Coach Technology

Wikipedia on NPR's Talk of the Nation

2005-11-02T22:34:00.000-07:00

As a follow-up to my previous post about Wikipedia, here's a link to National Public Radio's story about it on today's Talk of the Nation. I caught a bit of it on my way home from lunch with a friend. It was an interesting debate about the quality of Wikipedia's entries and if a democratic knowledge-base could really work.

Wikipedia, Open Source and the Future of the Web

Blogging and XML Feeds

2005-10-20T20:27:00.000-06:00

There are many resources for bloggers, some free, some you can subscribe to for a fee. I chose Blogger, Google’s blogging platform, because it's a free and easy way to get your feet wet as a new blogger. I like many of the features of Blogger, including the ability to edit any post as I'm viewing my blog, templates that look great, the ability to customize the template I've chosen, the ability to post photos with text, the ability for readers to comment on posts but word verification to discourage spam posts by machines, and the ability to blog from anywhere on the web using my Google toolbar. Another very popular and powerful platform includes the subscription-based TypePad, and Yahoo just launched a new service called Yahoo! 360º, which allows you to create a blog, share pictures, send bulk email, and more. Blogs have blossomed over the past few years, and businesses large and small are jumping on the bandwagon.

One of the challenges of keeping in touch by using blogs is that many readers do not remember to visit the blogs they may be interested in. One of the current solutions is XML syndication (here's a better explanation than I can give, if you're interested: About syndication), of which there are two popular versions: RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, and Atom, the XML syndication that Blogger uses. You can "subscribe" to an RSS or Atom Feed, which will basically tell you through a feed reader if there is new content on any website or blog that publishes a feed. I found a great feed reader for my Mozilla Firefox internet browser called Sage. It's built right into the browser; all I need to do is open the Sage sidebar and click "Check Feeds" and it will show me which of the feeds I subscribe to have new content.

If you are a blog publisher (or a podcaster!), consider signing up with Feedburner, which offers several features for publicizing your blog and keeping in touch with readers. SmartFeed provides a feed that is compatible with both RSS and Atom feed readers, and even offer links to feed readers for blog readers who are new to syndication. And here's a great new service, the basic version of which is free: an email subscription service called FeedBlitz which allows readers of your blog to get notified of new content by email.

So here's the deal: blogging seems to give me great flexibility and the ability to keep in touch with my readers more frequently. My blogs are below; feel free to use whatever means you'd like to keep updated with new posts to my blog. Pick your flavor; in the sidebar, you'll see an Atom Feed, the SmartFeed from FeedBurner (which includes links to feed readers you may want to try), and a subscription box if you'd like to be notified of new posts by email. The privacy policy of the different feed readers may vary, but if you subscribe by email, FeedBlitz has a comprehensive privacy policy and they will not share your email address with outside parties.

Key Musings - resources, ideas, and posts about what I'm noticing now: http://keywaystrategies.blogspot.com
Coach Technology - technology resources for coaches and other small business owners: http://coachtechnology.blogspot.com
The Hurd Herd - keep updated about happenings in the Hurd family, including our new arrival: http://hurdherd.blogspot.com

Create Adobe PDF Online: easily convert and create PDF documents

2005-10-18T10:48:00.000-06:00

Adobe has come up with something new... a subscription version of their Adobe Acrobat PDF creator. For $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, you can create PDF files right from your desktop through your list of printers.

I'm not convinced that Adobe's subscription service offers many more features than the free PDF creator that I use, pdf995, but if you are interested in getting a higher level of technical support for your investment, it may be just the thing. Plus, through a subscription service, you don't need to worry about upgrading your software when the next version comes out.

If you need the additional features that Adobe Acrobat Professional offers (see the features at Adobe's site) and the $449.00 price tag is worth it to you, it's easy to justify the investment.

Welcome to Coach Technology!

