Five Best Tech Tips Ever

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If you are the average small business owner or just an active computer user for business or pleasure, you are too busy to have to deal with a troublesome machine. You want to manage your time and have your computer  performing smoothly in accessing the information you need. To help you in doing so, here are the best five tech tips ever.

1. Malicious programs stealthily embed themselves into your software without your knowledge, often through forwarded e-mails, free scans, and downloads. They must be removed from your computer before they cause damage to your operating system and bring your system to a halt. To do this, you can use many of the free spyware/adware removal tools. When you have one of these tools installed, run it frequently and keep it updated.

2. Make sure you download all the latest Windows Updates, Service Packs, and Hot Fixes. They normally make your computer work better. Most software applications nowadays have an automatic update and will prompt you to update them. As soon as you log onto the Internet, they automatically start the updates and if the new updates are available, they would get it and prompt you to install it.

3. Learn how to use keyboard shortcuts for Windows and Microsoft Word, or create your own keyboard shortcuts. Here are three important ones: Windows key+ E opens Windows Explorer with one quick keystroke; Windows key + F4 allows you to close a window in a program and Ctrl + W would do the same thing. Both of these will allow you to close the window without using the mouse to hit X in the right-hand corner. In, Microsoft Word, the right and left arrow allows you to move the cursor to the beginning of the previous word and the up-and-down arrows would do the same with paragraphs. This is very helpful when editing a document, or scanning for any reason.

4. Clean your registry by removing broken shortcuts, missing shared DLL, invalid path, invalid references, and more. The Windows registry is the master control center for your operating system and the applications it runs. Corruption or overload can cause performance problems and, in general, disrupt the system process. Do not manually attempt to change the registry. Try one of the freeware sites.

5. Remove unnecessary or old programs by using the Add/Remove dialog in the Control Panel. In addition to unnecessary or old programs, you may have many useless files left over from re-installs and just general use. To clear these up, do regular disk cleanup using the tools available or you can doing so manually.

6. Perform a virus scan on your computer regularly. If you don't want to install virus protection, use some of the free online virus scanners. The Windows Firewall and especially the Microsoft Security Essentials are very adequate and should be always be turned on. However, do add an additional good, reliable and up-to-date virus scanner. Two is better.

7. Completely uninstall programs and applications. Remnants of programs and applications can cause your computer to become unstable. Both the coding and the software need to be uninstalled. All the debris.left behind needs to be cleaned up. Use the Revo Uninstall for this task.

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Starting a Business? The Ten Essential Skills For Business Success

What you are doing right now has within it the seeds of your life's work translated into success in owning your own business. As you may have discovered, each time you get a new job you use many of the skills you have already developed. It is as if every job prepares you in some way for the next one.

Every skill you acquire that you love using will be important as you follow your steps towards controlling your future. You may not understand why you took a job or developed a particular talent or ability but the skills you have learned will be of value to you and enhance your self-reliance. Trust that what you are doing now is helping you gain skills that will be used in starting and building your business.

You are learning skills right now that you may use later in different ways to help you to control your future. You have many skills and talents and an amazing wealth of past experiences and knowledge. You can identify some of your skills and knowledge by looking at all the schools, workshops, and classes you have attended. Look at the books you have read, the tapes you have listened to, and the educational television programs you have watched.

When you evaluate your skills, remember all the jobs you have had, even volunteer jobs, such as helping out at your children's school or at your church, as well as all the activities you did after school and during the summer.

However, if you are considering controlling your future by starting a business, business success depends more on several skills (essential and learnable) than any particular education or experience. I have boiled it down to ten essential skills for business success:
1) leadership,
2) organization and time management,
3) selling skills,
4) information acquisition and management,
5) current technologies,
6) persuasion and negotiation,
7) judgment (making good decisions and choices),
8) financial,
9) writing,
10) and, speaking

Perhaps one of your highest skills is counseling people. You may have a knack for assisting people in finding solutions to their problems and creating new visions for themselves. You can find ways to use these skills in any job you have, and thus do your life's work more fully right now. Or, these skills may lead to some form of counseling as your full-time business. The more opportunity you have to do activities you love, the more you will make the contribution you came to make and the more abundance you will attract.


