Rubis Solutions

SMB Tools for Online Success

Shawn Cheatham — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:18:42 +0000

I’m really excited to see that Google and the Small Business Administration have partnered to educate local businesses about how to succeed online. Take a look at a couple videos to see how your fellow small business owners are using the internet to grow their businesses.

And in case you missed it, last week Google launched the Small Business Blog which is worth subscribing to in your Google Reader or email.

Wrap-Up for the DIY Google Apps Migration Workshop

Shawn Cheatham — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:12:27 +0000

In case you missed it over the weekend, I publish Step 4 of the workshop series and rounded it out with step 5. The video series covers a lot of information in a short period of time, so feel free to leave a comment if something doesn’t quite add up.

Step 5 of the DIY Google Apps Migration Workshop

Step 1: Domain Confirmation & Migration Workshop Overview
Step 2: Google Apps Registration & Domain Verification
Step 3: Google Apps Configuration
Step 4: Migrating Mail, Contacts & Calendar

Step 4 of the DIY Google Apps Migration Workshop

Shawn Cheatham — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 17:54:33 +0000

In this step of the workshop we’ll cover a lot of ground…thus the reason it took a bit longer to get this video tutorial out the door. Here’s a quick rundown of the things that we’ll cover and how you can finish off your Google Apps migration.

One-time switch to Google Apps configurations

How to go get the details you’ll need to migrate existing mail, calendar and contacts.

Third-party application and device configuration i.e. Outlook, Apple Mail, BlackBerry and iPhone

Step 4 of the DIY Google Apps Migration Workshop

If you’re just now joining the workshop, you’re just in time! Using the tutorials I’ve prepared, you should be able to get Google Apps up and running for your domain this weekend. The consolidated view of the steps we’ve covered is right here or check out a specific video below.

Step 3: Google Apps Configuration
Step 2: Google Apps Registration & Domain Verification
Step 1: Domain Confirmation & Migration Workshop Overview

Subscribe to the RSS feed or check back on Monday for the final step of migrating to Google Apps!

Step 3 of the DIY Google Apps Migration Workshop

Shawn Cheatham — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:41:55 +0000

We’re making good progress on getting Google Apps setup. Today’s task consists of making a few configuration changes within Google Apps. I’ve wrapped this video up in under 6 minutes but since there’s a lot of configurations, I’ve added a simple guide that highlights the specific settings you’ll need to make. Here’s what I’ll cover in the third step of the migration workshop.

Adding Additional Applications

Update User Profile

Domain Settings

Email, Calendar and Mobile Settings

Step 3 of the DIY Google Apps Migration Workshop

In the event that you’re just now joining the workshop series, you can take a look at the previous steps by going to Google Apps Migration or clicking one of the links below.

Step 2: Google Apps Registration & Domain Verification
Step 1: Domain Confirmation & Migration Workshop Overview

Check back in the next day or two or just subscribe to the RSS feed

Step 2 of the DIY Google Apps Migration Workshop

Shawn Cheatham — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 02:13:38 +0000

It’s getting late in the day but I thought I’d put this out nonetheless. Registering for a Google Apps account is fairly straight forward. In this video I go through the steps to register and verify your domain. Here are a couple recommendations that you should keep in mind….

Register for the 30 Day Free Trial of Google Apps Premier Edition requires a credit card. Google will not bill you until the 31st day and during that time you can cancel or downgrade at anytime. The Premier Edition also gives you access to several of the migration tools that will make your life much easier.

When registering your administrator account, I strongly recommend using Admin@YOUR-DOMAIN instead of your existing email address.

Leave a comment on the video site if you get stuck along the way.

Step 2 of the DIY Google Apps Migration Workshop

Look for the next step tomorrow or just subscribe to our RSS feed

Step 1 of the DIY Google Apps Migration Workshop

Shawn Cheatham — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 22:45:22 +0000

Ok folks, a little later than I would have preferred but after some last minute website changes, this format is going to work a lot better. Originally, I had planned to post the content directly into the blog but after looking at some of the text content, I realized a wider page would make video and detailed guides easier to follow. So here you go…

Step 1 of the DIY Google Apps Migration Workshop

Look for the next step in the next day or two, just subscribe to our RSS feed

FAQ for DIY Google Apps Migration Workshop

Shawn Cheatham — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 17:06:28 +0000

In case you missed it last Thursday, I announced that today I’m going to kick off a Google Apps Migration Workshop. Here are a few of the details based on several questions.

Who is best suited to participate in the Google Apps Migration Workshop?

