Software

• Are Your Email Designs Inviting or Invisible?

  Wed. Aug. 20, 2008
  by John Arnold, Email Marketing for Dummies

  Note from Kara: John Arnold, author of Email Marketing for Dummies, will be stopping by the Small Business blog every few weeks to talk about simple ways you can improve email marketing for your business.

  According to the Email Experience Council, fewer than 50 percent of marketers create emails that render appropriately when displayed on a computer screen. And, one in five emails is invisible and ineffective because of blocked images.

  Email programs don’t necessarily read and display html and other design languages the same way that web browsers do. For example, email programs don’t read JavaScript, and Outlook 2007 uses Microsoft Word to render and display the html in your email. In fact, almost every email program behaves a bit differently when it comes to displaying your html email creation.

  Instead of worrying about how your email designs display in every obscure email program, design for the majority. This way you can be certain that your emails will render properly for most consumers. According to MarketingSherpa’s Email Marketing Benchmark Guide, here’s what consumers are using to read their emails:

  • 20% use AOL
  • 19% use Yahoo!
  • 15% use Outlook Express
  • 12% use Hotmail

  Since each of the above email programs require users to manually enable email images to display on the screen, use email designs that have enough text to identify your business and deliver your main call to action. After you employ a healthy balance between image use and text in any one design, send a test email to each of the email programs. That way you can eliminate any quirky design flaws to assure that at least 2/3 of your audience will see your email the same way.

  If you don’t have time to test every email design and work out the rendering details – it would be a good idea to use an email template designed by a professional with a good reputation. Even if you’re an advanced html programmer, starting with a trustworthy email design template and customizing the html in the template will save you from rediscovering the most common email design pitfalls.

  The best Email Service Providers:

  · Design templates intended to render properly in the majority of email programs

  · Have plenty of template options

  · Allow you to access the code and style sheet behind the template.
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• Small Businesses Underestimate Security Threats

  Fri. Aug. 15, 2008
  by Robert Peek, SMB Liaison

  In July, McAfee released the results of a survey which showed that many of small businesses owners feel that they are unassailable when it comes to hackers. Often they think, "hey, we only have one server" or "we only have 12 computers, we're not big enough for hackers to be interested in". Big Mistake!  Basically, a hacker who installs malicious software on computers through the Internet without the owners’ knowledge is looking for any computer that can be abused for click frauds, sending spam, etc. They don’t care whom the computer belongs to.

  According to the report, there’s a gap between what small businesses perceive as security issues and the realities of cyber attacks.  The survey (which polled 500 companies with 1,000 employees or less) found that for every eight firms, only 10 employees were dedicated to managing the businesses' information-technology systems.  While most small- and medium-sized companies believe that they operate under cybercriminals' radar, the study found that one-in-five firms have been attacked. 

  Beliefs of SMB's:

  • Too small to matter: 44 percent think cybercrime is only an issue for larger organizations and believe it does not affect them
    
    
  • Not all in a name: 52 percent of businesses believe that because they are not well-known so cybercriminals will not specifically target them
    
    
  • Undervaluing can be costly: Almost half (45 percent) do not think they are a 'valuable target' for cybercriminals
    
    
  • Monetary misconceptions: 46 percent do not think they can be a source of profit for cybercriminals

  In comparison to larger organizations, attacks can be even more catastrophic as SMBs often don’t have the resources or funds to build contingency plans. If a resource goes down, a business often goes down with it. North America’s SMBs are leaving themselves open to attack due to time constraints. In order to be more proactive about security, it’s a good idea to look into products like McAfee Total Protection for Small Business. This product can benefit SMBs -- as I previously blogged about -- and protect their company from Spam, phishing, viruses, and hackers.  
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• Small Business Tech Tip: Show me all my icons!

  Tue. Jul. 29, 2008
  by Robert Peek, SMB Liaison

  By default, Windows Vista automatically hides icon in the notification area that are deemed unimportant or not used in a while.  If you are like me and like to stay aware of what is running in the southeast corner of your screen, follow these easy steps:
  
  1. Right-click the taskbar, choosing "Properties".
  
  2. When the "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" multi-tabbed dialog box appears, click the "Notification Area" tab.
  
  3. Uncheck "Hide inactive icons".
  
  4. Click "OK" to close the dialog box.
  
  Conversely, if your inactive icons are not hidden and you would Vista to do so, ensure that step 3 above is checked.
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• Small Business Tech Tip: Access Content from your HD whenever, wherever and however

  Thu. Jul. 24, 2008
  by Robert Peek, SMB Liaison

  A friend of mine has been ranting and raving to me recently about how he can access his computer's movies, music and more via his cell phone through a new Winamp Remote service.  Upon investigation, I learned that Winamp's service is powered by Orb, a company that I became familiar with a few years ago.  Orb's technology has come a long way since then and does essentially what my friend mentioned - allows you to access music, videos, photos and other content from your computer's HDD via any Web browser or Web-enabled PDA or cell phone granted the source computer is on and the Orb program is running.
  
  What I believe makes this application even more powerful is the ability to then share selected content with others.  For example, I now have access to my friend's shared DVD and music collection and while that may not make the business world go round, sharing corporate photos and documents with my colleagues in Europe does.  Take a look at Winamp Remote or Orb to learn more.
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• Managed Services and SaaS: part of the future of small business

  Mon. Jul. 21, 2008
  by Kara Krautter, Small Business Community Manager

  There's been a lot of chatter lately about how SaaS and managed services are paving the way for future small businesses growth. Amie Paxton, our Channel Community Manager, highlights some of the key opportunities surrounding these topics, here.
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• Tips for Incorporating HD Video Communications into Meetings

  Wed. Jul. 16, 2008
  by Casey King, CTO LifeSize Communications

  Note from Kelly Curnow, Small Business Community Manager: Casey King, CTO, LifeSize Communications shares the technology behind HD video communications and some tips on the benefits for small businesses.

