Monday

Monday – The start of another week, another marathon.  This is going to a be a good week.  We have some new staff joining the development team, new projects starting and new releases.  All in All, a lot to look forward to.

I started Bikram Yoga and choose the place because they were easily found on the Internet.  I had heard about another, close place. But, after several searches I could not locate them.  So, I went to the place I found easily, with good content so that I felt comfortable, directions and an online class schedule.  The class was full.  One more example of how a solid internet presence can help bring in the customers you need.

What did you do this weekend? Did you use the web? Get directions on Google?

How you want things…

I have been working in the tech field since 1993, 15 years.  One of the things that has been a constant is the varying tastes, styles, preferences and mores of people.  Some people want lots of detail, others high level only.  Some people want to learn, others just want it done.  Some want highly detailed sites, others minimalist.

With all the variations, there are definitely some camps.  IE: for most options, people fall into 2-3 major categories.  One of the main categories is uniqueness: Some people think their needs are utterly unique, others think their needs are representative of everybody else.  Both are wrong.

The important thing is to know what you want.  When it comes to web sites and custom software, our job is to take our client’s vision and turn it into reality.  We do this by translating needs, vision and dreams into business requirements and then defining a programming spec to those requirements.

My job is translation.  And, on good days, I think I am very good at it. 

Clients don’t need to worry about saying the wrong things or controlling the process.  I can work through either very vague or quite detailed information and define the requirements in a logical, methodical way.  Frankly, the only time it is hard is when a client tries to control the process too much.  By that I mean that they won’t let the translation happen.  They insist on their words, their work-flow.  Often, the results are not very effective from an application stand-point.  Luckily, that is very rare.

People want what they want.  I know, I am the same way.  When working with a web developer or application programmer, just tell them your needs and let them translate it into their own world.  If someone says “I need to be able to step in, at any point, to an issue with my customers”, I will start designing a process that includes communication history, change auditing, and alert triggers.

No matter what camp you are in, finding a development team you can communicate with effectively will be the most important part of a successful project.  As long as you know your business, we know how to build the infrastructure to support it.

Busy week

This is shaping up to be a busy week.  If all goes as planned, we will have 3 new releases: A new dynamic membership site; a mobile device enabled home page; and an easy to use online application and a work flow management application which will manage a client’s business for all employees and all projects.

These are all exciting projects and each has some interesting and innovative features.   I will write more about each project as they go live.

March of Dimes

I want to thank everyone who helped my fund raising campaign for the March of Dimes.  Together, we raised $1,200!

Help! Donate to March of Dimes

Help! A warrant for my arrest has been issued by the March of Dimes for aiding and abetting the fight against prematurity.

 I have been found GUILTY of wanting every baby to be born full-term and healthy! To avoid doing hard time for my crimes I must raise my bail quickly.  YOU CAN HELP bail me out – or contribute to my incarceration.  Visit my cell online at http://jailandbail.marchofdimes.com/amhitul today.

To learn more about how your dollars are helping to fight prematurity and save babies’ lives visit the March of Dimes at http://www.marchofdimes.com .

If you or someone you know has had a child born prematurely or with birth defects, or who has lost a child, encourage them to visit a special site for families at http://www.shareyourstory.org .

My personal web page address for donations is…. http://jailandbail.marchofdimes.com/amhitul

Our mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.

Thank you so much for your support!

Amanda Hart

How you can help:

Make Donations: http://jailandbail.marchofdimes.com/amhitul

 

Learn About March of Dimes: http://www.marchofdimes.com/

Exchange Hosting

Always wanted to power of Microsoft Exchange email but didn’t want the cost and problems of your own server? I-Tul has the solution.  Hosted Exchange accounts!  Pay only for the accounts and disk space that you use. All accounts have anti-virus and spam controls.

Learn more! Call Amanda @ 916-749-1500 X105

1.  Outlook 2007
2. Shared calendaring
3. Shared tasks
4. Common Contacts
5. Shared folders
6. And more!

Brainstorming

I think brainstorming is so important.  When you are thinking about new marketing or automation ideas for your web site, be sure to spend some time brainstorming.  Call me up and we can plan together.  Sometimes, people try to focus to early on implementation or copying something they have seen before.  Use those as inspiration and think about the goals, the possibilities, the what if…

 With technology today, more often than not, there is always a solution.  Let’s dream and find the best answer before jumping to the first.

Techy Vs. Non-Techy

Experimentation.  I think that is the most significant difference between a “techy” and a “non-techy”.

When confronted with new technology, often we techies haven’t a clue what to do before we dig in.  So, we go slow, poke around, and generally try to get a feel for what is going on.  Then, we start trying things that seem innocous and keep moving up until it starts to make sense or we run out of options.  Luckily, 9 times out of 10, it starts making sense.  Technology is at its heart, always logical.  The trick is to figure out the logic of that system.
Non-techies are reluctant to log in and poke around until they feel that they understand it.  Often, they are afraid that they will break something, look stupid, or generally be “wrong”.  I understand these feelings.  In my past I have certainly done them all with aplomb.   But, this foibles were rarely permanent, costly or scarring so I haven’t let it stop me.

Experimentation is important because without it, understanding is hard.  You need to see the interface, read the lingo, watch the interactions to make sense out of a system’s logic.   Once you begin, then it starts to become clear bit by bit and piece by piece.

Of course, once you understand a little, then the earnest questions begin.  But, then training will be most effective.  Now, you have a “place” for the data, a paradigm to fit the instructions into, and more specific questions.  It becomes less “I don’t get it” and more “What happens if I click ‘edit’?”

What is the best way to experiment? Start with files that you can destroy (samples, copies, etc…).  Then, click around and see how far you get.  Try to follow the paths that make sense and find familiar paths (like file -> save).  I bet many non-techies would find out they have a little bit of techy in them after all.

Submit to Spam Control

If you are using I-Tul’s Email Defense Service I am sure you have stopped receiving 99.9% of your old spam.

But, if you occasionally get a message that you think should have been blocked, I have a good tool. You can submit the message to the spam team. They will review it and update their controls. Spammers are constantly changing their techniques and the team has to constantly monitor traffic to stay on top.

You can get the submission tool here. Try it out and let me know what you think.

I just love this song!

Superstar by Lupe Fiasco featuring Matthew Santos

YouTube Video