Pitfalls to Avoid When Buying a Consumer PC for Business</h1> <article> <h1>Pitfalls to Avoid When Buying a Consumer PC for Business</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:39:24 GMT</p> <p>Business managers are regularly warned in the electronics media and elsewhere, to consider the risks of buying cheaper consumer PCs for daily business workloads - but many small firms are still choosing the cheaper models to keep costs down. Such businesses make the assumption that buying consumer class PCs for company use will be cheaper in the long run. But is this truly the case?<br /> <br /><br />The basic answer is to consider the purpose which the PC has to fulfill, and to consider reliability issues in tandem.<br /><br /> <br />Many small businesses only use PCs for emailing and sending documents, plus of course spreadsheets and letters and perhaps also an accounts package too. Not all departments or individuals in the business need access to Server Class equipment on their desks. In these instances, the temptation to buy cheaply at the consumer end is difficult to resist, especially when taking in the fact that failure rates of cheaper PC's continues to be very low, with most problems encountered being caused by software.<br /><br />So, is it true that despite cost pressures, buying consumer devices is no match for professional business-class hardware? Are many shop-bought computers are not rigorously tested to meet business needs?<br /> <br /><br />Clearly, buying cheaply is only a good idea until a computer failure affects business and damages cash-flow. So as well as a cost difference, there is definitely the business continuity liability to consider. And does the consumer-focused PC have all the applications and tools to really help businesses?<br /> <br /><br />It is a fact that business-oriented computers have no "special ingredient" to make them more reliable - they all come from the same factories as consumer-oriented computers and they use the same parts. Often the main difference is simply the style of the case, the version of Windows preinstalled and the cost. And they do not necessarily come with business applications preinstalled either.<br /><br /> <br />Thus, the best advice for business users is exactly the same as that given to consumer or home users - buy the PC which suits the purpose. Often, in the case with memory-hungry business applications, this is a matter of looking at the PC's processor. Buying a Celeron type processor for a business PC is not a good idea if fast performance is needed. That immediately rules out the cheapest PCs, where a Celeron processor is usually specified. Again, Celeron is fine - and can save costs - as long as your eyes remain open to the limits of it performance. For memory-hungry applications, at least Intel Core 2 Duo for today's Microsoft Office packages is a wise investment. Combined with the right Processor type, the largest affordable amount of RAM would be a good matching idea.<br /><br /> <br />Hence, a good place to start when considering a business PC is to look at the array of online stores which cater for business. There, hardware specifications relevant to a range of business styles are likely to be found, along with ideas for an upgrade in business computing style to server-based computing. It is in server-based computing where small businesses on an upward growth path are likely to find an overwhelming case for deployment of hardware fit for long-term business efficiency.<br /><br /> <br />Jimi St. Pierre writes for several Office IT Equipment suppliers in the UK, including office IT systems supplier Officemagic. The Officemagic range of server-based computing hardware including desktops, workstations and peripherals can be found at: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.officemagic.co.uk/">http://www.officemagic.co.uk/</a><br /><br /><br />Article Source: <a target="_blank" href="http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jimi_St._Pierre">http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jimi_St._Pierre</a></p> </article> <article> <h1>The Many Types of Ergonomic Keyboards</h1> <p>jen mercer — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:47:54 GMT</p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;">For many of us, keyboards are a part of everyday life; however, they often leave us with sore wrists and shoulders. One potential way to relieve the pain is to use an ergonomic, or alternative, keyboard. </span></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;">The purpose of most alternative keyboards is to reduce stress by modifying the shape of the traditional keyboard. If you have already looked into using an ergonomic keyboard, then you probably know that there are many styles on the market.</span></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;"></span></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;">The most popular ergonomic keyboard is the split keyboard. Split keyboards have the alphanumeric keys at an angle. This style of keyboard reduces strain on the hand and wrist by straightening the user’s wrists and aligning them in the directions of the keys. Some split keyboards are literally split in half, with the two halves positioned elbow-width apart. People who switch to the split keyboards are generally acclimated within a day or two. </span></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;"></span></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;">Tented keyboards enhance the split keyboard concept.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes;"> </span>In addition to angling the keyboard, the two halves are angled toward each other in a tent-like fashion. The angle of the tent is set by the manufacturer, and some are adjustable. Some studies have found that using a moderately tented keyboard can increase the typing speed and accuracy of the user. The learning curve for this type of keyboard appears to be longer than that of the split keyboard.</span></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;"></span></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;">A third style of ergonomic keyboard is the supportive keyboard. Supportive keyboards include keyboards that have built-in wrist or palm rests, as well as keyboards with frontal support legs. While some manufacturers claim that this type of alternative keyboard adds comfort and prevents fatigue by assisting the positioning of the wrists, many researchers suggest that using a wrist rest can actually cause a build-up of fluid at the joint and thus, produce discomfort.</span></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;"></span></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;">The scooped key arrangement keyboard is the final type of ergonomic keyboard. The keys on these keyboards are arranged in a bowl-like shape, bringing them closer together. This shortens the distance a user’s finger must reach when typing and reduces hand fatigue. </span></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;"></span></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;">There are many choices when it comes to ergonomic keyboards. The right choice for you is the one that will enhance your wrist and hand comfort without sacrificing your typing speed and level of accuracy. Take the time to test out many different models before you make your final decision.</span></p> <p> </p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Multiple ways to enhance business productivity for small Busines accountants</h1> <p>Liza Welch — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 11:38:50 GMT</p> <p class="xmsonormal">Tax season turns taxing for CPAs themselves as larger amount of work has to be managed in the most efficient and error free manner as possible. Time, IT infrastructure and the top of all the human resources have to be, not only managed but ensured that customer are satisfied by the service being offered. Some suggestions regarding these are:</p> <p class="xmsonormal"><i><u>Use outsourced manpower</u></i>: Using outsourced manpower during peak season may be better than to have full time regular workers, who cost more and may need to be trained. Getting a well trained workforce with required skills that can start the work right from the word go saves a lot of cost and get the things done in time. The only caution: Quality check.</p> <p class="xmsonormal"><i><u>Have software application Hosted</u></i>: Small business use different types of application such as accounting application, CRM software and Tax applications. Hosting accounting application such as QuickBooks, MyOb , and tax software such as Lacerte and Proseries is an excellent way to use Cloud computing technologies for business growth. For example <a href="https://mail.myrealdata.net/owa/redir.aspx?C=03e65e38b706426ea3fea3da3e0606ce&URL=http%3a%2f%2fmyrealdata.com%2f" target="_blank"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;">QuickBooks hosting</span></a> allows anytime anywhere access to accounting files makes collaboration among multiple users possible and comes with multiple data backup which is more secured compared to local data backup. On the top of it you get 24×7x365 technical help desk support. Not only can you manage the business better you are better placed to use outsourced workforce in a more productive way.</p> <p class="xmsonormal"><i><u>CRM hosting</u></i>: Just like QuickBooks and tax application hosting, use of CRM software is an excellent way of managing and responding to customers in a more efficient way. One may go for CRM software hosting as well. The best CRM i have identified is <a href="https://mail.myrealdata.net/owa/redir.aspx?C=03e65e38b706426ea3fea3da3e0606ce&URL=http%3a%2f%2fmyrealdata.com%2f" target="_blank"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;">ACT! By Sage CRM hosting.</span></a></p> <p class="xmsonormal"><i><u>Social networking</u></i>: <a href="https://mail.myrealdata.net/owa/redir.aspx?C=03e65e38b706426ea3fea3da3e0606ce&URL=http%3a%2f%2fquickbookshosting.wordpress.com%2fcpa-technology-solution%2ffive-socialmedia-tools-for-cpas%2f" target="_blank"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;">Social networking</span></a> is an excellent tool to know about the latest business trends, make friends online and recruit cheap and efficient workers. Use it to increase your business as well. Nothing promotes your business better than social networking.</p> <p class="xmsonormal"><i><u>Business evaluation</u></i>: Do not forget to evaluate your business model from time to time and setting new goals. Aimless business growth may be straining to the business. So, keeping a tab on business growth, forecasting future growth is an essential component of today’s business environment.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p> </p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Why Advertising Agencies Need An Extra Site For Client Success Stories</h1> <p>Jonathan Bentz — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:24:48 GMT</p> <p>Many advertising agencies carry a plethora of information on their websites. Company history, executive biographies, press releases, employment opportunities, products and services are just a few of the webpages commonly found on marketing company <br /> websites. Potential clients normally use these websites to learn as much about a firm as possible before picking up the phone <br /> or filling out a request for proposal.<br /> <br /> Depending on product or service industry, this information can sometimes vary. However, the webpages listed in the previous paragraph are essential for almost every corporate website on the Internet. Advertising and marketing business sites often go a step further than most corporate sites. In addition to the standard pages, agency websites also include a portfolio of work they've completed for clients. <br /> <br /> With so much company information already existing on their main websites, do agencies need to publish their portfolio on the <br /> same site? There's no question that clients like to see work samples. But adding a portfolio to a website designed to <br /> encourage prospective clients to pick up the phone and contact you can be distracting for them. In order to keep prospects from being steered away from becoming a potential client, advertising and marketing firms should create an individual website to host their client success stories.<br /> <br /> The primary goal of a website run by a marketing or advertising firm should be lead generation. If your website promotes your company's services the right way and generates traffic - but fails to create a consistent flow of prospects - then it is failing you. Instead of putting pretty work samples on the site and taking a prospect away from the primary reason they came to your site (to learn more about working with you), referring them to a second site. Showcase your best work there, and use teaser copy on certain pages to entice them to find out more AFTER contacting you. Consistently making this recommendation causes visitors to create a mental note in their head to visit your success site, but also keeps them on task... to fill out your request for more information.<br /> <br /> Another reason to host a website specifically devoted to success stories is that projects can be discussed in more detail. On most ad agency websites, success stories are limited to a few short sentences. When an additional website is developed to address client successes, copyrighters can go into more detail about the goals of clients for their products or services, the agency's approach to meeting that goal, and also properly summarize the end results. <br /> <br /> Websites themed around client success stories are also great tools for a tech-savvy sales staff. Most companies have old school brochures and sales collateral that describe services, successes, and pricing. These materials can be presented in unique ways, but they rarely have a standout effect in today's sales meetings. <br /> <br /> Having a well-presented website devoted to client success stories can make your company stand out from the competition and allow for a fresh presentation piece for a prospect. The proposed client can see how many successfull campaigns your company has put together in a wide variety of industries. The custom internet marketing consultants at <a href="http://prospectmx.net">Prospect MX</a> have found this approach to using a success site to be very beneficial in presentations with clients.<br /> <br /> If you are going to add success stories or a client portfolio to your website, the most common reason behind doing so is to generate a confidence in your services with potential customers. Building your success website outside of your main ".com" can allow your stories to have more detail, avoid prospect distraction, and provide a "web 2.0" brochure piece that allows you to stand out from your competition. A customer success site can also benefit agencies in organic search engine rankings by creating another quality site of themed content to take up online real estate. </p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>nsHosting™ SharePoint®: A Better Way to Work</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:16:42 GMT</p> <p>As the idea of the modern workplace continues to evolve, it might be a good time to re-evaluate the way your team does business. The challenges of today’s economy have created a need for small businesses to not only work harder – but to work smarter as well.