Video from the Phoenix, Arizona Social Media Marketing and Business Social Networking Seminar. May 17, 2012 From the Social Network Princess.

Video was captured of the solar eclipse in May from Arizona. The HD video was taken during the sunset and you can clearly see the eclipse while the sun is going down - super cool! Click on the picture below to watch the video:

Solar Eclipse 2012

Take a look at this cool application on Facebook. Like the page, then refer your friends using the app. Every friend you refer to the energy savings program will earn you a cool $50! Be sure you enter my name into the 'who referred YOU' box!

CLICK HERE: http://www.facebook.com/energysavingaudit/app_369491899737901

Capturing HD video of a hail storm in Phoenix, AZ on March 18, 2012. The storm came as part of a big cold front as temperatures dropped by 20 degrees overnight.

Promote your Arizona business event, announcement, or story on the Arizona Business News page. Click the image for more details! Sponsored by Social Network Arizona.

Vote now or view results for the poll:

Vote now for your favorite Arizona University. Which is the best school in the state of Arizona?

Arizona State University - ASU
Northern Arizona University - NAU
University of Arizona - U of A

Check out our official poll on the Social Network Arizona Facebook page and vote now:

Which is the BEST Arizona University? Pick your favorite, then use the 'Ask Friends' button

Now here's a local company with an interesting product! My friend Diane is an experienced Phoenix area photographer and she has started a new website, Best Phoenix Boudoir! She provides Boudoir Photography and, for those unfamiliar with the term Boudoir, it's photographs taken of a woman in lingerie. These sexy pictures are usually given by the fiance to her future husband as a wedding gift.

Want to learn more? Visit this website for details: http://bestphoenixboudoir.com/

The Arizona Business Directory can help you find local vendors for your home or business needs. The directory lists Arizona businesses contact and social media information. For companies in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Flagstaff, Tucson and all surrounding areas.

When things don’t go well, we tend to blame the other person or group.

If you’re ever tried to change anyone, you probably realize how pointless that is.

Our highest salvation and sense of peace is to work on ourselves, rise above the commotion and lead the way from a place of groundedness and authenticity.

Maintaining presence of mind in the midst of chaos is the way to accomplish that.

So, how does one maintain that presence when the world seems to be caving in on you? It is possible but takes concerted effort.

Here are the 5 skills that are critical for maximizing your effectiveness:

1. The ability to discover the things you do that other people notice but that you don’t know you do
We all have habits, patterns of behavior that seem to run themselves. We also all have blind spots. Things we do but are unaware of. Rarely do we seek them out and even less frequently, do we do anything about them

If you’re striving for maximum effectiveness in the workplace, you MUST know the impact you’re having on people. It takes courage to uncover them, but shining a light on the areas of your blindness will help you become more likeable, respected and influential.

2. The ability to calm yourself when your reptilian brain has just thrust you into Fight or Flight
When tensions mount, our instinct is to protect ourselves or annihilate the threat. Before you commit that career limiting move, take a moment to get ‘present’. That means calming yourself briefly before you lash out or duck and cover. Put your attention on your your physical body. Take a few deep breaths. Notice the pressure of your butt on the chair or your feet on the floor. Taking these few precious seconds will give you a chance to collect your more grounded thoughts and respond from a more centered place.

3. The ability to notice and objectively address the process you or a group are enmeshed in
Communication is a process which includes not just the words that are said but the underlying subtext of the conversation as well as what’s NOT being said. In a group or family, people fall into ‘roles’ they play in that community. When those roles can be brought to light in a way that is nonjudgmental the grip of the role is loosened.

For example, when a group is led by a powerful and directive boss, they may be reluctant to speak up if they have a different opinion than the one that is not being proferred. This is what triggers water-cooler conversations).

As the boss, it’s critical that you get the feedback you need in order to accomplish your goals. Notice that your staff is hesitant to be forthright with you. tell them you need their input AND THEN LISTEN AND TAKE IT INTO ACCOUNT.

As the staff member, it’s critical that you voice your perspective, not in a combative way but as another point of information that is valuable and key to moving forward on the right path.

4. The ability to quiet our inner critic
To be human is to have a voice that tries to protect us from harm. Unfortunately, it usually stops us from taking ‘risks’ that would actually be helpful to our personal growth. Notice what your inner critic or judge usually says to you. Then when it pipes up (in your head) in various situations, notice it and say ‘Thank you for pointing that out’.

Then imagine that there is a miracle awaiting you on the other side of whatever fear it raised and take some action toward bringing that miracle into fruition.

5. The ability to cultivate the Sage within you
There is another voice within us that knows what’s possible on a grander scale than what our human persona normally perceives. It is the voice of intuition, Spirit, knowingness, God (or whichever deity enlightens your world).

It whispers to us to take action. It’s suggestions sometimes scare us and that’s almost always a signal that growth or transformation is right around the corner if we go there.

Cultivating the Sage means creating quiet time and space for it to speak to us during periods of restfulness, meditation or prayer. It means listening to the voice and honoring it by taking action on its suggestions. It’s a discipline and practice, being quite and taking acion. Ant it is a practice, that if done consistenly, will pay off in really big ways.