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How to Save Money and Be More Productive With Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is increasingly becoming a more valuable way of using your pc, your laptop, and your smart phone. In cloud computing, you are taking advantage of applications and storage capacities located in different parts of the country or the world.

In my view there are three ways that cloud computing is

both economical and efficient:

1. In that the applications you use are not stored on your hard drive, they can be accessed anywhere as long as you are on a computer, have internet access, and haven't forgotten your password.

2. You can save money on external disks. Although I still backup my very essential files, I do it just for peace of mind and to be able to boot up my computer in case of a crash. I do not carry the flash drives with me, nor have I bought any in years.

3. Cloud computing has eliminated the need to network your computers. With your applications being in the cloud, all you need is internet access and your password.

Cloud computing then is valuable not only for its efficiency and capacity to make you more productive, it is also economical.

There are several cloud computing apps that I have found to be extremely useful. With a Google account, you have access to all the Google apps including Google Docs, Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Reader. I also have found Dropbox and Evernote to be quite useful. Google Docs and Dropbox have similar features, but with Dropbox, you don't need a Google account.

With regards to Evernote, I consider it to be the best note taking tool available anywhere on the web. With it you can create notes for text, images, audio, and whole pages. All these notes can then be synchronized between your pc, your laptop, and your smart phone.

Also, in that you can add images as uploaded and process notes, they become searchable by any text in the images. Therefore, if you take a picture of a book you want to remember in a store, or an artist's name displayed on an art gallery wall, you have a quick and efficient way of keeping, and accessing that information. You can also choose to download the Evernote application to your pc or just use it in the cloud.

While I have not mentioned any of the Windows cloud applications such as the Windows Live Services, the use of cloud computing based on the examples I've provided means that you can strip away some of the software you have installed on your computer in favor of the cloud alternatives. Moreover, you are unshackling yourself from your pc and allowing yourself to have access to e-mail, files, pictures, and more whenever you are and have a web connecting device.


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7 Ways to Start Working Smart and Making More Money

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If you are self-employed, you are by definition, self-reliant. There are no weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly salary checks to be cashed or deposited. Your time is your money. It must be used wisely. You must be organized and your computer must be your best friend and assistant.

Using your computer efficiently, being organized, and working smarter is the key. If you can't find an important document, if you forget to make an important phone call, or you forget to pay an important bill on time, you will not only waste time, but it can cost you money.

Here are seven ways to start working smart, start making more money, and keeping stress at a minimum:

1. Keep your desk organized
Keep your files that you are currently working on close to your desk. I use two file crates that accommodate file folders always nearby. One crate has the folders that I am currently working on while the other crate has the research that I need to support the articles, blogs, and letters that I'm writing at that time.

2. Manage your time wisely
Break your time down into segments associated with tasks. Here's how to do it. Determine what tasks that need to be completed each week. If you are like me, there are certain tasks that are consistent from week to week such as Phone Calls, Copywriting, Operations (organizing, filing, planning), Meetings, and Accounting. You may have other tasks that may not have to be addressed each week. Lay all this out and associate a segment of time to each task, either 30 minutes or more. I use an application, AnyTime for Windows, which I have found to be very valuable.

3. Learn shortcuts for your favorite programs.
Here are some shortcuts for using Windows. For Windows, winkey+d brings desktop to the top of other windows; winkey+e open Microsoft Explorer; winkey+m minimizes all windows. For Word, ctrl+a select all contents on the page; ctrl+c copies selected text; ctrl+x cuts selected text. For Gmail, the r key replies to the message sender. The c key allows you to compose a new message; and, the tab then enter key sends the message.

4. Keep adequate supplies available.
Don't have your printer running out of toner when you have an important document that need to be immediately printed. The same goes for ink cartridges. Always keep spares on hand.

5. Learn to use the keyboard rather than the mouse.
Don't be a slave to the mouse. All of the above short cuts are keyword based. To get more of these valuable shortcuts, type in the name of the application followed by the term shortcut.

