Archive for the 'Productivity' Category

Speed up Outlook 2007

Outlook My Outlook has been very slow starting up as of late. It’s also slow when switching between my mail and calendar functions.  This is crazy since I have a really fast computer. Today I found a way to really speed it up and I had to share.

Follow these steps:

1. Open Outlook as an Administrator by going to C:Programs/Microsoft Office/Office12 and right clicking on the Outlook exe program.  Choose “Run as Administrator”.

2. Then once Outlook opens, go to Tools, then Trust Center, then Addins.

3. Click “Go…” at the bottom and uncheck Outlookaddins.

4. To maximize speed, uncheck everything EXCEPT Windows Indexing, which may be the only useful addin anyway.

5. If you lose some function that was useful, just follow the steps above and check the addins that correspond to the missing function. Then exit Outlook and restart it to test the addin’s fuction. 

When I did this this morning, the speed of my Outlook 2007 improved significantly. I had about 17 addins that I unchecked. We are supposed to to have a new Outlook and Office soon from Microsoft and I hope they have addressed this performance issue.

Internet Marketing Checklist

So how can you market on the Internet. Do you need a bigger, badder web site? What can you do to get traction?

social-media 1. Create a website with content

The secret to a successful website is to get people there and give them a reason to come back.  You can do this with content. Have content before you concern your self with SEO and web site promotion.

2. Tap into Your Expertise

Include content that showcases your talent and expertise.  Talk about what you know… you will present yourself as an expert. It showcases your “know-how-trust” factor. Cement your credibility as an expert.

2. Market to Your Existing Customers

Instead of just focusing on getting new business, turn your attention to your existing customers. If you treat all your clients as special, they will feel special — and be likely to tell someone else about you.

3. Build Relationships

Build relationships with your clients and prospects. Social Media is a great way to extend your reach. Don’t sell with social media. Build relationships, let the selling come later.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

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Be More Effective With Technology

If you have a ton of work before you and can’t afford to let it go when you are away from the office, I have some ideas …

Hardware
toshiba_nb105-2 Hardware is the foundation of your mobile office. In the past that meant a lightweight laptop that won’t make you visit a Chiropractor. If you want to shave off hardware weight, look for a netbook. Many cell phone companies are branding these so that they come will built-in 3G cellular connections. But just like cell phones you have to have a connection plan for your netbook.  The netbook will also have built-in WIFI to save cell minutes and give you a faster connection. Most netbooks are in the $300 price range. These are fully capable tiny laptops that can run the full Microsoft Office Suite. I just bought one for my wife and the battery lasts 11 hours.

mophie-juice-pack-airSmartphones are outnumbering computers and can run software like Windows Office Mobile. So having a smartphone means you be productive with a super small package. Check into upgrading to a higher capacity battery or picking up a spare secondary battery to increase your computing time when you’re away from a power outlet. 

I bought a case for my iphone called Mophie Juice Pack Air that doubled my battery life and provided protection for the phone. Smartphones are notorious for short battery life if you use the Internet or talk a bit. The right accessories can make or break your productivity when you are away from the office.

Other Tips

Tips for Working from the Road:

  1. Take a Bluetooth headset for your phone to keep your hands free when walking or driving.
  2. Plan your day around WIFI hotspots or buy an unlimited Internet plan from your cell company.
  3. Choose a phone with built-in GPS.
  4. Get a portable projector and wireless mouse with laser pointer to give professional presentations.

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Does Elvis get a free dessert and song?

ELVIS PRESLEY’S BIRTHDAY!

My how the time flies! Is it possible that Elvis Presley’s birthday on January 8, 2010 puts him at 75 years old? Have you seen him today?

Untitled-1 To celebrate the life and legacy of the King of Rock ’n’ Roll many events and exhibits are on tap from Graceland to all across America. Through January 10th thousands of Presley fans will brave the bitter cold and fans head to Memphis, TN to join Lisa Marie and Priscilla Presley for Elvis’ 75th birthday celebration. Other celebrations too:

  • See the Elvis’ 1956 Model KH motorcycle at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, WI. How about this? Any visitor with E.P. style sideburns and sunglasses save $4 off regular admission.
  • Photojournalist Alfred Wertheimer’s Smithsonian traveling exhibition with pictures of a young Elvis debuts on January 8th at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, CA.
  • Cirque du Soleil’s Viva Elvis that premieres on February 19th at the new Aria Resort & Casino at CityCenter in Las Vegas, NV.

Other celebrations exist too.  Amazing isn’t it?

