A friend of mine is opening a new law office.  It’s an exciting time for him -especially since this will be his first business.
But as you can imagine, it’s also a risky time for him.  He’s not well funded and will need to bootstrap the startup every step of the way.
He asked me for advice about what to do for his IT systems.  For now, his office will have only 3 employees, including him.
Here’s what I recommended to him:

Don’t waste money on fancy hardware.
Computers are like screwdrivers: Old ones work just as well as new ones.
Because he and his staff will use the computers primarily for documents, internet access and email, I told him to skip buying anything new and just re-format his Windows XP computers.
By reformatting his used PCs, he wipes out any malicious software which may be hiding on the machines. Reformatted computers also run faster. It’s win/win.
I did advise he buy nice 22” LCD screens from Office Depot.  One shouldn’t compromise on what he/she looks at all day long.
(Savings from opting for used hardware: $1500)

Go Google.
Microsoft Office is so old school.  It’s expensive and it’s bloated.
Instead of Office, I told him to signup for Google Docs.  Google Docs does everything Word, Excel and PowerPoint.  It even looks and feels similar to Office.
The beauty of Google Docs, though, is it’s free.  Moreover, the files can be shared online with other employees.  This means improved productivity.
In addition to productivity software, Google also offers free email and free calendaring. No need for Outlook nor Exchange Server.
(Savings from opting for Google Docs: $2000).

Get a simple website.
Simple does not mean crappy.  As a business, your ‘face’ to the public must be smart, clean and professional.  A ghetto website screams: “Our company does not get it!”
Don’t ruin a potential client’s impression of your organization.  Get a nice site.
Fortunately, you don’t have to spend a ton of money to have a successful site.  Take a look at WordPress themes.  Google it.  Find a theme you like and have it customized.  You won’t regret it.
Note: Not all WordPress themes are created equal.  Email me for a list of good ones.
(Savings from insisting on a decent site: priceless.)

Create accounts for Google Maps, LinkedIn and Facebook.
All roads lead to Rome.  You should think of social media in the same way: links to your website.
Now, those ‘roads’ leading back to your website need not be sexy.  They can even be ‘dirt’ roads – provided your company’s website looks great.
I told him to focus just on Google Maps, LinkedIn and Facebook for now.  It’s enough.
Cost: free.

Define your tech policies.
Most companies skip this step and they ultimately pay for it in the long run.  I told him to spend 1 hr and list what’s acceptable computer behavior and what is not.
For example, is it OK for the company’s computers to be used for personal things like chatting, downloading bootleg stuff from file sharing sites, watching porn, etc?
How about storing confidential info on laptops used in the field?
These are important policies and if they don’t exist somewhere in written form, then essentially the company has no policy.
I told him to create a working doc using Zoho Wiki and ask employees to contribute to it on a regular basis.  His practice will be worth more as a business.

Backup the important stuff.
Businesses can lose everything in a blink.  Fire, flood, theft, viruses…It happens all the time.  We see people in tears nearly every day, having lost everything, and no backup.
I told him to designate one computer as a file server and configure the network so all files are automatically stored on that computer.  I also told him to use two external drives for daily backups and rotate the drives weekly so there’s always one good backup offsite at his home for safekeeping.

You worked really hard on your business. You mopped the floors, prepared a business plan, and hired top-notch people to help you grow it. You did everything you were supposed to do: got the perfect location, professional business cards, great signage and a decent-looking website. Sometimes you wonder if you are working too hard and if there is anything (anyone) out there who can make it easier on you.

In fact, there is. Your website, if properly configured, can be an invaluable help. It can take some of your tasks on, including attracting new business and retaining existing customers. In these stormy economic conditions you definitely need all help you can get. Yes, it’s simpler to ignore it and continue to rely on a phone book and other traditional advertising to connect with your customers. However, traditional advertising is costly and its results are difficult to measure.

Optimizing your website will allow you to capture all of the customers who rely on Google or Yahoo to search for a product and service. Customers increasingly rely on uncle Google for advice. Who haven’t you seen piles of new phone books in an apartment complex’s mail room? As an experiment, try Googling a service that your company provides and locale, e.g. “dog grooming Honolulu” or “food catering Hilo” and take a look at the results. Is your business showing up anywhere on the first few pages? Is your competitor’s?

We often hear from local businesses: we get our business from existing customer referrals. That’s how we get most of our business too and it is truly a Hawaii way. However, no business has ever suffered from having too many customers. If your website brings additional (probably younger) customers, there is nothing wrong with that.

There are free and inexpensive ways to improve your company’s website’s performance.

Improve your content and design. Make sure your website is adequately educating your customers about services and products you offer. The language should be clean and free of technical terms. The layout should be nice and easy for reading. No giant blocks of text and ugly neon colors. As with a house you are trying to sell, the colors should cater to the public (think neutral) and not to your personal preferences (hot pink or chartreuse). Try to be very specific about what you offer. “We offer best personal care products in Honolulu” does not tell your prospective customer much. You need to specify what it is and why it’s better than another store down the road. Finally, lower the barrier to entry – offer free consultation, money back guarantee, or good FAQ section.