2005-10-12T14:25:00.000-06:00

Although I've been playing with this blog for a while, I haven't yet publicized it. You'll notice several previous posts. I've taken them from my monthly ezine, Success in Harmony (subscribe at www.keywaystrategies.com), in which I publish a "Recommended Resource" column. I've noticed that the resources I recommend about technology receive more comments than the others... could it be that many of us find it difficult to navigate our ever-expanding world of technology?

In this blog, I hope to make it simple to connect with technology resources that will make doing business a little easier. I'm not an expert on technology, but I'm somewhat of a "technogeek." Although all independent professionals and small business owners could benefit from these resources, I hope especially that my colleagues in the coaching profession find the fruits of my "geekness" helpful!

Wikipedia Jump-Starts Your Research

2005-09-30T10:22:00.000-06:00

Wikipedia

One of my clients mentioned Wikipedia to me the other day. He had just discovered it, and although I have used Wikipedia for quite some time, I realized that I'd never recommended it to my readers!

Wikipedia is a free source online encyclopedia. It has over 1,000,000 articles in many languages on different topics, linking to each other by hyperlinking terms within articles. There are over 700,000 English articles, and approximately 1500 English articles are added every single day... and 5000 per day over the entire project.

For those of you who are new to wikis, here’s the definition: "a collaborative Web site set up to allow user editing and adding of content." The term comes from the Hawaiian word "wiki wiki," which means "quick." It may seem a bit strange to value a Web site that any user can edit or add to. But wikis have the great benefit of collaborative polishing and quick updating. In our world that is changing so quickly, that can allow us to get the most up-to-date information very quickly. In addition, because its users make it so large and comprehensive, it's easy to get information on some of the most obscure topics. Although I wouldn't suggest that Wikipedia become your only source for research, it can certainly be a first that can start you on an exciting journey.

Links:

Wikipedia: http://www.wikipedia.org
The strengths of Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Why_Wikipedia_is_so_great
Replies to common objections: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Replies_to_common_objections
Toolbars or search tools:
- Wikipedia Toolbar for Internet Explorer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WikiSearch_Toolbar
- Wikipedia Toolbar for Mozilla Firefox: http://wikipedia.mozdev.org/
- Or simply add Wikipedia to your Mozilla Firefox search box: http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/central#central-engines

Webinars - Virtual Workshops for Businesses

2005-09-06T14:18:00.000-06:00

Microsoft Office Live Meeting's f'ree Leadership Forum

Microsoft has enlisted well-known speakers and authors to help them get the word out about their web conferencing service. And we can all benefit! I attended two hour-long webinars recently, one with Mark Samuel, co-author of The Power of Personal Accountability, on creating SHARED accountability (it was an excellent how-to that was in alignment with The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People's process of creating win-win agreements), and another with Joseph Grenny, co-author of Crucial Confrontations, a great follow-up to the book Crucial Conversations. Other speakers include Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, Michael Gerber of The E-Myth, Jay Conrad Levinson of Guerrilla Marketing, Ken Blanchard, Marcus Buckingham, and more. To register for upcoming webinars, go to http://main.livemeeting.com/, and check out the archive at http://main.placeware.com/demos/web_seminar_archive.cfm.

Free pdf Creator

2005-09-01T14:16:00.000-06:00

Free pdf Creator - Pdf995

One simple free program suite for my PC that I use all the time is Pdf995. There are three programs in the suite: Pdf995, PdfEdit995, and Signature995.

The basic program, Pdf995, allows me to print to a pdf file rather than printing to my printer. It’s such a nice option to have when I’m purchasing something online and get to the confirmation page and it says "please print for your records." I don’t know about you, but I hate to add to the paper clutter in my home and office. I’d much rather just create a file that I can open whenever I need it, including printing it to paper if necessary, rather than creating another piece of paper that I have to figure out what to do with.

It’s also great if I want to share a document with someone but don’t want them to change the file on accident or on purpose. Using Pdf995, I can create a pdf file from any program that gives me the option to print. In addition, with PdfEdit995, I can insert URL links, create bookmarks, even change a pdf file to text.

The one part of the suite that I haven’t yet used is Signature995, which allows you to encrypt and digitally sign your pdf files.

