Smallbiztechnology.com

Google's Local Business Center: A FREE Tool To Give You Intelligence About Your Google Referrals

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:09:14 -0500

Google maps, Google.com and Google local are powerful tools to find all kinds of products and services. This you already know.

For those businesses who are FOUND it's an even better tool as Google is one of the most powerful forces (online or offline) to help businesses connect with the customers look for what they sell.

Taking things a step further, wouldn't it be great to know more information about HOW customers are finding you on Google, what search tools they're using and more.

Using Google Local you can already have your store hours, a menu and other information about your local store.

What's new is that with Google Local Business you can get statistics on the traffic to your Google local page.

Intuit's Web Application Platform: Great For Business Users. Revenue For Developers

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:38:54 -0500

For several years, Intuit has had a Quickbooks marketplace wherein developers could create and sell add-ons to Intuit Quickbooks.

Recently, Intuit created a new offering Federated Applications, which enables Web applications built with any programming language, database or cloud computing resource to be easily published to the Intuit Workplace and marketed to the nearly 25 million employees in small businesses that use QuickBooks.

Developers with existing applications need to only configure their application to connect with Intuit’s PaaS, rather than having to re-write them.

Instead of just using PC based applications that serve as add-ons or other wise with Quickbooks you can take advantage of a huge range of hosted applications that are seamlessly integrated into Quickbooks.

When you visit Intuit Workplace you'll see a designation for those applications that are Federated Applications. Applications without this designation will not have to adhere to the Federated Application standards, such as having one logon.

Intuit's Federated Applications have the following traits.

Data: Federated Applications that want to integrate with Intuit Partner Platform data must program against APIs provided by Intuit to enable data synchronization.

Login: A Federated Identity Web API allows users to use their Intuit Workplace login credentials to access the Federated Applications within Intuit Workplace.

User management and permissions: Intuit provides developers with a Web API so that their application can handle processes such as inviting additional users to their application.

Navigation: Developers with existing SaaS applications may have to make minor User Interface adjustments, such as removing sign-in/sign-out links within their solutions. The Intuit Workplace provides this in its toolbar to provide users a seamless experience between applications.

If you use Quickbooks and want to get more out of Quickbooks check out Intuit's Workplace.

If you're a developer looking for a new market for your applications Intuit's Workplace deserves a serious look in addition to iphone and Facebook marketplaces.

Tracking Document Changes Shouldn't be Harder than the Actual Editing. TextFlow Makes it Easier

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 23:09:10 -0500

The track changes feature in MS Word works very well. However, when you've got a large group of people making and suggesting edits to a document, it can get messy. There's always that one person who forgets to turn on the track changes feature when he's doing his editing, or emails back the wrong version and messes up the work flow.

TextFlow from Nordic River has introduced a Web-based version of their collaboration tool, which improves on the original version. Where tracking a lot of changes and comments from multiple users can get sticky in Word, TextFlow's layout shows conflicting changes in columns, so you can easily compare them and then decide which to accept.

The Web-based platform allows different users to work on a document without needing to download any software, so you can collaborate with anyone, like a client, who is not a current TextFlow user. Finalized documents can be exported to .doc, .pdf, or web file formats. It also allows multiple users to work on the same document at the same time, so you know that you are seeing the most current version, rather than having to wait for another user to finish working.

There is a free personal version and the professional version costs $99 per user per year.

Laura Leites, Assistant Editor, Smallbiztechnology.com

Empowering Your Home Office With The Right Tools: What The Home Office Guru Uses

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:09:45 -0500

Jeff Zbar is the ultimate home office road road warrior guru. We're honored to have him share with us how he travels across America in his RV and stays connected and productive.

If you wanted to create a portable home office, what tools would you use?

Last year, Home Office Highway traveled almost 4,000 miles of Atlantic Seaboard highway - staying portable, remote and productive the entire way. This July, we’ll tour the South.

