One-Third of World Spam

With the arrest of Oleg Nikolaenko, the young Russian responsible for billions of spam messages each day, the world is wondering what it would be like with one-third less spam.

There are over 250 billion email messages sent each day. With 86,400 seconds in a day, that's about 3 million email messages a second. Conservatively, 80% is spam. That means that 2.5 million emails each second are spam. Many of those emails are caught by spam filters, but the spam that makes it to inboxes still cause major problems. Spam is profitable and despite the repeated warnings, people still click on spam.

Ordering pharmaceuticals or fake Rolex watches from spam hurts you in two ways. First, they take your money for the item and you get an empty box if you get anything at all. And second, you can be highjacked and become part of the botnet. A botnet is like the Borg for computers. Your computer is taken over and does what it is commanded to do - send more spam!

Botnets sound like science-fiction, but they do exist and have attacked millions of computers. Most infections occur on home or small business computers and start with a computer that does not have an adequate firewall or anti-malware protection. At one time, Oleg's Mega-D botnet had over a hundred thousand infected computers sending billions of spam messages each day.

So will the world see a reduction in spam? Probably not, but it does give pleasure to all the haters-of-spam that at least one culprit is behind bars. For now, he's being held without bail. I don't know if Federal prisons still serve Spam, but he could develop a new found love for fried Spam, Spam sandwiches and Spam with eggs.

For more technical notes and information go to: www.lansystems.com/technotes.html.

What Hackers Want

Especially after someone has been the victim of a hacking attack, they want to know why. Hackers have many motives and trying to decipher their behavior is complicated. The classification of white hats, black hats, grey hats and such is an interesting attempt to legitimatize electronic spying and sabotage. Perhaps there are "good hackers" that perform a valuable service, but most attacks are malicious in nature. Generally, hackers want to take something from you, teach you a lesson or show their programming skills.

Taking something from you. This can be financial information, social media login and password, your time or your peace of mind. Many victims of infections that cause pop-ups with objectionable material are traumatized. They often react like the victim of a physical crime. Anyone that has been hit with difficult to remove malware knows that it can be time consuming and expensive to remove the infection.

Teaching you a lesson. Hacking may have started as practical jokes that exploited vulnerabilities for pleasure and recognition, but it has grown into an industry that steals billions of dollars of productivity each year. The pranks of today can cause great harm, intended or not. A recent Twitter Prank illustrated how disruptive it can be to “play around” on the Internet. Some may find justification for causing disruption in that they are just exposing vulnerabilities, but it is harmful and illegal. Malware is vandalism.

The best defense is a good offense. Implement appropriate protections for your electronics. Computer or cyber security takes many of its strategies from the physical world. You use locks for your house and car. You may have an alarm system, but the amount of protection is related to the value of the property. For instance, Fort Knox has fences and armed guards that protect the fortress. You should use the same strategy to protect your computer systems - the more valuable the information, the more you should invest in protection.

Vulnerabilities, Threats and Consequences (VTC). Determine the assets to protect and then analyze the vulnerabilities, threats and consequences. Just like with your physical property, use your assessment of the risk to determine the protection. Start with a review of your firewall and make sure you have a good backup of your system. Backups are an essential part of a disaster recovery plan and are especially economical if you ever have to restore. Also, use a malware protector in addition to your spam and virus protection. You may want to double-up on the malware protection. For many companies, enterprise level protection is essential. Protection includes content filtering in addition to the essential spam, virus, spyware, adware and ransomware protection.

It is difficult to stay ahead of the hackers. There are so many of them and they spend a great deal of time working on the next attack. Certainly, if that effort was put to positive use, we would be on the way to solving world hunger. But meanwhile, use practical computer measures to protect yourself, your company and your family.

If you have suggestions or comments, please contact me at: mary@lansystems.com.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday

This year just about every retailer is using the term Black Friday and Cyber Monday to advertise their special “specials” and grab the attention of holiday shoppers. Those seem strange terms, not very glamorous or even illustrative of a bargain. In fact, they sound more like viruses and cyborg attacks out of a sci-fi movie. So why have they caught on?

Used to describe sinister or catastrophic events occurring on a particular day of the week, Black Friday has been used for everything from massacres to meltdowns. Today, we most often use the term for shopping the day after Thanksgiving. Coined in the late 1960s by the Philadelphia police because of the choking traffic and crowds, the moniker caught on and by the mid-1970s was being widely used. Later the term Black Friday was redefined to mean the day that retailers become profitable or put some black ink on the ledger. It is an urban legend that Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year. Actually the Saturday before Christmas handily wins as the top shopping day fueled by procrastinators and bargain hunters alike. But Black Friday has risen as a contender most likely because of all the hype and ads promoting the day.

Cyber Monday invented by shop.org (that’s a dead give-a-way) as the Monday after Black Friday where all the returning workers shop online for the bargains they missed over the weekend. This does have negative connotations in that people are spending otherwise productive time shopping at work and that they don’t have the ability to shop at home. Both of these facts are probably widely exaggerated especially with Cyber Sunday overtaking Cyber Monday as the biggest online shopping day. But there is no doubt that online shopping is deeply rooted in our shopping psyche especially if free shipping applies.

We all love a bargain especially as we go into the holiday shopping season. Our habits as consumers are researched, analyzed and baked into marketing strategies that grab even the most resistant shopper. Successful marketing campaigns are the stuff of legend giving the next generation of business school graduates an idea to admire and study for years to come. Whether highly orchestrated or completely accidental, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are here to stay at least for a while.

But it’s not bad to see consumers spend money. It could help our anemic economy and put us all in a festive mood. Early indications say there might even be a 3% increase over last year’s holiday sales. So shop in earnest, virtually and physically, but always beware of deals that are too good to be true!

For more technical notes and information go to: www.lansystems.com/technotes.html

The three most costly mistakes to avoid when implementing your EHR

Our guest blogger is John Macikowski, Director for Clinical Practice Solutions Inc., an authorized VAR and Implementation specialist for eClinicalWorks and Dragon Medical. John has over 25 years in the IT industry and has specialized in Healthcare Solutions for the past 6 years. 

1) Not making sure that the EHR you choose meets all current Federal Meaningful Use guidelines. This is perhaps the most important criteria. Unless you are looking to retire from practice in the next few years, purchasing an EHR program that does not meet current Meaningful Use guidelines, or one that is unlikely to meet them in the future is a poor decision for your practice and can negatively impact you in the future in areas as diverse as compensation, product support, EHR and Health Exchange interoperability and medical device compatibility. If you are not sure, or if that fact is glossed over by the salesperson, ask for it in writing.

