Online Tools to Help You Manage Projects

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The the probability is good that you, as a small business owner, are juggling many projects at once, and the chances are equally high in this era of virtual workers that many freelancers and consultants spread throughout the country are working on these projects. It can be challenging to keep track of the progress of these projects, and it can be equally difficult to assign new tasks, share essential documents, and request updates from these far-flung workers.

Project management solutions

Luckily, for small businesses, there are a number of project management options.  These tools can provide assistance to keep projects on course, and employees and clients connected. Here are some of the top rated project management tools available:

Basecamp

This well-known project management tool has become popular as it is a single tool that allows businesses to manage projects, assign duties, communicate with employees, and more. It’s truly a one-stop shop! It even allows clients to evaluate and comment on their project. As well as schedule meetings and calendar events, which keeps all relevant parties on the same page.

Quickbase

Inuit business software creators have developed a project management tool called Quickbase.  This tool has many of the same features of Basecamp while being able to facilitate both large and small companies all with a neat and simple user interface.

Huddle

For the more creative projects, such as marketing and advertising, Huddle is ideal. One of this tool’s perks is its live-conferencing tool. If you need to assemble the team in a quick and easy fashion, this tool lets you, no matter where your team members might be.

Deskaway

Deskaway permits you to keep clients and employees informed by using snapshots of a project’s progression. It has the functionality to generate and post blogs determined by individual projects as well as keep in contact about important updates easily.

There are many other online project management tools that can help you retain stronger control over your business’ marketing campaigns, new product launches, and website development. This is good news. It allows you to find the one project management tool that best fits you and your business.

Is the thought of a true paperless office just a pipe dream?

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Have you ever thought your business should go paperless? We’ve seen the possibility of a paperless office grow over recent years, but you’d be hard pressed to find an office that is truly paper-free. Is a paperless office even possible? The simple answer? No. We’re moving that direction, but it is going to take us quite a while.

The advantages of paper

There’s a reason why paper hasn’t yet vanished from most offices: It is useful. Employees at even the greenest of offices—those workspaces most devoted to decreasing the level of paper they consume—have uses for paper. Paper is portable. Employees can easily scrawl notes on it. They can fold it up and slip it into their wallets or shirt pockets. Many employees prefer proofreading important documents in hard-copy form. There’s something about proofreading a document on the computer screen that causes some employees to miss important errors or typos.

Less paper than ever

Paper isn’t disappearing, it is becoming steadily less important. While we still need paper for certain tasks,  most offices are using less paper than ever before. Most writing is done on a word-processor and communication is done via email or Skype as opposed to fax or letters. Meeting notes, company schedules, and whole marketing campaigns are stored digitally on our computers and smartphones.  So while paper is not yet obsolete, the sticky note is no longer king of the office.

The future

It’s obvious that offices of the future will rely on less paper than even we do now, but will paper ever really go the way of the milkman? Maybe. Some people still prefer having their milk delivered from a local dairy but most are content to pick it up from the store when they need it.

Paper will most likely go the same route and it will be a personal preference as to how much paper is consumed in the office. As many of our business processes rely on digital solutions, there will always be a select few who prefer good old-fashioned pen and paper.

Things You Might Not Know Your iPhone Could Do

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We are all aware of what an iPhone is capable of doing. We can use this handy device to connect to the Web and watch the latest movies and television shows. We can use it to update our Facebook pages and send out tweets. We can play music, make phone calls, and find directions to the closest Italian restaurant all with the iPhone. However, you may be amazed at what else your iPhone lets you do. Fortunately, there are plenty of smartphone experts out there willing to share their top iPhone tricks with you.

Saving Time

If you find it difficult to type a Web address on the small on-screen keyboard, before clicking in the address bar on your browser, turn your iPhone to a horizontal position. The keyboard will now be larger, making it easier to type an “e” and not a “w”. This is a timesaving tip for making phone calls. When browsing the Web, if you find telephone number you need to call, simply tap the phone number on the screen and your phone will call it.

More Efficient Typing

This tip from Apple results in speedier typing.  When using the on-screen keyboard tap the space bar twice at the end of a sentence. This will automatically add a period and capitalize the next word you’re going to type. If you use a lot of special characters, you can access them by touching and holding a letter. You can then chose the character you need and insert it into the message.

