10 Things We Hate About Apple

It's high time we unloaded on the high-and-mighty Mac maker.
Narasu Rebbapragada and Alan Stafford, PC World

The company formerly known as Apple Computer and now called simply Apple, Inc. is unique in many ways--including in its ability to drive even folks who admire it positively batty. It makes great products (usually), yet its secretiveness about them borders on paranoia, and its adoring fans can be incredibly irritating. Of course, its fans have to put up with some irritations, too: Simply being a member of the club still means you must endure unending jabs from the other side of the socio-political-techno aisle. But do they have to wear their suffering as a badge of honor?

Today, we--that's us, Narasu and Alan, veteran Mac users both--are going to get some stuff off our chests. We've enumerated ten things we hate about Apple (or its followers, or simply about the experience of using its products). But in the interest of fair play (not to be confused with FairPlay, Apple's DRM technology) we're also publishing another list--Ten Things We Love About Apple.

Use the Comment link at the end of this article to add your own gripes about Apple--or to defend it.

And so, with protective helmets in place, off we go:

1: Free Speech, Anyone?
Even if you're no Apple fan, this particular issue might not rise to the top of your own personal gripe list--but hey, we're journalists. So sue us.

Er, that's probably not the right turn of phrase to use, considering that in December 2004, Apple filed a lawsuit against the AppleInsider, O'Grady's PowerPage, and Think Secret Web sites for posting information about upcoming technologies that Apple had shared with outsiders under nondisclosure agreements. In the case of O'Grady, the news was of a FireWire interface for GarageBand. In the words of O'Grady himself: "yawn."

Apple pressured the sites to reveal their sources, and even worse, pressured the sites' ISPs. In May 2006, a California court said no way, ruling that online journalists enjoy the same First Amendment rights as "legitimate" offline journalists. Seems silly in today's world, doesn't it? Recently, the court ordered Apple to pay the sites' legal fees--about $700,000.

2. More Secretive Than Homeland Security
Those feds are secretive, but they're no match for Apple reps' infuriating stock answer: "We don't comment on future product plans." Being an Apple adherent means never knowing for sure if the shiny new MacBook or iPod you just bought is about to be rendered obsolete by a Steve Jobs keynote.

Of course, Apple is merely the most famous secretive Silicon Valley company, not the only hush-mouthed one. And tight lips make for explosive buzz when the company does decide to drop a bombshell. But contrast Apple's secrecy with Microsoft's lack thereof--Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and company love to talk about their company's upcoming products, and they still get their fair share of buzz. Even though many of those plans have a tendency to not actually come true.

3. Ain't Too Proud to Blame
When Apple shipped iPods containing a worm last year, instead of issuing a humble mea culpa, Apple took a swipe at Microsoft, saying, "As you might imagine, we are upset at Windows for not being more hardy against such viruses, and even more upset with ourselves for not catching it." As you can imagine, that didn't fly with security experts. How about an apology to the folks who were unlucky enough to buy the infected iPods, period?

4. iHate iAnything
Apple first floated the idea of product names with a leading lowercase letter in 1994 with eWorld, an ill-conceived online service that went belly-up after a year and a half. But when it introduced the original iMac in 1998, it hit on a phenomenal success--and prompted hundreds of third-party manufacturers to follow with sickeningly cute Bondi Blue products with names that also began with a lowercase "i." Now dozens of Apple and third-party product names begins with "i." Their manufacturers are all jumping on the bandwagon, hoping that a single letter will sway us to buy their stuff. Meanwhile, you can't even start sentences with the products' names.

Is it any wonder that we're inclined to like Apple TV in part because it turned out not to be iTV? Or that we're kind of sorry that Apple was able to strike a deal with Cisco to share the name iPhone?

Speed Up Your PC by Magic

Every time you experience a PC problem or slowdown, don't call the technician just yet. Try a little magic, and you will see your machine revived!

What do you usually do if your car stalls? I can tell you what I do: if kicking the tires and looking under the hood doesn't really help, I give up and call for a mechanic. If you are a little more technical than I am, you might try more things, and may even succeed in getting your car running. But what if it does not run as good as it used to, or stalls more and more often? I'd bring it to the shop to get it fixed!

What do you usually do if your computer hangs? I usually try pushing some keys and, finally, kick in the 'Reset' button. But what if your PC no longer runs as smoothly as it used to, or hangs up just in the middle of an important document or an exciting game? Is it time to call for a computer guru and spend some money for getting it fixed?

Not necessarily. With a bit of magic and a little help of a handy free tool you can quickly do miracles with your PC's performance!

Try a little magic on your computer. A single 'Reset' button will never solve all your problems completely, but a little free utility called Magic Speed will revive your PC to its original, brand-new like performance in just five easy steps. It will do its magic to clean up your PC and fix problems that prevent it from running smoothly.

With a computer, you are in a better position than you are with a car. Many computer problems don't come from hardware errors; after all, modern PC hardware is thoroughly reliable these days. Instead, these problems originate from software. Did you know that any time you press that 'Reset' button, there is a chance of data corruption? It's not that something is wrong with your hard disk; it's about Windows unable to finish a write operation that causes the corruption. This is easily corrected with software; all you need is a disk checkup. This is free, and you don't need a technician to do that; just a little magic and Magic Speed!

What if your computer does not boot Windows as fast as it used to when you opened the box? If you a technician check your system, he would probably tell you about the hidden start-up programs slowing down performance, unwanted tray icons eating up precious megabytes of memory, or even spyware plaguing your system. Run Magic Speed instead of calling a technician, and it will tell you exactly what is wrong with your PC, and fix it immediately - for absolutely free!

Thanks to its built-in licensed anti-virus engine, Magic Speed will detect and automatically clean known viruses and spyware programs. It will reveal to you all the hidden startup programs and tray icons, and allow you to keep only those you are actually using. This alone can speed up your system significantly; but that is not all! Magic Speed will check for correct software locations, check and fix errors in shared programs, look up for known problems with known software, and fix errors with system components.

With Magic Speed, you do the magic to your PC! Get Magic Speed from www.smartpctools.com/magic_speed for absolutely free, and revive your PC to its brand-new performance.

How to avoid getting your information stolen via wireless connections

Yesterday, I wrote about how the FBI is warning us that personal details can be stolen (i-jacked) when using public computers. This occurs using crimeware, previously installed on a public computer, logs the keys you are stroking and sends the information (electronically) to criminals.

It can be dangerous to look at any of your online financial information on these (public access) machines.

When writing about this phenomenon, I remembered that even using your personal computer at a public place with a wireless connection can expose a person's personal and sometimes, financial details.

Just the other day, Martin Bosworth, over at Consumer Affairs, wrote an excellent piece covering this danger, where he stated:

Sending unencrypted information over any unfamiliar network can turn your computer into an open book -- with pages full of your personal information.