2) Short changing yourself on training time and expertise. You’re learning a brand new way to run your practice. Give yourself adequate time for the transition. How much expertise does your training team have? Ask to talk to the trainer that will do your implementation. Ask for references of practices that particular trainer has done. Who is accountable for your implementation? Training will determine how successful your practice will be with its EHR implementation, how efficient your staff will be, and ultimately, how much it will cost you. The correct amount and type of upfront training will save you money and frustration down the road. You want to avoid a trainer that simply gives a detailed demo of the product. You do want a trainer that will understand and implement to your workflow. Ideally, either the trainer or implementation coordination should have practice management experience. Do you really want to trust your livelihood to a trainer that doesn’t understand your concerns? EHR salespeople typically quote the minimum amount of training in order to make their EHR look more price competitive. They will tell you there are dozens of videos you can watch on your own time to supplement training. Is your time really worth that little? Can you and your staff really go live on an EHR on three or five days of training?

3) Skimping on hardware. Make sure you buy enough workstations, and deploy the correct type of hardware. You should ask your implementation specialist what is the “best practice” roadmap for your hardware. Don’t just go by the EHR minimum specifications (Or even worse, shortcut the specifications.) Minimum specifications are just that, what you really want to know is what you will need in order to make your EHR perform at its best. Your EHR salesperson and IT partner should understand that. Your IT specialist should also have some experience with that particular EHR or be willing to work closely with your EHR implementation team. If not, find one that does. Spend the money to have an independent infrastructure audit if you have any doubts about your current IT vendor’s capabilities.

If you have comment or suggestions for future blog topics, please contact me at: mary@lansystems.com.

For more technical notes and information go to: www.lansystems.com/technotes.html

More Monitor = More Job Productivity & Satisfaction

The NEC commissioned University of Utah study shows increased productivity, job satisfaction and an incredible return on investment. It is not surprising that a monitor manufacturer would recommend larger and multiple monitor arrangements, but what do users think? There are two trends. The first is for smaller, lighter, mobile devices for on-the-go professionals and the second is for more screen real estate for the stationary worker.

On-the-go professionals need access from anywhere, anytime so they can stay connected. The screen sizes of mobile devices are definitely trending up, but in general they are still much, much smaller than desktop monitors. Most mobile users don't need multiple windows. They can switch between applications or use tools to work more efficiently. Mobile devices are great for staying connected and having information at your fingertips. They are not efficient for programming that requires in-depth analysis or complicated tasks. Many types of IT systems do not allow access or control from a mobile device because of the chance of errors and security concerns.

Stationary users benefit from larger or dual monitors depending on the work they do on the computer. If a user has two or more applications that they cut-and-paste between, dual monitors are a great for increased productivity and error reduction. You don't have to stop with a dual arrangement. Triple and quad monitors are used in many situations, like control monitoring, that give the user needed information at a glance without having to switch between windows. But size does become a diminishing return and if the monitor is too big it can be a productivity drain. The NEC report shows single 26 inch and dual 20 inch as the upper limit.

Desk space is important. With flat panel monitors, desk space is not a problem as with CRTs. Usually you can comfortably place two monitors or a larger monitor on a desk without obscuring view. If you want to be accessible to your customers, co-workers and employees, don't sit with your back to the door or with a monitor hiding your face.

There is a good bit of research on monitors and productivity that you can use. Read the NEC Study or do some Internet research for more suggestions on how to be more productive with your computer monitors. Make a list of what tasks cause you and your staff the most irritation and solve them first.

If you have suggestions or comments, please contact me at: mary@lansystems.com.

For more technical notes and information go to: www.lansystems.com/technotes.html

Twitter Prank

Twitter users were hit yesterday with tweets and sometimes offending pop-ups that originated from exploiting a programming flaw. Twitter defines this as a prank rather than an attack or a hack. They also have assured Twitter members that no personal account information was compromised. But this does raise the point of what defines a malicious attack, prank or just a mistake.

In the 1960's, Cap'n Crunch cereal put thousands of toy whistles in their boxes. Children all over delighted in the whistle design, color and sound. There are many reports of children excitedly calling friends and grandparents to tell them about the wonderful whistle. But when they would blow the whistle into the phone, they would get disconnected. The connection between the whistle and the phone disconnect was discovered and exploited.

The whistle emitted a precise 2600 Hertz tone, the same frequency used by AT&T to tell the switching equipment that the trunk was ready for a long distance call. Lots of free long distance calls were made by exploiting this feature. AT&T has long since fixed the flaw, but in the 1970's one of the exploiters was charged and convicted of toll fraud.

Mistakes, like programming flaws, can be innocently uncovered like children blowing their Cap'n Crunch whistle into the phone. Those innocently uncovered flaws can be turned into pranks where some amount of disruption, like disconnected phones or pop-up windows or worms, can occur. But when malicious disruption or fraud evolves from the original mistake, it becomes a serious legal issue. What will happen with the Twitter "prank" - we will just have to wait and see.

For more technical notes and information go to: www.lansystems.com/technotes.html

Comments? - email me at: mary@lansystems.com.

Microsoft Office 2010: The best new features in PowerPoint

For anyone that has ever presented to a group, you know it is essential to be well prepared and have the right props. For many, PowerPoint is the prop of choice.

Creating your presentation in PowerPoint allows you to gather all your thoughts and ideas in one tool. You have many slide choices and can move, cut, paste and organize to create a coherent flow of information without leaving the program. Adding graphics, diagrams, video and sound is easier than ever. With just a little time investment, PowerPoint will make you look like a presentation guru!

When creating the perfect presentation, be sure not make your slides too busy or add too much glitz. If you want to use sound and video, make sure to add at a place in your presentation where it will complement your message. Video can be a great introduction or it can be used to clarify your points. Don’t use sound or video in parts of your presentation where you need the attention of the audience. Don’t let text dominate your presentation. Use pictures and graphics liberally as people remember points made through visuals much better than they remember words.

Create interesting presentations

Use built in video power tools - Create extraordinary presentations by embedding video that was created using tools that give a professional multimedia experience. You can fade, add formatting effects, bookmark scenes, and trim your videos with ease. Sharing is easy because the embedded video is part of the PowerPoint presentation. You only have to share one file.

Picture editing made easy - Use new and improved picture editing tools—including versatile artistic effects and advanced correction, color, and cropping tools—to fine-tune every picture in your presentation to look its absolute best.

Built in graphic effects - You don’t have to be a design expert to create professional-looking graphics. Use dozens of additional SmartArt® layouts to create organization charts, lists, and picture diagrams. Transform words into impressive visuals that better illustrate your ideas. Create diagrams as easily as typing a bulleted list or convert text and images to a diagram in just a few clicks. All the tools you need to create stunning graphics are built into PowerPoint.

3-D transitions and improved animations -PowerPoint 2010 offers new, dynamic slide transitions and animation effects that look similar to graphics you’d see on TV. Easily access, preview, apply, customize, and replace animations. You can also use the new Animation Painter to easily copy animations from one object to another.

Quick and easy presentation management

Microsoft Office Backstage view – This is the tool palette you see when you select File. This is where you manage your files and the data about them — creating, saving, inspecting for hidden metadata or personal information, and setting options. In short, it is everything that you do to a file that you don’t do in the file.

