A number of people have brought to my attention that they’ve noticed fonts appear much crisper and readable when viewed with IE 7.  With the release of IE 7, Microsoft introduced what they call ClearType . . . a font smoothing algorithm that increases readability for those using LCD displays. It really makes quite a difference and is probably the most impressive thing I’ve seen come from Microsoft in the last few years (I confess to not being much of a Microsoft fan).

For those surfing on a Firefox / Windows XP combo, the process for activating ClearType is quite simple:

1. Minimize all your windows and right click anywhere on your desktop.
2. Choose the appearance tab then click the Effects button.
3. Make sure the check mark is in the box next to “Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts:” and select ClearType. Then click OK.

Once you start surfing in Firefox again you should notice a marked improvement to readability.

For some reason, Microsoft decided to remove some features in Outlook 2007 that made installing a custom HTML email signature a breeze. Although nowhere in the email signature feature of Outlook 2007 is HTML mentioned, the signature is still in this format, it just takes a less direct approach to get it accomplished.

Here’s one relatively easy method for inserting custom HTML for an email signature.

1. Open the HTML file that contains your signature in a Web browser such as FireFox.

2. Left click at the top left of the page, then while holding down the shift key left click in the lower right area of the page. If you don’t see anything obviously highlighted you may need to left click at the top then hold down your left mouse button as you move to the lower right.

3. Right Click and select copy.

4. Create a new signature in Outlook 2007 and then within that blank signature window right click and select paste or press ctrl-v.

5. Save your new signature and set your desired parameters.

For more insight into working with custom signatures in Outlook 2007 you might want to check out this free Outlook 2007 email signature training from Microsoft.

The most important principle to remember to protect yourself from any marketing scam is to always be extremely wary of any unsolicited communication, whether by phone, email or postal mail, that claims to:

A. Be able to do something that seems too good to be true, or

B. Presents a “bill” or “invoice” regarding your domain, Website or some other Web related service from a company that sounds official, but of whom you’ve not dealt with before.

Scam 1—Bogus Domain Registration Invoices

Almost anyone with a domain name registered has probably come across this one. An official sounding company sends you an invoice that states or implies you will soon lose your domain if you don’t register with them. If you have never heard of this company, there is a 99% chance it’s an unethical attempt to get your money. The easiest thing to do is Google the company name or do search on the FTC site. If are still uncertain don’t hesitate to fax or email us a copy.

Scam 2—Unsolicited SEO Spam

I get a kick out the chutzpah of professed SEO companies who resort to spam marketing their implied expertise in driving new customers through search engines. If they really are so good at getting business through search engines why do they have to resort to the most despised of illegal Web marketing to get their own?  The answer is obvious.

Google states it best:

Be wary of SEO firms and web consultants or agencies that send you email out of the blue….Reserve the same skepticism for unsolicited email about search engines as you do for “burn fat at night” diet pills or requests to help transfer funds from deposed dictators. No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google. (Read the whole page at Google.com)

We encourage you to read this prior post of ours where we go into more detail on the topic.

1. In IE7 delete all browsing history, after pressing “Delete all…” Check the box “Also delete files and settings stored by add-ons.”
2. In Windows Vista close IE7 and all other open applications.
3. Go to Start -> Control Panel -> Programs and Features
4. Select and Uninstall any programs referring to Adobe Flash Player ActiveX or Adobe Flash Player Plugin. There may be as many as three files listed.
5. Open IE7 and navigate to Adobe’s Flash Player Download Center and follow the prompts to install Adobe Flash Player.
6. Additional resources on this topic can be found in this Tech Note from Adobe.

An alternate method which we have not tested is demonstrated in this video.

Our WebSite 2.0 sites are based on the open source application CMS Made Simple which is completely different than Adobe Contribute. CMSMS offers all the non-technical editing capabilities of Contribute (in a much more productive
server side software model) plus it offers all features and capabilities to develop an enterprise class site.

