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Directive Blogs

Directive has been serving the Oneonta area since 1993, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support, and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

Tip of the Week: Tab Basics For Better Browsing

The use of a browser’s tabs has become the default way that many people move around the web. In fact, there’s a good chance that this blog is just one of many browser tabs you have queued right now. However, there’s an equally good chance that you aren’t using browser tabs to their full potential. For this week’s tip, we’ll explore some of the features that browser tabs offer.

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Tip of the Week: Using These Websites Can Help Preserve Your Privacy

Everyone has a right to privacy. However, with the popularity of social networks, the Internet is a very hard place to remain a private individual. Digital communication is everywhere. Cybercrime has become a fairly regular event. This week’s tip of the week takes a glance at three websites that you can use to help enforce your right to privacy.

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Tip of the Week: Microsoft Outlook Is Easier With Shortcuts

Microsoft Outlook can be a fantastic way to communicate, but only if you know how to best use it. When you’re using it to reach out to clients or vendors, you need to consider all of the best practices and shortcuts you can to make the most of it. We’ll discuss some of the best ways that you can use Microsoft Outlook to help your business function better as a whole.

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Tip of the Week: 3 Better Ways To Use Excel

Microsoft Excel is more or less synonymous with spreadsheet creation. However, even power users may not know all the tricks that are hidden in the program that can help them save significant time. For this week’s tip, we’ll go over some Excel shortcuts that you may not have known about.

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Tip of the Week: 10 Tech Practices That Make Work Better

Each worker within an organization is delegated some sort of responsibility based on their role. Managers are responsible for managing, while human resources keep all workers accountable for their responsibilities. Yet, there are multiple responsibilities designated to all employees who use technology for their everyday duties.

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Tip of the Week: Did You Know About These Windows Features?

Does your business use Windows 10? If so, there are all sorts of hidden tips and tricks that can help you gain even more value from your workstations that are running Windows 10. Here are a few of these secrets and how they can help your staff save time.

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Tip of the Week: Using Flash In Google Chrome

With Adobe ending support for Flash by 2020, many web browsing tools have begun to shift away from using Flash as their default media player. For example, Google Chrome has made the jump to HTML5 for the most part. The problem with this is that there are still quite a few websites and other online tools still use this technology. In the event that you want to enable it on a case-by-case business, here’s how to do so.

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Tip of the Week: You Can Use Your Android Device As An External Hard Drive

Does your business have trouble keeping data on the company network? This can be an issue if your employees use their mobile devices to do work while on the go. In order to keep this from becoming an issue, you should encourage your employees to not keep sensitive data on their mobile devices, and establish policies that give you control over your data and email on personal devices. That said, let’s show you how to get your data off of your Android device and back on your network where it belongs.

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Tip of the Week: 11 Technology Buzzwords Every SMB Should Know

Have you ever felt like talking to someone in the technology industry was like speaking with someone who spoke a different language? You’re not alone. It’s no secret that the IT industry loves their jargon - and has dozens of buzzwords at any given time. These are a few such words that have the industry buzzing right now!

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Tip of the Week: Planning Your Holiday Travels? Have A Plan For Productivity

Back to school is upon us and then it’s a hop, skip, and jump until the holidays arrive. With more companies allowing their employees to work remotely, holiday travel will mean that people are going to be taking their work on the road with them. Preventing credit card and identity theft has been a priority for shoppers during the season for many years. It’s important that the same security considerations be given to technology being used for business while traveling.

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Tip of the Week: Make Sure You'll Be Understood With Microsoft Word

Have you ever been working on writing a blog article or trying your hand at a formal proposal letter and wondered if your writing was appropriate for your audience? You’re not alone. The readability of a document is such a concern for people that Microsoft Word added a feature that will automatically calculate a document’s readability using the Flesch Reading Ease formula and tells approximate reading level using the famous Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level scale.

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Tip of the Week: How to Find the Best VPN for Your Privacy

With all of the talk about the FCC and Net Neutrality in the recent news, a lot of computer users are concerned about the amount of privacy afforded them by their Internet service providers--and rightfully so. Regardless of whether the net neutrality ruling was justified (hint: it wasn’t), users are finding that they have to take their privacy into their own hands. The easiest way to do so is with a Virtual Private Network.

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Tip of the Week: Google Maps Take The Guessing Out Of Total Distance

Have you ever used Google Maps as a GPS system to help you navigate a trip you are taking? In a lot of ways, Google Maps is even more dynamic than other dedicated online applications, and it’s certainly a better alternative than trying to decipher the lines of an atlas. Google Maps even lets you chart the distance between your location and your destination, which is a great way to get the total distance of your upcoming trip.