Compress video and audio - Select File and then Info to compress video and audio in your presentation. This reduces the file size and can increase playback performance. Select the quality option from the drop-down choices.

Customize the Ribbon – Use customizations to personalize the ribbon the way that you want it. For example, you can create custom tabs and custom groups to contain your frequently used commands. Note:Ribbon customization is specific to the Microsoft Office program you are working in at the time. Ribbon customization does not apply across the Office programs.

Work together from anywhere

Live broadcast - Broadcast your slide show to people in other locations, whether or not they have PowerPoint installed. Create a video of your presentation—including your transitions, animations, narration, and timings—to share with virtually anyone, any time after your live broadcast.

Microsoft PowerPoint Web App is an online companion to Microsoft PowerPoint which enables you to extend your PowerPoint experience to the browser. View a high fidelity version of your presentations, make light edits, or view your presentation slide show. Use the familiar PowerPoint interface and some of the same formatting and editing tools, from almost any computer with a Web browser.

Microsoft PowerPoint Mobile 2010 enables you to do light editing for your presentations and is especially designed for easy use on your Windows phone. You can even run your slide show right on your phone.

For more technical notes and information go to: www.lansystems.com/technotes.html

If you have any questions or need help with the instructions, email me at: mary@lansystems.com.

Microsoft Office 2010: The best new features in Access

If you have never used a relational database because you felt it was just too complicated, give a look at Access. Access 2010 has simplified database functions and added ready-to-go templates to get you started. Information stored in spreadsheets and documents can be easier to understand and less time consuming to manage in a relational database model. Not only can you save time, but you can make your data more meaningful and perform more meaningful analysis. And if you are using a product that uses Access to store your data, you will be able to better understand the tables, reports and relationships.


Fast, easy database creation

Ready-to-go Templates - Use the available templates to create a marketing list or sales pipeline without being a database expert. The templates are designed to give you the structure you need to get started and let you expand as you become more familiar with using Access.

Use modular components - These prebuild components allow you to build the most common tasks into your database. Go to Create – Application Parts after making your selection, the wizard will guide you through the setup and make your choices obvious. There are on-demand help videos that explain how to use Access. The videos are surprisingly easy to follow with clear language and demos that take you through the screens step-by-step.

Forms and reports with realistic, targeted analysis

Conditional formatting - Use data bars to manage your rules and create professional reports that are understandable and informative. Rather than trying to “crowbar” your data into available formats, you can customize the presentation and make your data mean more to organization. Stay focused at your sales and marketing meetings by using reports that everyone will recognize and appreciate.

Office themes - Choose themes with fonts, colors and designs that match your other Microsoft Office products that demonstrate consistency and branding.

Backstage – The Microsoft Office Backstage view replaces the traditional file menu with an ergonomic approach that uses In and Out features for efficiency. The improved Ribbon lets you access your favorite commands quickly and create custom tabs to personalize the way you work.

Developer quality without writing code

Expression Builder - Enhanced functionality with IntelliSense to greatly simplify formula and expression building. With these intuitive tools you will spend less time troubleshooting relationship errors and more time building a valuable database.

Macro Designer - Add basic logic to your database, quickly and easily even if you are not familiar with databases. If you’re an experienced Access user, you’ll find the enhancements allow you to use the complex logic move efficiently than ever. Extend your database application with increased performance and confidence.

Work from anywhere

Online – Post your database online and then access, view, and edit them from the Web. Users without an Access client can open Web forms and reports via a browser and their changes are automatically synchronized.

For organizations of all types and sizes, Access 2010 allows you to be more productive, flexible and cost-effective. You can combine tasks in Access that previously required several programs and labor intensive analysis to make better decisions for your business.

For more technical notes and information go to: www.lansystems.com/technotes.html

If you have any questions or need help with the instructions, email me at: mary@lansystems.com.

A non-technical post: My tomato garden

Usually, I write about computer and engineering topics but today it's all about my tomato garden.

I'm not a great gardener, but I have good luck with tomatoes. For years, Early Girl, Big Boy, Beefsteak and Parks Whoppers (my favorite) have given us tomato sandwiches, tomato pies and ratatouille. It's not just a tomato garden but has eggplant, maybe some squash and cucumbers.

Even though Georgia has been droughty for several years, my tomatoes have been well watered and have flourished. We like big tomatoes where one slice gives you the perfect sandwich and cucumbers fresh off the vine. Over the years, the tomatoes have become tastier and tastier. We don’t buy those tasteless, hot house grown tomatoes and even at a restaurant the tomatoes are disappointing.

My husband is from South Georgia and insists that you have to put your tomatoes in on Good Friday for the best crop. This year I was late in planting, over a month late, so I bought some 3 and 5 gallon tomatoes to make up for my tardiness. Some of the plants even had little tomatoes on them. I carefully planted and tended them knowing I was going to have the best harvest ever.

This year my garden had big problems. Most of my tomato plants drooped away or dried up. Those little tomatoes already on the vine died and even my Parks Whoppers have only average size fruit. We had a few red tomatoes early and I taught my granddaughter to pick them, but when we ran out of red ones, she started picking the green. Any other year, she would have had loads of tomatoes to pick and wash. But not this year.

Usually, I start with seedlings, so I don't know if the problems this year are the larger plants or the weather. It is disappointing especially now that we are at the peak of the season and it doesn't look like a bumper crop. But it's not all bad - haven't had many bugs this year!

My tomato troubles this year, made me realize that there is more skill and technology to tomato farming than I thought. I am looking for advice and am going to find some blogs for tomato growers.

For technical notes and information go to: www.lansystems.com/technotes.html

If you have suggestions or advice, email me at: mary@lansystems.com.

August 2010 Puzzle - This month a Riddle

This thing all things devours
Birds, beasts, trees, flower,
Gnaws iron, bites steel,
Grinds hard stones to meal,
Slays king, ruins town,
And beats high mountain down!

What is this thing?

On a scale of effortless to diabolical, this rates special literary knowledge!


Send your answer to puzzle@lansystems.com. All correct answers will be entered in our monthly drawing.

Or visit:  http://www.lansystems.com/Monthly_puzzle.html

Microsoft Office 2010 - The best new features in Excel

Excel is arguably the most under-utilized Microsoft Office product when it comes to advanced features. Ask people what features they most like in Excel and they usually describe the spreadsheet and graphing tools. But that is just a very small part of the capabilities built into Excel. From tools for statistical, engineering and financial functions, to pivot tables, to Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) programming, you can use Excel for simple to complex data analysis and display with easy to read graphs and charts.

If you haven't used the advanced tools in Excel, start by trying the new features to get the most from your software investment. Analyze your data to discover patterns or trends, then display with graphs and charts that illuminate the best course of action. With a little practice, you will improve your ability to study large data sets and make the most informed decisions.

