My Small Business Consultants

Not ready to make the jump to Windows 7 but need a new computer?  You have the right to downgrade your operating system to an earlier version, with a few limitations.  Check out this article from Microsoft for the complete details.

http://oem.microsoft.com/script/contentpage.aspx?PageID=553056#windows7

The following link is to an article from a good friend of mine, Douglas E Welch.  He is taking his weekly podcast asking his listeners to try different things this year.  I really like what he has to say about Facebook and Business.  If you have about 5-8 minutes, please check out his site. 

http://welchwrite.com/career/2010/01/10/career-prescription-3-use-facebook/

Comment from Douglas.  The information was too good to leave out in the Comments.

Thanks for your kind words! The full text of the column is also available, if people prefer to read instead of listen. Your readers can also discuss this column, and others, on the Career Opportunities Community Site at http://careercommunity.welchwrite.com.

Thanks again!

Douglas

Repost from HP’s Technology at Work newsletter.  Subscribe here: http://www.hp.com/united-states/subscribe/gateway/

Thanks to loyal HP customers, HP is celebrating 25 years of continuous innovation and reliable, professional quality printing. The typical office has evolved a lot since 1984, and so has the HP product line. The chart below reveals the productivity, budget and environmental benefits that customers recognize today.

1984: The original HP LaserJet 2009: A comparable HP Black & White LaserJet 2009: A comparable HP Color LaserJet Original HP LaserJet HP LaserJet P2055dn HP Color LaserJet CP2025dn

Innovation Milestones:

1987: HP establishes its own hardware recycling program.

1988: Duplex printing is introduced on the HP LaserJet IID.

1991: HP initiates a recycling program for its HP LaserJet print cartridges.

1991: HP invents the network printer category with the LJ IIISi.

1992: HP launches a Design for Environment (DfE) program addressing environmental performance at the design stage of product development. DfE’s three priorities are: energy efficiency, design for recyclability; and materials innovation.

1994: HP introduces the HP OfficeJet personal printer-fax-copier, a space-saving product designed specifically for professional home-office users.

1994: The company introduces the HP Color LaserJet printer. With an average cost per page of less than 10 cents, it offers businesses a cost-effective alternative to print shops.

1996: HP introduces the HP LaserJet 5Si printer. The “mopier,” short for “multiple-original printing,” belongs to a new category of network printer that eliminates the need for photocopying multiple sets of a document. This early all-in-one printer product was developed to eliminate the department copy machine.

1997: HP’s recycling program expands to include HP inkjet print cartridges in addition to LaserJet cartridges.

1997: HP Web JetAdmin introduced.

1999: HP recycles its 30 millionth LaserJet print cartridge.

2007: HP acquires Tabblo Inc., making printing from the web easier and more convenient, and to reduce paper use.

2007: In July, HP achieves its goal of recycling one billion pounds of electronics. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the inception of HP recycling programs, which now operate in more than 40 countries, regions and territories.

I got a message in my email today that HP is clearing out some of its inventory.  “Up to 40% off”

Check it out at this link: HP Clearance Sale

By Steve Adams 

      Ask most people what they like about working with small businesses and you’ll hear answers such as “their personal approach” or “I’m not just a customer number to them” or “I get to work with the heavy hitters instead of some trainee just out of school.”

      Yes, those are the things they say when things are going well. But should the perceived service level drop, those same enthusiastic supporters begin to question their decision about working with a small company. In particular, things they used to find charming – such as a live person taking messages instead of a system putting a call through to voice mail – suddenly become indications that maybe they need to look into finding a somewhat larger, “more professional” firm.

