Small Business I.T. Insider

Your email inbox is most likely one of your main connections to the world but, if it goes unattended for just one day, it can quickly become too much to handle. Missing emails can mean overlooking important details or missing out on opportunities. Luckily, there are a number of tricks that can help prevent your inbox from becoming untamable. Here are three of them:

1. Set up folders

   Folders are a great, easy way to better manage emails and simplify your inbox. Often, you can set filters according to email address, so you can create a separate folder for your family, friends, and for individual clients or partners.

   This makes it easier to figure out which emails need to be addressed immediately and which ones can be put off. Fortunately, most email clients and services make creating folders, labels or tags easy to do.

2. Enable conversation view

   Conversation (or “threaded”) view is available in most email clients and it does a great job of making your inbox seem more manageable. Instead of seeing a multitude of individual emails about a single topic, they will all be grouped together, taking up much less space in your inbox.

   Also, when you use this feature, you will address all emails in a conversation when you address one. There is no longer a need to go through and archive each individual email – delete one, and you’re done.

3. If it will take less than 5 minutes to address, deal with it right away 

   Any time an email will take five minutes or less to tackle, it’s counterproductive to put it off. If it must be done, it will have to either be done now or later, so why not do it now? As you continue this habit, these simple emails will start taking even less time and it will become like second nature to address emails as they arrive.

These tips are only three of many that can help streamline your email inbox. They’re easy ways to manage your email and help make it less stressful, so why not try them out?

For additional tips on email management check out this article from Business Insider.

The wireless vs. wired mouse debate has been happening for quite some time. There are strong arguments on both sides, but some of those arguments are stronger than others. What are the pros and cons of each?

Wired

The benefits of wired mice are plentiful. Some of the primary ones include:

• Longer life expectancy
• Faster response time
• More cost efficient
• Better accuracy – a big pro for gamers
• No chance of inadvertently gaining control of someone else’s computer

Some of the major drawbacks to wired mice include less freedom to roam and just a lack of convenience.

Wireless

The argument for wireless mice is quite strong. They may require you to purchase batteries from time to time, but they also offer a great deal of convenience that just can’t be found with a wired mouse. These are some of the major benefits:

• Greater freedom – another favorite feature among gamers, who often control their TVs from the couch
• Improvements in response time and accuracy
• Fewer cords
• Smoother movement due to the lack of a cord

There are a number of negative aspects of wireless mice, which is why many people still haven’t converted. One problem is the occasional bad signal, which can be really frustrating when you need to work quickly. A dead battery can also be detrimental if it comes at the wrong time.

In general, the decision between wireless and wired mice is dependant on preference. If you require accuracy and fast response times, a wired mouse would probably suit you best. If you’re someone who likes to work from the couch or other untraditional spots, you may enjoy the convenience and freedom of a wireless mouse. There are plenty of great wired as well as wireless options, so you can’t go wrong either way.

For more insight into the wired vs. wireless debate, check out this website.

Google Docs is a cool tool that a number of us are familiar with. Its professional uses are constantly expanding, and the most recent updates only increase its business benefits.

Google Docs’ commenting feature just received a substantial overhaul and the results seem promising. Some of the most significant changes include:

• Timestamps and profile pictures on comments
• The ability to edit and resolve comments
• Implementation of email notifications via @mentions

Email notifications are one of the coolest features that have been added as they let you bring people into the discussion that weren’t already.

The message that you send via the email notifications feature will always include the text of the comment, so that person does not necessarily need access to Google Docs in order to contribute. He or she can simply respond to the email and it will show up in the discussion thread.

Email notifications aren’t the only new feature that works well for collaborative teams – the ability to resolve comments is incredibly beneficial. Being able to go back and look at comments is vital in order to make sure everything has been done. This feature allows you to mark a task as resolved once it has been completed, instead of simply deleting it.

Collaboration tools like Google Docs make it much simpler to be a part of a distributed team. Features like email alerts let your team members know immediately when you need their help. Staying in sync is not as tough with tools like these.

Sending a document back and forth can get very confusing. When multiple people are editing the documents, they end up looking messy and it is hard to ensure that everyone’s edits made it into the final version of the document. These collaboration tools eliminate this problem.

If you’d like to learn more about the recent changes to Google Docs, take a look at this article.

South by Southwest (SXSW) is a yearly compilation of conferences and festivals that has been around for 25 years. SXSW unites some of the most imaginative thinkers in the fields of film, music, and interactive media. It is known for its abundance of creative content, which is quite prevalent this year.