Many of these connections are appear to be legitimate connections because they are spoofed (camouflaged to appear as if they are a trusted connection).

Spoofing a connection, or site isn't very hard to do. They simply copy and transpose pictures and statements (words) from legitimate sites to their own. The Artists Against website has a portal, where you can see fake websites that are up and running on the Internet, here.

Martin's article contains some excellent tips on how to navigate the murky waters of public hot spots, safely.

They can be viewed, here.

Interestingly enough, wireless technology, isn't only used to compromise individuals. In the recent TJX data breach, where some are saying 200 million records were stolen since 2003, reports are saying the data was stolen, using wireless technology.

It's being reported that this was accomplished from a car with a laptop. Driving around with a laptop, using other people's wireless connections, is sometimes referred to as "war-driving," which is my new word for the day.

Joseph Pereira (Wall Street Journal) wrote about this (courtesy of the Northwest Florida Daily News), here.

Gather Your Keywords to Improve Search Engine Positioning

We all do this - when we need to look something up on the Internet, we automatically fire up our favorite search engine. For many web surfers, their home page is already set to Google, Yahoo, or MSN. In that search engine we punch in a few words that relate to the information we need. Almost immediately we are overwhelmed with a batch of results. But how much of these results do we actually read through? The majority of web surfers scan through the first page or two, and perhaps even through page three. If a web site is pnsitioned beyond page three they are basically out of luck. When web surfers punch in keywords related to your products and services, does your site come up within the first few pages of the search results? If it does, you're likely running a very successful business in which visitors come to you without much need to advertise.
Most web site owners haven't built their website with reaching search engine users as one of the site's goals. In this article I will pretend that you own a shopping web site called PrettyDresses.com. Your web site is very lovely, full of pictures of dresses in all the latest styles and trends. Anyone who has found your site is very impressed with the selection of products and beautiful pictures. But you ask yourself, why is your traffic so low? Why isn't anybody finding my site? What can I do? The answer is quite clear and the problem is quite easy to solve.

Almost without thinking, web surfers (more specifically web searchers) will pop open their search engine and type in something like 'evening gown'. As this is their first thought, it should also be yours. Does your web site contain the words and phrases that web searchers are using to find your products and services? Are those words found on your website many, many times, only a few times, or not at all?

On regular intervals search engines crawl the web, reading and collecting information on the sites they come across. As they come across your website, they look for what the most frequently used words are phrases are to determine just what it is that your web site is all about. The better your web site does at effectively using the phrases that are being searched, the higher up the list your web site will be displayed on web searches. If your web site's content does not match what is being searched, it will not be found. It is a simple as that.

It should be clear by now that you should be starting to put together a list of keyword phrases to include within your web site. This list should include your products and services and any related items. There are many people searching for dresses as you are reading these words. Do they all use the exactly same phrases - of course not. Your mission is to discover as many of these phrases as possible and which phrases or words are used most frequently. The list should be prioritized based on which words are used in searches most frequently.

Brainstorm. Sit and think about what your web site is really all about. Close your eyes and picture your website as a store with customers looking around. What are they looking for? What are they asking you for? "Excuse me, I'm looking for a...”

Think about which words relate to your products and services. What is another name for dress - a gown, evening gown, sun-dress, a cute black dress, etc.

Be sure to ask family and friends, and clients and associates. Which phrases or words might they use when looking for your products and services? You are soon to discover a pattern. The most commonly used search terms will start to emerge.

Which keywords do high end competing web sites use, that carry products and services that are similar to yours? Their research may save you some of your own.

Pretend to be different types of customers. Be a customer that knows exactly what they want and jot that down. Also be the customer that is just looking around, or looking for ideas. This second customer may use more generic terms, while the first customer may refer to specific items. What other types of shoppers can you pretend to be? What about a wealthy shopper versus a bargain hunter?

Are some of the words on your list often misspelled? If so make sure to jot down the incorrect spelling as well. Poor spellers also have money to spend.

Are your products or services focused on a specific geographical location? If so, be sure to jot down the neighborhood, quadrant, city, state, and even country. A visitor may not want to drive too far from home and may therefore search for 'dresses in south Dallas'.

Also be sure to include the different variations of your selected keywords - for example: dress and dresses.

Remember to keep a balance between keeping your pages readable by both visitors and search engines. An over-optimized page will include many, many keywords which will improve your positioning with search engines, but may sound like nonsense and unprofessional to a real human visitor. Don’t turn away potential customers after they’ve found you. Some search engines have been known to punish web sites that attempt to trick the system with keyword spamming on their web pages.

Now its time to get to work. Use these ideas in this article to optimize your web site's content. Be sure to include the words and phrases that your potential visitors have in mind. Don't forget about your web site's title and description meta tags, which are only read by search engines. With some hard work and careful analysis you'll be sure to see a lot more traffic in your future.

Article Source: http://www.superfeature.com

Chris Haney is the founder of The Coding Studio (http://www.thecodingstudio.com/), an innovative web design and development company, specializing in web design, web development, graphics, animation, flash and SEO.

What about Bad SEO Client

You hear all the time about bad SEOs. Bad SEOs are offering worthless services, failing to deliver on their internet marketing promises, polluting the search engine results?well, a lot of bad things. But how much ever gets said about bad SEOs' spiritual counterparts: bad SEO clients?

As an SEO, I can see things from the other side of the table. You see, despite trying hard to make it clear I'm a good, ethical, results-oriented, smarter marketing, white-hat SEO, I have gotten no end of inquiries from bad prospective SEO clients. Sure, no one who gets cheated is ever entirely to blame, and some cheated businesses are entirely blameless. But the bad SEOs would have too small a market to stay in business if it weren't for almost-as-bad clients.

Shades of Bad SEO Clients

First, let me make clear what I mean by "bad" SEOs. Bad SEOs are bad because they either do unethical things to get e-marketing results, or because they consistently fail to deliver results. A good SEO delivers results and does it without trampling over other people's rights (like submitting automated comments to their websites or trying to get good sites de-indexed).

A bad SEO client, in turn, is someone who will only be satisfied (albeit temporarily) with a bad SEO. Because they refuse to consider ethical web consultants or smarter marketing strategies, they are creating markets for the e-marketing charlatans and black-hats. There are two basic types of bad SEO clients: crooks and fool--oops, I mean, ethically challenged and judgmentally-challenged.

Ethically-Challenged SEO Clients

I haven't gotten so many inquiries asking for out-and-out unethical services. Still, I've been asked about blog-sp@mming software and other shady internet marketing tactics a couple times. A colleague shared this gem with me: "Have you thought about just scanning a book from the library and using it for web content? Or is that too high-risk?" (Seriously, someone asked him this.)

Of course, judging from the amount of comment sp@m and SEO-motivated hacking on the web, there is plenty of demand for this stuff.

