CDPUG BlogSphere

New “Take Control of Your 802.11n AirPort Network” helps you make your Wi-Fi network fly

Something is in the air – it’s your data, zipping through your Wi-Fi network. But is it really zipping or is it ambling along, dropping packets along the way? Our latest Take Control book from networking expert Glenn Fleishman, “Take Control of Your 802.11n AirPort Network, Third Edition,” helps you ensure that your wireless network is fast and reliable. Plus, the book is fully updated to cover the entirely revamped AirPort Utility 6, which runs only in Lion and later. The ebook also now discusses using AirPort Utility for iOS. The 187-page  book normally costs $20, but the 30% MUG discount drops that to $14. Learn more about the book via the coupon-loaded link below.

http://tid.bl.it/your-80211n-airport-network-MUG-discount

In “Take Control of Your 802.11n AirPort Network, Third Edition,” Glenn provides real-world advice for configuring the 802.11n models of Apple’s AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, and Time Capsule. Whether you’re setting up a simple AirPort network for the first time, replacing an older base station with a fancy new one, or adding additional base stations or devices to extend your network’s capabilities, you’ll learn how to maximize your network’s speed, add USB-connected printers and drives, solve a wide variety of tricky problems, and – if you like – learn conceptual information about how it all works behind the scenes.

“Take Control of  Your 802.11n AirPort Network, Third Edition” teaches you how to handle projects like these with ease:

* Planning and configuring a multi-base station network
* Replacing an old base station with a new model
* Sharing USB disks and printers
* Getting started with a Time Capsule and Time Machine backups
* Running a guest network
* Setting up wireless bridging
* Configuring complex Internet addressing
* Connecting from Mac (10.5 through 10.7), iOS 5, and Windows 7 clients
* Securing your wireless network
* Sending media to an AirPort Express or 2nd/3rd-generation Apple TV via AirPlay
* Setting up and using Lion’s AirDrop
* Turning your Mac into a wireless access point with Lion’s software base station
* Solving problems with interference, conflicting channels, and more
* Understanding what the light on your base station is trying to tell you

Hope you find it as useful as we have!

cheers… -Adam & Tonya Engst, Take Control publishers

By:  William Kiraly

As Spike Radway, of Teamspike Consulting, can attest, I agonized over my purchase of a “new” Apple iPad not so much about whether I wanted it–I knew that–but whether I wanted it for as much as it cost, and would I be satisfied without 4G or 32GB of memory or even by getting a much cheaper iPad 2.

Well, with Spike as the devil’s advocate of reckless spending, I went for it and the next day, while waiting for it, I went to Best Buy in Cleveland  (map) to get a new case. The ironic outcome is that they had everything I wanted in a case, as long as I wanted to buy four different cases to get all the features.

I didn’t think I wanted much, but the case manufacturers disagree. The one I ultimately bought that day had three of my four requirements implemented in a kind of half-baked way. Who’d ‘ve thunk it would be so hard to get the following in one case?

A short list turns into a long quest

Here’s the short list of what I wanted in a case.

1. It had to protect the device with reasonable padding and protection all around. With my iPad 1, for a while I used the Zaggmate keyboard case that protected the screen quite nicely. Unfortunately, it let an open bolt in my saddlebags put a gouge in the back that always bothered me. My iPad goes most everywhere I go these days so protection is a big deal, especially with the amount that Spike twisted my arm into spending. (Not really his fault but I had to have an excuse for my wife).

2. I wanted a case that acted as a stand when I needed it. Even the old skin tight rubber one I usually used on my iPad 1 did that. Since I play a lot of Words With Friends, an app that sadly does not rotate, the horizontal view was not enough. What I wanted was a case that works as a stand horizontally and vertically. (Well it was really more than just Words with Friends, but my wife plays that too and, heck I need all the cover I can get.)  So far so good, there was one there, a bit bulky because of the turning mechanism for rotating the screen, but at least there was a choice.