So, be aware then be courageous. Release the judge that condemns yourself and others. Invite the Sage to take a larger role in your life and the power of this new presence will dramatically improve your personal effectiveness.

Let me know how it works out for you!

“I wanted to leave a testimonial for JT, the carpet cleaner in the group. I had him come over and clean all my carpets and floors today. He went above and beyond, the carpets and floors are like new, the place smells great and his prices are extremely reasonable. I would recommend him to anyone.”
– Chris Teff”

The word Professionals is in the name of our networking group for a reason. All of our members undergo a thorough examination and are verified as professional service providers before they are allowed to join. When you need help with almost anything, from glass repair to insurance, turn to the team you can trust. For a complete list of services provided by Tempe Professionals, click here to view our list of members.

Do you have questions? I am an experienced Boudoir Photographer and can help. Call me today to find out how the sensual gift of Boudoir Photos can be an easy and fun way for you to keep the passion alive!

Visit our website today for examples of our work and to schedule an appointment:
http://bestphoenixboudoir.com/

Read more: http://www.seenbest-web-design.com/techclub/?p=1316

The husband is a Home Inspector, mostly out of work, 35 years old. He is a master BBQ whiz and has been selling cooked meat on weekends to make ends meet. He has a home built large smoker that makes delicious meat!

The wife had her cancer come back after years in remission and is currently starting radiation therapy next week after chemo for the last 6 months. She worked as a fitness instructor prior to this. They have 3 children, two boys 7 and 14, and a girl aged 10.

They are a great family trying really hard to keep their heads up during hard times. We are currently accepting items or money, both will be put to excellent use! Some ideas:

• Grocery store gift cards
• Gas cards
• Clothing and toys

Thank you for helping spread the holiday cheer!

If you are able to help in any way or have questions please contact Lynn Hennessy, State Farm Insurance at lynn@lynnhennessy.com.

Read more about my PC Techs and the ASPIRE Gold prize here:
http://www.mypctechs.com/techclub/?p=970

my PC Techs makes it easy for businesses in the Phoenix area to save time, save money, and increase productivity by delivering world-class computer repair and computer consulting services direct to throughout the Phoenix and Scottsdale metro areas. They are locally owned, and provide experienced and honest services with no hidden fees. Computer services provided by my PC Techs include computer repair (PC and Macintosh desktops, laptops, and servers), server maintenance, new computer sales and installation, computer consulting and training, email and internet support, networking, data recovery, and more.

Having computer problems, thinking about upgrading, or just have questions? Let my PC Techs help your Arizona business increase productivity and save money today. Learn more: http://www.mypctechs.com

Or call (602) 456-0150.

Find complete information about the upcoming social networking seminar, including the date, time, map, and other details from the main page: Social Network Arizona (Click here for details)

RSVP on Facebook: http://www.socialnetworkarizona.com/seminar/

A list of prizes being given away: Click here for info on prizes

Video Resources:
Editing your Arizona Business Directory profile
Creating a LinkedIn Account
Signing up for Google+
Adding your business to the Arizona Business Directory

Seating is limited and we are very close to sold out. RSVP now and arrive early to secure your seat!

To maximize results, email marketing must be done correctly. Read this article to get headed in the right direction:
http://www.seenbest-web-design.com/techclub/?p=1175

Do you wish you had:

• more traffic coming to your website?
• better search engine ranking?
• a name recognized and trusted as an industry expert?

You can achieve all of these with a blog. Blogging is one of the easiest, least expensive, and most effective social network marketing tools for a small business. According to Technorati’s State of the Blogosphere 2011 report, 13% of all bloggers are entrepreneurs – small business owners – who blog to share expertise (76%), gain professional recognition (70%) and attract new clients (68%).

Why should you blog?

To increase traffic. You and your competition are in a constant battle to get to the top of search engine rankings, which is critical to get more traffic coming to your site. One of the best ways to attract search engines is to provide fresh, relevant, keyword-rich content about your business or industry on your website. To keep a steady flow of increased traffic coming to your website, you need to keep adding content. Blogging is the answer.

To earn high search engine rankings. The more consistent you are in adding content about relevant topics to your website, the more search engines will determine that your site is valuable and give you higher rankings. And once prospects begin to see valuable information on your  website,  they’ll comment on your blogs and add links to your blogs on their sites, both of which will boost your rankings even higher.

To establish an Internet presence.  With limited time and money for marketing, small businesses need to take advantage of the low-cost opportunities available on the Internet to share expertise, build community, and establish relationships with a much larger audience. Your name can quickly be seen by hundreds or thousands of visitors who are looking for the information you provided in your post, and those visitors will tell their friends. They may even put a link to your blog on their Facebook, LinkedIn or other social networking site. In essence, they’re marketing for you.

To keep up with – or stay ahead of – your competition. Do you want to take the early lead or play catch up with your competitors? When you blog about your business and industry at least once or twice a week, the Internet audience will become familiar with your name, and when they’re ready to buy, they’ll come to the name they’ve learned to trust – yours.

