CIOs must take the leadership in encouraging companies to look at the bright side of cloud computing by improving clarity.  But in order to do that he must have a clear understanding of the challenges that might come his way in introducing virtualization in enterprise environment. In this post we have discussed both the internal and external challenges that the CIO needs to deal with.

Possible internal issues

Reservations

One of the biggest hindrances that you might face internally is likely to come from the management. It could be hard to show them immediate tangible benefits of cloud. Reaching the breakeven point in cloud implementation might take some time. So, it can be difficult to convince the management to make further investment if your IT budget is already maxed out.

Over enthusiasm

On the other hand, overzealous management can also be difficult to deal with. Since cloud is the current buzz word in the industry many businesses are making the mistake of considering it as a magic bullet solution for all their enterprise problems. CIOs may face problems in explaining the limitations of cloud before an overzealous management.

Insecurity

The next objection is likely to come from the work force. Teams that are used to in working in traditional environment may feel threatened from the introduction of the new setup.  However, that problem can be solved by helping them see how cloud can transform the work culture by making the infrastructure agile, accessible and portable.

Infrastructure

Introducing cloud may require modernization of your current IT setup, like – introduction of virtualization machine and things like that. Since most of the cloud computing solutions are delivered over the internet it might require you to upgrade your current bandwidth consumption.

App mapping

Successful cloud implementation means mapping the right applications to cloud. As a CIO you must know what apps to shift to cloud to extract optimum benefit. Applications with variable resource consumption that require a scalable platform for better functioning are deemed right candidates for cloud hosting. On the contrary, apps internally built to collate and manage mission-critical data are better hosted on internal servers.

Possible external challenges

Selecting vendor

Cloud options are available in plentitude nowadays. Similarly, the number of cloud hosting service providers offering cloud solutions is also innumerable. Vendor selection can prove to be a challenging task for CIOs. Selecting a vendor with proven track record can help putting your worries at rest.

Selecting cloud model

The decision is related to IaaS, PaaS and SaaS. The choice would depend on your internal business model and requirements. Business requirements are often intermittent and accordingly you need to select the cloud model that would best serve your purpose.

SLAs

Decoding vendor SLA is probably the most painful task for a CIO but since quality of service is largely dependent on the terms and conditions mentioned in the service level agreement of the vendor it becomes imperative to perform an in-depth analysis of the clauses mentioned in it.

Licensing requirements

Moving third-party applications, especially, the traditional legacy software would mean meeting their licensing requirements on cloud. Some application developers would argue that transferring their application on cloud makes the task of managing new users difficult and so, they may object to cloud hosting of their applications. CIOs would need to find a way that would keep both the sides happy.

Cloud administration

Unrestricted usage of cloud resource can soon eliminate the cost benefits promised by it. If you do not employ a proper chargeback system to keep track of your resource usage on cloud the bills would soon rack up. A cloud administrator will help monitoring the performance of your organization on cloud.

Adoption of cloud can certainly help leveraging your IT potential by making the system more efficient. However, you would need to plug all the holes in order to derive the optimum benefits out of it. According to current market survey reports, enterprise cloud adoption is going to grow by 50% by 2020. So, it is the right time to adopt cloud because not adopting it would mean losing crucial competitive advantage.

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The bad news is that too much of a good thing can be perilous to productivity. Aberdeen Research shows 79 percent of small businesses are using software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions, with the majority using up to 6 SaaS apps.

The biggest technical challenge facing business

According to the small business thinktank the SMB Group, the inability of cloud apps to connect and talk to each other has already become the principle pain point for midsize companies and this is trickling down to smaller businesses as they grow and compete.

Laurie McCabe, a Partner in the SMB Group says that cloud apps integration is now the “biggest technical challenge” facing growing businesses that are taking advantage of the large array of new applications in the cloud. “Integration need is aligned with growth”, McCabe says. “It’s going to get more challenging. We are all dealing with more information and the more you have to patch data from one application to another, the more it costs for multiple data entry and to fix mistakes and omissions.”

McCabe says that new integration products need to be pragmatic and that a “complex, generic integration approach won’t cut it for the small to mid-sized business.”

Growth in search for cloud apps integrations

A quick glance at Google search trends reveals the growing need for app integrations, with searches exponentially increasing in the past five years. As a result, a host of new integration services such as CloudWork and others are becoming necessary to help companies manage data – without a lot of administrative work behind it. These cloud services take very little budget and resources to deploy and can connect data from previously siloed cloud apps.

Take GoCar – a tour operator offering GPS-guided tours in iconic, go-kart-like vehicles that whiz around a city’s most popular landmarks. Patricia Vargas, Marketing Director at GoCar, manages travel bookings for business groups taking a break from their conference attendance to see the city in a fun and unique way. She regularly uses up to seven business apps across her operational tasks including CRM, accounting apps, cloud-based email and online marketing tools.

“It is very difficult to move data, and very easy to lose it,” Vargas says. “I spend at least an hour each month maintaining the data between just two of the cloud apps I use.”