Quick Printing, Personalized Entertainment

If you own an AirPrint-enabled printer, you can print documents, emails, and even Web pages from your iPhone. To print an email message, tap the Reply icon and then select “Print” and your phone will send the message to your printer. For a Web page, touch the “Action” icon and select “Print.”

Your iPhone can play your music, but did you know you can create a personalized music playlist on the go? Open the iPod application, tap the “Playlists” icon and chose the “Add Playlist” option. After renaming your playlist, just navigate to any song you wish to add and select it.

Learn How Touchscreen Technology Works

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It’s something we already take for granted: whenever we touch an icon on the screens of our electronic devices, we expect something to happen. And not just anything, either; we expect our gadgets to do exactly what we want it to do, when we want it done, and all at the touch of a fingertip. It was not too far back that touchscreen technology was a source of wonder. These days, touchscreen technology is a given for many of the latest gizmos—from tablets to GPS units.

While most of us use this technology on a daily basis, most of us do not know how it works. How does a screen know what to do when we touch an icon? There are various types of touchscreen technologies but they all operate based on a similar idea.

Resistive touchscreens

This is the most common and the most affordable type of touchscreen technology today. With resistive technology, screens are coated with an electrically conductive layer. Your fingertip causes the electrical current to change when you touch the screen. The device’s controller receives the information and preforms the action you requested.

Surface wave touchscreen

This type of touchscreen is popular as well. It relies on ultrasonic waves that pass over the touchscreen. When you touch the panel, you essentially alter the wave. Depending on how and where it is changed, specific information is given to the device’s controller to relay what action to preform.

Capacitive touchscreens

Devices that rely on capacitive touchscreens tend to have the sharpest image quality. Capacitive touchscreens are coated with a material that sends a continuous electrical current over the sensor. The good news is, the human body is also a type of electrical device. Consequently when you touch the screen you absorb some of the current. The device registers this disturbance, causing it to send information to its controller. The device will then perform the action which you requested.

Luckily, we don’t have to truly understand the science behind touchscreen technology have fun with it, and we don’t need to be engineers to understand that this technology isn’t going away any time soon.

The Demise of Paper Currency

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These days it seems like everything is going digital. Will currency follow suit? It may seem far-fetched to imagine that currency could go totally digital. However, people already depend heavily on credit cards and online auto-payments to pay their bills. Gas stations, parking meters, as well as vending machines take plastic now and many people don’t carry cash anymore. So we might not be that far off from ditching paper money after all.

The Bitcoin revolution?

Did you realize there is an increasingly popular digital currency already in “circulation?” Bitcoin, first seen in 2009, is an “unhackable” peer-to-peer digital currency that’s recognized across the globe and can used to purchase goods and services.

Bitcoin is not truly a worldwide digital currency and is not legal tender, so most retailers won’t take it. It’s entirely possible that if someone were to create a competing digital currency, Bitcoin could become valueless.

The digital currency model

There are many advantages to ditching paper money. You can’t lose it, you don’t have to worry about having exact change, and there’s no need to replace damaged currency, which saves time, energy, and funds.

Digital currency may also be safer. For example, if your cash-filled wallet is stolen, there is little chance you will get that money back. However, if someone steals a credit card, you can promptly cancel it to protect yourself from further theft and possibly get some of that money back. Likewise if someone were to steal your digital dollars, the digital trail would make it more likely that you may retrieve your funds.

Holdouts

Not everyone is sold on the idea of digital currency. Many people still don’t use credit cards or even have a computer. They prefer to use paper money, as it feels more real to them. We will just have to see how the world changes and if the luddites out there will change their minds.

The 2011 Tokyo Motor Show

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The Tokyo Motor Show showcased many of the most exciting concept cars of 2011. Many companies had efficiency in mind with their eco-friendly models while others pushed their concepts to the limits of creativity. Here we will examine some of the more intriguing and eccentric designs of 2011.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen unveiled their newest Beetle and it is ready to rock. Teaming up with Fender, this Beetle is equipped with a sound system that includes a 400W 10-channel amplifier, a subwoofer, and two sets of tweeters, one set in the front and one in the back. This car is perfect for anyone who is ready to rock out!

