General | Information and Document Management

Computer or TV:Or Both?

August 3, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

: Image by sdfghjalina via Flickr

In this increasingly faced paced world nothing seems to be moving faster than the advances we see in technology. It was only twenty five years ago that people were using black-screened personal computers with green colored font yet today most of us could not imagine our lives without access to the internet and connectivity with the rest of the world with the click of a button.

TV is another technology that has grown by leaps and bounds. In the 1950′s television was a black and white three channel format, today we can access hundreds of channels with the click of a few buttons and some satellites thanks to http://www.direct.tv entertainment packages. Our box sets have turned into inch thin plasma screens which seemingly get thinner by the day. While these achievements are mind blowing, in the coming years a new technology will be reaching homes which will again transform the way we live our lives and entertain ourselves.

In the next decade Television without an internet browser will be a thing of the past. With the addition of streaming video from the likes of Apple TV, Netflix and the soon to be available Google TV, consumers are going to be introduced to a radically different albeit familiar entertainment format. Innovators are working on a computer TV hybrid that will allow you to search the internet, download your favorite movies and watch internet clips. There is a driver update available now that can allow you to hook up your computer to a cable jack. With the use of a super remote, voice activation or even your android phone your TV will be able to access a huge array of entertainment media in one appliance.

Today, when we wish to see a new video from YouTube or if we want to access our email we head straight to our computer. But in the near future we can accomplish these tasks as well as tune in to our favorite new TV show. The progression of technology in both computer and television has been staggering. In the coming years we will see a convergence of the two mediums that will take the world by storm.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Arts, Entertainment, Google, Netflix, Online Media, Personal computer, Television, YouTube

Managing Information Safely

July 8, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

files Image courtesy of shortsaleshift.com

In a world bursting with data, from computers to direct star tv media, it has become not only commonplace but rational to backup documents by storing them in several formats, namely corporeal and electronic systems. Both systems offer different options as far as managing this information.

Information and document management is critical to a company’s success and their ability to save time by being able to access information promptly and accurately. Although some technophobes prefer traditional organization methods, such as filing cabinets, computers have staked their claim in information management in a big way. Storage within a computer unit can occupy a dozen centimeters of space, whereas filing cabinets can consume a dozen feet in an office. Companies also appreciate the computer’s ability to pull up documents faster than a secretary can pull open the door to a filing cabinet, leading some to exclusively store information electronically.

However, technology is not imperfect and even computers protected by anti-virus software and backup systems can crash and lose valuable data, or be hacked into. This is why more and more information management specialists recommend not relying on one method, but rather choosing the safest route and storing data in both forms: concrete and electronic. They recommend allocating space in an office specifically for information storage. This area should contain physical documents that are organized proficiently in a filing system, and electronic documents that have been saved onto external hard drives and kept in a locked case, should there ever be a computer crash and lost documents need to be retrieved. Employing both old and new technology is the safest way to handle information management.

Filed Under: General, Information Management Tagged With: Document management system, Filing cabinet, Information management

Preparing Documents to Be Scanned for Use in the Electronic Document Management System

March 7, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Many businesses are taking a step into the future and starting to convert their paper documents over to electronic files. Electronic files are easier to manage and allow businesses to offer a high level of customer service because the documents are quickly available and there is no wasted time waiting for the files to be found.

While the transition to electronic files might be a beneficial one to the company it can be a long pain staking process to convert the files from paper to electronic files. Each important document must be scanned and saved in a safe place. For many businesses this process can take a week to several months depending upon the amount of documents that need to be scanned. Luckily, the process can be made simpler by using a few solutions that will speed up the document scanning process.

Here are some things you can do to make document scanning for electronic files quicker.

Free All Pages. Paper documents often need to be kept together. This requires people to use staples, paperclips or even hole punchers. When you are preparing to scan the documents make sure that you free up every page. Staples and paperclips can slow down the process.

Sort Papers. Try to sort papers out into important documents and those that do not need to be scanned. If you do this ahead of time you will prevent yourself from having to sort all the papers while you wait to scan them.

Create a Backup System. When you are done scanning the papers decide what papers need to be kept as a backup and place those in a folder. If a paper does not need to be kept as a backup consider shredding it and removing it from the office. Deciding what papers need to be backed up before you are done will speed up the scanning process.