Studies have shown that blogging can bring small businesses twice as many visitors as their competitors who don’t blog. And more visitors = more potential clients = more sales!

Blogging is one of the most cost effective marketing tools for a small business. But once you start blogging, you need to be consistent – at least once or twice a week. If you’re not sure you can make this commitment, but you want to realize the amazing benefits of blogging for small businesses, call seenBEST Web Design in Phoenix, AZ. The professionals at seenBEST can help you develop a plan. They can help you:

• Create a new website with a blog
• Add a blog to an existing website
• Perform advanced SEO research that will help guide your blogging efforts
• Provide blog training (to individuals and groups)
• Provide a seasoned blog writer to help you achieve industry credibility and attract new customers
• Build a solid social media marketing program for your business that ties into your blogging efforts

Start blogging today! Call us at (480) 256-9010 to schedule your free consultation, and meet with our internet marketing experts to discuss ways we can help your business achieve marketing success on the internet.

A core part of your business marketing strategy should be online marketing. The more time you spend researching and testing before developing your online marketing plans, the more effectively you can focus your time and efforts to gain a strategic advantage over your competitors. Before you move forward with an online marketing campaign, you need to know the following:

1. What your competitors are doing online

One of the fundamental processes in developing an online marketing strategy is learning all you can about your competition and who they are. Spend time reviewing their websites, social media pages, blogs and videos to learn what they’re doing to promote their businesses, to increase visibility, to position themselves as leaders, and to keep visitors on their sites longer – a key to increased conversions. Test a variety of keywords to learn where each of your competitors is ranking. This process will advance your SEO strategy development. Ask yourself: Where do people find your competitors?

2. How your target audience is looking for your offerings online

Testing keywords helps you determine what your potential clients are searching for. More importantly, the right keywords attract the right audience – people who want what you offer. Create a list of all the words and strings of words you can think of that people would use to describe your offering, and test them all. You may be surprised to learn that the keywords you assumed would bring in the best visitors don’t work. Ask yourself: What attracts your target audience?

3. How to write compelling content to attract visitors

Writing for an online audience is not the same as writing print material. Web readers are looking for information to address a problem or to fulfill a need. Strong, clear headlines and titles attract web readers who scan search results for text that sparks their curiosity and makes them want to click through to read the content. Once they reach your page, write concisely and focus on one or two main ideas. Remember that web readers don’t want to read a sales pitch – they want useable information. Enrich your writing with keywords to attract search engines and improve your search ranking. Ask yourself: Who is looking for your information?

4. How to analyze online marketing results

Online marketing programs should be analyzed frequently – at least weekly. Google Analytics gives you a wide variety of stats to determine the effectiveness of your online marketing strategy: if your hit numbers are up or down, which blog posts are getting the most hits and comments, how long visitors are staying on your site, what your bounce rate is, and what your conversion rates are for each of your sites. You can even determine the ROI of your social media sites. The point is to be on top of your online performance constantly and make tweaks and changes to your sites to continuously improve online marketing results. Ask yourself: How do you measure your online marketing success?

Doing your due diligence in advance can measurably updgrade your web presence. But if you’re like most of today’s small business owners, you have limited experience working with web marketing strategies and technologies. To achieve the level of success you desire in the most cost effective and timely manner, contact the online marketing experts at seenBEST Web Design, Tempe. The professionals at seenBEST will work closely with you to make sure your online marketing program is achieving the results you want, when you want them.

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Quality content has become one of the most important elements of online marketing. Search engines are constantly revising their algorithms to improve search results and satisfy online consumers who want to find information and solutions. Sites with high quality, legitimate, credible content are among the top results. Sophisticated search engine algorithms penalize sites that provide a poor user experience with low quality content, awarding such sites low search rankings.

Internet savvy marketing professionals recognize the need for quality content in online marketing strategies. A Content Marketing Institute study found that “93% of marketing professionals create, or plan to create, content marketing as part of their overall programs in 2012.” Why?

• Original, relevant content improves search engine rankings and increases conversion rates.
• Informative, useful content generates targeted website traffic and provides new sales leads.
• Great content pieces are shared by visitors and can spread quickly – virally – further improving search rankings.
• Quality content builds trust and establishes a reputation of leadership, resulting in customer loyalty and referrals.

What constitutes “quality” content?

Consumers search the web for information to help them solve a problem or to learn something. They don’t want a sales pitch. That fact means companies must rethink their approach to online promotion. A highly effective emerging strategy for writing content pieces is to fashion them so they don’t overtly look or sound like they are selling. So how can you write such quality content?

• Deliver content that is well-crafted, customized, and professionally written. It should engage the visitor, keep them on the page longer, and represent you as an authority on the topic.
• Focus on addressing one topic in a content piece. To gather the material for an article, for example, you might select a topic and make a list of questions and answers that address the topic thoroughly. Visitors who find the information they seek will be encouraged to stay longer on your site and to share your content, which will improve search engine rankings.
• Review a list of questions Google uses in assessing “higher-quality” sites vs “lower-quality” sites. Fresh, quality content, frequently updated, helps your site rank high for the long-term.