SXSW Interactive is one of the biggest conferences at SXSW that encompasses all of the new media, and it has already unearthed some great ideas. Although the SXSW Technology Summit, which is full of great ideas and presentations on technology and business, has just begun, some standout startups have already emerged.

SXSW includes a cool competition that takes place on “Startup Buses.” Each year, these buses take off from Chicago, Cleveland, Miami, New York and San Francisco and make their way to Austin in only two days. In those 48 hours, the travelers on the bus put together an idea for a startup and then create a website and a prototype for it. They then pitch those ideas to a panel of judges at SXSW.

48 hours may not seem like much time, but it’s plenty for these teams. There were many great ideas that people came up with – so many that the panel of judges couldn’t decide on just one winner. These are the two startups that came up with standout ideas and won the competition.

TripMedi

TripMedi is based around the quickly growing medical tourism industry. Medical tourism is basically when a person needs to have a medical procedure performed on them and travels to a developing country in order to save money.

The industry is growing by 15% yearly, so a comprehensive system for finding services is essential. Calling itself the “Yelp for medical tourism,” TripMedi hopes to become a one-stop-shop for the industry.

People can now go to one place to find a list of locations, doctors, and procedures and pricing available, making the process far less scary. With 1,300 unique visitors and 44 sign-ups in only four days, TripMedi is sure to do well.

WalkIN

Each and every one of us knows how frustrating it can be to wait for a table at a restaurant. We’re stuck in crowded lobbies, with dozens of other hungry and frustrated people just waiting to hear their name called.

WalkIN eliminates the cramming, but not the waiting. With WalkIN, you can come into the restaurant and scan a QR code, which will automatically put your name on the waitlist. You are then free to wander until you are alerted via your phone that your table is ready.

People no longer have to carry around big, cumbersome restaurant pagers that vibrate incessantly until you make it back to the host stand.

This year’s SXSW conferences, like all other years’, has already brought us some truly ground breaking ideas, and is sure to bring us even more.

For more information on SXSW, check out the website.

Whether we know it or not, a lot of us use flash storage frequently. Flash memory is built into many devices that some of us use daily such as MP3 players, laptops and mobile phones.

What exactly is flash storage?

Flash storage is ideal for storing data and transporting it from one computer to another. Flash memory is a solid state storage device, meaning it is electronic, not mechanical like a data CD.

Other typical features of flash storage are:

• A non-volatile storage chip, meaning it doesn’t need a constant flow of power to maintain the information stored in the chip
• There are no moving parts
• Allows for easy electronic storage
• Data can be easily erased and the device can be reprogrammed
• Allows for quick access to data
• Extreme durability, particularly when coming in the form of a memory card

All of these features add to the convenience of flash storage and help make it a very popular option. It is especially great for mobile gadgets because of its durability. Most MP3 players and smartphones equipped with flash storage can be used as external hard drives if they can be plugged into a computer.

If you’re interested in learning more about flash storage, check out this article from HowStuffWorks.

For many of us, online search engines are the first place we look when we’re seeking information. We trust them to provide us with the most relevant results, but those results are not always consistent.

The reason for the inconsistency is the frequent evolution of the search algorithms employed by each search engine. Each search engine uses a different algorithm that takes certain factors into account. So, how do Google and Bing’s algorithms compare?

Google

Google’s search algorithm has seen some substantial changes recently. One of the most drastic of those changes is the suppression of results that are coming from content farms.

Content farms are companies that employ a vast number of writers to create text-based content that scams the search algorithms. The goal of most of these companies is purely to attract ad revenue by generating more page views, not to create valuable content.

Google hopes the change in its algorithm will yield more quality results that will be more relevant and helpful to searchers. Google is also utilizing Twitter posts to come up with relevant, real-time results.

Bing

Bing came onto the scene calling itself the “decision engine.” It was a play on the idea that most search engines give you results that you aren’t looking for, while Bing knows what you’re looking for and finds it.

Although Google has started to integrate more real-time results, Bing is a step ahead. Bing highlights listings that your friends have “liked” or shared on Facebook as well as gives the most current posts on the topic.

Using two different search engines can yield different results. All results should be somewhat relevant, the specific results just depend on what the search engine’s algorithm accounts for.

To learn more about the recent changes to Google, check out this New York Times article.

The TED Conference, taking place this week, brings together people from the worlds of technology, entertainment and design. TED lets people from these three fields display their knowledge and ideas, and provides them with only 18 minutes to do so.

The conference, happening this week, has already showcased some great ideas. These are two of the companies that presented some groundbreaking ideas.

Ford Motor Company

Given that the global population is expected to grow to 9 billion people by 2044, the people at Ford are looking for a way to prevent the constant gridlock that is seemingly inevitable on our nation’s highways and streets.