6. Don't get caught up in playing games or engaging in idle chit chat.
I have two adult acquaintances that hold responsible positions in my community who play games on their computers almost from the time they arrive home to the time they go to bed. Personally, I believe in a life time of personal growth. In my opinion this is not the way to do it. I don't participate in text messaging, idle conversation (although I do love good intelligent, invigorating conversation) and I prefer to read for both relaxation and growth.

7. Read newspapers and articles online.
With Google Reader, reading publications online is very easy. Almost every print publication has an online version. Just use the RSS feed, save it to Google Reader and read periodically during the day.

I prefer this approach rather than using kindle. But, to each his own. By the way, there are some print publications that I prefer to have as a physical copy to read while I'm traveling.

To work smart requires you to have the proper mindset.

Make it a priority and your will have satisfying results.


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How to Keep Your Computer Running Smoothly

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Whether you use your business, for pleasure, or for both, it should be your best friend. If you are in business like I am, you need it to do your billing, design and prepare your reports, write your letters, design and upgrade your website, write and post your blogs, send and receive your emails, get news on your industry, check on your competition, as well as give you some moments of distraction and pleasure. It is therefore, important to keep your computer working smoothly.

Here are fourteen things to do to make sure your computer runs smooth with little or no glitches:

1. Make sure Microsoft Windows is kept fully up to date.

2. Make sure your internet security, antivirus, anti-spyware, and firewall software programs are current, fully functional, properly configured, and totally up-to-date. Replace the programs before the subscription period expires, not afterwards.

3. Make sure your main applications Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, Print Shop etc. are up-to-date.

4. Avoid redundant programs. Use one internet security software program at a time. The exception is spyware detection and removal programs. Sometimes two or three of these are helpful since no one package can find or remove all the spyware out there.

5. Remove unnecessary programs from your computer.

6. Defrag your hard drive every few weeks.

7. Backup all your work always. All of it. Be prepared to lose anything and everything that is not backed up.

8. Always remember your passwords, including your Windows logon password and especially your internet username and associated password.

9. Learn to love your computer if you haven't already. Get rid of any negative attitudes towards it. It is your best friend. Use it for work, but also have fun with it.

10. Don't keep your computer for ten years. Upgrade it or replace it every three years or so. Always make sure you have enough RAM, processor speed, free hard drive space, and internet speed to get your work done with reasonable efficiency.

11. Don't install a bunch of unnecessary programs on your computer. Keep your operating system clean and simple. Just say no to programs and utilities that you do not need, (especially those that start up every time you launch Windows), and therefore, consumes precious system resources whether or not you are actually using them. Run System Restore before and after every software installation whether its successful or unsuccessful.

12. Contact an experienced computing professional whenever you are faced with computing problems that you cannot resolve yourself. Establish a reciprocal and mutually beneficial relationship with this person.

13. Don't allow other people mess with your machine. Keep your machine to yourself. Let them buy their own.

14. Do not blow your entire computing budget on the machine itself. Allow room for other necessary or desirable or unavoidable computing expenses( both planned and unplanned), repairs, services, upgrades, additional computer programs, and gadgets.

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The Value of Winging It vs How to PowerPoint - An Independent Consultant's View

Winging it is my preferred way of making a presentation which I believe offer significant value to both the audience and the presenter. Nevertheless as I recounted in a previous article, A PowerPoint Presentation or Winging It?, in that so many of my audiences have become accustomed to anticipating a PowerPoint presentation, I have decided to integrate it within my preferred style, Winging It. In this article, I will discuss the value of Winging It as well as How to PowerPoint effectively to keep the audience engaged.

The Value of Winging It
Winging it essentially mean to speak in public without notes. Taking notes on stage only telegraphs the idea that you had to make a big effort to bone up on your theme, then were so unsure of yourself that you had to sweat through a close read so as not to blow your lines. Appearing to improvise flashes you onto listeners' minds as an authority, an expert. Playing the puppet by reading a text, or clinging to notes takes you down, peg by peg, until you look even with, or even below, your audience.