3. Next, I figured how hard would it be to add an elastic band to hold a pen (or even cooler a pen/stylus/laser pointer). So many times I have been out with my iPad, but have to find a pen to sign something. Seems a no-brainer to me but, I guess, not to most of the case manufacturers.

4. Finally,  I want a place to store a few business cards, both incoming and out going, and a flap to hold a few papers I occasionally collect in meetings. Every cheap-o portfolio notebook you buy in Office Max has that. Makes perfect sense to add it into an iPad case, doesn’t it?

Okay, so I could find my flaps and pen holder, but most of those cases didn’t act as a stand and were really bulky to carry for no appreciable reason. Some were bizarre colors, and the one I did find that acted as a stand, was horizontal only and the pen holder dangled precariously on the outside when the case was closed! It was this last one I bought but knew my quest for perfection would continue.  It is a perfect fit with a Targus 3-1 stylus for the Apple iPad.

Success at last

Weeks later, after hours scouring the internet, I finally found all the things I want in one rather ingenious package. It’s not 100% perfect but is probably as close as I’ll ever get.

It is the RooCase Executive Leather Case for iPad 2 and 3, available from Amazon for about $40.

The ingenious part is that it is really two cases in one. The inner case is form fitting with a soft velvety back which sticks to the velcro in the somewhat bulkier outer case. It is the outer case that has the stand flap on the outside and the pockets for pen, business cards and papers on the inside.

Opening it as a stand, the velcro holds the iPad securely in either orientation. If you don’t need the stand, you can take the iPad on an out-of-case excursion. It is perfect for using with my full-size keyboard with a stand or for reading in bed.

This RooCase, and it alone of all the cases I looked at, has all the features I want, features I would think would be no-brainers for the way a lot of people use iPads. It also has the built in magnet that lets the  iPad 2 and new iPad turn on when you open the case and turn off when you close it. It is sturdily built for protection and even has a zippered seam to keep my precious iPad safe and dry.

Now this is a case. It probably took a mind as warped as my own to put all the pieces together.

_________
Bill Kiraly is the webmaster at CDPUG

 

This one is about saving your data when your computer quits

Gracie, a graphic artist, has a growing and profitable graphics arts business. She does design, web art, logos, and a lot of useful things that keep clients coming back with new work. To get the jobs done, she uses several desktop and laptop computers including an ‘ultra book” she takes to meetings.

There’s a lot of information spread across these machines. Keeping track of all these computers, and what’s on them. is a chore. Worse, what she hasn’t yet realized is that losing them could cost her the entire business. Gracie is juggling a lot of technology. She’s got a bad case of device proliferation and needs help.

This is where a backup plan comes in along with cloud computing. Gracie needs two things. First, she needs to be able to put her hands on information – text, images, photos, video, and sound files, no matter what machine she is using or where she is – in or out of her home office. Second, she needs to make sure that no matter what happens to her computers, that this information won’t be lost. That information includes essential business records like time cards for jobs and invoices.

Up to now Gracie has been backing up to DVD CDs and a 500 GB external drive. Then a friend asked her what would happen to the business if the house burned down taking her computers and hard drive with it?

Oh that backup plan!

What’s a busy girl to do? For Gracie, graphics are a snap, but she’s no geek and she can’t afford an expensive consultant.

There are commercial services, and some for free, that will help her stay out of trouble. All are available online. The first thing she needs are backup services for all of her devices including her smart phone.

Some backup services to consider include products like Carbonite, Mozy, IDrive, and Norton Backup. Each has pros-and-cons along with pricing choices. All of them have options for individual plans one device at a time or a small business plan for all your devices.

All of the commercial services offer a “try before you buy” plan which you want to use. Test them out in terms of backing up data and also in terms of restoring it. Most of these services cost less than $100/year.  That’s about $0.03/day.

A backup plan for Gracie’s smartphone is also a good idea. Check out a product like Lookout and others in the Android Market or Apple’s iCloud for backing up your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Mac computers.

