Sunday, May 27, 2007
MIS - Getting Wired
In addition to actually setting the blog up and surviving that, I really liked having to post information related to what we were learning. Doing research on the web and learning about all of the applications available was fun. I’ve had to get a small notebook just to start saving all of my login id’s and passwords for numerous sites and I plan to get access to a few more sites, once I’m done for the summer.
The MIS textbook and the applied learning activities did a really good job of demonstrating just how important technology is to our lives and the benefits it has. It really helped me to understand just how effective technology and automation is to business and the cost benefits it has.
In a nutshell, MIS wasn’t as scary as I thought it was going to be and I feel that I've graduated from techically challenged to a rookie – I’m getting wired.
Facebook News
from Toronto encouraged me to log on – she joked by saying she
now has 50 friends. Considering she’s a Maritimer in the big
city – I’m happy she’s getting the chance to network.
In recent news, Facebook has launched a new platform to give advertisers a deeper level of free access to its 24 million users by providing them the ability to write applications that can be shared from person to person.
Keep your Laptop Safe
In earlier posts titled “Computer 101” I discussed how to keep your computer safe and well maintained. That won’t make any difference if you don’t keep your hardware safe from theft. That’s right, people like to steal PC’s (especially laptops) and steal the information you have on them. Use these tips, gadgets, and utilities, to increase the safety of your hardware:
- Stay in touch – Try to keep your hand, finger, or arm on your computer when you glance away from your laptop.
- Keep a low profile – Carry your laptop in an inconspicuous bag or backpack that doesn’t look like it actually carries a computer.
- Lock and load – If you don’t get a lock with the purchase of your notebook, purchase one with a locking port that connects to cable locks made by Kensington and other companies.
- Be a screamer – I know it sounds funny but there are actually security systems that by motion sensor, trigger terrible shrieks when the laptop is moved. These devices are more than likely quite effective but also embarrassing.
- Cover it up – Ensure that your laptop is covered if left in the car and also keep it locked.
- Record Serial Number – Ensure that you keep record of the computer’s serial number and make an identifying scratch mark to help identify the system.
There is nothing worse than losing a valuable item; however, losing a laptop is a double whammy – it’s not only valuable but carries a lot of personal information. Invest in keeping your hardware safe!
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Computer 101
The good news is, maintaining your computer's health doesn't have to involve much time or many resources. Here are seven things to consider that will help you take better care of your computer:
- Think before you install - Installing software on your computer will take up space on your hard drive, which will eventually slow your computer down. These random programs could also be an open door for viruses and cause other programs to crash. So install as few programs as possible on your computer.
- Install the right software - Ensuring your computer is protected from digital vandals is critical if you want to keep information safe. It's therefore important that you install both an antivirus program and a firewall software program. These two critical pieces of software, which you should update on a regular basis, will serve as a wall of protection for your computer.
- Update your operating system - Microsoft Windows is the software you're most likely using to power your computer programs and control how your computer operates. It's critical that you update Microsoft Windows on a regular basis by going to the "Windows Update" website www.windowsupdate.com automatically update your operating system.
- Dump what you don't need - Every few months you should regularly inventory your computer to find and delete the programs you don't really need. These unused or unnecessary programs take up valuable hard drive space, and if you're not using them, you should remove them from your computer via the “Add/Remove” programs option in your control panel.
- Defragment your hard drive - Your hard drive is one of the hardest-working parts of your computer—you're using it all the time, every day (whether you realize it or not) to access the programs you use and store the files you create. That's why it's critical to defrag your hard drive on a regular basis to keep things running as quickly as possible. Do it monthly if you're a “light” computer user and weekly if you're a power user.
- Keep things clean - To help ensure your computer runs smoothly, don’t cover the air vents—you need to keep the internal components as cool as possible. You should also vacuum your computer every few months to clean out the dust that accumulates.
- Security is important - When things do go wrong, you want to be prepared. Therefore, it’s important to always backup your important data. You can back it up online, to an external hard drive or to a central server, or you can place the data on CD-ROMs or DVDs.
Whatever method you choose, make sure to back it up on a regular basis so that if your computer crashes, you can easily recover your important data.
Going to the Whiteboard
There’s more to the UPS Whiteboard site than TV spots. Featuring web shows and demonstrations that are designed to help decision makers quickly identify simple solutions to complex problems, the site is simple to navigate, so users can quickly find what they need and contact UPS to initiate service.
Whether you’re contemplating going global, modernizing your shipping or even taking your business to the next level with a small business loan, the Whiteboard site will have Andy, the Whiteboard guy, show you how simple it can be? He’ll even deliver (in his unique style) a personalized e-mail message to anyone you choose. Like a note to the boss thanking him for that pay raise or promotion, for example.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Corporate Wikipedia
Although centralizing employee reference material is efficient, some employees don't like being edited by colleagues, especially those further down the org chart. I would imagine employees would get pretty frustrated that somebody else edited their work. The sites that make it easy for people to add and edit information have revolutionized encyclopedia creation, evidenced by the growth of Wikipedia. A range of enterprise wiki software from Atlassian, Socialtext, CustomerVision, MindTouch, Traction, and others gives companies much-needed security and access control features.
Even employees convinced of the usefulness of Wikis aren't necessarily comfortable with them, especially when their work may be seen and tinkered with by colleagues from across the company. Some companies let employees take a more passive role, for instance with Wikis that track industry news or update employees on quickly changing rules and regulations.
In my opinion, Wikipedia for the office makes sense and with a few controls in place, employees have a way to feel in the know (which is always an employee relations issue) and they feel empowered to ensure that information is updated as methods and processes change. In addition, Wikipedia centralizes knowledge at a low cost which I’m going to assume reduces training time, as well. Despite its funny name, Wikipedia is great!
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Create a Blog to Boost Your Business
Business blogging has the opportunity to become a powerful tool by allowing businesses to communicate with consumers, share their valuable feedback about performance and find out how to meeting their customer's needs. The great thing about it all, the costs are minimal. Here are some additional advantages to business blogging:
- Word of mouth expands to hundreds and thousands of people
- Information can be posted real-time which increases the speed of communication
- Brand awareness and loyalty increases through relationship building online
- Feedback is open and honest
- Customer communities are built which further expands a businesses reach
Start reading blogs that teach you how to blog. As you might imagine, there are several blogs dedicated to teaching people the dos and don'ts of blogging. Here are a few I would recommend:
- ProBlogger is one of the best resources out there on how to become a great blogger.
- The Blog Herald offers news about blogging. It often links to information or to-dos that any blogger should know.
- BlogWrite for CEO's is designed for management but it still contains a lot of good, basic information for someone just starting out.
Business blogging is an innovative way to meet your business objectives in a cost-effective way. There are some great sites that will provide you with the who, what, when, where and why of business blogging.