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10 Easy Ways To Eliminate E-Mail Overload

E-mail driving you crazy? Every time you delete one, do fi ve more show up? Are you fi nding it impossible to answer every e-mail you receive? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you’re not alone!

Some people are even declaring e-mail bankruptcy — they dump every e-mail in their inbox and start over. If that’s not an option for you, then here are 10 tips to reduce e-mail overload.

1. Get a good spam filter.
Even if it saves you just 10 minutes a day, that adds up to over 59 hours a year.

2. Cancel subscriptions to unwanted mailing lists, and opt-out of LEGITIMATE e-zines.
But be careful! Trying to opt-out of spam e-mails will only alert the sender that they have a LIVE address. Also, make sure you are careful to check the “unsubscribe” or “opt-out” box when purchasing items online.

3. Ask your friends to remove you from joke groups or chain messages.
Simply explain your situation and, if they are good friends, they’ll take you out of their message group.

4. Don’t post or publish your e-mail on websites.
Spammers will steal it and put it on their lists.

5. Don’t respond to every e-mail you receive.
Yes, it’s okay NOT to respond to some e-mails. If it’s a group e-mail, don’t respond with “okay” or “:)” — it’s not necessary unless the sender is specifically asking you a question or requesting a response.

6. Be succinct.
Restrict your messages to a few sentences. If you can’t, pick up the phone or talk in person. This will avoid the back-and-forth of e-mail conversation.

7. Take advantage of subject lines.
If possible, put your question in the subject line, or your message. If that’s not possible, make your subject line very descriptive so the recipient knows what your message is about. Here’s another tip; create a set of codes with your coworkers and place them in the subject line to help them process and prioritize messages. For example, use “FYI” for informational messages. Use “AR” for action required and “URG” for urgent messages.

8. Block time to answer your e-mail and fight the temptation to check your e-mail every few minutes.
You will save yourself a lot of time and be far more productive.

9. Respond to messages when you open them so you only read them once.
If the e-mail requires an action step, schedule the action step and delete it from your inbox.

10. Set time aside in the morning and the evening to process your inbox.
Shoot for a completely empty inbox. File messages you need to keep and set reminders for messages that require you to follow up.

Now, here are some tips to keep from adding to the e-mail overload of others…

1. Be courteous when forwarding an e-mail: summarize the thread and why you are sending it at the top of the e-mail.

2. Don’t copy someone on a message unless it is necessary. And explain why you’re copying them. Recipients won’t need to guess your intentions. This means less back and forth messages.

Almost All Windows Computers Missing Patches

Survey By Security Company Reveals 95% Of Computers Need Updating

Nearly all Windows computers are likely running at least one unpatched application and about four out of every ten contain 11 or more vulnerable-to-attack programs, a study by an Internet and network vulnerability tracking company revealed.

According to Secunia ASP, more than 95% of the PCs that have downloaded and installed its Personal Software Inspector (PSI) utility sport one or more application for which security fixes are available.

Secunia tracked the first PSI scan after its installation to get an idea of patch status before users start to update their machines, which can also be done through the utility.

Out of about 20,00 machines; 95.46% of them have an unpatched application on their hard drive. “There is a newer version available form the vendor that corrects one or more vulnerabilities,” said Jakob Balle, Secunia’s development manager. “But the users have yet to install the secure version.”

Some of the other statics cited by Balle were just as damning: 41.94% of the machines scanned by PSI have 11 or more vulnerable applications; and more than two-thirds, or 67.63%, of the PCs have 6 or more unpatched programs.

“Close to all computers are running with several insecure application installed,” Balle pointed out.

And the picture is probably even darker than the one he painted. “These results should be considered ‘best case’ scenarios; The real numbers are likely to be worse,” he said, citing the self-selected group that the data represents.

“The users of the Secunia PSI are most likely more vigilant and security minded/conscious than your ‘average’ user.”

Secunia released the free patch detection utility a year ago, but shifted it to Release Candidate 1 (RC1) stage earlier this month. The Copenhagen based company claims nearly 191,000 users have downloaded and run the program.

PSI runs on Windows 2000, XP, Vista, and Server 2003, and can be downloaded from the Secunia site, at https://psi.secunia.com/.

 

Safely Dispose Of Old Computers

Protect The Environment & Your Personal Information

With the new year upon us, many of you may have upgraded your old PCs for shiny new ones. So what should you do about that old PC left over?