GoCar uses cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) software to manage relationships with travel agencies. These are important customers for Vargas’ business, which often arranges large bookings for visiting groups that come to a city for a conference or that are being offered tours as part of the agent’s incentive for business travellers.

“We send quotes out through our CRM but then receive individual emails back with specific requests. It takes extra time for me to stay on top of all the queries and I spend far too much time searching my emails to make sure I have responded to all requests.”

Related: How Sales Teams Can Embrace CRM For Better Results

How businesses are winning back the cloud Advantage

Being able to connect data between her CRM and email software helps Vargas maintain productivity and get full use of the GoCar fleet. “I use app integrations to funnel all my email through my CRM, so I can keep better track of each request, it increases the quality of our customer service. But an additional benefit is that, by using app integration services, I maximize the availability of our fleet and can better up- and cross-sell based on the one-off requests I receive,” Vargas shares.

McCabe expects the GoCar example to become the norm as businesses avoid becoming more cumbersome as they grow. App integration “…isn’t as sexy as social or mobile”, she says. But it is sure to become a technology that businesses will be increasingly interested in as they strive to achieve productivity, time savings , error reduction and decision-making benefits.

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# 1. Follow what people are saying about you

You can now use Google alert to let you know when people are talking about you and what they say in the virtual world. Many business owners use this feature to monitor the latest buzz about their company and the information shared by web users about them. With the help of the Google alert’s automatic vanity search feature, you can instantly find information about your search. Just key in the name of your company or your name in the search field.

You can customize your option to screen the quality of the search result, when you want to receive the alert and whether you want Google alert to generate the information you need through an RSS feed or by email. Google alert can provide you updates as soon as the information is available relative to your search.

# 2. Monitor your competition

You can use Google alert to keep track of the activities happening with your competitors. This will make you more competitive as you receive the latest updates on their latest products, endorsements and promotions. The tool can be an effective source of information that you need in order to keep up with your competitors and understand the latest issues in your field of business.

The Google alert will provide relevant keyword searches that will help cut down the time of your own marketing research for keywords that are highly relevant to your business niche. Instead of making a daily search for keywords, Google alert will do this work for you.

# 3. Use Google alert to find a job

Google alert is not just a mere search tool to find information. You can also use it as a tool to generate relevant results to help you find a job. You can specify in its search query box any job openings that are relevant to your field or profession and you can sit down, relax and wait for Google alert to deliver the latest job openings directly to your inbox. Tailor your search query by targeting specific companies, job titles and places of employment to receive an alert as soon as they are available online. Google is capable of indexing the specific information that you need and you won’t miss any job listings available that you can apply for. Find your dream job with less effort using Google alert to help you find it.

# 4. Find some freebies

If you are looking for great bargains online you can simplify your search to scout for the best deals with the help of Google alert. You can find coupon codes, promotional offers and discount freebies from your favorite online seller or retailer with the help of Google alert. You don’t have to visit their website daily to find out if a good deal is available. Google alert will let you know immediately when great discounts and promotional offers are available. This is very helpful when your favorite seller is giving away free and discount coupons for a limited time offer only. With Google alert you won’t be the last to know about the latest promos and it enables you to grab them instantly whenever one is available.

# 5. Know the latest trends and news

Let Google alert bring the latest news and information that you are interested about directly to your inbox. It will give you an alert about the latest current news and events and then you’re on top of the information as soon as an event is happening. You can always enjoy the updated news stream according to the frequency you would like to receive them. You can select how often you want to receive the alert plus you can customize your search and make sure to change the result type into “news” or “blog news”. Take note that your news feeds are not only limited to the current events but may be on entertainment, music, celebrities and politics as well.

Are you using Google Alert?

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We all know one. ‘That guy’ – a person in one of your online networks that makes you go “not again!” or “is this woman for real?!”. We’re talking about social media personality disorders. People who don’t understand how the online world works but ignorantly abuse it to fulfil their objectives anyway and succeed in p***ing people off.

Social Media Golden Rule: “Do not do unto others online what you would not want done unto you in the real world.”

Here’s a comprehensive mix of idiots in no particular order. Enjoy!

# 1. The follower-buyer

People who buy followers on Twitter. Really?! REALLY???!!!! Years ago when Bebo was a teen paradise some kids found ‘cheats’ to get more loves on their profile. Grown adults buying followers is just in-excusable and really stupid. What can be gained by buying followers from profiles that add no value? Somebody tell us, please.

Buying followers on Facebook is misguided too. Chances are these ‘followers’ aren’t real people to begin with. They are probably virtual avatars in false accounts being generated in the social media equivalent of a sweatshop somewhere in Central or South Asia. Nice!

# 2. The troll

Ah yes. The troll. Someone who enjoys provoking thoughts of hatred by posting off-topic rubbish in online forums and threads. They’re everywhere. From online gaming to news sites. The unfortunate part is that they’d simply love to see this post as we’re giving them credit. That’s their kick. Winding people up. Ignoring them is the cure!