Make fast, effective comparisons

Sparklines - Use sparklines to graphically display data in a single cell. You can display data in line, column or win/loss format to highlight trends. On the Insert tab, choose the type of Sparkline and your data range. Customize your sparklines for optimum effect by selecting the sparkline and choosing the Design tab.

Slicer - Slicers are filtering components that allow you to slice-and-dice your data without having to open drop down lists. Slicers make it easier to segment and filter data in PivotTables for high powered business intelligence.

Step up your analysis

Search Filter - Use the new Search Filter to quickly and easily narrow your search in tables, PivotTable, and PivotChart views. You can instantly sort through a million or more items.

PowerPivot (formerly called Project "Gemini") Add-In - Groundbreaking technology that allows you streamlined integration of data from multiple sources and lightning-fast manipulation of large data sets with up to millions of rows. Effortlessly publish and share analysis through Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 and have other users enjoy the same Slicer and fast-query capabilities when working on their Excel Services report.

Backstage - The Microsoft Office Backstage view replaces the traditional file menu with an ergonomic approach that uses In and Out features for efficiency. The improved Ribbon lets you access your favorite commands quickly and create custom tabs to personalize the way you work.

Jazz up your data presentations

Conditional Formatting - Excel 2010 adds sophistication to conditional formatting. Give your document a professional look by adding eye-catching formats. You have more choices and control over styles and icons, improved data bars, and the ability to highlight specific items in a few clicks. You can also display data bars for negative values and use color for effect.

Work from anywhere

Online - Post your spreadsheets online and work on them from virtually anywhere from the Web or your Windows Mobile-based Smartphone. With Excel 2010, you can take advantage of a best-in-class spreadsheet experience across multiple locations and devices.

Excel Web App - Extend your Office experience to the Web, and view and edit your spreadsheets through the Excel Web App when you’re away.

Excel Mobile 2010 - Stay up-to-the-minute and communicate on-demand by using a mobile version of Excel specifically suited to your Smartphone.

For other interesting features and functions, try Goal Seek to give you a what-if analysis to test your scenarios, experiment with linear regression to understand relationships in your data or just play with the new formatting tools. But once you uncover the "hidden" features in Excel, you will be enthusiastically hooked.

For more technical notes and information go to: www.lansystems.com/technotes.html

If you have any questions or need help with the instructions, email me at: mary@lansystems.com.

Hard drive basics: Data in motion

Today's electronics go with us everywhere and keep us connected. We are accustomed to using our electronics while moving, but not all devices are designed to be used on the go. Hard drives have moving parts and that is an important point to remember.


As a refresher, let's simply look at how a hard drive (sometimes called a hard disc) works. The drive includes a platter to hold the data, a head to read the data and electronics to control the process. The platter is mirror smooth and stores the magnetized data. If you have never seen the inside of a hard drive, the surface looks like a mirror. The head is attached to an arm that rides just above the platter surface. If the head touches the platter, damage and data lose almost always occurs. The electronics control the storage and retrieval of data.

Servers, workstations and desktops are stationary units. You should never move them while the unit is on. When the unit is off, the head is "parked" so that it will not accidently touch the platter. Vibrations can also cause the head to impact the platter, so it is important not to install computers in areas that can shake them. For instance, don't locate computers near air conditioner compressors or other motorized equipment. If you can't eliminate the vibrations, consider installing a vibration pad.

Notebooks, laptops and netbooks are often used as mobile devices, but are still susceptible to hard drive damage. Many high-end or hardened mobile computers have motion sensing protection. This protection will temporarily stop or park the head to prevent damage. Sophisticated motion protection is available but adds cost. Vibration pads are a lower cost option. In general, your mobile computer should be used on a stationary surface.

Camcorders and other mobile devices with hard drives have a suspension system and sensors that protect the hard drive in case of sudden acceleration. This safeguards the data by keeping the head from touching the platter even if the unit is dropped. This often works very well, but is not an absolute guarantee that the hard drive will not be damaged.

To protect your data, always use care when operating and make sure you have a good backup!

For more technical notes and information go to: www.lansystems.com/technotes.html

If you have any questions or comments, email me at: mary@lansystems.com.

Microsoft Office 2010: The best new features in Word

Word has become the standard for creating and formatting documents of all types from simple letters to documents with a table of contents, index and glossary. Word has made the task of creating and editing documents easy. Tools like spell check and thesaurus have made us look smart and polished. Thankfully, long gone are the days of typewriters, carbon paper and correction fluid.


Word 2010 has bold new features to enhance your document-formatting. It also bundles mobile features so you can take your documents with you almost-anywhere. With just a little practice, you can impress everyone with content-rich, visually compelling, professional documents for home, school or work.

Add flair to your documents and get noticed!
Transform with photos - New and improved photo-editing tools let you transform pictures right in Word 2010 – no extra software needed. Change color saturation, temperature, brightness, and contrast to turn a simple Word document into a work of art.
Turn text into visual effects - Add more visual impact with enhanced text effects and SmartArt graphics. Change basic bullet-points into compelling visuals and add text effects like shadow, glow, reflection, and 3-D in just a few clicks. From Font, choose Text Effects and make your choice.

Work with anyone – anywhere, anytime

Easily co-author documents - Word 2010 redefines the way people can work together on one document. With co-authoring, you can edit at the same time as others, even if you're working from different locations, and keep versions in sync with version control.

Access your information from more places - Microsoft Word Web App is an online companion to Microsoft Word that enables you to extend your Word experience to the browser. View a high fidelity version of your documents and make light edits as well. Access some of the same formatting and editing tools that are in Word 2010, and work in a familiar editing environment, from almost any computer with a Web browser.

Microsoft Word Mobile 2010 gives you a lightweight editor for your documents that’s especially designed for easy use on your Windows phone.

For more technical notes and information go to: www.lansystems.com/technotes.html

If you have any questions or need help with the instructions, email me at: mary@lansystems.com.

Creating an Outlook signature with hyperlinks

Now that you have your LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook accounts all jazzed up, it’s time to add links to your email signature. You can make a hyperlink to your social media sites and mail recipients can “click” right to them. Follow these simple steps to add your signature. For instructions with screen images, go to: http://www.lansystems.com/Creating-an-Outlook-signature-with-hyperlinks.html

1.Get your logos. You will need your company logo and logos for the social media sites to hyperlink. There are many logos to choose from that are in the public domain. If you want to use a logo that requires payment or special permission, make sure to satisfy all requirements before using.

2.Get your hyperlinks. Go to each of your social media sites and cut/copy the links to that site. Be sure that you use the links that do not require login to the site. For instance, when you login to Twitter your homepage is: http://twitter.com/home For others to see you, use the link to your account: http://twitter.com/LANSystems

3.Open Outlook and go to Tools – Options – Mail Format – Signatures – Edit

4.Since graphics/logos and hyperlinks will be added, we will use Word as our editor. Choose Advanced Edit and you will see a message that an external editor will be launched, select Yes.

5.Use Word to create your signature. You can start with a format line above the signature and then add your name, phone and other contact information.

6.Add the logo, by inserting a picture. Right click on the logo and choose- Edit Hyperlink. Add your hyperlink here.

7.Adjust until you like the look.

8.Save as Your_Name.rtf.

9.Create a new email message and check the signature format. Make sure to verify all links.

10.Use with all email messages. And be sure to add logos as you add new social media sites.

For more technical notes go to: www.lansystems.com/technotes.html

If you have any questions or need help with the instructions, email me at: mary@lansystems.com.

Recycling and donating electronics

Even if you have a consumption reducing program, your company will have electronics that are at the end of their useful life. Moving is a time when companies purge the old and electronics are no exception. Designing a new office is a great time to modernize and check the usefulness of computers and peripherals. Monitors, printers and battery backups are a few of the devices that you should examine closely. Upgrading monitors and printers can give you a real return-on-investment and too often our battery backups are overlooked or neglected.

LAN System has a free recycling program. You can drop off your equipment at our office or we will make arrangements for pickup during your normal on-site support. We also will prepare your equipment for donation to a school or charity of your choice. There is a nominal charge for this service as we will clean up data and make sure that all software is properly licensed. If you have question or want to arrange for this service, please call us at 770 662-0312 or email recycle@lansystems.com.

Recycling electronics

Responsible recycling is essential. Computer equipment and electronics that cannot be reused or donated must be environmentally recycled. This includes printers and print cartridges. Some retailers (like Staples) will give you cash back for your used cartridges. To dispose of any device that has a battery, like uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) or battery backup, take it to a recycle center.

Before you send your computer to a recycler, be sure that confidential data is completely removed. Files that have only been deleted or erased, can be easily recovered. So if you have to comply to HIPPA or any other regulations or have sensitive data, be sure that you use secure delete standards, such as the Department of Defense 5220.22-M.

Donating electronics

Remember you have to clear sensitive and personal data and that simply deleting or reformatting the hard drive is not adequate. If you are including software, you have to make sure that you do not violate the terms of the software license. For more information, see the booklet “Do the PC Thing: Donate Computers” published by the EPA.

LAN Systems would be happy to arrange for recycling or donating to your favorite non-profit through our recycling program. There is a nominal fee for our donation program that includes removing / clearing your data and checking software licenses.

More technical notes at www.lansystems.com/technotes.html

If want to discuss these and other ideas, please email me at mary@lansystems.com.

Should information on the Internet be free?

Information is an essential resource for any decision, but some data is more valuable than other. Information that is current, accurate, scarce or can be used to make high value decisions is quite important and therefore, expensive. When data loses its timeliness, accuracy or scarcity, it loses its value. This is not a new concept, but the Internet has changed the perception.


Research on the Internet is so much easier than going to the library and digging through stacks of books. Information on the Internet is easily accessible, but you have to check its authenticity and correctness. Books in libraries have more validation by the fact that they made it to the library shelf. There is no guarantee that the information in library books is correct and authentic, but there are facts about the author, publisher, copyright and sources that give some credibility to the work. Information on the Internet that is not cited should be viewed with suspicion.

Information in the public domain is vast and available on the Internet which makes it free for the taking, reading and repeating.

Should information that is not in the public domain be accessible and free? Much debate has surrounded Stewart Brand's statement that "information wants to be free." But he also said that information wants to be expensive. This is a wonderful paradox.

Holding and discussing the two opposing views that information wants to be free and expensive gives depth and dimension to the argument. So take the free information the Internet has to offer and purchase information that has value to you. It's your choice.

Please leave a comment or contact me at mary@lansystems.com.

For technical tips, please visit our website: http://www.lansystems.com/resources.html

A strong password is your first defense

The evolution of computers is astounding. The increase in computing power, bandwidth and accessibility has made almost everything people do with computers easier. Information technology not only satisfies our need for instant gratification, but changes the rules for trivial pursuit. No doubt, computers have changed our lives.


Today’s computer looks much different from the main frame days. Back then most users had a “green” screen to input data, starting with username and password. There was little graphics and most user input was entered at a prompt. Now, the graphics are remarkable from backgrounds to programs to games. The modern computer and display makes the virtual world come alive in ways that were hard to imagine twenty years ago. But with all the advancements one key feature hasn’t changed, we still use a username and password to log in.

Most computer systems still require input of the username and password to authenticate. There are some computer systems that use biometrics, digital certificates or smart cards, but even those seemingly high-tech features are still anchored in providing old fashioned authentication in the form of username/password combinations. Two-factor authentication requires two separate ways – something you know (username/password) and something you have (biometrics/smart card/digital key) - to verify identity, but even these methods have weaknesses. Still your first defense is a strong password.

Strong passwords contain upper and lower case letters, numbers, special characters and are at least 8 characters in length. Here are a few examples:
?lACpAs56IKMs"
areWEtherey3t
shirt.3cloud

Important accounts should have unique passwords. Even if you reuse passwords, don’t use on too many critical accounts and make sure the password is strong. If a password is compromised, change all accounts that use that password. You can create a less stringent password to use on non-critical accounts.

If you cannot remember all your accounts and passwords, you will have to record them. You can keep in a password book or file, but this is where your best security can be compromised. Keep your book behind lock and key. Be sure to encrypt your password file and call is something innocent. (Don’t call it password.file.) There are programs that will organize and save your accounts and passwords. To avoid malware infections, only get these programs from reliable sources. A good rule to follow is “when in doubt – don’t.”

A few password tools:
Create a strong password
Test your password strength
Generate a strong password online

If you have questions or suggestions for other topics, please leave a comment or contact me at mary@lansystems.com.

For more technical tips, please visit our website: http://www.lansystems.com/resources.html

Using Facebook to promote your business in 5 easy steps

Facebook can be used to promote your business by building an Official Page. You can open a Facebook business account that has limited privilege or you can use your personal account to create a Company Page. Facebook only allows an individual one account and it is a violation subject to your account being terminated if you create more than one account.


If you choose to attach a business page to your personal page, you can promote your business to your friends by suggesting that they “like” your page. Whether you use a personal or business account, you can promote your business with ads.

You can mix your personal and business page by sharing posts, photos and sharing with friends or you can keep them completely separate. This is determined by your security settings, how you post information and who you confirm as a friend. If you worry about what family or high school friends are going to post on your wall, consider keeping your accounts separate by not sharing information between them. For more information on business accounts, go to Facebook Help Center Business Accounts.

Now let's get down to business promotion:

1) Create your Official Page. This page can be linked to your personal page or can be created as a business account. Business accounts have limited privilege. In order to make an official company page, you'll have to have a Facebook account business or personal. If you currently use your Facebook account to connect with family and personal friends, consider keeping the pages separate. It is possible to have all your "friends" under the same Facebook account by managing security settings, but it requires that you manage your account. You don't want items posted to your wall that are not appropriate for your business friends.