Make it easier for search engines to find you. Search engines are designed to look for a relevant and popular content. Thus, your site should be current and contain links and articles relevant to your line of business. For example, if you are in floral business, your site should have tips on flower arrangements, links to other websites with interesting information regarding flowers, and any upcoming festival which uses your leis. Participate in local forums and social media providing links to content to your website. Make sure you are on Yelp (or if you are in tourism industry – on Trip Advisor).

Leverage your connections. If you have a partnership with another business or group of businesses – exchange links to each other’s websites. For example, if you are a piano studio and provide lessons in one of the private schools – provide a link to the school on your site and ask them to do the same. Do the same for any professional organizations you belong to – bar association, Rotary, Small Businesses Hawaii, etc.

To evaluate the quality of your current website, go these sites: www.websitegrader.com or www.validator.w3.org. They will list some of the things you can do now to help turn your website into a sales monster. Get started today!

The millennial generation started it as a way to connect with their friends. Now businesses have adopted it as a marketing strategy. Put simply, social networks are communities of people with common interests who interact and communicate online. Why would a corporate goliath of a company like Disney create a profile on Facebook? I’m sure it has to do with the fact that they now have over 1.6 million people following their profile, and it was free!

So what are these online watering holes about? I looked up social networking in Wikipedia which listed around 138 examples. Although united in purpose, most of the sites are separated in categories like business, travel, or photography. Depending on your industry it may be recommended to use one network over another. Here are several choices businesses are flocking to online because they are free and popular.

Twitter – A way to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, and frequent comments.

YouTube – An online destination to watch and share original videos.

Yelp – An easy way to find, review and talk about what’s great – and not so great – in your area.

Facebook – Helps you connect and share with the people in your life.

Somebody recently asked me if social networking was a good idea for their business. I said yes, of course! This individual however wanted to know about any negative aspects. Why so concerned? Well, recent news such as a 16 year old losing her job because of a comment she made on Facebook is showing a dark side of the trend. For a business, the benefits heavily out-weigh anything negative. We cannot ignore that the internet is where the masses are getting their information. It is accessible, convenient, and people will use it to make a decision on what business to spend their money with. So, let’s investigate it a bit closer by looking at the benefits.

If your company is not online that should be your first priority as it is necessary for today’s businesses. In tandem social networking helps to bring visitors to your website, and it builds public awareness about your company. Twitter is an online community that is gaining recognition among the social networking giants. What makes it popular is that it is simple and convenient. Barak Obama used it during the election and has attained over 400,000 followers. He used ‘tweets’, limited to 140 characters , to post a comments about where he was speaking and to share tidbits of information about his policies. He included hyperlinks in his comments to redirect visitors to more information elsewhere like his website.

You can earn trust and creditability just by sharing valuable information. Eventually this could turn into a community of loyal followers. If you get lucky you could really make some waves and become viral. Blendtec, a manufacturer of blenders, reached viral status with a marketing campaign “Will it Blend”. Infomercials starring Tom captured massive interest through the blending of unusual objects like golf balls and a video camera. The purpose was to emphasize the power of Blendtec’s blender. Currently the most popular video they produced shows a iPhone turned to dust which has been viewed 6.5 million times.

So we covered some benefits, what about negative aspects? When it comes to social networking, individuals are mostly concerned about open and public attacks to themselves or their business. Cyberbulies are usually anonymous and uncommon. Most social networking tools give you the control to screen comments through an approval process. Some networking sites like Yelp put the controls in both the public and the business’ hands. As a business you can set up an account with a description of your business and photos. Your customers then write reviews, which gets posted whether it is good or bad. They can also visit your location and post their own pictures of your business. All content is reviewed by the staff at Yelp before it is set to your account.

To make social networking effective it takes a certain investment of time and dedication. It is not something that you can expect to produce immediate results. Like any advertising method there are right and wrong ways to go about it depending on your business and industry. The payoff you get is an efficient way to share information and grow your business.

- By Todd Kingman the Ring Leader at SuperGeeks

When Judson Laipply posted his six-minute “Evolution of Dance” video to YouTube in April of 2006, he didn’t advertise it at all. One month later, someone noticed his frenzied moves and e-mailed it to a friend. That friend e-mailed to other friends and more than 100 million views later, the rest is history. “It was all just pure luck” Mr. Laipply says.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123481783053894227.html

The latest viral video phenomenon is courtesy of a trip to the dentist.

Eight-year-old David DeVore’s woozy post-surgery high, including a monstrous scream, has earned him his 15 minutes of fame. The video has been seen more than 6.4 million times on YouTube and has been broadcast on cable shows such as “The Soup” on E and “Best Week Ever” on VH1.