# 3. The spammer

Please, please, please, please, pppllleeeeeaassseeee buy this. Please… A little like the troll, they are hijacking conversations everywhere. Of course email is also another weapon of choice. A major recommendation when getting mails from Uganda asking you to cash in on your millions is just to actually respond and wind them up. Don’t click on any links and it’s actually best not to open the mail at all, but sometimes temptation overcomes us and a hilarious conversation is born. My personal favourite is asking them to buy me a dog. “But I don’t want a million dollars, I just want a poodle?”. Slowly but surely they get abrasive and angry. Very funny. Really creeping up on Twitter too with people asking you to buy followers.

# 4. The keyboard warrior

You’re so brave right now. Hiding behind the keys talking macho and abusing people in the thread. The rule is, don’t say anything online you wouldn’t say to someone’s face.

# 5. The circle jerker

Twitter seems to be worst for the circle jerk. The same bunch of people telling each other they’re great over and over. Oh no, please, YOUR conference was better or your post was just so refreshing. The exact same thing will be bounce back to them in a few days. LinkedIn is a bit like that. Endorsing people for skills that you know they’re not good at or even better, endorsing them for skills when you actually don’t know that person. A good experiment is add one skill what you have absolutely NO knowledge of. If people endorse you, then you know it’s baloney.

# 6. The waffler

Again LinkedIn is the king when it comes to this. Some people need to think before they post up content on their profile. My favourite is one guy in our network had ‘specialities’ in absolutely EVERYTHING. Reading his profile would make Larry Ellison feel insecure. The funny thing is that people actually switch off straight away so doing it is self-defeating.

# 7. The random bandit

Not everything is ‘random’. Facebook posts like this get under our skin, “Just bumped into Connor and Elish on the way to work. So random.” No it’s not random considering you live in the same area and take the same bus route. Please look up the definition of random.

# 8. The LinkedIn sales douche

Similar to our spammer, these guys just add you without knowing you or putting a personal message together when they invite you to connect. The answer. It’s called ‘decline’ or ask them how you know them and why they want to connect.

# 9. The pointless SUPER NEEDY status addict

Why tweet that you’re tired? No one cares. Why post up on Facebook that you’re ‘so excited’. Finish the status. Why are you excited? These posts really bug us and these people are just looking for attention. Nine times out of ten, if you ask they’ll come back with some smart-ass response like ‘You’ll see in time’. No we won’t. We’ll have forgotten about it in five minutes.

# 10. The Friday feeler

Friday memes. “Yay it’s Friday.” Nothing wrong with these except that every company and everybody out there is doing them. We should create memes and release them on Facebook on a Friday that say ‘Yay, only two days until Monday morning’. Be original with your content or people will not engage.

# 11. The acronym addict

Like WTF is with these people? People who use acronyms make me LMAO. LOL. IMHO, they should not be used! TTYL. Ugh…

# 12. The not sharing is not caring type

Don’t you just hate it when people share photos that say things like ‘If you don’t share this, you have no heart’? You have a heart right and you didn’t share? Perhaps you realise that sharing these photos won’t solve a problem that people are already aware of. It’s like the chain letters of social media! Get off your ass to make a difference.

# 13. The SEO expert

You’re an SEO expert ya? Well when why are you PMing me on every platform out there when I’m ranking as number 1 on Google on all the main search terms. Do your research or even better, please stop.

# 14. The miracle doctor

You have magic pills that will make irresistible to the opposite sex? Wow. I too am going to perform a miracle. I’m going to make you disappear by blocking you or by adding you to my spam folder.

# 15. The way too personal toucher feeler

Have you ever had a friend post something on Twitter or Facebook that made you go “NO! They did not post that?”. A regular occurrence is people slamming their family or quarrelling with family members online. Keep it classy. Keep it offline.

# 16. The business ‘friend’

Stop adding me as a friend if you’re a business. That’s wrong. You shouldn’t have access to my info like that. If a business does it to you just tell them in a friendly way that they shouldn’t of or report the page! There’s even tools provided by Facebook to merge over contacts from a personal page to a business one.

# 17. The text message speaker

Don’t use ‘gr8’, ‘u’ etc. on Facebook or any social network. You have characters. Use them. Twitter sometimes to be fair you have to shorten things, but otherwise no.

# 18. The instant natterer

Instant chatter can turn into instant natter when people won’t go AWAY on instant messaging. It’s a great way to chat but when you’re busy and ask people politely to come back to you later but… they just keep pinging. Would you poke someone over-and-over in the face when they ask you to stop? No, you wouldn’t so don’t do it online either.

What’s worse are the IM chats from someone looking to alleviate their loneliness and boredom (understandable), yet (and here is the real crime) they are not forthcoming with anything interesting to say and expect you to do all the work in the conversation. Here’s an example;

• Hi!
• (Me) Yes?
• Just saying Hi! What you up to?
• (Me) Thoroughly swamped at my desk right now (Big Hint)
• Oh..Did you have a nice weekend?
• At this point I scream silently into my double espresso.
• (Me) Nothing much. You?
• Oh.. Nothing….