2) Create your Official Page for a local business, product or group. Keep in mind your brand as you add character to your page. Your business summary and logo are essential to branding. You can add more detailed information and photos to give more personality. You can be formal, keep it light-n-lively or anywhere in between. If you need ideas, go to some other Official Pages of businesses in your industry or area. Don't try to be just like another page or site, just use as a way to spark you own creativity. If your page will be a group effort, make sure you establish the ground rules and that one person is charged with brand monitoring.

3) Post to your Company Wall. If you have a blog, you should link or add your posts to Facebook. If you have decided to post photos, upload flattering photos of company events individually or in albums. Keep it interesting and mix up the types of posts to appeal to your fans. The frequency of posts is up to you, but once you start make sure you are consistent. Start with once or twice a week to test the required time commitment.

4) Promote your Company Page by suggesting to your friends. Facebook recently replaced the "Become a Fan" button with the "Like" button. Not everyone likes the new terminology and the debate continues on what it is to be a fan or like a page. For your Company Page, the important point is to get people to like and visit your page. Provide useful information and use as a way to drive visits to your blog or website.

5) Promote your Company Page with an ad. You can purchase impressions or clicks and choose your target audience. You can create variations of ads to test your marketing campaign using different logos, text and demographics.

These are 5 easy steps to start promoting your business with Facebook. Experiment to see what gives you the best interactions. The Insights box, visible to administrators, gives you an indication of the amount of interaction with your business "friends." And one good like, deserves another. Go to the businesses you know, favorite their pages and like their posts to get the ball rolling.

If you have questions or suggestions for other topics, please leave a comment or contact me at mary@lansystems.com.

For more technical tips, please visit our website: http://www.lansystems.com/resources.html

Jazz up your LinkedIn profile in 5 easy steps

If you are going to use your LinkedIn profile to promote yourself or your business, be sure you jazz it up a bit. Make sure your content is informative and interesting and that you use the new features and tools to add color and content.

Even if you don’t want to spend much time on LinkedIn, try our 5 easy steps. They will give your profile depth and make you more interesting to your connections.

1) Make sure you profile is complete with present and previous positions, education, awards and specialties.

2) Give and request recommendations. Write thoughtful recommendations for connections that point out an exceptional or unique circumstance or attribute. Don’t be shy, request recommendations from connections that will share your talents and achievements.

3) Add your Blog. Under More… go to Application Directory and add your Blog. Use WordPress or Blog Link to display your Blog on your LinkedIn page. You can show the recent posts or choose those that will be fed to LinkedIn. Blog Link will allow you to add blogs from your connections. If you don’t have a Blog, add your Tweets to LinkedIn. If you don’t have Tweets, you better get with the social media program!

4) Put a couple of interesting books that you have read in your Reading List. Choose books that are unique and distinctive to add depth to your online persona. Books with lively covers will add colorful graphics to your profile. Change your books periodically to keep it interesting.

5) Upload a presentation about you, your company or a topic you have presented. Use Google Presentation to upload or create presentations in .ppt format. Google Apps costs $50 per year there is a trial version available. But if you don’t want to buy anything, use Slideshare to upload up to three presentations - it’s free.

These are 5 easy steps to jazz up your LinkedIn profile. For more ideas, go to the LinkedIn Application Directory. Experiment with the other applications like Polls and Events. If you don’t like the result, applications are easy to remove.

If you have questions or suggestions for other topics, please leave a comment or contact me at mary@lansystems.com.

Using LinkedIn to promote your business – 5 easy steps

The possibilities for using LinkedIn to promote your business are practically endless. If you don’t know where to begin or are having trouble finding the time, try our five easy steps for promoting your business with LinkedIn.

First, you need a personal LinkedIn page. Make sure you have completed your profile and have a flattering position summary for the company to promote. Additionally, your profile should be 100% complete.

Next decide how you will accept connections. LION (LinkedIn Open Network) members connect to almost anyone that requests whether they know them or not. More conservative members only link to people they personally know. This is your choice and you can adjust your settings to share or hide your connections. There are many security settings that control how much or how little of your information is shared. If you are concerned about sharing information, start with very secure settings and you can adjust as needed. Never share personal information like home address.

Now let’s get down to business promotion:

1) Create a company page with your logo, overview, specialties and statistics. Make sure current employees link to the page and that you have included your website.

2) Look for groups to join that are of interest to your customers. There are many groups on LinkedIn that you can easily reach the 50 limit set by LinkedIn. Of course, you can join groups that are of personal interest, but if you are promoting your company the best groups will be those of interest to your customers.

3) Create a group based on your subject matter expertise. It is easy to create and promote a group. Create a group choosing a name that describes the group and promote to your contacts. It is best to approve new members rather than have an open access.

4) Start group discussions and keep the conversation going. Some groups will be very active and others will need prodding. Periodically promote your group to get new members. Be sure to monitor messages for appropriate content and spam. You can remove abusers from your group.

5) Look at the open Q&A discussions. Even if you choose not to participate, take a glance at the types of questions and answers that are being posted. You may want to experiment in this open forum before starting your own group. If you are (or want to be) a subject matter expert for your company, search this forum for questions to answer.

This will get you started. Next time, we will add 5 steps to jazz up your LinkedIn experience.

For more technical topics, please visit our website: http://www.lansystems.com/resources.html

If you have comments or suggestions for topics, please leave a comment or email mary@lansystems.com.

Add a Tweetmeme retweet button to your WordPress post

Adding a Tweetmeme retweet button is a smart idea. It allows readers to easily retweet your blog post to their Twitter followers. It is easy to add the button to your WordPress blog using the Shortcode API functions.

A button with a retweet button is ready to retweet. The button with 2 tweets / tweeted (shown) is an examplewhere the post has been retweeted from that page.

To use the Tweetmeme retweet button, add the following to your post:

tweetmeme source=Your_Twitter_Account only_single=false

Be sure the statement is between square brackets [ ] so it will be read as a Shortcode. Also insert the Twitter name that you want the retweet to reference. It will show as @Your_Twitter_Account after the RT. Some instructions show as “Your_Twitter_Account” or ‘Your_Twitter_Account’ but the single or double quotes are redundant because the function expects a string. If that is confusing, just ignore because it’s not really important to getting your button displayed.

The expression “only_single=false” will make the retweet button show on your main blog page and each individual post. If you leave this out, the retweet will only show on the individual post page.

You can add this statement on the Visual or HTML page. Since it is a Shortcode API not HTML code, it will be visible on the Visual page but will not show on your post if the syntex is correct. Correct syntax is always important so make sure to cradle in the square brackets.

If you want to know more about Shortcode API, start with: http://codex.wordpress.org/Shortcode_API. If you want to know more about functions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subroutine is a good start.