Judgmentally-Challenged SEO Clients

A much larger group of bad SEO clients are simply those who insist on putting themselves in the way of fraud. Yes, that's right: I'm blaming the victim. Someone who goes looking for a $5 gold watch can't cry too long if the watch turns out to be fake or hot. With SEO, there are a few more nuances, but it's the same essential idea.

The overwhelming majority of these judgmentally challenged souls are private individuals whose only business is the business-in-a-kit variety. Yet they are also sometimes representatives of actual successful companies. The real businesspeople tend to be quicker to let their misconceptions go (after all, they can afford the real SEO alternatives), but not always. Let's look at some representative types of this group, straight out of my own inbox (note: these are inquiries from prospects, not actual clients).

1. Something-for-(Little More than)-Nothing Clients

Really, I tend to think these people should be in the ethically challenged group, but maybe that's just the remnant of my work ethic making me be mean There are actually two kinds of these clients:

- The ambitious but cheap client: "I'd like to get to the top of Google for the keyword, 'mortgage' so I can turn over $100,000/month in revenue. I can spend up to $1,000."

-The Adsense-is-my-business-plan client: you wouldn't bdlieve the numbers of inquiries I get from people who only plan to make money off Adsense or other on-site advertising?they don't even have a plan for getting repeat traffic, nor do they have content to synergize with the SEO effort. By buying promotional services, they would essentially be buying advertising in order to make money off advertising?you see where that could be a problem?

Another way of looking at it: why wouldn't I just create a site myself and keep all the profit from my efforts? In fact, most SEOs do have their own project sites, which are often monetized by Adsense. The money we could otherwise get from Adsense is one very low baseline for pricing our services. Legitimate SEO clients are typically selling goods or services at a profit rate that works out to ten or more times what they could get from Adsense.

In addition to the greedy, I also see a few other kinds of less common, but still problematic prospective SEO clients:

2.SEO-Starry-Eyed Clients: "Search engine traffic is definitely the best way for me to get pet-sitting clients in my tiny Himalayan village."

3.The Little-Knowledge-Is-a-Dangerous-Thing Client: "Don't tell me about keyword research, content, anchor text, or natural linking strategy, just get me the PageRank (or links, keyword density, or whatever the fad is)."

4.Gullible-and-Not-Letting-Go Client: "I know of at least two services that will submit my site to thousands of search engines for $29.95. If you can't do that, I'll take my business elsewhere."

5.I-Will-Never-Trust-SEO-But-I'll-Consider-It-Anyway Client: "No one can guarantee a good search engine ranking so this is all pointless?I'll just go with that $29.95 search engine submission package someone just emailed me about. At least it's cheap."

In short, if you are going to find good SEO web consultants, you need: 1) realistic expectations; 2) a realistic budget; 3) solid information. Don't expect something for nothing, do a little reading, and it's much less likely you'll fall victim to bad SEOs.

How Do I Know If My PC Is Infected With Spyware or Adware

Many people that are new to the Internet world are nervous about the potential of viruses, Spyware or Adware that can harm their computer, affect performance or make their very private information public to others.

Spyware programs can do a number of damaging things to your personal computer. Spyware infects your pc and hides in the background and can do many nasty things to the performance of your system. It can also do harmful things to you such as send out your personal information, your every keystroke and photo that resides on your hard drive, watch your surfing habits and shopping habits and annoy you with annoying pop-ups filled with advertisements and even pornography.

If you are experiencing any unusual changes in your computer's performance or have any unusual new pop-ups, changes to your toolbars or new icons on your desktop, you should run a system scan to find out if you have Spyware. Products exist on the market to help you combat this problem. Be sure to install software that you know is credible. Downloading freeware can often result in further Spyware existing on your computer. Spyware, Adware and Malware companies frequently fool users into sending pop-ups telling them that there's a problem with their computer and this in fact is further spyware. These errors can open your system up to future further problems by fooling people into thinking they're downloading fixes when really further spyware is being downloaded.

Watch your system's performance and at the sign of any unusual activity, realize that you are probably infected. Do something as soon as possible to protect your privacy. These programs don't discriminate and can launch themselves when you or your family members sit in front of the computer. Pornographic pop-ups can turn up whether it's an adult or a child using the computer. Protect your pc.

Antivirus alone isn't enough to combat this problem. Spyware sneaks into your system via executable files that you don't need to do anything to launch. They can sneak in as attachments that you download or by many other means. They're harmful and annoying but you can protect your computer and your privacy with the right software. This software needs to have an auto update for spyware definitions as new spyware definitions are being added daily. So a spyware remnval program is a great compliment to your existing anti-virus software.

Total Innovations, Inc. specializes in developing award winning software programs designed to solve computer users needs. The spyware removal software, http://www.emailspy.com & http://www.folderhider.com are a few of the most recent. See full details at: http://www.spyblaster.com

HTC, Once Atop Market, Gambles on Windows Phone

As the first to use Google’s Android smartphone software, HTC, the Taiwanese handset maker, was briefly the top smartphone manufacturer in the United States. It was surpassed by Apple and Samsung.
Now, to vie for a bigger piece of the market, HTC is working with another underdog: Microsoft’s Windows Phone software.
At an event in New York on Wednesday, HTC introduced two smartphones featuring Windows Phone 8, the latest version of Microsoft’s mobile operating system. The phones, HTC Windows Phone 8X and HTC Windows Phone 8S, were deliberately named to raise awareness among consumers that Windows phones even exist in a market that is dominated by Apple and Android.

Marilynn K. Yee/The New York Times The HTC Windows Phone 8S is the smaller of the two phones the handset maker introduced in its partnership with Microsoft.

“Generally speaking, consumers aren’t aware of Windows Phone,” said Terry Myerson, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Windows Phone division, in an interview. “We wanted to increase the awareness of Windows Phone by simplifying that message.”
For HTC, a big bet on Windows Phone is risky. The previous version of Microsoft’s mobile software, Windows Phone 7, has been unpopular among consumers, gaining about 2.5 percent of the American market. HTC was the top American smartphone maker in the third quarter of 2011, but it now has less than a tenth of the market. Apple and Samsung together account for 57 percent of the American smartphone market, according to estimates by Gartner, the technology research firm.
In a previous interview, Jason Mackenzie, president of global sales and marketing at HTC, said the company did not have a strong, iconic brand for its phones, as Apple does for its iPhone and Samsung does for its Galaxy phones.
At the event, HTC and Microsoft focused their discussion on the Windows Phone 8X model, the bigger and more expensive of the two phones. It has a 4.3-inch screen and a wafer-thin body. Mr. Mackenzie said the camera had an 88-degree viewing angle so that multiple people could be seen during a video conference call, as opposed to just one person’s face.
HTC’s new Windows phones will arrive in November. The Windows Phone 8X will cost $200 with AT&T. It will be available on T-Mobile USA, Verizon and some global networks as well, and prices are to be announced for those carriers. The price of the smaller phone, the Windows Phone 8S, was not disclosed.
Making the phone game even tougher for HTC and Microsoft, Apple introduced its iPhone 5 just last week and sold two million devices in the first 24 hours it was on sale. But the companies still think they can compete.
“I think consumers are looking for much more than another row of icons, and this is a beautiful experience,” Mr. Myerson said, referring to the new iPhone’s larger screen.
Pete Cunningham, a mobile analyst at Canalys, said that despite Microsoft’s and HTC’s best efforts to improve on branding, the names of the phones were “not the most catchy product names I’ve heard.” He was skeptical about the sales prospects for the phones, and said that both companies would have to be extremely aggressive in promoting them, especially coming after the iPhone 5.
“We’re in a fiercely competitive space, and there’s a lot of good devices out there, and we’ve obviously got the iPhone 5,” Mr. Cunningham said. “Does the iPhone 5 have the best chip set? No. Camera? No. Will it be the best-selling iPhone ever? Yes.”