# 19. The social media immunity type

This personality believes there are two sets of rules. One for them and another for everyone else. They may have some credibility and status in the social sphere but don’t follow the rules. They believe that the 18 personality types above are disgraceful but think they have immunity from the behaviour because they simply think their status means they can exercise the exception to all the rules. Nope. You can’t.

# 20. The Parent Trap

As one of us is a parent, we can of course understand the insatiable desire to share the overwhelmingly cute pics and antics of our offspring. It is indeed tempting, but people who over-post their children’s antics and images can be off-putting if not displaying downright dangerous Social Media behaviour.

• Parents who reveal too much information about their child’s name, address and whereabouts are running the risk of placing their kids in danger online and offline.
• They don’t realize other people could really be more interested in grown up thoughts and opinions on other topics too. EVERY post on Instagram, FB or Twitter doesn’t really need to be all about your child.
• And don’t get me started on people who use their children’s pics as an avatar… I confess I do post about my kid and family events but try to keep them to relevant circles.

# 21. The Emoticon Junkie

Yes you discovered the Emoticons and yes, I am glad you know how to use them, but more than one in every other message / sentence / line? There is a part of me – the part that is no longer in high school – that actually gets irate at the sight of too many emoticons in a message. Call me literary and old fashioned, but I occasionally yearn for a conversation with someone who is able to articulate emotion using the written word.

# 22. The Stalker – Toxic Bachelor

This one I hope, all the girls can relate to: (says Elish)

Nope I am not going to connect with you on LinkedIn or Facebook etc., because

a) You just sent me an introductory message telling me how much you love my smile and what a pretty lady I am on LinkedIn of all places.

b) I can tell by your existing Facebook profile of connections that you collect pretty gals only.

# 23. The LinkedIn over-endorser

I am flattered that you think I am an expert at ..(Insert your skill here).. but really? You live on the other side of the world and we have never done any business together. If you want my attention or my business I actually am compassionate enough to read a simple message. In totality this behaviour just leads to Endorsement Inflation and makes the ones I do have seem not quite as valuable any more.

# 24. The Foodstagram Glutton

We have all seen them, the steady stream of innocuous cups of coffees, pastry, lunchtime sandwiches and plates of nouvelle cuisine or even worse really mundane looking bistro food. It’s not that we have never done it ourselves, it’s just that we don’t want to see EVERY single boring meal go through our Instagram, Foursquare and Facebook feed. We love foodie pics better when you practise some quality control. Try posting the special stuff mostly like that once in a lifetime visit to your dream Michelin Star restaurant, that super spread you made all by yourself, food art or star quality dishes. (Stay tuned for an upcoming post on the foodstagram debate)

# 25. The Social Media Anxiety Sufferer

Don’t be a victim either. Don’t fall prey to the self loathing and creeping notions of inadequacy when scanning the seemingly superior lifestyles of others across your social media sites. Too much exposure to crafty pinterest pics from Martha Stewart types can make you break out in a sweat over your lack of creativity.

Your inability to recreate origami masterpieces at the last party is not a sign of failure. LinkedIn makes us wonder where we went wrong on our inferior career history and Facebook statuses rife with social butterflies or travel plans can give you FOMO ( fear of missing out). Don’t forget other people can have shitty grey lives too, they just don’t advertise that bit as much.

# 26. The preacher

While this post is about these heinous personality types, it shouldn’t give rise to people actually going out of their way to find and provoke people who are guilty. Don’t preach and don’t slam or insult other people. Lead by example only. That’s it. Don’t preach, just practice and don’t think you’re better than everyone else because you do, online or off.

# 27. The Conference Hashtag Pirate

Doesn’t it really annoy you when people hi-jack a conference hashtag to advertise? There you are scanning the feed to see who’s saying what and to find out if you can meet-up with anyone of interest. There’s plenty to meet up with using the hashtag alright! A lot of them are not actually there, but waiting in an apartment nearby to discuss more elements involved with more ‘traditional’ professions. It’s not all seedy. Some people are just plain spamming. If you’re not there or can’t add anything to the topic being discussed at that time, just leave it alone for the rest of us.

# 28. Online Bullies

OK, so we somewhat covered this in the ‘Keyboard Warrior’ except this takes it to a whole other level. People who are racist, sexist, sectarian etc. online. Hurling abuse is one thing. Insulting a whole ethnicity doing it is another. Plenty examples out there that I’m sure you are aware of. No way are they getting ‘airtime’ on this post.

# 29. The Content Stealer

You post something up. Then low and behold, someone posts it 5 minutes later on Facebook. But… they don’t share it. They blatently steal it from an obscure source you’ve been following. It’s especially noticeable if it’s old content. Stop stealing. Either share, RT or just find your own material bub!

# 30. The Two-facer

Yes, we know. It’s not a word. But these people agree with everything you say offline every time you meet yet project a totally different attitude and perception of things online. You do realise we follow you yes? So why congratulate us on a post and then diss it online thinking we won’t see? Perhaps you should invest in some common sense!

Not convinced? This video might get you thinking

Click here to view the embedded video.

Time for some fun! In the comments below, tell us about some really annoying personality types you’ve encountered AND give us an example of what kind of posts or behaviour they do. Really looking forward to seeing (and laughing at) what you have for us!