From the start, the tour was and is NOT about using fancy, early-adopter technology that created a whiz-bang workspace. It’s always been all about using off-the-shelf stuff that’s easily accessible and priced right for anyone to creates a workspace that mimics the home office.

Here’s what we used to make it happen…

Last year, we used an HP Compaq 2710p Ultra-Light Tablet Notebook PC (at the time, from around $1599). This pint-sized powerhouse was a winner on the trip.

Faster than my workhorse HP Pavilion (which we also brought along), it won kudos all around — from family (who fought over using it and its nifty tablet / stylus capabilities), and even guests along the way. Its 12.1-inch screen, the sub-four pound size and generally lean design facilitated in-an-instant computing; have something to blog or write, pull it out, power up, and you’re good to go. And as people move toward netbook computers, I can safely say were were almost there as early as last summer. Very cool indeed.

Connectivity is key when traveling - especially when this trip is part vocation, and part vacation. My Verizon Wireless’s BroadbandAccess USB wireless Internet service (starting around $40 a month) kept me connected with work - no matter where we went.

Most of the RV parks we stayed at last summer promised free Wi-fi. Few delivered. This year - as with last - we’ll be prepared. My “aircard” was flawless. In the parks, in friends’ homes, on the highway, we had service. Whether traveling for work or play, Internet completes the “digital adventure.” Without this service, we might have well been phoning it in.

For Those With IOS (Information Overload Syndrome) - There's Hope

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:19:55 -0500

Close your eyes. Think of all the information you have inbound to you. Think about the information you send to other people. Xerox has a web site developed for those with ISO (information Overload Syndrome). According to Xerox's web site, information is good but TOO much information makes you completely unproductive.

Studies show that 28% of the typical work day is interrupted by unnecessary information.
53% of people believe that less than 1/2 of the information they receive is valuable.

Check out Xerox's funny video about information overload, check out their cute cartoons and see a "customized newscast" about IOS as well.

Online File Storage vs. Local Server Storage: Monthly Fees, Simplicity, Direct Access to Files

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:22:54 -0500

I've recently been living a dual life: Using hosted services to store files and also using a PC based storage - with remote access.

While online file storage is good, and I know it works, there are also monthly fees involved. For your business you must weigh the monthly fees ($10 or more per month, per user) versus paying for a computer server ($500+ one time fee) with remote access.

The hosted file server is much easier to set up and often includes neat features to make it easier to share the files. The traditional computer server has no monthly fees and you have direct access to your files.

Virtual file server vendor Egnyte told me about Danny Guillory, the owner of Innovations International, which creates and runs corporate training programs, who ditched his traditional file server in exchange for a virtual, "in the cloud" server from Egnyte.

The company has been in business for 25 years and just recently decided to shut its physical offices in the San Francisco Bay Area and work from home offices. Danny has 5 employees and works with a lot of freelancers. With Egnyte, every employee can upload, store, share and collaborate on files from any location. Danny can easily provide access to the file server to new contractors for specific projects.

Another thought is what happens when a company does not have access to the Internet? Egnyte has a neat tool that provides offline access to Egnyte, but not every hosted service has this feature.

Recently I used Box.net for a major project - it's simply flawless and feature rich. For example, once I uploaded the files, I used an embed code to make them accessible, on a web site, to others.

Hosted applications are wonderful applications and quite useful, but I wonder if they are for every use.

Other than the scenario of no Internet access and monthly fees, I also am concerned, just a bit, about the viability of the core documents belonging to the company. Maybe you're a startup and find yourself in business for 20 years. Is it reasonable to think that the documents you uploaded to the hosting service today, will be online and available 20 years from now?

On your own server, you have total control of the server, can upgrade it when you want and move the server to a new location and etc.

I hope this article has not confused you, but given you something to think about.

Why Palm Pre Could Boost Your Productivity And Bring Enjoyment To Your Cell Phone Use

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:13:29 -0500

A few weeks ago Palm launched its latest smartphone, the Palm Pre, running on Sprint's network.

