inductive reasoning to conduct research, you're basing your conclusions off your observations. You gather information - from talking to people, reading old newspapers, observing people, animals, or objects in their natural habitat, and so on.

Inductive reasoning helps you take these observations and form them into a theory. So you're starting with some more specific information (what you've seen/heard) and you're using it to form a more general theory about the way things are.

What does the inductive reasoning process look like?

You can think of this process as a reverse funnel – starting with more specifics and getting broader as you reach your conclusions (theory).

Some people like to think of it as a "bottom up" approach (meaning you're starting at the bottom with the info and are going up to the top where the theory forms).

Here's an example of an inductive argument:

Observation (premise): My Welsh Corgis were incredibly stubborn and independent (specific observation of behavior).
Observation (premise): My neighbor's Corgis are the same way (another specific observation of behavior).
Theory: All Welsh Corgis are incredibly stubborn and independent (general statement about the behavior of Corgis).

As you can see, I'm basing my theory on my observations of the behavior of a number of Corgis. Since I only have a small amount of data, my conclusion or theory will be quite weak.

If I was able to observe the behavior of 1000 Corgis (omg that would be amazing), my conclusion would be stronger – but still not certain. Because what if 10 of them were extremely well-behaved and obedient? Or what if the 1001st Corgi was?

So, as you can see, I can make a general statement about Corgis being stubborn, but I can't say that ALL of them are.

What can you conclude with inductive reasoning?

As I just discussed, one of the main things to know about inductive reasoning is that any conclusions you make from inductive research will not be 100% certain or confirmed.

Let's talk about the language we use to describe inductive arguments and conclusions. You can have a strong argument (if your premise(s) are true, meaning your conclusion is probably true). And that argument becomes cogent if the conclusion ends up being true.

Still, even if the premises of your argument are true, and that means that your conclusion is probably true, or likely true, or true much of the time – it's not certain.

And – weirdly enough – your conclusion can still be false even if all your premises are true (my Corgis were stubborn, my neighbor's corgis were stubborn, perhaps a friend's Corgis and the Queen of England's Corgis were stubborn...but that doesn't guarantee that all Corgis are stubborn).

How to make your inductive arguments stronger

If you want to make sure your inductive arguments are as strong as possible, there are a couple things you can do.

First of all, make sure you have a large data set to work with. The larger your sample size, the stronger (and more certain/conclusive) your results will be. Again, thousands of Corgis are better than four (I mean, always, amiright?).

Second, make sure you're taking a random and representative sample of the population you're studying. So, for example, don't just study Corgi puppies (cute as they may be). Or show Corgis (theoretically they're better trained). You'd want to make sure you looked at Corgis from all walks of life and of all ages.

If you want to dig deeper into inductive reasoning, look into the three different types – generalization, analogy, and causal inference. You can also look into the two main methods of inductive reasoning, enumerative and eliminative. But those things are a bit out of the scope of this beginner's guide. :)

What is Deductive Reasoning?

The method behind deductive reasoning

In order to use deductive reasoning, you have to have a theory to begin with. So inductive reasoning usually comes before deductive in your research process.

Once you have a theory, you'll want to test it to see if it's valid and your conclusions are sound. You do this by performing experiments and testing your theory, narrowing down your ideas as the results come in. You perform these tests until only valid conclusions remain.

What does the deductive reasoning process look like?

You can think of this as a proper funnel – you start with the broad open top end of the funnel and get more specific and narrower as you conduct your deductive research.

Some people like to think of this as a "top down" approach (meaning you're starting at the top with your theory, and are working your way down to the bottom/specifics). I think it helps to think of this as "reductive" reasoning – you're reducing your theories and hypotheses down into certain conclusions.

Here's an example of a deductive argument:

We'll use a classic example of deductive reasoning here – because I used to study Greek Archaeology, history, and language:

Theory: All men are mortal
Premise: Socrates is a man
Conclusion: Therefore, Socrates is mortal

As you can see here, we start off with a general theory – that all men are mortal. (This is assuming you don't believe in elves, fairies, and other beings...)