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People usually start by asking for basic advice, and I give it to them straight:

Create an office and use it only for work.

Objections come quick and heavily after I levy this advice. Some protest the cost — they cannot afford another computer — but given PC prices these days that falls mostly on deaf ears. If you can’t justify investing $400 or $500 on your home business, how can you expect to succeed? Yet most people understand that, so it is not the most common objection.

What people most commonly say is that they don’t have a spare room in which to house an office. There might seem to be no way around this problem, but there absolutely is. You have to change your concept of what you consider a room, and you’ll have to make some cosmetic changes to a larger room in your house, but you can quite easily create a home office literally anywhere in your home.

This is my home office. It sits in the corner of the main room in my one-bedroom apartment. When I lived alone, I used to work at a desk in my bedroom. Since my bedroom now sleeps two, that has become impossible. Chances are if you are married or living with a significant other, working in your bedroom is equally impossible for you.

What can my home office teach people who need to construct one, but who don’t have a dedicated room to do so? I’ve broken it down into three fundamental features.

# 1. Close off the area

When I first moved in with my fiancé, my desk faced the corner. I got this from Stephen King’s memoir, On Writing. Problem was, there was nothing that could close me in. My office space is fixed and limited, as I imagine yours might be. Slapping the desk in the corner seemed like the simplest solution to a simple problem. Yet one problem persisted during this time: it never felt like I was “going to work.”

While my brain understands that work is something we do, and not somewhere we go, years of conditioning have made it tough to do work if I’m not at work. When I redesigned my office area, I kept in mind the idea that the area needed to feel like an office. That meant putting walls on at least two sides of me, rather than just one. It also meant creating something of an entrance, a place I’d have to step through — thereby signifying that I was going to work.

Perhaps you possess the necessary discipline and don’t have to convince yourself that you’re at work before you can start doing work. I know a few people who can work like that, but in my experience they’re the exceptions. Creating an office atmosphere is the first key to a productive home office. Close off your area, and it will seem as though you’re going to work at the office. It’s not quite as good as a dedicated room, but some of us don’t have that luxury.

# 2. Give yourself working space

When I assembled my office, I got lucky. My fiancé had a drafting table that she didn’t need, so I had a desk with plenty of surface area ready to go. When you need room for two monitors, an external hard drive, an external speaker, a keyboard, a notepad, and a physical inbox (can’t stress those enough), you certainly need plenty of surface area. In the picture above you can see my old desk, which just was not large enough for the job. It has been re-purposed, and helps close off my office. But for the task at hand it is not suitable.

While a drafting table works for me, I actually don’t recommend anyone go buy one for their home office. Unless you absolutely need an adjustable height, it’s an unnecessary expense. (And since the table is incredibly difficult to adjust while you have computer monitors sitting on it, you probably won’t use this feature much anyway.) What I recommend is that you go get some lumber from the Home Depot and follow some plans for building a desk. It’s not only cheaper, but it will allow you to create a desk perfectly tailored to your needs.

You don’t have to follow this advice. You can work with whatever desk you have, even if it has little to no working space on it. But I have a feeling that after a few months of working this way, you’ll understand the value of having an adequate working surface.

# 3. Use modular storage

You might have the skills to build a desk, but chances are you don’t have the skills, or the patience, to build drawers into it. Yet, as I learned very early on, a desk without drawers leads to unmanageable clutter. At that point a large, comfortable working surface turns int a mound of papers, gadgets, cords, and other detritus that is better stored out of eyesight. The trash bin might be a useful place to start, but you won’t throw out everything.

I recommend three types of modular storage to help you keep your non-office office organized.

• Storage drawers. You can buy multi-sized plastic stackable drawers on the cheap at any big box retailer. They’re great, because they fit right under your desk. You can stack small ones on top of large, giving yourself virtual drawers for your custom desk.
• Physical inbox. You might not see it in the picture above, but I keep a wire inbox on my desk at all times. We work in an increasingly digital world, but every at-home worker will have an ample amount of physical items to process. Having a single physical inbox helps keep everything in order.
• Filing crate. We all need a place to file away documents that we don’t need to access regularly. A simple filing crate, along with hanging file folders, will suffice for nearly everyone.

At some point in the future perhaps people will separate the idea of going to work from the idea of doing work. But the great majority of people who work from home previously worked in an office. They were also raised with the idea that work is a place that you go in addition to something you do. As long as that mindset persists, at-home workers need to adapt. By creating a dedicated office that is set off, that contains ample surface working area, and that utilizes modular storage, will be a more productive environment than a desk in the corner of the room.

We don’t all have spare rooms to house an office, but we can still make an office out of any space in the home – even a one-bedroom apartment.

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Here are the 8 top useful outreach tools for bloggers:-

# 1. Buzz Stream Email Research Tool

The Buzz Stream Email Research Tool simplifies the way you can search for a blogger’s name and their contact details or website. This is an intuitive tool that could provide you with better search results by providing the name of the website, company or name of the person.