Social content, blogs, videos, articles, press releases, posts, reports, surveys – all aim to provide content that your visitors will enjoy reading, watching or listening to, and sharing with their family, friends, and colleagues. Attracting more targeted visitors and earning their respect with quality content will build a strong network of linking and extended visit times, putting your site among the top search rankings and ultimately increasing sales!

Your online marketing program must include quality content writing and expert web design to be successful. Contact the professionals at seenBEST Internet Marketing in Phoenix, Arizona to create a winning web strategy…and you’ll soon begin reaping the benefits of quality content and online marketing!

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“New: We’ve updated how you create ads and sponsored stories. Learn more.”

Whoa! A changed Facebook advertisement creation interface. Instead of placing me immediately into the configuration of a new ad, Facebook is now asking for an ad destination before anything else is visible. For destination it appears that you can enter a page, app, or external URL and the drop down box will automatically select the best option. From here, Facebook makes some determinations as to what you see next based on the destination you select.

Here’s a quick list of the most important changes that I’ve noticed right away in the new ad creation interface:

• The ad creation process is now more of a step-by-step process and series of questions
• You have more flexibility when assigning app URLs to ad copy and page posts
• You can add optional URL tags to new ads
• Pricing is completely changed, you can no longer set CPM manually

The biggest change I see deals with pricing. Before you can set pricing, you’re first asked an objective. What would you like people to do, like the page or click on your ad? Changing that selection automatically converts your ad between CPM and CPC.

I was surprised to see that CPM no longer allows us to set a bid price! After creating a new CPM ad the status of the ad in the main dashboard shows up as Optimized CPM.

Overall, I think the recent changes are helpful to people who are new with advertising on Facebook. The step by step questions will allow them to make better advertising choices. For those of us with more experience and especially people who are creating multiple ads on a daily basis, the new process does seem to make the ad creation process slower. It’s going to take me a little while to get used to this.

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

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If a picture is worth 1,000 words, what is a video worth? Video is a great way for you to form a personal connection with visitors to your website, increase conversion rates, and drive traffic to your website from YouTube and elsewhere online. So why do most people avoid creating videos for their business? Many first-time clients say they are too self-critical or don’t have the time to bring their elaborate ideas to life.

Look, you don’t have to be a movie star OR have an Oscar winning idea to make a successful video! Just be yourself and talk about things you’re passionate about. If you want to do it yourself, a webcam and simple movie making software will do. Or seenBEST Internet Marketing can help. Our video packages start at only $500 and include idea brainstorming, writing a professional script for you, a recording session where we come to you and record the video using HD video and audio equipment, post video production and editing, and posting your new online and embedding it to your website.

We can record and publish to the internet for you:

• Staff bio video
• Highlights from your events
• Corporate values
• Training sessions
• Landing page sales videos
• Customer video testimonials

Could your Arizona business benefit from video marketing? We travel anywhere in the Phoenix and Scottsdale area. Call (602) 456-0150 for a free consultation.

A few examples of on-page videos:

www.mypctechs.com
www.socialnetworkarizona.com
www.weightlosshelpquick.com

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There is a time and place for both inbound marketing – search engine optimization (SEO), blogs, content publishing, subscriber emails, and social media – and outbound marketing – print and TV/radio advertising, telemarketing, trade shows, and cold calling.

The debate should not be about which one is better, because both have merit. But for small business owners who can’t afford a large marketing staff and don’t have a large advertising budget, the debate should focus on where to spend your limited time and advertising dollars to get the highest ROI (return on investment).

Inbound (“digital”) marketing “pulls” people to your products or services. Inbound marketing strategies and techniques are designed to attract people at the moment they are online looking for information about something they want to buy. Companies must to provide useful information and tools, interact with potential customers, and develop relationships to meet the expectations of today’s online consumer.

Outbound (“traditional”) marketing “pushes” information about your products or services to the public. Promoting your business with outbound marketing keeps your name in the public view and creates a sense of urgency to buy what you sell.

What is the trend in marketing today? Industry sources estimate the ROI on email marketing at 4,300%, making it the most popular form of marketing by small businesses. Numerous studies and surveys indicate a movement toward inbound and away from outbound marketing. Consider:

• 84% of Americans do Internet research before going to a store. (Google – Zero Moment of Truth)
• 70% of consumers trust online consumer reviews, an increase of 15% in four years, more than any other source of brand information and messaging except referrals from friends and family. (Nielson)



• 42% of total retail sales in 2009 (online and offline) were affected by the Web, with sales growing to 53% by 2014. (Forrester)
• 87% of companies now employ Twitter as part of their social media marketing strategy, while 82% use Facebook.(eConsultancy.com)
• 86% of TV viewers skip ads. (The Guardian)
• 44% of junk mail is thrown away unopened. (About.com Environmental Issues)
• 74% brand recall is experienced by consumers when the advertiser’s integrated strategy is carried across mobile, TV and online. (NYTimes/Google)

The bottom line: Your inbound marketing strategy is critical to the long-term growth of your business. Get your share of the $224.2 billion estimated online sales in 2012. Contact seenBEST Web Design to help you develop an online marketing strategy that gets results.