      The good news is these small business quirks don’t have to be fatal. In fact, many can be fixed with the application of simple technology that provides big business tools while allowing organizations to stay true to their small business core. The following eight cures to the common small business ailments will help ensure your company doesn’t fall into the “too small” trap: 

1. Don’t have one phone line for all your business communications. Nothing says “too small” like a phone number that returns a busy signal, or a phone that rings and rings until the caller finally gives up. In today’s business world, when someone actually places a call (instead of sending an e-mail) they expect it to be answered. Or, at the very least, routed to an auto-attendant or voice mailbox. While a standard public branch exchange (PBX) phone system might be too costly to install and require too much specialized knowledge to maintain, virtual PBX services can provide the same professional “face” without the equipment investment or the maintenance. These services automatically route calls to extensions you set up, and provide voice mail services so callers can leave a message. Callers will never get a busy signal or be stuck in a ringing loop, giving them the confidence that you have the staff to service their business.
2. Don’t keep using a portal e-mail account for your business. An e-mail address that reads @gmail.com, @aol.com, @yahoo.com etc. makes you look like a small-timer with a serious lack of working capital – and perhaps one that doesn’t expect to be in business for very long. Since your business has a Web site, most Web hosts allow you to create one or more e-mail accounts with an address of @yourdomain.com. If you don’t have your own domain yet, buy one! You can create one for less than $10 per year (sometimes substantially less) if you look around a little. Then put up that Web site so customers can get to know how good you are, and new customers can find you.
3. Don’t make your customers wait while you switch your phone over to accept a fax. Or the corollary – give your customers an earful of fax screeches when they try to make a call. Either way, your customers start to wonder whether you’re big enough to handle their business. An Internet fax service solves both issues by allowing you to send and receive faxes via your e-mail account or a secure online server. Your customers never know the difference – to them they’re sending to and receiving from a fax machine. But it’s much more efficient for both of you. As a bonus, you’re able to send and receive faxes from anywhere you can get an Internet connection, making you far more reachable than you would be if you were relying on a fax machine in your office.
4. Don’t give customers a series of phone numbers to call. Business cards (or e-mail signatures) with too many phone numbers on them can be confusing to customers. Often they’re not sure which number to call and when, so sooner or later they decide the best number to call is your competitors’. Here’s where a virtual PBX system can again come in handy. It allows you to provide a single phone number for customers to call, then rings multiple phones (office, home, mobile) either all at once or in a sequence you determine. It takes all the guesswork out of calling for your customers while assuring you’re always reachable – which is often the reason they signed with you in the first place.
5. Don’t wait a day or two before responding to customer calls or e-mails. Customers love when you’re giving them all the attention. They love you a whole lot less when you’re giving all the attention to someone else. Deep down they know you have other customers, but they don’t like to think about it. Checking voice mail regularly is good. Having your voice mail messages find you is better. Virtual PBX systems allow you to send voice mails to your e-mail inbox so you’re always aware that a caller left a message – and expects a prompt reply. That expectation applies even more to e-mail. Be sure to check it often. If your business is such that you can’t open a laptop regularly (or can’t access the Internet everywhere you go) invest in a mobile phone with e-mail capabilities. The more reachable you are, the better service you’ll be able to provide.
6. Don’t include text message abbreviations, typos, poor grammar and other mistakes in written communications. As the line between our business lives and our personal lives continues to blur, it seems some people think that it’s OK to communicate with business associates the same way they do with friends. It’s not. Using text abbreviations (such as “r u” for “are you”) makes you look like someone playing at running a business. Typos and poor grammar may allegedly make your blog look “real,” but they do little for creating a professional image for your business. Take the time to create well-crafted business communications and then proofread them thoroughly before sending. You’ll be amazed at how that attention to detail helps you stand out from the crowd.
7. Don’t have constant technology problems. Sure, every business experiences a technology glitch (or even an outright outage) now and then. But if you’re constantly apologizing because this or that system isn’t working, pretty soon your customers will seek out a competitor whose technology does work. Unless your business is in IT desktop consulting, you may not have the technical knowledge to deal with IT problems quickly. Rather than continuing to tear your hair out trying to learn IT management on the job, why not just outsource it? There are firms that will manage the equipment you already own, and others that will let you create your network on their equipment. Either way, keeping your systems up and running becomes their job, which allows you to put more focus on doing your real job for your customers.
8. Don’t lose all your customers’ files. Telling a customer you lost data due to a hard drive crash is like telling the teacher the dog ate your homework. It may be true, but it doesn’t excuse you from the loss. Nor does it present you in a very good light. The IT departments at the typical enterprise-size business set up and perform automatic backups on a frequent basis – sometimes more than once a day. That way if a hard drive crashes the data can still be recovered. If you don’t want to hassle with that yourself, there are hosted services that will backup and store your data for you via the Internet. Remember, there are only two kinds of users – those who have had a hard drive crash already, and those who will. Make sure you have a solution in place.

