Podcasting for Business

Posted on October 13, 2010 by garysch

Finally people are asking me why I podcast every week. They want to know does it bring in business and also if it directly makes me money.

Let me start off by saying that for the past 15 years I have believed that video being watched online, including TV programmes and movies, is the way forward, programmes would be on demand, available when you want, no more dependence on the TV schedule and programmes would not have to fill a half hour or one hours slot, they could be longer or shorter.

I also believe it gives you greater choice as broadcasting is now open to all. People have lots of interests, some popular, some not, but people with those interests want to share.

With this in mind I figured about 9 years ago that with all the enquiries I was getting about IT that it made sense to make small videos that could be watched by all without having to repeat myself. At the time I didn’t figure that there was money to be made here but saw it as saving me time, I’d worked out that helping friends and family was taking up at least 8 hours per week and affecting my work and it gave me a chance to make videos which I enjoy doing (I did used to work for a TV company and have a diploma in film and TV production. Yes, I have worked as a cameraman and editor for corporate and broadcast productions but kept getting side tracked with IT work).

Yes, it worked, the number of enquiries about IT issues reduced significantly, in fact now I wonder if some people were my friends simply for my IT knowledge.

Anyway, moving on, I then came to realise this was having another effect, I was getting business as a consequence of people seeing my podcast, they thought here is a guy who knows his stuff and was willing to share it. Also if I was giving something for free it became apparent that people were more likely to use me because I had done something for them. I’ve discovered, from watching Andrew Lock on the really useful Help My Business podcast, that this is known as reciprocity. If I give you something you will give me something in return, in this case their business, and apparently this works even of you are more expensive.

I also know make podcasts for other businesses and enjoy combining the filming and IT experience to help people get these online and get them noticed.

So what can podcasting do for you and what has it done for me?

1. It highlights your expertise.
2. By giving something for free people feel they should buy from you, even if you are more expensive than your competition. This is known as reciprocity.
3. It keeps your clients up to date and therefore reminds them about you on a regular basis.
4. By informing your clients about new developments, updates and how to use products you can cut down the number of support enquiries, this is what happens to me. By people watching www.jargonfreehelp.com it has saved me a lot of time in people contacting me about IT issues, it also keeps me in people’s minds.
5. If you get enough viewers you can make some money from sponsors or affiliate marketing.
6. It has also worked in getting me noticed in the press and the occasional quote appearing in newspapers, which although I have not been paid for brings in more business.
7. It pushes me to keep on top of things and do research to try and keep me on top of the latest developments.
8. It is enjoyable, hey why not do something fun at work.

It is important to create good quality podcasts and should be planned out. Practice too, presenting them is not that easy, you will get better, presenting to camera is different to standing in front of a room full of people. I don’t know why but take my word for it practice. Also be prepared, script out or at least plan out what you want to do and say.

If you do have a podcast or start doing one let me know where I can find it, I like to support podcasts and also in some cases mention them on my podcast and website.

If you want to know more drop me a line.

Happy computing and podcasting.

Gary

http://www.jargonfreehelp.com

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Watching Movies Online for Free…Legally

Posted on October 13, 2010 by garysch

With less and less good quality TV to choose from the regular schedule more people are turning to watching programmes and movies online when they want to watch them. The problem is many of these are not legal and are of dubious quality, oh and they can have viruses too. So where do you go to watch good quality movies for free and of good quality?

Well websites are springing up with legal content at no cost. If you are in the UK there is the BBC iPlayer, this is fantastic as it has so many of its popular programmes, but it also has movies it has screened too. There is also YouTube, you can find a selection of films there that are bound to grow, these can be found at www.youtube.com/movies.

More and more of these will be cropping up as watching programmes and movies becomes more popular online. This is very likely as new TVs, blu-ray players and other devices like the Apple TV connect to the Internet so you can watch connect. Some even have their own services. All these devices can connect to various services including BBC iPlayer, Netflix, Love Film, YouTube and more.

Speaking of NetFlix and LoveFilm, both started out doing DVD rentals by post but now for a low cost allow you to watch movies over the Internet. I know we are all looking for free movies but for a low cost this could be worth it.

If you want to see this and more go to my website www.jargonfreehelp.com

Happy computing

Gary

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Storing Files Online

Posted on October 12, 2010 by garysch

If you have a computer there is no doubt the single most important thing you must do is backup your computer, yet most people don’t do it or don’t do it often enough. For those who do backup where do you keep the backup? With the computer?

I recently sorted out someone’s home computer system, the previous person who set it up set up a great backup system, it backed up everything to another hard drive as scheduled but the second hard drive was built in to the computer. What would happen if the system got a power surge, stolen or damaged in a flood or fire the backup would most likely be lost or damaged too. Obviously if stolen the backup is gone.