# 2. Topsy

You can plug a URL into Topsy in order to obtain information about who is the most powerful and influential in your industry for your products or who may be a competitor for your brand. It also comes with an analytics feature that gives you the ability to learn more about which content, links, profiles, keywords and domains have the strongest influence in the internet community. Also giving you a lead to reach out to them to offer your blog for promotion.

# 3. Rapportive

Rapportive is an add on tool for your Gmail that pulls out more information about the people you send an email to, such as their profiles on various social media accounts like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Getting to know more about them gives you the opportunity to reach to your fellow bloggers on a more personalized level.

# 4. Boomerang for Gmail

If you need some assistance in scheduling the dates when you send out emails to your potential customers and other prospects, the Boomerang for Gmail is a good outreach tool. This is especially useful when the recipient lives in a different time zone than yours. You can also set the date to send a follow up email using this tool.

# 5. Followerwonk

If you are one of the bloggers who find Twitter a good platform to share your brand, Followerwonk is best for you. The tool can analyze who your followers are, what they tweet about you and their search activities. It also helps you learn how to reach out to them and engage with your brand.

# 6. Citation Labs

Citation Labs is a tool that allows you to search for contacts using multiple sites. You can search up to 1,000 website URLs and it will pull out email details that you can download in .csv format. Using an Excel spreadsheet it is easy for you to group your contact lists and sort them by their niches.

# 7. SEO Gadget Bulk Analysis Tool

SEO Gadget bulk analysis tool gives you numerous data about the bloggers you intend to keep in touch with. It saves you the time to obtain vital information about them. Before you launch the tool you must have the blog URLs ready and it will show numerous results and information like the social media profiles, page and website authority, domain authority, contact email and much more.

# 8. Raven Tools

Raven tools is a good outreach management tool with the added features of social media management, site auditor, reporting, PPC management, and task management.

Do you use any outreach tools you can recommend?

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• Is this company legit?
• Does it work as advertised?
• Will I get my money’s worth?
• What if I am unhappy with my purchase?

These and others oftentimes prevent a client from buying, or at least delay the decision-making. The good news is that there are a number of simple but proven risk removal techniques that, when implemented correctly, may have an immediate and dramatic effect on your online sales.

Five risk removal strategies that apply to almost any web-based business:

# 1. Try before you buy (shareware model)

Shareware, as the Wikipedia definition goes, is proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis.  By letting people download and try the software before buying it, the shareware industry was able to successfully compete with large companies who already had recognized distribution networks, sizable marketing budgets and established reputation. Even one-man operations, like Eugene Roshal’s WinRar, were able to reach the audience of hundreds of millions of end-users by employing this simple strategy.

# 2. Use the freemium model

As SaaS (software-as-a-service) grew more and more popular, the freemium model became what shareware used to be. In some ways, both models are similar – you get to try the software before committing to a purchase.

However, with freemium services, the basic plan is free for life. It is an important distinction because this lets free clients get “addicted” to the service, which eventually increases conversion rate. Typically, 2% – 4% of those who sign up for free plans end up becoming paying clients.

Second, if your basic (free) plan is as good, if not better, as most paid options available in the market, you can become a leader even in a mature market as quickly as a single year. See Bitrix24, Asana or Hootsuite for inspiration.

# 3. Let customers pay only if they like your work

If you need a new business name, domain or slogan, services like PickyDomains.com offer a convenient solution. You place your order, start getting suggestions and pay (anywhere from $50 to $150 depending on the service you need) only if you decide to use one of them.

99Designs offers similar terms for design projects. Of course, neither money-back guarantees nor spec works are new inventions. However, in “creative” niches like naming and design where the risk to pay a lot of money but end up with work you don’t like and can’t use is quite high, this risk removal approach allows you to stand out in the crowd.

# 4. Guarantee results where others can’t

There are several business niches where there is simply no way to guarantee results, like public relations, for example. 99% of PR agencies will be happy to take your money, but the first thing they’ll tell you is that results aren’t guaranteed. This is what makes companies like PublicityGuaranteed.com or LondonPRAgency.com stand out. They bill their clients only for articles that come out in the press or are published online.

By doing this, they are taking the risks from their clients onto themselves, which in itself is quite risky as they might end up doing lots of work for no pay. If this is the path you choose, make sure to take only clients you are 100% sure are worthy of your time.

# 5. Let the client set the price

When the writing load became too much to effectively accomplish alone, a good friend of mine tried two services to find freelance writers – Elance and oDesk. The sites are pretty much identical, except for one thing: Elance has a $25 assignment minimum. With oDesk, however, he could set his price to as low as $5. As a result, he created a lot of small $5 writing assignments, and from those that submitted paid trial articles, he selected those writers whose work he liked best.

To this day, he has spent over $3,000 on various projects via oDesk. His Elance total stands at $50 even though the site’s writers are probably as good as oDesk’s.

There are a number of web businesses where the “name your own price” model plays a big role in their success, like Priceline, for example. A big part of the popularity of AdWords lies in the fact that each client decides how much to bid on a particular word for the sole reason that they alone know how much it’s worth for their businesses.

