The Refresh Orlando Heirs

Like old, dusty books on the shelves of public libraries,
regular home telephone lines have been plummeting in popularity.
Some experts even foresee that traditional LAN telephone lines
will eventually reach extinction- but before you start to
chuckle at this forecast, it may be less farfetched than you
actually think.

“Many people don’t leave home without their cell phones
nowadays,” says Larry Lehoux, the CEO of the Data Corp., a world
leader in the development of digital communications software.
“Cell phones have really revolutionized the way we live; people
no longer need to sit and wait around for important phone calls.
Cell phones have given us freedom.”

It’s true. Most of us carry our cell phones around everywhere;
the grocery store, the mall, in our cars and even at the gym.
Cell phone use has been steadily increasing around the world and
people are not just using their cell phones to talk, there are
now a variety of other activities that are keeping their
interest.

“Mobile phone technology is becoming so sophisticated that
people use their handsets for tasks other than just talking.
These new activities include text messaging, download ringtones
and wallpaper, playing games and even surfing the Internet” says
expert Lehoux.

The Data Corp’s web-based software application, Mobiletoolbox,
specializes in text messaging technology and mobile content
delivery. Mobiletoolbox allows companies to communicate easily
with their clients via cell phone text messaging and also allows
the sale and delivery of mobile content such as ringtones,
wallpaper and screensavers. “Text messaging is still relatively
new in North America, but the market is ripening. People are
starting to realize that there is huge potential for these
services.”

After all, what company wouldn’t want to be able to reach
customers at any time and anywhere? Text messaging has been
popular overseas for quite some time, but is picking up quickly
in North America. LAN telephone lines may be dying slowly but
new technology has given rise to great opportunity in our mobile
world.

For more information about sending out SMS text messages or
selling mobile content, please visit the Mobile Toolbox homepage
at www.mobiletoolbox.com or contact the Data Corp toll free at
1-877-410-6683.

You’ve purchased an embroidery machine, practiced the designs that were included in the package, maybe even bought a disc of designs or downloaded a few designs off the Internet to stitch out. Now you’re thinking about investing in digitizing software and taking your embroidery to the next level. But the digitizing program is just a part of what you’ll need before entering the creative world of embroidery digitizing.

Choosing the Hardware

An embroidery digitizing program is image editing software capable of converting a digital picture to stitches and saving it in a format that can be read by your embroidery machine. And, like any robust image editor, a digitizing program is resource intensive. The program’s packaging will state the manufacturer’s recommended minimum computer system specifications to operate the software. Let’s take a look at just such a recommendation and see how the ‘minimums’ stack up. (I won’t mention the program or the manufacturer but these are actual recommendations from a popular digitizing software. Yours may vary but probably not by much.)

The Computer

Manufacturer recommends: IBM-PC or compatible computer originally equipped with a USB port.

I recommend: The same.

Operating System

Manufacturer recommends: Windows(R) 98, ME, XP or 2000.
I recommend: Windows(R) XP Pro with the latest Service Pack and updates. You might be able to get by with an antiquated operating system but not for long.

Mouse

Manufacturer recommends: N/A

I recommend: Any comfortable, optical, non-rollerball mouse. When doing imaging you cannot attain the precision you need with a rollerball. And an optical mouse means there is no ball on the bottom to catch or jerk at a critical time.

Processor

Manufacturer recommends: Pentium 500 MHz or higher.

I recommend: Pentium class 1 GB or higher. The faster the processor the better. We’re imaging, not typing a letter.

Memory

Manufacturer recommends: Minimum 64 MB (256 MB or higher is recommended.)

I recommend: Minimum 512 MB. Memory is cheap and more is always better. You can never have too much.

Hard Disk Free Space

Manufacturer recommends: Minimum 100 MB

I recommend: You’ll need 100 MB free to install the software but you’re going to need a lot more than that to store your creations. Purchase a hard drive with a minimum of 40 GB, 80 GB or higher is better. A hard disk is like a garage: It collects junk and you rarely clean it out. Give yourself plenty of room for storage.

Monitor

Manufacturer recommends: SVGA (800×600), 16-bit color or higher.

I recommend: 17″ SVGA (1024×768), 32-bit color. You’re going to appreciate the extra screen real estate from a large monitor, and you’ll need to be able to easily differentiate your thread color choices.

USB Port

Manufacturer recommends: USB Ver. 1.1 or higher.