</p> <p>Teamwork remains one of the keys to a small business’ success, which is why Network Solutions and Microsoft have joined forces to get your team working like never before. nsHosting™ SharePoint® utilizes Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) technology, giving you all the benefits of the industry’s leading collaboration platform. Share files, coordinate calendars, create a team workspace – SharePoint is a cost-effective way to keep your employees connected whether they work at a central location or from various remote locations.</p> <p>It’s a boost in productivity that can benefit any business. If you’re unsure whether nsHosting™ SharePoint® is right for you, consider the advantages you’ll gain from this unique hosting opportunity:</p> <p><strong>Mobile Office</strong><br /> When employees work in an online workspace, information can be shared and transferred from any place with Internet access in a way that drastically improves efficiency, whether employees are in the same office or remote. File sharing, multiple user document management and calendar coordination are just a few examples of how your employees can truly work together to get the job done.</p> <p><strong>Administrative Control</strong><br /> If the openness of a shared workspace has you concerned over the exposure of sensitive information or the integrity of your documents, rest easy knowing that you’ll have administrative control. Restricted access and document version control are just two of the features you can use to keep things in check.</p> <p><strong>Disk Space</strong><br /> With up to 5 GB of disk space and unlimited bandwidth, your business will have the room it needs to grow without restriction. Add up to 500 users and store large files with ease.</p> <p><strong>No Software Set-up</strong><br /> nsHosting™ SharePoint® does not require the installation of hardware or software and its compatibility with your existing Microsoft Outlook client is another valuable feature.</p> <p><strong>Automation of Tasks</strong><br /> Choose from a variety of pre-built applications created to automate some of the most widely used processes and tasks. You’ll even find convenient application templates customized for specific job functions including timecard management and campaign tracking.</p> <p><strong>Personalized Email</strong><br /> For an added professional touch, you’ll receive a personalized email address that matches your domain name. Your emailboxes will also be protected by superior Cloudmark spam and virus protection. Cloudmark Authority® delivers the industry’s most effective and highest performing –spam, phishing and virus protection. Using your new email is easy too – choose the POP3 program of your choice or turn to Webmail for email that’s available from any computer with an internet connection.</p> <p><strong>Technical Support</strong><br /> If you have any questions regarding your SharePoint® site, feel free to take advantage of our live 24/7 technical support – at no extra cost to your business.</p> <p>No matter where your employees do their jobs, <a href="http://www.networksolutions.com/web-hosting/sharepoint/index.jsp">nsHosting™ SharePoint®</a> can provide you with the technology you need to boost productivity and ensure a higher level of efficiency.</p> <p>Author: Channing Suhl</p> <p> </p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Five Easy Ways for Your Service Business to Get Online</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:46:47 GMT</p> <p>No matter whom your customers are or what kind of services you provide, every service business can benefit from a presence on the World Wide Web. Below are five things that any service business needs to do to get online and generate value through an online presence.<br /><br /><b>1) Choose your Web site's name</b><br /><br />One of the first steps when you are starting a new business or when you are setting up an online presence for your business is to decide on the right domain name. A domain name is how people find your site online and is one of the most valuable aspects of your business's online presence. In short, your business domain name is an important key to your business's online identity-especially if you intend on having a Web site and setting up email for your business.<br /><br />First you will need to find the right name. Ideally this will be the name of your business, but it can also be a variation of that name. For example, if you run an auto repair shop, you may choose the name of the shop itself or an abbreviation such as "auto" in lieu of "automotive". Sometimes it makes sense to add a local component to the name. The addition of your state's abbreviation, for example, may assist people searching for local repair shops.<br /><br />You will also need to choose an extension-the "dot extension" or TLD (top level domain). Adding different TLD extensions to your name makes it an entirely new domain name registered to a different Web address. For instance, thedotcompeople.com and thedotcompeople.org are two different Web addresses. For a service business, a .com or a variation on .com such as .us.com is preferable. However, your business may want to register multiple extensions (.net and .info, for example) to protect your business's brand name.<br /><br /><b>2) Set up your Web site</b><br /><br />Once you've committed to creating an online presence for your business - a Web site - and registered your business's domain name, the time has come to design and build the site itself. As with so many aspects of the Web, site design and construction offers many options. You can choose to design the site yourself. Web site creation software makes building a Web site for your business almost as easy as creating and sending an e-mail. Using professional design templates, Web site software lets you accomplish building a Web site quickly, efficiently, and for a very small price. <br /><br />Another option is to hire someone to design a site for you. You can hire the services of a professional Web site designer. You should check to see that the design service you select possesses the proven technical expertise to create a Web site that reflects well on your business, delivers your message effectively, and takes advantage of the Web's special ability to market your products or services. Looking at samples of sites that the designer has worked on, preferably specific to your business type, and checking references are great ways to assess a designer's fit for you.<br /><br />Regardless of the route you choose, you will want to give some thought as to what information about your business you would like to see on your site. At a minimum, your auto repair shop site should show hours of operation, a map showing location and driving directions, information on whether there is a before/after hours drop-off box, any specialization (foreign vs. domestic, specific models, etc) and information as to whether your station conducts inspections should your state allow individual shops to test emissions. This is also a place to showcase any certifications (e.g., ASE) as well as link to consumer reports-type reviews if your local publications have carried them on your business. <br /><br />Setting up a Web site is also a great time to elect e-mail with the package that you choose. This will allow you to send and receive correspondence under your name at the web address you have chosen. This e-mail address can be used for all of your business purposes and is more professional than many of the "free" e-mail boxes that you can also choose from. Use this e-mail address to work with your parts suppliers, your accountant and even your customers.<br /><br /><b>3) Help Web users find your Web site</b><br /><br />Now that your site is ready for visitors, it is time to send them your way. The first step is to introduce keywords to your site. A keyword is a word or a phrase entered by users into a search box when they want to find information, or products and services online. Search engines are designed to look for keywords or phrases in specific areas of your Web site. To rank higher in search results for your target audience, you must identify the most effective keywords and then place them in the right areas of your site's content and HTML code. Quality keywords describe what your business offers and should include both general and specific terms. For example, your auto repair shop might use "auto repair", "domestic repairs", "automotive services", and "automotive repair", rather than simply "repairs." Once you've identified your keywords, you should use them in the places of your Web site where the search engines will look for them. Search engines will look at emphasized text like titles, headings, and subheadings. <br /><br />You may also choose to use these same terms to purchase online advertising to send traffic to your Web site. This service enables you to pay to have your site appear in the "sponsored links" section of the search results of engines such as Google® or Yahoo!®. You'll typically pay for each click that you get on these links, so this is often called "pay per click" advertising.</p> <p>Finally, you may choose to list your business information, with a link to your site, in online directories. Many of these directories are local in nature and offer free listings. This is an easy way to send more local traffic to your Web site and, in doing so, more potential customers as well.<br /><br /><b>4) Keep your site current</b><br /><br />One of the most important things that you can do once your site is set up is to ensure that you keep the information current and fresh. This serves two purposes: it ensures that customers and potential customers who access your site have accurate and dependable information and it also encourages search engines to "spider" your site. A spider is a software program that travels the Web (hence the name "spider"), locating and indexing websites for search engines.<br /><br />Keeping a Web site up-to-date can take a number of forms. It can include updating basic text or photos. It can also mean introducing features such a blogs, which allow business owners or users to post comments. The comments could be specific to the business (i.e., happy customers talking about the service they received) or more general "useful" information (the value of an oil of a different viscosity in different climates). People can post or comment on posts. <br /><br /><b>5) Connect with your customers</b><br /><br />A Web site can allow you to be creative about how you communicate with customers. You can build out your Web site so customers can use the site to schedule maintenance appointments. You can even utilize a "referral" button which is often available in hosting packages which allows your customers to e-mail information about your business to friends and family. These referrals often translate to new business for you. .<br /><br />These are just five easy ways for a service business to generate value from being online. With a little bit of upfront investment of time and resources, your Web site will pay you back for years to come! </p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Social Networking</h1> <p>Philip Ramsey — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:21:23 GMT</p> <p><strong>Social Networking</strong></p> <p>I'm still playing with Social Networking, both on my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">iTouch</span>/iPhone and on my computer with tools such as blogger, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">LinkedIn</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">MySpace</span> etc... One of the tools I've mentioned before is Twinkle, Twinkle is a chat room for lack of better world, I'm sure they'll come up with a glorious title saying it's a Web 2.0 empowered application using the 3G iPhone network, but in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">reality</span> it's less functional than what I was using with CompuServe and Delphi back in the early 1990's (I'm getting old, but I'm also getting wiser ;)).<br /><br />One of the interesting features with the iPhone is that it has a very nice camera, it also is GPS enabled, this allows a person to send a picture of what's going on near them, and for you to see about where they are at. The other day I started seeing pictures of a tornado running through Parker Colorado, about an hour after that I saw similar pictures on CNN. Think about it, these people scooped CNN on a news story, pretty impressive if you ask me. I've seen similar issues, I've seen reports of a heavy storm coming through the area, and people talking about damage, I've seen people around the country talk at the same time about how a movie (the same movie) stopped just before the end (of course this is because the theater is <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">receiving</span> a stream of the movie via satellite or web and the stream died). If I had the resources I'd write a program to sit and sniff twitter traffic to see what's going on in the world.<br /><br />There are sad portions on this also, I've run into a number of people with relationship issues that are either having bad problems or just need to be cheered up. I'm always trying to be helpful, but not everyone wants help, and I've made it clear that anyone can come to me for assistance. I've also seen several bullies online, some have tried to pick fights with me, but I'm old enough where I don't blow up like they want me to (this of course drives them nuts, they want reaction, I don't think most people realize the best way to beat a bully is to ignore them).<br /><br />I've also heard a bunch of issues with stalking going on, I've gotten a few requests for information that I ignore, it's mostly the women who are getting stalked and asking for things that they shouldn't be asked for (am I the last Gentleman online?). I do follow a couple of kids from time to time, because they seem so young and I feel they need adult supervision, I'm very happy to see that they are keeping their public noses clean (hopefully nothing is going on in the private area). Many of these kids need something other to do then being handed an iPhone and told to go keep busy.<br /><br />I've been able to discuss politics with different people from around the world, see how people outside the US see the US (it isn't great right now). This morning I got on and one of my "friends", he lives in Florida, was getting torn apart by someone else. Despite I don't agree with my "friend's" politics, I didn't take kindly to anyone attacking him, so I stepped in and mentioned that he was a good guy and should be treated that way. Also this morning another one of my "friends" got laid off, she's in London, it seems that there are a lot of layoffs going on in that area now, the financial issues of the US are catching up to them. I've been able to make friends with people, old and young, who I might possibly have made friends with before (anyone who knows me will tell you that I absolutely love everyone). As I'm writing this I just learned that another "friend" in Georgia has just quit a job, she's going to bury her pain in donuts this morning.