Honda

This year Honda debuted this an ultra tiny electric car they call their “micro commuter”. This eco-friendly automobile is only 98.4 inches long, 49.2 wide, and 56.3 tall and brings a video game feel to your morning drive. Two joysticks control the car. Its top speed is just 37 mph and carries three people. While this may seem like a disadvantage, for those navigating a crowded city, its tiny size is perfect.

Daihatsu

This design may look like a bus; it is actually the FC Sho Case fuel cell car. Daihatsu’s revolutionary design contains no rare earth metals, which makes it more affordable to build then other fuel cells. The LCD screen on the exterior play relaxing wave patterns, but when getting into the car, passengers must step high over these to get in, making it difficult for elderly people or those with injuries.

Toyota and Yamaha

Scooters have become more popular in the past few years. People want easy, fuel-efficient methods for getting from here to there. Partnering with Toyota, Yamaha revealed an electric tricycle that takes scooters one step further. The EC-Miu can be recharged at charging stations used by other electric vehicles and it has Wi-Fi capabilities.

The concepts showcased at the Tokyo Motor Show this year were green focused and highly imaginative. It’s hard to predict what they will think of next, but I for one am looking forward to next year.

Android Phone Tips

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Android smartphones and Apple’s iPhones are very different. Android phones are highly customizable. You can change everything from your Android phone’s home screen to the way you download apps because Android is open source. The tips below will show you how easy it is to tailor your smartphone to your specific needs.

One-Touch Dialing
Certainly there are people in your life that you call more then others. With Android phones, it is possible to setup one-touch dialing for these people. Just press an open space on your home screen, when the menu pops up select the “Shortcuts” option. Choose Direct Dial and find the right person from your list of contacts. You can then select which button you’d like them set to. Easy as that!

Saving Time Searching the Web
You can individualize your Android phone so you spend less time looking for your favorite Websites, too, by moving your top Web sites right to your phone’s home screen. Do this by pressing and holding onto any site listed in your browser’s bookmarks. Soon, a list of options will pop up. Press the “Add Shortcut to Home” option, and the selected Web page will now appear on your phone’s home page.

Organizing with Folders
Creating folders on your Android phone can help you keep everything organized, from your contacts to work documents. To create folders on your home screen, press a blank space on the screen. When the menu pops up, choose “Folders.” This will permit you to create folders and name them. Then, simply, drag and drop documents, images, and files into these folders.

Phishing Scams: How To Protect Your Small Business From Cyber Thieves

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One of the top cyber crimes, and the most profitable, are phishing scams.  Large corporations such as Sony have been jeopardized and reports of these types of cyber crimes are being reported at a high rate.  Phishing scams are just as dangerous to small business owners as they are to large corporations.

Over 300,000 complaints were filed in 2010 to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a partnership between the National White Collar Crime Center and the FBI.  These complaints were from small businesses and individuals wronged by online phishing scams and numerous other Internet related crimes.

Understanding what phishing is will help you identify what makes your small business so appealing to cyber criminals.

What is phishing?

What does “phishing” mean? Phishing is the attempt to access private data, such as financial information, usernames, and passwords. This is attained by making false websites, graphics, email accounts, and phone numbers. The subject is persuaded, by one method or another, to reveal these types of data that may be used to steal their identity (social security numbers are a popular target). For small businesses, phishing scams may attempt to gain access to customer credit card information. 

Examples of small business phishing scams

There are many models of small business phishing scams.  For example, fake emails have been sent to thousands of smaller businesses that are highly authentic looking from the IRS and even including the IRS logo.  These emails explain that they must fill out tax forms or W-4 forms and return these forms by fax.  Many business owners trust this information was sent by the IRS and fear that they will be audited if they do not do what the email said was requested of them.

At the official website, IRS.gov, the IRS states that it will not contact companies through email first. Beware and use caution before clicking on a link claiming to be from them.

Your company email can be a target

Thieves can gain access to a business by targeting a particular individual by sending them deceitful emails that conveys a professionally sincere image. Most of the time these emails will contain a computer virus or malware. It has the ability to infect a company’s entire network, which allows thieves to gain access to confidential data.

Phone phishing

Beware that there are also “Phone phishing scams”, in which someone claiming to be from a bank, for instance, might ask you to call and verify your account.

