Working From The Basement

If I was to think of one thing that changed for me this year it was being able to do more work while mobile.  I’ve had a laptop forever and different versions of Smart Phones over the years, but this year I bought an Iphone and a Netbook.  The Iphone for me has finally given me hope for mobile applications, it’s not that others haven’t tried; Microsoft has had PDAs and Smart Phones out for a long time now.  Microsoft failed in both the execution of the user interface and the ease of installation and use.  Apple redefined the process by enforcing a strict developer’s approval process and being able to buy, install and update the applications on the phone without ever having to have to hook it up to a computer.  Apple’s mobile applications are bringing new life into the software development market by making native client applications cool again.  This strategy has been proven now by the fact that more Smart Phone providers are jumping on the mobile applications band wagon.

I use my Iphone for the simple things such as email, calendar and other kinds of messaging, but I also use it for more advanced activities.  I can now monitor my clients Servers and workstations directly from the Iphone and document network layouts and hardware locations easily.  Notice I used the word easily, because I have done it in the past just not with the consistency I have in the last 6 months.

The Netbook allows me to throw an inexpensive computer in the car that I can use to do most everything else that I can’t do on the Iphone.  These small notebooks aren’t the best to use as your everyday computer, but when you need to do something in a hurry they fit the bill perfectly.  So if you occasionally have to leave the basement and still do some work consider looking at one of the newer Smart Phones.

Well I haven’t written a Tech column in awhile, so this morning while going through some stories I noticed that AT&T wants to limit your usage of its data network.  The problem is that if you have an Iphone you already are paying a premium for data service so what gives.  It seems that 3% of the Smartphone users are using a good percentage of the bandwidth, which seems a little odd to me.  Whatever the reason is their 3g network can be slow at times just retrieving Email, Twitter and Facebook which should all use very low bandwidth.  Streaming video barely ever works reliably unless you are using it on a standard wireless (WiFi) connection. My point is that I always try and find a standard WiFi connection which means I am not using their network.  So am I getting my money’s worth? Well I think I am the Iphone is pretty much more a computer than a phone and AT&T is subsidizing it, and I don’t think most business people are abusing their network.

Another Internet speed issue I ran into lately was when one of my clients upgraded to Comcast business broadband which has speed upward of 30Mb. When I went to speedtest.net the fastest speed I could achieve was 10Mb so after calling Comcast I determined that it was an older Sonicwall Firewall causing the problem.  So if you are paying for extra speed I would recommend that you test it at speedtest.net first, and then call your Internet provider if you’re not getting the bandwidth promised.  If they say its fine you may want to see if you have any older equipment in your network that could be causing the problem.

If you are having issues make sure it is the Internet provider’s equipment or problem before calling them out otherwise you could be charged.  This being said if you think you have eliminated all the causes on your end demand that they come out and take a look.  AT&T is the worst for not sending someone out or passing the blame back to you so if you have an IT resource make sure that person is there during any appointments.  Comcast on the other hand seems to be very responsive and will come out as soon as you ask them too.

Being a small business means that you need to be in constant contact with your clients and we usually invest in technology to be able to do this more effectively.  So make sure you are getting your money’s worth and check up on your cell phone plans, and Internet providers occasionally.

AT&T considers incentives to curb heavy data usage article

WFTB – Michael Lawson

We all know the story of the cobblers kids walking around shoeless.  Well, I have been feeling that way for awhile now.  While Diana has had the B-Law LLC Fan Page up, I’ve been negligent and hadn’t done one for either WFTB or 2ndot, so last week I took the plunge.  The experience so far has been interesting in that, while I am used to getting followers on Twitter, a Fan Page can be a one-way street.  Twitter encourages conversation, while Fan Pages are more passive and the only way to talk to people you don’t know is to become their friend – unless they participate, which kind of defeats the purpose.  You can start a discussion, but there is no guarantee that anyone will participate and sending a Facebook email seems too invasive.

So what use are they, you may ask? Well, it does provide you with a fairly low-maintenance way to interact with potential clients and build a referral network without much work.  I have always found it annoying when people update their personal Facebook status from TweetDeck or some other Twitter-related tool because most of the time it is Twitter speak (lots of @ symbols and short talk).  Facebook now provides a link to go the other way, which seems more effective as long as your first 120 characters gets your point across.  (The other 24 characters get turned into a shortened link pointing back to the Facebook post). It is also easier to update than a Blog, which actually takes time to think about, write, add links, and check your spelling and grammar etc., while adding an external link, photo or status update in Facebook with a comment is a fairly quick and easy process.

So the next question is what do you put up there? Do you just rehash the same thing that you put on Twitter?  My answer is no.  Since I started with the 2ndot Fan Page, let me explain a little bit about what I did with it.  Since @2ndot is my primary work-related and personal online personality, I wanted the page to reflect that persona.  So I decided to provide links to information that an everyday computer user would find interesting or useful.  My business normally doesn’t provide home computer support, just business-related services. But I have a wealth of information that can help home users, so a Facebook Fan Page provides a perfect platform for this.  A bonus here is that I don’t need yet another website to maintain, and it’s a totally opt-in relationship.  Also being able to use the discussion feature allows people to ask home computer related questions.  Facebook is also a great product to use for event scheduling, with attendance tracking and just notifying people in general, so having a Fan Page opens up another communications avenue.

While my personal profile on Facebook is very active, I don’t like spammy Fan Pages, so I have decided to limit my posts to only one or two a day maximum.  I think this may even be too much and I will adjust it if I get complaints.  As for the WFTB Fan Page, well, for now I will probably use it to promote the site much in the same way I do in Twitter.  Since WFTB is a blogging website I think you would use it to direct traffic to the blog, but only time will tell.  I am really interested in any feedback about my techniques used here and how other micro-businesses use their Fan Pages, so feel free to comment.

Again thanks for visiting WFTB…

WFTB – Michael Lawson

This is just a quick post to end the week with on our great new website.  If you haven’t heard about Google Wave this is a quick and funny video explaining a couple of features.

From what I can tell this is very much like the way a lot of Internal Intranet sites work and similar to Facebook.  This is just one of the more easier to understand aspects of Google Wave.  New Collaborative technology products like this should be of great interest to Micro-Business and solo entrepreneurs.  Products like this when used in new and thoughtful ways can greatly increase efficiency.  Google Wave is currently in beta and it is hard to foresee if it will change the World and become a tsunami or just be another ripple in the vast Internet ocean.

Well if your working this weekend get out of the basement for some sun and to stretch your legs, otherwise go and have fun, you deserve it.

WFTB – Michael Lawson