Business, Marketing, and New Technology
Archive for February, 2012
Are You Looking For a Virtual Private Server?
Feb 28th
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of FK VPS for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Does your business need its own private server? Do you have a complex system that needs to have separate divisions run their own operating system independently from the others? Sometimes it is necessary to have these systems have the ability to reboot independently (as many times as needed) and to run their own software.
With a VPS, or Virtual Private Server, you can separate these various parts of your business, by dividing a physical server into multiple virtual servers, each of which is very powerful on its own. The business will have access to the root level of admin, and will be able to install any software needed.
One of the great things about this setup is being able to combine the self-service functionality, with the ability to rapidly scale up. As your business changes, and the dynamics of the web change, your business stays agile, and flexible, able to adapt and adjust as quickly as the tech world demands.
Along with being able to establish and configure any software that you need, the VPS can host a large number of websites. It also has the possibility to host additional web sites, including mail servers, FTP servers, or just about any other website that you might need. You can freely use the VPS server to back up all your websites, or to store any type of files.
FK VPS is a company of FK TECH SRL, with experienced programmers and administrators. They serve not only individuals, but small and medium businesses. Their plans are adjustable, and reasonable, and allow the user to handle all their own administrative tasks, but in the event that help is needed, they are responsive, and available 24/7. Since they own all their own equipment, they have physical access to all of the hardware, and can resolve problems quickly.
Right now, they are offering a 50% lifetime discount on their services, so if you are thinking about getting a virtual private server, now would be the time to check them out.
Your Life History in Photos
Feb 28th
Do you have boxes or drawers full of old photos? I do. I always meant to put them into albums, but years of life just got away from me. I do know that about 2004 or 5, the amount suddenly decreased, because at that time, we all got digital cameras, and from then on, they were all on the computer, or online (a really bad place to store your pictures, by the way).
Still, I have literally boxes and boxes of pre-2004 photos that have yet to be sorted, or even looked at again, because they are so unwieldy. I just don’t have the time to go through them, and take them to the nearest photo-service, and scan them in , one by one, not to mention that people behind you in line get pretty upset when you stand there for an hour at a time. Who wants that?
So, I was delighted when I discovered More >
Software for Filling out Insurance Forms
Feb 15th
Ever needed a doctor? Ever wonder why it costs so much? OK, well, I don’t have the answer to that one, but I used to work in a doctor’s office and I know that keeping the office running is a complicated thing. Between appointment assigning, and lab-work taking, and lab-work itself, the doctor’s visits, and transcribing his notes, and getting all the payment from and to the correct place – it is one complicated machine.
One of the most complicated aspects of the office is dealing with insurance. There are hundreds of insurance companies, all with their different rules, not to mention More >
Find Your Strategy
Feb 15th
Recently I ran across this quote, and it seems so powerful, that I’d like to share it with you.
“For any outcome that you want, there is certain way of thinking and acting that will get it for you. You have to find that way of thinking and acting, and adopt it.”
-Bill Harris
Networking is Good For Your Business
Feb 15th
Business networking is a good way to boost your business. I belong to a business networking group that meets once a week. We share our stories, and our challenges, and help each other out with resources. Most of the members are small business owners, trying to wear many different hats. The business owner has to know so much more than the employee, and the small business owner has to know everything himself. It is really a challenging situation and only the most hard-core entrepreneur is suited for it.
So being able to tap into the experience and knowledge of a group is essential for success. We share information on how to write a business plan, how to manage money, how to do market research, how to market via the internet, facebook, linked in, etc. We’ve had meetings on insurance, and principles. One of the members there recently told us about his credit card processing services. Credit card processing is something that we all need, and it can be a bit complicated. We were all interested, as each of us obviously has a product or service to sell, and everyone wants to use credit cards. So, learning more about POS systems (point of sale) was valuable for us.
If you do not belong to a business networking group, I highly recommend it.
Get Your Taxes Done Early
Feb 10th
Although taxes aren’t due just yet, it’s a good time to start thinking of them. I used to delay doing my taxes till nearly the end of the year, and as a result, I had the “tax” weight hanging over my head for most of the year. Now, I’ve switched it up a bit, and for the last 5 years or so, have been getting it done the first of February. What a relief! Yes, it’s a pain in the butt to get all the details together, but having it done is SUCH a different feeling from thinking about it with dismay day after day.
My system for filing receipts and such is not really that good, and although I am familiar with QuickBooks, I don’t use it. I do use TurboTax, which I have found to be really useful and easy to use. If you use TurboTax every year, it will remember what you did last year and automatically import all that information. That alone saves you a lot of time. You can also see what your deductions were for last year, and if there is a huge discrepancy, you might want to take a look and see if you have overlooked something. I like TurboTax, and will use it until my business gets so much bigger that I need a bookkeeper. Then I guess, it’s his problem. 
Streamlining
Feb 4th
Thanks for the guest post by Kennith Kramer
My husband and I have been streamlining our home utilities and the first thing we did was go to Cabletvadvisor.com and up our package. I knew I wanted some extra movie channels and he was dying for the NFL stuff so we did that in lieu of renewing our home security alarm. We live in a really safe area and it just didn’t make sense for us to pay that money. Another thing we did to cut back was get rid of the weekly gardeners. Our yard is small enough that we should be able to do it ourselves without too much work and we’re even thinking of planning a small garden out back to save some money on produce! I can’t believe there are times in our lives where we have to be so careful with money but I guess right before you decide to bring a baby into the world is as good a time as any to really buckle down and try to save. There’s something to be said for being stable!
Digital vs Paper Security
Feb 4th
Do you make copies of your important documents digitally? Or do you print them out, and keep them hard-copy? I find this an interesting study in the confidence we have in our new world of technology. Recently I had the need to make sure one sheet of information was really safe. My solution was to make a copy, and leave that copy with a friend, so that if needed, I could retrieve it. He had other ideas. He insisted that I scan the document, and email him the digital copy, because that was much safer.
Safer? In what way? Computers do crash, although not with the frequency that they used to. I have had my computer totally wiped out by a stupid computer repairman! He was supposed to clear out viruses, and instead, he wiped the hard drive clean! How safe was my digital information then?
Anyway, I tend to print out important stuff. The problem here is that I tend to consider way too much stuff important. This lends itself to using up a lot of paper and ink. Paper is not a problem, getting a ream for $4.00 seems quite affordable. But the cost of ink was driving me crazy! For a while I tried refilling the original ink cartridges
but that was a mess. Then I tried buying refurbished ink cartridges from the local “ink” store, but they lasted about 1/4 as long as the genuine ink cartridges . So now, I just get a good deal online . I have both an ink jet, and a laser printer so I get genuine toner cartridges online too.
Although it doesn’t look like I’ll stop printing out my documents for safely, I am getting to trust the digital format more these days, so I guess I’ll be cutting back a bit. Progress comes slowly.