Google Drive is now available for Google Apps for Business! If you haven’t tried it yet, log in to your Google Apps account, click on Documents and follow the instructions to make the switch over.

Perks of using the new Google Drive:

• Sharing has been improved–when you put a document in a shared folder, the document will automatically be shared with all the people with permission to view the folder
• Improved accessibility between devices
• Download the Google Drive App so you can interact with your online files the same way you do with your computer files

And as always, you can collaborate with others on files in real-time, and not have to worry about back ups since it’s taken care of for you. Google Drive includes 5GB of free file storage, and you can access your files from anywhere–even large files. If you need even more space, check out the pricing here.

Vision Design Group is an authorized reseller for Google Apps for Business. Google Apps™ is a suite of web-based communication and collaboration tools for your team including email, calendar, instant messaging and documents.

Google Apps brings simple, powerful communication and collaboration tools to organizations of any size – all hosted by Google to streamline setup, minimize maintenance, and reduce IT costs. Learn more »

PlastiCert is founded on the principle of providing expertise in injection molding. PlastiCert provides insight on how part design effects mold cost, production cost and manufacturability. Their business partners see returns in faster time to market and lower overall product life cycle costs. They excel at being an active member of your team and supplying answers to your planning questions.

Visit www.plasticert.com→

The businesses we work with would be particularly interest to note that:

• Pinterest is projected to account for 40% of all social media driven purchases.
• Buyers referred from Pinterest are 10% more likely to buy something, and spend 10% more on average compared to visitors referred from other social networks

Check out the graphic for more:

Source: Mashable

Does your brand have a presence on Pinterest? Check out this article for tips on how to get started.

 The Brosnahan Law Firm, P.A. helps families when they need it most. When family members have been killed or injured in car wrecks, workplace injuries or falls, they are here to help you navigate through the paperwork and legal requirements. They help you understand your rights, so you are not taken advantage of by the insurance companies. They help their clients collect the full value of their injury from the insurance companies.

Visit www.brosnahanlawfirm.com→

RT Advisors is a Registered Investment Advisor firm, and its affiliate, RT Financial Education Center, based on the principal of helping individuals plan for their financial future in a way the best meets their needs and goals.  RT Financial Education Center presents several workshops each year focusing on financial matters of interest to the public.  In addition to educational workshops, his firm provides financial planning services, retirement planning services, investment services and insurance services in eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

This project started as a website design. In the process, RT Advisors decided to update their branding and logo.  They also had Vision Design Group create new printed materials including updating their letterhead and envelopes, business cards, corporate brochure and direct mailer.  In addition, they are using several other internet marketing services such as web analytics, and cost per click (CPC) campaign management.

 Visit www.rtfinancialadvisors.com→

Vighter Medical Group is a service disabled, veteran owned small business verified by the Veterans Administration and HUBZone certified by the Small Business Administration. Vighter Medical Group provides cost effective, customized, and comprehensive medical direction solutions.

Visit www.vighter.com→

Smith Point Lighthouse is a Caisson lighthouse,  that is for sale in the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Potomac River.  It has a red concrete base; white brick, 35-foot octagonal tower capped with a square black lantern room.  It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It has a 360-degree view of the bay and a Night Light visible to 22 nautical miles!  It is owned by Dave McNally of Winona, MN.

Visit www.smithpointlighthouse.com→

How do I convert my personal account to a Facebook Page?

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The Winona Health campus map is color-coded to guide patients and visitors through different wings of the building. Visit the Winona Health website to see how this map was used online.

Vision Design Group developed a series of city maps for Wabasha and Kellogg, Minnesota, for tourism use in print and online (skip to page 37 of the travel guide).

Cobblestone locations map

Tips for creating a useful map

1. Keep map keys simple by explaining much with as little as possible. Only a few short steps should be taken for users to understand where they need to go. Representative symbols will help keep your map clean and legible.
2. Alphanumeric and/or color-coded location directories will greatly assist viewers with large collections of logistic information.
3. Highlight the prominent paths users should take so they stand out. Only include secondary paths if necessary for reference, but de-emphasize them.
4. Resist the temptation to bog down your map with details the user won’t utilize for travel. Consider a separate section within your print piece or website for information not pertaining directly to navigation.
5. Make a map your own by incorporating your company colors, fonts, and identity markers for brand recognition.

What is Vision Design’s map-making process?

