| July 2008 In this issue
√ Eye on
Video: Adding |
Read Receipts and the People Who Need Them
In life, when you order a meal in a restaurant, you know that the chef has received your "message" because your food arrives a short while later (provided you've ordered off the menu and haven't angered the chef by making too many suggestions).
When it comes to e-mail, however, things aren't so black and white.
How can you be sure that someone has received and actually read your message?
Just for Laughs
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Eye on Video: Adding Audio
Intelligence
By Fredrik Nilsson The movie industry introduced its first "talkie" back in 1927. Yet video surveillance, for the most part, has remained oddly silent. Given that what we hear adds as much to our understanding of events as the images we see, the lack of an audio component can seriously impact the ability of security personnel to effectively protect property and people. Consider a video surveillance system sans audio. A cry for help, the sound of breaking glass, a gunshot, or an explosion in the vicinity of a camera - but outside the field of view - would escape notice. Even in a parking under visual surveillance, without audio support security staff might never know that a vehicle's alarm had gone off. Audio covers a 360-degree area, enabling a video surveillance system to extend its coverage beyond a camera's field of view. Intelligent audio can instruct a pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) or dome camera or an operator of the camera to visually verify an audio alarm, giving remote security personnel additional information about the environment on which to base their response. In addition to being a listening post, security personnel can use audio to communicate with visitors or intruders. |
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6 Cool New Online Banking Tips By Joseph Anthony Reprinted with permission from Microsoft Small Business Center
You can probably guess what happened next. Business owners responded with a resounding silence. The last thing most people needed was an "opportunity" to pay for something that had been free. Well, banks seem to have gotten the message. Fees have dropped sharply or have been eliminated on many services. The online banking offerings have increased. And more businesses are doing at least some of their banking online, lured by convenience, the ability to track their own financial activities online, and the potential of saving time. |
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5
Chronic Small-Biz Mistakes To Correct By Jeff Wuorio Reprinted with permission from Microsoft Small Business Center
Missteps, miscalculations and outright duds are unfortunate, yet ever-present starters in any small-business lineup. If nothing else, if it weren't for the battalion of snafus that lay in wait, every mom and pop kiosk would sport a bottom line that rivaled the New York Yankees'. But what can really spell the difference between an established powerhouse and a perennial cellar dweller are chronic mistakes — those repeated and overlooked blunders. Here are five persistent pitfalls that may apply to you and your business, along with steps to purge them. |
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We want to become
your trusted
technology partner! |
Of Saying Thank You
By Joanna L. Krotz
Reprinted with permission from Microsoft Small Business Center
The wheels of business revolve with such spin and speed these days that we roll right over the courtesies. Who has time for quaint customs?
More to the point, who can afford to let competitors rush onto the new and the next while we slow down for pleasantries? You're in for a surprise. The advice that follows, rest assured, is not some ubermom lecture about society's loss of grace (not that I couldn't get into that). This is about leveraging an underutilized edge in the marketplace.
Today, extending old-time courtesies helps you stand out. Yes, boys and girls, saying "thank you" has become a competitive advantage. So few people express appreciation — a Lenox etiquette poll found that nearly five out of every 10 people don't always say thanks — that remembering to do so is a sales point of difference. It also goes a long way toward forging the relationships that can turn into opportunities.
Here are fast and affordable ways to show business gratitude, as well as tips about timing and tactics.
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