RIM Innovates and Then Waits as Apple Moves Ahead

Among the features of the new Apple iPhone 5 are a more movie-friendly display format, two tiny grills on the bottom that shield noise-canceling microphones, a more powerful processor and a slim, all-black case.
All of those features made another debut last May when Research in Motion gave software developers prototypes of the BlackBerry 10 handsets, the model that may well decide that ailing brand’s fate.
The trouble for RIM, of course, is that the iPhone 5 will be in stores Sept. 21 while the much delayed BlackBerry 10 still doesn’t have an official arrival date. RIM promised it for early next xear.
By then, Apple is unlikely to be the only competitor to spoil some of RIM’s BlackBerry 10 surprises. Windows Phone 8, which may upstage some of the new BlackBerry’s software features, is expected to be out shortly. New handsets that take advantage of some of Windows 8’s features will most likely appear in November. And the world of phones using Google’s Android operating system marches relentlessly on.
None of that necessarily means that BlackBerry 10 will be obsolete before anyone sees it. But the spoilers will significantly increase the pressure on RIM to come up with a compelling and novel product to distinguish the new BlackBerrys from their competition.
This summer, Apple’s sales of its current iPhone 4S softened because consumers were waiting for the iPhone 5 The extended delay of the BlackBerry 10, however, has created a much more severe problem for RIM, perhaps because its executives have repeatedly boasted that the new phones and their completely redeveloped operating system will be major advance on RIM’s current products.
Meanwhile, the decline of the once-prominent company continues. IDC reported this week that phones using the BlackBerry operating system, which once defined and dominated the smartphone category, accounted for only 4.8 percent of shipments during the second quarter of this year, down from 11.5 percent during the same period a year earlier.

RIM Innovates and Then Waits as Apple Moves Ahead

Among the features of the new Apple iPhone 5 are a more movie-friendly display format, two tiny grills on the bottom that shield noise-canceling microphones, a more powerful processor and a slim, all-black case.
All of those features made another debut last May when Research in Motion gave software developers prototypes of the BlackBerry 10 handsets, the model that may well decide that ailing brand’s fate.
The trouble for RIM, of course, is that the iPhone 5 will be in stores Sept. 21 while the much delayed BlackBerry 10 still doesn’t have an official arrival date. RIM promised it for early next year.
By then, Apple is unlikely to be the only competitor to spoil some of RIM’s BlackBerry 10 surprises. Windows Phone 8, which may upstage some of the new BlackBerry’s software features, is expected to be out shortly. New handsets that take advantage of some of Windows 8’s features will most likely appear in November. And the world of phones using Google’s Android operating system marches relentlessly on.
None of that necessarily means that BlackBerry 10 will be obsolete before anyone sees it. But the spoilers will significantly increase the pressure on RIM to come up with a compelling and novel product to distinguish the new BlackBerrys from their competition.
This summer, Apple’s sales of its current iPhone 4S softened because consumers were waiting for the iPhone 5 The extended delay of the BlackBerry 10, however, has created a much more severe problem for RIM, perhaps because its executives have repeatedly boasted that the new phones and their completely redeveloped operating system will be major advance on RIM’s current products.
Meanwhile, the decline of the once-prominent company continues. IDC reported this week that phones using the BlackBerry operating system, which once defined and dominated the smartphone category, accounted for only 4.8 percent of shipments during the second quarter of this year, down from 11.5 percent during the same period a year earlier.

Business Workplace Improvements

Changing the workplace environment can lead to a change in employee attitude and productivity. There are numerous practical tips that can be incorporated in order to overcome workplace ruts, among them:

·        Mentoring and Professional Development

Workplace mentoring, professional development opportunities and a steady influx of fresh perspectives can help shift stalled teams. Monthly lunch-and-learn sessions with inspirational guest speakers can build team cohesion. Employees need to feel comfortable voicing concerns and making suggestions.

·        Initiate an Incentive Plan
When effective teams are challenged they will work hard to meet a goal, especially if there is an incentive at the end. Incentives can build team dynamics and contribute to employee satisfaction. They can include a team lunch, a monetary bonus, coupons or the chance to participate in additional training.

·        Be Flexible
Flexible work schedules can allow employees to feel more at ease as they juggle the responsibilities of work and home. When employees feel trusted to manage their time and to take responsibility for their role in a team’s progress, then a manager has created a win-win situation.

                           

·        Make Time to Listen

Not all employees communicate in the same way. Some have great ideas you will never hear because they won’t speak up in a group meeting. Instead of expecting employees to conform to one way of communicating with you, learn different ways of listening and talking with your team. That can include more one-on-one or smaller group meetings, follow-up email questions and “drop-in” times where you are available to speak in an informal setting.

·        Improve the Environment

Sprucing up an outdated break room, upgrading lighting or adding a few office amenities can go a long way toward showing employees they are valued. If the budget is tight, funnel some of the savings from an office recycling program or energy efficiency project toward making the workplace more comfortable for everyone.

·        Express Gratitude

In today’s hectic workplaces, it is easy to get so caught up on behind-the-scenes management tasks that you may end up being perceived as dismissive or aloof. Taking time to thank employees for a job well done helps build long-lasting rapport. Be specific in your compliment and deliver it in person when possible. Also, be sure to acknowledge the most consistent employees who are often neglected because they require little attention. You should cultivate their loyalty and possibly provide ways to allow them extra opportunities to grow, such as mentoring.

Taking these and other steps to improve the workplace environment will positively change employee attitude within the workplace, promoting more productive and creative work.