  Getting Started

  All you need to start are two video “endpoints.” Each video communication system needs a camera, microphone, codec (video encoder/decoder), and a remote control. Then connect the system to a large flat-panel HD display and a broadband Internet connection and you’re ready to communicate in high definition. It’s really that easy.

  You might start by installing systems in the locations your employees travel to most – customers find that the travel savings alone pay for the systems within 3-6 months, and in many cases, faster.

  Do people really use it?

  It’s actually an addictive experience. With HD video, communication is rich, natural, effortless and productive. Once you start using it, you’ll want to use it more and more. With a choice between making a phone call or a video call, I always choose video. LifeSize systems have built-in data sharing, so it makes it easy to share anything that is on your PC – spreadsheets, video, presentations. Also, brainstorming in high definition is easy since you can point the camera at your whiteboard.

  Video has eliminated most of my routine travel. Plus, video is green – every trip you don’t take is a direct reduction in your carbon footprint.

  Is it like a webcam?

  A high definition video call is nothing like a webcam chat. Webcams deliver a more rudimentary video experience. The low-resolution, low frame rate image on your computer screen is small, the audio quality is low and there’s no sense of eye contact.

  High definition video on a large screen is a completely different experience. Insist on true HD – 1280x720 resolution, 30 frames per second, high quality wideband audio and high performance image processing (108,000 macroblocks per second). True HD delivers an experience that webcams and older “standard definition” videoconferencing simply can’t match.

  What is “telepresence?”

  There’s a lot of buzz – and a lot of confusion – around the term telepresence. Simply put, telepresence is the experience of being present at a distance – a video communications experience that has the same realism and interaction as an in-person meeting. At the heart of telepresence systems is high definition video technology, combined with large screens and excellent audio. Elements such as lighting, furniture, room color and décor help create the sensation of sitting across the table from one another.
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• Small Business Tech Tip: Sending Large Files for Free

  Fri. Jul. 04, 2008
  by Kerry Bridge, EMEA Digital Media Communications

  When I want to send or receive large files the limitations placed on email file size in the past proved tricky. Either the email would hang in my mailbox or the recipient would never receive it and I’d end up sending the files physically.

  These days rather than burning the files to CD and posting them I use some free tools available on the web. These tools work by the originator uploading the file and then emailing a link to the recipient for them to download the file.

  Here are two sites that I’ve used in the past to send/receive large files. The basic level services are free.

  • You Send IT
  • MyBigFile
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• Small Business Tech Tip: Resize Your Icons Easily in Vista

  Thu. Jul. 03, 2008
  by Kelly Curnow, Small Business Community Manager

  Here is a cool little trick for resizing your icons in Vista.  Similar to how some online maps, such as Google Maps, now allow you to zoom in and out with the simple scroll of a mouse wheel, you can now resize your file icons from small to huge by pressing the Ctrl key and scrolling the mouse wheel.  Since different media types are typically viewed in different ways, resizing your icons with the mouse wheel can cut down on the time it takes to view large thumbnails of your photos or small icons for data files.
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• Small Business Tech Tip: Simplify the Way you Copy/Paste Files

  Wed. Jul. 02, 2008
  by Kelly Curnow, Small Business Community Manager

  When you do your online shopping, most store fronts have an electronic shopping cart or basket so you can get all that you want and only check out once, similar to your everyday local grocery store.  Well, when it comes to copying and pasting files from multiple locations on your local computer, there is a new free program that lets you practice the same “basket” concept.  Piky Basket is a simple, yet ingenious, little utility which extends the right-click “copy” and “paste” functionalities of Windows by allowing you to select and drop files into a virtual basket until you decide where they all should go or paste them into their final destination. 

  While Piky Basket can definitely minimize the overall “back and forth” when copying, moving or backing up files and folders, specifically I find it extremely helpful for a non-business purpose—picking and choosing songs from different locations when burning various artists’ music CD.  

  Piky is integrated within Windows and works from the shell so it doesn't use any additional resources.  You can download Piky Basket from Download.com.
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• Small Business Tech Tip: Truly Breathing and Living Documents for Multiple Users

  Tue. Jul. 01, 2008
  by Kelly Curnow, Small Business Community Manager

  Last week my colleague called me and told me to open a free account with Zoho.  Not wanting to sign up for another social networking site, I initially refused.  However, as she assured me that this had nothing to do with finding me a date, I gave in. 

  Zoho, according to their Google description, is a “suite of online web applications geared towards increasing your productivity and offering easy collaboration.”  In the case of my co-worker, she told me that she had uploaded a multiple user spreadsheet to Zoho Sheet that previously was flying around via e-mail to users in different offices and even different companies. 

  So I took two minutes to run through the formalities and—ta-da—just as she had said, I was able to access the spreadsheet through the Zoho portal.  Now, you may be thinking that this tip is not so interesting; there are other products that offer the same “file hosting” or “virtual server” services.  While that may be true, what I find super cool about this site is that Zoho Sheet allows multiple user to access the file at the same time and make real-time edits.  You can see who is accessing the document and send messages to other users.  Messages to other users?  Oh no, it may be just another social networking site!   All joking aside, I find Zoho Sheet to be a great way to collaborate on spreadsheets and when I need to take a copy on the road with me, I just export a local Excel file to my machine.

  Zoho has many other features besides Zoho Sheet, including Zoho Writer and Zoho Show which I presume are kin to Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.  There are also Business Apps for more complex things such as invoicing and project management, though it appears you only get a free trial with some.  You can explore all things that Zoho has to offer at www.zoho.com.
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