Whatever you do, don’t just throw it into a dumpster! Not only is it an environmental hazard you could be fined for, but you also don’t want complete strangers getting access to your old files, passwords, financial information, and e-mails.

First, keep your old PC around for a few months until you are absolutely certain that you transferred all of the files and programs you needed to your new PC.

Next, you need to make sure the hard drive is wiped clean of any data you had stored on it — and simply deleting the files is not enough. We recommend you seek professional help in clearing the hard drive from any old PCs you are disposing of.

Finally, you may consider donating your old PCs to a charity such as Youth for Technology (www.youthfortechnology.org) or Computers With Causes (www.computerswithcauses.org). Many of these organizations will clean your hard drive to prevent identity theft, and you can write off the donation on your taxes!

R.I.P. AOL Finally Kills Netscape Navigator

AOL LLC has finally pulled the plug on Netscape Navigator, the Web browser that once owned the lion’s share of the market and that was the focus of a landmark federal antitrust case against Microsoft Corp.

In an announcement posted to AOL’s website, the company said it ending development and would cease issuing security updates as of Feb. 1, 2008.

AOL said all support would end in just over a month and urged current Netscape users to migrate to Mozilla’s Firefox.

Helpful Microsoft Office Keyboard Shortcuts

These Quick Key Combination Make Office Work Harder For You

Ctrl Z is the magic undo combo. It simply undoes your last action, say, the paragraph you accidentally erased (it works in other applications, too).

Programs vary in the number of times you can undo something, but some will let you Ctrl Z all the way back to the beginning. (And, yes, there is a redo command, just hit Ctrl Y.)

Ctrl B, Ctrl I, or Ctrl U apply bold, italics, or underline to highlighted text, respectively.

Ctrl P prints whatever is in an active window.

Ctrl Backspace erases an entire word at a time, instead of a letter.

Ctrl up or down arrows let you scroll an entire paragraph at a time, instead of one line, and Ctrl Shift up or down arrow will select an entire paragraph.

Ctrl Enter inserts a page break in Word.

Alt Ctrl C inserts the copyright symbol (Alt Ctrl R inserts the registered trademark symbol, and Alt Ctrl T makes the trademark symbol).

In Outlook, you can jump to the section you want: Ctrl 1 switches to the Mail window, Ctrl 2 switches to the Calender, Ctrl 3 to Contacts, Ctrl 4 to Tasks, and Ctrl 5 to Notes.

Ctrl Shift M starts a new message in Outlook. (Use Ctrl Shift C for a new contact.)

In Outlook e-mail, hit Ctrl N to compose a new message, Ctrl R to reply to a message.

In Microsoft Excel, you can select the entire column by pressing CTRL SPACEBAR, and select the entire row with  SHIFT SPACEBAR.

Tech Experts 2007 Holiday Gift Guide

Here’s our high-tech suggestions for the hard to buy for person on your list

It’s that time of year again. The time to spread peace, joy, and good will; the time to soak up the seasonal cheer; and the time to buy cool gadgets and devices for your company, your colleagues, your customers, your loved ones, and maybe even yourself.

These days, there is so much stuff out there that it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the choices. So, in the spirit of the holidays, we’ve looked high and low for the best gifts, gadgets, and goodies.

So, whether you’re looking to make communications smoother, boost personal productivity, make travel easier, deck out the company car, upgrade your workspace, or go green, there’s a gift for you in here somewhere.

Casio USB Label Mouse Printer, $29.95
The Casio USB Label Mouse Printer’s organizational beauty is that you can use it to print out thermal labels — directly from the mouse itself.

Logitech MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse, $145
The sleek MX Air from Logitech may sport a hefty price tag, but look at it this way, you don’t need a desk! It’s got a 30-foot range (which makes it great for presentations), and built-in volume controls.

Logitech G9 Laser Mouse, $99
Want to go old-school without getting archaic? The G9 Laser was designed for gamers, which means it’s all about not getting repetitive strain injury (RSI). Even if you’re using it to take over the real world rather than the World of Warcraft, this is still a safe option for maneuvering through your workday.

iRobot Red Vacuuming Robot, $149.99
The iRobot Roomba Red Vacuuming Robot detects dirt, can handle hardwood or carpet, won’t fall down the stairs, and is a breeze to turn on and let loose at the end of the day. It’ll even find its way back to its charger when the office is clean.

iTouchless Stainless Steel Hands-Free Infrared Trash Can, $99
Why use your foot, or your fingers, to toss out the trash. Keep your hands clean, and your office smelling cleaner, with this 13-gallon gadget. It uses infrared technology to automatically open the lid whenever a hand or trash passes within 6 inches.

