The ProVirtual Blog

Late to the party: learning to use Facebook

Late to the party, indeed. I just now am beginning to scratch the surface of Facebook. I spend quite a bit of time on LinkedIn (which I love); but have so far spent no time exploring the capabilities of FB... always assuming it was more of a personal thing. In my ignorance, I never bothered to really see what it can do. And it can do a lot. I am surprised by the number of people that use it excusively (and very effectively) for business and that it's actually very useful - not merely a social distraction.

Along with my "discovery" of Twitter last week (which is surprisingly addictive), I feel I'm making some social networking progress these days. Next week: Squidoo.

Many thanks to Erin Blaskie - who patiently helped me see the Facebook light.

So - since I'm new, I'm still light on friends... please visit me. ;-)  Anyone else feel behind the curve with Facebook?

RescueTime measures your productivity (do I really want to know this?)

I just installed RescueTime - a free product which aims to provide users with a cold, impartial analysis of how you spend time on your computer - without data entry. RescueTime runs in the background and (basically speaking) tracks the focus of windows on your computer to compile a report which you can have emailed or published in an RSS feed.

You can even define productivity goals and measure your progress! So, if you have decided to spend 50% less time processing email, RescueTime will let you know if you are on track to achieve that goal.

There are obvious privacy concerns with any product that "tracks" activity on your computer. However, RescueTime does a good job of addressing these concerns by providing useful features to whitelist and suspend tracking for activity that you don't want to include in reports:

What about my privacy?
We take privacy pretty seriously, and it was one of our biggest concerns when we built RescueTime. Our first line of privacy defense is to provide a prominent pause feature that allows you to suspend tracking. Second of all, you can delete any particular data. Finally, we ensure that the only thing we track is the names of the apps and sites you use and the times that you use them. We also offer a "Whitelist" feature that allows you to only track the web sites that you want to. For more details, check out our privacy policy.

RescueTime also offers a paid version that will track the productivity of a workgroup.. so it looks like the product is also aimed at small businesses who are serious about measuring the results of adopting alternative processes and workstyles. It may provide weary commuters everywhere with a great tool to convince management that it's time to start adopting work-at-home options!

This may be a perfect way to measure once and for all how much time I really spend with email, eBay and celebrity gossip blogs. If my results aren't too terribly embarrassing, I will post again in a month's time to share the verdict. :-)

Ok, I get Twitter now.

I spend a lot of time playing with new Web 2.x services and putting them to use. I love finding something that saves me a few minutes or fills a need - a need that sometimes, I didn't even know I had (Jott.com, comes to mind!).

I never really "got" the phenomenon that is Twitter. I never spent much time with it, as I assumed it was a MySpace-y type app that was for tweens texting one another about prom shoes - but I confess, I never gave it a fair shake. If you aren't familiar, Twitter allows you to quickly update "what are you doing" and update your website and your "followers" (or all Twitter-ers at large) with brief text messages. These messages are sent to your website, blog, rss (my favorite), phone, etc. - instant broadcast udpates as to your - status/thoughts/etc.. Twitter, however, allows users to restrict updates to approved "followers", so that you can use Twitter to update family members, workgroups, etc with updates without burning phone minutes or spending time on phonetag calls and voice mail. Useful!

So, as proof that Twitter is more than another teenage tech distraction... here's a blog post that describes the clever and lifesaving use of Twitter during a recent tornado outbreak in OK.

In case you are wondering - here's my Twitter page.. there is absolutely nothing of interest there.. but follow me if you like... ;-)

Also - please comment if there is something I am missing - or another great way to use Twitter.

Evernote Will Change Your Life

If you ever looked at your browser's "Favorites" file - its more than likely that it is completely disorganized and out of control. I (like most) had a bad habit of viewing a webpage that I want to revisit - then "adding to favorites" or "bookmarking" - only to discover that I could never find it again in the giant list of pages I tried to save to it over the years. Looking at my "favorites" now in my browser - I dont even know what a lot of it is or why I wanted to save it in the first place. It's a useless mess.

Enter Evernote. Evernote is an immensely flexible "clipping" tool that works on your desktop, on your phone and on the web. It allows you to save almost any kind of information (webpages, text, sound, pictures and video) and index it any way you like - tags, categories, separate notebooks. Evernote is similar to (also excellent) Google Notebook - only pumped up with an elegant interface and far more flexible features.

... but that's not all. Evernote also indexes by the content of your notes - including images. So, if you are in the grocery store and you want to save a picture of a cereal box (can't imagine why you would need to do this, but please humor me here.. :-D ) - text in the picture (Cap'n Crunch, in this example) would be captured and indexed.