Does your business offer a referral program to drive leads? Have you integrated that program into your Facebook page?

Facebook is a powerful platform for referral programs. Almost everyone uses Facebook and, using the right Facebook tools, it is possible to provide everyone an easy to use method for sending promotional data about product and services to their network. With this type of application you can have your friends, family, and customers refer your business to the people they know. You can even drive targeted Facebook ads to your new app.

Take a look at this referral APP example on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/energysavingaudit/app_369491899737901

This application is a valuable tool that can be used for affiliate programs and any other type of lead generation where you want to leverage the power of social media to drive traffic. If your Phoenix or Scottsdale area business would like to integrate referrals into Facebook, schedule a free consultation with a local internet marketing expert: (602) 456-0150.

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Online marketing has become an integral part of the small business marketing strategy. Two key pieces of the strategy are Search Engine Marketing and Social Media Marketing. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, and both will drive targeted traffic to your website, one of the primary goals of online marketing. Customers should be able to find your company just as easily on Facebook as they can on Google. By leveraging the strengths of both, you can boost your search rankings while building trust with your target audience.

What is Search Engine Marketing (SEM)?

SEM refers to using search engines to increase visibility and drive visitors to your website. By effectively combining search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click advertising (PPC), you can boost your search engine rankings, resulting in more click-throughs and increased conversion rates.

What is Social Media Marketing (SMM)?

SMM refers to using various social networking sites to increase traffic and visibility. The importance of marketing on sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube and Twitter is that they provide a platform for advertisers, customers and colleagues to have more personalized interaction. In today’s market, having conversations and providing quality content is increasingly important to customers.

The Benefits of SEM

• Best source of targeted traffic to your website. A Pew Research Center study found that 58 percent of Americans search online for information about products or services they’re interested in buying. With SEM, you reach your target audience at the moment they’re ready to buy.
• Tools to determine what people are searching for. You can refine your keywords to improve your chances of people finding you by employing any of several great tools, such as Google AdWords Keyword Tool.
• Top ranking immediately with pay-per-click. It takes 3-18 months or sometimes longer to reach the top of the rankings with SEO. But PPC puts you at the top in the sponsored link section right away.

The Benefits of SMM

• Peer recommendations to increase connections. Over 46 million Americans are on social media sites every day, according to a 2011 Edison Research study, using recommendations to make buying decisions. Every time someone recommends you, you are visible to their other connections.
• Brand loyalty. Interacting on a personal level on social media sites is one of the most effective marketing strategies. The more interaction you can have with people, the more they will trust you…and ultimately buy from you.
• The most popular online activity. With 1 in every 5 minutes of online time spent on social media sites, having a social media presence gives a substantial boost to your online audience and visibility.

SEM and SMM Complement Each Other

Consumers use search engines far more often than social media sites to find products and services they want to buy. Effective search engine marketing leverages SEO and PPC to get your name at the top of the search results. But how do you stay in the consumer’s mind for future purchases? Expand your presence in social media sites to keep your brand visible by (1) building the number of fans, friends, likes, recommendations, and links, and (2) creating quality content that goes viral.

Search engine marketing has been king for a long time, but social media marketing is quickly catching up in terms of raw effectiveness at driving leads. Leveraging both SEM and SMM covers all the bases as each one has its own benefits and advantages. Both strategies take time to develop, but the results can be phenomenal.

Get Seen Everywhere! Consult with our expert internet marketing team, we bring to the table proven strategies that will help your business maximize visibility everywhere on the internet. In this digital age, potential new customers are looking for you online. Let us give your business the competitive edge on Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Email, and elsewhere. Call us at (602) 456-0150 for a free consultation.

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In this step by step example we configure a server to allow file uploads up to 100MB in size and lasting up to 10 minutes. For the below settings, 100M stands for 100MB and 600 is 600 seconds (10 minutes).

Locate your php.ini file and change the following settings:

• upload_max_filesize = 100M
• Post_Max_Size = 100M
• max_input_time = 600
• max_execution_time = 600
• memory_limit = 256M

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I received a telemarketing spam call today (1-512-637-3086) from someone working for Yodel claiming that he could help me advertise my business on the internet. Now, considering we are a comprehensive internet marketing company and are really good at what we do, I chuckle a bit whenever telemarketers insist on pitching me with marketing products. I got double the comedy with this guy from Yodle, who was actually trying to sell me on my own list of services. Strike 1 for Yodel, they definitely could use a refresher course in filtering out bad telemarketing prospects. Maybe start by removing from the list companies that provide the same services you are trying to pitch.

I overlooked their horrible telemarketing routine out of curiosity. What about their internet marketing product, I wondered? Is it possible that they’re bad at telemarketing because they spend most of their time doing great SEO work for small business?

Sadly, no. There wasn’t an intelligent reply to any of my questions from the telephone sales representative on the other end of the line. In fact, after asking him multiple SEO and internet marketing questions it was clear that the person I was dealing with had little to no experience with internet marketing at all. That’s fine, most people don’t, but if you’re going to try and sell a product shouldn’t you at least understand what it is and how it works?