Backing up to an online storage is a good idea and there are some great options. However, there is one I want to look at this week which is Dropbox from www.dropbox.com, it allows you to store files online. Strictly speaking I would not consider it a backup service. Basically it is good for storing valuable files, files you are working on and files you need to access anywhere. It doesn’t do scheduled backups but effectively if you are using for the files I mentioned you have a backup, it is just a manual form of backup.

It’s very useful in that you can upload and download files using their website, it requires logging in so not just anybody can get to them. You can also install a program on Windows, Macs and Linux machines. This creates a folder which acts as a portal to your dropbox account, you enter your login details when you set it up. Then simple save files to the dropbox folder and they are saved online. You can then open them as if you are opening a files from that folder. In Windows by default it puts the folder in your My Documents folder. So in a way it does act like a backup.

From there you can login to the dropbox on other computers using their website and get to your work. However, a small word of warning, some companies will block access to Dropbox as it allows potentially secure information to be stored online.

The other great thing is there are apps to make accessing these files available from the iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Android and BlackBerry devices.

I have installed the software on my Windows machine and my Mac then I can easily access the same files on either. I do also access the files on my iPad and iPhone.

This is one service that I think is really useful, give it a go.

Happy computing

Gary

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iPad and the Camera Connection Kit

Posted on September 26, 2010 by garysch

There are times you wish you had done something sooner and I will admit I should have got the iPad accessory the camera connection kit sooner. I really enjoy taking photos and think that the iPad is a great way to view them. So wouldn’t it be great to just simply connect the camera or memory card to the iPad and transfer your photos directly to it. That is what the kit does.

Why didn’t I get one sooner if I like gadgets so much and have both a D-SLR and iPad? I makes perfect sense doesn’t it. Well my camera uses a compact flash card and the camera connection kit advertises itself as having an adaptor for an SD card and also to connect to a camera and I was doubtful my EOS 350D would connect as the kit was not available when the camera came out so wondered if it would work.

So what made me decide to get one? Well my sister from Australia was visiting and she has an iPad and new digital camera. She got a camera connection kit when we visited the Apple store on Regent Street. I was a bit upset as I think this might be the only time that I’ve walked into an Apple store with someone else and they’ve bought something and I haven’t. Note to Steve Jobs, please set up a loyalty card scheme for your loyal customers, of which most of them must be.

Anyway we got back and I tried it out, my camera didn’t connect but I didn’t give it much of a chance as I wanted to test it with my card reader. Apple doesn’t promote the card reader as something you can connect to the kit. Well, well, it connected and recognised the photos on the card no problem. I tried it with the Sony Memory Stick from the video camera, which can take stills, and that worked too.

This camera connection kit is so easy to use just switch on the iPad, plug the adaptor into the dock port on the iPad put the SD card in or connect camera or card reader. The photo app will fire up, it will load the pictures select the ones you want or tap on import to import all or import those you selected.

Once imported it was also easy to email the photos. Whilst viewing an album tap on the Email button, select up to five at a time and tap on Email.

Your photos can then be transferred back to your computer when you sync use your photo app on your computer, on the Mac it is iPhoto. The photos were transferred to the computer at the original quality I shot them at, with the exception of the RAW files if you’re shooting RAW, if you are you’ll know what I mean.

This is a great device and accessory for when travelling or just transferring photos without having to switch on the computer. I can see I will use this on holiday and not take my laptop with me for doing things like that. That will make my luggage a little lighter.

As I always say this is way the iPad is great for viewing photographs, now you can get them on the go from your camera to your iPad. Great stuff.

Now all we need are some great apps for editing the photos, there are some out there and this is clearly going to improve.

Happy computing

Gary

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Ready for Your Holiday

Posted on July 28, 2010 by garysch

In the Northern Hemisphere many people are getting ready for their summer holiday, and some people in the Southern Hemisphere are thinking on getting away from the cold. It always seems like a mad rush to get things together and with all the gadgets we now have there seems to be more and more stuff to pack and more and more cables.

So what are some of the things to remember? Well I always check to make sure I have data roaming switched off as data roaming charges can get completely out of hand, I know of one person who had over $1,000 of charges, they thought they weren’t using much and I had warned them. So the thing to do is make sure your phone is unlocked (if you are in the UK O2 will unlock your phone for free just give them a call, this includes the iPhone, you can do on their website but gets done faster with a phone call and you may be running out of time). This will allow you to get a sim card at your destination, this means you can make calls within that country for a reasonable price and also if you get a data bundle you won’t get the ridiculous data roaming charges. If your thinking all you want to do is use maps to get around you might be surprised to know that maps use a lot of data and this really catches people out. So make sure your phone is unlocked and get a sim card when you get to your destination.