Motivating Your Employees

A good business leader is a multi-faceted individual who possesses many strengths and capabilities. He can manage budgets, spearhead marketing campaigns, design products, network with industry experts, and appraise contract management software. He is dedicated, hard-working, smart, and creative. But even with all these exemplary qualities, a business leader is truly only a leader if he also possesses one crucial trait: motivation skills. In fact, no matter your walk of life, if you seek to be a successful leader you need to be able to motivate those people who follow your guidance.

Motivated employees are more productive and cohesive. They also are more likely to be happy with their job and less likely to seek work elsewhere. But how can you motivate your employees and achieve these results? How can you make them as passionate about your business as you are?

Here are a few tips:

Keep Clear Reinforcements

There are two general ways of explicitly motivating people: positive incentives and negative tactics. Using positive motivation creates goals and incentives to which your employees can strive. Negative motivation, on the other hand, involves using threats or fear of reprisal in order to achieve productivity goals. Far too many employers use a combination of the two in their attempt to motivate workers; this approach, however, causes threats and incentives to cancel each other out and yield counterproductive ends. For this reason it is important to have a clear approach. Of course, when choosing between the two, most experts would say that positive motivation almost always works better than the negative variety in the long term.

Breed Culture

Many office managers and business leaders believe that it is important to promote workplaces that are “fun” and “relaxed.” These two aims certainly reflect admirable goals, but there is really only one overarching word that should come into consideration here: culture. If having fun office outings, free food, and themed work days translate into a more cohesive office culture – one where employees see themselves as members of a family rather than a team of workers – then fostering a fun office is a good approach to take. If not, you need to consider other ways of promoting employee cohesiveness.

Create Team Incentives

Along similar lines, employee motivation often rises when a collaborate work environment is promoted – when it comes to business projects as well as office functions. While creating individualized incentives may breed stress and competition among employees, group projects and targets can translate into productivity, cohesion, and more motivated employers, even on an individual level. Keep in mind that a desire to build a team culture should carry over into hiring practices. Applicants who are good fits for the culture should be sought out. Employees who detract from it, conversely, should probably be let go.

Hopefully these tips can help you plan an appropriate motivational approach. While a good business leader may be highly motivated, a great one needs to be just as capable of instilling that same spirit in his employees.

Social Media in Your Small Business Aspirations

With 2012 here, many small business leaders are looking to get the New Year off to a positive start, removing any negative memories of the past 12 months.

For those small business heads who have not implemented productive social media campaigns into their plans over the last 12 months, now is the perfect time to plow forward with such efforts.

One of the great things with deploying a social media strategy for your small business is that it essentially doesn’t cost much money, along with opening you up to a new realm of customers.

Some Small Business Leaders Missing the Boat on Social Media

That being said, many small business leaders have been slow to embrace all social media has to offer, meaning the competition is oftentimes getting a leg up. The bottom line is that one’s return on investment (ROI) can be greatly impacted, leaving them playing catch up to competing small businesses.

If you are a small business head and are still lagging behind when it comes to social media, recognize that a consumer or other business may be a potential lead.

When using social media in your small business plans, this allows you to instantly introduce yourself to potential customers. Not only that, you can guide them to your company’s Web site, providing pertinent information that may lead them to start up a business relationship with you.

Most social media campaigns involve more time than money, so this can be especially attractive for those businesses working on a tighter budget, yet still need to spread their message and attain more leads.

What Are Our Social Media Options?

For a small business who has yet to fully embrace social media, what are some of the better SM outlets to assist one’s business in generating more customers?

Among the more notable options (these are not all of them):

* Facebook – As the leader of social media, Facebook and its approximate 750 million users provide a great resource for small businesses seeking to create more leads. Begin with forming a fan page for your small business. Be sure the page offers visitors’ pertinent information related to your business, is set up for back-and-forth conversations with other small businesses/consumers that follow it, provides linking/subscription information to a company newsletter, and is monitored regularly. One aspect where some small businesses come up short when putting together such a page is that they forget about it and only update it off and on. Doing so will turn off consumers and other small businesses coming to you for possible business;

* Twitter – While a budding rival of Facebook, Twitter differs in the sense that small business leaders can use this SM tool to provide both businesses and consumers interested in their product and/or services with valuable links to industry information. As an example, if your small business falls in the salon area, use a company-based Twitter page to share hair-related information with interested parties. By using Twitter hashtags, you can use keywords like hair, haircuts, hair coloring, hairstyles etc. to link up with others who would find your business useful, therefore bettering your opportunity to generate leads;

* LinkedIn – By interlinking both the professional and company profile, you offer individuals who locate your profile information regarding both you and your business. In generating leads through this social media option, make sure you effectively optimize your profile, become linked up with groups that are interested in your audience so that you can be involved in discussions, and lastly search for individuals at companies you want as potential clients.

Should you still be questioning the importance of social media and its ability to help in generating leads, think about the numbers from a study via Constant Contact and Chadwick Martin Bailey. The report notes that 51 percent of Facebook fans and 67 percent of Twitter followers claimed they were more likely to buy from the companies they “liked” on Facebook or “followed” on Twitter.

As all small business owners should know by now, it all comes down to being social.

Dave Thomas, who covers among other items starting a business, writes extensively for Business.com, an online resource destination for businesses of all sizes to research, find, and compare the products and services they need to run their businesses.

Business Network Security

As any business leader knows they have to ensure the highest levels of security for their Internet and IT infrastructure because it is vital to their business’s reputation and success.

The network security of any business is crucial in the increasingly risky business environment in which we now live, infrastructure monitoring and network visibility are critical to managing any security threats.

If your business’s existing solution doesn’t deliver the right results and your system is inflexible with inadequate management services, which only provide late incident notifications or even worse don’t capture the information on complicated risk events, it would be worth your time to review this network security business case

It provides an insight into how one retailer, that was seeking an IT network security platform that it and its customers could rely on, managed to find a perfect solution.

A solution that enabled them to enhance the privacy and security of their credit card transactions, avoided downtime due to fast incident notification and allowed them to renew their focus on core business issues and strategic planning.

How To Make Business A Success

Making business a success is more about the qualities and attributes of the business leader than it is about the business itself. There are many factors that can determine how successful a business leader might be in their chosen industry, but there are a set of steps that a business leader can follow that will ensure that they will have success in their business.

These steps contain all the information that is needed to gain a better appreciation of what the business leader qualities and attributes are and the steps will guide you in how to implement them in your business life.

In the first instance, what is necessary is to get a good understanding of the qualities and attributes that a business leader will need in order for them to be successful, then it is about putting those same qualities and attributes into practice within your own business environment.

There are 20 steps, for you as a business leader, to make a part of your daily business life, as you progress through the steps you will notice a marked increase in the success that your business is achieving.

Whether you are just starting out as a business leader or you have been performing a business leader role for a few years, you will definitely find considerable benefit from understanding and then putting into practice the 20 Steps of How To Make Business A Success.

