You probably already have a powerful tool that will save you a lot of time, but it’s sitting around collecting dust. What is it? An old monitor. Dust it off and put it to work by using it as an extension of your desktop. Simply connect it to your laptop or computer.
Here are some things [...]
Filed under: General Technology, Personal Productivity | View Comments
I was in a client’s office and his assistant mentioned that he only wanted documents stapled and never kept together with paper clips. She was frustrated with this practice because she was constantly having to unstaple/staple.
I asked, “Why does he only want the document stapled?”
“We’ve had a lot of issues with papers separating and getting [...]
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I use iContact to collect email addresses of subscribers to my private email list. One of the reasons I chose this technology is the ability to set up autoresponders that send emails to new subscribers at various intervals (a computer tip a week for four weeks).
When I set up the autoresponders, I used my main [...]
Filed under: Outlook | View Comments
Have you ever needed to email the entire contents of a computer folder? It’s easy with Windows XP or above.
Right-click the Start button, click Explore. Find the folder you want to email.
Right-click the folder, Send To, Compressed (zipped) folder. All of the folder’s contents will be compressed into a single file (don’t worry, when it’s [...]
Filed under: Data Backup, Filing, General Technology, Word-Excel-PowerPoint | View Comments
“You called me. We met for lunch but your attention is somewhere else. Thumbing and talking on your cell phone. Oh noooooo buddy. I didn’t take time out from my business, get out of my pajamas, drive to this restaurant wasting my gas and adding wear and tear on my car just to sit here [...]
Filed under: Business Growth, General Technology, Personal Productivity | View Comments
Recent studies are proving what I’ve been saying the past ten years: the biggest time management mistake you make is not realizing how much time you waste. Instead of getting some real work done, here’s what’s happening.
Sporting News just revealed the results of a study about the possibility that sports is contributing to a decline [...]
Filed under: Personal Productivity | View Comments
When I get credit card offers in the mail, the only reason I used to open the envelope was so I could shred the application.
I wouldn’t have to do this if the companies would stop allowing people to put a different address on the darn thing. All a crook needs to do is fill out [...]
Filed under: Business Growth | View Comments
If you’re collecting names and email addresses to send your enewsletter (also called ezine or if it’s Web-based, a Webzine), you’re probably using Constant Contact or iContact.com (formerly Intellicontact).
I’m switching from the computer-based software I’m currently using (Dynamic Mail Communicator) because although it automatically deletes bouncebacks, etc., it runs in the background of my computer [...]
Filed under: General Technology, Publishing | View Comments
People say they “see me” everywhere. I am a solopreneur, but I have a powerful, international marketing machine in place.
I create buzz using the following methods.
My blog. I didn’t jump on the blog bandwagon right away because I’d been publishing a Webzine for years. Now I’m hooked. The best thing about the blog for me [...]
Filed under: Business Growth | View Comments
WARNING: This post will not make sense to you if you do not create rules in Outlook.
A great question came up today from an attendee in my Outlook class. He gets reports from several people, and he wants to create a rule that sends messages from these senders into a special folder. The email subject [...]
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The scrollable box to the right of my blog with Recent Posts is called a blidget (a blog turned into a widget. In computer programming, a widget is an interface element that a user interacts with such as a button, check box, slider, drop-down list, etc.).
With my blog as a widget, every time I create [...]
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If you’re still getting a lot of spam in 2007, you don’t have the right stuff. Here are some things you can do right now to reduce this pest.
Take your live email address off the Web. Spambots scour the Web looking for the @ symbol and they grab the email address. If you visit my [...]
Filed under: Business Growth | View Comments
I received a package the other day from a company that creates promotional products. Their gift idea was a nicely done 2008 Pocket Pal week-at-a-glance calendar. I chuckled when I held it up wondering why companies still spend money on these.
Hmmm…do I know anyone who could use this? All the business associates and clients I [...]
Filed under: Organizing, Outlook, Personal Productivity | View Comments
As you create or update your Website, make sure you have the right content that makes it easy for visitors to find everything they need. Below are some examples of pages to add that are often overlooked (or properly done).
Media Room
Why it’s important – 80% of business is marketing and PR is a great way [...]
Filed under: Marketing, Websites | View Comments
Have you seen graphics in the signature line of email messages and wondered how it’s done? It’s easy as long as you already know how to create and/or edit a signature.
First, you have to save the desired graphic inside the Microsoft Signatures folder (for your signature, write it then scan and save as a graphic). [...]
Filed under: Outlook | View Comments
September is National Preparedness Month, and I have included enough information in my blog to help you get ready. Anything could happen anytime…naturally or man-made.
A backup is not a backup
if it’s not offsite.
Here is a list of articles in my blog you’ll want to revisit.
Use technology to protect your small business from disaster
Carbonite and [...]
Filed under: Data Backup, Filing, Organizing | View Comments
I’m very meticulous about backing up my files, especially since I work exclusively from a laptop, and I travel a lot speaking and training…love it!
I’ve written about Carbonite in previous posts. This service is an online vault that automatically backs up my computer files online every day as they change on my laptop. I’m especially [...]
Filed under: Data Backup, Filing | View Comments
One of my pet peeves when reading electronically, either in an email message or on a Webpage, is text that’s underlined but not a live link.
Spread the word. Don’t do this. There are all kinds of ways you can make text stand out.
Make it bold.
Change to a different color.
Change the typeface.
Increase the font size.
Change it [...]
Filed under: Outlook, Websites | View Comments
I needed more space on my laptop’s hard drive so I did two things (after I deleted all temporary files and emptied the Recyle Bin).
Reduce the amount of space reserved for the Recycle Bin
The first thing I did was to reduce the amount of space that was reserved for the Recycle Bin. Right-click the Recycle [...]
Filed under: Data Backup, Filing | View Comments
If you’re a small business owner (or otherwise) and are trying to cut costs of doing business, let the toll-free number go. And unless you have to send a lot of faxes, get rid of the dedicated line for that too.
Incoming calls on your toll-free line or a dedicated fax line that’s not used a [...]
Filed under: Telecommunications | View Comments
I was standing in the lobby of a client’s office, and a gentleman walked in asking for directions. After the receptionist explained everything, he took out a piece of paper and asked her if she knew how to get to the other places on his list.
Turns out he was a salesperson and had planned on [...]
Filed under: General Technology, Personal Productivity | View Comments
This question came from a Computer Magic seminar attendee. I don’t provide technical support, but when I can answer something quickly, I will (but don’t get any ideas about sending me your problems…OK?).
“In Word, if I highlight text, it wont’ let me delete by just hitting the delete button. It puts a message in the [...]
Filed under: Word-Excel-PowerPoint | View Comments
After one of my computer tips seminars (Computer Magic), an attendee sent me a question about a problem she was having in Word. (“In Word, if I highlight text, it wont’ let me delete by just hitting the delete button.”)
I don’t come anywhere near providing technical support, but when a question is something I can [...]
Filed under: Business Growth | View Comments
In an earlier post titled, Which files should you back up, I discussed various ways I back up my critical computer files. I admit that I’m somewhat anal in doing this. My data is my business, my life. My training and speaking business takes me all over America, and I don’t want to lose that.
If [...]
Filed under: Data Backup, Filing | View Comments
When I send a training agreement to a client, I’ll create the agreement in Word, create a PDF of it, and email both of the documents together. (I’m using Adobe Acrobat 7.0.)
From the open PDF, click the Document menu, Attach a File.
Browse to find the file you want to attach, and double-click it.
Add other files [...]
Filed under: Publishing | View Comments