<br /><br />The great parts about this? I was mentioning to someone in the public area how my mother had passed away in December of 2003, almost instantly I had several people expressing their condolences, I was touched to see so many people in the world care. I think a couple of us started crying as we discussed our parents (OK I cried, but that's what I do, it was a very manly cry though ;)).<br /><br />I have been able to listen into people and get some great ideas from them (I wish I had a lot of research and development money right now, I'm sure I could make it a lot more with a few of the ideas I currently have). I'm also surprised about how many people don't know what Web 2.0 is or Social Networking, they have this idea that Twinkle, Twitter, Blogs, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">LinkedIn</span>, etc... are all the same thing, but they aren't, they are all different and all have their own niche. Maybe I should write a book about all this? </p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>How to choose a web design</h1> <p>M Alim — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:01:11 GMT</p> <p><span style="font-family:verdana;line-height:17px;" class="Apple-style-span"> <p>The problem with most companies finally taking the plunge and having websites built, is that they focus their attention on how nice and professional and glitzy they want the site to look. In reality, there should be a strong link between what makes their particular type of business successful in the real world and how that's reflected on-line.</p> <p>Some types of businesses actually benefit from a less artistic approach as customers use the look of the website to make assumptions about the company. Much as you do when you browse the high streets (especially in a new town). Local traders, for instance, can sometimes portray the wrong image. Whilst trying to look 'professional' they may broach the style of a big company, with people assuming they're going to be expensive. If a company is a small family-run affair and that's what makes them successful, they should be reflected in a similar way on-line because their customers are the same people looking at them from a different medium.</p> <p>I'm not trying to advocate 'home made' sites or bad design, what I'm getting at is that what appears appealing in style can be inappropriate in execution.</p> <p>So what are the important factors in Web Site Design?</p> <p>Logos, colours and general company themes should be reflected throughout the online and local presence. The menus of a site should be easy to navigate and make sense. People don't like to have to hunt for what they want once they've reached your site. If they arrive at your site via a web search then you could be one of thousands of search results which they're investigating. Any important pages or info should be one click away from the main page if not on the main page. </p> <p>Clever moving menus and interactive flash content has a place but can't be all things to all people. Great care should be taken to assess whether your potential customers will be put off by too much going on or indeed whether you're distracting them from the messages you're trying to get accross.</p> <p>Web designers are by nature artistic and like nothing better than to produce an eye-catching design which will impress other designers. The problem is that websites are designed to be viewed by potential customers and there can sometimes be misrepresentations.</p> <p>Diolt SEO services company</p> </span></p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Ten Steps to Take Before You Build Your Web site</h1> <p>Sian Simon — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:45:24 GMT</p> <p> A common mistake people make when they decide to create a Web site is that they jump in to the design process too soon. That can cause problems down the road. For example, if you plan to work with a designer, you need to be able to clearly communicate your needs and goals. Not doing so may cause you to have to pay for rework when the design doesn't really meet your needs. But in order to communicate your needs clearly, you have to have spent some time considering how you plan conduct business online.<br /><br /> Here are 10 steps to take <i>before </i>you build your Web site to help you avoid such dilemmas:<br /><br /> 1. <b>Think about your primary objectives for the site and write them down</b>. Do you want it to be a showcase for your products? Do you want to provide online customer service? What are you trying to achieve with your site? What is its purpose? These answers will drive decisions about the site's navigation and functionality.<br /><br /> 2. <b>Conduct a competitive analysis</b>. Look to see what others in your industry are doing. What are they offering customers? Equally important, what are they not offering online? How can you differentiate yourself from what they are doing? What keywords are they using in their marketing? Which sites rank higher in the various search engine results? When you do thorough research, you will have greater insight into what you can do to succeed.<br /><br /> 3. <b>Gather the artifacts you will need for the site</b>. This may include your logo, business description, and mission statement.<br /><br /> 4. <b>Create a domain name</b>, preferably one that relates to your business and describes what you do. Take time to create the domain name, it is an important element of your branding efforts and factors into how customers will find you.<br /><br /> 5. <b>Decide how visitors will get in touch with you</b>. Do you need a toll-free phone number? Will you have people get in touch through a contact form on the site? Do you need a special email address and mailbox for those forms?<br /><br /> 6. <b>Decide on a color scheme</b> and design preferences that will work well with your logo. (You will want to be sure to keep the colors consistent throughout the site.)<br /><br /> 7. <b>Pull together your graphics</b> (ideally graphics or photos in a jpeg format which is easiest to resize so they will load faster on a page.) Make sure that each graphic you want to use has a text tag (Alt Tag) that describes that image so that the search engine spiders can find it.<br /><br /> 8. <b>Gather your content</b>. This can be a big job. But at a minimum, you should outline the content areas you will feature on your site. Some aspects to consider including: </p> <ul> <li> About Us-what your business is, what you do, and where you are located.</li> <li>Newsletters-if you publish a printed newsletter, gather them in electronic format so you can post them on your site.</li> <li>Calendar of events-this can be especially useful if you are a retailer with a schedule of promotional events.</li> <li>Customer Testimonials-be sure to gain permission from your customers which allows you to use them on your site.</li> <li>Copyrights and permissions for all content and images. You cannot simply copy and paste content or images from other sites, even if it is a manufacturer's site for products you sell. You MUST gain permission to use them.</li> <li>Error page-in the event a broken link exists, this type of page can help direct users back to your home page so they don't get stranded or abandon your site.</li> </ul> <p><br /> 9. <b>Address the ecommerce aspects of your site</b>. Decide which products you will sell and how many products to offer. Create product categories and unique descriptions for each product or product line. This information will enable you to evaluate various shopping cart features and decide which package will support you best.<br /><br /> 10. Once you have all the items together, <b>build a flowchart</b> to map out all of the pages and how they link to each other. With this information, you can now select a hosting package. (You really can't know what you need in terms of hosting services until you have items assembled and flowchart created.) <br /></p> <p> With all of these materials-and your thoughts-organized, you are now prepared to meet with a Web designer to kick-off the design process. Or, if you will design the Web site yourself, you can now feel confident that you have the details you need to build a Web site that not only meets your business needs but, most important, meets the needs of site visitors.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Photoshop Tips To Help You Learn Photoshop Fast</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:39:10 GMT</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Can't get rid of that nasty shine that you get taking pictures? Well now you can, follow these easy steps: </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Let's start with a great, overlooked trick. After opening the image, open the same image again in a new window. In Photoshop, choose Window ->Arrange -> New Window. In Elements choose View->New Window. This allows you to view one window zoomed in for detail work and the other window at 100% so you can judge the effects. Using the magnifying glass tool draw a box around the area of shine. Make the box big enough to also show a fair amount of un-shiny skin. Select the Clone tool. At the top of the page select Mode: Darken and use the slider to set Opacity at 50%.Using the Clone Tool, select an area of un-shiny skin by putting the circle over the area and holding down the Alt button while left-clicking the mouse. To best match skin tone try to select the area of skin closest to the shine. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Quick tip, to easily resize the Clone Tool circle simply use the bracket keys, [ and ] - much easier than moving your cursor back and forth between the photo and the Size slider. Now simply click on the shiny area and watch the magic happen. You'll have to experiment a little for best effect, and for larger areas be sure to resample the un-shiny skin frequently. In the zoomed-in image the effect might look too obvious, so you'll need to keep an eye on the 100% image to track your progress. Notice the difference on the tip of the nose, the cheek, and above his eye.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Photo retouching is sometimes quite important to your photo. You can change your photo to black and white, take out some unwanted acne, fix a blurry line. Well, here are some instructions on how to sharpen your image. Start by opening your image Duplicate the background layer by pressing control+j. Press shift+control+u to desaturate the layer. Go to filter>others>high pass and give these values, Radius of 0.4 pixels. Press control+l to open levels. Fianlly, change this layer's mode from normal to overlay. If you find excessive shaprening then reduce the opacity of this layer. You now have more sharpe image and it works on almost any image.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Gradient maps can help your coloring on Photo manipulations a lot. They can be used to help blend things in and to make the colors in things the same. So you should have the same picture from the section Textures open. Okay now looking at you textures picture. You might think. My textures dont really blend in well with my face. So I am going to show you how to blend those in better using gradient maps. So I want you to decide what you want your face to look like (mainly color wise). So to make my textures blend in more I start off by going to Image> Adjustments> Gradient Map. Since I want a green picture I am going to pick a green/yellow gradient map. Then I am going to set it on soft light. After I put the opacity down a bit. Then I added a black and white gradient map. I did this because I wanted to make the picture a bit darker. I left the black and white gradient map on normal and set it on around 50% opacity. It will get rid of a bit of the color but thats what the green and yellow gradient maps were for (they were to add color so it didnt look really bland when we added the black and white one). Here is my picture after adding gradient maps.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Open the JavaScript Reference Guide and click the ArtLayer bookmark to the left in Adobe Reader, now you can first se all properties available for ordinary layers and after that is all the methods available for it. Hello worldNow it's time to try your wings by creating and running your first script for Photoshop. As always the first program you create in a new programming language should always output the Hello world sentence. To install a script you simply copy it to Photoshop's scripts folder which in windows is located in: c:Program FilesAdobePhotoshop CS2PresetsScripts Before you can use it from Photoshop you have to quit Photoshop and restart it. Once you have done this the script is available under File > Scripts</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">From the murky depths of the deepest forests to the frosty desolation of the Siberian wilderness, camouflage is invaluable for breaking up the human silhouette, allowing stealthy approaches towards your prey. It is, however, also deceptively simple to make in Photoshop using only a couple of filters and a basic sense of style. Create a blank document of any size with a single active layer (this can be filled with anything you desire). Using the colour swatches, select #D0C577 as the foreground colour, and #BAAD4A as the background colour. Then choose Edit > Fill from the main menu and fill the background layer with the new BG colour. Now create that camouflage by selecting Filter > Artistic > Sponge, and running it with the following settings: Brush Size - 8; Definition - 25; Smoothness - 15; Repeat the filter a second time with exactly the same settings to bring out highlights. To smooth out the result, go to Filter > Noise > Median and enter a value of 3. And that's it! See, I said it was easy! Of course, at this point you can brighten things up a little with the Image > Adjust > Brightness / Contrast tools, and/or add a little cloth texture with Filter > Texture > Texturizer, but I'll leave that up to you... Of course, these colours wont work for every environment, so feel free to play around a little. Take a look below to see a few quick colour variations. Have fun experimenting.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">As with many applications, working in Photoshop can be made far easier and more efficient by using keyboard shortcuts.Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N New layer Ctrl/Cmd + J Duplicate current layeR. Here are a few useful shortcuts: Ctrl/Cmd + [ Move layer downwards Ctrl/Cmd + ] Move layer upwards Ctrl/Cmd + E Merge linked layers Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + E Merge visible layers Ctrl/Cmd + A Select all Ctrl/Cmd + D Deselect Ctrl/Cmd + L Levels Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + L Auto levels Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Alt + L Auto contrast Ctrl/Cmd + M Curves Ctrl/Cmd + I Invert colours Ctrl/Cmd + Z Undo Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + Z Step back in history Ctrl/Cmd + F Apply last used filter Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + X Liquify tool Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + Shift + X Pattern tool</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">A way to make a whole pallette from the three colors is not extremely difficult. Open a new canvas, does not really matter the size, but keep it no smaller than 468x60. Click on the gradiant tool on the left tool bar. Go into the Gradient Editor, by clicking on the colored gradient on the top toolbar. Place the darkest of the three colors on one side, the lightest on the other, and the midtone in the middle. Keep the opacity at 100%. Press Ok, then click-drag a horizontal line across the canvas. You can use the eyedrop tool to take the color from this canvas and color the skin of your project. Now that we have a pallete of color, we have to understand the effects of lighting on skin. It's a very simple concept, but understanding it is necessart to shading skin. As any matter, the brighter the light, the lighter the highlight and the darker the shadow. The dimmer the light, the difference between the light and the shadow decreases. The shadow cast by it is also affected by the light and darkness. The color of light affects it in the same way. If the light is green, it will have a green tint to the skin. If it is a small light, such as a lamp, a smaller portion of the skin will be that color, instead of affecting the whole skin. As stated before, most matter is affected the same way as this.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">About the Author</span></strong><strong><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">: </span></strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">For More Free Tips Check Out This Blog Which is Regularly Updated...</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">http://www.learnphotoshopnow.com/blog/ </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_477300_11.html</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Link</span></strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">: http://www.learnphotoshopnow.com/blog/ </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></p> </article> <article> <h1>Commercial HVAC Maintenance Economics 101</h1> <p>Curt Brekke — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:27:11 GMT</p> <p> </p> <p style="text-justify:inter-ideograph;margin:0in 0in 0pt;text-align:justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman;"> </span></span></p> <p style="text-justify:inter-ideograph;margin:0in 0in 0pt;text-align:justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman;"> </span></span></p> <p style="text-justify:inter-ideograph;margin:0in 0in 0pt;text-align:justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:small;"><font face="Times New Roman">Air conditioning and heating maintenance is largely a matter of economics.</font></span></span></p> <p style="text-justify:inter-ideograph;margin:0in 0in 0pt;text-align:justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman;"> </span></span></p> <p style="text-justify:inter-ideograph;margin:0in 0in 0pt;text-align:justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:small;"><font face="Times New Roman">If you manage commercial buildings you know that there are two approaches to HVAC maintenance.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes;"> </span>One option is what we refer to as “break and fix”.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes;"> </span>The other approach is<span style="mso-spacerun:yes;"> </span>“scheduled preventive maintenance” with repairs as needed.</font></span></span></p> <p style="text-justify:inter-ideograph;margin:0in 0in 0pt;text-align:justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman;"> </span></span></p> <p style="text-justify:inter-ideograph;margin:0in 0in 0pt;text-align:justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:small;"><font face="Times New Roman">While the scheduled approach is intuitively the way to go, there are other factors, not so readily apparent, that reinforce the validity and economy of this approach.</font></span></span></p> <p style="text-justify:inter-ideograph;margin:0in 0in 0pt;text-align:justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman;"> </span></span></p> <p style="text-justify:inter-ideograph;margin:0in 0in 0pt;text-align:justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:small;"><font face="Times New Roman">Deferred maintenance (break and fix) is costly in the following ways.</font></span></span></p> <p style="text-justify:inter-ideograph;margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.2in;text-indent:-0.2in;text-align:justify;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 0in;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;"><span style="mso-list:Ignore;"><span style="font-size:small;">¨</span><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:small;"><font face="Times New Roman">Increased energy consumption </font></span></span></p> <p style="text-justify:inter-ideograph;margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.2in;text-indent:-0.2in;text-align:justify;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 0in;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;"><span style="mso-list:Ignore;"><span style="font-size:small;">¨</span><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:small;"><font face="Times New Roman">Repairs are usually more costly because of a “cascading” effect in the system, where a small problem tends to cascade to other system components</font></span></span></p> <p style="text-justify:inter-ideograph;margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.2in;text-indent:-0.2in;text-align:justify;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 0in;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;"><span style="mso-list:Ignore;"><span style="font-size:small;">¨</span><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:small;"><font face="Times New Roman">Occupant comfort and related productivity</font></span></span></p> <p style="text-justify:inter-ideograph;margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.2in;text-indent:-0.2in;text-align:justify;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 0in;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;"><span style="mso-list:Ignore;"><span style="font-size:small;">¨</span><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:small;"><font face="Times New Roman">Poor reliability resulting in down time</font></span></span></p> <p style="text-justify:inter-ideograph;margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.2in;text-indent:-0.2in;text-align:justify;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 0in;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;"><span style="mso-list:Ignore;"><span style="font-size:small;">¨</span><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:small;"><font face="Times New Roman">Premature equipment aging and the accelerated need to replace equipment</font></span></span></p> <p style="text-justify:inter-ideograph;margin:0in 0in 0pt;text-align:justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman;"> </span></span></p> <p style="text-justify:inter-ideograph;margin:0in 0in 0pt;text-align:justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:small;"><font face="Times New Roman">We can further elaborate on these factors as follows:</font></span></span></p> <p style="text-justify:inter-ideograph;margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.2in;text-indent:-0.2in;text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:list 0in;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;"><span style="mso-list:Ignore;"><span style="font-size:small;">¨</span><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:small;"><font face="Times New Roman">Airborne dust and debris particles accumulate on heat transfer surfaces and air filters.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes;"> </span>This reduces air flow and heat transfer capacity, meaning you get less of the desired cooling, heating or ventilation capacity per unit of energy.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes;"> </span>This causes the machine to run longer at a lower efficiency rate.</font></span></span></p> <p style="text-justify:inter-ideograph;margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.2in;text-indent:-0.2in;text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:list 0in;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;"><span style="mso-list:Ignore;"><span style="font-size:small;">¨</span><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:small;"><font face="Times New Roman">A loose or worn drive belt on the blower can cause the cooling coil to ice over and damage the compressor or over-heat the heat exchanger in winter.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes;"> </span>This is an example of the “ounce of prevention” adage and the cascading failure principle.</font></span></span></p> <p style="text-justify:inter-ideograph;margin:0in 0in 0pt 0.2in;text-indent:-0.2in;text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:list 0in;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;"><span style="mso-list:Ignore;"><span style="font-size:small;">¨</span><span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:small;"><font face="Times New Roman">The effects of poor reliability are quite obvious if you are a building manager.</font></span></span></p> <p style="text-justify:inter-ideograph;margin:0in 0in 0pt;text-align:justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman;"> </span></span></p> <p style="text-justify:inter-ideograph;margin:0in 0in 0pt;text-align:justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:small;"><font face="Times New Roman">A maintenance program is relatively low in cost and usually involves four visits per year to perform inspections and maintenance.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes;"> </span>A maintenance check list is developed and followed for each specific building and system.</font></span></span></p> <p style="text-justify:inter-ideograph;margin:0in 0in 0pt;text-align:justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:small;"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes;"> </span></font></span></span></p> <p style="text-justify:inter-ideograph;margin:0in 0in 0pt;text-align:justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:small;"><font face="Times New Roman">There are examples of 30-year-old equipment which was properly maintained throughout its life and is still operating reliably.</font></span></span></p> <p> </p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>SSL Certificates Signal Safety</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:35:41 GMT</p> <p>Even if you've never done more than look at a shopping or financial Web site, you've probably noticed the official-looking seals that are found near the bottom of some sites' Web pages. Often, these seals indicate that the e-merchant uses an <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.networksolutions.com/SSL-certificates/index.jsp">Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Certificate</a> (also known as a digital certificate) to ensure the security and trustworthiness of their sites. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.networksolutions.com/SSL-certificates/index.jsp">SSL Certificate</a> are issued by third-party companies called Certificate Authorities (or "CA's") that first verify some basic information about the applicant and then guarantee the validity of a site and the level of security the site offers.</p> <p> </p> <p>When you visit a retail site and prepare to make a transaction, for example, the <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.networksolutions.com/SSL-certificates/index.jsp">SSL Certificate</a> communicates with your browser, confirming the site's trustworthiness and establishing a secure connection with the merchant's Web server. The certificate also uses Secure Sockets Layer or Transport Layer Security (TLS) technology to encrypt the data exchanged between the Web server and your browser, protecting your credit card number and other sensitive information as it travels across the Internet. Even if a merchant doesn't display a seal indicating that it is protected by an <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.networksolutions.com/SSL-certificates/index.jsp">SSL Certificate</a>, it may still have one; look for the closed padlock icon on your Web browser and check the site's security policies to ensure that it uses <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.networksolutions.com/SSL-certificates/index.jsp">SSL Certificate</a> technology.</p> <p> </p> <p>The certificate can also divulge valuable information about the merchant. Just click on the certificate or padlock icon to make sure it answers these crucial questions.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Who Issued the Certificate?</strong></p> <p>Check if the issuer's name, which appears on the certificate, is among those your browser considers a trusted Certificate Authority. To do so in Microsoft's Internet Explorer, for example, click on "Internet Options" under the "Tools" menu, then click the "Content" tab, and finally click on "Certificates" and review the "Trusted Root Certification Authorities".</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Are the Certificate and Merchant Valid?</strong></p> <p>The certificate should display the company's address, as well as a testament that the certificate issuer has authenticated the company's business credentials. Be sure to check the certificate's expiration date, and exercise caution when entering private information on a site whose certificate is out of date.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Does the Issuer Offer a Guarantee?</strong></p> <p>Some certificate issuers will compensate you if one of their customers makes fraudulent charges to your credit card-but only when the issuer is at fault for not checking the company out thoroughly enough.</p> <p>You don't need to view all of this information to ensure that a certificate is valid. Your browser checks every certificate it encounters and can be configured to warn you via a pop-up message if the certificate is not valid. It's up to you to read the warning screen carefully before and decide whether to proceed with your purchase.</p> <p class="bottom-line"> </p> <p class="bottom-line"><strong>The Bottom Line:</strong> A third-party <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.networksolutions.com/SSL-certificates/index.jsp">SSL Certificate</a> is an important indicator that a merchant site is secure and trustworthy. It pays, however, to look more closely at the information contained within the certificate if you have any questions or doubts about a site.