Health instructions for 2010

apple-health Your Body

1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat your veggies.
3. Eat more fruit 
4. Eat more raw natural foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less processed food.
5. Read Fit For Life by Harvey Diamond – it will change your life.

Your Social Media

1. Work Facebook and Twitter
2. Blog your knowledge or passion
2. Work it – connect and converse to build relationships
3. Don’t hard sell
4. Keep your conversation informative and fun

Your Image in 2010

Perhaps we need to refer to the new year as twenty ten, it is more concise and simple. I ran across an article that inspired me and thought I would write about this on January first, twenty ten.

creative_image Many of us have learned that good looks add to success in the workplace but too many fail to realize that cultivating the perception of youth and a hip attitude is also very important. It’s no secret that we live in an age-obsessed society.  Don’t follow these rules to impress a young person. Your goal is to  create a more youthful perception about yourself. So how do you do it? Here are some of the concepts form the new book, “Bulletproof Your Job”:

Rule #1: Crest Whitestrips. This is a surface and shallow cosmetic-based tip. But people just don’t understand that having coffee-stained teeth doesn’t do you any favors. Then smile. Smiling makes you look and feel younger.

Rule #2: You need to be on Facebook. No friends? You already have one: just facebook me (dwightcook.) I will be your first friend.

Rule #3: Know how to use Google and Wikipedia and use them. Bookmark these sites on your computer, and set one as your homepage.

Rule #4: Watch an episode of “Big Bang Theory.” Discuss and Repeat.

Rule #5: Peruse your local Apple store. Learn the difference between an iPod Classic, iPod Touch and iPod Nano. You also need to what itunes and  podcasts are all about and then you are on your way.

Rule #6: Do not disclose your past. Keep it to yourself. These are the “good old days!”

Rule #7: Don’t talk about how you’re addicted to Starbucks.  Nobody cares and it won’t make you seem younger.

Rule #8: Keep up to date with Entertainment news and Sports. Set them as a favorite or add it to your custom home page on Google, Yahoo or Bing. This can help you with current relevant conversation.

office_image Rule #9: Learn how to text message and do it.

Rule #10: Lose the newspaper. Young people get their news online.

Rule #12: Make eye contact. Eye contact is so critical to being perceived as young; don’t be afraid to use it.

Rule #13: Never refer to your grandchildren or great-grandchildren. Rarely mention your children – these topics make you sound old.

Rule #14: Go to the gym. 

Rule #15: Never use ancient words like “groovy, dy-no-mite, or tubular.” Use current vocabulary.

Rule #16: Get a TiVo or DVR. Know how they work.

Rule #17: Record yourself to see how how old you sound. You will probably be your own worst critic. Note that youthful people talk much snappier.

Rule #18: Dress is very important: always dress age-appropriate with no frump factor.

Rule #19: Give your hairstyle a hard look. Get a young stylist to help with your look or ask a young family member that will be honest with you to help.

Rule #20: Skip cologne and wear deodorant. Young people don’t wear scented oils or strong cologne. You don’t want BO, so don’t skip that deodorant.

Rule #21: Make younger friends and hang out with them.

Two Secrets to a Successful Web Site

It’s really pretty simple:

1) Get people to your site

Most people get this one. People spend good money to promote a web site to search engines, trade links and advertise.  All of these are important.  With millions of web sites on the internet you can’t expect people to find your site by accident.

There are still hundreds of web sites published daily and they will never receive a spec of promotion.  Promote, promote, promote!

 

2) Give them a reason to come back

This is the real kicker.  The days are long gone when you can build a site and forget it for years.  Yet there are static sites out on the Net that have not changed since they were built.  If you have already read a book, it better be captivating and compel you to pick it back up to reread it.  The same holds true with a web site.  Make the web site connect with the visitor.  Better yet, Untitled-2 change your content and keep it fresh.  So why would someone never visit your web site again?  Here are my top reasons:

  1. There is nothing of interest
  2. Nothing has changed since my last visit
  3. Misspellings bad content, broken links, poor design or a bad impression

Please follow these two rules to avoid failure.

Communication with young adults

 

America is now full of non-readers and on average adults read less than one book a year. I recently read a book, Flickering Pixels, which I mentioned in an earlier article which reinforces how new generations prefer learning in a non-webleo2 sequential way influenced by our media saturated world.

We no longer search for information, but information now seeks and finds us, whenever we are. With Twitter and Facebook feeds I’m constantly aware of news, trivia, the important and the ridiculous seems to search for me every second of the day. For those of us in media, it is apparent that abundant information saturation is changing habits:

Parents must instill a strong moral and ethical code within their children. There are not enough Internet and TV filters to shelter our children’s eyes and ears. We must get to their heart before media and friends take over.