1. After first meeting with you to discuss your project, any existing materials are gathered to reference what has and hasn’t worked for mapping purposes in the past.
2. Using this material (if any), we reference additional online and offline maps, as well as any building schematics, to decide on the optimal vantage point.
3. An initial draft of your custom map is designed with vector graphics for easier revision and more versatile web and print application.
4. Since it may be difficult to anticipate how all of the information captured by your map will come together, we plan on several stages of client review before a map is complete. This allows you to test the material beforehand for the best results.

If you or your customers are frequently asking for directions, call Vision Design for an effective map for the task at hand.

After using Outlook for years to check your email, the transition from Outlook to Gmail (Google Apps) may seem daunting. To help you with this transition, the Vision Design team has identified the features that are either new to outlook users, have different terminology or simply aren’t intuitively found at first glance.

Compose Mail (creating a new email from scratch)

Lets start with the basics. Click the ‘Compose mail’ button at the top of the left column to create and new email.

Refresh (get mail):

Gmail is constantly refreshing so unlike POP mail where you need to ping the server when you want new messages, Gmail will automatically display messages in your inbox. The Refresh icon is handy if your computer has idled down, it will prompt new messages to be delivered to your inbox.

Reply, Reply to All and Forward:

You must click on an email in the inbox to view it before you can reply to or forward the email. To reply you can click on the reply button located in the top right of the email. To reply to all or to forward the email you can click on the down arrow to the right of the reply button. If you scroll to the bottom of the email message window you’ll see options reply, reply to all and to forward.

Check Spelling

Many browsers today automatically check spelling. Misspelled works are often underlined as you type and a simple right mouse click on the word will present you with the correctly spelled word. Google also has a built in spell checker that is easy to use.

Using the spell checker while composing Gmail messages is easy. Here’s how:

1. Click ‘Check spelling’ along the top of the message you’re composing.
2. Click the misspelled word (highlighted in yellow) to see Gmail’s suggestions for similar words.
3. Select a suggested word from the list to replace the misspelled word.
4. Click ‘Done’ along the top of the message to continue composing, or click ‘Send’ to send your message.

Add attachments

Adding an attachment to an email is easy in Gmail.

1. Click Attach a file under the subject field.
2. Browse through your files and click the name of the file you’d like to attach.
3. Click Open.

Keep in mind, you can add multiple attachments to a single email by holding down command/control on your keyboard while selecting your files. The drag and drop option is also available in gmail, simply drag the file(s) from your desktop to your email’s subject area, a ‘drop files here’ note will appear when the files are in the correct location to be attached.

Open email in new window

Occasionally when you’re composing a message it’s handing to look at another email or webpage. Clicking the icon in the upper right corner will open your email in a new window. This will allow you use your browser’s main window for other tasks.

Print an email

If you use the browser’s print button you won’t be happy with the results. Follow these directions to print a single email or complete email conversation.

To print one message:

1. Open the message you want to print.
2. Click the down arrow next to Reply, at the upper right of the message.
3. Select Print.

To print an entire conversation:

1. Open the conversation you want to print.
2. Click the print icon on the right side of the screen above the conversation.

Add a contact to your address book

Gmail automatically adds everyone you’ve emailed into your contacts list. These contacts can be edited or deleted by clicking the contacts in the left menu and then choosing all contacts.

To manually add a contact:

1. Click Contacts along the left side of any page.
2. Click the New Contact button in the top-left corner of the Contact Manager.
3. Enter your contact’s information in the appropriate fields. Any information you add will save automatically.

Quick Tip: If you hover over a sender’s name in the inbox you’ll see a pop up box with selections to email, start a chat or add to contacts under the “more” selection.

Auto complete

Similar to what you’re used to with Outlook, Gmail also has an auto-complete function. When you type an address in the To:, Cc:, or Bcc: field of a message you’re composing, Gmail will suggest addresses from your Contacts list. Hit Enter to choose the name at the top of the list, or scroll down to choose a different address. If Gmail doesn’t suggest the address you want, just continue typing.

Gmail will first suggest the addresses you send mail to most often. To view a complete list of your most frequently mailed contacts, click Contacts on the left side any Gmail page, then click Most Contacted.

For more advanced features and training, visit Gmail’s support website. You might also like Google’s Tips to Become a Gmail Ninja.

Happy Gmailing!