Steve Adams is Vice President of Marketing for Protus (www.protus.com), provider of the highest quality software as a service (SaaS) communications tools for small-to-medium-businesses (SMB) and enterprise organizations, including award-winning MyFax, the fastest growing Internet fax service and my1voice, the cost-effective, feature-rich virtual PBX phone service that travels with the user from phone to web and Campaigner, software-as-a-service email marketing solutions with advanced automation features.  Steve can be reached at sadams@protus.com.

Small Office Home Office Technology Podcast
Library Seminar Series - Podcasting for Business

Introduction

Member of  the Blubrry Network – http://www.blubrry.com

Library Seminar Series – Podcasting for Business

This class was held on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at  Chisago Lakes Regional Library

Outline

• What is a Podcast? 
• Podcasts made simple
• What kinds of topics?
• Distributing Your Podcasts?
• Examples
• How do I create a Podcast
• Process for Podcast Production

• Where to find more information

  • http://www.wikipedia.org

  • http://www.podcastfaq.com

  • http://www.podcast411.com

Link to the Power Point Presentation from this class

• Presentation: http://www.mysmbc.com/LibraryFiles/PodcastingForBusiness.ppt
• PowerPoint Show: http://www.mysmbc.com/LibraryFiles/PodcastingForBusiness.pps
• PDF: http://www.mysmbc.com/LibraryFiles/PodcastingForBusiness.pdf

Contact Me

Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/Dean_Jensen
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=690971206
Email Address: SOHOTechPodcast@gmail.com
Voice Mail: (651) 204-6612
Mailing List: http://groups.google.com/group/SOHOTechPodcast

This is what I listened to while I cleaned the house today:

• Slice of SciFi #194: Voicemail Show
• Buzz Out Loud 896: Watch your asymptote
• GNC-2009-01-02 #436 Happy New Year!
• Daily Giz Wiz 716: Alligetter
• Daily Giz Wiz 717: Tom Bihn’s Checkpoint Flyer
• Daily Giz Wiz 718: Helmet Cam 
• Episode 185 – High Fives with Jimmy Fallon!
• Mike Tech Show – Podcast – #222 – 01-10-09 
• The World’s Technology Podcast
• Churchill Club podcast: The state of the browser

Small Office Home Office Technology Podcast
MNT Episode 014 – Tech Wish List
Recorded on March 3, 2008

Introduction

Member of  the Tech Podcast Network at http://www.techpodcasts.com
Member of  the Blubrry Network – http://www.blubrry.com

GoToMeeting Sponsorship

Try GoToMeeting free for 30 days!  For this special offer, visit http://www.gotomeeting.com/techpodcasts

GoDaddy Sponsorship 

For a discount on web hosting plans use the code pod64
For 10% off any order use the code: blu64