Conclusion

There are other risk removal techniques out there. Some may better fit your business than others. If you think it’s worth your time, Google “prospect theory,” “loss aversion” or “Daniel Kahnemann” to get scientific explanations to why avoiding risks is hardwired in the human psyche, and to get more ideas on how to integrate risk removal into your marketing campaigns.

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Ultrabooks are meant to provide the user with a functional compromise between performance and portability - CES 2012 Preview: Ultrabooks Everywhere. If you want to know more about what makes the ultrabook so “ultra,” here’s some further analysis as to what makes these laptops so special.

Ultrabook qualifications

Based on the standards set by Intel, a laptop with a display of 13.3-inches or smaller must be less than 0.7 inches thick, while those sporting a 14-inch or larger screen must be no more than 0.8 inches thick. This isn’t the case for convertible tablets, however, as they must be less than 0.9 inches thick to be considered ultra.

Aside from the thickness of the laptop, in order to be considered an ultrabook, the device must be powered by Intel processors that are energy-efficient and low-powered, while the device’s battery must last a minimum of five hours on a single charge. A laptop must also be able to come out of its sleep mode in less than eight seconds before it can be considered an ultrabook.

Expectations

Most ultrabook models on today’s market feature an Intel integrated graphics card which will cover most laptop users’ needs, however, ultrabooks are not meant for computer gaming. Those looking for gaming computers will find the graphics to not be sufficient, as will those who are looking to render video footage. Though, most of the second generation ultrabooks on the market use the Intel Ivy Bridge processor, which makes these laptops extremely speedy in operation.

Interestingly enough, there are no requirements regarding storage, RAM, connectivity or output, so if you require certain ports (perhaps a VGA output), you may be hard pressed to find an ultrabook that meets your needs. Most of these additions are included at the manufacturer’s discretion, and thus, you will be best served speaking with representatives from different manufacturers to see which components will be featured by certain companies.

So, are they worth it?

If you’re looking for a device that combines design, portability and functionality, an ultrabook is an amazing option which you should seriously consider. If you’re a student, travel frequently, search the web for research purposes, and are a casual laptop user, purchasing an ultrabook is one of a select few options available that will fit your ever busy lifestyle. Though, if you’re amongst the computer users who demands superior graphics and do not care about your ability to bring your laptop with you wherever you go, you may be better served finding another option that can handle your graphics needs. However you choose to go about your next laptop purchase, ultrabooks are something you should definitely look into and research.

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Everybody knows that clients are very important, and the rate of success is one of the decisive characteristic when you are looking to hire a SEO and SEM company, and this is exactly why we think that there are five things you should never forget to do.

# 1. Listen to your client

Don’t let your company get in the way of your client’s needs. We are human, so we can’t pay attention to all the details, all of the time, but you should make sure that you understand exactly what the client wants before you make a move. If you don’t understand something, don’t be afraid to ask. It is better to be confused than to be wrong. Most people don’t know what SEM means, and this is why it is important to make him understand what can and can’t be done.

# 2. Talk to your client

For people who have nothing to do with the marketing and optimization industry, certain things may be unclear. Ad Disapproval is one of them. An Ad Disapproval can scare a client, and this is mostly because Google uses strong language. Nevertheless, things aren’t as difficult as they might seem. We recommend that you explain to your client what exactly SEM means, and why it is important to create a strong social media presence. Make sure that you inform them from the start that website building requires a lot of work and time.

# 3. Don’t miss vanity keywords

Always ask your client for what words he wants to show up in SERPS. The best SEO agencies know that they can lose the client’s trust in the blink of an eye when they don’t deliver. Let’s say that someone is making a random choice for a keyword that should appear in the ads, but the ad doesn’t pop up on the search. This isn’t very good for your name.

# 4. Get the campaign settings right

The nasty details that we were talking about earlier are to be found in the campaign settings. One mistake can cost you the entire deal, so it is imperative to be extra sure that you never screw up. Luckily, because you are part of a team, you can also ask a colleague to double check the final settings. For example, your colleague is an expert in SEM, let him handle related tasks.  A second opinion is always appreciated.

# 5. Never trust apps

It is true that technology has come a long way, but it is still not reliable enough to trust 100%. Third-party management solutions can fail, and in the case that they do, you might find yourself in serious trouble. Whether it’s a problem with the server, or just a glitch, you should at least check what the program is doing from time to time.

All in all it is vital to proactively communicate with your client, and also try to create a relationship with him. The more he understands about what you are doing, the less he will question your judgement.

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Wouldn’t it be great if you could fix more of these problems yourself? You are not asking to be an expert and fix everything, just to fix the basic day-to-day annoying problems that seem to occur every now and then.

This article is going to teach you the secrets of how computer people fix things. It’s going to give you some basic guidelines to follow so that you can fix at least some of the problems, some of the time. It’s going to give you the secret of how computer people think.

The truth is, most of the time computer people don’t know the what the solution is any more than you do. The secret of how computer people fix problems is that they have a greater number of things that they will try until they find something that works. Most of the time computer people are just semi-randomly clicking on things and searching for answers until they find the first thing that works.