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Secure Shopping: A Peek Behind The Padlock</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:23:06 GMT</p> <p>Most of us have heard the standard spiel on shopping online safely: Look for the browser's locked padlock and the "https" prefix on the site URL to verify that a transactional Web site is secure. But do you know what happens behind the scenes to guarantee that your data isn't compromised during your purchase? What else should you look for to get a clear picture of a Web site's security?</p> <p> </p> <p>There's no question that the locked padlock and the "https" are important. They signal that two critical actions have occurred:</p> <ul> <li>The site has provided your browser a verified <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.networksolutions.com/SSL-certificates/index.jsp">SSL Certificate</a> of authenticity-more about that in a moment-which attests that the site is the site it says it is</li> <li>The acceptance of the <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.networksolutions.com/SSL-certificates/index.jsp">SSL Certificate</a> has triggered your browser and the site to encrypt the data they exchange using one of the two standard protocols: SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or TLS (Transport Layer Security).</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>In other words, the presence of the padlock and "https" tell you that the site has a <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.networksolutions.com/SSL-certificates/index.jsp">SSL Certificate</a>. Great! But if you look beyond these simple visual cues, you can get an even better picture of a site's transactional security.</p> <p> </p> <p>Think of the <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.networksolutions.com/SSL-certificates/index.jsp">SSL Certificate</a>, also known as a digital certificate, as the equivalent of a company ID card. Such certificates are issued only by companies recognized as trusted security authorities, who check each purchaser's credentials against several types of data - Dun & Bradstreet reports, business licenses, and so on - to verify legitimacy. All major browsers maintain a list of these certificate-issuing authorities, or "CA's", and each time you navigate to a secure site, your browser checks the site's digital certificate to make sure it was issued by a company on the list. If it wasn't, the browser displays an error message. Your browser also alerts you if the certificate has expired; it's rare but not unheard of for a legitimate site to let its certificate lapse.</p> <p> </p> <p>You can view a site's digital certificate and more security information by double-clicking on the padlock icon while you're on the site. How much more depends on your browser.</p> <p> </p> <p>All three major PC browsers - Microsoft Internet Explorer®, Firefox®, and Opera® - display details about the certificate when you double-click the padlock (actually, Opera requires only a single click): issuer, expiration date, type of encryption, and so on. Opera, however, goes a couple of steps further: It rates the site's level of security and alerts you if the site uses what it considers an outdated encryption method. It also distinguishes low-assurance certificates (those issued by companies who checked only that the certificate applicant matched the domain name registrant) from high-assurance certificates, which require that the certificate authority check both the domain name registration and the aforementioned list of business resources to verify the applicant's credentials.</p> <p> </p> <p>Not content to rely on the browser to assure customers of their security, some online stores elect to display their security credentials on the site itself, usually via a seal or logo supplied by the digital-certificate issuer. This, too, offers a chance to double-click, look behind the scenes, and learn more about the company with which you're doing business.</p> <p> </p> <p class="bottom-line"><strong>The Bottom Line:</strong> Look behind the padlock icon to get a more complete picture of the security precautions of a transactional site. Carefully examine any error messages from your browser regarding the site's digital certificate, particularly its authenticity and expiration date, before deciding whether to proceed with your purchase.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Web Sites for Service Businesses: Three Key Benefits</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:50:41 GMT</p> <p>No matter whom your customers are or what kind of services you provide, your service business can benefit from a presence on the Web. <br /><br /><b>Benefit #1: A Web site is an easy way to share information about your business </b><br /><br />Whether your Web site contains basic information about your business or allows users to make appointments, request estimates or pay their bills, every business can benefit from having a presence on the Web. A Web site can serve as a place for people to go to learn about the services your business provides. Having a site can lend an air of "legitimacy" to a business, especially a new business or one that doesn't have a physical location. <br /><br />Plus, a Web site can be used to share much more information than other tools such as yellow pages ads. A Web site can deliver information-and convey a little personality, too! So, if your business is family-owned and operated you can include "historical" photos if the business has been around for a number of years. Giving potential customers a feeling as to who you are as well as the services you provide, will help your business stand out from the clutter.<br /><br /><b>Benefit #2: A Web site influences the purchasing decisions of your prospective customers</b><br /><br />With the increasing popularity of online directories, shopping and research, people are accustomed to using the Web to evaluate their purchasing options. As prospective customers increasingly use the Web to look for service providers, it is important for businesses to have a Web site that works hard for your business.<br /><br />Web users should, at a minimum, be able to gather the basics of your business from your site-hours of operation, location (if applicable), geographic areas where your services are provided and contact information. If you have expanded your services or if you are changing something about the services you provide (e.g., your service area), your site can be updated to reflect that "newsworthy" information as well. For example, if you are a roofer who focuses on slate roofs only, you can use your site to ensure that prospects know about the specific services you provide. <br /><br />Your site can also display certifications, reviews from local consumer publications, information on specialty services you provide as well as photos or examples of previous work. These are all ways to empower your business by standing out from the competition-and driving potential customers to you.<br /><br /><b>Benefit #3: A Web site can keep the conversation going 24/7</b><br /><br />Information on your site can provide potential customers with the information they need, whenever they need it. This will limit the number of phone calls you receive and messages you need to return to answer basic questions about your operations. This also means that when a prospect who has viewed your site calls your business, they will already know the key facts.<br /><br />Utilizing more interactive techniques on your site (blogs, for example), asking customers to e-mail questions and updating the site frequently can also facilitate communication with your customers that does not require you to be on the phone during valuable work hours. . Including your site on Web directory pages that contain your business information will mean that more users will be able to learn key information during their research.<br /><br />Finally, there may be times when you have a full slate of projects. For example, you may offer tree removal services but may be at capacity for a short time after a big storm. A Web site can be used to communicate that information and also be used to collect interested prospect contact details, so you are able to follow up with them when your schedule frees up.<br /><br />These are some of the key benefits-but certainly not the only ones-that a service business can realize through a strong, professional presence on the Web.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Your Web Site: The 24 Hour Workhorse of Your Dental Practice!</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:27:14 GMT</p> <p>Getting your dental services business online is about connecting with potential patients. But gone are the days of having a website merely to publish your office address and phone number, and expecting new patients will find you! These days most dental offices treat their website effectively as another sales and service channel, undertaking business development and patient support 24 hours a day. A professional web site can provide significant benefits in helping you market your business and service your patients.</p> <p><b>Basic ways your web site can support your marketing activities</b><br /><br />Today you can use your web site as the center of your overall marketing activity. Your web site can help you expand your messages to potential patients, especially if the services you offer are complex and not easily explained in a short advertisement. There is a limited amount of information that can be included a radio, TV or print advertisement and these mediums can be very expensive. However, if you include your practice's domain name in a small advertisement you can direct your patients to your web site and guide them through the services you offer in detail. But there are many more ways your website can help you manage and grow your business.<br /><br /><b>More advanced marketing techniques</b><br /><br />With a little imagination, your web site can be a lot more than simply an expanded brochure about your services. If you already offer a printed newsletter, you can offer this online instead, reducing the costs of printing and mailing, while helping the environment too! You can send the newsletter out via e-mail, and then archive previous editions online. By adding a sign-up box on your web site, you can potentially reach out to prospective patients and showcase your expertise by regularly sending them your newsletter. <br /><br />If you offer a service that can be best explained using audio, video or photographs, you can include links from your e-mail newsletter to multi-media files housed on your site<br /><br />For example, dentists can showcase their work by displaying "before" and "after" photographs of their patients, and even letting potential patients submit questions online about specific procedures. You can even welcome your patients and potential new patients into your office with a virtual office tour, similar to the virtual home tours posted for homes for sale. This not only provides a high tech image for your practice, but also lets potential patients get a feel for the way your practice operates.<br /><br />Another way to share your expertise with potential patients is to start a blog about a topic you understand intimately. You can blog about a variety of things, not just related to your practice; for example you can write posts about new trends in dentistry, new services you are offering, case studies about your existing patients, and post reminders about seasonal events such as special offers for particular procedures during quiet times of the year. Search engines like to index blogs because their content is often updated frequently, and other bloggers will often link to a post that they find valuable, which can bring your site lots of inbound links. A well-written blog can give you great credibility in your field.<br /><br /><b>Creating 24 hour Service</b><br /><br />A lot of your staff's time is probably spent answering the same questions over and over again, such as directions to your office, or the services you provide. These are the questions potential patients will ask before they engage your services. Displaying the answers on your Web site and will free up a lot of time for your office staff, and ensure that there are no miscommunications with potential patients. <br /><br /><b>Forms, forms, forms - many ways to enhance your patients' experience!</b><br /><br />By putting a contact/ inquiry form on your site you enable patients to contact you on their own schedule, rather than during regular office hours. This can be very convenient if your patients have a busy schedule. <br /><br />When your office sets appointments for your patients, you can streamline this activity and make things easier for your patients by setting up an online appointment service. Many patients would rather schedule their appointments online because it gives them the option to look at their calendar rather than potentially juggling with a cell phone and calendar while driving in their car, or having to make appointments while in the office where other people can overhear them. An added benefit is that your web site is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week so, again, patients with busy work schedules don't have to worry about remembering to call during office hours.<br /><br />By integrating your online calendar with an automatic e-mail service, you can even e-mail a reminder to your patients a couple of days ahead of their appointment. This is more convenient for many patients and saves you the expense of having someone call to confirm your appointments.<br /><br />If you offer prescription services, you can also make it easier for patients to call in prescription requests or refills, by providing an online form that they can complete and submit ahead of time. This form can generate an e-mail to your front desk or technicians to enable them to prepare the prescription ahead of time, rather than when the patient arrives at the office at the busiest time of the day!<br /><br />If you are offer non-prescription products for sale in your office, you can even go a step further and offer them for sale through an e-commerce shopping cart. For example, dental offices could sell tooth whitening or specialized mouth-wash products online, to save patients a trip into the office. This could be especially valuable to your patients if your practice is in a remote area where they may have to drive many miles to reach your office.<br /><br />Another use of online forms could be to qualify patients for a financial service. These types of forms can be very useful for expensive procedures or patients without dental insurance. While you may not be able to provide a quotation automatically online, you can easily create a form that can be sent via e-mail to someone in your practice who can generate the quote and call the potential patient back. <br /><br />Additionally, forms can be a great way to gather feedback from your patients. You can post forms or online surveys and ask for feedback from your patients. The advantage to this is that you can obtain opinions almost instantaneously, especially if you e-mail your existing patients to ask them to complete the survey. By describing a new or existing service and asking for their ideas, you can gain valuable insight into how to position your service in a fast, economical way. Involving your patients in the development of new services not only makes these services less risky, but also gives your patients a sense of engagement with your firm.