Cloud computing on the go

The second thing Gracie needs is to synchronize all those files scattered across her personal computers.

There are a couple of free services she can use right way. Both just became available with new features.

The first is Google’s GDrive. It allows you to synchronize files on your desktop with files in Google documents. All you need to get started is a free Gmail account. It offers enough free storage to get started with your most important files and the option to buy more depending on your needs.

The second service is Microsoft’s Skydrive. Like Gdrive it places a directory on your hard drive and synchronizes files from it to Microsoft’s servers. To get started, you need a free Hotmail, or “Live” email address.  Like Gdrive you get more than enough storage to give the service a thorough try out and then it has options to buy more online storage.

Both Gdrive and Skydrive offer rudimentary versions of online word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software online.   Microsoft has a more robust version with email and the complete functions of its Office software in a small business package called Microsoft 365.  If you have team members you work with located in other places, cities, or timezones, this might be a solution for your business.

Both services allow you to save files directly to the cloud from inside your applications on your desktop or laptop, which is helpful especially if you have limited storage on a laptop. Even more interesting is that both services offer mobile applications for your smart phone so you can access them on the go. Apple offers a similar capability with iCloud.

Graphics professionals who work with extremely large files might also want to save some money by purchasing a file compression program like WinZip to cut down on disk usage.

Additional commercial services for cloud computing including Boxnet and Dropbox. These services offer both private storage and public sharing of data.

Both the free and commercial cloud services offer online collaboration of documents and other electronic files. If you work with team members who aren’t in the same building, you can cut down on file swapping and version control issues with these collaboration services.

There are a lot of new tools out there to keep your data safe. Just make sure you use them.

Posted by: blog@cdpug.org

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MacMall Webinar: Come see what’s new and improved in Adobe Creative Suite 6! To ensure delivery, please add deals@news.macmall.com to your address book. ( instructions ) Come see what’s new and improved in Adobe Creative Suite 6! Join us to see how Adobe will help you unleash your creativity with the release of Adobe Creative Suite 6! In this hour long webinar, you’ll see what’s new and improved in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Flash, and more. Come explore new and improved features including alternative/liquid layouts and forms authoring in InDesign, improved tracing and gradients on strokes in Illustrator, a new Content-Aware Move and Patch tools and skin tone aware selections in Photoshop, to name just a few. Presenter: Brian Wood A seasoned web technology trainer, Brian Wood is an Adobe Creative Instructor and the author of books and training videos on Acrobat, Illustrator, Dreamweaver and InDesign. In addition to his regular training programs, Brian speaks regularly at national conferences such as Adobe MAX, The InDesign Conference, as well as at events hosted by AIGA and other industry organizations. He also has a free video tips blog at: www.brianwoodtips.com, and a video learning site at www.askbrianwood.com. You are receiving this email up to five times a week as a valued MacMall subscriber or customer. We respect your Privacy If the information in this newsletter does not suit your current needs, we may have another one that does. Click on the link below to review our newsletter options and update your preferences. Update my Preferences or If you no longer wish to receive this special offer newsletter, then click on the link below, and you will automatically be removed from our list. Unsubscribe Me While we do our best to check errors, mistakes may occur – check our web site or call to verify pricing. All of the company, product, and service names featured above are registered trademarks or service marks of the companies mentioned. PRIVACY POLICY | CUSTOMER SERVICE © 2012, All Rights Reserved – MacMall – 1940 East Mariposa Avenue, El Segundo, CA 90245

 

Blogging isn’t going away, but new channels open new opportunities for customer engagement

USA Today reports that a survey conducted by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth found that top ranked corporations are replacing their blogs with more nuanced and targeted social media investments in specific channels including Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.  In a survey conducted in 2011 of Fortune 500 firms, the percentage of companies using blogs fell from 50% in 2010 to 37% in 2011.

Interest in blogging has fallen for several reasons.  The first is that companies think blogs take too much work. Second, the explosive growth of Facebook has convinced firms to follow their customers. Third, some companies in highly regulated industries, like financial services and pharmaceuticals, got tired of having their lawyers pick over every word before it could be published to avoid trouble with the government.

Some firms complained in the survey that their blogs didn’t produce results, but it isn’t always clear that these firms made the effort to achieve their intended outcomes.

Many corporate blogs failed to attracted readers because  they were just a rehash of marketing pitches with no interactive mechanisms to engage with customers.

While Facebook, Twitter, and micro blogging sites like Tumblr require less work, the level of engagement with customers turns out to be more shallow.  Experts in social media say the trade-off for firms in terms of “buzz” is how well social media contributes to the overall customer experience.

What’s up in Cleveland?

John Ettore, a Cleveland writer, told the Web Association on April 23 that companies need to provide thought leadership through content marketing, which includes blogs.

“You need to tell stories. Focus on the narrative and remove the marketing crap from your social media channels.  Good content leads to inbound opportunities.”

This means firms must know and own their own stories.

“Social media must provide an authentic form of differentiation or you are wasting your time and money. “

Also, there are pot holes along the way and one of them is going over the top in terms of social media marketing.

Etorre tells the story about how J.C. Penny came to grief by abusing the rules of the road in search engine optimization.  In a February 2011 report, the New York Times Magazine uses the firm’s practices to shed light “on the subterranean world of black hat optimization, the dark art of raising the profile of a Web site with methods that Google considers tantamount to cheating.”

The search engine giant told the newspaper the retailer violated its policies and it took “corrective action.”  When Google does this, it can banish a firm’s appearance in search results to the back end of pages that come up with its primary search terms in it. This can makes the firm more or less invisible and has a definite effect on sales.

Authentic content sells

Joe Pulizzi, of the Content Marketing Institute, told the audience that the virtuous circle of social media involves social media channels linked to search engine optimization (SEO) linked to lead generation.  Good story telling about how customers can and do engage with the firm’s products and services ties it all together.

What Pulizzi sees is a different kind of shift in social media than just from blogging to Facebook.  He claims that content marketing as a percentage of the total advertising spend is on the rise.

“The challenge is to create content that engages customers.  You have to grab them by their pain points. To do that you have to share some of the secret sauce of why they should buy from you compared to anyone else.”

The investments a firm makes in reaching customers now involves a mix of social media, traditional public relations, old fashioned marketing, email, mobile apps, and search. There are a lot of paths for customers to take to find a firm’s product offerings. Social media channels offer new opportunities to guide prospects to become booked sales.  It’s called conversion and measuring it is the holy grail of search engine optimization.

“One way or another the customer has to find you,” Pulizzi said.

Another thing that firms often neglect is to make it easy for current and potential customers  to share content.  Twitter and Facebook buttons are a must and so is sharing via email and other social media channels.  A company that locks up its content without mechanisms to share content is essentially sending its future sales to other firms.

Finally, and this gets back to owning your story and your content, Pulizzi says that a firm must be a student of its niche in the industry and for each product and product line.

“You must have a passion for what you do and the essence of it must come through each social media channel or customers will reject you because they will perceive you are not authentic.”

A look at the future

It is unlikely that the use of social media tools is going to drop off.  According to the University of Massachusetts survey, social media tools are seen as important for company goals.

“Ninety percent of responding executives report that social media tools are important for brand awareness and company reputation.  Eighty-eight percent see these tools as important for generating web traffic while 81% find them important for lead generation.  Seventy-three percent say that social media tools are important for customer support programs.”

It’s a growing market for anyone who wants to play in it.

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Posted by: blog@cdpug.org

This is a link to the video I showed at the April 26th CDPUG meeting. It’s Scott Berkun giving tips on doing a 5-Minute Presentation.

Spike

http://www.speakerconfessions.com/2009/06/how-to-give-a-great-ignite-talk/