Announcing UMRA Cyber Tips and Tricks
The UMRA web team is introducing a new series of articles called Cyber Tips and Tricks. We hope these articles will help you understand some of the features on the new UMRA website, give you insight into how the same or similar features are used on other sites.
As web conventions grow and change over time, you may run into new and different challenges when interacting with various websites. And even though you may be a seasoned Internet user, there might be a few tips and tricks you’re not aware of.
We’ll begin by focusing on the UMRA site’s new features and include tips about using similar features on other websites as it makes sense. Each month we’ll walk you through topics such as
- kickers (the category names that you’ll see in small type above news and event article titles)
- filters
- using the annual calendar
- navigation styles
- how to search the site
- changing the size of the text on a web page
We’ve launched the first article in what is planned to be a series. You can read Cyber Tips and Tricks—UMRA Site Kickers and Filters now.
Cyber Tips & Tricks will not be limited to websites—we’ll also cover some technical head scratchers from time to time, like canceling an email you just sent, useful keyboard shortcuts, or turning your phone into a wifi hotspot.
Questions?
We want to hear from you! Do you have a general technology question? Or have you run across something on the UMRA site that confused you or didn’t work the way you expected? Let us know and if the answer to your query would be beneficial to the membership, we’ll write an article about it.
Important note: The website does not currently render properly on small screens such as phones, iPads, Kindles or small tablets. We’re still working to make the site responsive. A responsive website is one that has been built to adjust the screen presentation to look good on all screen sizes. It takes time and lots of coding in the background to make this work. We're working to make the site fully responsive. For now it's best viewed on a full size monitor, instead of smaller devices.
News
The election of UMRA officers and new board members for 2024–25 will be conducted via an online poll from May 13 to 19, with the results to be announced at our annual meeting on May 21. Look for the ballot in your email inbox on May 13. Diane Young has been nominated to be president-elect.
“I convinced myself I could handle this problem without support groups or doing additional research, but that’s only because I didn’t want to make it any more real than it already was. Denial comes in many forms, and one is to avoid thinking about the problem any more than need be.” —Alice A. Larson
Meet UMRA member Peter Moe. He retired in 2023 after a career that spanned nearly half a century at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, and is credited with developing the “Arb” into one of the few in the U.S. with world-class fruit and landscape breeding programs.
The University Retirees Volunteer Center (URVC) has welcomed two new members with valuable skills and experience to the URVC Leadership Council: Lynn Slifer and Jeanne Jacobson.
The University plans to remove retirees from the @umn.edu internet identity domain on December 7. UMRA has advocated for ensuring continued access to this identity (including email, Google Workspace, and associated services), citing University retirees’ enduring contributions to and engagement with the University. Thus far, our efforts have not prompted any change of plans.
If you’re looking for an opportunity to explore your photographic interests, hone your photographic skills, and hear what other retirees are up to, the UMRA Photo Club is a great place to be. We have fun! And whatever your skill level, there is room for everybody.
Leading the online Journal of Opinions, Ideas & Essays has been a labor of love for Kris Bettin. Alas, a change in family needs has necessitated her retirement. So, JOIE is seeking a new leader to join a savvy editorial committee of five and bring fresh ideas for continued development of the UMRA-sponsored journal.
Soon you will receive an email or letter inviting you to renew your UMRA membership for the 2024–25 year. Please renew before you get busy with your summer activities. Your support helps to make our programs and many other member benefits possible!
This will be a new regular column where you can find organizational tasks that need your help! We are currently looking for help researching a new UMRA Membership Database and URVC volunteer database, and a co-producer for UMRA's Zoom webinars. See more details: