 |
May
2009
In this issue
►From
Jay's Desk
►Success
Comes in Cans
►Business
Value of Social Media
►Rid
Your Business of Software Piracy
►Cool
Computer Tools
►Quote
of the Month
|
|
|
 I
hope everyone had a GREAT Memorial Day weekend! Due
to my travel schedule I am unable to spend it with
family and friends. I will not tell you where I am
because you will not feel sorry for me. But these
meetings are important to help keep us focused on
what is important for small businesses. This trip
was for two peer groups, one of which is of other
computer consultants. Of course there is nothing
better than getting out of the office for a couple
of days. However it is even better when combined
with a peer group meeting. With striving to always
improve our company, the best way to learn is from
someone else in the same or similar business as you
are who may have already tried what you are thing.
If you cannot find one for your business the Fort
Wayne Chamber has a great one that is with other
CEOs in our area, that are not in the same line of
business as yours. From both of these groups I gain
a lot of knowledge. These type of meetings are great
to either validate what you are thinking, or prove
that you may be wrong. With the consulting group
(computer consultants) I always come out of these
meetings with one great idea and one or two other
ideas I want to tackle for our business.
One of the items I brought up a couple of meetings
ago was travel cost. Even though gas prices have
come down, it is the combination of cost for mileage
and labor time that is putting a pinch on this. But
I did not want to raise prices across the board for
this either. So what we came up with is the
following: There will be a $25 trip charge starting
June 1st for all of Zone A (Fort Wayne). However if
you are on a service program with us these changes
will not affect you. This trip charge will also
include deliveries of products. If you are not a
program and would like more information please give
Dave a call at our office 260-422-3979.
With the summer now in full swing I would suggest to
get out and visiting our local Zoo and Science
Central on rainy days. I would have also recommended
the Art Museum, but they are closed due to the
remodeling being done.
So until July please play safe this summer!
Jay
Tipton
CEO
Technology Specialists |
 Used with permission of Joel H. Weldon &
Associates, Inc.
http://www.SuccessComesInCans.com
Some
said, “It can’t be done!” But “Success comes in CANS, not in
cannots!”
The first
successful cast iron plow invented in the United States in
1797 was rejected by New Jersey farmers under the theory
that cast iron poisoned the land and stimulated growth of
weeds.
In Germany, it was
“proven” by experts that if trains went at the frightful
speed of 15 miles per hour, blood would spurt from the
travelers’ noses, and that the passengers would suffocate
going through tunnels.
Commodore
Vanderbilt dismissed Westinghouse and his new air brakes for
trains with the remark that he had no time to waste on
fools.
Those who loaned
Robert Fulton money for his steamboat project stipulated
that their names be withheld for fear of ridicule were it
known that they supported anything so “foolhardy.”
Read more
|
|
|
►
Business Value of Social Media part 1:
Online Networking |
|
reprinted with permission
from the HP Small Business Center
 If you could
connect to the world’s business professionals, in the time
it takes to check your email, wouldn’t you? Welcome to the
world of online networking, where valuable business
connections are made every day on social and professional
networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin.
Social and
professional networking simply refers to the interaction
between a community of people who share a common interest.
Through these personal connections you make with an
otherwise impersonal medium, you can give your business a
personality, build brand awareness, and equally importantly,
tune in to what people are saying about you.
The ability to
create your own online networks through sites like Ning, has
made it difficult to distinguish which online communities
will help you reach your business goals. We did the leg work
for you, by exploring the difference between social and
professional networking and the business value of both,
analyzing which sites work best, and providing tips to help
you make the most of the free networking resources that
already exist.
Social or
Professional: What’s the difference? |
|
►
Rid Your Business of Software Piracy |
|
|
by Monte Enbysk
reprinted with permission from the Microsoft Small Business
Center
 Pirates still roam freely in the ocean of software out
there, but if your business is among the pirates, it could
end up costing you literally and figuratively.
You may very
well be a smart, community-minded business owner. But if
your company is using pirated software — and you condone it,
you aren't aware of it or you don't really give a rip —
you're not a responsible business owner. And you are taking
unnecessary risks.
Read
more |
|
|
►
Cool
Computer Tools to Make Your Life a Little Easier
reprinted with
permission from
Applied Tech, Madison, WI
Here's a cool
computer tool we'd like you to know about because it can
save you time and money: PDF995 is simple to use FREE
software that converts documents to PDF (Portable
Document File) format.
What is PDF
format? "PDF is a file format that captures all the
elements of a printed document as an electronic image
that you can view, navigate, print. . . or
forward to someone else regardless, of the computer. . .
program it was first created in." (Source: UCL Learning
Technology, London, England).
Why is it
important? Suppose you're sending an e-mail and you want
to share a certain file or document. Your recipient
might not be able to open your attachment unless they're
using the same version of the program you used to create
it in.
PDF format
allows them to open it. It also prevents other people
from making changes to your original document.
How do I
create PDF files? PDF files are created using Adobe
Acrobat Capture, or similar products such as PDF995. You
can download it from
http://www.pdf995.com/download.html.
You can also
download complete documentation for converting PDFs
using this cool tool from the resources on our website.
Finally, to
view and use the files, you'll need the FREE Acrobat
Reader, which can be easily downloaded from
www.adobe.com. Once you've downloaded the
Reader, it will start automatically whenever you want to
look at a PDF file.
Buy land.
They've stopped making it.
-
Mark Twain
|
Voice
(260) 422-3979
Fax (260) 422-5775
Street Address
1938 Inwood Drive
Fort Wayne, IN 46815-7111
www.tspec.net
|
|
 |
|