Then we make an observation (develop a premise) about a particular example of our data set (Socrates). That is, we say that he is a man, which we can establish as a fact.

Finally, because Socrates is a man, and based on our theory, we conclude that Socrates is therefore mortal (since all men are mortal, and he's a man).

You'll notice that deductive reasoning relies less on information that could be biased or uncertain. It uses facts to prove the theory you're trying to prove. If any of your facts lead to false premises, then the conclusion is invalid. And you start the process over.

What can you conclude with deductive reasoning?

Deductive reasoning gives you a certain and conclusive answer to your original question or theory. A deductive argument is only valid if the premises are true. And the arguments are sound when the conclusion, following those valid arguments, is true.

To me, this sounds a bit more like the scientific method. You have a theory, test that theory, and then confirm it with conclusive/valid results.

To boil it all down, in deductive reasoning:

"If all premises are true, the terms are clear, and the rules of deductive logic are followed, then the conclusion reached is necessarily true." (Source)

So Does Sherlock Holmes Use Inductive or Deductive Reasoning?

Sherlock Holmes is famous for using his deductive reasoning to solve crimes. But really, he mostly uses inductive reasoning. Now that we've gone through what inductive and deductive reasoning are, we can see why this is the case.

Let's say Sherlock Holmes is called in to work a case where a woman was found dead in her bed, under the covers, and appeared to be sleeping peacefully. There are no footprints in the carpet, no obvious forced entry, and no immediately apparent signs of struggle, injury, and so on.

Sherlock observes all this as he looks in, and then enters the room. He walks around the crime scene making observations and taking notes. He might talk to anyone who lives with her, her neighbors, or others who might have information that could help him out.

Then, once he has all the info he needs, he'll come to a conclusion about how the woman died.

That pretty clearly sounds like an inductive reasoning process to me.

Now you might say - what if Sherlock found the "smoking gun" so to speak? Perhaps this makes his arguments and process seem more deductive.

But still, remember how he gets to his conclusions: starting with observations and evidence, processing that evidence to come up with a hypothesis, and then forming a theory (however strong/true-seeming) about what happened.

How to Use Inductive and Deductive Reasoning Together

As you might be able to tell, researchers rarely just use one of these methods in isolation. So it's not that deductive reasoning is better than inductive reasoning, or vice versa – they work best when used in tandem.

Often times, research will begin inductively. The researcher will make their observations, take notes, and come up with a theory that they want to test.

Then, they'll come up with ways to definitively test that theory. They'll perform their tests, sort through the results, and deductively come to a sure conclusion.

So if you ever hear someone say "I deduce that x happened", they better make sure they're working from facts and not just observations. :)

TL;DR: Inductive vs Deductive Reasoning – What are the Main Differences?

Inductive reasoning:

Based on observations, conversations, stuff you've read
Starts with information/evidence and works towards a broader theory
Arguments can be strong and cogent, but never valid or sound (that is, certain)
Premises can all be true, but conclusion doesn't have to be true

Deductive reasoning:

Based on testing a theory, narrowing down the results, and ending with a conclusion
Starts with a broader theory and works towards certain conclusion
Arguments can be valid/invalid or sound/unsound, because they're based on facts
If premises are true, conclusion has to be true

And here's a cool and helpful chart if you're a visual learner:

Image source

That's about it!

Now, if you need to conduct some research, you should have a better idea of where to start – and where to go from there.

Just remember that induction is all about observing, hypothesizing, and forming a theory. Deducing is all about taking that (or any) theory, boiling it down, and testing until a certain conclusion(s) is all that remains.

Happy reasoning!

How to Type Letters with Accents on Mac

Abigail Rennemeyer — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 10:30:28 +0000

If you're writing in a language other than English, you'll likely need to know how to include accent marks. You know, like voilà, olé, or über.

Fortunately, there are a couple easy ways to do this on a Mac. In this article, we'll go through the main methods so you can add accents to your text with ease.

The Press and Hold Accent Method on Mac

If you're not in a rush and you want to see all the common accent options at a glance, there's an easy way to do that.

