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The tech-gift I am being asked most often about this Christmas is not the iPad or other tablets, but ereaders. 
And the Kindle in particular. Amazingly, the one I recommend for the majority of the folks is the least expensive. It has the cleanest interface, a fantastic display, is rugged, and extremely affordable. Combine all of that with being able to easily check out books from most libraries on it and it is hard to beat!
What about the other versions of the Kindle? Well, the experiences people are having with the touch-screen models are less than favorable, and most folks don’t need the cost and complexity of the Fire. And lets face it, as a present the Fire is a little on the pricey side. The Fire is a great device – for movie watching, web surfing, email checking and game playing, but it really isn’t as good of a real book reader as the lower priced e-ink display Kindles.
And what about the Nook ereaders from Barnes & Noble? Well, they are mechanically great devices. Absolutely no doubt there. But, where the Kindle beats them is the Amazon store. Now I love Barnes & Noble and wish them all the best, however they just don’t seem to have the depth of Amazon. I looked up four or five books I was interested on both Amazon and B&N. While Amazon had every one, B&N didn’t. If i had a Nook I would just be out of luck. And I can tell you from hard fought experience that it is much easier to check out library books onto the Kindle than on to the Nook. So for product availability and ease of use, the Nook fall to the Kindle.
And remember that you can try the Kindle out in all kinds of places like Office Depot and Best Buy. But you won’t find a better price than from Amazon directly, and it will come already registered to your account. And if you are giving it as a gift it is easy to transfer that registration to someone else. Yup, I think this is going to be a Kindle Christmas!
Tags: Book, ereader, Kindle, nook, tablet
Following are my slides for the session I did at BarCampCHS this year on WordPress. And let me take this opportunity to thank all the great folks who organized BarCampCHS and the fine folks who attended my presentation.
This presentation covered how to do an installation of the WordPress software to your own server, set the basic settings, and how to add security against spammers and hacking. The session was aimed at people who have basic computer knowledge, a desire to have their own WordPress installations, but who are not PHP or WebDesign professionals.
If you would like to download a full copy of the presentation, just click here to download a full PDF complete with links.
Oh! And if you are looking for the one on Podcasting 101, just check here.
Tags: PHP, Security, Setup, WordPress
This is the presentation I gave at the Type-A Mommy Bloggers conference in Asheville, NC, last month. Unfortunately I only had about 45 minutes as I would have loved to have gone into a lot more detail. Additionally, the conversations around these issues with those who attended the session were fantastic. So, please don’t hesitate to leave comments and ask further questions. And always feel free to email me.
Also, the presentation got a little garbled in places when it uploaded to SlideShare. So, here is a link to the PDF of the full Building Blocks of Better Blogs presentation. Enjoy!
Tags: #blogchat, backup, Blogging, blogs, Security, WordPress
I got another message today from someone who has lost files due to hardware malfunction. That makes the sixth person in the last two weeks. Seems that as fast as I can get people using proper backup, other people’s machines are failing.
To that end, let’s review the 3-2-1 backup strategy. This, at least, should be followed for all of your important files and documents. And by important I mean anything you care at all about losing.
3 – Your important files should exist in three different places. This could be your computer, your spouses computer, an external drive, a burned DVD, a remote backup, a friend’s house, whatever. Just three distinct copies of the files.
2 – Those files should be on at least two different types of media. Media can be hard drive, DVD, memory card or stick, or even original paper or film.
1 – At least one of those copies should be maintained off-site. That is away from the site of the original. Preferably in a different city or state. Think about common natural disasters. Off-site should be out of reach of those natural disasters.
An external hard drive is excellent for one of your backups. Time Machine on the Mac makes this a no-brainer, and there are some good software packages for Windows, such as Acronis True Image
. Drive space has come way down in price, and an external drive is easy to pickup and take with you in case of emergency. An external drive such as the Western Digital Elements 1 Terabyte drive is a great choice. Western Digital drives are solid and dependable and they have a good company backing them up. Now is not the time to try to find the cheapest thing you can – unless you want to regret that decision later when there is a failure.
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Tags: backup, disaster, recover
Join us for a fun and interactive presentation on the steps needed to develop an effective social media strategy. The August speakers for the Charleston County Library’s Small Business and Not-For-Profit lunch will be Cheryl Smithem of Strategic Marketing & Charleston PR and Ashley Thiesen Caldwell of The Modern Connection, LLC. Cheryl and Ashley are experienced marketers who will share the steps you need to take to plan an effective social media campaign. You’ll leave understanding “the HOW” behind making social media work for YOUR organization!
The talk will be Tuesday, August 10th from 11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. Make plans to attend now, no RSVP necessary. As always, this will be in the conference room of the main branch of the Charleston County Public Library on Calhoun Street.
Oh, and no, you didn’t miss the July session. Due to vacations and scheduling conflicts, there is no July meeting.