I recommend: USB Ver. 1.1 or higher, 2 or more. Some programs will run only if a card reader/writer is installed. That’s one port taken. If your machine accepts input directly from your computer you’ll need another port available to send your finished file to your machine.

Printer

Manufacturer recommends: A graphic printer that is supported by your system (only if you want to print your images).

I recommend: A graphic printer. You will want to print your images and the associated thread color data. As a side note: I’m not sure why anyone would have a printer that was not supported by their system.

CD-ROM Drive

Manufacturer recommends: Required for installation

I recommend: The same, but with a minimum twenty-four-speed (24x) drive speed. A higher speed drive is fine, it transfers data faster but it’s also a little noisier.

CD-ROM Recorder Drive (RW)

Manufacturer recommends: N/A

I recommend: Once a year or so when you’re in the cleaning mood, you’ll want to burn your images to CD to reduce clutter on your hard drive and reorganize.

Deciding to purchase machine embroidery digitizing software is just the first step to truly creative embroidery with a personal touch. Get the most out of it by making sure it is happy in its new home.

Digitizer Deb Schneider offers her machine embroidery designs on her website, WindstarEmbroidery.com.

You’ll also find Embroidery Thread Conversion Charts and information about embroidery digitizing.

You can email Deb at: dschneider(at)windstarembroidery.com

I love gemstone roughs! They are so fascinating.

I have been collecting gemstones for a few years now, and I tell you what, it is so fascinating that God has made all these things, so precious that sometimes I am simply tempted to get every piece of fine rare little piece of rough gemstone at slightest opportunities.

Sometimes also, I am simply amazed at the array of pleasant colors and very unique properties that characterize these little fascinating treasures.

Dealing in gemstones can be quite rewarding too. Purchasing or buying some very rare roughs that appreciates with time and season could be a wonderful way of collecting very tangible treasures and passing them on to generations. The ceaseless radiant beauty that is associated with jewelries made of gemstone materials; make them the very likeably adorned by many especially at unique and special occasions like weddings and also by celebrities. All these, make excellent rough gemstones collecting a profitable and worthwhile venture.

I have been quite passionate about excellent gemstones collecting, I read a lot about gemstones, their various features and colors, new discoveries, popular gemstones and I have not failed to continue to invest reasonably in this great venture because gemstones will only appreciate thereby, adding value to me.

I also love gemstones because of their significance. A lot of them have very unique and reasonable traditional significance such as birth and anniversary representation. A stone like Alexandrite (the rarest of all birth stone) for instance is the birthstone for those born in June and one of the popular choices for a fifty-fifth wedding anniversary.

These gemstones incidentally, have been widely distributed by God himself in various regions and various countries of the world ranging from Nigeria, USA, Australia, Brazil, Russia, Parkistan, India, Afghanistan, Kenya, Tanzania and a whole lot of other places around the globe.

I have simply been able to put some of my little available collections of these excellent roughs together in my website at http://cryativegems.com. Here, you would have the opportunity of seeing rare gemstones especially from Africa.

I also collect beautiful and unique local arts and crafts especially those made with sand – I mean just the “ordinary sand you step on”. You can view my crafts shop here: http://cryativetreasures.cryativegems.com
Happy viewing.

Best Regards

Ikem

I am a webdesigner, gemstone collector and supplier; I also collect unique crafts and arts and currently the owner of cryativegem Inc.

There are tons of rocks on our property. Different sizes and shapes. We started collecting these and started using acrylic paint to paint them.

Our favorite rocks to paint are “lady bugs”. This is a very simple craft to do, simple, fun, and easy for both children and adults.

You need:

- rocks

- acrylic paint (which usually costs no more than $1.50, one bottle will paint a lot of rocks)

- clear varnish

Steps in painting:

- We first paint the entire rock black.

- We then paint the sides of the rock (in half circles) red or yellow (or whatever color you have)

- Once the sides are dry, we then go back and put a few black circles on the color portion.

- We then paint in some eyes and a smile.

- In addition, we usually write a saying on the bottom, for example, smile, be happy, live life, have fun, etc.

- Once we have completed we put a coat of clear varnish on them to protect them.

Total cost to make is less than $.50 (depending on the size of the rock)

We have found both adults and children love these rocks. Children love to play with them. Adults use them to put in their gardens, or just to have as an ornament.

Let your imagination soar, you can paint literally anything on rocks, from your favorite sayings to pictures.

Let your imagination go with these rocks! Happy Painting!

Catherine Pulsifer is one of the editors of Stress Relief by a Simple Life Where you will find stories, thoughts, poems and inspirational quotes on simplicity, frugal living, free craft projects, stress and more.

Note to publishers - please use the text “Stress Relief by a Simple Life” when linking to http://www.stresslesscountry.com
Thanks!

Once upon a time, decisions about telephone service were easy – you either wanted it or you didn’t. Those fairy-tale days are gone for good since the advent of the cell phone. Now, we not only have to figure out what type of mobile phone we’d like to have, but also what features we need, whether or not we want a contract or simply prefer to purchase pre-paid minutes without such a commitment, what accessories we think we might like and what type of plan will best meet our individual or family needs.

By the time we’ve cut through the red tape and have gotten down to the business of choosing a specific cell phone service plan, we’re often either too overwhelmed by the lengthy decision-making process, or we’re just looking to get the whole thing over and done with, so that we can finally start using the not-always-so-convenient little device. As a result, many people overlook some of the finer points of selecting the best plan for their money. The best thing to do, then, is to take a deep breath and give yourself a bit of time to clear your head before jumping into such a major undertaking. Once ready, it’s a matter of doing a good deal of research and narrowing down your options, until the right one presents itself.

Defining Your Needs Profile

In order to ensure that you’ll be opting for the best plan that matches your needs, it’s important to define what those needs are, point by point. Without the creation of such a profile, you’re far more likely to overlook some critical considerations when it comes time to choose a specific cell phone service plan.

• Track Your Time – Accurately determining the number of minutes that you’ll need to comfortably use your cellular phone service without disruption is the most significant piece of the puzzle. A miscalculation could mean the difference between the ability to use your cell phone freely and losing service altogether. Before you go shopping for mobile phone service, then, keep track of the number of minutes that you use the phone each day – and be realistic, or you’ll end up cutting yourself short in the end. Once that’s been determined over the span of at least a week, you should then be able to forecast your monthly usage. That, however, won’t be your target number; you’ll need to add about 20% extra time onto your figure in order to have a comfortable safety net so that you won’t eat up your minutes too quickly and possibly lose service.
• Consider Long Distance Needs – A good plan for long distance phone service is essential if you find that you’re using a significant number of minutes outside of your calling area. Geographical distance isn’t always the determining factor when pricing comes into play, so don’t assume that you’ll need less just because the calls that you make are within ten miles of home – even though they’re out of your calling range. With many plans, the charge will be the same whether you’re calling someone ten miles away or 1,000 miles away. In addition, many cell phone companies levy fees against you for roaming, which completely destroys the goal of cheap long distance calls.
• Choose Your Service Type – Although it seems realistic to expect that all wireless phone service will – one day – be digital, that isn’t yet the case. When you factor that into the equation, you’ll understand that it’s important to make sure that your cell phone service plan includes both analog and digital service. If not, you’re going to find that you’ll be missing out on a fairly large cell phone coverage area.
• Be Careful About Rounding – Some cell phone providers try to gouge the pricing of your phone service by rounding out the amount of time that you talk to the next minute. That means that, if you talk for 5 minutes and 4 seconds, you’ll end up being charged for a 6 minute conversation. The better choice is to find a company that rounds to the nearest second so that – when making the same 5 minute and 4 second call, you’ll only pay for 5 minutes and 5 seconds. While these increments may not seem like much on an individual basis, they can eat up your time allotment very quickly.
• Analyze the Rate Schedule – Many carriers offer a special rate for nights and weekends, which seems great if you look at it on the surface. If, however, you don’t know exactly which hours these rates encompass, then you might think that you’re making a free call when, in fact, you’re chewing up your minutes at a high rate.
• Look for Discounted Plans – If you’re planning to provide phone service for several members of your family, be sure to find a provider that gives the best cell phone coverage options. For instance, many of them will have a discounted family plan and – in some cases – will even provide free phones to a limited number of family members. Don’t automatically assume that you’ll be placed under the family plan umbrella, though – take the time to ask about such a plan and, if it matches your needs, make arrangements to have it put into place.
• Assess Your Internet Needs – Since some companies also provide internet phone service, make a realistic assessment of your online usage to see if it’s worth paying the extra amount that will be required for that feature. If you tend to use the internet even as much as an hour a day, however, you’ll end up losing thousands of minutes each month as a result.

