The author lists these 5 tech tools. I don’t completely agree with all of the author’s reasoning, but they are all worth of consideration.

1. Social Media
2. Cloud Computing
3. Tablet Computers
4. Business Intelligence Apps
5. Video Calls

My thoughts on these 5:

Social Media

There is no doubt about it, people are watching much less free-to-air TV than they used to. Some of that time is being spent on Pay TV, some is being spent in front of computer screens. And I’m sure you can guess some popular websites that people are using. (If you can’t, try Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for a start.)

It’s a mistake to treat these websites like an advertising platform. Social Media sites (Facebook, Twitter) are more like a cocktail party or a networking function. Being there is what’s important. You don’t have to “talk shop”. If the opportunity arises, then great, but if you just go in with a full-on sales pitch you’ll quickly find yourself alone in the corner of the room.

YouTube has slightly different rules – it’s a platform for you to create useful, educational content and share it with people. Obviously this is much harder than using Facebook, but the number of hours of video streamed via YouTube every day is astonishing. If you can create (or have access to) video content, you should have a YouTube channel.

Cloud Computing

This is one of those buzz words that has become so overused recently it now means something totally different to what it meant originally!

So I’ll go with the new, broad, buzz-worthy definition: Instead of spending large amounts of money on server infrastructure and buying your industry-specific software, you can now in many instances rent the service from a provider and access it over the web, usually via your Web Browser (think Internet Explorer or Firefox).

No internal servers to maintain, no initial large cash outlay, and it’s totally portable. Access your software/business systems/files in your office, via your smartphone, or anywhere you have internet access.

No system is perfect and there are downsides (if your internet connection dies then you lose access to it until your connection is restored) but we’re using this model for most of our internal systems, including:

• Email, contacts and shared calendars
• Job and project management software
• Time tracking and budgeting software

Tablet Computers

I was initially a skeptic, but am now well and truly a convert. I don’t take my laptop with me any more – be it client meetings or just away – the tablet does everything I need. (In my case an iPad, but there are some very nice Android tablets now made by Samsung, HTC and others.) The battery lasts forever, they start quickly, most have a built-in sim card slot so you can access the internet wherever you have mobile phone reception, and the list goes on. Extremely useful if you’re away from the office in the course of your business.

Business Intelligence Apps

This ties in to the Cloud Computing topic above for me – there are plenty of options out there for keeping records of your customers/clients, what they bought, and a plethora of other datasets that relate to your business.

There’s no doubt it requires some effort and commitment to set up and get some systems in place – but this is one thing that separates smart businesses from the rest of the crowd.

Video Calls

It surprises me how little I use Skype. It’s running down there on my computer, but I just never think about it. A face-to-face meeting is almost always better than a phone call, and Skype (or any video calling application) can facilitate that face-to-face interaction quite easily, but nobody calls me on Skype and I don’t call anyone else on Skype.

We really should use it more often. Is that my new year’s resolution?

Personalised, custom design cards can be printed onsite in our office, meaning:

• Fast turnaround
• Absolute quality
• You get exactly what you want

Why?

Because it will never be perfect.

We’re not printing 10,000 brochures here

Too often clients get wrapped up in wanting everything to be perfect before their new website goes life. And I can totally understand this. But the web is not print. Things can be changed quickly and relatively easily if something isn’t quite right.

From a recent post on Boagworld.com:

All of these factors make us naturally hesitant to commit ourselves and go live. However it is important to remember 2 things. First, until you put your website in front of real users, it is impossible to know whether it is ready or not. Ultimately you have to launch the site and see what reaction you get.

Second, although it is scary to launch a website you do not believe is 100% ready, you must remember that the web is not like print.

It is amazing how many website owners (especially if they come from a marketing background) forget this. Often they’re used to commissioning print material that once sent to the printer cannot be changed. Fortunately, this is not the case when it comes to the web. Once you’ve launched the website it is still possible to change any aspect of it.

So when is the right time?

Again, from the same article:

Is the new website better than the old one?

If the answer to this question is yes, then there is no reason to hold back from going live. If the new website is better then the benefits of launching early are obvious. Not only will users appreciate the improved site, it will also start generating a return on the investment you make to build it. The earlier it is launched, the sooner you can start reaping the rewards.

So I am taking Paul’s advice here and launching this new website a little early.

I know it’s not quite there yet, but:

1. If I wait for it to be perfect I’ll be waiting forever
2. If I wait for it to be “finished” I’ll be waiting forever
3. It’s better than the old one (I hope!)

Websites are never actually finished, as it turns out

One last thing to keep in mind, if you think your website is finished then you have missed an important aspect of the web. Your website should be current and up-to-date, so unless nothing you do ever changes then your website is never actually finished.

It’s a bit like the washing when you think about it!

• A Konika-Minolta BizHub digital printing press
• A GBC celloglazing machine
• A GBC slitter/cutter/creaser

In English – this means we can now offer short or long-run digital printing in-house!

Forget about old-fashioned minimum print runs and wait times. Need 20 business cards customised for a special event? No problem. Booklets, brochures, pamphlets, fliers… the list goes on.

Contact us for more information!

How can your business take advantage of this? Do you have a strategy in place? The time to start thinking about this is now.

Learn More about Mobile Tagging at Microsoft Tag.

We have also set up statistical tracking of these goals so that the effectiveness of the website can be monitored on an ongoing basis.The website is build on a Content management System (CMS) that allows staff at the FRCC to update it internally.

The site automatically repurposes the layout so that the 2 columns become one. The sidebar automatically tucks in under the main content, making it much easier to read on narrower screens.

It’s not a separate site – all the content and images are the same. We use “magic” to display the same content in a different way, to better suite the device.

The website also features a “members section” – each member has their own username and password, and they can log in and update their own profice and capabilities statement on the website.

1. Google has quite effective spam filtering in place and it’s really cut down on the junk mail we receive each day.
2. The free version of Google Apps allows about 7 gigabytes of online storage per mailbox. That means you can leave a copy of all your email on Google’s servers. In the event of your computer crashing or getting stolen, you can then re-download your Outlook inbox.
3. Rather than relying on a single server to be online (as is probably the case for you now) your email is stored in server farms. One single machine can crash but others take up the slack, reducing the likelihood of email downtime.

However – if you choose to upgrade to the Business Edition, you also get:

1. The ability to synchronise all your email, contacts and calendar between Outlook and your smartphone, instantly in the background over the internet. Very handy if you own an iPhone or similar.
2. Ugraded mailbox sizes (25 gigabytes per mailbox)
3. 99.9% uptime guarantee

Read more about the differences here: http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/group/index.html

What are the disadvantages?

Your email is being pushed through Google’s mail servers. If you have the free version then there’s nobody you can call if you can’t access your email – although Google tend to know when their servers go down. It doesn’t happen often, but no system is perfect. (If you choose the pay for the business edition you are provided with a Google phone number for emegency support.)

We believe the 3 advantages listed above that come with the free version alone make the transition worthwhile.

If you use a smartphone, or use webmail often, then the syncronisation tool makes the Business Edition a very valuable upgrade.

We can set this up today and tomorrow you’ll be receiving your email via Google Apps – but from your perspective you can still use Outlook as you always have. Contact us if you’d like to know more!

Makeshift furniture

On the 26th and 27th December, we had contaminated storm water surge through our office, damaging carpets, desks, a few computers, basically anything sitting on the floor.

We have some people working from home, and others in and out of the office – so until we get back to normal the best contact is via email, or:

• Yolinda on 0439 767 186 for print/sign/sticker enquiries
• Jason on 0417 767 186 for web related enquiries

Thanks for your patience!