Simply press and hold the key on which you'd like the accent to appear, and a number of options will come up above the letter, like this:

Press and hold accent method

When you see the type of accent you'd like to add, just type that number and the accent will be added to the letter. You can also use the left and right arrow keys (and enter) to select which one you want.

So, for example, if you wanted the second option, above, you'd press and hold e, then press 2 (or press the right arrow key once and then enter).

This method works well if you don't mind the time it takes for that little accent menu to pop up. But it doesn't always include all accents in every language. And it does slow down your flow, especially if you're typing a whole article in another language. Whew, that's a lot of added time.

Fortunately, there's another common method that involves keyboard shortcuts. And gives you all the options, as well.

The Option Key Accent Method on Mac

The Option key helps you add all kinds of accent and diacritic marks to your text. Just press and hold the Option key (the same as the Alt key), then press the "e" key, and then release them and press the letter key to which you'd like to add the accent.

For example, if you'd like to add an acute accent (´) to the letters a, e, i, o, or u, you'd press Option + e, and then the letter to which you'd like to add the accent. So, Option+e+a gets you á.

Accent insights from freeCodeCamp's founder.

But what if you want a different sort of accent, like a grave or umlaut? Don't worry – there are option key combos for those, too (and more).

Option + ` + letter = grave accent à, è, ì, ò, or ù (like this: Voilà)
Option + i + letter = circumflex accent â, ê, î, ô, or û (like this: Crêpe)
Option + n + letter = eñe character ñ, ã, or õ (like this: El Niño)
Option + u + letter = umlaut accent ä, ë, ï, ö, or ü (like this: Über)
Option + a or Shift + Option + A (for capital A) = å or Å
Option + ' or Shift + Option + ' = æ or Æ (ligatured ae)
Option + q or Shift + Option + Q (for capital letters) = œ or Œ
Option + c or Shift + Option + C (for capital) = ç or Ç
Option + o or Shift + Option + O (for capital) = ø or Ø
Shift + Option + ? = ¿
Option + 1 = ¡
Option + 5 = ∞

Once you memorize these combinations, you can incorporate the keystrokes right into your typical typing flow. And you can always bookmark this article in case you forget :).

Bonus: Other Option Key combos on Mac

What if you need to type some math symbols? Or the symbol for the Euro currency? You'll need more than just accent options.

Well, did you know – your basic English-language keyboard is hiding all those special characters right in (almost) plain sight?

By holding the option key and pressing any of the letters/numbers/punctuation marks, you can create a completely different character than what's printed on your keyboard.

So how do you know what each key combo gets you? Don't worry – your Mac can tell you. It just takes a few steps to find that info.

Step 1: Go to System Preferences

Find the Apple icon in the upper left corner, and click it. Then select "System Preferences" from the dropdown menu.

Select the Keyboard icon, and you'll see this box:

How to customize your keyboard.

Make sure the "Show keyboard and emoji viewers in menu bar" is checked (as it is in the image above).

Now you'll see a little keyboard icon in your top menu bar, next to your bluetooth and wifi symbols/icons. Click it, and select "Show keyboard viewer".

That will bring up an image of your keyboard as it's configured on your Mac:

Your keyboard's basic configuration.

Step 3: Press the Options key

Now, if you hold down the Options key, it'll show you what else all those keys can do, like this:

So many options...

You can see the most common accent marks highlighted in orange above. Those are the keys that, when combined with the Option key, give you those accent marks (as you learned above).

You'll also see all kinds of other useful symbols, like currency symbols, math symbols, and so on. So if you ever need a quick reminder about what keys to press when you need to write the Greek letter µ (miu), for example, just reference this chart.

How to Add Accents on Windows with the International Keyboard

If you want to use shortcuts to include accents and special characters without switching to an entirely different keyboard layout, you can enable the international keyboard.

First, press the Windows key, type "Language", and click on "Language Settings" to open the language menu:

The Windows 10 language menu.

Then under "Preferred languages" click on "English" and "Options" to open the language options menu:

The Windows 10 English Language Options menu.

Under "Keyboards", click the "Add a keyboard" button and click on "United States-International" to add the international keyboard to your system.