Don’t be afraid, use the process outlined in this article and you too can be a computer person who is able to solve tall problems faster than a speeding mouse.

Remember to bookmark this post because it will help you solve almost any computer problem and please share it if you find it useful.

# 1. Restart

When in doubt restart. If it has worked before but just stopped working for no apparent reason then you might want to restart the machine. You don’t need to do this for every failure, but if you haven’t got anything else to go on, this is something quick and easy you can try. For example if my home Internet connection stops working the first thing I do is restart the Wireless Router that connects our household to the Telecom company.

# 2. Google

If you have a specific error message, or can trigger the problem with a repeatable sequence of actions then the next most productive approach is probably to Google It, because chances are, someone else has already had the problem before you.

Google can be great at giving you the answer very quickly but it doesn’t always work so the trick is to have a quick look in Google and then move onto some of the other techniques below.

Don’t go beyond the second page of search results and probably only select 5-10 likely looking pages.

# 3. YouTube

If your problem is more of the “How do I do Something?” kind, then try YouTube. There are lots of different tutorial videos that have been recorded showing people how to use various applications.

# 4. The product website

If your problem is related to a particular product, application or company then start with their website next. Dig around on the product’s website and look for things like;

• Support
• FAQs
• Forum’s or Community pages

# 5. Contact Support

If things have gotten to the point where you have to submit some sort of support request here are some tips on how to make it as easy as possible and so that you get the right response as fast as possible.

If your available support is via Email, or Forum Post then use this template to explain your problem.

• Start by explaining what the problem is with a high level overview.
• Include the related product names with version numbers. You can generally find the version number of a program by looking under “Help > About” on Windows and “Apple Menu > About” on Apple machines.
• Steps to Replicate. Then include a numbered list of the steps to replicate the problem and most importantly what you expected the behaviour to be.
• Close with the question you want answered
• Remember to use the magic word “please”

Support Question Template
When you need to write down your problem here’s a problem description template you can use. It will save you time and money if you can quickly and accurately describe the problem.

<Overview of the problem>
<Products and Version Numbers>
Steps to Replicate 
  1. 
  2. 
  3. 

Expected: <what you expected to happen>
Actual: <what actually happened>
<Close with the question you want answered>

Before you click send. What you will often find is that while you are writing the support email you often think of other things to try or uncover the possible solution even before you’ve clicked the Send Button. The act of writing the problem down helps your brain to think about things differently.

Telephone support If you have access to Telephone support here are some additional tips.

• Don’t get angry
• Use a headset if you’ve got one and keep your hands free
• You need to walk through their script, it might be a little frustrating but (hopefully) the scripts that they are using have evolved to cover a number of different problems and following the script is actually the fastest way to solve the problem.

Big Company Support Channels. If your problem is not related to a particular product or application but to the computer itself you may need to use one of the following support channels.

• Microsoft Support
• Apple Support
• Applet’s Genius Bar

# 6. Try it on a different machine

Is the problem unique to one machine, or are you able to consistently repeat it on different machines? If the problem doesn’t occur on a different machine then you might want to try reinstalling the application, or start looking for differences between the two machines.

# 7. Try another web browser

If the problem is happening with a web application then you might want to try using the web application from a different browser. For example a button that you can’t click in one type of browser might work in a different browser. This happens because browsers are not consistent with each other and often the developers don’t test every path through their application with every kind of web browser.

# 8. Read the manual

Occasionally, every now and then when the planets and moon are in the right alignment “The Manual” might actually be a good place to look. The problem with reading the manual and the reason this step has been pushed down the list is that often;

• It’s wrong or out of date
• It’s badly written
• It uses language you don’t understand
• The answer is spread between two different places in the manual

# 9. Ask someone you know

Reach out and ask someone who might know. This is another quick and easy way of solving the problem (it’s also my wife’s preferred approach).

• Your kids
• The most technical person you know
• Your Twitter/Facebook followers

# 10. Hire an expert

You’ve tried your best but now it’s time to bring in the expert. You won’t win every battle but at least you tried and sometimes it’s a more cost effective use of your time to pay someone.

Conclusion

The next time you have a computer problem be brave. Don’t be afraid to have a stab at fixing it. You now have the tools and knowledge of a computer expert. Computer people don’t know all the answers, they just have more ways of finding the answer.

The biggest thing that stops most non-computer people from solving computer problems is the fear of looking dumb and breaking things. When it comes to computer problems we are all dumb, it’s only the computers that truly know what is happening. Don’t be afraid to ask the dumb questions.

The reason that kids are so good with technology is that they are not afraid. They push buttons until they find something that works. They have a thirst to understand how the world works. As we grow older we grow fearful of making mistakes, looking dumb, and eventually we just don’t even try anymore.

Embrace your inner child, go forth and fix your own computer problems.

Have a look at this web comic called The Tech Support Cheat Sheet. It’s supposed to be a joke, but it’s so close to the truth that it actually works.

You don’t need to sit dumbly, staring at the computer screen wondering what to do. Take control and solve your own computer problems.

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