Tags: busines, ROI, Strategy
It was with this sunny outlook that I arose Sunday morning and checked in on Twitter. I love Twitter, and regard it as one of the most useful social media tools, which you already know if you read my last Blog post. Coffee in hand, I logged in, ready to do all the things Twitterphobes and Social Media Managers love to do.
And there it was – and I admit to a bit of hyperbole here – what I now affectionately call the Red Text Rectangle of Death. This Twitter account had been SUSPENDED.
Friends, it gets better – this was a CLIENT account.
For the rest of this story, and more importantly some great pointers on what to do if it happens, head on over to the Social Media Strategies site by Liz DeLoach. Let me tell you this – I was right there with her during the process and it was something you need to prepare for.
So go now, before you get the “Red Text Rectangle of Death“!
Tags: ban, banned, suspended, twitter
So you’re using Facebook, but you’re still not sure about Twitter? A lot of people think that because of their Facebook presence, Twitter would be redundant for them. I think I know why they feel that way. I believe it has a lot to do with Twitter’s status update prompt: “What’s happening?” They see a few folks who use those precious few 140 characters to share the mundane details of daily life and they think, “Wait, don’t I already do that on Facebook?” And they’re right. Except that this isn’t what you should do on Twitter. Twitter has a higher calling, as it were, which is great to be a part of once you understand a few key points. Make no mistake, I don’t THINK you should be on Twitter. I KNOW you should be there.
Much as I love and use it now, I readily admit at first I didn’t “get” Twitter. I don’t think most people do, initially. If you joined Facebook first, then Twitter may seem limited by comparison. Yet, Twitter in my opinion is by far a better medium to get really useful information from reliable sources on just about any topic of interest quickly and efficiently. Its brevity, which novices can find limiting and even frustrating, is its best and most valuable feature. Each tweet is easy to digest, can be easily shared, and the short bursts of info enable you to cover more “ground” quickly. The symbols and shorthand are easy to learn and use once you visit the site a few times. I use it both as communication and research tool. By following those individuals, organizations, and companies who have content of interest to you, you’ll find it an invaluable and virtually unlimited resource platform to use for your personal and professional benefit and that of others. Have a complaint about a company on Twitter? You’ll likely get a response in hours, if not minutes. Want to stay abreast of current events? Often the first place I learn of breaking events is Twitter. Other mediums are slow by comparison. Have insights to share? Tweet it. Looking for a job? Post a link to your resume. The possibilities are endless.
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Tags: Facebook, Liz DeLoach, Social Strategies, twitter
Research published by analyst firm Access Markets International Partners shows that almost 70 percent of small and medium businesses actively use social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to promote their companies. But simply posting what your CEO had for lunch isn’t going to do much to help move your business forward. Smart companies are tactically using social media tools to increase their exposure to potential customers.
We’ve compiled ten of the most compelling reasons that you should consider using social media tools to promote your business.
- Brand Recognition: Using social media allows your company to reach the highest number of potential customers possible. Getting your name out there is incredibly important – studies have suggested that customers need to hear a company’s name at least seven times before they will gain the trust and respect needed to become a customer.
- Brand Monitoring: Having a social media presence allows you to better understand what current and potential customers are saying about your product or services. Through active social media monitoring, you have the opportunity to address negative comments and correct false or inaccurate information about your brand.
- Be Forward-Thinking: Your target audience is becoming savvier when it comes to the using social media sites in their daily lives. If you want to appear relevant and in-step with the latest advances in technology, your potential customers will want to see you on these sites as well.
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Tags: Facebook, LinkedIn, twitter, youtube
Theresa Wagner of the Charleston County Public Library gave an excellent talk pertaining to Facebook Fan Pages at the monthly networking meeting for small businesses and not-for-profits. Facebook is increasingly growing more important as a both a means of attracting new prospects and keeping in contact with current business contacts, and the creation and use of fan pages is still misunderstood by many. Theresa did an terrific job at removing some of the mysteries surrounding this subject. The slides for her presentation have been posted to SlideShare and are included below. She was also gracious enough to wear a microphone and allow me to record her presentation. That recording will be made available shortly as the next episodes in the podcast series.
Tags: Facebook, library, Theresa Wagner
Facebook. Where else can you keep up with friends and family, play games, learn which of your favorite restaurants are having specials, have great discussions, and so much more – all in one place? If you’ve been there awhile, you know that as you add friends and “like” business pages, there will be that much more information appearing in your news feed to manage. As these numbers continue to grow, how can you keep up with it all easily and effectively?
I’ve found one particular feature very helpful, and recommend those of you not using it already to try it: Lists. Here’s a how-to, along with ways I use it to my benefit myself and others:
- On your Home Page in the left hand column, click ‘Friends’. A list will appear with all your friends’ profiles and your Fan pages.
- To the upper right, there is a tab ‘Create List.’
- When you click this option, a box opens which enables you to give your list a title, and then add friends and/or fan pages there to each list you create.
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Tags: Facebook, Liz DeLoach, Social Strategies