Once you’ve developed a specific needs profile, then you’ll need to consider whether or not to go with a prepaid service or sign a contract for up to a year or more. Depending upon your circumstances, you may want to consider opting for a plan that doesn’t lock you into a particular time-frame, since you’ll be required to pay for the service even if it isn’t being used.

About the Author

Samantha Goode is a freelance technology writer who loves to provide tips to consumers shopping for cell phone service, cell phone providers and cell phone coverage.

Before you enter your name, address or any other data in that form, STOP! Wait. Don’t enter anything yet. If you do, you may be giving away personal information to strangers, and you know what your mom said about talking to strangers.

Okay, back up a minute. You want to buy a new necklace for your wife at that great dot com you recently found. They require you to fill out a form first - your name, address, phone number and credit card information. They also want your email address, gender and income range.

So you know these people? Think about it for a minute. How many of your friends (even your best ones) have you told your true age or how much money you make. Have you divulged your credit card data to your co-workers at work? Perhaps you give your social security number to the kid at the McDonalds?

I didn’t think so. Then why do you insist on giving this data to a faceless computer? You don’t have any idea who is on the other side of the screen - yet every day you give away information that you would never dream of telling your parents or best friends.

Before typing in the information look around the site until you find a link named “privacy”. Usually it is on the bottom of the home page (at least), and good sites will have a link to it from EVERY page. Click on the link and read the policy from start to finish. Make sure you understand it - if there are any words you do not understand pull out your handy dictionary and check them out. Once you are done, read it again. Slowly.

What’s so important about this that it requires all this work? Look, you are giving out personal data about yourself. The web site owners have an obligation to inform you how this data is going to be used.

Questions that should be answered by any decent privacy policy include:

• How do you get in contact with the owners of the company?

• How do you erase your private data or remove yourself from mailing lists?

• Are they going to keep your information to themselves or sell it to third parties? If so, can you stop this and how?

• What are they going to do with your credit card data? How do they keep it safe?

• Why do they need the information? For example, our site asks each person who signs up for an award their age. Why? Because the COPPA law does not allow us to collect information from people under 13 years old. How else are you going to ensure you are in compliance with this kind of law except to ask?

• It’s very important to totally understand what they plan to do with your email address … you don’t want to get spam, after all. How do they use cookies?

• Do they make use of your TCP/IP address and other similar information, and if so what is it used for? Virtually every site logs this data, but rarely is it used for anything except mass statistics and error checking.

• If the site has third party advertisers, banners, web bugs, banners and so on, what similar information is available for how they use any information? This is most pertinent for cookies and TCP/IP data that is automatically logged. At the very least, their should be links to third party sites so you can look at their privacy policies also.

• Are there any special relationships such as partners who use the information also? If so, how is that information shared and used? If the web site asks for information, how do they ensure that COPPA (a law which attempts to ensure that information is not gathered from minors without their parents permission) is adhered to.

• Under what conditions will you receive mailings and how do you opt- in and out of them.

Once you fully understand a privacy policy you can make an intelligent decision as to whether or not you want to give these people your information.

I know it seems like a lot of work, but remember you don’t know who these people are and you don’t know what they will do with your information. If you read the privacy policy, you can at least understand what they will do with it.

So now, go finish ordering new jewelry for your wife. That’s important.

About The Author

Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets. This website includes over 1,000 free articles to improve your internet profits, enjoyment and knowledge.

Web Site Address: http://www.internet-tips.net

Weekly newsletter: http://www.internet-tips.net/joinlist.htm

Claudia Arevalo-Lowe is the webmistress of Internet Tips And Secrets and Surviving Asthma. Visit her site at http://survivingasthma.com

Pyramid schemes - also referred to as Ponzi schemes (after Charles Ponzi, who ran a very famous one in 1920) - are basically structured such that they use the entry fees from participants to make profits for earlier entrants to the scheme.

They have no real product, the only real money being used is the entry fee. Be careful, some pyramid schemes will have very tenuous “products” which cannot really be sold to anyone who isn’t participating in the scheme. That’s why, when you are considering any investment, online or offline, a good product is one of the key criteria you should look for.

Let’s have a look at Charles Ponzi’s famous pyramid scheme. It’s a perfect illustration of what you should avoid.