Filed Under: Document Management, General Tagged With: Backup, Business, Document

Preparing Your Business for a Transition to a Electronic Document Management System

February 16, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

It might be surprising to learn that many businesses are still operating under a pen and paper system. This means that all documents that are coming into and out of the office are hand written. However, as technology advances many businesses are starting to make the transition from pen and paper system to an electronic document management system. Electronic document management systems allow businesses to organize all their documents into a computer system. It allows companies to offer a higher and more efficient level of customer service.

Even though electronic document management systems come with a lot of benefits the key to a successful transition to an electronic document management system is how the business handles that transition.

Here are a few tips on how to easily transition your business into an electronic document management system.

Get Everyone on the Same Page. It is important that you make sure that everyone in the business is on the same page. It is recommended that before you start converting documents to the electronic document management system that you sit down with your team and discuss what will happen. It is important to lay out why the change is happening, what you need from those you work with and the goals you how to achieve with the new system. The transition will go smoother if everyone knows what to expect.

Start Out Small. Even though your business might have ten areas where there needs to be documents transferred, start out small. Start with one section of your business and make sure that you transition it completely before moving on. When a business moves all areas to an electronic management system chaos can happen which will lead to a lower level of business management.

Be Prepared for Set Backs. It is important that you plan for set backs that might happen during your transition phase. Problems will arise when you make the transitions and it will go smoother if you plan a little extra time for these problems to happen.

Filed Under: General, Information Management Tagged With: Customer service, Document, Document management system, Electronic page, Small business

Helping Google Help You

February 9, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Search engine optimization is somewhere between a science and an art form. For starters, the words that you use in your website make a major impact on how you are indexed by Google (the world’s largest search engine).And when you use a keyword or phrase just the right number of times (without stuffing them in there, of course), your site becomes ranked by Google and is then more accessible to the people who are searching for what you want them to find you for. While your potential list of topics is limited only by your imagination and the language of your site, selecting a keyword can be a bit tricky. With a little research, however, you can find a few related, highly sought after search terms that can bring you traffic aplenty.

The way a search engine works is by chronicling the various different websites on the Internet. First, they send out their electronic spiders, which are nothing more than code which seeks to figure out what your site is about. Sooner or later, if people were not constantly adding new websites to the net, Google and the rest of the search engines would chronicle everything and be done with it. These spiders can tell what your site is about, based upon the words that you use the most often and the description that you give your site in its meta tags.

You need to research your keywords carefully. For instance, if you wanted to build your site around property management companies in Seattle Washington, you might use the term Seattle property management to make sure that you get the kind of traffic that you want. After all, it is all about being the most relevant site for the folks who want what you have to offer. And while Google can help you a lot, you have got to help it in turn, through optimizing your website for the best possible keywords and terms.

Filed Under: General, Information Management Tagged With: Google, Property management, Search engine optimization, Web search engine, Website

How Breathwork is Used to Reduce Stress

February 3, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Life can be very stressful. Stress is often attributed to many health conditions from heart attacks and strokes to anxiety disorders. This is why it is important that you learn how to properly channel your stress. While there dozens of relaxation techniques out there one of the oldest forms of stress relief techniques out there is the use of breathwork exercises.

Breathwork exercises use the practice of learning to breathe properly and in regular intervals to reduce the amount of stress that the body is holding in. It is believed that when the body knows how to breathe properly it releases the stress that it is holding onto and allows you to lead a less stress filled life.

Here is a look at some of the breathwork techniques that are used to reduce stress.

Learning to Properly Breathe. Adults tend to breathe using the upper portions of their lungs. Using the upper portions of their lungs means that the body is receiving less oxygen and this can often lead to increased less of stress in the body. Breathwork will work to regulate the way that you breathe so that you are using the lower portion of the lungs as well as the upper portions thus maximizing the amount of oxygen in the body.

Stress Relieving Exercises. Many breathwork exercises are combined with some form of stress relieving exercises like yoga and pilates. Exercise is believed to help reduce the amount of stress that the body holds and the combination of proper breathing and exercises leads the body to relieve the amount of stress it holds.

Stress Relief Through Meditation. If the breathwork is not paired with a form of stress relieving exercises it can often be paired with a form of meditation. Meditation allows the whole body to get a bit of rest and relax from daily stress. The combination of breathwork and meditation allows people to relieve themselves of built up stress.

Filed Under: General, Health Tagged With: Breathwork, Health, Meditation, Relaxation technique, Stress Relief

The Breath of Fire Breathwork Exercise

February 1, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Image via Wikipedia

Breathwork is sometimes associated with different forms of yoga. One of the common forms of yoga known as Kundalini yoga uses an exercise known as the Breath of Fire or the Kapalabhati breathwork as a part of the yoga practice. It is believed that when a person uses the Breath of Fire they are able to cleanse the body of harmful toxins that might have been built up in the body as well as energizing both the body and the mind.