If you have any questions, I’ll try to answer just leave a comment or email me at mary@lansystems.com.

For more computer support, business strategy and technology tips, visit: http://www.lansystems.com/resources.

For business email you need a domain name

Create a web presence and brand for your company by using your own domain name. A domain can help establish credibility by showing you are a real company with real employees, products and services.

[The domain name is the part of an email that comes after the @ and identifies a web location. The part before the @ is the user name. For mary@lansystems.com, the user is mary and lansystems.com is the domain. You can go to www.lansystems.com to check the domain to see the type of company, their location and other items that may be of importance to you.

Even if you have not built your website, you need a domain and getting one is easy. There are many online services that allow you to register your name and even post your site. If your business does not already have a domain name that you are using for email, don’t delay. Choose a service and find a name that suits your business. This is an important part of your branding so choose your name wisely.

For email, your domain gives you a presence in the virtual space. Many people will look for your website when they receive an email from you by taking the part after the @ and putting in a browser. When your website appears, it validates and authenticates you and your products or services. Authentication is very important because of the amount of spam each of us receives.

Your email may go directly to the spam box. With a gmail, yahoo, hotmail, free or even the default ISP email account, the recipient may block the whole domain and thus your user account. As an example, if someone blocks yahoo.com then all users using the domain @yahoo.com will go to their junk or spam folder. Spam is such an irritation, that filters and individuals take drastic measures to reduce spam. A unique domain name is no guarantee that you won’t go to the spam box, but it reduces that risk and is essential for business identity.

Use gmail, yahoo, hotmail or other free email for your personal account. Even if you have a mailbox through your ISP or work, it is good to have a couple of free accounts to use in case you don’t want to give your work or personal email address.

For business email, use your company domain just as you use your company letterhead for business correspondence. It establishes you as a bona fide company and adds credibility to your message.

For more computer support, business strategy and technology tips, visit: http://www.lansystems.com/resources.

Windows 7 features from our favorites list

If you’ve been holding on to that old computer because you didn’t want to give up Windows XP, we have good news. Windows 7 is simpler to use, more responsive, and full of new possibilities. So take the plunge – we did. At LAN Systems, we are using Windows 7 on our desktops and have some favorite features that we would like to share with you.


Backup and Restore
Greatly improved for Windows 7, Backup and Restore gives you peace of mind that your critical files are preserved. You can easily select your important files or let Windows choose what to backup. Libraries are an easy way to collect files that may be scattered throughout your PC. Choose a backup schedule and you can be confident that your data is preserved.

Be sure that you backup to a drive other than the one that contains Windows. So if you don’t have more than one hard drive installed, use a DVD or external hard drive. If you have Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate, you can backup to a network drive so that the network backup will also duplicate a copy of your files.

Windows Search
Quick and efficient describes the new Windows 7 Search. No longer will you search in vain for where you saved that last document. You’ll be able to find more things in more places—and do it faster. Libraries allow you to organize your documents into a single virtual location.

Start typing into the Start menu search box, and you'll instantly see a list of documents, pictures, music, and e-mail that meet your criteria. Narrow the search by date, file type and other categories you select. Highlighted keywords and text snippets show matches that you can easily scan.

Snipping Tool
If you like the Print Screen tools, you are going to love the Snipping Tools. Use to make a training document, step-by-step instructions or show examples of what you are seeing. After you capture a snip, you can write or draw on or around the snip image. This allows your own personal notes without bringing the capture into Paint or Word.

It’s easy to send the snip with your notes, just click on Send Snip and choose the email recipient or location to send.

Sticky Notes
These notes will never fall off the monitor and lodge behind the desk. Windows 7 Sticky Notes are one of the most useful and fun desktop enhancements. Organize your to-do list, tasks, notes and phone messages. You can always edit the text, change its color and speedily resize, collapse, and flip through notes.

If you use a Tablet PC or a touchscreen, Windows 7 Sticky Notes support pen and touch input, too—you can even switch between different input methods within the space of a single note. Sticky Notes is available in the Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate editions of Windows 7.

Desktop Themes
Windows 7 has eye-catching themes for every occasion. The graphics are vibrant and new. You can choose beautiful landscapes and nature backgrounds or modern, surprising themes that every passerby will admire. No matter what taste, there is something for everyone.

Themes and screen savers can display slide shows. Window border colors and sound schemes are part of your theme. Choose the theme as it is or add your personal touch. Need more choices, download free themes from the Personalization Gallery.


Let us know about your favorites and you could be featured in our Windows 7 series. Send your story to mary@lansystems.com.

For more computer support and technology topics visit LAN Systems at:http://www.lansystems.com/technotes.html

Getting the most from your IT budget

Especially during tough times, we look to trim our operating budgets. Efficient use of our valuable resources is just smart business and there are many ways to manage costs without sacrificing performance. Below are a few ideas that you can use immediately with a minimum of time and investment.

Recycle software licenses – It’s worth the effort to record all software purchases so you can easily transfer and upgrade licenses. Start with an inventory of all existing software and then be sure to update as you add and replace licenses. Often software licenses can be harvested as hardware is retired. When purchasing, compare the cost of transferable to non-transferable licenses. Be sure to keep the necessary documentation with your master list in a file. To save paper, use electronic files.

Optimize printing – Start with evaluating what you print and eliminate unnecessary or duplicate hardcopy. In today’s office, most paperwork can be saved electronically eliminating the need for a printed copy. When using electronic records, be sure that your system includes a common repository for all records and a rigorous backup strategy. Additionally, share network printers in workgroups. Save on paper costs by using lighter weight paper for internal documents. You can use paper tray selection through Print Properties. Multifunction printers that print, copy, scan and fax might be a good investment. Always evaluate printers that meet your needs by using the total cost per page (TCPP).

Server virtualization – Use existing server hardware and add a “virtual” server to improve performance or add features. Virtualization allows you to house two or more “virtual” servers on the same hardware. You can also consolidate servers into a virtual configuration.

Application virtualization – Separate the application configuration layer from the OS in a desktop environment, reduce application conflicts, bring patch and upgrade management to a central location and accelerate the deployment of new applications and updates.

Desktop virtualization – Rather than using your desktop PC to run applications, use your server to host all applications and data for the desktops. This client-server model is advantageous in many ways. You can deploy desktops quickly on a basic machine and may double the useful life of PCs since they need minimum resources. On existing systems, you may be able upgrade your entire system by adding a server without changing any desktop PCs.

For more IT solutions and computer support tips, visit: http://www.lansystems.com

Net Neutrality – Who should control the Internet?

In its most basic and simple form, network neutrality states that all Internet traffic is equal. Streaming video, large downloads, online gaming, cloud computing applications and email would all be treated the same. There would be no differentiation between personal and commercial use of the Internet. The idea of equality is wonderful in theory, but doesn’t survive in practice. The Internet is a shared resource used for many purposes and like it or not, the Internet is a commercial enterprise and the providers have to be able to control their network.

