Last week I wrote about Office Accounting Express 2008, Microsoft’s free offering for small business accounting, however if you want to give the industry leader in this category a try take a look at QuickBooks Simple Start Free Edition 2009. The name says it all here. This offering is designed to get you started (/hooked) [...]
5 Essential PC Software and Free Productivity Boosting Apps
October 30, 2008 by 4 Comments
Either you are a Professional or just a Novice in using PC, Data Software always play an essential role in managing or carrying your data across different PCs. With good data software you can also work across different PCs with ease. Also with ongoing Credit Crunch in the world you need some essential Apps to [...]
DropCard: Business Card 2.0
October 28, 2008 by Leave a Comment
Many of us have been to conferences and other social gatherings where we network with people in our industry. Business cards are the standard method of getting your contact information to other people. The problem with business cards are (1) they’re so old-school, (2) they’re easy to lose, and (3) they’re the equivalent of snail [...]
Reality Check: Be Productive During The Colder Months
October 28, 2008 by 1 Comment
I live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida where PCMech is based out of, but I’m not a Florida native. I originally hail from the state of Connecticut in the northeastern portion of the United States known as New England. That region typically has harsh winters; everyone there is very familiar with what a [...]
How A Geek Can Survive Economic Meltdown
September 23, 2008 by 10 Comments
There are some dicey things happening with the U.S. economy right now. Gas prices are super high. The drastic increase in debt by the federal government as well as people on an individual level is leading to a very shaky economic foundation. Things are likely going to get worse before they get better, but as [...]
It’s Autumn, And That Means…
September 23, 2008 by 1 Comment
In the world of business there are many corporations that do not follow the calendar year (i.e. year begins on January 1) but rather the fiscal year. While it’s true that a fiscal year can start anytime depending on the business, most of them will use September. As an example, high schools in the United [...]
Microsoft Seinfeld Ads Pulled: Wise Move
September 18, 2008 by 8 Comments
Looks like Microsoft is back-pedaling on their new ad campaign starring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates. A story on Valleywag reports that the ads are being pulled, and that their marketing team is trying to spin a positive face to it. It seems some got the commercials and others didn’t. I’m going to put myself [...]
How-To: Create The Perfect Business Logo
September 15, 2008 by 2 Comments
In business, branding is important and this involves a logo. The logo is a visual piece of art representing your product or service. There are rules to making logos; it isn’t something where you can just whip up any old thing and throw it out there. Why? Because if it’s designed improperly it will inevitably [...]
The Mission: Inbox Zero
September 13, 2008 by 1 Comment
I am attempting to practice a new habit when managing my email: not having things stack up. As I write this article, my Gmail inbox sits with zero messages in it. I find that my head is much clearer with just that one thing in place. So, how can you go about getting your inbox [...]
Q&A On How Call Centers Work
September 4, 2008 by 17 Comments
There will be times when you have to call customer service, a.k.a. customer support a.k.a. the help desk. If you are educated on how call center environments operate you will get better results. Let’s start off with this: The Big Question: Does asking for the manager really help? NO. Speaking to a "higher level" will [...]
How To Get A Computer Job With No Experience
August 22, 2008 by 3 Comments
There’s the old catch-22 phrase “You need a job to get experience; you need experience to get a job.” Is it true you have to go thru years of college and certifications and internships just to get some work? No. In fact you can get decent work in computers armed with nothing but a high [...]
Day 24: The Secret To Having More Than 24 Hours In a Day
August 16, 2008 by Leave a Comment
Being a one-man band in a business is a tough experience. You have to do everything and wear all hats in the business. It can be particular frustrating answering petty emails when you know that your time is better spent doing things that actually make money. Hiring employees is a lot of hassle. You have [...]
Publishing Your Own Book Successfully For Free
August 13, 2008 by 5 Comments
Anyone can publish a book easily. Since the early 2000s there have been web sites in operation that enabled anyone to publish just about any written material at no cost. However the trick is to make people aware of your book so you can actually sell it. This tutorial will provide you with the necessary [...]
How To: Using Google Gmail as Your Help Desk Solution
August 13, 2008 by 8 Comments
Google’s Gmail service is a truly powerful web-based email solution. And it is easy to assume that it is suitable primarily for, well, email. And, yes it is. But, when you think outside the box a little bit, you can learn to put Gmail to use for things you might not have thought of. Can [...]
Day 23: Do This Now And You’ll Be Happy Later
August 7, 2008 by Leave a Comment
As you get rolling with your Internet business, you will find that it takes up more and more of your time. Eventually, you’re going to be thinking about getting somebody else to do some of the grunt work that isn’t the best use of your time. I can tell you from experience that it can [...]