Winging your talk enhances everything you say. It magnifies your magic, focuses your clarity, and buttresses your logic. Your stand-alone ability to think on your feet just makes everything you say sound more controlled and resourceful. This excitement you fire by risking your reputation keeps your listeners awake, thus more open-minded to your speech. It also builds into admiration which initiates and underpins any healthy respect. Moreover, when your words are written out and read, the joy and certainty of discovering the real you suffer.
Whatever you have got will look and sound better if you can train yourself to persuade without paper. It's what you do with what you have that matters. Once you are skilled at winging it, your audience will only cherish more whatever you have to say. This has been my experience and I'm sure it will be yours also.

How to PowerPoint Effectively
Although I have revealed my preference, if you insist on using PowerPoint, resist the temptation to read the slides to your audience. This disconnects you from them. However, when you move to a new slide, pause briefly to give the audience time to read the content. Then summarize or make the point in a different way. If the slide is easy to understand, you may proceed as though the words on the slide have already been said. You then can go on to explain and elaborate on what the slide is about.

Use the slides to complement and enhance your presentation. Do not allow them to be your presentation and do not use them as your script. Also, make certain your slide is not too dense. Apply the 50 percent rule twice: Remove half of the slide's content, then look at it again and remove another half. Better yet, plan for no more than three words or a single image per slide. With the exception of your three words, include your Web site address on each slide.

Make sure you have checked and double-checked the slides and the equipment. Misspellings and out-of-order or upside-down slides can quickly detract from your presentation and your credibility.

Forget about animation -- it detracts from the point you are making and, if the audience can't read every word on a slide, discontinue the PowerPoint presentation.

Finally, PowerPoint can be used to produce a professional-looking program that you can revise easily to fit each audience you present to. Unfortunately, presentations that rely on PowerPoint for their content are seldom as engaging as presentations that use PowerPoint to supplement what the speaker is saying. An effective PowerPoint presentation, especially the transitions, takes practice and rehearsal. Even though it worked like a charm the last time doesn't mean it will again. Before subjecting audiences to needless distractions, rehearse with your slides.

A Power Point Presentation or Winging It? An Independent Consultant's View

PowerPoint has always seemed to me to be a stiff and un-engaging way to make a presentation. I have never used a Power Point presentation over the decades of speaking engagements and workshop presentations I've done. I declined from using it primarily because it hindered me from connecting with my audience. When you are using Power Point, you tend not to be the focus of your audience, but rather what is on the screen is the audience's focus.

The Power Point Presenter

A Power Point presenter can often disguise his level of competence by having his audience's attention directed on the screen rather than on him. He can point to and read from the screen, rather than looking at and paying attention to the responses of the audience and appropriately adjusting to stay really engaged. In my work as an independent consultant, I present workshops as well as attend them. In one that I recently attended the presenter was so wedded to the Power Point presentation, that when the projector malfunctioned, he was totally flabbergasted and was unable to continue until he was able to get the projector working properly. The audience, including myself, was patient with him because everyone was used to going to a Power Point presentation. I'm speculating, but, his Power Point presentation could just have easily been written by an employee, a colleague, or anyone else.

The Winging It Presenter

When you winging it, you have a 100% engagement with your audience. Up to now, I have felt pride in not having to refer to notes or a screen in making a presentation. My audiences quickly recognize that I don't have any type of a crutch and show their appreciation in different ways. I even got an applause once after an hour and a half presentation without notes or a screen, but still giving them what they expected, challenging them, and answering all their questions. I can't disguise not knowing my material because I'm talking directly to them, answering their questions, asking them questions, and making sure that my summary leaves them with actionable information and the right impression of me.

Integrating Power Point and Winging It

In winging it, it's incumbent upon me to be organized, know the subject matter intimately, and be able to get back on track after answering what might often be a series of questions. While winging it has been looked down upon in some sectors, it still remains a very necessary presentation skill especially for making brief presentations. However, in that it has become so highly expected, I am now integrating Power Point in my presentations while still effectively engaging with my audience. In my free monthly Newsletter, I will be offering presentation tips on how I'm doing this.