Over the years, I've used BlackBerry's and Treo's (using Palm's earlier OS and now Windows Mobile operating system). When choosing a mobile phone, which for many of you is more than just a phone but is an "out of office" computing device, there are three things to keep in mind:

The carrier you use for the wireless connectivity (see my interviews with Verizon Wireless executives Howard Watermanand Bruce Simon

The hardware you choose - BlackBerry, Treo, Nokia, Samsung, etc. Flipphone vs Clamshell vs Open face (like the iPhone), etc.

The applications running on the device and how they work together.

These three things are critical in determining how smooth your mobile computing experience will be.

Let's have a look at Palm's Pre, which costs $199.99 with a two-year service agreement and after a $100 mail-in rebate.

Is Your Website Mobile Friendly? Here are Some Tips To Help

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:37:16 -0500

Lyn Nielsen of web development company Desktop Solutions sent me these great tips in how and why to consider making your web site "mobile friendly" so that it more easily displays on web sites of cell phone browsers and I'd thought to share them with you.

As more and more users use their smartphones to communicate on the road, having your web site fully or partially accessible through a cell phone browser is crucial. Lyn writes:

Picture this. A Vice President of a manufacturing company is sitting on an airplane, explaining his company’s product line to his seat mate. He takes out his new Blackberry Storm, pulls up his site, and discovers that many of the pictures are missing or broken. Sound familiar?

Discovering that your site is not automatically viewable on the newest mobile devices is a disappointing fact of life. But as the quality and speed of mobile devices improves, companies are discovering that having a mobile-friendly version of their site is a necessity. We've put together some tips to help you develop your mobile web strategy. We hope you find them useful

Review your competition. Take a look at what your competitor’s sites look like on various devices. This may be an opportunity for you to create a competitive edge!

Think about how users will be using your site while on a mobile device. What features will they most need to use while sitting on a train, eating in a restaurant or walking down the street? Do they need to see the ‘News’ section, the ‘About Us’ page? Will users need to see photos of every product in your line? While it might be nice to have a complete version of your site visible on every cell phone imaginable, it might not be necessary.

New Vendor Web Site: Websites.com - Full Of Information For Building Great Web Sites

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:24:47 -0500

There's an increasing number of vendors, making web sites chock full of REAL information related to the products and services they offer.

Citrix has a web site all about non-traditional work environments. HP has a series of videos with Revision 3 here. These are just two that I can think of, but I know there are more.

Other vendors, such as Symantec, Register.com and Intuit have web sites that are full of information respectively related to security, online marketing and all things building a small business.

Web site host Verio has launched a nice new web site, Websites.com that provides a lot of information helping businesses build better web sites.

You can check Websites.com out for yourself but the press release reads that it is devoted to providing resources and sharing best practices for website planning, building, hosting and marketing specifically designed for the SMB. All in an effort to help SMBs become more successful online, Websites.com provides educational and informational content, offers peer to peer networking and collaboration and also gives SMBs the opportunity to contribute content to a network of small businesses around the world.

My own 10 Web Site Musts is a great read as well.

$440 Million In Fed Govt Printing Waste: What Lessons Can You Learn

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:00:00 -0500

Lexmark surveyed federal employees to find out how the federal government prints.

Their survey revealed that the government wastes $440 million dollars every year in printing. What's ironic is that the total printing expenditure is $1.3 billion so roughly 1/3 of the governments printing is wasted. You can download the full report here.

Although your business is probably never going to spend $1.3 billion dollars on printing, the report's findings and recommendations are probably something you can learn from.

Some reasons the government gives for printing includes:

The document needs a signature

Need to review or share documents in meetings

Need to share hard copies with others

Need to edit documents and prefer hard copies

Need to file/save docments

Does this sound a bit like your office?

Another interesting tidbit was that federal employees print much more from their offices than they print at home.

The government's printing solutions require a lot more than a few bullet points, but some solutions offered in Lexmark's report include: