Archive for Resources
Is it Time for an iPad?
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Convinced you need an iPad to make your life complete? You’re not the only one! The latest estimates say that there are some 7.5 million iPads already being put to use by rabid consumers world-wide, and those numbers are bound to rise even further with each holiday season.
So if you want an iPad, what’s the next step? Here’s what you need to do:
Decide if you want to buy from Apple or from a reseller
I always recommend buying from Apple, because of the added confidence you’ll have in being able to get repairs or a refund if something were to go wrong. Also, if you purchase an Apple product elsewhere than the Apple Store, they will not replace it if there’s a problem. The lower price isn’t worth the hassle; go with Apple.
Decide if you want to buy online or from an Apple Store
With over 300 stores world-wide, there’s a good chance there’s an Apple Store near you. But if you don’t want to deal with parking, lines, and “the mall” (where most Apple Stores are located), you can buy your iPad online with free shipping. Just go to their website or copy and paste this link in your browser to see your choices:
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipad/family/ipad
Choose a 3G or a Wi-Fi model
There have been problems with the Wi-Fi model; our next door neighbors barely picks up the household signal, even when their iPhone and laptop are picking up a strong wireless signal. If you plan on using it outside your home at all, I recommend going with the 3G; the monthly data plan is very reasonable, and the ease of being able to pick up a signal anywhere is a huge convenience.
Choose your size
$200 for four times the storage space seems like a no-brainer to me, but I’m one who firmly believes that bigger is better, at least when it comes to hard drives! However, if you don’t plan on using your iPad to store videos or audios, you may find the smaller sizes perfectly adequate. Remember though; just as with closets and garages, if you have the space, you’ll use it. And the more space you have, the more you’ll use your iPad.
That’s it. The only other question you may have is what accessories you’ll want, and if you want to engrave a pithy saying on the backside of your iPad (think of it as an electronic tattoo). The process is painless, as it should be. And setting up your new baby will take even less time than buying it did.
How to Backup Gmail to Thunderbird
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What would you do if you lost everything in your Gmail account? It’s happened to some people – some Gmail users recently suffered a data loss. Gmail was able to get everything back for them eventually. However, it woke many people up to the possibility of losing everything in their account.
If you use Gmail, chances are your life is stored in those archived messages. So how do you protect it?
A Variety of Choices
There are actually many services you can use to back up your Gmail. Backupify is a paid service that backs up Gmail, Facebook, Flickr, Google Docs, Twitter, and many additional web applications. It’s a “set it and forget it” type of backup security system. Another option is to use TrueSwitch and back up your Gmail into a Hotmail account. Gmail Backup is another free option for backups. If you prefer to have all of your backup data in your possession, rather than stored on an outside server, then consider Thunderbird.
Thunderbird is Mozilla’s free email application. If you use Firefox as your browser then you may be familiar with the application. The steps to backup with Thunderbird are easy.
Simply visit the Mozilla Thunderbird download page and click to download. Save the set-up exe file on your computer. Once it is saved, open the file and click “Run” to install.
Step #2 Change Your Gmail Settings
In the meantime, log into your Gmail and change the settings to enable POP for all mail, and set Gmail to keep its copy.
Step #3 Finish Installation
Follow the procedures to finish the installation and set-up for Thunderbird. You can import your Outlook or Outlook Express settings if you use that software.
Step #4 Back In Gmail
On that same settings page “Forwarding and POP/IMAP” in Gmail, you’ll see a link at the bottom of the page. It says, “Configure your email client (e.g. Outlook, Thunderbird, iPhone) Configuration instructions.” Go ahead and click the link. Follow the instructions for Thunderbird and you’ll be good to go. Your information will now be backed up on Thunderbird and you’ll have a second tier of protection.
If you like to have a third tier of protection, consider backing up everything to an online service. This way, if you’re ever hacked and they gain access to everything, you haven’t lost anything.
When It’s Time for an Accountant
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When you become a solopreneur there are a million things that you are responsible for. If you can, outsource your needs to those who are better qualified to handle it for you. One of those individuals could be an accountant.
As a solopreneur you may not need an accountant starting out. With the advent of bookkeeping software like QuickBooks, you can enter your financial information. There are instructions to help you keep everything organized.
As your business grows you may hire others to work for you – full time, part time or on a contract basis. There are additional tax concerns as well as financial obligations. If you don’t have time to deal with it, then it may be time to work with someone else.
Hiring an Accountant
You have options for accounting services: hire an accountant firm or hire an individual accountant on a consulting basis. Depending on the scope of your need, you may want to start out with the latter. As the company grows bigger, you can then consider bigger issues like investing company funds, retirement accounts and such.
To find the right person for you at this time, here are some tips.
Know what you need – Accounting firms can handle such responsibilities as tax return preparation, analyzing your books and preparing fiscal statements. A part-time accountant can deal with the more day-to-day activities like balancing the books, taking care of payroll and bill payment.
Check their credentials – You want a person who is qualified for the job to handle your financial needs. Whether using a firm or contracting an accountant, know how they have been trained. Interview them. Ask for certification verification, work history and recommendations. Also ask about their specialty in accounting if they have one.
Check their work history – What type of accounts have they handled? Were they large or small?
Time commitment – Even if they are working on a consulting basis, does the accountant have time to handle your work? You will need some face-to-face time with them. If that can’t be managed when you need help, then maybe you will want to find someone else.
Ask for referrals – Do you know other small business owners? Who do they use for their accounting needs? Use this as a starting point.
Check references – Ask questions about your potential accountant. Be diligent in your pursuit. You want to find the right person who will handle your job with as much attention as any of their larger accounts.
At some point, your business may need the services of an accountant. Choosing the right one to handle your financial affairs is necessary to keep you in the black. Use the above tips to make the best choice possible.
The Ultimate Social Media Giveaway has drawn hundreds of happy marketers!
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You can now get instant access to 350+ Social Media and Internet Marketing gifts absolutely FREE.
Stephanie Mulac, Queen of Giveaways, is returning for her second giveaway event of 2012. The Ultimate Social Media Giveaway is a time limited event with a MASSIVE collection of FREE Social Media and Internet Marketing products and services….
You’ve heard it from me many times…
Social Media is HOT right now with millions of users worldwide logging into popular sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ each and every day.
9000+ jobs were created last year thanks to Social Media – so I think it’s fair to say that having the necessary knowledge and skills needed to use a range of Social Media sites, is definitely something you will benefit from!
The Ultimate Social Media Giveaway hosted by Kerry Russell, Stephanie Mulac and Paul Teague will only be open for a VERY LIMITED TIME – just a few weeks in fact! So if you don’t want to get left behind in 2012, then you need to jump on board as soon as you can.
Here’s just a small sample of the 100s of FREE gifts that are available for you to download instantly once you join the event with your name and email address:
* Social Media Marketing Sniper – Paul Mueller
* Create Your Social Media Success – Ruthi Backenroth
* How To Get 10,000 REAL YouTube Views In A Week! – Karl Reynisson
* The Ultimate Twitter Pack – Mieke Janssens
* 30 Free Ways to Get Traffic in 30 Minutes or Less – Suzanne Morrison
* Social Media 45 Day Traffic Plan – Lianda Ludwig
And 3 items from me…
*Looking Good on LinkedIn
*How to Do Facebook Marketing the Right Way and
*Pinterest for Biz!
Here’s the link to get whatever you need for YOUR social media marketing.
Like any giveaway of this size, you will need to spend some time sorting through the offers to find the gems, but I am sure it will be well worth it. This REALLY is the largest collection of Social Media and Internet Marketing information you have ever seen!
Hope to see you there 
Google Analytics Site Search
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One of Google Analytics long-requested features is the ability to analyze the data people type into the “site search” search box. Finally, Google has delivered.
This new feature allows you to find out all kinds of data about your customers. It allows you to get into their heads, figure out what they’re looking for and better provide exactly what they want to find.
Here are a few of the main reasons why you should have site search in Google Analytics.
See What People Are Looking For
What are people who come to your website actually looking for?
Let’s say you run a website about solopreneurs. You cover a wide range of topics, but it’s very hard to tell what people who land on your site are actually looking for.
With the site search analytics, however, you can quickly figure it out. For example, if you track your searches you might find out that most people are really interested in how market their business using social media. You can then gear your site more to that angle.
See What People Search For … Again
Let’s say someone searches your site and doesn’t find what they’re looking for. What do they search for next?
This can tell you even more about your customer. For example, let’s say someone types in a search term about how to create a YouTube video. If they don’t find it, their next term is about videos in general.
That can tell you they’re really just interested in creating videos. But if the second term is then on lighting and sound tips, then you might glean that your visitors are interested in creating videos that look professional.
See What’s Returning No Results
When someone searches for content on your website, how often do they turn up no results? What queries are people searching for that get no results?
If you can identify common searches people type in where you’re showing no results at all, that’s a simple and easy way to improve the customer experience.
You know what people are looking for and not finding. Create that content and your user satisfaction will go up right away.
See What Group of People Are Most Likely to Search
Is your PPC (pay per click) traffic more likely to do a site search than your SEO traffic? What about returning visitor versus new visitors?
This can tell you a lot about what kind of people are coming to your website. For example, if you’re getting a lot of site searches, that probably means people are seeing your site as an encyclopedia-type website.
On the other hand, if you have a low search rate from all but one segment of traffic, that could mean that that one segment of traffic is having trouble finding what they’re looking for. After all, most people don’t see your site as an encyclopedia, but one group in particular is trying to use the search box to find what they’re looking for.
These are some of the many benefits of the site search in Google Analytics. It’s not the most important metric of all, but it’s absolutely a metric you should be paying attention to.