<br /><br /><b>Improve employee effectiveness</b><br /><br />A web site is also the fastest, most economical way to disseminate information within your organization. Instead of relying on the haphazard distribution of memos and e-mails, employees can visit their company's Web site at their convenience. You can password protect an employee-only Web site, or intranet, so that sensitive information remains within the practice. <br /><br />Your web site can also function as the online repository of all of your service and patient information, reducing paper work and filing of patient records. It is fairly easy to create an online content management system to store important documents. <br /><br />In summary, you should think of your web site as more than just your address on the internet. Your web site can be a valuable tool to increase your firm's productivity and radically improve patient satisfaction.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Make the Web Your Strongest Selling Tool - Five Tips for Realtors® to Build an Online Presence</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:46:08 GMT</p> <p>The Web has transformed how people buy and sell homes. Gone are the endless afternoons of driving neighborhoods and touring properties. Now, buyers conduct the vast majority of their initial search efforts online. If you are a Realtor®, it is critical that you establish a strong Web presence, providing both sellers and buyers the information and the functionality they need to accomplish their goals. And if you can do it well, you will be able to achieve your own goals-more sales, more listings, more success!<br /><br /> Here are five tips to help you establish a strong Web presence:<br /><br /> 1. <b>Promote yourself and your niche</b>. When buyers and sellers turn to the Web in search of an Agent, one of the first things they will do is decide if you are the right Agent for them. They will want to see what you look like, so post a PROFESSIONAL photo of yourself. They will want to see how active you are in the market, so be sure you have a way to showcase your listings. They will want to see if the homes you sell match their price range. Are you upscale? Or, focused on townhomes and condos? Be sure it's clear who you are and what you do-this is your first impression, so make it a good one!<br /><br /> 2. <b>Provide access to a searchable property database</b>. There are many property database products available that you can incorporate into your Web site. For example, you can subscribe to services offered by the <a href="http://www.mris.com/products/mris_products_guest.cfm">MRIS</a>, as well as by Homesdatabase.com. Before you select a tool, spend some time using it yourself. While it does not need to be fancy, it does need to be easy to use, offer detailed listing information with photos, and provide full search capabilities. <br /><br /> 3. <b>Post your listings.</b> Just as you need to offer access to a searchable property database, you also need a way to promote your own listings. Again, there are many different tools available. Look for one that will showcase your homes nicely, with descriptions and the ability to upload multiple photos. Many services offer bells and whistles, including property mapping, virtual tours, email blast and contact management capabilities. Before you subscribe to a service, however, be sure it is easy for <span style="text-decoration:underline;">you</span> to create and update your listings.<br /><br /> 4. <b>Create unique pages for sellers and buyers.</b> Establishing a strong presence online requires you to meet the specific needs of visitors. Sellers and buyers will be looking for different things when they visit your site. Sellers want reassurance that you can, above all, help them sell their home. Post information related to sales: how to stage a home so that its best features can shine; how to price the home properly; and other details that sellers need to be aware of when attempting to sell their home You should also highlight any special awards, credentials, professional designations or recognition you have received within your agency, brokerage firm, or the industry. Your Web site page for buyers, on the other hand, should include information about different neighborhoods, schools, and communities. Help buyers understand the area and envision themselves living in a community. This will attract them to you and the information you are able to provide them. On each of the respective pages, you should include the appropriate link to your personal listings page, as well as to the page where they may search for all properties available on the market.<br /><br /> 5. <b>Make it easy for buyers and sellers to contact you.</b> A "Contact Me" page is critical in order to convert visitors into clients. This may be as simple as placing contact information (phone number and email address) on the site, or using a form for a user to send you an inquiry email. If you use a software tool, service, or platform to support this type of functionality, consider exploring one that also offers relationship management capabilities. These types of features allow you to be notified when it's Client Smith's birthday, so you can send a birthday card; or, enable you to send email blasts each time you have a new listing.<br /><br /> These are the core basics of establishing a Web presence. Once your site is up and running, you will need to keep it up-to-date, add fresh content, monitor traffic, and analyze your results. All of these activities will enable you to create a Web site that has the power to serve as your "face" before you are able to meet potential prospects, as well as become your strongest selling tool. Your Web site has the power to help you attract more buyers and sellers and, ultimately, attend more closings!</p> <p><b>Interviewee</b>: Tracy Ventura</p> <p><b>About the Interviewee</b>: Tracy Ventura is a licenced Realtor® in the State of Virginia, working with Jobin Realty in Culpeper VA and serving North and Central VA.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Web Sites Work</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:17:59 GMT</p> <p><b>A new survey finds that not only are small and medium-sized businesses going online — they are depending on it more for marketing and profits.</b></p> <p>The "Summer 2005 Small and Medium-sized Business Barometer," a nationwide survey of 780 leaders of small and medium-sized US businesses from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.interland.com/">Interland</a>, found that 96% of them had Internet access, and most had high-speed connections. </p> <p></p> <p>Of the 72% of respondents with a business Web site, more than half are using or interested in using e-mail marketing (60%) and search engine optimization (54%). </p> <p></p> <p>Additionally, 78% report their business is healthier — has a competitive advantage or stronger economic footing — because they have a Web site, and 76% say their Web site generates leads for their business. </p> <p>The strongest indicator of how businesses have taken to the Internet, however, is the fact that they are making money online. Of the 32% of the respondents who sell products or services online, 82% reported receiving monthly revenue from their Web sites. </p> <p></p> <p>"These results demonstrate that business leaders understand the importance of the Internet, Web sites and online marketing tools and are acting on that knowledge," said Jeffrey Stibel, CEO of Interland. "Since first introducing the Interland Small and Medium-sized Business Barometer in 2003, we have seen significant growth of businesses using online tools and offerings to attract, service and satisfy customers." </p> <p>With 53% of small businesses with Web sites saying their sites are primarily to provide company credibility, and 29% saying the sites provide a critical building block for developing the products and services, the Barometer revealed how central Web sites are becoming for businesses. </p> <p>When asked how Web site success is evaluated, 54% said through customer and prospect comments, 48% site activity, traffic and number of visitors, 36% sales leads, 24% online sales and 21% said efficiencies of internal processes such as faster payment processing or fewer phone calls. </p> <p>Surprisingly, despite today's ongoing battle with computer viruses, worms and spam, 42% of the small business leaders said they have experienced no computer-performance issues over the past year. Slightly more (44%) say their computers have slowed down, and 30% reported instances of freezing or crashing that require the computer to be shut down or restarted. </p> <p>One possible reason why these numbers are lower than one might expect could be that a whopping 97% of the businesses surveyed said they have virus software installed on office computers, and 70% they update that software weekly. </p> <p>For more information like this on e-business in countries around the world, browse eMarketer's <a target="_blank" href="http://totalaccess.emarketer.com/Products/eStatDatabase.aspx?tab=Try">eStat Database</a>.</p> <p><b>Article Source</b>: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.emarketer.com">www.emarketer.com</a></p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Seniors OK With Online Healthcare</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 14:53:30 GMT</p> <p><b>But caregivers worry whether their charges are ready.</b></p> <p>Three-quarters of US consumers ages 65 and over are generally comfortable with telemedicine, telepharmacies and other online tools that extend doctors' reach. But more than 80% of seniors' caregivers still think it will be a struggle to get their charges used to the technology. </p> <p>Those are the main findings of the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.aarp.org/">American Association of Retired Persons' </a>"Healthy@Home" study, conducted in December 2007 by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.knowledgenetworks.com/">Knowledge Networks</a>.</p> <p>More than 90% of responding seniors said they would support the use of telepharmacies to let doctors monitor their medications and send prescriptions to the pharmacy. Nearly as many respondents said they would be willing to search for health information online. </p> <p align="left"></p> <p>The findings agree with a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.burstmedia.com/">BurstMedia</a> study conducted last August. <br />Among male respondents to this survey, there was a direct correlation between age and the percentage of people using the Internet for health information, with the 55 to 64 and 65-plus age groups scoring the highest. More than three-quarters of female respondents in all age groups said that they used the Internet for health information. </p> <p align="left"></p> <p>Users over the age of 60 also make up a large and growing segment of the US Internet audience. In 2006 there were 17.7 million Internet users age 62 or older. This group will swell to 25.3 million by 2011. eMarketer projects that this will represent 45.9% of all US citizens age 62 and older, up from 35% in 2006. </p> <p align="left"></p> <p>Learn more about how to reach older consumers through the Internet. Read eMarketer's <a target="_blank" href="http://totalaccess.emarketer.com/Report.aspx?2000418">Baby Boomers and Silver Surfers: Two Generations Online</a> report.</p> <p><b>Article Source</b>: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.emarketer.com">www.emarketer.com</a></p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Healthcare Info Searching Levels Off</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 14:13:08 GMT</p> <p><b>The Web has been a success as a health information repository.</b></p> <p>The number of Websites with health information from insurers, pharmaceutical companies, and patient and doctor communities has grown for years. Now it appears the number of adult Internet </p> <table align="top" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td>users in the US who look for that health information has plateaued. <br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.harrisinteractive.com/">Harris Interactive</a>, which has tracked online health information research for years, reported a slight dip in the number of Internet users who said they had made such searches this year. The polling company said that 150 million US adults (81% of Internet users) looked online for health info in 2008, down from 160 million who did so in 2007. <br /><br /> Harris said that changes in its survey methodology could account for the dip, but its overall finding was that growth in the percentage of adult Internet users who looked for health information online had leveled off. </td> <td> </td> </tr> </table> <table align="top" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td> </td> <td> </td> <td>Respondents were largely credulous about the health information they found online: 86% of online health searchers said the information they located on the Internet was reliable. <br /><br />Online health searchers visit a mix of community and professional medical sites for their information, according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.hitwise.com/">Hitwise</a>. <br /><br />The Web traffic measurement company said that WebMD led the way with searchers, accounting for nearly 11% of all visits to health information sites in March 2008.<br /><br /> Agencies and brands from all verticals rely on eMarketer Total Access for analysis and data. </td> </tr> </table> <p>Daily articles are just the tip of the iceberg. Find out what you are missing. <a target="_blank" href="http://totalaccess.emarketer.com/Products/Subscriptions.aspx?src=subs_blue_home">Learn more</a> about Total Access today.</p> <p><b>Article Source</b>: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.emarketer.com">www.emarketer.com</a></p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Social Networking Virutal vs Reality</h1> <p>Philip Ramsey — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:13:41 GMT</p> <p>i got into playing with social networking as a way to educate myself. Being the observant person that I am I started to notice some trends. I've been talking about some of them with an online friend "C.W." who believes that treating an online <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Friend</span> as you would a real friend is foolish, but after a while I think "C.W." is starting to have a different <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">opinion</span> of the matter. I've been toying with writing something about this in my mind, but then I saw the posting from <a href="http://thebottledleopard.blogspot.com/2008/09/blogging-and-its-impact-on-concept-of.html"><span style="color:#336699;">The Bottled Leopard</span></a> (who I don't know, but seems to be a very bright woman, you should check out her postings) and it kicked my ideas into the front of my head, well I <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">guess</span> to my fingers since I'm typing this.