I spent a while with this poor kid on the telephone trying to convince him to look for a better job. Look, I used to do telemarketing in my youth. It was a good industry ten years ago and a viable advertising option before the advance of the internet. These days, however, it’s a giant waste of time and resources. What kind of people actually buy anything over the telephone these days? I do all of my business either face-to-face or on the internet after performing some pretty serious research. There’s zero chance that I’m buying anything over the phone from some kid making $8 an hour who just cold-called me, especially something as complex as internet marketing products.

After I had my fun with their telephone sales rep. I decided to research on Google. That’s when I found a ton of complaints on this company… Yodel appears to be causing a lot of problems for local businesses. Take a look at this rap sheet:

Yodle Complaints
Yodle, ReachLocal, Yext – Scams?
Yodle.com – False Advertising
Yodle-Scam Or Incompetent?
Yodle, ReachLocal, Yext – Scams or Just Hard To Please Everybody?
Yodle.com Complaints & Reviews – They promise the moon but can’t meet half of what they promise

If you keep searching Google for Yodle Scam you’ll notice hundreds of additional posts by people who have had a negative experience with this company. Who are these clowns and why are they giving my industry such a bad name? I can already see the wave of clients that will come into my office needing me to rescue them from the poor services provided by Yodel. It happens practically every day, clients telling me about the money they’ve wasted on internet marketing that didn’t work. Well, of course it didn’t work, you bought internet marketing from a telemarketing call run by an amateur who has no clue what he’s talking about.

If you’re approached via this method by an internet marketing firm you can almost guarantee that they don’t know what they’re doing and won’t help you – stay away! Our company generates 99% of our own internal leads from internet marketing and referrals because hey, we’re very good at what we do. We NEVER setup an internet marketing campaign without first meeting with our clients face-to-face. Our internet marketing experts will learn the details of the business we are representing, then offer customized solutions that perform rock solid for the unique internet marketing needs of that company. Isn’t that the way it should be?

Sorry Keith, my friendly Yoddle telemarketer from Austin, TX. Today was a bad day for you to call. It’s Friday and I was looking for something interesting to blog about. You amused me for a short time, but that is all. Hopefully you took my advice and will seek out a different career that doesn’t involve telemarketing for a product that you don’t know how to sell.

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You don’t have to wait anymore, there is a solution to your data accessibility problems! You can copy those folders and files to a usb memory stick and, not only will you be able to access to the data from another computer, you will also have a “live” backup just in case something ever happens. On a small memory stick with a small amount of data it is possible to perform the data copy operations and keep the data synchronized manually. As your data grows however, the process will eventually become difficult to manage in an effective way. Just the need to answer “Yes” or “No” to every overwrite dialog could make a regular copy operation turn into a nightmare.

Fortunately, Microsoft provides a free tools called SyncToy which will help minimize the time it takes to keep files in sync between folder pairs on your laptop and thumb drive. Download SyncToy here: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=15155

You will need the proper download based on your existing operating system, your choices are x64 or x32 bit versions. To find out what version you need, click Start, right click on the computer icon, and select Properties. Half way down the page you’ll see the “System” Header, now find “System Type” and look to see if your system requires 32-bit or 64-bit software. Download and install SyncToy then run it, which will bring up the following screen:

To begin, you need to create a folder pair. This pair is how SyncToy manages keeping your files syncronized between the left and right folders. When you click on the Create Folder Pair button you start the process of joining the folder pairs. It is easiest if you browse to the location for each pair:

For this example we will use a “Test” folder with the “left” folder on the local hard drive and the “right” folder on a thumb drive. If a folder does not exist on the right folder destination, SyncToy allows you to create the folder as needed. Once you have folders set, you will be given a choice to Synchronize, Echo, or Contribute. For most applications you should Synchronize. You should carfully consider each option to get the best result. Here are the definitions of the options.

Synchronize: New and updated files are copied both ways. Renames and deletes on either side are repeated on the other.

Echo: New and updated files are copied left to right. Renames and deletes on the left are repeated on the right.

Contribute: New and updated files are copied left to right. Renames on the left are repeated on the right. No deletions.

Choose your Sync

Now name your pair. This should be a simple name, yet descriptive of the pair.

Name your pair

That is all there is to creating folder pairs:

The First Pair

The simpler you keep your pairs, the easier it will be to maintain them. Now you simply need to run the pair(s) as needed, or put them on a schedule, but that is a topic for a future blog post.

my PC Techs provides expert computer consultants to your Arizona business. Let us help your business save money and increase productivity. Call today (602) 456-0150 for a free consultation.

Internet speeds have come a long way from the days of Dial-up and many different technologies have emerged to help connect your small to medium sized business computers to the Cloud. The most common of these technologies for an office include DSL, Dedicated T1, Cable, and Cellular. With each differing technology comes a range of different features, varying reliability, and different levels of performance, price, customer service and ease of use.