That doesn’t mean that the providers can engage in unfair business practices. Comcast’s throttling of BitTorrent users didn’t go unnoticed. In fact, it sparked a firestorm that still rages. The Court of Appeals gave Comcast a victory with its decision to vacate the FCC order, but this could be a Pyrrhic victory if it advances the net neutrality argument.

The experts, industry and politicians remain divided on the best way to manage the Internet. Some lobby for no control at all, but be controlled it must because the Internet is integral to our modern way of life. As any essential resource or infrastructure, the Internet must be preserved and defended. Like oil, consumer prices are controlled by the market, availability is controlled by the petroleum companies albeit heavily regulated, and the government maintains large reserves for among other reasons national defense. It seems the Internet will have a fate similar to oil.

What does the future hold? The crystal ball is cloudy, but my prediction is that the Internet communications backbone will see increasing government regulation, the Internet service providers will see more government rules, but will still be able to use a price for access model, and consumer prices will increase.

Promoted Tweets: lead or gold?

Promoted tweets have been with us for such a short time, but already declared a success by Twitter and doomed by the blogosphere. Virgin America claims its fifth highest sales day for special to Toronto launched by promoted tweets. But they did have a 50% offer so that could have helped.
In truth, promoted tweets will most likely be a successful venture for Twitter and its business model. Twitter’s COO tells that the company is under no pressure to make a profit from its investors and that they are focusing on the user experience. So we should see only a modest amount of targeted ads that are high value to the user. The type and frequency of ads will be a barometer of Twitter’s intent.

Currently, promoted tweets are on a cost-per-impression pricing model, but that could change if they realize quick success and acceptance by the user community. Of course the advertisers like it, they are getting great exposure and that means name recognition. But today’s online user is turned off by ads and has adapted by ignoring them. Persuasion is a powerful tool, but once we realize we are being persuaded – resistance is easier.

Ads that we consider spam are easily blocked, but what about subtleties. With so much obvious fodder in cyberland, our natural defenses tune them out. But what happens when the laws of persuasion and selective perception marketing are newly applied. It takes a while for our skills improve so we can ignore the new ad stimulus. It’s not easy to resist because people desire new possessions. Our buying impulses are quite predictable because product marketing is successful and profitable especially online.

Twitter can’t make everyone happy with promoted tweets no matter what formula they use. Purists want no advertising on the Internet and advertisers want to be highly visible on successful sites. There is no middle ground. But Twitter can learn from the mistakes of others and if users don’t like the ads, they’ll tweet about it.

If the number of retweets is any measure of success, the launch of promoted tweets was embraced by the Twitter community. But changes come quickly in cyberspace, so we’ll observe, analyze and redefine our expectations as Twitter learns the advertising ropes. It makes for good blogging!

Using social media to promote your business

As the market determines how social media will ultimately impact businesses, you should be positioning your company to take advantage of this new wave of advertising. Depending upon your marketing strategy, you may decide to just test the waters or jump in with both feet. Either way, develop a marketing plan for your social media endeavors. Be sure that you have a policy for anyone (even the owner) that participates in online conversation. Remember, you want to promote a positive corporate image and attract high quality customers and employees.

At our seminars on social media, we present an overview of how to get started in social media. We concentrate on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Blogging as these are popular, fast-growth platforms that look like they are here to stay.

 

Social media takes time. Beginners spend approximately 2 hours a week. After a few months, the amount of time spent jumps to about 10 hours a week. Those who actively practice social media marketing, commit 20 hours a week or more to keeping up with their social media activities. As with any initiative before you start, make sure you can devote the time and energy needed to have a consistent presence. Starting small with steady growth is preferable to a big splash then fizzling out.

 

Many people are struggling with an effective social media strategy and evaluating the social media return-on-investment. There are some who claim you can make money with social media, but quantifying the revenue has been difficult. For most, social media is a model for positive promotion, reputation monitoring and networking. Remember, social media is an extension of the more traditional forms of networking. So approach your social media communications with the same integrity and etiquette that you would use in face-to-face exchanges.

LinkedIn – A business-oriented social media site used for networking. You can create your personal profile and make a company page. You approve people that want to link to you and send invitations to others to link. Once linked, you get notification on posts, groups, updates and other details about your connections. LinkedIn is powerful for connecting to business professionals, researching companies and participating in industry and topical groups. You can send your Facebook, Twitter, Blog and other posts directly to your LinkedIn page.

 

Facebook – Originally used as a social networking site for college students, Facebook has gained acceptance and influence for all ages. On Facebook, it is easy to post pictures, videos and personal information. Users connect by posting information on walls. You have to accept invitations from friends and choose what information to share. Facebook accounts are created by an individual, but you can make a company page linked to your personal account to promote your company. Use Facebook ads to promote your company by designing an ad and choosing the demographics that will view the ads. Ads can be pay-per-impression or pay-per-click. The fasting growing Facebook demographic is women over 55 years of age.

 

Twitter – A social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author’s profile page and delivered to the author’s subscribers who are known as followers. Find followers that are interested in your industry, products or services. Follow those who tweet information of interest or value. Use tweets to drive followers to your blog or other social media sites. Send tweets on a variety of topics, but don’t just tweet advertisements or your followers will dwindle.

 

YouTube - A video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos. Most of the content on YouTube has been uploaded by individuals but some media corporations offer content. Users can watch the videos and registered users are permitted to upload an unlimited number of videos. Use YouTube to upload video blogs, interview, tutorials and presentation to name a few. YouTube content can be used on your website or blog to provide information through video. Some markets prefer video and recording demonstrations, instructions and interviews can be a powerful addition to the printed word. Photos can be uploaded to YouTube, set to music and made into a video with captions. On your YouTube account you can monitor how many views each video has received and allow viewers to leave comments.

 

Blogging – Blog comes from the term web log. A business blog is a website with regular entries of information, commentary, and events. Blogs can be maintained by a single individual or group. There are many group blogs on broad topics of interest Blogs are mainly text, but often add graphics, music or video for meaning and content. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. Most blogs allow readers to leave comments in an interactive format, but it is important that comments should be reviewed before being posted to your business blog. Blogs should be professional and well written. Your posts should be used to establish your expertise in an industry or on a topic. Use other social media sites to drive users to your blog where you can explore topics more deeply. Microblogging is another type of blogging, featuring very short posts.

Want to try social media, but don’t know where to start?

• Try LinkedIn first. It’s easy to get started, find connections and add content.
• Then try Facebook. It’s a bit more complicated, but worth the effort. Once you get your personal page and some friends, make a company page and suggest it to your friends.
• Now you’re ready for Twitter. Set up your account and tweet once or twice a day. Remember to make your tweets interesting and minimize advertisement.
• Now start blogging! Use the other sites to drive traffic to your blog. Create content that can also be used on your social media sites, web pages and newsletters.

 

For more tips, visit: http://www.lansystems.com