Also check out where there are some free wifi hotspots at your destination, many town centres, shopping malls and coffee shops have free or cheap wifi. You can often get wifi free with a cup of coffee. Do check you’ve connected to wifi and not using your mobile broadband.

For more check out this video about data roaming click here to watch

We used to make sure we had enough rolls of film when we went away now we need to check that we have enough space on on memory card. Before you go make sure you’ve backed up everything on your cards so you can start afresh on holiday, maybe even get a spare card or two, they have become very reasonably priced. Make sure you have enough and that you don’t get caught out better to have too much space than run out when you want to capture that magnificent sunset.

Batteries are next, do you have enough and for the rechargeable are they all charged up, make sure you take any necessary chargers with you too.

Speaking of chargers we end up with loads of chargers for different gadgets, check to see if there are any gadgets that can use the same charger, don’t guess, check, you don’t want to damage anything.

Now all we need is for hotels to give us enough plug points, they never seem to have any and certainly not anywhere convenient. How often have you had to move the bed to plug in your phone charger and in the meantime unplug the alarm clock. Get a double adaptor or a power board with a few sockets to take away with you.

You think you’re all done now on the technology side and you may be correct but there are a few more things.

Have you done a backup up of your computer, you should be doing this anyway, check out this video to see what to do http://click here to watch

If you have an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or other media playing device have you copied some video from your DVDs so that you have something to watch on the plane. Check out this video to find out more click here to watch There are also these tutorials for software that does this Handbrake is good for the Mac and…. is good for Windows. Handbrake is available for Windows but I found it slow, it did work but slow.

I think that’s about it.

Have a safe trip and happy computing.

Gary

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Preventing Fraud

Posted on July 24, 2010 by garysch

There are many things we worry about one of them being can people hack into your bank account or credit card. Well they can, usually if you are not careful enough but I guess there are many ways people can obtain your details.

There is one that alarms me and that is the lack of people protecting their PIN numbers either when making a purchase or at a cash machine. The amount of people that put this secret code in at arms length and I often stand there easily making it out. Sometimes I tell them, I hope it makes them change the way they do it. Whether you are making a purchase or at a cash machine cover your the keypad with your other hand so that it can’t be seen, even if no one is around. Your PIN number is required for fraud with your card or cloned card. Usually it is recorded with a hidden camera so cover the keypad.

Also if making a purchase make sure they don’t take the card away, stay with the card either go with them or let them bring the keypad to you.

The other thing to look out for is phishing, this is usually an email with a link to a website that requires a login like a bank account. The link takes you to a fake website that looks like your bank account you enter your login details and bang, now they have your details. Don’t follow the links enter the address for your bank or whatever it is you want to login to never follow the links. This includes eBay and PayPal, there are many others. Also any email that sounds too good to be true, delete it. So many people I know said they knew it sounded too good to be true but they would see anyway, don’t, just don’t.

Only shop on secure sites when you are at the point where you have to input payment details you should see the website address start with https and not http. You should also see a padlock in either the status, title or address bar, depends on the browser.

Although commonsense is key here it is still important to have security software like antivirus, antispyware etc and keep these up to date. It is very important to do updates. It is these updates that tell the software what harmful things to look out for.

These are all simple things to do and can save you a lot of trouble later.

Happy and safe computing

Gary

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Excel 2010 and Functions

Posted on July 11, 2010 by garysch

Excel is one of the best software packages out there. It can be used for doing simple things like creating lists or doing straightforward calculations through to automating processes and advanced calculations. There is something for everyone and it is one of those packages that anyone can learn, I know I’ve been teaching it at all levels for 19 years, although mainly do advanced courses and VBA (that’s the macros bit).

Recently I’ve had to start redoing manuals for Excel 2010 and whilst doing this you realise how good Excel is. It still does the same things but some bits have been enhance, for example the sort feature now allows you to sort on up to 64 fields, in the past it has been three.

However, the hard part now seems to be finding your way around as the menu has gone and been replaced by the ribbon, this was actually done in Excel 2007 (they have made some refinements to the 2007 version). Basically everything is there but with the ribbon they have brought most of the functionality out so it is easier to see.

Using functions are the same and can be found in the Formulas tab, they have also made each category a button. But once you find the function the rest is the same.