The 1920’s Ponzi Scheme
Carlo (Charles) Ponzi was born in Italy in 1882 and he emigrated to the United States in 1903. After travelling around the country for about 14 years, during which time he held a wide variety of jobs, Ponzi eventually settled in Boston in 1917.

A couple of years later, in 1919, as part of his research into a business venture which would involve publishing a magazine, Ponzi was in correspondence with a business associate in Spain. At one point in their correspondence, Ponzi’s Spanish associate included an international postal reply coupon for Ponzi’s use. The coupon was included so that Ponzi could take it to a US post office and exchange it for postage stamps.

The coupon had been purchased in Spain for the equivalent of 1 cent - but when Ponzi exchanged it at his local US post office he received 6 cents worth of postage stamps!

Ponzi decided to set up a business to exploit the huge diffrence in the value of the international postal reply coupons. He would buy them in foreign countries, change them in the USA and make huge profits in the process. Not such a bad idea really - you can see how Ponzi might hope to profit by this.

Unfortunately, all the red tape, bureaucracy and the lengthy timeframes needed to transfer foreign currency at that time, ate away at his profits and his scheme lost money. Undaunted, Ponzi registered his company at the end of December 1919 and promised his investors a 50% return on their money within 90 days. In fact, he claimed he could deliver a 50% return within 45 days - equivalent to doubling your money in 90 days.

In the first six months of 1920 thousands of people put money into Ponzi’s scheme. It’s estimated - although we can’t be 100% certain - that more than 10,000 people paid out in excess of $9.8 million over an 8 month period in the end. Ponzi used the money coming in from later investors to pay off those who had invested earlier - he robbed Peter to pay Paul.

Inevitably, as the scheme grew, there simply weren’t enough people coming into the scheme to pay off the earlier investors. Ponzi was arrested in August 1920 and, after a lengthy examination of his books he was jailed for 5 years. A lot of people lost a lot of money.

The Difference Between A Ponzi Scheme And A Pyramid Scheme
Today the terms Ponzi scheme and pyramid scheme are often used to mean the same thing. However, there is a slight difference.

A true Ponzi scheme usually promotes what appears to be a real investment opportunity which investors may contribute to without actually being an affiliate, distributor etc. A pyramid scheme, on the other hand, usually requires that participants make a payment for the right to recruit other people into the scheme, at which point they will receive money.

At the end of the day, this is splitting hairs a little. All you need to know is that people lose money in either of these schemes. Avoid them like the plague.Evaluate your business opportunities in a logical manner - and pay particular attention to the product or range of products on offer - and you won’t get caught up in one of these illegal schemes.

The Internet is a vast International Network of people and businesses – and a place where people can make a fairly decent living. However, it is also a place where certain unsavory characters can freely roam – to take your dollars and run. Scams – the human mind can be either pure or devious – and it is the devious mind that you have to look out for and be aware of at all time.

The easy marks to a scam are those that are new, inexperienced, or those that are desperately looking for a way to make some money, that the swindler will usually target. Emotional hype and false sincerity are their ticket to a scam. Some are obvious, but others are not. Now, I mean no insult if you have been scammed – Why – been there and done that. Don’t be embarrassed or ashamed – be aware– and vow to be ever vigilant in your choices. And remember to reassure yourself, that next time – if, heaven forbid, you should encounter another scam, you will definitely handle it differently.

Affiliate Scams

What constitutes an affiliate scam?

1. No contact information

2. Commissions to high — (I know what you are saying – but the commission looks so good? Are you sure?) Research – people do no remain silent when they have been scammed on the Internet.

3. Your emails go unanswered.

4. Worse of all – your affiliate checks bounce.

Work-At-Home Scams

Work-At-Home scammers will gear their sights to the Mom, who wants to work at home, or the individual who lost their job, or the individual who wants to supplement their income from an on-line venture. If you’re looking for a work-at-home position remember these warning signs:

1. If you have to pay to get access to the site or database to make money – could be a scam.

2. If you receive an email – before joining – that says something on the order of “No BS – this is a legitimate offer!” Stay clear – it is BS!