The Breath of Fire breathwork is a breathwork exercise that involves very rapid, rhythmic breathing. It is often used by those that are looking to cleanse their system or to refocus or push away fatigue.

If you are curious about how to do the Breath of Fire breathwork exercise here is a step by step guide on how to perform this exercise.

Step 1. Place yourself in a sitting position. You can either sit on the floor or a chair whichever is most comfortable to you. Once sitting try to relax the body and focus the mind on the task at hand.

Step 2. As soon as your focus has been achieved place your hand on your stomach and begin by taking a deep breath. The breath should be taken through your nose and not the mouth. When you inhale you should feel the stomach pushing in an outward motion this is a sign you are doing it right.

Step 3. Release the breath by exhaling through your nose. Your stomach should move inward as you exhale.

Step 4. Immediately begin the process of inhaling/exhaling again. There should be a slight sniffing sound that you make when you inhale. To achieve the Breath of Fire breathwork you need to start immediately after exhaling.

Step 5. Repeat the inhaling and exhaling practice somewhere between 15 and 20 times. This should be enough to cleanse the body and reenergize yourself.

Filed Under: General, Health Tagged With: Breath of Fire, Breathing, Breathwork, Physical exercise, Yoga

Internet Safety and Your Children

January 29, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Talk to your children about internet safety before they get online and give recurring reminders after that point. Some basic things to consider bringing up:

Beware of Job Hunting Scams

January 28, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Looking for a job? Don’t get scammed. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), here are some things to look out for and general advice.

Promise of a Job

Most legitimate companies will not promise you a job before they see your resume.

They Ask You to Pay

Whether for certifications or training materials, most companies will not ask you to pay for these things to them. They may require certain certifications provided by the state or a degree from a university. Be skeptical anytime they ask for any money, even when they guarantee refunds.

They Sell Information

Many companies will sell information about making money online, work at home jobs, lists of potential clients, ways to get a job, etc. Most of the information they send you, if they send it to you, is useless, poorly written, and outdated. Many of the websites selling it will provide phony comments and testimonials. If you are looking for information, try to find free articles online or purchase a book from your local bookstore.

Federal Jobs

Many sites and advertisements offer information on getting a federal job such as Postal Workers. All federal jobs are available for free to the public at www.usajobs.gov.

Do Your Own Background Check

Double check these companies with your local consumer protection agency, state Attorney General or the Better Business Bureau. Also, a Google search of the company’s name and “scam” will generally show any results of people who ever voiced any claim that the company was a scam. In addition, if they list working with or clients of any legitimate companies, call those companies and ask them about where they advertise their career opportunities or their training requirements. Any time you agree to terms and conditions, make sure you read the fine print thoroughly.

If you have already been a victim of any scam, you may file a complaint with the FTC at 877-FTC-HELP or online at FTC.GOV/COMPLAINT.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Better Business Bureau

Computer Cleaning

January 27, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

You clean your house. The computer should get a dusting inside and out once in a while as well. In addition to swiping a duster over the hard drive and monitor and maybe spraying air into the keyboard once in a while, consider cleaning up your software as well. Some computer chores can include the following:

Internet History

You should regularly clear your internet history, cookies, and temporary files.

Files

This can be a bear of a task, but what purpose do your files serve if you can’t find them? Every so often, go through your files and delete any trash, organize what can still serve a purpose, and archive what you must keep for future reference. Some people file by date, and some file by topic. The trick is to make it easy for you to find things.

Besides documents, other files that might need organizing are audio, video, and images or photographs. To free up space on your hard drive, you may consider saving files to an external source like a USB memory stick or CD. Just make sure you store that item safely because once it’s destroyed, if you don’t have a back-up….

Software

Are you really using all the software on your computer? Do you have any spyware type software you surely don’t even want? Are other users potentially capable of downloading and installing software? It doesn’t hurt to regularly check the computer programs installed on the computer. In your control panel, you can choose to “add or remove programs” option, and it will list the programs currently installed on your computer. You don’t want to delete anything you aren’t sure what it is, but if you see something unusual that you doubt you would need but aren’t sure, search it on the internet.

Desktop

Just as you would remove items from a regular desk to remove clutter, you can regularly do the same on your desktop.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Hard disk drive