These are really use productivity tools that I found on Computers In Libraries page s4. I am going to list all of them here. Just scan through the list to if there are any tools you my be interest to you.
1. Microsoft Maps-Live Search
http://maps.live.com
This site can find directions, businesses by category, and maps for areas. Easy to use and an all in one site for the SMB.
2. TinyURL
http://tinyurl.com
Long URLs become managable, tiny ones.
3. Trip Advisor
http://www.tripadvisor.com
Helpful for planning business trips.
4. Seat Selection
http://www.seatguru.com
If you travel a great deal and want to understand seat selection, airline travel rules, and other amenities, start here.
5. Hot Spot Finder
http://www.jiwire.com
Find wireless connects for 150,000 plus hotspots in approximately 135 countries. I know that Dunn Brother's Cafe also provide free wireless.
6. Data Visualization
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2007/08/02/data-visualization-modern-approaches
Smashing Magazine shows different ways to present data visually. Some powerful approaches to displaying information as visual images appear on this link.
7. Panimages.com
http://panimages.com
When you want images but don't want to pay for them or at least not much, try this site.
8. Time Zone
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock
Time zones around the world.
9. Weather
http://weather.com
Heads up on weather conditions hour by hour.
10. Conference Calls
http://www.budgetconferencing.com
Set upa conference call quickly and cost-effectively from this site.
11. Melissa's Lookups
http://www.melissadata.com/lookups/index.htm
This site allows you to look up a variety of information for free as long as you register. In addition, it offers sources for direct mailings and other products for a fee.
12. Widgets/Gadgets
http://widgets.yahoo.com
The tag line of "Save Time, Waste Time, Have Fun!" sums it up. Find some useful gadgets here, but watch out that you don't end up wasting too much time looking for timesavers.
13. Who Called Us
http://whocalled.us
This site logs call from phone numbers that appear to be unknown. Sometimes ou can find a company name.
14. Google Search Tip
http://www.googleguide.com/advanced_operators_reference.html
Everyone wants to search google more productively.
15. Google Usability
http://More links to make Google searching more productive and profitable.
16. Travel.State.Gov
http://travel.state.gov
This site from the U.S. State Department gives good advice for those traveling internationally, e.g. passport information, danger zones,ect.
17. LookSmart's Furl
http://furl.net/home.jsp
With this site the SMB can save a copy of any webpage with one click, share the webpage or mark it as private, and organize and store the information with tags the SMB creates. Additionally, this site allows the SMB to read and save other information "furled" by other users.
18. Zotero
http://www.zotero.org
This site has some of the same elements as Furl but with more academic feel.
19. Snagit
http://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.asp
This site provides a low cost yet easy way to capture information on a screen.
20. PDF Creator
http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator
Download software here that can convert other document formats into PDFs.
21. You Sent It
http://www.yousendit.com
When you have a file larger than your email service can handle, try this site.
22. DropSend
http://www.dropsend.com
Another site that can handle large files up to 1GB and store files too.
23. Format conversions
http://docmorph.nlm.nih.gov/docmorph
Fifty document conversion tools from the National Library of Medicine.
24. File Extensions
http://filetext.com
This site helps identify unknown file extensions.
25. Transfer applications on a USB device or ipod
http://mojopac.com/portal/content/products/index.jsp
mojopac has a free software download (currently 1MB) that allow you to transfer key software applications onto a USB device or ipod and run it on a host PC using Windows XP with the look the SMB owner would have on his or her PC back home. Mojopac "transforms your ipod or USB Hard Drive or flash drive into a portable and private PC."
26. Iron Monuntain
http://www.ironmountain.com/digital/pc/backup.asp
this company uses connected.com to automatically back up files on an SMB's PC for a fee.
27. Carbonite
http://www.carbonite.com
This company will also automatically back up files on a PC for a low annual cost.
28. Copyscape
http://www.copyscape.com
This site lets the UMB owner see if anyone has copied portions of it's company website.
29. Domain Tools
http://whois.domaintools.com
SMBs can use this site to keep updated on their website status and to make sure it does not expire.
30. TrendMicro
http://housecall.trendmicro.com
This site can do analyis of a user's computers to see if it has been infected by viruses, spyware, or other malware. There is information on donating to schools if the user wants to express his or her appreciation.
31. Belarc
http://www.belarc.com
This site does a PC audit of hardware and software.
32. ScanSafe
http://www.scandoo.com
This site rates the safety of websites.
33. Open Office Suite
http://www.openoffice.org
This site offers a downloadable free office suite and includes desktop applications such as a word processor, spreadsheet, presentaion manager, and drawing program.