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Tip of the Week: The Only Feature Android Oreo Is Missing Is the Cream Filling

The latest version of Android, Oreo (version 8.0), was released earlier this year. Has your phone received the update to it yet? Either way, you’ll want to know what features it has, including how it can help you get more done. Here are five of the many new additions offered by this update to Android Oreo operating system.

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Tip of the Week: How to Determine Which VPN is Best

Many computer users are afraid for their privacy--and judging by the discussions surrounding the FCC and Net Neutrality, they should be. Now that users are responsible for the privacy of their online activity, they are finding new ways to make sure that corporations aren’t taking advantage of their Internet activity--namely through the use of a Virtual Private Network, or VPN.

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Tip of the Week: How To Put A Table Of Contents In A Google Doc

If you author a long document, having a table of contents can help your readers get the information they need fast. Here is how to insert a table of contents into a Google Doc.

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Tip of the Week: Better Ways To Use Microsoft Excel

There is no denying that, of all the application suites in the world, Microsoft Office is the most famous and most popular. Regardless of their size, businesses rely on these programs in order to function--so much so, that a working knowledge of Microsoft Office is often a prerequisite for employment. However, despite so many people using these programs on such a regular basis, few understand their full capabilities. Take, for example, Excel, Microsoft’s spreadsheet program.

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Tip of the Week: Control Where Your Downloads Are Saved

Whenever you download a file from the Internet, the file will, by default, go to an aptly-titled folder in Windows called Downloads. Unless you change the default settings, your files will always be saved here. But what if you want to make it so that your downloads go somewhere else? You can accomplish this pretty easily. We’ll walk you through how to do it for some of the most popular browsers, including Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox.

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Tip of the Week: Cortana Can Help You Cheer On Your Team

It’s football season once again, and this year, we want to show you how to set up Cortana to follow your favorite teams--football or otherwise. It’s actually easier than you might think! Before we begin, remember that this only works on devices that have Cortana, so it will likely need to be set up on your Windows PC.

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Tip of the Week: What Changed With Google Calendar’s Update?

If you are a dedicated user of Google Calendar, you’ll have realized that it’s recently undergone a significant improvement. Google has pushed out an update that has really polished their calendar in terms of both visual appearance and functionality, which is something that you’ll really appreciate, especially if you are a G Suite user. How can you use this new version of Google Calendar for your business?

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Tip of the Week: How to Better Use Your Smartphone in Five Easy Steps

Your smartphone is an incredible tool, capable of doing so much for you as you go about your personal and professional days. For this week’s tip, we’ve put together some of our favorite ways to squeeze even more function and convenience out of your mobile device.

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Tip of the Week: Organize Your Google Docs by Color

Google Drive folders will appear in a gray color by default, but you can change the way they look to make things easier to see. This week’s tip is dedicated to helping you set up a color system in your folders so that you can easily navigate your Google Drive.

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Tip of the Week: Tricks for Better Internet Browsing

If you use the Internet every single day, you’ll start to realize that you can use it more effectively for achieving your goals. In cases like this, it’s important to look at ways you can improve your overall use of the Internet, as it’s the key way you access important information, applications, and contacts. Here are some day-to-day tips that you can use to help improve your mastery of the Internet.

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Tip of the Week: We All Make Mistakes, but Try To Avoid These Computing Ones

Mistakes happen, especially where technology is involved. There are plenty of ways that user error can occur when using a computer--many of which are avoidable through simple preventative measures. For our tip this week, we’ll go over some behaviors to avoid when using a computer.

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Tip of the week: Here Are Four Tools to Secure Your Business

Business security is a common issue for many small organizations with limited budgets, but it doesn’t have to be an issue. We’re here to help you master the seemingly endless threats and security problems that major vulnerabilities present to the small business environment, and it all starts out by understanding how even basic security solutions protect your organization.

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Tip of the Week: Need to Write an Email? Keep These 5 Steps in Mind

There are good emails, and there are bad emails. You know them when you see them, but can you write an email that’s more likely to be read and acted upon? There are a few key steps to writing them more effectively. For this week’s tip, we’ll walk you through five steps to improving your emails.

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Tip of the Week: Did You Know Your Computer Can Do All This?

Your computer is mostly just a machine used to accomplish specific tasks. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t know all of the advanced tips that help you get the most out of it, though. Here are some of the best shortcuts that you can use to take full advantage of your workstation.