People from small businesses/organizations that are not currently using Google Apps.

What is the DIY Google Apps Migration Workshop going to cover?

While I tagged it DIY (Do It Yourself) you wont be alone. I’ll be guiding you through every step of the way. We’ll cover every and I mean everything, that you’ll need to get Google Apps setup for your domain.

When is it taking place? What if I can’t attend?

We’ll start the first step today, Monday, July 12th after 1PM PST.

Where will the workshop take place?

I’ll be posting the workshop materials right here on the Rubis Solutions website.

Why are you holding a free workshop and giving this content away?

I learn something from someone, somewhere online everyday, so I thought it would be nice to share. And then of course there’s the fact (my opinionated fact that is) that Google Apps is the most value added tool for businesses…especially small business, organizations, solopreneurs and hobbiests with a penchant for awesomeness.

Alright folks, it’s a big week coming up. Check back a little later this afternoon or subscribe to the RSS feed for the workshop posts.

Feedburner Won’t Publish to Twitter?

Shawn Cheatham — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 23:35:31 +0000

Awhile ago I quipped about how useful the Feedburner Socialize and Goog.gl feature was and how it provided the ability to combine 3 great tools (Google Analytics and Feedburner with Twitter) to provide better/more measurable data. Over the next couple months I was satisfied but not 100% sold on what I was getting, so I decided to checkout Dlvr.it.

By far a much better solution than the aforementioned, Dlvr.it has over the past several months become my de-facto personal feed publisher. All my personal feeds have went off flawlessly through Dlvr.it. It’s a powerful little tool, so after getting some finicky Feedburner Socialize results over the last few weeks, I finally decided to turn over the Rubis RSS feed to Dlvr.it. Much to my surprise, I realized that Dlvr.it has a Google Analytics setting for source feeds which all but sinks the Socialize function.

To be fair, I didn’t make the time to figure out what was going on with Feedburner’s Socialize feature, so I have no idea if it’s my problem or working as designed. Nonetheless, if you just need something quick and easy to publish feeds checkout Dlvr.it

DIY Google Apps Migration Workshop

Shawn Cheatham — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:32:50 +0000

So you’ve heard the buzz around Google Apps and perhaps you’re interested in “going google” but not sure whether you have the technical prowess to get it setup properly on your domain? No worries! Join me next week for a Google Apps Migration Workshop series and get Google Apps setup the right way…the first time.

After over a year of working with Google Apps, I’ve heard my fair share of frustrated complaints and horror stories about how ambiguous migrating to Google Apps can be. Honestly, I’ve lost count of how many distressed phone calls I’ve received after botched Google Apps migration attempts.

From my notes…

“Nearly a month ago I was setup on Google Apps but I don’t like the fact that I can’t use Outlook anymore.”
“We setup Google Apps for our business internally but for some reason we’re getting duplicate emails and we can’t share calendars.”
“Deploying Google Apps is easy, just change the MX record and you’re done.”

It’s not that Google Apps setup and migration is rocket science, it’s just that like any other technology there are several common oversights. Let’s get real folks, in all likelihood you’ll only have to setup Google Apps once. Why not get the right information at the right time and avoid the headache?

Want to learn more?

Check back on Monday or subscribe to the RSS feed.

What’s Missing from Google Apps?

Shawn Cheatham — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:00:07 +0000

More times than not, when I speak with someone about The Cloud and Google Apps, people mistakenly think I’m just talking about email and nothing more. While choosing a business email system isn’t something to take lightly, with Google Apps it’s but a single application within the Google Apps environment. You also get a fully integrated suite of applications for calendar, video, documents, websites and groups.

After getting over the “it’s just email” hurdle, a quick demo of what is included in Google Apps typically jump starts the “endless possibility” discussion.

Fortunately, while it’s true that Google Apps doesn’t include pure play CRM, Accounting and Marketing applications, it does support an increasing number of integration options that are a simple click away. Yes, you read that right…a click away…in Google Apps you can deploy a fully functioning CRM solution within minutes. For instance, did you know that SalesForce works with Google? Or how about EchoSign the #1 electronic signature service that integrates with both Google Apps and Salesforce. Then there’s…

Intuit’s Online Payroll solution
BatchBlue for Social CRM
MailChimp for email campaigns

…plus hundreds of other integrated apps that provide signifiant business benefits. To say that Google Apps is a one trick pony is to overlook the endless possibilities it offers.

Here’s a quick video that I put together showing how to launch BatchBook CRM with Google Apps.

Thanks to The Friendly Fiend for the header image.