Ford predicts that cars in the future will “talk to each other.” Ford’s SYNC technology is the first iteration of the connected car technology and it is already used in 3 million vehicles. SYNC performs many functions. Among them: 911 Assist, real-time traffic updates, and Vehicle Health Reports.

The future iterations of this technology will be able to automatically re-route you to avoid traffic based on real-time data being sent from other cars, among other things.

Bluefin Labs

Bluefin Labs co-founder Deb Roy’s presentation was centered on the round-the-clock surveillance of his house during his son’s first 90,000 hours. The company created machine-learning systems that traced and analyzed his son’s learning process.

Roy wants to use the technology to analyze things such as an online audience’s reaction to programming and advertisements. This technology, when combined with social media, could possibly analyze real-time responses to ads, making it invaluable to big agencies.

The technology, if used properly, could potentially help all sorts of businesses to better understand their impact on their audiences and build better relationships.

These are just two of they many profound ideas and products that have been presented thus far at this year’s TED Conference. If you’d like to check out some other cool ideas, check out this Inc. article.

The DEMO Spring conference is the “launchpad for emerging technology” and it is full of great ideas. Social media is the key theme of this week’s show, with three sessions entitled “Demofocus on social on media technologies.” These are some of the best ideas, social or otherwise that have emerged thus far:

Websense’s Defensio for Facebook

Defensio for Facebook is an application that allows businesses using the social network to better protect their Pages. Pages full of spam comments and posts turn off potential customers. Defensio eliminates that clutter by blocking unwanted content from being posted.

This application lets you set preferences so that you can moderate posts on your Page. You can also prevent your Page from showing links to certain sites.

Nimble

Nimble integrates with your email, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts and lets you see all your connections in one place. It lets you connect your contacts, calendars and communications in a single location. It allows you to monitor all of your interactions with people across multiple platforms. 

The goal of Nimble is to make it simpler for companies to engage their audience. Although it is already very useful, it will become even more so once it is integrated with more social networks.

mSignia’s Dynamic Device Identity

mSignia works with Android devices to eliminate some of the pain associated with accessing cloud services via mobile devices. It makes your smartphone more secure while simultaneously eliminating the need to constantly enter passwords.

If you switch devices, however, the app will remove the credentials so that your information can no longer be accessed on that phone. Many people currently use their smartphones to access cloud services, so this could be a huge time-saver.

These products, along with many others being presented at the DEMO Spring 2011 event, make conducting business simpler and more seamless.

Email spam saw a huge decline at the end of last year. One company’s report shows a decrease of 150 billion spam messages per day from August to December. Although it’s impossible to say for sure what caused this decline, these are some of the best guesses.

Inactive botnets

Botnets are networks of infected computers that are responsible for most of the world’s spam. Three of the major botnets that were responsible for much of the global spam saw a huge decline in activity at the end of 2010.

Usually, botnets stop spamming because they have been temporarily disrupted, but that doesn’t seem to be the case with Rustock. The most logical explanation is simply that the people controlling Rustock decided to stop spamming as much.

Anti-spam campaigns

Spammers are primarily driven by profit. When they stop seeing profit as a result of their work, they are likely to give up and move on to something else.

Anti-spam campaigns can really interfere with the profitability of spammer networks. Recently, there has been a huge rise in anti-spam campaigns around the world, which has seriously disrupted these networks and caused many of them to close.

Other outlets

It might be that spam seems to be declining but is really just becoming more prevalent in outlets aside from email. Twitter and Facebook are becoming increasingly common media for spam distribution.

Although there is no way to know for sure what is causing the decline in email spam, these are some likely explanations. If you’d like to read more on the topic, take a look at this article from BBC News.

Imagine you’ve plugged your thumb drive into your computer to upload a video of your child’s first steps. The file was downloaded successfully, so you unplug it without thinking. In an instant, you corrupted all the data on the drive including the video. Fortunately, this doesn’t have to occur if you take the proper steps to removing a USB device.

Most of us have taken the risk of removing the device without taking the proper steps. And for many of us, the device came out unscathed. But what are the other possible consequences?

One of two things may happen if you remove the device before ejecting it:

1. Nothing. Your data will remain undamaged and you will cause no harm to the USB device or to the computer
2. The device can become corrupted, along with all its contents. This is sometimes reparable, but can be incredibly frustrating nonetheless

Although there is a great possibility that you won’t do any damage by preemptively unplugging the device, it’s generally not worth the risk. The inconvenience of losing your data is far greater than the convenience of removing a mechanism without ejecting it.

Take a look at this article for additional information on quickly and easily ejecting USB drives.