When the time comes to evaluate an internet provider for your office and business technology needs, it is important to weigh everything together. The overall speed, price, reliability, provided features, and even the reputation of the service providers are important when it comes to making the final decision. Here is a general overview of the main differences between various types of data technologies for your office:

Rated by Speed from Slowest to Fastest in a Typical Environment

• DSL (usually the slowest)
• Cellular
• T1
• Cable Broadband (usually the fastest)

Average Prices from Least to Most Expensive

• DSL
• Cellular
• Cable
• T1

Average Reliability from Least to Most Reliable

• Cellular
• DSL
• Cable
• T1

While the least expensive choice for business solutions is DSL, it is usually the slowest speed which can have a crippling effect on workplace productivity. Whenever taking speed into consideration, it is important for a professional to evaluate the number of computers, devices, and what they will be used for. That information can be compared to speed ratings for the various types of internet available.

This is a standard cable modem

Another important point to evaluate with intended usage is the need for 24×7 connectivity. In some cases, for example if an email server or web server is part of the office technology deployment, it is more important to lean towards the more reliable solutions to avoid any disruption in services. The most reliable and expensive solution is a dedicated T1. A T1 maintains a connection to the Cloud at a constant speed with 99.99% up-time. While this is the most expensive choice, it has the highest probability of working when you need it.

T1 TDM router

If mobility is what you’re after, you’re going to want to take a look at cellular. Cellular data technologies allow you to take your work with you wherever you go. And last but not least, the best bang for your buck overall is Cable broadband. This is a great choice if you need a lot of speed at a great price.

Are you moving offices, looking at starting up a new office, or just need to upgrade your existing office? my PC Techs is a locally owned, Phoenix, Arizona based technology consulting firm. We have special connections to all of the big data providers in the area, including Cox, Integra, Verizon, and Centurylink (formerly Qwest). We can help your business evaluate speed, price, and reliability and decide between DSL, T1, Cable, or Cellular. Most importantly, we will help you get the best price and make the installation easy for you.

Speed up your office and get more work done in less time for less money. That’s what we do at my PC Techs. We help your business increase productivity, save time, and save money. Don’t lose another minute of productivity due to slow or unreliable Internet access! Give our experts a call today @ (602) 456-0150 for a free consultation and find out for yourself why our clients rave about our superior service and affordable prices.

– 1 GHz or faster processor
– 1 GB RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)
– 16 GB hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
– DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher

This setup gets you going with Windows 8 such that it is functionally equivalent to Windows 7, and as we have talked about previously, you should see measureable improvements in performance in a number of dimensions with a system at this level.

One new element to Windows 8 is the requirement that Metro style applications have a minimum of 1024×768 screen resolution, and 1366×768 for the snap feature. If you attempt to launch a Metro style app with less than this resolution (e.g. 800×600, 1024×600) you will receive an error message.

Since the software is in everyone’s hands now, we will follow up with a more detailed blog post where you can learn more about the work we did for scaling across multiple resolutions and why this is a requirement in order to make sure developers can easily build applications that scale well across resolutions. We chose to allow Windows 8 to install even when a system doesn’t meet this requirement because, even without Metro style applications, your Windows 7 workloads on these PCs will improve and you can benefit from all the other features of Windows 8, including enhancements to the desktop. We have made sure that Start and Settings all scale well on 800×600 resolution screens.

Visit the offical Windows 8 Consumer Preview download page for more details.

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In a modern Windows OS, when you click Start/Accessories/System Tools/Disk Cleanup you will note a dialog which will eventually present you with choices of files to remove from your computer. These are left over files from various activities and will look something like this:

Disk Cleanup can assist you in removing no longer needed files

Now you are able to select the categories you want to remove, for example, Temporary Internet Files, Microsoft Error Reporting Temporary Files, Recycle Bin, Temporary Files, WebClient/Publisher Temporary Files, etc. Note these are all temporary files. There are also other categories you should normally never select. These include Office Setup Files, Log Files, Compress Old Files and Catalog files for the Content Indexer. Please note Windows Vista and Windows 7 users will have more options available.

If this is the first time you have ran CleanMgr (Disk Cleanup), the initial scan process could take quite some time. These scan’s may take in excess of an hour. Microsoft had provided a way to streamline this process through preferences, but you have to use the Command Prompt to take advantage of it.

To get started we’ll need to use the CMD prompt. Alternatly, you can “Run” a command from the “Start Button” this will work too.

Let’s start with the CMD prompt:

For Windows XP click Start/Run/CMD

For Windows 7 click Start/All Programs/Accessories/Command Prompt

This will open a Command Console allowing you to type in the following command:

cleanmgr.exe /sageset:99

Running CleanMgr from the Command Prompt

This will bring up a new Disk Cleanup Settings window

On Windows XP computers, you should usually select the following categories: Temporary Setup Files, Downloaded Program FIles, Temporary Internet Files, Microsoft Error Reporting Temporary Files, Old Chkdsk files, Recycle Bin, Temporary Remote Desktop files, Temporary Files, WebClient/Publisher Temporary Files, Catalog files for the Content Indexer. Optionally you could select Debug Dump Files and Offline Webpages as well. You should almost NEVER select Office Setup Files.