34. Zamzar
http://zamzar.com
This site helps when you need files converted. It has online conversions for documents, videos, music, and images plus other miscellaneous file extentions for free.
35. Stuffbak
http://www.stuffbak.com/sb/default.aspx
This site has information that can potentially help a business recover lost electronic asset and at a very low cost.
36. Inc Mazagine
http://technology.inc.com/internet/articles/200707/campbell.html
In the technology section, you will find several sources of information for technology related issues. For example, the link discusses 10 tips for choosing a domain name.
37. Copernic Tracker
http://www.copernic.com/en/products/tracker
For a mominal fee, this site provides software to monitor changes of content on webpages that have a business interest.
38. University of Minnesota, Duluth
http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/support/Training/Online/webdesign
This site provides information and resources on web design.
26.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Tips to help you with the next set of more things on a stick
While attending a Webjunction session at an MLA conference in Bloomington,MN this month, I learned that there are more things on a stick to come January 20, 2008. From the reaction that I noticed, not all of them are excited (-_-) about the new Things. From observation as an IT person from the Rochester Public Library and the conversations I got from the people at MLA, the main reason some people are not excited about these "Things" is because they are time consuming. As a systems administrator I can tell you that you can save a lot of time on these "Things" and save a lot of time at work if your computer skills are a little bit up to date. While reading Computers In Libraries October 2008 I found this article on page 54 that may help you with the next set of Library on a Stick Things.
Thing 1 Reboot, Reboot, Reboot.
Just so you know it is perfection ok to reboot the computer when it gets sick. We IT people expect you to do that when first. Instead of taking Tylenol when we get sick, rebooting the computer can cure the computer's sickness 95% of the times.
Thing 2 Minor reboot troubleshoot
Both patrons and staff are prone to leaving floppy disks in drives and flash drives in USB ports, leading to the dreaded "non-system disk" error on boot. Before rebooting the machine, please take your floppy disk out first.
Thing 3 Copy /Paste
Copy and Paste is a very useful tool that everybody should know how to do and use as often as posible. To copy, just highlight the text or URL then "CTRL +C". To paste, position your mouse at the place you want to paste then "CTRL + V" . Right click on the mouse to Copy, Paste, and Delete can do the same trick. I like this better because it is faster. You can copy folders, URL, Text,ect. I recently showed a staff how to use the right mouse click and he loved it.
Thing 4 Save, Move, and Copy files
Make sure you know how to save, move and copy files. If you don't know how to save a file to a location that you like and don't know how to find a file where you saved, that is going to be very difficult on everything that you do. Get these basic skills down quickly. Make sure you save the files on one of the network drives so that they are backed up regularly if you have a network.
Thing 5 Ask questions
If you are confused or don't khow how to use some functionalities, ask your IT personnels or co-workers. We IT people won't laugh at you for asking basic computer questions so call. You shouldn't wait until one of us walk by your desk then ask.
Thing 6 Deal with Printer Pressure.
You know how to load paper into the library's printers, change cartridges, and clear paper jams? Where does each printer open up? Where is most likely for paper to jam? Do you know that you have to remove the protective plastic covering before installing a cartrigde? Don't waste patron's or staff's time by waiting for an IT staff to come to clear a paper jam or other small things.
Thing 7 Decide among printer options
Make sure you know how to change paper from portrait to lanscape, change from color to black-and-white, and how to print multiple copies. You should know how to select printers if you have multiple printers installed.
Thing 8 How do you print frames, how do you print selected text?
Do you know how to print a given frame or selected text off any page? Can you show patrons how to do it? Some times you don't want to print the whole website just to get a selected few text.
Thing 9 Master basic word processing functions
What do the buttons on top of the page do? How do you make text bold or italic? Change font? text color? insert and image? Your blogging skills can improve significanly if you know these basic word processing functions.
Thing 10 Is everything plugged in?
Monitor cables, power cables, they all have an annoying habit of getting loose especially in the public in Children's area and Young Adult area. If a particular mahcine or peripheral doesn't turn on, which cable to check? These are level one technical support questions that we IT staff always look for first before anything else.
Thing 11 Are you on the network? Is that website really down?
Am I the only one having this problem or is it just me? If a patron complain that that his/her favorite website is down, make sure everyone is having the same problem. The cute little icon in the bottom of the computer can tell you something too. An X means bad, no connection. You can try to reconnect to the network or fall back to reboot, reboot, and reboot. One more thing, if you can't find the network drives that you usually find under the "My Computer" icon, make sure you are logged onto the network but just the computer itself. It doesn't hurt to try and log in again.