These set of steps have been utilized by many thousands of successful business leaders throughout the world and have been found to move the business leader and their business, faster and higher up their ladder of success.

Some business leaders may need all twenty steps, some may need just fifteen, or ten, or maybe only five, but whatever the number of steps you use, afterwards you and your business will be more successful.

The series of steps are a comprehensive set of insights into the plans of action that have been taken by business leaders who have succeeded in making their businesses a success.

Each complete step will be published by us in a new post every week.

There will be a total of twenty one (21) posts in the series, starting with this title post which contains the list of the following twenty (20) posts.
It would be a good idea to print this title post and use it for reference.

If you are not already subscribed to Business Leader Success Advice, then it would also be a good idea to subscribe now, its free and you will then receive regular quality content updates as they are released.

The following series of posts will be published each Wednesday for the next twenty (20) weeks. Starting on Wednesday, 8 October 2008.

Step 1 - Identity Don’t try to be somebody else.

Step 2 - Belief If you don’t who will?

Step 3 - Vision See your business in the future.

Steps 4 - Tenacity Never ever give up.

Step 5 - Patience Rome was not built in a day.

Step 6 - Positive Thinking Optimism brings you higher success.

Step 7 - Integrity Don’t try and cut corners.

Step 8 - Motivation Others are looking up to you.

Step 9 - Inspiration It is your ideas that will inspire others.

Step 10 - Innovation Think outside of the box.

Step 11 - Decision Making Action moves a business forward.

Step 12 - Tolerance Learn from others mistakes, don’t blame.

Step 13 - Trust Once you have delegated, let it go.

Step 14 - Commitment Do what you say you are going to do.

Step 15 - Determination You will climb the ladder of success.

Step 16 - Self Awareness The one you know, not who others see.

Step 17 - Purpose Personal endeavour makes it happen.

Step 18 - Courage Only as good as the chances you take.

Steps 19 - Challenges Mental strength, don’t let them stop you.

Step 20 - Confidence You will be a great business leader.

These are the 20 Steps on How To Make Business A Success. Focus on Step 7 and the other steps will then be much easier for you to achieve. Good luck, your business is depending on you to succeed.

7 Habits of Business Success

The elusive dream of business success captures the imagination of aspiring and existing business owners everywhere. A vision of flowing profits, industry respect, thrilled customers, and a balanced life. This vision is only possible by developing habits that drive business success. Take the time to learn the 7 habits of business success.
The 7 Habits of Business Success Habit

1. Cultivate Inner Networks: Entrepreneurs practicing the art of business success know the power of networks. They take the time to identify and build relationships with key peers, mentors, and advisors. This inner network provides support, direction, and an increased number of people to assist. Having an inner network of five people who have a network of five more, grows the network exponentially.

2. Customer Centric: Business success requires an unwavering commitment to the customer. This commitment encompasses a mindset of understanding the customers' world. Understanding the customers wants and needs provides the business with a greater opportunity to earn a loyal customer base. Focus away from business and profits, and toward what you can do to improve the life of your customers.

 3. Humble Honesty: Business success requires the ability to know your strengths and weaknesses. Being open and honest about yourself and your business creates growth as an individual and as a company. Don't spend time developing weaknesses. Find help for weak areas, enabling you to focus on strengths. In the book, "Now, Discover Your Strengths", Gallup Organization reveals that building our strengths instead of fixing our weakness is the path to mastery and success. Take the time to know yourself and business.

4. Adaptability: Business success requires the ability to adapt to changing situations. Nothing ever goes as planned. The world of business is full of surprises and unforeseen events. Using the habit of adaptability allows business owners to respond to circumstances with the ability to change course and act without complete information. Being flexible allows us to respond to changes without being paralyzed with fear and uncertainty.

5. Opportunity Focused: Problems are a regular part of business life. Staff issues, customer misunderstandings, cash crunches- the list is endless. To achieve business success, look at both sides of the coin. Every problem has an opportunity. Being opportunity focused makes the game of business fun and energizing.

6. Finding A Better Way: Productivity is the cornerstone of business success. Formulate the habit of finding a better way to make your business more productive. This will create more time to focus on the critical issues that drive sales and profit. Productivity can be enhanced by technology, automation, outsourcing, and improving business processes.

7. Balanced Lifestyle Management: A business can consume an owner's time and energy. It's easy to allow the business to take control of your life. Business success requires the habit of balancing all aspects of your life. Separating time for daily business tasks, profit driven tasks, and free time is a habit that will make your business and life more enjoyable. Take the time to plan each week.

Learning and instilling new habits in your daily business life can have a dramatic effect on your level of success. Review each of the 7 habits. Choose one habit to focus on for a month or until you achieve mastery. Gradually incorporate each of the 7 habits of business success into your life and attain your business dreams.

Easy Diets for Teen Girls

Diet is one of those four letter words you will want to avoid using too much, especially if you are a growing teenage girl. Despite the images you may see in the media, it is important that you maintain a healthy perspective of your own body image. As a young woman experiencing pubescence, your body has specific needs in order to develop, and it's important that you eat the right foods and get the appropriate amount of exercise. Always remember that you are beautiful no matter how much you weigh and that an easy diet is the diet that doesn't have to feel like one.

Eat in Moderation

• 

  
  

  One healthy way to approach your eating habits is to fully understand that you can eat anything, so long as it is in moderation, and still live a healthy lifestyle. No matter what food you love to eat, even those high in calories, carbohydrates, fat, salt and cholesterol, it doesn't necessarily mean it is bad for you. It's when you begin to eat more of those foods than you should that it has a negative effect on your physical well-being. So don't feel as though you have to stick to foods with lesser flavor because they are lower in calories, fat and carbohydrates. Maintain a moderate diet that allows for a little bit of everything, especially those foods rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein. When you are eating in moderation you can eat anything and never feel as though you are being deprived.

Avoid Empty Calories

• 

  
  

  A great way to maintain a healthy weight, as well as maintain a higher energy level, is to avoid empty calories. Empty calories usually come disguised in sugary drinks and snacks such as soda, juice, dessert and candy. Oftentimes when you are eating on the go, it is just as easy to grab a sugary drink or snack to temporarily boost your energy level. However, these particular boosts of energy will leave you feeling more tired down the road because they provide nothing more than empty calories. Plan ahead and pack healthy snacks for when you are out and about. You'll experience a difference when you take along some apples, nuts, oranges, bananas, a turkey sandwich or a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread. And be sure to drink plenty of milk and water.

Eat More and Weigh Less

• 

  
  

  There is an old dieting myth lingering out there that's been around for generations that leads young girls to believe they have to stop eating in order to lose weight. This particular method of dieting can be quite dangerous, even deadly. The truth is that eating more of the healthier foods throughout the day can, in fact, boost your metabolism. Therefore, you are more likely to burn more calories in your everyday activities than if you were to skip meals entirely. If you eat three healthy meals a day along with some healthy snacks in between, your metabolism will benefit greatly. Throw in a healthy exercise regime, and you will be on your way to a much leaner, healthier you. It's a lifestyle more than it is a diet.

