Maki & Brian DeLaet EduCyber founders

October 2003 EduNotes

EduCyber is pleased to present the October 2003 Edition of EduNotes. Ed’s taking some time off so this issue has a feature by Maki, our graphic’s specialist, an article on businesses that “get” the Internet and an article that helps you understand the different kinds of networks. Enjoy and as always, send feedback to edunotes@educyber.com.
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Getting It
No, this isn’t some racy article like you get in the supermarket magazines. When we speak of getting it, we are thinking of business owners who understand what a web site can be and can do for their business. When a customer knows, for example, that they need to be ranked in the search engines or that they need an online ad campaign, they “get it.” When a client wants a database driven web site that will provide real-time or near real-time data, they get it.
The days in which a two or three page static (as in un-changing) web site sufficed have rapidly given way to dynamic, robust web sites that bring in visitors because they have something real to offer whether it be content or products or services to sell. For example, this newsletter is available in complete form only on our web site as a way of keeping people visiting our web site and seeing there what other services we offer.
Most, if not all, of the giddiness of the early days of the Internet when fortunes were made in a short time have given way to the reality that today’s consumers and businesses are more sophisticated Internet users and therefore it is becoming increasingly important to have a well-designed and functioning web site that serves the needs of existing customers and potential customers alike.
Think your business is too small or too geographically limited to benefit from a site? You’re not “getting it” yet. Odds are that most or all of your customers have email and Internet access. Why not communicate with them via email and direct them to your web site for specials, coupons or other updates? The savings in postage and mailing costs alone will likely make it worthwhile. Let people viewing your web site late in the evening or early in the morning make appointments, request information, make orders or add their information to your database; and all this without you having to pay an employee to work late or start early.
If you see stacks of paper or have half a dead forest filed in an ever-growing stand of filing cabinets, you haven’t got it yet. A web site can also serve your internal needs by providing access to internal documents and files that can easily be stored (and almost always more easily retrieved) in digital format. Such a site can be closed off from the rest of the world so that your internal documents remain internal. One 60 GB hard disk can easily store several file cabinets’ worth of documents.
If you’ve poured money into your web site so you now have the finest looking web site in your industry but don’t have any visitors to your site, you’re nearly there but you still haven’t gotten it. That’s liking buying a new Lexus but refusing to put gas in it. It won’t get you anywhere. Invest a little in getting the word out about your site and you can begin to “get it” just like putting gas in your Lexus can get you to the top of the mountain. There are the major search engine listings at places like Google and HotBot where you should be listed when someone searches for key words pertaining to your business. There are also paid listings at sites like Google and Overture that allow you to determine how much you’re willing to pay to get the visitors searching for your goods or services to click on a link to your site. Both of these kinds of targeted listings can get you the kind of targeted traffic to your web site that increases sales.
And, of course, if you need help in “getting it” with any of these ideas that we’ve mentioned, give EduCyber a call at 720-275-4646. We get it and we can help you get it.
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Spicing It Up
-How to find & use clipart effectively-
It’s hard to believe but there are only two more months before we have to say goodbye to the year 2003. Yes, it is that time for all of us to be thinking about end of the year sales flyers, holiday cards and newsletters to friends and family.
Besides the content, what makes your publication a success are the visuals – the graphics and layouts. The graphics, in particular, are the parts that, as many people know, people look at first. So, how can you find and use clipart you want quickly and easily? The answer to the question lies in the Internet.
The easiest way to find what you want on the net is to use a search engine. There are many of them out there but for example, if you go to Google by typing www.google.com, there is a special search tool just for images. Just click on the tab right above the keyword box that says “Images” and it takes you to the right page. Then, type in what you are looking for (e.g. thanksgiving or Christmas tree) and hit “Google Search”. Just by typing “Christmas tree”, I ended up with about 16,000 results. Of course I can narrow it down by adding more specific keywords to find what I’m looking for much faster. Another thing to remember when you find the images this way is that some of the pictures that come up are under copyright, which means that you can’t use them for commercial purposes without permission.
There are several things you can do in order to find the images that are not copyrighted: search for them by typing “free clipart” in the keyword box or go to Microsoft Office Clip Art and Media website (http://office.microsoft.com/clipart). The Microsoft collection of clipart is distributed free as long as you don’t try to sell the entire collection as a bundle. I find this site very useful as it lets me search according to the media (e.g. photos, cliparts, animations, and etc.) as well as keywords. New pictures are added quite frequently so I can almost always find what I want.
Inspired? Try making a good use out of existing resource and create a more original publication. Don’t spend extra money buying paper that has pre-printed pictures on them this year for a change.
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Network Types
Networking in a business environment means one of two things: 1) getting to know people who can either become customers or put you in touch with new customers, or 2) connecting your computers in such a way that you can exchange files and other data and share printers or other computer resources. Both of these are a necessity in any business environment.
Choosing the right kind of computer network for your environment though is essential. There are several different configurations and hundreds of permutations of each configuration to consider but of the configurations choosing from the following three will work for most businesses:

1. Peer-to-peer. Intended for use with very small networks (2 – 5 computers). This network is a decentralized network with each computer being equal to every other computer on the network. This works well for the home office where perhaps two or three computers need to share broadband Internet, exchange files and share printers.
2. Workgroup. Though many sources will tell you that workgroup and peer-to-peer are identical, we have chosen to use the term workgroup slightly differently. Though still intended for small offices (maximum of 10 with around 5 being ideal), the main difference is that one of the computers is designated as the “server.” Though this computer is just a workstation without an expensive server operating system, it serves as a file server, being the one computer where all the user data is stored. This can be very effective at ensuring that there are not multiple copies of files where different users are working on different versions. Using a dedicated workstation in a workgroup setting can also make backing up data easier and more automated without having to purchase costly server-based software.
3. Client-Server. Useful for as few as three computers and definitely the choice of any business with 10 or more computers. Having a dedicated server with a server operating system can centralize many network maintenance tasks like creating users, assigning rights to files and directories and backing up. Uses of a real server (as opposed to a workstation functioning as a server) include being a file server, an application server, an antivirus definition server, a print server, a database server and more.

Generally configuration 2 should be seen not as a permanent solution but as a short term step between a network that has outgrown it’s effectiveness as a peer-to-peer network but where the cost of a dedicated server needs to be planned and prepared for.
And preparing for a real server entails many adjustments that need to be carefully considered. I’ll never forget the client in a small office who purchased a server and was not prepared for the noise of the fan that cooled the CPU. Suddenly he had to modify his whole office so that this computer that was noisier than what he was used to could be isolated while still being accessible for certain tasks.
If you’d like to discuss your network to see if it is meeting your business needs efficiently and effectively, call us today for a free consultation.
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© 2003 EduCyber, Inc. This newsletter is brought to you by EduCyber, Inc. EduNotes can be viewed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week online at http://www.educyber.com/edunotes/. Visit us on the web at http://www.educyber.com or call us at (720) 275-4646. Permission is hereby granted to redistribute all or part of this newsletter as long as this entire copyright message is included.
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