So - if you were doing research on the vast health benefits of Cap'n Crunch, and you had saved your assortment of documents, webpages and pictures of Cap'n Crunch resources in Evernote - and you did a search on "Cap'n Crunch" - not only would you get the text and webpages - you would get the images that contained the phrase "Cap'n Crunch". Incredible!!

Like any great Web 2.0 app, it works with everything else you use. You can easily email notes to and from your Evernote account, and even dictate notes to it using that other spectacular service Jott! (I posted about Jott! on my former blog, but do yourself a favor and visit Jott! right now!)

Evernote is in "private beta" so you do either need an invitation (I have a few left - just email me [mary * at * provirtualsolutions.com] if you would like one) - or you can register for an invitation from Evernote - which may take a few days to a week. It works very smoothly  - so I doubt that it would be in a private beta very much longer.

New Services! Web Conferencing, Google Web Services Support & More

ProVirtual Solutions is now offering one-time specialty services, including web conferencing and recording, domain record updates and Google web services setup. These services are specially priced to provide better value without the need for an ongoing service agreement.

Web Conferencing: 90-minute service package includes webinar hosting and recording to a WMV file (with audio & video), using GoToMeeting. This is a great option for clients that have occasional webinars and need the audio and video recorded on one file. 90-minutes includes session hosting and file preparation.

Domain Record Update: Do you need a mail exchange (MX) record update or other more advanced change to your domain record and are hesitant to try it yourself? Let ProVirtual Solutions handle it!

Google Services Setup with Overview Webinars: Choose one or save with our bundled service packages. Most options include personalized training webinars so you can get the most out of the Google services you selected.

• Google Apps with EMail: Have you heard about the great services Google offers for free? You can get the renowned GMail service for your own domain and enjoy access to a 6GB mailbox, IMAP/POP access and more - along with the other Google Apps: Google Docs, Google Spreadsheets and Google Presentations - all mapped to your own domain. Have ProVirtual Solutions set it up for you and show you how to use it in a personalized webinar.
• Google Analytics Installation with Optional Webinar: Wondering about your website visitors and how they are finding your site? Google Analytics provides great detail about your site traffic and also works seamlessly with PPC camapigns. Opt for installation only or purchase with a personalized webinar to show you how it all works.
• Google Webmaster Tools with Local Business Listing:  Maximize your site's visibility with Google's Webmaster Tools and Local Business Listing with Maps. Service includes: Installation of Google Analytics for one domain/website, setup of Google Webmaster Tools, creation of XML sitemap, submission of sitemap file to Google, creation of local business listing with map for Google Local. Includes a 45 minute webinar overview.

Learn more about all ProVirtual service offers here.

Merry Christmas & Happy Googling!

It's already Christmas Eve... and another year is almost done! I look forward to 2008 with a fresh start with new services to kick off the year.

Every once in awhile, it's a good idea to Google oneself and learn where you stand out on the web. The new year is a great time to do this - and resolve to do what you can to spiff-up your online image. Money.com has a nice summary about where to start:  You're only as good as Google says you are (Money.com)

Merry Christmas!

Keyboard in the dishwasher? I must try this.

Everyone that uses a computer typically (at least some of the time) uses a detached keyboard. The day-to-day abuse it takes and the inevitable cookie crumbs and coffee droplets that get into a keyboard over time can leave any keyboard...well, really disgusting. Aside from the occasional wipe-down with those indispensable Lysol wipes, there has to be some better way...

Turns out, there is... the dishwasher!  Be sure to read the comments - this keyboard cleaning trick seems to get good results.

At some point in the near future (when I work up the courage) I will try this and report my results.

Add a Mini-Store to Your TypePad Blog with PayPal Widgets

Hosted blogging service TypePad has launched PayPal Widgets, an easy way to embed a little mini-store on your Typepad-powered blog. Log into your TP account, link up your PayPal ID and activate on your chosen weblog just like any other widget.

This blog is hosted by TypePad (along with my Teleclasses.Info blogs)- and although there are other excellent blogging choices, I like TP's templates, huge widget collection and multi-blog options. The maintenance is zero - another huge selling point with me. I liked working with my old WordPress blog, but got tired of the tinkering.