3. If you’re not been paid – strong indicator you have been scammed.

4. They change rules and pay days (to, of course, to string you along and avoid paying you).

Well, I can say I haven’t encountered an affiliate scam, however, I’ve been hit with a work-at-home scam. It was my first initial attempt at finding work on the Internet before going into affiliate marketing. Anyway, I remember sending an email asking a question regarding, of all things, being paid. I received no response. So, I sent another email, stating that I could not access the link to their website and I was getting a 404 Error, and I was wondering if they could fix it. Yes, devious – but wanted to know if they would reply. And yes, they did. I knew then, it was a scam.

Report Your Scams

The Internet may be a vast network of International players, but the word scam travels quickly and people listen. If you think the telephone was a good communication tool, well, the Internet is just as good – and sometimes faster if you know where to go.

If you have been scammed and wish to prevent the scammers from getting richer and any new victims from getting poorer – use the list below – and report it.

However, please do not take this responsibility lightly — if you are wronged, or treated badly — but not scammed, do not report it. And remember — a scam occurs when a program or a business misrepresents or makes promises that they do not keep.

Report A Scam (http://www.homebasedbusinessreviews.com/reportascam.html)– You will report information here if you believe a program or business opportunity is misrepresenting itself or making promises that are not being kept.

Fraud.org (http://www.fraud.org) — This is a site where you can report different types of scams: Telemarketing scams, Elder scams, Internet Fraud, Scams Against Businesses.

Rip-Off Report (http://www.rip-offreport.com) — Rip-off Report is a consumer-to-consumer site, which is seen by over 2,892,077,866 people.

Better Business Bureau (http://www.bbb.org) — Never forget the Better Business Bureau — when you file a complaint — they will contact the organization to try and resolve the issue for you.

Web Assured (http://www.webassured.com)– You can file a complaint, as well as, look at their watch list. Companies are placed on their watch list when they blatantly disregard Internet standards.

Federal Trade Commission – (http://www.ftc.gov)

ScamWatch (http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/scams/scams.asp)– Scam Watch covers scams from financial to investments, pyramid schemes and miracle cure.

ScamBusters (http://www.scambusters.org)
To conclude, when beginning work on the Internet, you will encounter obvious scams, and not so obvious scams. The key is research, and as always, Buyer Beware. If your gut gets an uneasy knot in it and, if you hear yourself saying, “This is just too good to be true?” — Take note, it probably is.

Vickie J Scanlon has a BBA degree in Administrative Management and
Marketing. She left the corporate world as an Reports Programmer,
to begin her journey as an Internet marketer.

Visit her site at:
http://www.myaffiliateplace.biz for free tools, articles, ebooks, and how to info, income opportunities, affiliate opportunities, or check her blog for additional insights to the Affiliate Business – http://myaffiliateplace.blogspot.com

Microsoft-Outlook is a pretty amazing program. So much more than
simply an e-mail client, it provides a task list, a powerful
calendar with recurring scheduling capabilities, wonderful
electronic sticky notes, mail-merge capability with MS-Word
support and so much more.

The problem is, it is a little stingy with its data and doesn’t
like to share it with any of your employees unless you’re willing
to invest in the expense and headaches involved with running a
Microsoft Exchange Server.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could use MS-Outlook to coordinate
meeting across multiple peoples’ calendars, share tasks and
delegate project responsibilities right from Outlook even if you
were working from the road? How about managing discussion groups,
sharing documents, synchronizing updates and even creating an
organization-wide shared contact list?

These are the kind of advantages that Fortune 2000 employees have
at their fingertips every day and take for granted. But those
less fortunate small business owners end up taking notes and
sticking them all over their monitors, playing voice mail tag
writing phone message on paper airplanes which they toss at their
co-workers in the next cubicle.

Office automation, collaborative work tools, open data
environment and remote access – these are all buzzwords that
appear in business magazines every day but whose functionality
continues to elude the small business owner.

Does a small business’s size mean that their clients are any less
important than those of the big boys? Are sales contracts any
less urgent? Are meetings any less productive? No, of course
they’re not. The problem is that high technology usually means
big budget expenditures that the average small business owner
cannot afford. Up until now, that is.

Sometimes it takes a small business to solve another small
business’s problem. And that’s exactly what the folks at
4Team.com have done with their flagship product, 4Team for
MS-Outlook.

Now any small business can be as competitive and productive as
any big company with access to the same high quality
communication, organization and collaborative tools that before
now were only available to companies with large IT budgets.