To enable the international keyboard, move your mouse down to the taskbar and click on "ENG US", then click on "ENG INTL":

Use the keyboard select menu in the taskbar to enable the international keyboard.

Alternatively, hold down the Windows key and press Space to cycle through your installed keyboard layouts.

The main difference between the normal US keyboard layout and the international layout is that some keys work as a sort of "accented character lock".

For example, to type a single apostrophe (') with the international keyboard enabled, just type ' + Space. For a double quotation mark, just type " + Space. And backticks work the same way with ` + Space.

With that out of the way, here's how to type some common accents with the Windows 10 international keyboard:

` + letter = grave accent à, è, ì, ò, or ù (like this: Voilà)
^ + letter = circumflex accent â, ê, î, ô, or û (like this: Crêpe)
~ + letter = eñe character ñ, ã, or õ (like this: El Niño)
" + letter = umlaut accent ä, ë, ï, ö, or ü (like this: Über)
Right Alt+ w or Shift + Right Alt + W (for capital A) = å or Å
Right Alt + z or Shift + Right Alt + Z = æ or Æ (ligatured ae)
Right Alt + < or Shift + Right Alt + < (for capital) = ç or Ç
Right Alt + l or Shift + Right Alt + L (for capital) = ø or Ø
Right Alt + ? = ¿
Right Alt + 1 = ¡

But you might have noticed that there's no shortcut to type œ, Œ, or ∞ with the international keyboard.

For that, let's take a quick look at another way to type accents, special characters, and symbols on Windows 10.

How to Add Accents on Windows with the Emoji Panel

The emoji panel makes it easy to scroll through all the available emoji and add one to a message. But you can also use the emoji panel to quickly add an accented or special character, too.

Use the shortcut Windows Key + . to open the emoji panel:

The Windows 10 emoji panel.

To add accents or special characters, press the symbols button at the top:

The Windows 10 emoji panel's Symbol options.

Then scroll through the menu and click on the accent or character you want:

Selecting the œ character in the Windows 10 emoji picker.

Also, you can click around the different menus at the bottom for different types of symbols. For example, ∞ is in the "Math symbols" section:

Selecting the ∞ character in the Windows 10 emoji picker.

And that should be everything you need to know to type accents and other special characters on both Mac and Windows. Adiós!

The Best Free Email Providers [Guide to Online Email Account Services]

Abigail Rennemeyer — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 03:18:50 +0000

If you’re trying to decide on a good free email service with just the right features, you’ll find there are lots of options to choose from.

This is great, as there’s something for everyone, but it can give you a little bit of decision paralysis.

To help you pick the right one for your needs, here’s a breakdown of some of the most popular free email services. We’ll look at how much storage they have, what they let you do, and why they might work for you.

These are the email services we'll be checking out in this article:

Gmail
Outlook
ProtonMail
AOL
Zoho Mail
iCloud Mail
Yahoo! Mail
GMX
Hey (as a bonus - not free, but new)

So let's dive on in.

Gmail

Gmail is one of the most well-known and widely-used email services out there. It’s part of Google’s suite of services, and there are a number of reasons it’s so popular.

If you want email with lots of features, and if you love the G-suite, Gmail is likely a great option for you.

Gmail Features

Here are some of its awesome features:

You can schedule emails to send at a certain time, snooze them so you don't lose track of them, and customize your notifications
You can email large attachments through Google Drive (and save docs there so they don't clutter up your local computer)
You can use smart compose (like auto-complete) to help you write your emails faster – and you can even translate your message right in Gmail (under the three dots - "Translate message")
Use the reading pane feature so you can see your inbox and the email you're reading at the same time (just go to Settings - Reading Pane - and choose where you want it).
There are advanced search options available (just click the down arrow on the right of the search bar).
In addition to regular search functionality (by folder, and so on), you can also find emails by date (type before:date – like 2020/1/1 – and it’ll search in just those messages).
Gmail has good security, and you can send/receive money through your email. It also has "Confidential mode" and you can set expiry times on your messages.
Some other cool features? Customize the amount of time you have to undo sent emails, auto-advance through your inbox (under the Advanced tab in Settings), Offline mode, and dragging email between tabs.