Thing 12 What's the good password
Please try not to leave password on sticky notes in plain view or next to the computer. Store it in a place that you or your staff have access to easily. Does all staffs know what the new password is? A safe network will ask you to change your password once in a few months. Make sure you change it when it asks you to, write them down somewhere and memorize them quickly.
Thing 13 What's Open on my computer?
What programs are currently open? how do you switch between them? How do you maximize, minimize, and close windows? If your computer have many programs open, then tend to overload and crash often. They slow down your computer as well. Make sure the window is already open before launching again.
These are just the basic skills that can help you significantly if you have a good handle on them. They will prepare you for the next set of 23 things on a stick. As an IT staff, I have so many other things that I would like to add to these basic 13 things but I will save it for other time. Have to go.
Thing 1 Reboot, Reboot, Reboot.
Just so you know it is perfection ok to reboot the computer when it gets sick. We IT people expect you to do that when first. Instead of taking Tylenol when we get sick, rebooting the computer can cure the computer's sickness 95% of the times.
Thing 2 Minor reboot troubleshoot
Both patrons and staff are prone to leaving floppy disks in drives and flash drives in USB ports, leading to the dreaded "non-system disk" error on boot. Before rebooting the machine, please take your floppy disk out first.
Thing 3 Copy /Paste
Copy and Paste is a very useful tool that everybody should know how to do and use as often as posible. To copy, just highlight the text or URL then "CTRL +C". To paste, position your mouse at the place you want to paste then "CTRL + V" . Right click on the mouse to Copy, Paste, and Delete can do the same trick. I like this better because it is faster. You can copy folders, URL, Text,ect. I recently showed a staff how to use the right mouse click and he loved it.
Thing 4 Save, Move, and Copy files
Make sure you know how to save, move and copy files. If you don't know how to save a file to a location that you like and don't know how to find a file where you saved, that is going to be very difficult on everything that you do. Get these basic skills down quickly. Make sure you save the files on one of the network drives so that they are backed up regularly if you have a network.
Thing 5 Ask questions
If you are confused or don't khow how to use some functionalities, ask your IT personnels or co-workers. We IT people won't laugh at you for asking basic computer questions so call. You shouldn't wait until one of us walk by your desk then ask.
Thing 6 Deal with Printer Pressure.
You know how to load paper into the library's printers, change cartridges, and clear paper jams? Where does each printer open up? Where is most likely for paper to jam? Do you know that you have to remove the protective plastic covering before installing a cartrigde? Don't waste patron's or staff's time by waiting for an IT staff to come to clear a paper jam or other small things.
Thing 7 Decide among printer options
Make sure you know how to change paper from portrait to lanscape, change from color to black-and-white, and how to print multiple copies. You should know how to select printers if you have multiple printers installed.
Thing 8 How do you print frames, how do you print selected text?
Do you know how to print a given frame or selected text off any page? Can you show patrons how to do it? Some times you don't want to print the whole website just to get a selected few text.
Thing 9 Master basic word processing functions
What do the buttons on top of the page do? How do you make text bold or italic? Change font? text color? insert and image? Your blogging skills can improve significanly if you know these basic word processing functions.
Thing 10 Is everything plugged in?
Monitor cables, power cables, they all have an annoying habit of getting loose especially in the public in Children's area and Young Adult area. If a particular mahcine or peripheral doesn't turn on, which cable to check? These are level one technical support questions that we IT staff always look for first before anything else.
Thing 11 Are you on the network? Is that website really down?
Am I the only one having this problem or is it just me? If a patron complain that that his/her favorite website is down, make sure everyone is having the same problem. The cute little icon in the bottom of the computer can tell you something too. An X means bad, no connection. You can try to reconnect to the network or fall back to reboot, reboot, and reboot. One more thing, if you can't find the network drives that you usually find under the "My Computer" icon, make sure you are logged onto the network but just the computer itself. It doesn't hurt to try and log in again.
Thing 12 What's the good password
Please try not to leave password on sticky notes in plain view or next to the computer. Store it in a place that you or your staff have access to easily. Does all staffs know what the new password is? A safe network will ask you to change your password once in a few months. Make sure you change it when it asks you to, write them down somewhere and memorize them quickly.
Thing 13 What's Open on my computer?
What programs are currently open? how do you switch between them? How do you maximize, minimize, and close windows? If your computer have many programs open, then tend to overload and crash often. They slow down your computer as well. Make sure the window is already open before launching again.
These are just the basic skills that can help you significantly if you have a good handle on them. They will prepare you for the next set of 23 things on a stick. As an IT staff, I have so many other things that I would like to add to these basic 13 things but I will save it for other time. Have to go.
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