Employers this generation is not lazy! However they live life in the moment, and relationships, causes and even pleasure will not be postponed for the sake of a career. The dollar is not their motivation.

Educators no longer control the gateway of knowledge because anyone with a computer or smart phone can access any information in seconds. Educators need to help students think and make sense of the all of the available information.

Publishers will survive this culture shift if they produce and distribute content beyond the printed page. If people are not reading books they are watching YouTube, reading blogs, listening to podcasts, reading Social media and sharing sharing their thoughts online.

Chaos in Surround Sound

The following email exchange is real – The names have been changed …
(my responses are in blue italics)

Subject: CHANGE HOUR MEETING

Untitled-1 Hola,
We may change the date scheduled for  3pm Houston time?

I only have 3pm to 4pm available. Another session starts at 4pm. If we can get your session done in 1 Hour, then no problem. But we cannot go past 4pm.

Ok. We take. The talent meet at 3:15pm to 4pm. I hope is possible finish today, if not, we can found another early day.

Do you mean TODAY? I thought you meant changing the time for your session TOMORROW!

Yes, I thought TODAY at 3pm beguins..

I cannot do TODAY! We were booked for Wed, Jan 14th at 11:30CT and I moved to 3pm same day, not today.

You think we can do today? in your afternoon?

We cannot do today – Sorry.

Sorry for the stress. Really is for TOMORROW. And then we confirm the meet for the talent; Tomorrow Wednesday 14th at 3pm to 4 pm. Ok?

No worries – that schedule change has been made – Session is Wed 1/14/09 at 3pm CT.

THANK YOU!

PhoneCallSmall We all know media production is a stressful activity. It’s the perfect storm: the clash of left brain/right brain; the stereotypical art versus commerce conflict; entertaining, creative ideas collide with motivated, monetary goals. Our blessing/curse is that no one day is the same as the previous…

But meanwhile back at the farm… the music’s playing so loud I can’t hear myself think, the phone’s ringing constantly and I can’t remember who I just spoke to 5 minutes ago! Oh, yeah – It was our banker who gave me a different story about how to receive payments from overseas clients than the bank’s customer service rep did yesterday. Now I’ve got to decide who’s right & who’s wrong. And no amount of email can get the client in Barcelona to try the PayPal account again after I made changes to our credit card profile…

Sound familiar? Just another day in paradise for those who coordinate production activities with little or no timeline. But somewhere there’s levity. Can we really be serious all the time without going completely bonkers? Comedy is all around you with the right perspective.

 

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Is Augmented Reality a good marketing tool?

What if you could drive people to your web site or create buzz like a viral video? Augmented reality (AR) uses a connected web cam, shape recognition, and 3D art.  Put it all together and you have an interactive experience that people love.

What is Augmented Reality?

Wikipedia says: “Augmented reality (AR) is a field of computer research which deals with the combination of real-world and computer-generated data (virtual reality), where computer graphics objects are blended into real footage in real time.”

This is a new technology but many uses I have seen are a bit lame or just not practical.  My first experience with augmented reality was with promotion leading up to the release of Sony Pictures District 9.  I heard about it on NPR and then saw the movie poster with the AR shape at the Sony store. The video below is pretty cool for an early use of AR and I expect it to grow in use.

Best Buy printed a Sunday newspaper insert with an AR shape and it was a bit disappointing.  See http://bestbuyin3d.com/, I hope that Best Buy includes shapes for each product in the circulars and with AR we can see it in 3D (without balloon ads) and click to get more info. Now that would be useful!

GE used AR to show wind and solar energy in 3D – http://ge.ecomagination.com/smartgrid/#/augmented_reality, pretty cool but still not a real practical use of AR.

The Star Trek movie did pretty cool promotion of the movie using AR!  This looks like fun, but alas I am a but of a Star Trek nut. Again, I think that once the newness wars off AR like this will cease to wow us.

Layar Augmented Reality

Now, I am truly excited, a Netherlands Company called Layar has developed a AR browser to enable the Google Android phone, using it’s web camera, GPS and shape recognition to display layers (or is that layars?) of information super imposed over the camera image.  Imagine being able to point the camera at a restaurant  and being able to see it’s menu. Or looking for real estate and able to see prices by pointing your phone camera at a property?  I can see many practical uses for this technology and yet it has the wow factor big time.

It’s unfortunate but it’s not available in the US until it is released in Europe.  I saw that the Layar browser is being ported to the iPhone.  Is the Blackberry to follow? Layar, I am ready for this – fantastic idea! Sign me up!

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