On Windows 7 computers, you should usually select the following categories: Temporary Setup Files, Downloaded Program Files, Temporary Internet Files, Debug Dump Files, Old Chkdsk files, Recycle Bin, Service Pack Backup Files, System error memory dump files, System error minidump files, Temporary Files, Temporary Windows installation files, Thumbnails, Files discarded by Windows upgrade, Per user archived Windows Error Reporting Files, System archived Windows Error Reporting Files

Once you have made your selections, Click OK.

Now that you have saved your settings, run the following command:

cleanmgr.exe /sagerun:99

This process could take some time to complete and will run on all attached drives. So if you have network drives or external drives you do not want included, be sure to disconnect or remove these drives.

For more information about using CleanMgr from the command line please reference:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q315246 (for Windows XP)

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Delete-files-using-Disk-Cleanup (For Windows 7)

my PC Techs provides expert computer repair and computer consulting services to the Phoenix metro area. For more information or to schedule an appointment please call (602) 456-0150.

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Interestingly enough the laptops were connected to the internet with Verizon 4G modems. They were able to download files, surf the internet, and do pretty much everything else as normal. No settings on the laptop, Outlook 2010, or the Exchange server had changed from one day to the next.

We ruled out the Exchange server by sending from Outlook Web Access as the user. We ruled out the user SMTP account by sending from a stand-alone desktop machine as the user. We then ruled out the laptops themselves by connecting them to a hard wired LAN connection and sending from Outlook 2010 without any problem. The only time we experienced the 550 5.7.1 error was when connected using Verizon 3G or 4G.

Could these recent problems with the Verizon network have something to do with it? We updated the VZAccess Manager software to the absolute latest version (Help / Check for Updates). During that process the firmware of the device was updated as well.

Surprisingly, after the Verizon software and modem updates it was possible to send email again. Hopefully this helps anyone else who is having trouble sending email through SMTP while connected to a Verizon 3G or 4G modem. Upgrade your modem!

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• Download and install the latest security updates from the Adobe Product Updates page.
• You can also check for updates from within Acrobat by going to Help, Check for Updates.
• From within Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat, click on Edit/Preferences. On the left go to the Trust Manager tab, then uncheck the box ‘Allow opening of non-PDF attachments with external applications.’
• From within Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat, click on Edit/Preferences. On the left go to Javascript, and uncheck the Enable Javascript box.

Close the program.

As always, you should also have a good anti-virus running on your system. We recommend Trend or Microsoft Security Essentials.

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Here are a few pictures of the inside of a case that recently came into our workshop.

Over time, dust accumulates inside your computer case

Over time, dust can cause internals components to overheat, due to lack of air circulation

Dust is a slow computer killer. Dust prevents normal air circulation through the computer case. The case draws cooler air from outside the case through the various airflow openings of the case. The lack of circulation caused by dust will often result in internal component overheating and failure. These include video cards, hard drives, computer processor and other internal hardware.

Common intake openings of the case include the front and the sides of the case, while exit openings include fans usually mounted in the rear of the case and the power supply.

Keeping these openings clear of debris can help to maintain the proper airflow around the case. A good practice is to also maintain four to six inches of clearance from the computer to any object which could block airflow.

In conclusion, dusting out your case every month can help to extend the life of your computer – instead of it suffering the fate of death by dust.

There are many options available if you are looking to dispose of an old hard drive. Some professional destruction methods include:

• Shredding it using a local shredding company
• Taking it to a computer recycling company
• Mailing it to a hard drive destruction specialist
• Bringing it in to a local computer shop that will dispose of it

These methods are ideal, but they usually cost money. Professional destruction of a hard drive could cost $70 or more in some areas! So what is a low cost method to dispose of the hard drive and keep your personal data safe if you are low on funds? Considering you have all the right tools, this method won’t cost you a dime and is a very secure way to get rid of a hard drive while keeping your data secure.

Step 1: Wipe it! Wiping a hard drive in essence destroys the data by writing over it with random characters. There are many free utilities to help, a good one is Active@ KillDisk. You can download the free utility from their website, click: Active@ KillDisk. This free software overwrites all of the data on your old hard drive with random characters and WILL DESTROY ALL OF YOUR DATA! Be sure you have performed a complete backup and have transferred the data from your old hard drive to your new system before wiping it.

Step 2: Remove it! Physically remove the hard drive from the system. This is usually the easy part, you’ll just need a screwdriver and a little patience. Keep in mind that you will still be able to sell or donate the old computer without a hard drive missing, just be sure to let the new owners know in advance that they will need a new hard drive and operating system.

Step 3: Drill it! If you plan on using the old hard drive again, skip this step. Otherwise it’s best to physically destroy the old hard drive just to be 100% certain that the old data is completely destroyed. This step is not only fun, depending on how much personal data you had on the old drive it can also help you sleep better at night.

Wearing protective goggles, gloves, and a dust mask for your mouth and nose take a drill and a metal drill bit to the drive. You’ll want to drill through the drive completely from one side to the other, and you’ll want to do this multiple times. Two important areas for you to drill through are the platters and the controller board. See examples in the below images.

All done!

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my PC Techs named ASPIRE Award Gold Prize winner by Ready-to-Go Marketing

For more information, press only:

Andre Morris, my PC Techs, (602) 456-0150, andre@mypctechs.com

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