My Favorite Techie

One of the best ways to generate traffic to your website is through creating online videos. These videos can be discussions about a topic or screen captures on how to do something with a piece of software. Either way, if it will teach something, people will be looking for it. Information marketing is one of the biggest money making methods on the Internet. No matter what it is, someone is looking for it and videos are one of the top ways to demonstrate knowledge of a subject.

So, what is the best way to achieve getting videos online? First, check out other videos online at the various video sites such as YouTube, Google, and Yahoo. This will provide a baseline as to how to compose your content. Then, create yourself an account. The next step is creating the videos. This can be done very simply.

Using a Camera

Most still cameras today offer the ability to shoot video clips. Just make sure that your storage is sufficient as video eats away at storage space. After shooting several clips, use movie editing software to put the clips together to form a cohesive film. This finished film can then be uploaded to your online video account.

An upgrade to using a point-and-shoot camera is investing in an inexpensive video camera that stores to flash memory or hard drive. The video and sound quality will be much better that a still camera and the assortment of video cameras under $200 are many such as the Flip Mino. Now, you can even get full HD cameras within that price range.

Screen Capture Software

If demonstrating software is your goal, there are many screen capturing software packages available on the Internet. You simply install them, set the area of which you wish to capture and hit the record button. After capturing the different segments, they can be edited and posted online.

The most popular package on the market is Camtasia from TechSmith. It offers many different options for publishing and capturing. There is even an editor in it to add captions, credits and more.  However, it comes with a price tag of around $300 US.

There are cheaper packages including free ones, such as Camstudio, but the features are not as rich and numerous as in Camtasia. You may certainly start out using the less expensive options, but consider upgrading if you plan to do many presentations.

Video is a great selling tool on the Internet. If you use it to your advantage, it could be a great traffic magnet for your site or a source of income as an electronic product. Providing free videos online as a trailer to a more complete product for sale, is a great way to lure customers in to your site as well as make a purchase.

One of the technologies that I have been watching is VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol. This service basically allows phone calls to be made inexpensively over the Internet. We’ve seen all kinds of service providers pop up over the last few years that have very low rates such as Vonage and VoIPo. But one would still continue to wonder why we would continue to need home phone service even via the Internet when many of us are mobile. The interesting thing is that many of these services have the ability to be mated to an app on our smartphones that would allow us to receive calls using the Internet connection on our smartphone devices.

One of the advantages of using a VoIP service on our mobile devices is that we would NOT be using precious minutes to call land lines. Those phone calls would be part of the flat fee for the VoIP service. The unfortunate thing is that data consumption on our phones would skyrocket. This technology becomes a great benefit for businesses of all sizes. We now have the ability to take our office phone with us worldwide rather than having to play games with transferring calls to and from cell lines to office lines.

If one is a geek, there is an Open Source IP PBX solution called Asterisk by Digium that offers a full-featured IP PBX for FREE. The most popular distribution of that package is Trixbox CE. One can set it up for a two person office or for an office of 100 or more. All that is needed is a relatively still usable computer Pentium III or better, a few IP phone devices or softphone software, and VoIP service with at least one phone number. (The software will also work without external service.) The software runs on a Linux kernel and will self-install for the most part. There is better configuration when done via command prompt.

Down the road, I definitely see VoIP becoming the major player in our daily voice communications as mobile Internet access gets faster and faster. In fact, I begin to wonder if cell service as we know it know will migrate over just as business voice service has begun switching.

Today there are several web site design choices to consider when thinking about putting together a website. In the beginning, there was only one option and that was to learn HTML, the language of the web, and construct each page in an editor or web design software. Not only did you have to learn the skills to develop pages, but maintenance got to become a problem as the site got larger and larger.

Now there are many more web design choices to consider when considering publishing a website. There is the traditional site which can be built using a web editor such as Adobe Dreamweaver or CoffeeCup. No longer do you have to start from scratch knowing nothing. You rely on the skills of others to get you started. However, there are a number of sites now that offer templates already setup which allow you to just pick out what suites you, change a few parameters here and there and then add some content.

I like to recommend this solution to clients who want a very simple site with a few pages and not too many features. The more features you wish, the more you will have to get into learning special programming languages. Simple sites are still the greatest, but have their limitations. One of the biggest is the need for the web editing software and that is not available on every machine you may use.

The next best thing to consider is the use of a content management system to setup your site. Don’t worry about the fancy name. It actually is more a friend to you than you think. Content management systems make it very easy to create pages. If you know how to operate a word processor, you can create and edit pages. The best part is that the software resides on your web host, not your computer. Therefore, any computer with Internet access can be used to work on your website.

Just like traditional websites, there are numerous templates available for your choice of CMS (content management system). The biggest three solutions out there are WordPress, Joomla and Drupal. Just search the name of the CMS and template in your favorite search engine and you will be inundated with options for templates. If for some reason nothing suites your taste, there is always someone who would be willing to design or customize one for you.

I hope for those of you considering building a new website, this post has helped you get your mind around the options a little better. If there are any questions, feel free to drop me a message.

