Welcome to the Information Age.

Welcome to the Information Age.
It's here, it's not going away

I speak to many Professionals that simply don't want to deal with it. It is too much of a hassle to learn, they don't have time and a whole host of other excuses.

They have been doing business the same way for years and it has worked out so far, why change?

Well, for starters, whether you want to face it, or not, the majority of customers are or are becoming tech saavy and expect a certain level of technical service. It's just that simple.

Generation X and Y have grown up, and become a serious financial powerhouse.

Moreover,the 30 to 50 year old demographic has gotten much more comfortable with technology. Even the baby boomers are online in droves. They can shop for a house from 5,000 miles away, complete with satellite images, from the comfort of their living rooms.

They expect you, as a professional business person to be up on all of this technology.

BUT WAIT! You're a business person. Your business is painting, selling cars, or candlestick making. Who said you have to be a computer science major? Now, you have to know about legal stuff, financial stuff, city ordinanaces, taxes, and everything else that goes with owning a business? PLUS TECHNOLOGY??? Wow, doesn't seem fair does it?

Unless of course you happen to enjoy technology.

I have found that many people that don't have a good grasp on technology, either don't understand what it is all about, or are concerned that they will "break" something. If that is the case, perhaps I can be of assistance.

Keep reading. Before you get discouraged, let's take a look at technology. What it is all about, how to work it, how to keep up with it... When you boil it all down, it's much more manageable then you might think.

Let's break it down:

• The Internet, is simply a hugenetwork of computers.
• Computers Manipulate and StoreFiles.
• Files, regardless of what they are (pictures, numbers, letters, emailetc ... ) data.
• Data is simply information.
• Therefore, the Internet is just information, or, more plainly theInternet = Information.

Think of it like an enormous library, that contains basically all of mankind'sknowledge that you can access from anywhere you have access to it. All you need is a simple computer, even as simple as a cellphone ...

Better yet, once you get the hang of it, it is a lot more fun and a whole lot easier to find information then a real actual library. What's more,the information is up to the minute, comprehensive, interactive and constantly updated. There is information about anything that could possibly interest you, even if it only interests you for a moment (like this blog perhaps).

Yep, it's all about information. That's all there is to it. As I see it, information is becoming more important than money.

I am guessing that soon information will be the new money. Think about it... there is little or no need for actual cash. I can lose it, have it stolen ... My check card is acceptedeverywhere. I even think the neighbor kid's lemonade stand has a credit card terminal ...

Speed up your workflow...

With just a little tweaking, you can make your computer more personalized and easy to use.

Although, there are litterally hundreds of things I could point out, I am going to a few basics...

1.) Set Background image. Visit Google Images and enter a term that you like (e.g. Beach). Once you find a suitable image, click on "View Fullsize" once it loads, right click the image and then click "Set As Background"

2.) Useful Desktop Shortcuts. Right-click the desktop and select New > Shortcut. Browse to one of the folders that you use often. Then Click Next. Give it a name and Viola' you have your shortcut. Look at steps 3 & 4 to take it further...

3.) Change your shortcut icons Visit a search engine of your choice and find some icons. Once you have found some that you like save them in a location you will remember later. Right click on the shortcut you wish to personalize and click Properties, then click Change Icon. Browse to the icon you downloaded earlier and select it. Click OK and your are done.

4.) Add shortcuts to Quick Launch Bar. Once you have your shortcut all setup, simply drag it to the Quick Launch Bar (usually on the bottom left hand side of the monitor) and you will be able to access it in a jiffy!

A Few Good Sites

Here is a short list of some new (and maybe some not-so-new) Websites and tools that I have found to come in handy. If you know of a cool/useful Website or free online tool email me. I will be happy to review it.

Microsoft Office Live This handy MS OfficeTM Plug-In allows users to save documents and files online. The obvious benefit to people on the go is huge. You can now have the ablility to access documents and files from practically any computer that is connected to the Internet. The project is still in beta testing so the occasional glitch may crop up, there is also a short waiting list to be approved for your space.

iGoogle Allow me to introduce to what promises to be a staple of the next generation of online computing ... The Mashup. A mashup is a Webpage that allows users to add modules of their own choosing. Developers from all over the world can develop modules that you can use. This is extremely useful. When you set it as your home page, you have all the news and tools that are pertinent to you at your fingertips.

Picassa A free basic graphics editor. This will help you organize and do some basic editing on your photos.

Aumha.org Think your computer is infected? Register and post your issue online. Security professional will typically respond within 24 hours with directions that can help you remove most Malware.

Microsoft® Save as PDF Another Add-in for Office. This will allow users to save documents in PDF format. You can additionaly send the PDFs as email attachments.

Snopes.com Not sure whether or not that email from Nigeria is legitimate? Perhaps you wanted to know if your hair really will grow back stronger and darker if you shave it off (uh sorry guys, the last one is an old wives tale, but you can try it if you are feeling lucky), than this is the site to visit. Snopes.com will verify and dispell myths, chain letters and urban legends by the score.

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