USB Tape Dispenser Hub, $14.99
Running out of plug-in slots on your laptop or desktop? How about space on your desk for analog stuff that computers still can’t replace — like good old fashioned transparent tape? This gadget solves both those problems by combining a tape dispenser with a four-port USB hub.

WildCharger charging pads, $34.99 – 89.99
The WildCharger charging pad eliminates the need for power cords. Just get the right adaptor for your cell phone or iPod and place it on the pad to get it juiced up and ready to go.

Iomega Ego portable hard drive, $199.45
Back up your files and take them with you with this cool portable external hard drive, the Iomega Ego. It stores up to 250gb and fits nicely into a laptop bag or even a coat pocket.

Dual-Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router with Storage Link, $299
A great option for that special someone who wants to be connected and go wireless. The Dual-Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router with Storage Link uses two separate frequencies to help boost bandwidth.

Apple iPhone, $399
The iPhone simply is the gadget this year. Wi-Fi Internet access, instant messaging, brilliant color display, e-mail, touch screen, and, of course, all the music you need while you browse the Web or build a proposal on the run.

Nokia N95, $699, Nokia E61i Smartphone, $389
In a year that has brought us more than just a few amazing phone-like devices, the Nokia 95 gives you DVD-quality images, plus a GPS-powered, location-based search function (helpful on business trips and sales calls), a 5-megapixel camera, wireless connectivity to your PC, and so much more. At half the cost, the E61i Smartphone is a worthy alternative.

Upgrade Your Computer Network Now and Save A Bundle of Money on Taxes, Hardware and Support

If you hate handing over a chunk of money to Uncle Sam every year (and who doesn’t!), then listen up…

If you upgrade your computer network before December 31st, you can claim a BIG tax deduction THIS YEAR.

And, to sweeten the deal, we’ve uncovered a number of rebates and discounts on workstations, servers, and laptops to save you even MORE money on a upgrade. Plus, as a bonus to anyone doing a complete network upgrade, we are giving away 3 FREE months of our network monitoring service. This service is designed to keep your network always up, always fast, and always secure. After all, you don’t want your data to become corrupt or lost due to a virus, hardware failure, or a glitch.

With the tax savings, discounts, and free support, NOW is the absolute BEST time to upgrade those old computers.

But hurry! You only have until December 31st to make the upgrade! Give us a call today at (734) 457-5000, or e-mail sales@expertsmi.com.

Free Report: What Every Business Owner Must Know About Protecting and Preserving Their Critical Data!

If You Depend on Your Computer Network to Run Your Business, This is One Report You Don’t Want to Overlook!

This report will outline in plain, non-technical English common mistakes that many small business owners make with their computer network that cost them thousands in lost sales, productivity, and computer repair bills, as well as providing an easy, proven way to reduce or completely eliminate the financial expense and frustration of these oversights.

You’ll Discover:

• The single most expensive mistake most small business owners make when it comes to protecting their company data.

• The universal misconception business owners have about their computer networks, and how it can end up costing between $9,000 and $60,000 in damages.

• 6 Critical security measures every small business should have in place.

• How to greatly reduce – or even completely eliminate – frustrating crashes, slow performance, and other annoying computer problems.

Get Your Free Copy Now by e-mailing info@expertsmi.com.

 

Creating Guest Accounts for Visiting Relatives

The holidays are right upon us and there’s a good chance some of your relatives will want to use your computer while visiting. If you want to give them access but don’t want them viewing your personal files, then you’ll need to set up a guest account. This will give them access to your programs, but not to your personal files. Here’s how…

Click the “Start” button then “Control Panel.” Double-click “User Accounts,” then click the “Guest Account” button. On the next window, click “Turn on the Guest Account.” That’s it! The next time you log on, you’ll be given a choice of your regular accounts or the Guest Account. Just have the in-laws select the Guest Account and your files are safe from their prying eyes.

If they’re really nosy, put a password on your account. Simply go back to the “User Accounts” window and click “Change an Account.” Choose your account, then click “Create a Password.” Enter the password twice, and a hint if you like. Finish by clicking “Create a Password” and repeat the steps for the accounts you want protected.