Live Recording from Talkshoe

The next STP’s Monday Night Tech will be on Monday, March 17, 2008

• Special Guest this Episode – Douglas Welch from http://welchwrite.com  
• Bar Camp LA – For more information on Bar Camps visit http://barcamp.org/
• Nokia n95 – View the video here: http://welchwrite.com/cip/2008/03/02/editing-video-on-nokia-n95/
• OLPC – http://laptop.org/
• Chumby – http://www.chumby.com/
  • Douglas’ Chumby – http://welchwrite.com/chumby
• LOL Cats – http://lolcats.com/
• I can has cheezburger - http://icanhascheezburger.com/
• Dean’s Troubled Computer – A few things you can do to help prevent bad stuff
  • Get a Router
  • Update all Operating System Software
  • Be aware of Free programs from the internet.  Some may contain bad stuff
• Transfering emails from one computer to another computer.
• USB Enclosures – http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=92&name=External-Enclosures
• Hard Drive Wipe Programs – http://dban.sourceforge.net/
• Douglas’ Podcasts 
  • TechnologyIQ – http://welchwrite.com/techiq/
  • Careers in Podcasting – http://welchwrite.com/cip/
  • Career Opportunities – http://welchwrite.com/career/

Contact Me

Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/Dean_Jensen
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=690971206
Email Address: SOHOTechPodcast@gmail.com
Voice Mail: (651) 204-6612
Mailing List: http://groups.google.com/group/SOHOTechPodcast

Small Office Home Office Technology Podcast
MNT Episode 013 – Vista Rant and Printer Review
Recorded on March 3, 2008

Introduction

Member of  the Tech Podcast Network at http://www.techpodcasts.com
Member of  the Blubrry Network – http://www.blubrry.com

GoToMeeting Sponsorship

Try GoToMeeting free for 30 days!  For this special offer, visit http://www.gotomeeting.com/techpodcasts

GoDaddy Sponsorship 

For a discount on web hosting plans use the code pod64
For 10% off any order use the code: blu64

Live Recording from Talkshoe

The next STP’s Monday Night Tech will be on Monday, March 17, 2008

• Special Guest this Episode – Douglas Welch from http://welchwrite.com  
• Windows Vista Rant
• Opening a Blister Pack – Example: http://www.nitro-pak.com/product_info.php?products_id=502
• Blister Pack Openers – Example: http://www.myopenx.com/
• Printer Review: Epson Stylus CX9400Fax

Contact Me

Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/Dean_Jensen
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=690971206
Email Address: SOHOTechPodcast@gmail.com
Voice Mail: (651) 204-6612
Mailing List: http://groups.google.com/group/SOHOTechPodcast

Small Office Home Office Technology Podcast
Library Seminar Series - Cool Internet Stuff

Introduction

Member of  the Tech Podcast Network at http://www.techpodcasts.com
Member of  the Blubrry Network – http://www.blubrry.com

GoToMeeting Sponsorship

Try GoToMeeting free for 30 days!  For this special offer, visit http://www.gotomeeting.com/techpodcasts

GoDaddy Sponsorship 

For a discount on web hosting plans use the code pod64
For 10% off any order use the code: blu64

Library Seminar Series – Cool Internet Stuff 

This class was held on January 8, 2008 at the Wyoming Area Giese Memorial Library

Links mentioned in this class

Video

• YouTube – http://www.youtube.com
  • Pachelbel Rant – http://youtube.com/watch?v=JdxkVQy7QLM
• Netork TV
  • NBC – http://www.nbc.com/
  • ABC – http://abc.go.com/
  • CBS – http://www.cbs.com/
  • Discovery – http://dsc.discovery.com/
  • Food Network – http://www.foodnetwork.com/
• Non Network Shows
  • Ask A Ninja – http://askaninja.com/
  • Goodnight Burbank – http://www.goodnightburbank.com/
  • Revision3 – http://revision3.com/
• Educational
  • CNet – http://www.cnet.com/
  • CNet TV – http://www.cnettv.com/
  • NY Times – http://video.on.nytimes.com/
  • NASA – http://www.nasa.gov/
  • NASA TV Live – http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html?param=public

Link to the Power Point Presentation from this class

http://www.mysmbc.com/LibraryFiles/CoolInternetStuff.ppt

Contact Me

Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/Dean_Jensen
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=690971206
Email Address: SOHOTechPodcast@gmail.com
Voice Mail: (651) 204-6612
Mailing List: http://groups.google.com/group/SOHOTechPodcast