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Tip of the Week: Excel-lent Keyboard Shortcuts

How well do you know Microsoft Excel, the premier spreadsheet building software? Depending on your proficiency with it, you may already be familiar with some of the various keyboard shortcuts associated with it. We’ll list off some of the most commonly used keyboard shortcuts, as well as what you can do to become a Microsoft Excel power user.

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Tip of the Week: Syncing Email Across Multiple Devices

It’s true that email is such a common solution that most people don’t think twice about how it works. However, it’s imperative that you at least understand the concept, as it can provide you with a considerable advantage when it comes time to optimize email access on your mobile devices. First, we’ll discuss the ways in which the two major message exchange protocols differ, and then dig into the specifics of why you should choose one over the other.

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Tip of the Week: What to Do When the Internet Goes Out

Losing Internet can be a large problem in the business world, as we all become more and more reliant on it. Downtime of this kind can be immensely frustrating. However, not all hope is lost, as there are ways to troubleshoot the cause of an Internet outage.

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Tip of the Week: Hey Cortana! Don’t Listen to Them, You’re my Virtual Assistant

Cortana, Windows 10’s built-in personal assistant, has proven to be useful for those users who have taken advantage of her services. Sometimes, however, the Cortana interface will answer when another person in the room beckons her. For Cortana to work for one person, and to obey only one voice, the software needs to get to know that voice.

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Tip of the Week: Why You Should Reexamine Your Business Practices

As a business adopts certain “best practices,” it is important for business leaders to consider why they are adopted, and more importantly, are they really for the best? There are many problems that subscribing to false best practices can produce, and so it becomes important to identify, adjust, and resolve them.

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Tip of the Week: Use Excel Like a Pro - Graphing

Excel is the premier spreadsheet builder, and it’s extremely valuable that your organization get the most out of it. Spreadsheets are ideal for showcasing information in a compact manner, but without a couple of charts, your users will just be staring at cell after cell of boring old numbers. By using charts in Excel, you can take your spreadsheet building to the next level.

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Tip of the Week: Do You Know What Your Android Permissions Actually Mean?

Downloading an application on an Android device is fairly simple: access the Google Play store, find the app you want to download, and press the button that says install. However, it is also too easy to simply hit ‘Allow’ once the app starts asking for ambiguously-worded permissions. Today, we’ll examine what these permissions actually mean.

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Tip of the Week: How to Type Special Symbols

The Internet has enabled businesses to establish relationships on a global scale. Now, an upscale restaurant in Minneapolis can use the Internet to order ingredients from a vendor in Bordeaux. However, there can easily be a language difference when doing business internationally. This is when it is fortunate that Windows 10 makes it so easy to change your device’s language.

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Tip of the Week: Mastering Page Orientation in Microsoft Word

There are times when using Microsoft Word that will require the addition of an outside element, usually something like an Excel sheet, PowerPoint slide or other visual aid. A common issue faced by users is having to significantly alter the size of the external element to fit between the margins of the portrait orientation, ultimately detracting from its impact.

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Tip of the Week: Putting Your Old Android Device to Good Use

Considering how often smartphones are replaced, you’re bound to have a couple of them stashed away for a rainy day. These devices are particularly helpful in the event that your smartphone breaks unexpectedly, but there are other purposes that you might want to keep in mind. Here are three ways you might be able to use your old mobile devices around the office.

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Tip of the Week: Keeping Productivity Up When the Internet is Down

Modern businesses rely pretty heavily on the Internet--so much so that, should the Internet go down, many employees will find themselves at a loss as what to do. However, there’s no need to sacrifice productivity just because your Internet isn’t cooperating. There are plenty of ways to get something done on a day that the Internet calls in sick, which we’ll go over for today’s tip.

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Tip of the Week: Google Drive is Better with these Chrome Extensions

Google Drive provides its users with a considerable amount of utility. However, when combined with extensions made for Google’s Chrome browser, users have the tools to make their use of Drive’s capabilities even more efficient. For this week’s tip, we’ll go over a few Chrome extensions that your business might find useful.

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Tip of the Week: Are You at Risk Due to the IoT?

The Internet of Things is now a commonality. IoT devices are in our homes, in our offices, and in our pockets. While these devices are incredibly convenient, they also contribute to some major security risks. For today’s tip, we’ll review some of the ways to reduce these risks while still leveraging the IoT.