WebSite 2.0 offers all the features that would be available through a developer using Dreamweaver and a content manager using Contribute with the notable differences that WebSite 2.0 is exponentially easier to use and after we configure it on your Web server doesn’t require a technical expert “developer” even for many advanced features such as dynamic drop down CSS menu systems.

Here’s a brief list of the major differences of Contribute when compared to WebSite 2.0:

• Contribute is client side software. This means that you will only be able to edit a website on a desktop that has Contribute.
• Contribute requires that every user be licensed. This can be a costly process if there are a lot of users set to update a website.
• Contribute is a website editing tool, not a website development tool. A web developer is still required to build the initial website design (usually using Dreamweaver).
• Contribute edits one page at a time, making complex design elements such as navigation menus hard to manage if they aren’t controlled through a single source, like a database, Server Side Includes, or XML file.
• Updating a website’s content through Contribute can be a much slower process than using a server side CMS system like WebSite 2.0, since each page must be downloaded (and uploaded) individually.
• User cannot access source code, therefore any function code must be edited in a secondary program such as Dreamweaver.
• Contribute is a proprietary solution that is based on the concept that other Adobe software will be involved in the production process . . . our Content Management software is open source and does not require other specific software for optimal performance. In other words, there are no additional software purchases intended for those who use WebSite 2.0

Regarding editing and adding content to WebSite 2.0 . . . any skilled user or developer can work with WebSite 2.0 at their own level so there is nothing that really can’t be done, it would just depend on the skill level of the user.

We have different permissions that can be turned on for individual users depending on their expertise (or you can turn them on/off yourself). For example one user may be non-technical so we might just give him/her permission to edit
the content of one page, while another may have more technical aptitude so we would give them permission to create & delete pages, move pages around in the site structure, and edit any page.

A user could also be given the ability to edit the design skin(s) for a site if they were skilled in XHTML & CSS. Also, you have direct access to the code level of the content (and even the entire page if you want it) just by pressing a button on the page edit screen.

Another significant difference is that our WebSite 2.0 sites are coded for optimization with the major search engines. There are a lot of details in the code that we optimize for the target keywords of your pages that would require much more manual coding with a Dreamweaver / Contribute platform.

In addition we configure your Web server for optimal indexing with search engines and utilize Web 2.0 technology, namely Really Simple Syndication (RSS) to increase our clients search engine profile whenever possible. We’ve written a number of articles on SEO that go into the topic much more:

http://risingline.com/blog/labels/Search-Engine-Optimization.html

This concluding post emphasizes archiving your vital data. I recommend creating a special folder within your data folder hierarchy that contains your most important data - something akin to the type of important information you would store physically in a safe deposit box. I protect this data two ways:

1. First, I periodically burn it on a DVD and keep it in a safe deposit box.
2. Second I use an encrypted automated FTP backup service that automatically updates my critical files every evening. My company sells this service for less than $30 per year. Search for “online file folder” at RisingLineWeb.com.

These are worst case scenario precautions, if my office burns down my most important data is still secure.

So, in conclusion, you’ve got to have the mindset that your system will crash. So many people who’s life and livelihood are based in the millions of 0’s and 1’s that they’ve created on their PC’s fail to realize the likelihood of a catastrophic system failure and the impact it will have on their lives.

The strategies I mentioned are the only solutions, or even necessarily the best, but if you implement them you will have a multiple redundant system in place to recover your most important data.

This weeks strategy is about using an external hard drive for data backup. There are numerous options for dedicated external hard drives designed specifically for small office backup solutions, many that feature automated backup software. There are lots of good products on the market, but some of the better values I’ve found are from SimpleTech:

• 160GB External USB 2.0 with backup software, 1 yr warranty ($96 at Costco.com at the time of this posting).
• 500GB External USB 2.0 with 1 touch backup software, 3 yr warranty, Kensington lock bracket.($219 from Costco.com at the time of this posting).
• 400GB SimpleShare Wireless NAS. It doesn’t seem to be listed on Costco.com but I saw this recently at a Costco store…it featured a 802.11 Network Attached Storage unit that could accept additional external hard drives, was
  priced at Costco at $389.00. More info can be found at simpletech.com

(Costco is one of my preferred suppliers for computer hardware peripherals because they have the most liberal return policy for computer hardware of any supplier of which I’m aware.)