If you would like to check it out for yourself, TypePad offers a free 14-day trial.

gMigrate Moves PIM Data to Google Calendar for Free

If you ever considered moving to Google Calendar from another PIM such as Outlook, but cringe at the thought of reentering appointments, you should check out gMigrate from CompanionLink. gMigrate supports Outlook, Lotus Notes, GroupWise, and Palm Desktop calendars.  It's free, but it's intended for a one-way transfer to Google Calendar. CompanionLink also has a ongoing synchronization tool for Google Calendar as well.

Free download here: http://companionlink.com/products/gmigrate.html

Blog Roundup: Web Productivity Tools

Here's links to fresh posts from some of my favorite blogs that list (and rather exhaustively, in one case) currently available web productivity tools and feature highlights....certainly worth bookmarking:

• 10 Ways to Collaborate with Other Human Beings Without Actually Being There (Web Worker Daily)
  
• Best of Mashable: Productivity & Organization  (Mashable.com)
  
• Jajah, Jaxtr, Jangl - How Are These Skype Alternatives Different?  (Digital Inspiration)

Latest headline feeds from these and other blogs are shown at right -->

Avoid Cell Provider Connect Charges with GOOG-411

Ok - I'll admit it - Google's ever-expanding tentacles into nearly every aspect of our daily lives would normally creep me out, but Google provides so many darned useful things for free - it's hard not to love them.

Simply call 1-800-GOOG-411, state your location and the type of business you are looking for - and get connected for free. If you are calling from a mobile device, GOOG-411 can even send you a text message with more details and a map.

There's no live operator, but as long as you know where you are and what you are looking for, Google 411 should be able to help find what you need - all while avoiding that nasty Verizon service charge.

Click here for more information and a charming video introduction by a Googler.

The Future of Medicine (I hope...)

I know I haven't posted in awhile... swamped lately. However, the wonderful folks at Formspring posted about how one of their customers, a New York physician, uses the web to better serve patients and keep costs down... and I just had to share.

Dr. Jay Parkinson does medicine the old-fashioned way... but uses the web to get it done! Instead of getting (literally) hog-tied with big insurers, he offers house calls (house calls!!!) and simple pay-per service fees. Since his fees are reasonable (and disclosed in advance), he's accessible to the uninsured. He keeps costs down with the help of email, chat and video to assist patients. Check out Dr. Parkinson's informative blog post as to why your doctor can't communicate with you electronically... it's fascinating.

Keep Tabs on Your Business with Google Alerts

This is one of those web tools that has been around for awhile, but is easily overlooked. Google Alerts helps you keep on top of a news story, company, competitor - you name it - by sending you email alerts every time the key word or phrase you select newly appears on the web, news, blogs or Google Groups. You can set it to alert you daily, weekly or "as it happens".

It's still in "beta" - not sure why, as it has been around awhile and certainly works well... and a great addition to your online marketing toolbox.

Google Alerts

Comparing Office Suite Alternatives

C/Net has a great article that compares all the available alternatives to Microsoft Office. It once was assumed that any office must have the Microsoft standard in place - but that belief is changing fast. Many are questioning whether anyone needs to spend hundreds on a PIM - word processor - presentation - spreadsheet package, when there are less bloated and even free options readily available, many of which are cross-platform and allow group collaboration (such as the free Google Apps). 

As an example, I recently installed the new Outlook 2007, and while it is lovely to look at and has lots of nice features, it's also very clunky and would seize up unexpectedly. Although Outlook supports IMAP mail, it would take 30-90 seconds to process new messages!  So I switched back to my tried and true Thunderbird + Palm Desktop. Both are free - have exactly what I need, synch with my Treo and are lightning-fast.

So if you are reconsidering a MS Office upgrade, first check out the comparative product reviews and feature chart, courtesy of C/Net.

Announcing Teleclasses.Info

I recently launched my new site focused entirely on teleclasses and teleseminars, Teleclasses.Info.

Teleclasses are growing as a cost-saving way to learn something new - about almost any subject. They are also an extremely effective way for solopreneurs to sell their knowledge and market their practices. In the process of looking for new teleclass events, I realized that there wasn't a focused way for hosts to list their teleclasses or for a prospective attendee to find events in subjects in which they are interested. I wanted Teleclasses.Info to be a useful resource for both.

In short, I'm looking for teleclasses so you don't have to. :-) In addition to the main site, Teleclasses.Info has subject-specific interest areas:

• Teleclasses.Info (All Topics)
• Teleclasses.Info for Coaches & VAs
• Teleclasses.Info - Marketing
• Teleclasses.Info - Metaphysics & Self-Development

In addition, each area features automatic weekly email updates and RSS feeds - so you wont be out of the loop.