New Jersey is famous for several important cities and Hoboken is one of them as it was home to Frank Sinatra. This town was one of the worst towns for decades and then saw a rennaisance in the last decade making it one of the most sought after places to live for young people with Washington Street as the key street in town.

Therefore, I have created a WordPress theme showcasing this little city located on New Jersey’s Gold Coast on the Hudson.  I hope all who buy it and download it enjoy it.

Features:

• WordPress 3.0 compatible
• Title header
• Custom menu (optional)
• Large photo banner of Washington Street
• Two columns

Price: $4.95

To install:

Method 1
Go to your WordPress admin panel > Appearance > Themes
Click on “Install Themes” tab
Click “Upload” (link just under tabs).
Browse Computer for file.
Click “Install Now”
Click on “Manage Themes” tab
Locate “Washington Street Hoboken” theme and click “Activate”.

Method 2
Unzip “wash_st_hoboken_1.zip” to a foler on your computer.
Upload contents to folder /wp-content/themes
Go to your WordPress admin panel > Appearance > Themes

We’re all guilty of it. We work long hours at writing a paper, editing photos, doing bookkeeping and then don’t backup our computer. It is such a simple process to do, but we all say later and then at the worst moment something happens to the computer and those files that we created or worked on are all gone.

Today, making backups of our work has been made so easy. The choices of backup are many and the price for storage is low. Our choices include, CD, DVD, flash drive, external hard drive, online backup, and the list goes on. There should be no excuse for not having a backup routine for safe guarding your important files.

Most external drives now offer an included software for automating the backup process which leaves you free from having to do anything. There are other software packages out there for backup from free to thousands of dollars. They all do the job fairly well the difference is what is being backed up.

Today we have too much precious data to loose such as pictures, videos, music, documents and the list goes on. The importance of backing up these priceless assets is great and doing it routinely is the key.

Everyone knows Microsoft Windows and Macintosh, but only a select few know about Linux. Linux is an alternative PC operating system that is available via Open Source and is based on the Unix operating system developed decades ago. Linux does share something with Macintosh that Microsoft has not yet accomplished. Linux, like the Macintosh use a similar “kernel” or core operating module that is independent of the visual system that we use to accomplish work. Since that core is separate, security and stability are very secure from outside attacks.

The Internet has been Unix and Linux based for years. In fact, the Internet got its roots from these two relatives. All Internet technologies that we know of today for the most part all are rooted in Linux. Unfortunately, Linux has not really made its way to the desktop for the general user. (Geeks are running it though and loving it.)

Linux can give Windows and Mac a run for their money as Linux has programs that are compatible with both platforms. Some of the most common programs found on Linux machines are Open Office, GIMP, and Firefox. Open Office is a FREE office productivity suite whose files are compatible with Microsoft Office and Corel’s WordPerfect Office Suite. Firefox is the most popular alternative web broswer available free of charge on the web.

If you’re interested in test driving Linux for yourself, below are a list of popular Linux distributions.

• Ubuntu (The Most Popular and Free)
• Debian
• RedHat
• Xandros

Installing Linux is simple for the most part. Follow the screens and you’ll be OK. Ubuntu desktop can also be run directly from the CD without installing it on a computer, but it will run slower.

The only real difference between desktop Linux and server Linux is the configuration of the OS and the software packages running on it. They are both of the same core.

In the upcoming weeks, there will be several new niche WordPress themes being showcased of cities and towns around New York City. These themes are designed graphically around points of interest in the New York City area and a few vacation destinations. The templates will be made available via individual posts on this and sister sites.  Below is a sample of the themes coming…

• Washington Street in Hoboken, NJ
• Hoboken Rail Terminal
• Jersey Shore Beaches (Seaside Heights and Belmar)
• Disney World

The themes are being designed using Artisteer 3.o which one of the leading Web design software pacakages available now. It is possible that the project files for these templates will be made available at some point.

Every where we look now, we see references to cloud computing. What is cloud computing? I’ve heard this question from colleagues and others my parents age. Well, I’d like to explain this concept simply. Back when computers first came into the picture in the 1950s and 1960s, everything done was saved to a “mainframe” computer located in some backroom somewhere. We simply entered information using “terminals” rather than computers.

Later on, personal computers came around and everything moved to local machine. If we wanted to share something we put it on a disk of some sort and brought it to someone. That was the first “network” or as geeks would call it the “sneakernet.” In the early 90′s networks came on scene. Now we were able to save documents on a server located in a room that everyone had access to.

In the last decade, the Internet has taken off allow for “wide area networks” which enable people to access applications and files over long distances. That in essence is the basis for cloud computing. We are simply saving files to servers located on the Internet which we are able to access from anywhere as long as we have our favorite web browser fired up. There are even applications which run entirely on the cloud eliminating the need for local software. Google Docs is one such application suite.

Amazon has also entered into the cloud computing arena. Amazon will allow you to host files and entire virtual computers on their servers allowing complete mobility. The best part is that you only pay for the time the server is being used similar to how electricity is paid for.