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Tip of the Week: Learn How to Use the Microsoft Edge Browser

It’s no secret that, if given the choice, many users would elect to use Google Chrome over Microsoft Edge. To remedy this, Microsoft has adjusted Edge to be more customizable to the user’s preferences. For this week’s tip, we’ll look at how these features and settings can be set up.

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Tip of the Week: How to Protect Yourself from Invoice Impersonation

As cybercriminals become increasingly sophisticated in their methods of attack, it is important that your staff--the ones on the front lines--are educated to spot these attempts and know what to do if one is encountered. In order to spot these attacks, it is important to know what to look for.

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Tip of the Week: Awareness is Key to Mobile Device Security

With more and more businesses relying on mobile devices for their business they have to be sure that the use of these devices doesn’t present security issues for the company. With all that is happening in business computing today, finding out how you can protect yourself in lieu of the prevalence smartphones play in the business world is important. Here are a few tips on how to lock it up or lose it, altogether.

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Tip of the Week: Choosing the Right Storage for Your Business

Regardless of where it is kept, your data’s security is of paramount importance. However, this doesn’t mean that the decision between leveraging the cloud or an on-premise server for your data storage needs isn’t an important one. For this week’s tip, we’ll weigh these options against each other to help you establish which is the better option for your business’ needs.

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Tip of the Week: Awareness Is Important When Surfing the Web

We all love the Internet. We all use it almost every day. For this week’s tip, we’ll review a few ways to help keep yourself from getting in trouble while browsing.

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Tip of the Week: Is Spam Ruining Your Email?

You don’t need us to tell you that it’s extremely dangerous to hand out information to just anyone that contacts your business. This is important to keep in mind, especially considering how the majority of threats can be sent via email. You’ll likely encounter situations where you need to consider whether or not to click on attachments, as you could potentially put your business at risk.

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Tip of the Week: Best Practices for Cloud Data Management

Data management is exceptionally important for any business, and companies that use the cloud in any sort of capacity need to be considerably more cautious in the way that it’s managed than a business that only hosts data on an internal server or network. The cloud makes things more complicated at times, but if managed correctly, it can lead to unprecedented efficiency for your organization.

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Tip of the Week: 3 Ways to a Faster Boot Time

Your time is valuable, so you don’t have time to waste on waiting for your Windows operating system to boot up. In the interest of saving time, today’s tip will go over three ways to speed up your Windows 10 boot time.

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Tech Term: Exploring Network Attached Storage

IT is filled with jargon and terms that are likely to bamboozle someone without hands-on experience with the solutions that power a business. One such term is network attached storage, or its shorthand, NAS. Today, we’ll examine this tech term to learn more about it, and what influence - if any - it should have on your business.

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Tech Term: An Introduction to Proxy Servers

There are plenty of technical terms and solutions that, while heard of frequently enough, it may not be completely clear what they mean or refer to. A proxy server is an excellent example of such a solution. This week, we’ll examine this tech term and review how utilizing proxy servers can help your business.

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Tech Term: What are Proxy Servers?

While proxy server is a tech term that is frequently cited, it is not understood by a vast majority of people. Today we will describe what a proxy server is, and why organizations like yours use them.

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Tip of the Week: Interviewing for a Remote Position? Ask These 5 Questions

Modern office technology is breaking down office barriers left and right. With the proper tools, workers can perform their daily duties anytime, anywhere. This trend is prompting businesses to hire remote workers in order to find the talent they need without being limited by geographical location. Unfortunately, finding a good candidate for a remote worker is easier said than done.

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Have You Tried Google’s Cloud Printing?

Most people don’t think to try and print something out from their smartphone--particularly because it’s such a new concept. With smartphones quickly becoming just as fast as desktops from just ten years ago, it shouldn’t be such a stretch to suggest printing from them. Thanks to the cloud, you can use your Android smartphone to print something directly from the device.

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Getting Back to Basics with Data Backup

It’s no industry secret that one of the most important pieces of IT any business should have is a data backup solution. However, this is like saying that every business should have a plant: the type of plant, and (by extension) the type of data backup, matters. You want a data backup that is more like a peace lily or a cactus, hardy and resilient, and less like a basil plant or orchid, high-maintenance and requiring very specific conditions to prosper.

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3 Security Lessons We Learned the Hard Way in 2017

2017 was filled with security issues ranging from threats and small attacks to major security breaches. You can learn a lot from the misfortunes of other ill-prepared organizations about how to prepare for and handle cybersecurity issues. This week’s tip is dedicated to learning a bit from some of the security problems that may have flown over your radar last year.

