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Open Sharing on Your Home Network

If you have a home network for the internet, you might want to give open sharing some thought. Open sharing is pretty much like it sounds; simply mark folders to share within the network, and other computers on your network can access the folder using FTP programs like FileZilla or p2p software. Open sharing on your home network can do some very convenient things.

Families are certainly taking advantage of open sharing capabilities.  For instance, if a family has multiple computers, pictures or videos would be able to be viewed wherever the closest computer is. Synchronizing calendars and backing up files on multiple computers are just some of the advantages that open sharing also brings. You can even share your favorite direct.tv shows and movies with your home network.

Once you get your computers linked you can also expand beyond “mere” open sharing. Printers, televisions, and speakers that can handle internet or network connections can become linked. No longer are you sharing files within a specific folder or two, but now you can stream music from your primary computer to your linked home theater system. Of course, this all depends on what kind of components you have, but it can certainly happen.

Generally, connecting devices or using open sharing makes things quicker and more convenient. After all, it is easier for members of the same household to have access to a folder to share files created from openoffice.org or transferred from a server using File Zilla than it is to have to send an e-mail or download a bunch of pictures. This type of technology simplifies many things.

Take the chance to look into these types of technology. You can easily take advantage of open sharing and synchronizing internet and network-enabled devices. If you have a home network and at least a couple of these devices, it may be time to get even more connected. Take a look into your options, based on which devices are able to connect, and you will be ready to see the difference of open sharing and synchronizing between devices.

Filed Under: Business, General Tagged With: , ,

Improving Your Website’s Customer Service

Ensure your website offers great customer service by making the site easy to update and presenting opportunities for visitors to share their opinions. Regardless of which content management system you use to update your site, consider these suggestions for ramping up your site’s customer service.

  • Use a content management system that’s user friendly. When you need to alert customers about a recall, product update, or special offer, it’s an easy task if you’re using an intuitive platform such as Drupal or Joomla. These two open source programs are easy to use, meaning more than a couple of staff members will be able to disseminate customer service information on your website.
  • Integrate customer feedback elements in your web design. Whether your website is operated through a third party web hosting company, cloud hosting, or you have your own servers, look for ways to incorporate survey software and other applications that collect opinions from customers. You’ll be able to assess how well your customer service is working.
  • Choose an approach to web design that works on tablets and mobile devices. With so much business being done through iPads, iPhones, and Blackberries, your website needs to have a scaled back mobile option. Make sure the mobile version of your website offers users quick access to customer service information.

By having an agile content management system, using surveys, and giving customers a mobile version of your site, you’ll establish a solid reputation for providing outstanding customer service. That’s why it pays to stay on top of the latest technology.

Filed Under: Business, Marketing Tagged With: , ,

A Digital Housewarming Gift

So you know how to build a web site? Great. You’ve learned a lot, grasshopper. (Now catch the fly with a chopstick!) HTML and Java, embedding and graphics–you’re good to go. But, wait!

Where do you put all of it? That’s like getting all the materials for building a house but not securing the lot. All of a sudden you’re complete with the house in the middle of a busy street, but you forgot to either purchase the land to fit the house; so you send a chopper to lift your prized architectural feat and whisk it toward your dream land, like in Disney’s “Up”. Only it’s not that simple.

Repeating like shampoo in the shower this phrase: first find a web hosting service before even thinking about creating the site. Period.

What a web hosting service does is allow a smart individual such as yourself to actually build the web site, complete with specialized URL. It’s your foundation. Without it, you can’t actually build anything. You need a ‘place’ to build it.

There are several types of web hosting. Here are two:

Free Web Hosting: A rather fortunate advantage on the internet, being free to secure a space for your site. Most companies offer this. However, the downside is, because it’s free, your web site when finished is usually inundated with ads up the wazoo.

Shared Web Hosting: Also free, but with neighbors, basically. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. Although sometimes shared web hosting services will expect certain conformities you wouldn’t get from free web hosting sites.

There are many, many more. But this is the start of it. That’s just a key to the door of the wide world of web hosting. It’s a big place. But remember to bring that digital housewarming gift when you’re done, because it’ll be a beautiful day! Happy hosting!

Filed Under: Business, Internet Tagged With: , ,

Finding the Best Web Hosting Service

front view of the cluster of Wikimedia servers...
Image via Wikipedia

Creating an online business or having an online presence means you’ll need to have your website or blog hosted. Finding the best one for your needs can be a great boon to your online business or presence.

The first step in finding the best web hosting service for your site is to establish your budget. There are free, no-frills services available that offer you limited space but, in exchange, they dot your website with advertisements.  There are also many expensive ones that will perform all sorts of monitoring services, provide heaps of data and statistics, and allow tons of space and traffic. The middle of the road services give you a reasonable amount of space, can handle a decent amount of traffic, and provide you with a basic suite of tools to effectively manage your site.

You also need to decide between shared hosting or dedicated hosting. Shared hosting is when you share the space and tools with others. Shared hosting is typically the cheaper alternative, and you can easily manage multiple webpages. Dedicated hosting, on the other hand, is a server that hosts only your site. This is by far the most expensive option, but it is also the one that will get you the most service. Larger businesses or sites with detailed and intensive shopping options often choose dedicated hosting services. Dedicated hosting services also give you an added measure of protection for sensitive information like customer’s credit card numbers or addresses.

Once you’ve made these decisions and settled on a hosting company, then all you need to do is sign up and provide payment information. Many hosting services offer different plans; if your site is fairly new and untried you may opt for a shorter plan so that you’re not locked into a long-term contract.

Finding the best web hosting service for your page or business is integral to its success and security. Like many other things, you get what you pay for, so do your research and choose wisely.

Filed Under: Business, Web Hosting Tagged With: , ,

Learning Web Design Can Grow Your Business

If your business doesn’t have a website, it’s time to get out of the dark ages and promote your business in a manner that draws traffic through the Internet. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get started either.

Hiring someone to build and then maintain your website can get expensive. Professional designers charge in the thousands of dollars to get your website up and running, then charge you more to maintain it upon completion.

Steps to Web Design Made Simple:

§                      If you’re a beginner, the first thing you need to get is a Domain name. For example, if you are selling sports memorabilia, a good domain name might be “bestsportsmemorabilia.com”. Getting a Domain name does not mean you have a website, it simply means you own the rights to that name, and can use it for web design purposes. There is an annual fee to have a Domain name.

§                      Before you can build a website you must choose a Web Host and sign up for an account. Essentially, having a Web Host means your potential website has a home, a place that is recognizable to other internet users across the world. Make sure your host can handle things like playing media files with Ares or xvid codec and other high-bandwidth items.  Finding the right web host can be tricky, but a little research goes a long way towards finding the one that meets your needs.

§                      If cost is a concern, there are many locations on the Internet that take you through the steps of building your own site. If you’re going the free route, find something online that speaks your language, something not too techy, but something that gets you rolling.

For those just starting out in the world of web design, many accredited colleges and universities offer online programs. If you’re serious about attracting people to your business, and obtaining a lifetime skill, these universities can lay the groundwork for a successful operation.

Filed Under: Business, Web Design Tagged With: , ,