Cloud computing has brought us full circle from mainframe computing with terminals to saving to computers located on the Internet using our fancy computing devices as terminals to do work and saving it on some network within the worldwide network.

Computers today are more powerful than ever, yet we barely use a portion of the power they offer. Within a few years, that machine we barely used gets upgraded to an even faster machine. Did you know that that “old” computer still as life in it? With a little clean-up work it can be given a second life. There are several purposes that it can serve.

File Server

Would you rather have your files in several places forcing you to have to look for them every time or have everything in one central location that you can go to right away? That is the essence of a file server. With the amount of digital stuff that we have today such as music, photos, movies, etc., keeping these things on a central computer makes sense. It also makes it easier to backup your data.

All computers today have the ability to be part of a network and share files. Since most computers have hard disk drives that are very large, one can take advantage of that space by using it to store files in one location similar to a filing cabinet. Old computers are great for this as they don’t have to be the latest and greatest to store and serve files to other computers. In fact, it can save you money on your new machine by opting for a smaller hard drive. The added benefit is that one doesn’t have to go through the agony of moving all the files from the old computer to the new one.

It is very easy to convert a machine to a server. It’s just a matter of setting up shared folders on the old computer and then connecting the other computers to those shares. The same thing can be done for printers, this way not every computer has to have a printer. This setup is extremely convenient for those who live on wireless and need to be able to print.

Secondary computer

Secondary computers are very helpful as they lighten the load off the main one. If browsing the Internet, sending emails and doing basic word processing is the majority of traffic on the main computer, then that old computer can certainly continue to do those tasks leaving the new one for the more robust tasks. Internet browsers, email programs and word processors don’t require a whole lot of horse power and most computers today can handle these tasks for years beyond their proposed life.

It is a good idea, however, to clean out the old machine as to rejuvinate it. It can be done by simply performing some basic maintenance routines and uninstalling unnecessary programs or reloading the whole computer from scratch from the CDs or DVDs provided at purchase.

Vacation Home computer

A great use of an older computer, is to use it at a vacation home where it only gets occasional use for basic purposes such as Internet browsing and email. Even though the machine no longer may suffice for everyday use back at home, the odds are that it still can continue to work for you while on leisure. Most likely having the newest and greatest is not a priority while away for the weekend, therefore anything that does the job will fill the purpose.

Once the machine has seen its useful life at the secondary use, then its next move is onto the final resting place of other electronic waste. That is another discussion.

Media Server

With digital media becoming more and more a part of our lives, that old computer can be put to use as a media server for photos, videos and music. Most new versions of media management software such as Windows Media Player have the features necessary to broadcast your music, photos and movies across the home network to your TV now using a special protocol called DLNA.

The best way to use an old computer for this purpose is to configure it with a Linux based media management system. Linux traditionally has been designed to work on computers of older generations quite nicely. One used to have to be a computer geek to configure Linux, but now it’s as simple as installing Microsoft® Windows®. Of course, you can always find a geek to do this for you. The best part is that Linux is FREE.

Everyone knows what a laptop computer is, but some have yet to meet it’s close relative, the Tablet. The tablet is a deviation of the notebook computer that has the functionality of being an electronic notepad. Although they are similar in looks, tablets have characteristics that are particular to them. For example, a tablet has the following features that a traditional laptop does not have:

• Digital Pen (stylus)
• Rotating screen
• Specialized handwriting software
• Smaller screen size (standard piece of paper size)

So what can a tablet do that a regular laptop cannot due? There are many things where a tablet outdoes its close relative, the laptop. Here are some things one can accomplish easily on a tablet that would be unthinkable on a desktop or laptop.

• Have you tried to draw a diagram or sketch on a standard laptop?
• Have you entered information by typing one handed on a standard laptop?
• Have you flipped through pages of typed or handwritten notes looking for that key term?

Then you already know why a tablet is better than a laptop. But the list of advantages is even longer, so lets take a look at each specifically:

• Ability to take notes by hand, but using digital ink instead. And, if you want, the software will change your handwriting into typed text.
  
• Takes up less room and fewer hands are needed.
• The software on a tablet can help organize notes better than a traditional notebook. The tablet (using OneNote) can locate information that has been entered previously. Everything entered is considered a separate piece so it can be reordered, reorganized, color even coded.
• The tablet is a great tool for showing photo slide shows as portrait shots can be shown in true proportion when viewed in tablet mode.
• The tablet is a great choice for anyone who needs to draw anything–whether it be diagrams, shapes, formulas, a map or a family tree.
• It is a valuable tool for filling in electronic forms utilizing handwriting to text conversion utilities.

As great as the tablet is for things that handwriting is great for, there are very few known programs that work with the tablet. Most of the programs that are optimized for the tablet have been developed by Microsoft or its partners. Microsoft Office, OneNote, and Grafigo by Corel are some of the major programs available for tablet. Graphics programs that artists traditionally have used external styli for also work well with the tablet.

Outside of these special traits, the tablet functions exactly like any other laptop computer. So, if you need to be able to do things in the list above, check out the tablet for yourself as an alternative to a traditional laptop. If not, the tablet will most likely not be any more help to you.