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Tip of the Week: 3 Ways to Secure Your Facebook Account

b2ap3_thumbnail_facebook_security_400.jpgThe social media revolution has taken the world by storm, so much in fact that some people are completely at the mercy of their smartphones. However, the dark side of social media, especially Facebook, grows more apparent every day, especially when it comes to both cybersecurity and personal privacy. Are you sure that your Facebook settings aren’t giving away a little too much of your information to the powers that be?

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Tip of the Week: 5 Surefire Ways to Ruin Your Smartphone

b2ap3_thumbnail_smartphone_break_400.jpgThe best way to get the most life out of your smartphone is to take care of it. Or, you can ignore proven best practices and witness your smartphone meet its untimely demise. By not taking care of your smartphone in these five ways, you’ll be sure to doom your device.

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Not so Fast! Why Your Deleted Files May Still Be on Your Hard Drive

b2ap3_thumbnail_this_happens_to_deleted_data_400.jpgMarch 31st is World Backup Day! Just as important as having a plan in place to backup your data is having a way to recover your files. Do you have a way to restore files that get lost, corrupted, or accidentally deleted? To highlight this need, we want to explain how a deleted file can actually be recovered.

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Tip of the Week: 2 Ways to Minimize Your Business’s Environmental Impact

b2ap3_thumbnail_green_tech_ideas_400.jpgTechnology is a wondrous thing, allowing your business to achieve greatness and change the way you approach business. However, it has also brought about an extremely wasteful society that tosses old technology aside in favor of the latest and greatest devices. This is a habit that society has yet to break, but it’s not too late to do the right thing and commit your business to environmentally-friendly practices.

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Tip of the Week: Use Google Chromecast for These 5 Functions

b2ap3_thumbnail_chromecast_icon_400.jpgThe Google Chromecast is a great device that makes displaying media on different screens easier than ever before. Gone are the days of running AV wires through walls and ceilings. Now you can easily transmit your media over your WiFi network with the push of a button. Google refers to this wireless process as “Chromecasting,” and once you’ve “casted,” it’s hard to imagine life without it (a quality for which Google excels at replicating).

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Tip of the Week: Easily Add a New Gmail Account to Your Android Device

b2ap3_thumbnail_email_android_400.jpgAndroid smartphones are well known for taking advantage of the plethora of applications developed by Google, like your calendar and Google Drive. One of the best ways you can get the most out of your Android device is by using its Gmail application. We’ll walk you through how to add a new Gmail account to your device, and how to switch between your multiple Gmail accounts.

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Tip of the Week: Follow These 4 Best Practices to Keep Your Computer Clean

b2ap3_thumbnail_clean_your_pc_400.jpgA computer is a complex machine that demands routine maintenance and intentional caretaking. If ignored, the machine’s lifespan will be cut short. Here are four best practices that will ensure you get the most out of your PC.

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Tip of the Week: On or Off, Which is Better For Your PC at the End of the Day?

b2ap3_thumbnail_on_or_off_400.jpgAfter a long, hard day at the office, you might be tempted to just log off of your workstation so you can get right back into it the next day. However, you also have the option to shut down the PC, which can be beneficial at times. So, what should you do; power down your desktop, or simply log off? Both have their own pros and cons, so it’s important that you’re informed of how you make this decision.

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Tip of the Week: 7 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Android Battery

b2ap3_thumbnail_smartphone_battery_400.jpgVirtually every tech user wishes their mobile device battery would last longer, yet not every user understands that they can achieve this simply by adjusting their device settings. Here are seven simple adjustments you can make to your Android device in order to get its battery power to last longer.

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Tip of the Week: Notifications are What’s Draining Your Battery, Not Open Apps

b2ap3_thumbnail_dont_close_apps_400.jpgWe’ve all run into the trouble of keeping our smartphone’s battery preserved for as long as possible. Many people think that the apps themselves are what bogs down the battery and drains its charge, but we’re here to tell you that this is not the case. Instead, let’s determine what really drains your device’s battery.

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Tip of the Week: 4 Reasons Your WiFi May Be Slow

b2ap3_thumbnail_wifi_interuption_400.jpgWireless Internet access is a luxury that seems commonplace, but there are many who experience trouble with their connections on a daily basis. Sometimes the problem stems from familiar issues that could happen at any minute, but other times the issues might not be so obvious. Either way, you should be aware of the most common disruptions to your WiFi signal, even those that you might not consider problems.