<br /><br />I've been "playing" with the social networking site <a href="http://tapulous.com/"><span style="color:#336699;">Twinkle</span></a> for the past couple of months <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nwGErJfOolw/SMklge92ZNI/AAAAAAAADAA/t1ZMA-9I1zQ/s1600-h/twinkle.jpg"></a>(actually for us old farts Twinkle is very much like CompuServe and Delphi back in the early 1990's, though no chat rooms in Twinkle). It's been interesting to see it grow from people just talking locally, to people talking all over the world. I've made "friends" and "enemies", I've had people attack me for no other reason than they are bored and I've had people try to seduce me for the same reason (not really into either virtually to be honest). For someone like me it's an interesting arena to play in because I'm a people person and I'm told I'm a natural flirt (I don't mean to do it honestly, it just happens, I think it's because I'm nice to people).<br /><br />I've run into several kinds of people here, this isn't a complete list, but given my vast back ground in psychology, this is what I came up with (my vast background was a class in high school I think, but it was such a long time ago I consider myself an expert now, I can tell people that I've studied psychology for over 20 years, it's more than that, but I'm not telling my age without being asked nicely first):<br /><br /><strong>Shock and Awe</strong> - These are people who will say something, anything to get a reaction from the crowd watching. It can be sexual, it can be mean, it can be a joke. I can do this very well myself, but I found over time it became boring. I prefer dealing with people vs shocking them. I've had a few people try to pick fights with me in shock and awe, they don't realize that it doesn't bother me and that I don't get flustered easy (it also helps that I'm relatively bright and much smarter than the people who do the stupid stuff).<br /><br /><strong>People Persons</strong> - This is me, though with all the other people out there pretending to be someone else, it's tough to get people to believe that you actually want to be their friend, hold a conversation that doesn't involve body parts or foul language. In this role I've become counselor to several younger people (between 18 and 35), I've let others know that if they see something odd that I'm there to assist if needed. I've sat and listened to the kids tell me about their lives, most of them are good, but many are bad. When I see this I think it's a shame that the parents aren't more involved with their up bringing.<br /><br /><strong>Hookups</strong> - I've had a couple of people start to proposition me online, but once they realize I'm there to be friends, they back off. My female friends online seem to be getting many offers, some have been shared with me and I find it a bit hilarious. I've had several friends have people want to meet them offline, for several reasons I see this as a bad idea. I'll get into it more below.<br /><br /><strong>Casual Users</strong> - There are people who just post what their doing, they might respond to a question, most likely they will ignore you. They see this as an extension of <a href="http://www.twitter.com/"><span style="color:#336699;">Twitter</span></a> and micro-blogging (which is it's intended use), not a chat room (which is what it's become).<br /><br /><strong>Practical </strong><strong><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Jokesters</span></strong> - I like these the best, there is one guy on the site, who I've spoken with. He's a software developer, but he pretends to be someone who's very big in his business and very important. He posts one-sided conversations with himself, even making up names to respond to. It's interesting to see, not sure what his goal is other than making the extreme <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">upper class</span> look foolish, I'm not sure if he's doing that, but he's very entertaining.<br /><br /><strong>Virtual vs Reality</strong><br /><br />I went into this swearing that I wouldn't break the line between the two, but as I've gotten to know people I see this line <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">blurring</span> some. Some of the people are great to meet on the phone or via email, other's I don't want to meet via either method, rather just have a virtual friend. I'm still not sure about meeting anyone in person, I think I would have to really get to know the person first or meet in a group. I try to leave all my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">PII</span> (Personally <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Identifiable</span> Information) out of any conversations, people email me at an address I've set up just for this kind of traffic (not that I have a lot, but as soon as people realize I know about computers, I start getting questions). I share what I do and my first name, but that's it. I have some "friends" who've shared too much information with me and with others, I really hope that doesn't come back and bite them.<br /><br />I have developed virtual friendships that are very much like real friendships. We have fun together, chatting, but we also share our troubles, dreams and successes, we also have fights and make up. I would be as upset if anything bad happened to a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">virtual</span> friend as I would if something happened to one in real life. The psychology behind this has got to be fascinating.<br /><br />Everyone, myself included, is a little bit more attractive online, the reason behind this is that we don't drag a lot of our everyday baggage along with us. We can be who we think we are, instead of who we really are. No one has an accent (OK the people in the UK definitely have an accent when they type, not sure how they do that), and the few people I've spoken with on the phone all have accents, and they've all commented on my accent (I guess it's a little Southern, I know I should have told you before hand, so you could have read this with a Southern accent to start with, but I swear it isn't that pronounced).<br /><br /><strong>Warnings</strong><br /><br />I see a lot of young people on here doing and saying very scary things. If I were a parent, actually I am a parent, I wouldn't let my child anywhere near these applications. These applications are not for the young, period, even if it was a site with other young children I would question letting my child use it without supervision. They also aren't for the easily embarrassed or upset. I see many people who loose their lid and start "<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">flaming</span>" everyone and everything, they would be better off with a beer watching TV. There are also people who go out and provoke fights, they'll call you names, etc... Best to ignore them, if you can't, then you should be elsewhere.<br /><br />Also note if <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">someones</span> too perfect, too pretty, too willing to do what you want, too nice, they might not be what or who you think they are. Be very careful with perfection, people are flawed.<br /><br /><strong>Conclusion</strong><br /><br />In conclusion I think these sites are interesting places to kill time, they can be extremely addictive. Be very careful about who you make friends with, people will try to make you believe something they aren't, including guys pretending to be women. Do not let your children on these sites and don't post anything that your mother or pastor would be upset in seeing. They are a good place to have fun, but realize that's all it is. The friends you need to vet carefully, but over time you 'll be able to tell friends from foe.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Do You Jott?</h1> <p>Deb Lee — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 04:33:26 GMT</p> <h2 class="date-header"></h2> <p> <a name="7320127819837178474"></a></p> <h3 class="post-title entry-title"> <a href="http://organizetorevitalize.blogspot.com/2008/09/do-you-jott.html">Do You Jott?</a> </h3> <p> <span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Are you feeling a little overwhelmed and unproductive? Feeling short on time? There's a new technology tool that can help you "stay on top of everything!" It's called <a href="http://jott.com/">Jott</a> and the main feature is your voice. That's right, your voice. Here are some ways <a href="http://jott.com/">Jott</a> can help you:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1. Voice-to-Text Notes.</span> Need to rem</span></span></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">ember things when you are not close to your computer? Simply call Jott, dictate your message, and Jott will transcribe your text. When you get back to your computer, your notes will be available at Jott online.<br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">2. To Do Lists. </span>Short on time and without pe</span></span></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">n and paper? Call Jott and say the name of your list before leaving your message. Your lists will always be available online.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3. Reminders Via E-Mail & Text Message.</span> Jott can remind you of important dates (like anniversaries). Just call, leave your message, an</span></span></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">d Jott will send you an e-mail or a text message 15 minutes beforehand.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4. Group Messaging. </span> Need to send messages to a larger group of people? Create groups for all your contacts, call Jott, say your group's name, and then leave the message you want to sent to them. Once transcribed, Jott will send your message to everyone in the group via e-mail or text message.<br /><br />One more thing, Jott can interface with Outlook, iPhone, Blackberry, and iGoogle. You can even add appointments to your Google calendar and update your blog with your voice! So, how much does all this cost? Click here for all <a href="http://jott.com/jott/get-started.html">Jott price plans</a>.<br /><br />Will you Jott?</span></span></span></p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Charging Ahead With Nanotechnology</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:27:33 GMT</p> <p>With all of the technology that is being continuously introduced and used, it would only seem logical in our quest for a green world to apply some of the renewable energy efforts to this spectrum. That is exactly what some scientists are looking into with their research on how nanotechnology can be used with lithium batteries.</p> <div id="body"> <p>According to Science News, a report that will be published in International Journal of Nanomanufacturing asserts that "carbon nanotubes can prevent such batteries from losing their charge capacity over time." The batteries they are speaking of are the lithium-based batteries that are found in commonly used devices such as MP3 players, laptop computers, and cell phones.</p> <p>As any of us who partake of these various technologies are quite aware of, with continued use, the battery power just seems to lose its life. As the news story reports, elements such as hot and cold temperatures help this reduction process along even more. Scientists have been researching this degradation process for awhile, and have looked into silicon to replace the universally used lithium-ion batteries. However, due to the fast rate that silicon also degrades, they have had to search even further.</p> <p>This is where nanotechnology comes into play. As Science News states, "Shengyang's -Ming Cheng and colleagues have turned to carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to help them use silicon (Si) as the battery anode but avoid the problem of large volume change during alloying and de-alloying." By introducing the carbon nanotubes to the silicon, they seem to be solving some of the problems that previously existed.</p> <p>The whole process is quite amazing. "The researchers grew carbon nanotubes on the surface of tiny particles of silicon using a technique known as chemical vapor deposition in which a carbon-containing vapor decomposes and then condenses on the surface of the silicon particles forming the nanoscopic tubes. They then coated these particles with carbon released from sugar at a high temperature in a vacuum. A separate batch of silicon particles produced using sugar but without the CNTs was also prepared."</p> <p>The scientists used these two diverse batches and compared them. What they found was remarkable - the batch using the carbon produced a discharge capacity twice that of the one which only contained the silicon particles.</p> <p>There seems to be many reasons that have prompted research into better material used to create batteries. Reports of fires found to be ignited by lithium-ion batteries, although rare, seem to have caused much attention to be placed on safer materials. The general complaint many have regarding the increased reduction of device batteries after continued use is likely another reason that prompted the research. Whatever the likely combination was, this new research could be monumental in how users of technological devices power up their gadgets.</p> <p>Nanotechnology is not the only material researchers are using in their quest for a better battery, but it does seem to be one of the options that show much promise.</p> </div> <div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td> <div id="sig" class="sig"> <p>David Tanguay is dedicated to providing research, reviews & helpful information to consumers and businesses. For more information related to <a target="_new" href="http://greenenergyonline.org/" id="link_79">Green Energy</a> and <a target="_new" href="http://greenenergyonline.org/" id="link_80">Alternative Energy</a> please visit <a target="_new" href="http://greenenergyonline.org/" id="link_81">http://greenenergyonline.org</a>.