Storage: Gmail gives you 15GB of free storage. Now while that sounds like a lot, keep in mind that it's used by Google Photos, Google Drive, and any other Google tools you use as well.

So if you have multiple gigabytes of photos on your computer in Google Photos, you might strain your email storage capabilities.

If you want to create a Gmail account, you can do so here.

Outlook

If you're looking for a powerful email service that offers tons of features plus the ability to integrate with a bunch of business-friendly applications, Outlook is a good option for you.

It's not quite as simple to use as Gmail, for example, but you can do more with it. Many large companies use Outlook for their email, and it offers robust calendar, task manager, and other customizable features.

Outlook Features

Here are some of Outlook’s other best selling points:

You can create new meetings/tasks/contacts right from inbox (no switching windows involved).
You can also share or assign tasks (like a to-do) with your coworkers, and you can also share your calendar with them.
Outlook lets you make your own custom rules (like always send emails from x to this folder, and so on). You can also customize your notifications, as well as how you see your messages (like changing the text color for x sender, and so on).
You can also easily create custom email templates if you send messages where the content doesn't often change (save yourself the extra typing!).
You can schedule emails to be delivered exactly when you want, and snooze them so you can read them later without losing track of them.
You can also set up message alerts (never miss a VIP email again!), and use flags and categories to help you keep track of important mail and organize your inbox.
Integrates easily with other Microsoft products (for example if someone sends you a Word doc as an attachment, you can open it right in Outlook).
If you want to create a new contact, just drag and drop an email from them into the contacts tab, and voilà – it's created for you.
You can use sticky notes as reminders (just type Ctrl+Shift+N from anywhere in Outlook's interface, and there's your note).
Outlook also has its own version of auto-complete called quick parts to save you some time.
And you can @mention people in mass emails to alert them it pertains to them

Many people describe Outlook as "feature-rich" email - and now you can see why.

Storage: on the storage front, Outlook offers 15GB for free – same as Gmail.

Wait a minute - are Outlook and Hotmail the same thing?

This is confusing, but here's the long and the short of it:

Microsoft bought Hotmail in 1997 (yes, that long ago). They went through several iterations of rebranding (MSN Hotmail, Windows Live Mail) but eventually settled on Windows Live Hotmail around 2012.

That's also when Microsoft rolled out Outlook.com, the final rebranding of anything Hotmail (name) related.

If you already have an old @hotmail.com email address, you can keep it. But if you're signing up for Outlook today, you have to choose an @outlook.com address. Sorry, nostalgic email hopefuls.

Anyway, if you want to give Outlook a try, you can sign up here.

Proton

Proton (formerly ProtonMail) is a great option for the average user who doesn't want organizations or hackers snooping through their emails. It's not the tightest security on the planet, but it's more than enough for the average user.

Proton is an open-source, encrypted email provider based in Switzerland (brought to you by the famous CERN - the European Organization for Nuclear Research) and gives you all the benefits of Swiss law and privacy/security.

Proton Features:

It's not the only encrypted email option, but it's one of the most well-known. Let's see why:

Proton is famous for its encrypted email service (uses end-to-end and zero-access encryption standards to protect all email)
The free plan gets you one email address, 150 messages a day, 3 folders/labels, and limited support
You don't have to provide any personal information when signing up for an account.
It uses the fairly robust PGP encryption standards
The web client, their encryption algorithms, and the iOS code are all open source
The IP address is stripped from all your emails
The Proton Bridge feature lets you use it with other email clients (meaning it can pull emails from other clients, and lets you import contacts from them)
You can send messages which "self-destruct" after a specified amount of time
You can send encrypted emails to people who don't use Proton
Address verification lets you save your signed key into a digitally signed contract so that key can't be tampered with once it's verified (which replaced an earlier method of making encryption key management automatic and invisible to the user). This helps prevent Man in the Middle attacks

There is one important security-related thing to note, though: the subject line of your email (and the address info) aren't encrypted. So should ProtonMail need to hand that info over to authorities for any reason, they can and they will.