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Tip of the Week: Don’t Underestimate How These 3 Mistakes Can Ruin Your Computer

b2ap3_thumbnail_pc_mistakes_400.jpgNothing can damage a computer quite like user error. It’s sad when this happens because it’s often the case that the resulting issues could’ve easily been prevented if the user simply knew of PC best practices. Take for example these three easily-preventable PC mistakes that will do your computer harm.

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Tip of Week: Manage Your Photo’s File Sizes to Save Disk Space

b2ap3_thumbnail_resize_images_that_you_share_400.jpgToday, just about everyone has a digital camera in their pockets, which has led to an unprecedented amount of picture taking compared to the days when photos had to be developed. Having more cameras has turned us into a more visual society, but not every amateur photographer understands how to best manage all of their photos, which causes problems.

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Tip of the Week: 5 Common Sense Tactics to Safeguard Your Online Identity

b2ap3_thumbnail_anonymous_internet_use_400.jpgThe Internet can be a dangerous place thanks to the anonymity it provides. Yet, this anonymity is limited, especially if you take part in questionable Internet browsing activities. Take, for instance, the hack of Ashley Madison, a website dedicated to cheating on one’s spouse. This July, a hacker group called the “Impact Team,” infiltrated the site and is now threatening to expose these cheaters.

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Tip of the Week: 4 Sure-Fire Ways to Improve Customer Service [VIDEO]

b2ap3_thumbnail_customer_service_400.jpgThe Internet gives customers a platform to be heard like never before. A customer’s opinion of your business dealings, when amplified online, can make or break your company. This reality requires modern enterprises to take customer service very seriously, which is easier said than done.

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Tip of the Week: Use Screenshots to Better Communicate PC Problems

b2ap3_thumbnail_screenshots_400.jpgHave you ever tried describing a PC issue on the phone to tech support, and you get nowhere because you’re having such a difficult time describing the problem? To be sure, this is a frustrating experience. By taking a screenshot, you can send an image of the exact problem you’re experiencing, which will really help clear things up.

Taking a screenshot is as easy as using the right keystrokes. Here’s how you do it.

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Tip of the Week: A Clever Way to Make Your Computer Talk to Itself

b2ap3_thumbnail_talking_computer_400.jpgComputers can feel one dimensional, requiring the user to read and type. Humans don’t naturally interact like this. We communicate best with our voices and our ears. One day, our PCs will have artificial intelligence and we will be able to communicate with them as if we were talking to a person. Until this technology becomes mainstream, these two audio features will have to make do.

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Tip of the Week: What it Takes to Prepare and Deliver a Dynamic Presentation, Part 1

b2ap3_thumbnail_tips_for_presentation_400.jpgPresentations are always an important part of being a business owner, be it for a trade show, webinar, conference, or sales demonstration. If they scare you to death, don’t worry; you’re not alone. In fact, up to 74 percent of people suffer from speech anxiety (glossophobia), meaning that they have a tough time getting in front of a crowd and showing off their knowledge. Despite this fact, you can kick glossophobia to the curb by being proactive about your preparations.

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Tip of the Week: 52 Minutes On and 17 Off Maximizes Your Productivity Potential

b2ap3_thumbnail_your_productivity_400.jpgThere are a lot of ways to boost your productivity in the workplace, but sometimes it can be as simple as not working. According to a study by Julia Gifford of Draugiem Group, it’s not about what workers do to get ahead of the curve, but what they don’t do that sets them apart from others around them.

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Tip of the Week: Enable Gmail’s New Undo Send Feature to “Time Travel”

b2ap3_thumbnail_gmail_undo_send_400.jpgWe’ve all sent emails at some point that were either better left unsent, or were intended for a different recipient. With Gmail’s new Undo Send feature, you now have the power to transcend the depths of time and space to take back your thoughts… within approximately 30 seconds, that is. It’s a race against time. Are you up to the challenge?

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Tip of the Week: How to Remove Excessive Bloatware on Your Android Device


b2ap3_thumbnail_software_bloatware_400.jpgSmartphones are filled with all sorts of nifty apps. In fact, some of the most useful applications come pre installed on the device. However, not all apps are worth your time. These unwanted applications are called “bloatware,” and can impede the device’s ability to perform to your specifications.

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Tip of the Week: Practical Ways to Make Your Smartphone Distraction-Free

b2ap3_thumbnail_no_distraction_celly_400.jpgMobile devices like smartphones and tablets are marketed as powerful productivity tools. However, some workers may find their device’s time-wasting apps to be more of a distraction than an aid to productivity. What’s a distracted smartphone owner to do?