</p> <div> <p>Article Source: <a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=David_Tanguay" id="link_82">http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Tanguay</a></p> </div> </div> </td> </tr> </table> </div><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Social Media</h1> <p>Philip Ramsey — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 14:14:57 GMT</p> <p>Lately I've been researching social media, trying to figure out what good it is outside of kids wanting to show pictures of their latest parties, people showing what they are doing on trips or everyone trying to find a "friend". As I'm sure you know there are several social media sites out there, sites like: <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">MySpace</span>, Twitter, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">LinkedIn</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Plaxo</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Swurl</span>, Blogger, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">VisualCV</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">YouTube</span>, etc... Most do the same thing, some do a bit more. I'll breakdown the sites as I see them:</p> <div class="post-body entry-content"><ol> <li><strong><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span></strong> - This seems to be fairly well put together, it doesn't have a strong search interface, you can't change the look and feel of the product, which is fine by me (you can do this on <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">MySpace</span> and most of the sites people build are unusable). <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span> is purely for family and friends, you shouldn't be using this to build a business network. You can hook <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">facebook</span> up to items such as blogger, though it doesn't give you the ability to do things like sort your posts, and it seems like you can have only one blog. </li> <li><strong><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">MySpace</span></strong> - The search with this is great, but I think everything else is second rate. The advertisements on the pages overtake the screen. The ability to tweak the look and feel of the screen has made most of the sites unreadable (things like white text on pink background). You can also associate music with your site, which is awful, everyone seems to have some <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">junky</span> background music playing </li> <li><strong>Twitter</strong> - I need to play with twitter some more, I'd love to find a business use for it, but outside being able to twit with all my friends, this doesn't make much sense to me. Now if you could develop streams that were business friendly, that would be fantastic for remote development teams who need to be alerted to something ASAP. </li> <li><strong><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">LinkedIn</span></strong> - <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error">LinkedIn</span> is great I think, but it's for business only. Odd thing about linked in are the people who want to be ranked high by having hundreds or thousands of connections. I think it's useless to link in with these people, since you are then connected with everyone through them (and they don't know most of their connections). If you can manage your <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-error">LinkedIn</span> site properly, it can be a very valuable tool for you, try not to get into the "I've got more connections than you game", it should be the quality of connections that matter, not the quantity. I believe every professional should be using <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-error">LinkedIn</span> to keep contacts. The plus for <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" class="blsp-spelling-error">LinkedIn</span> is that in theory as people change jobs, they update their contact information in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_18" class="blsp-spelling-error">LinkedIn</span> so you can contact them. </li> <li><strong><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_19" class="blsp-spelling-error">Plaxo</span></strong> - This is an interesting tool, it seems to be a combination of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_20" class="blsp-spelling-error">LinkedIn</span> and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_21" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span>. You can segment your content to friends, family, or business. This is great, but it's still another social site to maintain (phew it's getting tyring maintaining all of my sites). </li> <li><strong><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_22" class="blsp-spelling-error">Swurl</span></strong> - This site is supposed to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_23" class="blsp-spelling-error">aggregate</span> of all your other sites, though I'm not sure if it's working that way. I've hooked up blogger, twitter, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_24" class="blsp-spelling-error">picasa</span>, and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_25" class="blsp-spelling-error">youtube</span>. My concern with <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_26" class="blsp-spelling-error">Swurl</span> is that there isn't much security, if there's anything I want to have private, well with <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_27" class="blsp-spelling-error">Swurl</span>, it's out there. </li> <li><strong>Blogger</strong> - I think Blogger is pretty decent, it's got a good editor (not great, but it works), it saves regularly and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_28" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">automatically</span> (which is good for any work on the web were items such as browsers crash). You can modify the background HTML, use custom built templates or build your own (build your own is bad in some hands). What it doesn't have is a way to push your information to the world, that would be nice. I've got a couple of ideas about how to do this, but I'm keeping them secret for now ;). </li> <li><strong><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_29" class="blsp-spelling-error">VisualCV</span></strong> - <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_30" class="blsp-spelling-error">VisualCV</span> allows you to build a visual resume. It's not really a social site, but I think it's the wave of the future. It has some limitations, such as you can't modify the HTML behind the scenes, but overall it's a great site. Everyone should have a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_31" class="blsp-spelling-error">VisualCV</span> ready to hand out. </li> <li><strong><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_32" class="blsp-spelling-error">YouTube</span></strong> - For me (actually my daughter) this site is purely for fun, take a funky video and post it up there. In the real world it's been gaining grounds as a place to start your viral marketing. It's been very well <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_33" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">received</span> in that world.</li> </ol> <p>My take on Social Sites are that they are great tools for both play and work, and everyone should have something up and remain active, but you need to be careful about what you put up. One example is a coworker called in sick, seems she wasn't feeling good, if you checked her <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_34" class="blsp-spelling-error">facebook</span> page you would see pictures of the wild party she was attending the night before.</p> <p>Security is a big issue, you should lock down all of your sites to only friends, there really isn't need for people to know all this information about you. Be careful in linking sites, I think tools like <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_35" class="blsp-spelling-error">Swurl</span> are cool, but they could cause issues with security. Be aware that in order to contact everyone, you'll most likely need multiple social sites, which means that unless you use something like <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_36" class="blsp-spelling-error">Swurl</span>, you'll need to update them all (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_37" class="blsp-spelling-error">swurl</span> has an excellent timeline feature). </p> <p>Are there any big winners, I don't think so, there isn't a simple and excellent tool like Google Search for the social media world. Biggest issues are security and having to maintain multiple sites. Great advantages, you can update most sites via an email, so if I go on vacation I can email my blogs in from my phone, I can even include a picture with that (of course I'm a geek, so I have a phone that can send emails and take pictures).</p> <p>Who should be using these sites? EVERYONE! In my family all my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_38" class="blsp-spelling-error">neices</span>/nephews and two of my brothers are on either <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_39" class="blsp-spelling-error">LinkedIn</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_40" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span> or <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_41" class="blsp-spelling-error">MySpace</span> (I think my 3rd brother should be, but I'm not sure if he'll do it or not).</p> </div><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Phone Technology</h1> <p>Philip Ramsey — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:35:20 GMT</p> <p><strong>Phone Technology</strong></p> <div class="post-body entry-content">I'm not sure if I've impressed myself or become some behind in technology that I don't realized I've been passed up. I have had the same cell phone for over 2 years now, I can't believe this, I can even get $100 off a new phone from my service provider if I upgrade now, but I'm not doing it, well at least not yet.<br /><br />I am currently using a Motorola Q, this is a good phone for <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">receiving</span> email, but horrible for using the web or viewing <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">attachments</span> (my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">iTouch</span> does <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">attachments</span> much cleaner than the Q). What am I waiting for? A real phone on my network, the iPhone would do the trick, except it's using the AT&T network, AT&T is horrible in my neighborhood and my current provider, Verizon, has a great network, but sub-standard phones. What am I looking at in a phone, well it's simple:<br /><ol> <li>Great Network - Reliable and fast </li> <li>Email - Needs to support multiple <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">IMAP</span> accounts and the phone needs to talk directly to my email servers and not use something like Apple's <em>Me</em> network (I don't like the idea of one group gathering all my email, it's kind of creepy if you ask me). </li> <li>Sync with Outlook, this should be a no <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">brainer</span> for ANYONE creating a phone, most people use Outlook. </li> <li>Internet Access </li> <li>Decent and configurable profiles, so I can quickly switch to silent mode, and it should automatically switch to headset mode. It would also be nice to have the phone have a separate profile for when it was charging or attached to your computer. </li> <li><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">Bluetooth</span>, people shouldn't be building phones without <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">bluetooth</span>. </li> <li>MP3, this is a must for any decent phone lately, it's good to have so you don't have to carry multiple devices. </li> <li>Expansion Card. </li> <li>Fantastic Battery Life (I have great battery life on my Q, but I've purchased a huge battery for it, on trips I also carry two other batteries, just in case). </li> <li>Nice screen, my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">iTouch</span> has a fantastic screen, still small, but usable. </li> <li>Finally the ability to tether the phone to a laptop.</li> </ol> <p>What I'm finding is 3 types of phones, your standard cell phone, a "feature" phone and a smart phone. I understand the standard cell phone, many people just want a phone, they don't need bells and whistles. I understand the "smart" phone, which is what I have above, but I don't understand the "feature" phone, which shoves features into the phone, but leaves out the functionality.</p> <p><strong>Possible Phones:</strong></p> <p>I want a full screen phone, like the iPhone, what I currently have the option for is a LG Dare, which looks like a fantastic phone, but it doesn't pass the email test, you need to log into a service to view your email, this is a security issue and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">inconvenient</span> if you want to go through your email while you don't have service, email should be downloaded to the phone. My next possible phone is the Blackberry Thunder, but I have been reading very poor reviews of it (Verizon really shot themselves when they didn't deal with Apple). Until I can find a phone that is worth a new 2-year contract I'll be sticking with my good old reliable Motorola Q (now watch it die on me ;)).</p> </div><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Traveling</h1> <p>Philip Ramsey — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 14:19:24 GMT</p> <p><strong>Traveling</strong></p> <div class="post-header-line-1"></div> <div class="post-body entry-content">I've been off traveling for the past two weeks, viewing the country by road, if you want more details go visit my other <a href="http://blog.pramsey.com/2008/08/15-days-12-different-beds.html"><span style="color:#336699;">blog</span></a>. While driving (and I spent many hours driving), I started to think of better ways to design my navigation screen on the computer.<br /><br />Right now I can tell it that I want to go from Point-A to Point-B, but what would be great is to have the car suggest towns where they have fuel and hotels where I need them (or let me set a range of something like every 300 miles for fuel and a hotel by 6pm local time). The car also kept routing me towards Chicago, it would be nice to also tell the computer to avoid major cities or let you easily pick an alternate route by dragging the route marker, like Google does, but better (80 miles outside of Chicago was congested, my own re-routing of me around Chicago and through Indianapolis saved me at least an hour, even though I drove 50 miles out of my way).<br /><br />I would also like to have the car show me the time/distance to my next way-point as well as to my destination (actually three way-points would be best, so I could have my re-fueling point, my destination for the day and my final destination, I'm a numbers geek).<br /><br />Finally it would be great to have all this tied into the internet via my cell phone or some other method. What I could do then is to tell the car to book a room for me via the internet, I found that it's sometimes difficult to get a room when you just show up, but if I could book it online that would be great, allow me to select from brands, let's say I liked Comfort Inns, but not Days Inns or I wanted Best Western or Marriott (Marriott's kind of expensive for cross country traveling, plus they don't offer free wi-fi, I'm going to be holding a grudge on that for a while).<br /><br />For my 2004 Acura TL I would give the navagation a C+, I'm not sure if there's anything that would get an A or even a B from me. For those it would need to have the options mentioned above, plus real-time traffic and weather. My suggestion to those building these devices is that they require their designers take a 2-week road trip and test the system out (or just hire me to do it ;)).<br /><br />Overall it was fantastic to be on the open road, and I'll have memories that will last me a life-time (which seems to be getting shorter every day). If you can take the time, I'd definitely suggest you get on the open road. </div><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> </main></body></html>