I've been using email for a very long time. I think my first email address was an AOL.com address from version 1.0 of their software. Since that time I have had multiple email addresses. I no longer use the AOL.com address, but it is still active! I have two primary email accounts that I use today. One of them is my corporate account and the other is my personal account. Both addresses have become inundated... Continue Reading

I'm not a very good cook, so I tend to eat out a lot. I don't do a lot of fancy dining, but it's not unusual to find me and my family at a national chain or local diner. My experiences as a patron of restaurants has helped clarify what I believe makes a good waiter and what makes a bad waiter. Waiting tables is a difficult job. Hectic kitchens... unruly customers... angry cooks... wrong... Continue Reading

Whether you have one website or one thousand, you need Google Analytics. Here is a quick tutorial for installing Google Analytics on your website or WordPress blog. Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Chris Harper) I realized that I needed to write about this piece of software when I recommended it to someone for the third time in recent memory. What struck me was that each thing that I recommended it for was different. One person needed to convert some files from a proprietary AVC-HD codec that her editing software couldn't read, another was looking to pull some material from a DVD, and the... Continue Reading

There is nothing that undermines a company's image and recognition faster than the distorted or inconsistent use of an identity. Whether you are part of an established business or launching a new enterprise, defining your company's graphic image now will save you both time and money in the future. Continue Reading

It was 1979 and I was fifteen years old. I remember staring at the magazine in pure lust. I turned page after page, gawking at the pictures and wishing I could have what was on them. You would think the pictures would have been enough, but I also read every word. I knew that this was something I would be willing to spend my money on. This was worth saving for. $500 may have seemed... Continue Reading

Christmas. Seems like we measure a good part of our year by the celebration of Christ's birth. I know. For many people Christmas is very much a secular holiday. A time for family and friends. A time for decorating and hanging pretty lights. A time for the wonder of Santa Claus and flying reindeer. And a time for gift-giving. And regardless of whether or not Target has the cajones to allow the nice Salvation Army... Continue Reading

In the age of broadband Internet speeds, it is often easy to let optimization get shoved to the back burner. But the fact is that a large portion of people surfing the Internet are still using dial-up. More and more people are also browsing the Web on mobile networks, which should be taken into account. If you can speed up the load times of your website, you'll have much happier guests, and they will be... Continue Reading

Apart from Twitter's own terms of service which prohibit obvious things like harassment, transmitting viruses and spamming other members, there really aren't many rules to the site. You can essentially use Twitter however you like. However, for people and businesses who want to use Twitter successfully (eg: build a following and grow their circle of influence), there are a number of best practices that can be observed. I cover many of these in my book... Continue Reading

I do not use my Gmail.com account for business. It is my personal account that I use to correspond with friends, family and close business associates. But I DO use the account and have a number of messages that I have saved for one reason or another. Around 2 pm MDT I went to check my Gmail account and was SHOCKED to see that my inbox was EMPTY! I thought, "surely this must be a... Continue Reading

I decided to bring my son with me to the Book Expo in Los Angeles. I knew that I had a pass to get in, but I was told that I would need to purchase a pass for Z. Turns out it would cost me $230. When we arrived at the conference center, I decided that I would find a friendly face behind the exhibitors registration desk and see what I could do. I asked... Continue Reading

Everything has changed. I remember when I first discovered computers. I was in high school when Radio Shack came out with their TRS-80 Model I personal computer. I remember going to the store and staring at it... ogling it... feeling the power of its keyboard... Hey, I guess I just wasn't into girls yet. That time came along eventually as well. ;-) Oh, those were the days. Continue Reading

Let's play a game. Take the following quiz by filling in the blanks... 1) A _______ in the hand is worth two in the bush. 2) A rolling stone gathers no _____. 3) A penny _______ is a penny earned. 4) A stitch in time saves ______. 5) Without ________, you can't make any money with your website. Continue Reading

In 1978, I was just a youthful fourteen-year old. But I knew the future when I saw it, and I wanted a piece of it. It was this year that Tandy released their first home computer, the TRS-80, via their Radio Shack stores. As soon as I saw this black and gray beauty, I knew I had to have one. Continue Reading