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Tip of the Week: Use Ctrl+F to Become a Search Master

b2ap3_thumbnail_find_what_you_want_400.jpgWith an endless amount of content available on the World Wide Web, a person who’s skilled at Internet searching is a valuable asset to any company. Knowing how to use search engines like Google is a huge help, but there’s another tool that allows you to narrow down a search even further: Ctrl+F.

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Tip of the Week: Follow this Security Checklist to Prevent a Hack Attack

b2ap3_thumbnail_use_checklists_400.jpgNetwork security entails a ton of different procedures, and it can be easy to lose track of what you’ve already implemented, and what still needs to be done. Instead of worrying about keeping your business’s confidential data safe, know with certainty that it’s as secure as possible by following our security checklist.

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Tip of the Week: The Best Workers are Looking for a Flexible Work Environment

b2ap3_thumbnail_happy_employees_flexible_workplace_400.jpgOne of the biggest challenges of running a business is attracting and retaining quality workers. To accomplish this, you’re going to need more than an old-fashioned “help wanted” ad. These days, you will need to offer what quality employees are looking for--a flexible workplace environment.

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Tip of the Week: No Internet? You Can Still View Cached Web Pages in Chrome

b2ap3_thumbnail_chrome_cache_400.jpgHave you ever been browsing the Internet, only to lose your connection and be stuck without access to an article mid-sentence? This is a common dilemma for the average PC user that uses an unstable WiFi connection. Thankfully, so long as you aren’t viewing a constantly updating page like Facebook, you have the option to view your browser’s cached pages. Here’s how you can do it in Google Chrome.

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Tip of the Week: View Multiple Pages at Once in Microsoft Word

b2ap3_thumbnail_microsoft_word_400.jpgLet’s face it; sometimes you need a bird’s eye view of your Microsoft Word document that a single page can’t provide you with. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could view multiple pages and take everything into perspective? Well, as it turns out, you can. In fact, you can view up to eight pages at once by following this simple procedure.

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Tip of the Week: Engage Your Workforce to Improve Employee Retention

b2ap3_thumbnail_bad_leadership_400.jpgThe leaders of today’s business world are staring down a problem unlike anything they’ve seen before; their workforce, or rather, engaging them in their work. A study by Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends shows that a meager 13 percent of employees in the world are legitimately engaged in their work. That’s a pretty small percentage, and to make matters worse, over a quarter of the world’s workforce are disengaged to the point their negativity will impact others.

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Tip of the Week: How to Change the Size of Your Desktop Icons

b2ap3_thumbnail_desktop_icons_400.jpgThere seem to be thousands of different ways a user can customize their desktop experience. Almost every nook and cranny of a system can be adjusted, even right down to the icons on your desktop. For this week’s tip, we’ll show you how to adjust the size of your desktop icons.

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Tip of the Week: How to Freeze Excel Rows and Columns

b2ap3_thumbnail_microsoft_excel_400.jpgModern office workers spend lots of time entering data and crunching numbers with Microsoft Excel. Therefore, it’s essential that Excel users know how to best navigate a spreadsheet. One of the best ways to make Excel easier to use is by freezing its rows and columns.

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Tip of the Week: 3 Surprising Uses For Your Mouse Scroll Wheel

b2ap3_thumbnail_mouse_tips_400.jpgNot everyone has traded in their trusty computer mouse for a fancy new touchscreen. If someone gives you a hard time for still using a mouse, tell them about these three cool scroll-wheel features that can only be done with a mouse.

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Tip of the Week: 3 Ways to Improve Your iPhone’s Battery Life

b2ap3_thumbnail_iphone_battery_400.jpgThere are plenty of business owners out there who rely on their iPhone to stay connected to the office at all times. With so much use, your iPhone’s battery won’t last long; especially considering the incredible amount of applications that are being used on a regular basis. As you might imagine, a dead phone is practically useless. How can you boost the efficiency of its battery life?

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Tip of the Week: How to Prevent Your Mobile Data from Leaking Away

b2ap3_thumbnail_mobile_data_eats_money_400.jpgWith more businesses moving toward Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) than ever before, the workforce grows more mobile by the day. These workers generally need a network connection in order to access important data and applications that are crucial to their day-to-day responsibilities. One way to do this is to use your service provider’s mobile data plan, but this can be both expensive and draining when used excessively.

