I’m doing a second charity walk this weekend, and I received an email from one of the walk leaders with information and directions. Instead of using the BCC feature, she had included all of the emails in the “to” field, which means once again, 100+ people who didn’t need access to my email account now have it. Since this group is likely to be not so computer savvy, I’m not that worried about it, but I normally get steamed about this sort of thing. I get enough spam without my email being added to random address books all over...

I heard about some cool news out of California today. Barracuda Networks has signed a license agreement for OIN (Open Invention Network). The purpose of OIN is to protect open source software. The patents owned by OIN are available royalty free to any company that agrees not to assert their patents against the Linux System. If companies wish to use Linux to create their products, they are free to do so, whereas Microsoft might hunt you down and chase you This is a huge boost for developers and software vendors, and will continue to drive innovation...

I’ve used a variety of different CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software, from the very simple programs, like Act, to the very complicated…like PeopleSoft. CRM software is absolutely necessary to stay on top of the needs of your customers and improve the bottom line of your business. By allowing each person at your business who comes into contact with the customer to add to that customer profile in CRM software, you’re ensuring that the information you have is accurate, complete, and up to date. It eliminates the need for paper...

I consistently have issues with Adobe and opening PDF files on my computer. I’m asked to upgrade to the newest version of Adobe Acrobat about once a month, or I’ll have printing issues, or the PDF will lock my whole laptop up. And in my office, I get a lot of PDF files (typically resumes – I’m not sure who thought putting those in a PDF format was a bright idea!) that need to be changed, and that requires sending them off to someone else who has the full version of Adobe, and not my free version that doesn’t allow edits. I...

The local schools put out the call this week for parents to donate their old computers. The donated PCs are mostly used for the younger kids, who don’t require a lot of bells and whistles and processing speed, but I suppose they could also end up being used by the high school and middle school kids, depending on the needs of each school. Now, I don’t know about you, but regardless of who I’m donating my old computer to, and who it may be used by, I’d want ALL my personal data removed off that computer before I make such a donation....

Sometimes when I sit in my office and hear the buzz of my co-workers behind me, all I can think of is the movie Glengarry Glen Ross. If you’ve never seen it, it takes place in a real estate sales office where the workers are obsessed with leads. That’s it – the whole premise of the movie is sales leads, and the robbery of the sales leads. My business revolves around leads as well. We’re constantly prospecting for new customers to sell to, and that’s why a CRM software offering lead management is so important to so many in...

Let’s assume you’re not lucky enough to work for a company that offers you training and the airfare and hotel and all of that. And you want to take a MCSE certification training class, but you’re footing the bill. No problem! PrepLogic.com offers video courses that don’t require traveling to a class location and trying to stay awake for 2 days while an instructor drones on and on. Because the classes are done in a video format, they’re more affordable too, and you can take them on your own schedule, not someone else’s!...

I mentioned previously I’m going to Dallas in September for a training course for work. Good thing work is footing the bill, since it’s a $1500 course! Add in my airfare, food, and hotel, and the company will spend about $2500 to educate me for 2 days. I’m worth it though. eLearning solutions are definitely an option for many other courses that aren’t as software specific as the one I’m taking. And web based training makes sense for a company that has many different offices. A company such as mine can save the expense of...

My mom got a new PC a few months ago, and she sure needed one. Her old PC was jacked up, beyond repair almost. See, she got on the internet without really knowing ABOUT the internet, so she downloaded every lame thing offered to her online. She clicked on every banner ad promising a free PS3 or $50 in restaurant gift cards. She downloaded all kinds of garbage, without knowing how much it could damage her system. I downloaded the free version of Spy Sweeper for her, and I was amazed at how much junk was on her system. Tons of hidden files that we didn’t...

What do you do with your video? Do you take scads and scads of video at every family gathering, every birthday party, every preschool graduation…only to never watch it again? ::raises hand:: That’s exactly how I operate my video camera. Sad, but true. It’s just the once you take a movie, well, there’s not much else to do with it, right? Watch it on TV, bore your friends, the end. With the new Movavi video converter, you can do more with your video. How about watching those family videos on your iPod? It’s possible with...