Looking at functions it reminds me that I cannot emphasize enough how useful they are, aside from SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, MAX and MIN two that are very powerful and allow Excel to make decision based on criteria you set are the IF Functions and the lookup functions like VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP. These allow you to do things such as if you have a group of students and you have their scores by using the IF or lookup functions you can get it to work out if they have passed or failed and what their grade is. It can also be used for calculating tax where there are different bands, for example, you can say if they earn under a certain amount there is 25% tax to pay and if over that amount 40%. Excel will give you the answer consistently and every time those values change it can calculate the answer differently.

You can see these functions in action by going to www.jargonfreehelp.com/excel.asp (opens in a new window)

From this point of view once you have these functions set up it will save you a lot of time and you will find them quite easy to use. Start with something simple. I many instances I have seen people start with something simple and go on to build more involved functions. I also hear people saying they wished they’d have known about these sooner and end up going back and using these in spreadsheets they have used for many years.

Don’t overlook the IF and lookup functions they are used widely and there are many instances where they could have been used but were not considered as the person using the spreadsheet did not know about it.

Don’t forget the video clips and if there are any you would like me to do drop me a line via the contact page on the Jargon Free Help website.

Happy computing

Gary

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All About iPads

Posted on July 5, 2010 by garysch

People assume that I have an iPad and start asking me about it before they’ve seen me with it or that I’ve even told them I have it.

I think the biggest misconception is that many think it is just an iPod touch but bigger, one they try it they see that it isn’t. For a start the screen is much bigger and many apps are being designed to take this into account, but it is not just making the app bigger they take advantage of having more space to add more features.

It is also easier to use as there is a bigger keyboard which means I can type on it a lot quicker and have certainly got used to typing on it fairly quickly. Probably not that much slower than on my laptop.

One of the most popular questions I get asked is how long does the battery last. Well it lasts a lot longer than the laptop. Considering I use it consistently throughout the day, a fair bit of emailing, looking up things on the Internet, using apps like Pages it seems last a couple of days before it needs a charge. It is not on all the time but if I take this morning I have used it for doing a lot of emailing and Internet browsing and it still has 73% battery life left.

Another thing is I get told I can’t do documents on it, not true, I have pages which is the word processor on here. It is not bad at all I can do pretty much everything I would do with Word. I can save it in a Word, Pages or PDF format, copy to my computer or email in any of those formats. An it was reasonably priced too.

I doesn’t replace my laptop, but compared to the iPod touch or iPhone I am doing things on here that I was only doing on my computer.

As there seems to be so much interest I am going to start recording additional podcasts to specifically cover the iPad from getting started to using it and looking at some of the better apps.

Happy computing

Gary

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Really Super Fast Broadband

Posted on June 7, 2010 by garysch

I almost seems to go with the territory that anytime someone mentions broadband speeds you hear “I never get the speed I was quoted”, well I’m pleased to report that the opposite has happened to me recently. I recently got the new fibre service from BT called BT Infinity. This is the new super fast service being rolled out across the country.

Anyway it doesn’t slow down at peak time and so far seems to be stable, no dropping out.

What was I quoted for speeds? Download 17.9 and upload 6.7

What am I getting? Download 35Mbps and upload 7.6

That is vastly better.

What does it mean?

It means I can download the average song in 3 seconds and a movie in just a few minutes.

On average it takes about 30 minutes to upload one of my podcasts, not one of my longer podcasts. Now it takes 1 minute 45 seconds. This is saving me so much time.

If you’re interested have a look at www.bt.com/infinity

Happy computing

Gary

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Blogging from My iPad

Posted on June 6, 2010 by garysch

It’s been just over a week since getting my iPad and I have found it very useful. So many people thought it might have been just an oversized iPhone and I was thinking it might have been too. I was pleasantly surprised to find out it was so much more.

Firstly there is a word processor for £5.99 called Pages made by Apple, it is a good word processor and easy to use, I can transfer files to my computer or email them. I can do this and save in Word or PDF format. I can email in either of these formats too. Obviously I can do this in the Pages format too. Pages is part of the iWork package on the Mac but they have revamped it for the iPad.

There is also a spreadsheet called Numbers. You can transfer to computer and also export or email as a PDF, it doesn’t export in Excel format yet, but if you have iWork you can transfer it and then save in Excel format there.

The calendar is easier to use and I love the layout, the maps are bigger so easier to plan a route and there are many other apps that have been updated to work on the iPad.

Email is great and I find the Internet faster that my iMac. I also seem to get a 3G signal where I don’t with my iPhone 3G, same carrier, but must have a bigger antennae in the iPad.

Photos and video are stunning on it but I think we all expected that.

Books are better than expected as they are easy to read, you can bookmark and copy text.

And there is this app for blogging on WordPress which is easy to use.

If you’ve got an iPad what have you been surprised to find on it?

Happy computing

Gary

jargonfreehelp.com

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