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Tip of the Week: Consider These 3 Options Before Trashing Your Technology

b2ap3_thumbnail_old_computer_trash_400.jpgAs a business owner, your mind is always on your technology and whether or not you should upgrade it. But, how much of your old technology is still lying around the workplace? You might have rooms completely filled with old IT equipment. If this sounds like your office, don’t just throw away your tech; recycle it instead.

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Tip of the Week: 5 Ways to Be Better Than Your Competition

b2ap3_thumbnail_win_against_your_competition_400.jpgEvery business has competition at some level. It’s tempting to ignore your competition (it may even be hard to speak their name), but there’s great value that comes with watching them closely; namely, you can learn from what they do in order to improve upon your own product or service.

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Tip of the Week: How to Pick a Secure PIN

b2ap3_thumbnail_pin_tips_400.jpgHow much thought have you put into selecting your debit card PIN? If you’ve not put any thought into your PIN, then it’s likely the case that you’ve picked a number that’s easy to remember or even one that’s associated with something personal. Fact: Taking time to pick random and hard-to-remember numbers greatly improves PIN security.

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Tip of the Week: 5 Smart Productivity Tips to Slash Stress Levels

b2ap3_thumbnail_beat_workplace_stress_400.jpgWe all know the story of the overworked employee. They put everything they have into their job, but they still don’t know why they can’t get everything done on time, or why their work productivity suffers. The truth of the matter is that they are pushing themselves too hard.

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Tip of the Week: How to Check Your PC’s System Specifications

b2ap3_thumbnail_check_your_specs_400.jpgDo you know how much RAM is in your computer? How about its processors, or its graphics card? An inexperienced computer user might find it difficult to understand what exactly makes a computer tick. It doesn’t have to be difficult to find out all of these specifications. In fact, Microsoft makes it simple to find out all of the details about the computer you’re using.

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Tip of the Week: How to Find the Right Outsourced IT Company for Your Business

b2ap3_thumbnail_your_outsourced_it_provider_400.jpgAs your company expands, you’re beginning to realize that one IT person isn’t enough to handle all of your technical needs. You feel like you need more hands on deck, but your budget won’t allow for it. You decide that your best option is to hire slowly and steadily, interviewing externally for the most qualified individuals. But, how can you be sure that they meet the needs of your company?

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Tip of the Week: How to Add User Profile Management to Google Chrome

b2ap3_thumbnail_add_profile_management_400.jpgGoogle’s web browser Chrome has a ton of nifty features that users can take advantage of. One of them is the ability to “lock” browser windows, and to allow only certain guest users access to the Internet through Google Chrome.

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Tip of the Week: 3 Easy Ways to Connect Your Business with Your Community

b2ap3_thumbnail_is_your_community_involved_400.jpgIt’s important for a business to be connected with their community. Even if you have a global market, it’s still important to invest in the city you’re headquartered in. It’s where you and your employees live, and if you can build relationships and connect with other organizations in your community, only good things can come from it.

Here are three easy ways your business can become more involved and respected within your community.

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Tip of the Week: Take Advantage of Microsoft Outlook’s Quick Step Feature

b2ap3_thumbnail_outlook_email_quick_steps_400.jpgSometimes the reason for not taking advantage of more complex features in programs is that they take multiple steps to complete. For those deterred from these features or functions, Microsoft Outlook has a Quick Steps feature that takes the pain out of multiple-step processes and reduces it to the click of a button.

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Tip of the Week: How to Know Who Is Using Your WiFi

b2ap3_thumbnail_how_to_wifi_400.jpgWe all know how annoying WiFi can be at times. Sometimes it’s simply a bad connection, or perhaps there are too many devices accessing your network. Or, maybe it’s your sneaky neighbor stealing your WiFi. Regardless of what the cause is, there’s a way to check your WiFi usage in the Windows operating system.

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Tip of the Week: 5 Technologies to Get Maximum Productivity Out of Your Employees

b2ap3_thumbnail_maximum_productivity_400.jpgWhen it comes down to it, your employees are being paid for their time spent at work. Business operates on the principle of “time is money,” which means that every minute wasted cuts into your bottom line. If you’re looking to squeeze the most productivity out of your employees, then there are technologies available that can take back those precious minutes.

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Tip of the Week: 7 Ways to Secure Your Smartphone

b2ap3_thumbnail_security_for_smartphones_400.jpgSmartphones may have been some of the first Internet-connected mobile devices, but they are still as vulnerable to attack as ever. This is especially true for those who forsake any sort of mobile device security policy. With modern businesses utilizing mobile devices, it’s more important now than ever before to have solid security practices in place.

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