How to protect your business against phishing

The Anti-Phishing Work Group offers wonderful advice on how to keep your small business from becoming a target of phishing. Here are several of their tips:

  • Make sure your employees are aware of what phishing scams are, and are cautious when reading and responding to suspicious emails.  Always err on the side of caution.  Instead of clicking a link, open another browser window and go to the official website.
  • Never give out company financial information such as bank routing numbers to an inquiry made via email.  Your bank does not need you to confirm your account information…they already have that. An email like that even if it has your bank’s logo is a fake. Make it a habit to check your accounts regularly for suspicious charges and withdrawals.
  • Make sure every computer used has up-to-date virus and malware protection.  Schedule regular full system scans.  Never download “anti-virus” software from an unknown entity. It’s better to stick with trusted brands.

The APWG keeps statistics on phishing scams and offers lots of advice on safe guarding your business.  Phishing is almost impossible for law enforcement to stop.  The best defense is to educate yourself and your employees on how to identify phishing scams and stay up to date on the latest information.

 

Business and Telecommuting

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Trends in business change every day. One trend that appears to be gaining momentum is telecommuting, but is it a trend at all? There are plenty of opinions around whether telecommuting is good for business or not. Some of the questions raised are, “Will it make employees more productive? Will they be happier, lonelier, more connected or less? What are the benefits to the company?” These are all considerations when deciding if telecommuting is a good fit for your company’s culture.

There are some great benefits to telecommuting.  We’ve given you several pros and cons to think about below:

Pros

  • Telecommuters work longer hours, as they aren’t wasting time travelling.
  • Telecommuting employees are generally less stressed.
  • Telecommuters can adjust their working hours around their lives and the hours they are most productive – even if that is at three a.m.
  • Telecommuters are generally more productive.
  • Self-reliance and time management skills are encouraged by telecommuting.
  • Telecommuting also gives employers more freedom to hire skilled individuals without the cost of moving them across the globe.
  • Both the telecommuter and the employer save time and money.

Cons – the flip side

  • Telecommuting can cause burnout particularly for those with poor time management skills, which often results in resentment of the company.
  • Telecommuters often complain of being isolated and feeling lonely or depressed from lack of socialization.
  • Poor time management skills may lead to a lack of productivity
  • Telecommuting can lead to a break down in communication due to distance.
  • Setting up a home office effectively can take more time than setting up in-office.

If your company chooses to include telecommuting in their organizational plan, strong time management skills, open and strong lines of communication, and managers who have a strong comprehension of the work ethic and responsibilities of their employees are required for telecommuting to be a success. Working independently is something more and more employees crave in this technological age. Let us know what you think about telecommuting. Will it fade out or is it the future of business?

Under-the-Radar Gadget Gifts

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Does it seem like there are only two major gadgets to give this holiday season: either a smartphone or a tablet? We’re bombarded everyday with a new contender, be it the Samsung Galaxy II smartphone or Kindle Fire tablet. But, of course, there are thousands of other tech gadgets that will make that geeky friend on your list happy for a fraction of the cost. Without diving into every tech website out there, here are just a few to get your mind going in a different direction, be it for a more eco-conscious or just a more economical tech-geek gift.

Gadgets make great gifts – whether they’re practical or not

Who doesn’t like getting gadgets? While you may not love the 40-in-1 Swiss Army knife, the 6-in-1 key chain may fit the bill. Either way, a true gadget lover will find a use for them. So, the Starship Enterprise Pizza Cutter or a pair of crocheted headphones just might delight that tech geek friend of yours.

Gadgets for the hard-to-shop-for individual

Much depends on their tech savvy-ness, of course. But you may want to ask a quick question first: do they care about the environment? For those individuals who do, plenty of eco-friendly devices can be found, from hand-powered paper shredders to solar-powered tiki torches. It depends on how much you’re willing to spend on the recipient, but the options are many.

Tablet or smartphone owners

For people who already own a smartphone and tablet, there are some terrific accessories to brighten their day, from iPhone “wallet cases” to iPad docking stations. As most tablets and smartphones don’t have separate keyboards, here are two accessory ideas, one for the iPad, one for the iPhone. These gadgets will have an immediate impact on the user’s experience!

The best part about gadgets and the reason they’re continuously sought after is that they’re always at hand. Gadgets, simply put, make our lives easier. Although you may not believe that there are more gift items out there other than phones or tablets, hopefully we’ve expanded your view to include some that are under the radar!