Buying a dedicated hard drive backup solution allows most users to back up an entire drive, but really the critical files you want backed up are your data files. So, depending on how much data you actually have, a large external drive that backs up your whole drive (operating system, application files, and data files) might be overkill, especially if your already replicating your hard drives internally as mentioned in part 1 of this series.

Another, less expensive option, is to buy an external hard drive enclosure ($20-$40) in which you can mount a extra hard drive. If you’re like most small businesses, you probably have accumulated a small stack of these extra hard drives…just make sure the hard drive you pick was not orphaned because it had potential technical issues. External hard drive enclosures connect to your PC via USB or Firewire cable, and you can buy a software utility to automatically backup or just back up manually on a regular basis. As long as you’re not relying on this as your only backup it’s an inexpensive and effective option.

Ideally, you should physically move your external hard drive backup to a safe, or at least another room, when you’re away; or buy one with a Kensignton lock bracket (you’ll have to buy the Kensington cable lock separately). That way you’ll be more likely to retain your data backup if your PC is stolen.

Try searching for “hard drive enclosure” at Tiger Direct, or CDW.

Next weeks post: Remote data archiving for disaster recovery.

Today’s strategy is segregating the data on your hard drive. By keeping all your important data in a primary folder hierarchy you’ll be able to manage your important files more efficiently and reduce the risk of overlooking important
information that needs backed up.

You’ll want to make sure that your data is organized in under a single folder (like My Documents) and organize within that folder. For those who don’t know, there are three basic types of software on your computer: the operating system (e.g. Windows), application software (e.g. Word), and data files (the files that that you’ve created and want to protect).

You’ll need to take a look at your application software settings and insure that your data files created in those programs are stored in the folder you want, examples include your Outlook pst file, other Office applications, and your accounting software.

Next weeks post: Using an external hard drive backup.

In spite of the pain that technology has caused almost everyone at one point or another, there is no escaping the
fact that technology has become an integral part of our life, and an essential part of a successful small business.

Throughout my career in the IT industry, in both the corporate and small business worlds, I’ve accumulated a number of strategies to economically optimize the benefit and minimize the risk of technology for small offices/home offices.

The upcoming posts are my strategies, keep in mind your situation may require additional consideration, but overall I believe that most small businesses can benefit from these basic strategies.

Part 1: Data Loss is Inevitable!

The point here is the mindset, not the scientific validity of this statement (I’d put money on it though). No matter
how nice of dual-core 64bit PC and 20″ wide format LCD display, they are worthless to your business without the data. The data is the life of your business and it’s what you need to protect like a newborn babe.

Easy inexpensive ways to protect your data on a PC:

1. Have two identical synchronized hard drives. This way if one drive fails, you can simply make the second drive your primary drive and boot to it, not losing a step. Ideally the second hard drive should be identical in make and model to your primary drive.

There are two ways to do this:

1. Mirroring. You can purchase a PC with RAID 1 (RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks) capabilities, make sure it’s “hardware RAID 1,” or buy a hardware RAID controller to install in your existing PC. This is the best solution but it will require some technical capabilities to install and is a bit more expensive
   than the next option.
2. Automated Hard drive duplication. Same basic concept as RAID except you buy software that automatically
   duplicates your primary drive to your secondary drive per the schedule you set. The risk you run is losing
   the data between replications, but this risk can be minimized by employing one of the other backup tactics on this page.

I utilize the software duplication option for my personal home office system. I’ve used Casper XP for a number of years and have been extremely pleased. I set it to replicate my primary drive every night so every morning I always have a second identical bootable copy of my primary drive in case disaster should strike.

Next weeks post: Segregating data