Gaming Laptops: And Now We Have TDE (Turbo Drive Engine) Technology

Gaming Laptops: And Now We Have TDE (Turbo Drive Engine) Technology

The new catch-word in gaming laptops is TDE+ which stands for Turbo Drive Engine plus technology. Actually, many consider this is only a marketing tactic and a savvy way to promote MSI (Micro Star International) new line of GT and GX series of gaming laptops. This TDE+ technology is exclusive to MSI, which claims it increases CPU, memory and graphics frequency; boosting response times and giving you more efficient real-time data processing.

This “Turbo” technology really benefits your video decoding/encoding, and helps with 3D gaming and designing art work. Most of those benefits will be of interest to gamers since any technology which speeds up their games and gives them smoother images will grab their attention. And one feature which will definitely catch their eye is the “Overclocking Hotkey”, also exclusive to MSI notebooks. Just by touching the turbo button which is located above the keyboard, gamers can simultaneously increase your CPU speed and make it run faster.

By maxing out the performance and making your laptop perform to the best of its capabilities could give gamers a powerful advantage, especially when it comes to decreasing your processing time. This could be used on other high-demanding tasks besides gaming, such as video editing, calculating 2D/3D designs and video/audio transcoding.

Basically, if you’re running really heavy graphics-intensive applications, you can also touch the GPU mode hotkey and your system will switch to the discrete GPU mode, giving you full power. To save battery life, when you’re doing routine stuff, the system can switch to integrated graphics and extend the life of your battery. This flexible (switchable graphics) technology is really useful and we are seeing more and more of it featured in laptops, such as the Nvidia Optimus system which automates switching graphics.

MSI is also boasting about their exclusive “ECO Engine Power Management System” which is another way to extend your laptop’s battery life while performing different tasks. It can switch among 5 different operating modes: Gaming, Movie, Presentation, Office and Turbo Battery mode. Of course, having a power management system in place to handle different types of processing is a no-brainer, you have to had it if you want longer battery life.

But perhaps for many gamers, another interesting feature is the exclusive cooler boost technology which takes note/adjusts your system’s core temperatures and fan speed to intelligently cool down your laptop. As gamers will quickly tell you, overheating is often the main problem which arises with very intensive gaming and overclocking. Even the most expensive top-brand gaming laptops can suffer from this problem, mainly because squeezing so many powerful components into such a tight space is just asking for trouble and one of the main reasons many avid gamers say a desktop PC is much better suited for computer gaming.

Whether this TDE+ technology and MSI’s new line of GT and GX gaming laptops can change some minds and improve laptop gaming remains to be seen, but any technology which boosts your system’s processing speed and efficiency is a good starting point, regardless of whether it is automatic or manual. Throw in an intelligent flexible graphics system and adjustable cooling boost system and MSI might just have produced a winning combination.

About the Author

If you’re in the market for a gaming laptop try here: http://www.bizwaremagic.com/best_gaming_notebooks.htm. Or check out this whole page of the latest Alienware Coupons, Discounts and Deals: http://www.bizwaremagic.com/alienware_coupons_discounts.htm. Copyright Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

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whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.

The various Attributes of Computer Technology Today

The various Attributes of Computer Technology

Today

Computer technology is the term for a programmable machine that consists of storage date memory, operational elements for arithmetic and logic and elements for sequencing and control according to stored information. These peripheral devices are stored with information. They also have the capacity to transmit out outcomes of operations. Computer products has processing units which allow the technology to see, manipulate and store data. With computer systems, one can understand the realization of his full potential. It will help one out of realizing his aspirations.

Computer technology has extremely improved from past machine models with programming codes to decipher before one can utilize the computer. Today software is much more handy but with more capabilities when compared with those giant machines in the earlier times. Today, the technology is even incorporated in one’s cellphone, that certain can make use of the functions of software anywhere and anytime.

The advancement in software has benefitted most businesses and organizations in helping them succeed. The introduction of varied programs has helped in man’s achievement of goals from mere nightly homework for school to more spectacular goals including landing on the moon.

Info is made accessible and vast over the simple using software applications technology that runs these computer machines. The most typical software program is those who tend to be used in laptops and laptops. Other kinds of software can be used for businesses plus a number of fields.

The need for computer systems is its revolutionary calculation of formulas in mathematics and physics. What’s more, it made the race to space possible. Today computer systems is used for scientific research and theoretical modeling. Days gone by Fifty years have seen science evolving in the modern age of computing. It began while using abacus, the first mechanical calculator which was invented inside 3000 BC.
Computer systems enables the processing of information to become done faster compared to the calculation in the human brain cell. Despite this fact, computer systems also commits errors, needs mechanical components and experiences the possibilities of deteriorating and trojan attack.

Computer systems has influenced every little thing inside the modern world including telecommunications, traffic signals and even time keeping. Today’s modern lives consist of varied interfaces rich in technology computers. Its multi-faceted benefits include processing of knowledge, advanced communication and scientific discovery.

Computer technology’s advantages include globalization with i . t bringing the globe closer and allowing economies to own interdependent system. It has made sharing of knowledge quick and efficient, bringing down barriers of language and geography. With the help of software, doors happen to be opened for cheaper, quicker and more efficient communication. Connecting with anyone around the globe is now made possible, through email, and txt messaging, allowing constant interaction and promoting better human relationships. Additionally it is cost effective inside sense who’s helps with the organization processes, streamlining the operations to increase productivity and increase profits. This brings about better pay and business growth.

Computer systems will help with bridging the cultural gaps in the world. Different cultures can find the perfect venue for communication and interaction, promoting a normal exchange in ideas and reducing

Gas4Free Water Hybrid Engine Technology

Whatever you call them, the more fundamental question is which one is the best kit to invest in and why? In my evaluation of these kits I used two main criteria: proven results and ongoing support. I’ve spoken to representatives at several of the companies that make these kits and I invite you to do the same. The one question which always in the back of my mind in talking with them is how do they handle things when something doesnt go well? Can you get ahold of them? Are they responsive? Are they genuinely interested in making sure you are satisfied with the product? To get to a happy place in this sphere, you have to start with someone who is a perfectionist about his craft. Second, you have to have a little bit of attitude because that’s often time what drives people to be perfect.

I’m happy to say that Punch HHO excels at all of these characteristics. They offer 4 units, 2 for smaller than 5 liter engines and 2 for larger than 5 liter engines. The lower cost units are PVC based and the higher cost units are stainless steel. I recommend the stainless steel units for durability and aesthetics but go with the PVC if you’re trying to save a buck (which you might be obviously if you’re looking to purchase one of these kits.