One drawback to the free version of this software are the sponsor screens that come up when you use it. You can remove the sponsor screens if you purchase a key. I don’t mind the sponsor screens much, as they only advertise their own free software products.

Find out more at http://www.pdf995.com or http://www.software995.com for a full list of their free software products.

Digital Voice Recorders

2005-08-16T14:30:00.000-06:00

One of the ways I capture thoughts while I’m driving or otherwise not free to write is to capture them in my own words in an audio recording. One of my coaches and colleagues gave me a digital voice recorder last year, and it’s been invaluable as I have organized my thoughts in preparation for writing or presenting. I also use it sometimes for a personal diary or journal. I capture tasks that I’ll later put into my planner. I made a short recording of my toddler playing the piano and singing, which I otherwise would have probably not captured. I even used it one day to “jot down” the restaurants in an area that we were planning to visit as I was driving by.

There are so many models out there, but I’ve been very happy with my Olympus digital voice recorder. I would suggest a version that uploads to your computer so that you can keep and backup your audio files. Some audio clips you’ll end up deleting after you write them (or type them) down, but some you’ll want to keep indefinitely. You'll also want a model that records with one button. If it takes several steps to start recording, you won't use it.

Here’s a simple starter model at Amazon.com:

Olympus digital voice recorder with PC link

Follow the links to find other models. There are some that include a camera for "visual indexing" and other that include bigger memory for more files. And enjoy!

More PC Must-Haves

2005-07-29T13:10:00.000-06:00

I received so many comments about my past post on tools for keeping your PC healthy, I thought I’d share a couple more technology resources that I can’t do without:

Ever wonder if that forwarded warning of dubious origin in your email inbox might actually be true? Instead of forwarding it to "everyone in your address book" like the email might urge, check its veracity first at http://www.snopes.com/. Thank goodness for the research of Barbara and David P. Mikkelson and their Urban Legends Reference Pages—nearly every forwarded email I’ve checked out at the website has turned up something. Just use the Search box at the top of the homepage. Or, if you’re just up for some interesting reading, click on "Random" and see what comes up!

If you’re wondering what time it REALLY is, because every clock and watch in the house shows a different minute of the hour, synchronize your computer clock with Atomic Clock Sync. Many computer clock sync-ing utilities come with adware or spyware—this one doesn't. It’s just a simple utility that will keep your computer clock accurate—a must for me as a coach because I’m calling clients for appointments. Check out the host site as well, http://www.worldtimeserver.com/. If you’re calling Latvia and want to check what time it is there, it’s a vital resource.

Vital tools to keep your PC healthy

2005-07-15T18:13:00.000-06:00

Keep your PC healthy! If you use a PC, have you noticed that it's begun to run a little slower than it used to? Have you noticed the number of pop-up ads increasing as you've surfed the web? Have you ever looked at your task list and wondered what all those programs are that are running in the background? Here are a few tools that have helped me keep my PC in tiptop shape:

Answers that Work: Click on Task List to search for the programs that are running on your PC. Each entry in the database describes what the program is for, whether it is useful or could cause problems, and gives a recommendation. http://www.answersthatwork.com
CodeStuff Starter: Use Starter to view and manage the programs that are starting automatically every time you turn on your computer. Disable the ones that are not necessary and improve the speed of your computer. http://www.snapfiles.com/get/starter.html
Ad-Aware: Ad-Aware will scan your computer for adware, those annoying and potentially dangerous components that are often added to your computer without your knowledge. Adware gathers information about you and pops up ads at every turn. http://lavasoft.element5.com/software/adaware/
Spybot - Search & Destroy: Use Spybot - S&D to rid your computer of spyware, a nuisance that is similar to adware. http://www.spybot.info/en/spybotsd/index.html
Google Toolbar: This add-in to your existing browser allows you to search the internet from any page, fill in web forms with one click, AND it eliminates most pop-ups. Once you add it, you’ll find you can’t surf without it. http://toolbar.google.com/