Even better, 4Team supercharges MS-Outlook with all those,
“Wouldn’t it be nice,” features without requiring Exchange Server
and without any recurring licensing fees. In fact, 4Team is so
inexpensive that you probably spend more on toner cartridges than
you’ll ever spend with this work-saving, profit-building
innovation.

You simply select the number of users, pay the one-time paltry
per-seat fee and you are good to go. Recognizing that the average
small business person is going to look at all the features that
4Team offers and say, “Yea, right, when pigs fly,” they even
offer a 30-day, 100% free trial so you can see that it’s all
true.

Imagine how your efficiency will improve when you and your staff
can drag and drop new shared projects into MS-Outlook and
instantly add, delete or change team members, deliverables,
priorities, due dates and even appoint project managers and team
leaders.

How easy will it be to schedule meetings with your staff, even
those who work remotely, when you can click one link and see all
of their calendars side by side? Imagine your field sales or
service people being able to duck into an Internet café or
Starbucks®, pick up their email messages, update their calendar
and electronically drop off their new orders with a simple point
and click.

The features in 4Team for Outlook are so powerful that you’ll
forget you are using MS-Outlook. It’s like layering a whole new
level of efficiency onto your organization without the huge
capital expenditure. Why not give it a try and see for yourself?

Copyright © 2004 Cavyl Stewart. Get the most out of the software you use everyday. Check out the add-in software directory for more information on 4Team for Outlook and other great time saving Outlook add-in tools. Visit: http://www.find-small-business-software.com/outlook-addins.html - Also, be sure to check out my Exclusive, 100% free, 100% original content ecourses.

Using online banking with QuickBooks is a huge time saver, but not if there are problems with it. One common source of problems is downloaded transactions that cannot be matched.

When transactions are downloaded from the bank or credit card company, QuickBooks assigns each a “Matched” or an “Unmatched” status, then places all of them into the Online Banking Center’s QuickStatement. The “Matched” status means only one thing: you previously entered the transaction into QuickBooks, then when the transaction cleared the bank and was downloaded, QuickBooks “Matched” the downloaded transaction with the transaction already entered.

The “Unmatched” status is where problems occur. The “Unmatched” status actually means one of four things:

1. It’s brand new. The transaction was not previously entered into QuickBooks. If this is the case, enter the transaction now. QuickBooks will assign it the “Matched” status.

2. It’s different. The transaction was previously entered into QuickBooks, but in a different amount than how it cleared the bank. If you are sure you already entered the transaction into QuickBooks, scroll through the bank register to find it. Once you do, change the amount to the downloaded amount. QuickBooks will automatically match it.

3. It’s already downloaded. Sometimes clients accidentally overlap download dates, meaning that they download the same transaction more than once. If there are entries in the register that have a small lightening bolt in the Cleared column, these have been downloaded already. QuickBooks will not match them to transactions in the QuickStatement, even if they are the same transaction.

4. It’s reconciled. This is similiar to #3, but instead of being previously downloaded, the transaction is reconciled. To verify if this is the case, scroll through the register and look for transactions with a checkmark in the Cleared column. Again, QuickBooks will not match them to entries in the QuickStatement, even if they are the same transaction.

Notice that once the first two situations are resolved, QuickBooks automatically matches them. But in the last two situations, QuickBooks will not match the transactions; they are unmatchable. If you determine that some downloaded transactions are unmatchable:

• Make sure that all matchable transactions are matched. You are going to delete the QuickStatement, and if you accidentally delete matchable transactions, you may later have to enter them manually.
• Once all matchable transactions are matched, click Done.
• QuickBooks will ask if you are sure you want to finish. Click Yes. You are now at the Online Banking Center main page.
• Delete the QuickStatement by clicking the Delete button located near the lower right corner.

That’s it. Your unmatched problems are over, and you now understand the process better. This will help you circumvent future problems when using online banking with QuickBooks.

About the Author:

Jennifer A. Thieme invites you to contact her today with your QuickBooks or accounting questions. She offers free initial consultations, free QuickBooks software trials, and free payroll quotes. Resolving QuickBooks or other accounting issues is her specialty.

She’s the owner of Solid Rock Accounting Services and has been in the bookkeeping, income tax, and payroll business for nine years. She’s a Certified QuickBooks Pro Advisor, and a Registered Tax Preparer. Her clients receive training, general bookkeeping, income tax, and/or payroll services, according to their needs. Visit her link today for contact information.