Additionally, Punch HHO does something no other vendor does today which I think sets them apart. They recommend that you acquire the Water4Gas ebooks to help with your installation–although their kits are easy to install–they think the ebooks are well done and will help you navigate through any unforeseen issues. The kits do come with their own instructions but again, the Water4Gas books provide good background on how all of this technology works. Secondly, Punch HHO points out clearly that if you have a fuel injected engine, you need an EFIE to get the kit to work. You’re going to find lots of kits and parts folks out there who are selling kits without pointing this out. Essentially, when you put an HHO kit on a fuel injected engine, it changes the oxygen value upstream from the catalytic converter and cause the system to add more gas to compensate. The EFIE corrects this and enables you to achieve the full benefits of the HHO.

We’re always looking for better HHO kits but for now, your money is best spent with Punch HHO. If you have something better or want to offer some testimonials (or complaints) for Punch HHO, then get in touch with me ASAP. If you have any questions about any of this, feel free to email me at the link in the upper right hand corner of this page.

Gas4Frde Click Here!

About the Author

he kits are known by many names hho devices, hydrogen fuel injection system, hho generators, water fuel cells, hydrogen fuel cells.

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whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.

Dell XPS 14 & XPS 15 Photos and Specifications Leak

The Dell XPS line has always done a decent job of offering above average mobile performance for a fair price, however the current generation is growing a bit long in the tooth. Dell fans on the hunt for a new 14” or 15” notebook haven’t had many options, but a set of leaked photos and specifications have emerged for the XPS 14 and XPS 15.

As you no doubt managed to guess the model refresh brings with it a new set of Ivy Bridge options, along with a hybrid 500GB HDD paired with a 32GB SSD, 8GB of Ram, and an Nvidia GT 630M GPU with 1GB of memory.

The display options will range from 1600x900 on the XPS 14, to full 1080p on the 15. Engadget reports that both screens will feature Cornings Gorilla Glass, however the 1080p panel on the XPS 15 looks slightly sharper.

Both models will offer USB 3, along with DisplayPort & HDMI, and are expected to hit the street sometime before the end of June.

Leaked Documents Show Microsoft Considered Buying OnLive

As PC enthusiasts you have every right to be skeptical of OnLive as a service, but let’s just say we are impressed beyond belief that it works at all. Nothing will ever beat the experience you get with a tricked out PC, however anyone who has fired up Crysis on a netbook and actually given the service a fair shake knows they’ve managed the impossible. It would seem Microsoft agrees, and actually considering buying the service before it got too dangerous.

A 56-page document that allegedly leaked by Microsoft has given some insight into what the next generation of console hardware might look like, but also detailed a list of “threats”. The document warned management that OnLive could "up-end the console gaming market by making expensive consoles and PCs unnecessary for AAA gaming." They went on to theorize that partnerships with ISP’s could even allow for subsidized or even free hardware with a subscription. Because of this the author labeled them as a “potential acquisition target”.

Co

nsidering the fact that the documents are now almost two years old, it’s safe to say Microsoft decided against it. It’s always fun however to sit around and wonder how close they came to pulling the trigger, and what if anything they would have done with the service. Maybe Microsoft even considered upgrading the Xbox 360 with the technology, allowing them to offer improved graphics and visuals without a hardware refresh. Crazy I know, but let us know your theories in the comments below.

Microfilm To Digital Data - A Complex Problem With A Simple Solution

Microfilm was the format of choice for the document management industry for several decades prior to the emergence of electronic document management and the CD-ROM in the early 1990s.

It follows, therefore, that there is a huge backlog of microfilm of many different formats in the system, all requiring specialized (and expensive) equipment for viewing and printing back to hard copy. As they stand, they cannot be integrated into an EDM system, even though they may contain mainstream information which is frequently required.

The technology for digitizing microfilm is readily available: the decision to be made is how to employ it to best effect.

A digitizing reader printer incorporating its own printer can be used as a stand-alone device in much the same way as the old microfilm reader printer, but making use of scanning technology rather that the old Xerox process. A picture file is produced which outputs to A4 using the machine's own laser printer, the downside being that originals larger than A4 will be produced at much reduced size. The solution to the scaling problem is to install the reader printer as a network drive, allowing the scanned image to be sent to a network plotter. If the original microfilm incorporated a scale, then an accurate full-size print can be produced: if not, the printer software can be set to print at one of the standard paper sizes, A0 to A4.

This set up serves a requirement for low volume on-demand access, where the microfilms are going to be retained in their original form.

On the other hand, high volume conversion can best be served by specialist machines that will scan roll microfilm, microfiche or 35mm aperture cards automatically and at high speed. The high capital cost of these devices means that they are not cost effective unless large backfile conversions are being contemplated. Alternatively, the use of a specialist scanning company will achieve most of the cost benefits without a large capital investment.

There are specialist organizations which provide a range of scanning services, including all microfilm formats. The scanned images can be converted to hard copy, to exact scale if required, or assembled into a searchable database which can be interfaced with an EDM or workflow system.

What it Takes to Succeed in Business!

Business if tough in today's world! Most small businesses go bankrupt or are closed abruptly in the first five years. Over the course of the next five years many of the remainders also "pack up" shop and lock their doors. Why do so many businesses fail?

The reasons lie in three main spheres. Those spheres of influence can be labeled personal, customer, and operations.

The Personal Sphere deals with the owner's personal motivation to start a business. For example, if an owner wants to start their own business, but isn't willing to make the sacrifices necessary to make it thrive, then they are at a disadvantage when compared to other motivated businesspeople. When a business starts for the first time often it doesn't have a lot of money. Owners are required to sacrifice time, money, and happiness to succeed. If you can't do that, it is unlikely that such a business will flourish. Many times owners thought they could handle the hardship but once the novelty of "being your own boss" wears off they close the door.

The Customer Sphere is one of the most important components of your business. Without customers you do not have sales, without sales you do not have money and without money you do not have a business. Many factors go into generating a good customer base. In the beginning you must have a cost effective marketing strategy that targets your intended buyers. This can be done by developing a psychological profile of your customer and then advertising in those places that they frequent. Because it is more expensive to get a new customer than it is to keep one you must make sure they are satisfied with your business and product. Keep in touch with them by sending them a follow-up letter with a survey.

The Operations Sphere is only second to the Customer Sphere. In operations you must have an appropriate method of reducing costs, keeping track of paperwork, and maintaining improvement. Operations can also take into effect the tax paperwork, accounting, scheduling of workers, benefits or any non-producing functions.

If all of these three components are well thought out and are appropriately designed you will increases your chances of survival. Failure to understand the integral details of your business and what it takes to succeed may mean failure in the long run. If you are having difficulty putting all the pieces together then consider a small business consultant.