Enter, the Meetup.com API. An API (application programming interface) allows you to call for information from one software or application, and pull in that information into another program or application. To use the Meetup API, you need an API key. If you are a member, you can get that automatically by logging in and going to http://www.meetup.com/meetup_api/key/

Here is more information from their website. By clicking on Get an API key, you will be given a series of numbers which will be used when you create the call for information.

There are a variety of methods for returning the information. It can be in XML format, ATMO, JSON, KML or RSS. For my purposes, I wanted to create some RSS feeds that I could then pull into Facebook, Twitter and other sites. You can see in the screenshot below an example of pulling in data for an XML file.

Following the directions on the site, I was able to create a feed to show all new meetings we scheduled, recent activity, RSVP’s for meetings and a feed to show new members when they join our group. The link below shows how I created the one for new members. The number at the end would be your unique API Key (mine was changed for this example, don’t share your key if you can help it!).  I can then take this RSS feed url and plug it in wherever I need it!

http://api.meetup.com/members.rss/?group_urlname=newlawrenceville&page=600&key=123456789123456789123456789

Here is how the feed looks within Internet Explorer. It will pull in the photograph of the member, their name, location, and bio. Fantastic!

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First things first, you need to find the plugin. Go to the Plugins section from the navigation on the left. Click on Add New. From there, the following screen will appear.  Type in Twitter Tools into the search box and click Search Plugins.

You will see a list of Plugins appear. Go to the one that says Twitter Tools (should be the first one in the list).  Click on Install Now directly underneath the Plugin.

You will be asked to confirm that you do indeed wish to install the plug in. Once it’s installed, click on Activate Plugin.

Once you have done this, you should be a link at the top of the page that prompts you to update your Twitter Tools settings, or you can go to the Settings section near the bottom of the left navigation in your admin portal. Finally, you will want to add your user name and password to connect with your Twitter account. Unless you want all of your tweets to be published in a blog post (not advisable) then select No for that option. That’s it! Just update at the bottom of the screen. Next time you publish a post, it will go out to Twitter!

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Manda is a busy working mom of twin boys. She is passionate about her family and loves her crafts! Check out her new site at www.mandascraft.com. Again, like Gia’s site, Manda’s blog is created using WordPress so she has the flexibility to easily modify her site, add new blog posts and change content on the pages. Keep up the great work Manda!

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Their new site incorporates content from their old site but in a concise manner that allows visitors to find what they are looking for with just a couple of clicks. With two contact forms, rotating testimonial and client flash files, newsletter sign up and a blog, there is a lot packed in to this site! If you are in need of seamless, smooth, fast & professional moves of computers, electronics, digital communication, & sensitive equipment, they are the company to call! Check out their new site at www.computermovers.net

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Gia is going to feature recipes, weight loss ideas and tips on making it all work! I am so honored that she asked me to create her website! Gia is pretty techie herself so walking her through how to use the blog was a breeze. Looking forward to reading her articles! Check her out at OneHealthyMama.com

The blog was created using WordPress and is self hosted. Hosting WP allows for greater functionality and flexibility on your custom theme and plugins. Below you can see the one of a kind theme I created for the site. The site has a limited color scheme to keep it clean and not too “busy”. Another advantage of using WordPress is that Gia now has the tools needed to update her site as often as she wants to. Already she has a weeks worth of posts written out and ready to publish.  Check her out and tell her I sent you! Can’t wait to read more my friend!

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You can create animated signatures if your heart desires it, but I just used it to create an image of my name. It is so simple to use, I am not going to walk through each step, but here is the basic premise. First you enter in the name you want to use. Then, the next screen shows you how your name will look in over 100 different fonts. Click through to view and then select the font that you want.

Next pick the size of the font. Then the color. If you want to use the image on a website or anywhere with a colored background, set the background to be transparent. For my purpose, I went with purple text. You can also set the gradient of the text so it looks more like a signature.

Finally, your signature will be displayed to you. You can right click on the image and save it to your computer.

You can then use this image file in your e-mail signature or add it to your blog posts! Quick, simple and easy to use. Have fun!

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First select an image that you wish to use for your favorites icon. Many people use their own logo and produce a smaller version of it. Or, you could use a single letter to represent the name of your company. Pick something that will still be recognizable even when reduced in size. For our fav icon, we have the Purple Star from our logo:

The favorites icon is a file type called .ico. You don’t need any fancy software or a tool to generate the icon file. There are many sites out there that will do the work for you. One good one is by Dynamic Drive. Their FavIcon Generator can be found here: http://tools.dynamicdrive.com

Simply click the Browse button to find the image on your machine. The file should be in one of the following formats: .gif, .jpg, .bmp or .png. Once you have the file, click the Create Icon button.

You will be shown a preview of how your favicon would look once added to your site. If you are happy with this, click the Download FavIcon button. This will download it to your computer.

Once you have the file on your machine, you will need to transfer it to your web server to the route directory, or top level of your site. If you do not have access to the web server, or don’t know how to do this, be sure to contact your web designer, or find one to help you out with this. Finally, you will need to add the following code to the <head> section of your index.html or main.html page. (again, if you are not sure, check with your web designer).

<link rel=”shortcut icon” type=”image/x-icon” href=”favicon.ico”>

The href will need to be the path to where you uploaded your favicon file. You should be able to get away with just adding this to the home page of your website. However, if you are not sure, you can add it to all of the pages. Some browsers will need to have their cache refreshed in order to see the new icon next to the url in the browser. Good luck! You can always post your questions below if you are not sure.

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Granted, this product will only be useful for certain business owners but one should never assume, so wanted to share it with you! Here is how it works, straight from the horses mouth so to speak:

• Show attendees your desktop, or switch to an individual person’s desktop. Great when you are trying to help them solve issues with their machine or a specific program they are using
• You can also share a keyboard and mouse. This allows you to move around their machine, or vice versa.
• You can use their phone service which allows you to have up to 15 people conferenced in on the call at one time.
• Online sessions can be recorded. Great for training sessions that can be used in the future for others to view.

So, as you can see, a lot of great benefits to using GoToMeeting. It’s perfect for the small business owner, just $49 a month for the service. If you want to get bigger and have the need, you can use their GoToWebinar product which allows you to have a maximum of 1,000 attendees at one time!

To get started with GoToMeeting click this link to get a Free Trial + $10 Off or click the ad below. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

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I did some searching online and found e-Fax. I found out that I could get a fax number that sends and receives faxes using my current email address. Click here to check out their site (they have a 30 day FREE trial too!). I need to be able to receive signed service agreements and this service is great. Using a fax number assigned to me, the sender can use their own fax machine and send the sheets of paper through in the usual way. When receiving the fax, it comes through as a PDF attachment to my e-mail address.

The cost for the service is a monthly fee. You get a certain number of free sends and receives, then after that you pay per page. Below is their current costs for their eFax Plus service.

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