Storage: Proton offers "only" 500MB of storage on their free plan. But if you need more, and are willing to pay, there are 3 paid plans available (they have more features, too).

Want to try Proton out? You can create an account here.

While we won't cover it in this article, a good alternative is Germany-based Tutanota.

AOL

Ah, AOL email. If you were a child of the late 80s or 90s, chances are your first email account was with AOL. Who didn't love hearing those three little words – "You've got mail!"

Since then, the world seems to have moved on – but AOL hasn't been completely left behind. The long-time email provider has kept their straightforward services up-to-date and relevant. It's especially useful if you just want to use your service to send and receive emails.

AOL Features

So here's why you might want to consider AOL:

Just have to come out and say it first: AOL mail has unlimited storage space. It's the only one, as far as I know. It also has a pretty generous 25 MB attachment limit.
It has all your typical (and to be expected) spam and virus protection, along with other basic features like a spell-checker and filters that let you sort incoming emails.
You can also use its panels to stay organized, which have quick links to the To-Do feature, calendar, and a blog
It also has reading pane mode (so you can read an email without leaving your inbox - the mail appears to the side)
You can create customized folders to further organize messages (although this feature isn't as sophisticated as Gmail's or Outlook's).
Email stationary lets you customize your email template with themes, styles, and so on – so you can make your emails extra festive for holidays, birthdays, and more.
It supports POP and IMAP protocols (which let you download emails onto your machine so you can access them even without internet)

While AOL mail isn't too fancy, it's great for basic emailing functionality. The unlimited storage feature also makes it standout and helps it remain relevant.

Want that endless storage space? You can get an account here.

Some other free email options

Maybe you want more options – I hear ya. You like to do your research. Well, here are a few more choices for great free email services.

Zoho Mail

Zoho Mail offers 5 GB of storage – not too bad – and offers encrypted email. It's a great option for startups and small businesses.

Here's a quick run-down of some cool Zoho Mail features:

You can create up to 25 business addresses (so instead of @zoho.com, you could have @tastytreatsbakery.com, or whatever your business name is).
It's easy to manage all your tasks, calendars, notes, and documents (easy Google Drive integration) from your inbox
Fully encrypted data and privacy guarantee
Easily migrate emails from your previous email service with their build-in tool
Social media-style "Streams" help you communicate and collaborate with teammates
Organize your attachments by type

Sounds like your cup of tea? You can sign up for Zoho mail in a blink.

iCloud Mail

If you're all about the Apple ecosystem, then you might want to consider iCloud mail. It offers 5 GB of free storage (you can purchase more starting at just $.99/month) and the interface is pretty enjoyable to use.

Here are some other great iCloud mail features:

There are no advertisements - compose your emails in peace
Helpful keyboard shortcuts for efficient emailing
Spam filtering (auto and manual) – you can also set up rules to block messages you don't want
Clean, minimalist interface (think Apple's design aesthetic)
You can mark certain senders as "VIP" and iCloud mail will send their emails to a special folder

If you want to give iCloud mail a try, you can sign up here.

Yahoo! Mail

Can't you just hear the yodeler singing out "Yahoo!"? Well, I can.

At any rate, Yahoo offers an impressive 1TB of storage (that's 1000GB), second only to AOL's unlimited storage.

Here are some other cool Yahoo! mail features:

Customizable inbox theme and layout
Easy calendar integration, right from your inbox (you can also use Google Calendar and any other with an iCal address, as well).
Integrate your other email services (like Gmail, AOL, Outlook) so you can manage all your inboxes in one place
Yahoo organizes your emails into "Views" in the left panel (like "Photos", "Documents", "Receipts", "Travel" info, and so on)
Customizable out of office responses

You can see more for yourself by trying Yahoo! mail out.

GMX

GMX mail offers a little bit of everything – and with 65 GB of free storage, plus attachments up to 50MB, it's a very reasonable free email option.

Let's see why else you might want to check it out:

Encryption options - stay safe (along with built-in antivirus software and spam filter)
You can have up to 10 different aliases if you need to receive emails from different addresses all in one place (like support, team, help, and so on)
The MailCheck extension for Chrome makes sure you're notified when you get new emails
Ability to organize all emails from your other accounts into one place
Customizable filter settings (create your own, or use the ones GMX provides)
Robust search, online calendar, and easy-to-use contacts feature

Does GMX sound like your ideal email provider? You can sign up for an account here.

Bonus – Hey [it's not free, but it’s new]

You may have heard the hype around the bold new Hey email from Basecamp. It's not free, but it does promise many drastic improvements to the old way of doing email.

Here are some of Hey.com's top features:

You can screen your emails – if you get an email from a pesky sender, just block it right then and there.
You can open, and then read through, more than one email at a time. No more open, read, close...open, read, close...and so on.
You can add private notes to any email thread (so all your info about that thread is in one place).
There's a "paper trail" folder where you can send all receipts and other transactional messages (easy to find, but not cluttering up your inbox)
An "attachment library" collects all your attachments so you can search directly there (without having to find the email first).
Extensive security features like mandatory 2-Factor Authentication and support for hardware security keys and fingerprint readers.
100GB storage included

There are many more cool features, and you can read about them at Hey.com. Plans for individuals are $99/year, and for teams are $12/user per month. They do offer a 2-week free trial if you want to try it out first.

Alright, now you should be well-equipped to chose a free email provider. Good luck finding the one that's right for you!

Qualitative VS Quantitative Definition – Research Methods and Data

Abigail Rennemeyer — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 04:04:18 +0000

When you’re conducting research, your data will fall into two categories: qualitative or quantitative. So what’s the difference between these two data types?

Well, here’s a quick and easy way to remember at least the basic difference: quantitative data deals with quantities of things – numbers and measurable information, like how many people visit a website each day. That’s all about quantity (sounds like quantitative, right?).

On the other hand, qualitative data gives you more insight into what people think, feel, and believe – the quality of a thing, person, or situation. Alright that one’s a bit more of a stretch, but it works.

Now let’s get more into the details of qualitative and quantitative research so you know how to conduct each.

What is Qualitative research?

Qualitative research focuses on the human perspective, and usually answers the question “why?” If you want to learn how people perceive their environment, why they hold certain beliefs, or how they understand their problems, you’ll conduct qualitative research.

It’s also all about context. When you’re researching a group, you want to study them in their natural environment. This gives you insights into their behavior, beliefs, opinions, and so on.

How do you conduct qualitative research?

You can conduct qualitative research in a few different ways. Doing interviews, setting up focus groups, giving people open-ended questionnaires, studying photo collections, and observing people in their daily routines are all forms of qualitative data collection.

When you engage with people in these ways, you’re giving the opportunity to give more in-depth, elaborate responses. They’re not just responding “yes” or “no” – they’re telling you what they think.

You can also make observations from photographs or from watching people – things like the way people are looking at each other lovingly, or how two old people might hold hands while they watch TV.

From these observations, you can theorize that those people love each other, are close to each other, know each other well and are comfortable around each other, and so on. Things that are hard to quantify with numbers or measure with figures.

What is Quantitative research?

Quantitative research, on the other hand, involves collecting facts and figures and often results in numerical, structured data. Think data you can put in a spreadsheet and analyze.

Instead of talking to people and getting their opinions, you’re asking them yes or no questions. Instead of asking someone why they do something, you’re finding out what they do, or how many people do that thing, or how often – and so on.

Real quick - what is structured data?

Let's say you're looking at a recipe on your favorite online cooking blog. The structured data are things like the ingredients, the oven temperature, how many calories a serving has, and how long you cook the food. These are all quantifiable (and measurable with numbers/facts) things.

Unstructured data, on the other hand, would include the food blogger's little story about how they discovered or created the recipe, what people have said about how delicious it is, and how much they love the texture of those soft, gooey cookies. You can't measure these data – they're opinion and experience-based.

How do you conduct quantitative research?

You can conduct quantitative research by looking at statistical data (how many people did x), giving people multiple choice or true/false tests, asking them yes/no questions on a survey, and so on.

All in all, you’re trying to answer the question “what” or “how” – what something is, what’s the number of people who order from Amazon every day, how many cars are in that parking lot.

Because of the nature of the data and collection methods, context isn’t a factor in this type of research.

With quantitative research, you’re interested in gathering data that support and prove or disprove a hypothesis or theory you already have.

So instead of observing and talking to people and then forming a theory about what’s going on, you collect your data, and then make conclusions about the validity of your hypothesis based on that data.

Is Qualitative or Quantitative research better?

Alright, so you have these two methods of research – which is better?

Well, most people would argue that they’re better when used together. They’re complementary. Each has its pros and cons (which we’ll discuss), but each method definitely brings important information to the table.

Before we discuss just how they can work together, let’s look at the good and the bad of each.

Pros and Cons of Qualitative research

Let's start with the good. Qualitative research lets you dig deeper into a problem, situation, or context and see why things are happening. You get personal insights from your subjects that can't necessarily come from numbers and figures.

You also have the benefit of context, which can shed light on why a person said certain things or was feeling a certain way (for example if they live in a war zone or in a small village in the middle of nowhere or in the largest city in the world).

On the other hand, qualitative research is more time-consuming and therefore expensive. It takes a lot more time to interview people or set up focus groups than it does to send someone a simple yes/no survey.

It can also be harder to get people to participate in qualitative research. They might not have the time or energy (or desire) to share extensively.

Finally, qualitative research is never really definitive. People are always changing, as are their perceptions of the world around them. So while qualitative data can help inform your hypothesis and fill in gaps in your research, it should usually be supported by quantitative data.

Pros and Cons of Quantitative research

Quantitative research produces hard facts, numbers, and other measurable things. Which can be very useful when you're trying to prove a theory or understand what you're dealing with.

It's also independent of changeable things, like researcher bias or people's current opinions or moods. So quantitative research is repeatable and can be tested and re-tested again and again.

And, practically speaking, quantitative data analysis can be performed much more quickly than qualitative research. You can simply send someone a survey, collect the response data, and dump that data into a spreadsheet or database. From there, running various queries and analyses is easy (assuming you know what you want to ask).

Still, quantitative research is limiting in certain ways. People can't explain their answers to a multiple choice test or yes/no survey (again, lack of context). This means you can't take human factors into account.

So while you have the facts and numbers, you have to decide how to interpret them and use them in your research. (This can be both good and bad.)

How to use Qualitative and Quantitative research together

Sometimes it’s best to start with qualitative research – gather information, talk to people, try to understand their problems/perceptions/opinions, then form a hypothesis.

Then, once you have your hypothesis, use quantitative methods to confirm (or disprove) it with data analysis. This will show you whether the issue/problem/situation exists in general, or was just part of someone’s perception.

But qualitative research/insights can also help round out your structured data/conclusions – if you’ve learned that x people use your site every day, quotes from people about why they use it (as opposed to another company) can teach you more about what’s working (or not) and why.

Examples of Qualitative and Quantitative research

First example

Say you want to learn more about people who visit Paris on vacation. You could look at flight data, museum admission numbers, tourist info to figure out how many people visit Paris each year. But that won’t tell you why they’re visiting.

To learn why, you have to ask people why they wanted to visit Paris, what was their favorite part of the city, what was their experience like as a tourist in Paris, and so on. This will give you insights into what motivates people to travel there in the first place.

Another example

Let’s say you run an e-commerce site that helps people resell their gently used clothing.

You can gather information about how many people sell clothes on your site, how many items the average person has sold, how many people visit the site to buy those clothes, and so on. All that’s right there in the analytics.

But if you want to know why people choose to use your site – either to sell or buy clothes – you’d want to start by conducting an open-ended questionnaire or ask for feedback on a survey.

Also, if you want to know what they like about your site, and how that influences their decision to use it, you could ask them to describe their experience using the site, and so on.

Ultimately, you’ll want to use both qualitative and quantitative research to get the whole picture. And you won’t just use one, and then just use the other. You can go back and forth between the two methods as your research evolves and you gather more information.

This will help you get a more complete picture, form a stronger and deeper hypothesis, and establish both facts about and insights into the situation.