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When you do you'll infect your computer.

You'll have a serious, serious problem with virus attacks.

If you receive a message like this in your inbox you should take a screenshot of it and send it to your police department – every police department in the land has officers who deal with E-crime like this.

When you have shown this to the police, then delete it from your mailbox.

DO NOT CLICK ON ANY LINKS WITHIN, OR ATTACHMENTS.

Tell the story of your product by creating a promotional presentation using slideshare™

No matter what type of business you run, whether you own

• a Construction business,
• a Hairdressing Salon,
• a Nursery School;

or on the other hand you might be

• an author,
• a tailor,
• an online marketer,
• or a voice-over artist, ……..  the list goes on!

A visual presentation will help to reach your target audience, and has far, far more appeal than delivering line-upon-line of textual material.

The key to great presentations is in grabbing the attention of the audience from the outset.  This is what Sean D'Souza means when he talks about creating dissonance:

"The dissonance of the idea has forced their attention. Now that you've got their attention, you’ve got to gently massage your message into it."

The basics of creating an engaging presentation are outlined on our sister website, Virtual Assistants in Wales, and it provides tips and hints on how you might go about creating such a presentation to a live audience.

But don't forget you can deliver that powerful message with an online presentation which can sit on your website's 'Services' page.

Here we want to show you a tool that you might use to great effect for this purpose. 

The slideshare presentation platform:

The Basic version is free and will provide you with an excellent starting point enabling you to make exciting presentations.

Later if you enjoy making presentations so much that you plan on making regular promos, then the Silver Account will provide you with the ablility to make unlimited uploads with no ads on the content. 

Additionally you may use up to 10 videos in the content per month.  That is more than enough power to the pound for a starting point, and all for just $19 per month.

You'll be asking yourself "What's the value in using presentations?"

If you answer 'Yes' to any of these scenarios, slideshare will be of assistance in helping to solve the problem:

• My brand doesn't get enough exposure
• I can't get my message out to a wide enough audience who need my product/service
• My brand doesn't stand out from the crowd

Integrating a slideshare presentations in your digital marketing will help to solve those problems.

• Share your presentations with your social media community via Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc to ensure your content goes viral
• Deliver the presentation directly to your list of customers/clients via your newsletter – this will spread your message further than you imagine because people share good things with their contacts list
• Pump it up to pack a punch! Include audio (MP3) in your presentation, add a video within a slide, tailor the visuals to meet the need of mobile users, combine it with ZipCast (groupchat feature)  to make the greatest impact of all.

Have fun with creating your own slideshare™ presentations.

Here are some of my favourites:

• Artwork by Richard Ramsey  Images often speak louder than words
• Managing your Google Calendar by John Robinson Slideshare is a great place to find tutorials
• Fluid Web Typography by Jason Cranford Teague  Seminar Presentation at SXSWi 2010
• The Funny Side of Getting Older by Stonesriver  Reminder to make each day count

There are so many more I could add ….. I wonder if one day I'll be making one of yours my favourite.  Send me a link to them via Twitter @GowerBizAngel ;o)

An office in the garden

This type of office in the garden is highly desirable to me. I'm considering moving my working space outdoors so that I can enjoy looking out onto a haven of inspiring plants, shrubs and wildlife.

Our log-cabin office work spaces will contain 1000's of pounds worth of expensive IT equipment so don't forget to keep in mind the security aspect of this project at every stage of the planning and execution. I'll say more about it later.

I've decided where I'll position mine, and exactly what the project will entail. Here's the long and the short of it, it might help you to make up your own mind about whether to take the plunge and get your very own work den in the garden.

You can't deny the appeal of being tucked away from the demands of family life. The guaranteed peace and quiet is an attractive option don't you think. Well all this sounds marvellous to me, and I can't wait to make this happen.

This is an approximation of where my log-cabin office will be positioned in my garden. The front will face towards to house which is to the right in this photograph. 

I can see it in my mind's eye, it'll be a wonderful feature offering additional living space.

The completion of a garden project to erect an outdoor office space will depend largely on weather conditions, if one lives in the UK.

I expect weather permitting it will progress along these lines:

• Remember, you just can't turn a blind eye to the Planning Permission. This set of guidelines gives a general perspective, but check your local authority planning rules.
• Decide on the location taking full consideration of the need for a power supply to feed the office: I'm fortunate because I already have external power in the garden, so it simply demands that I redirect a cable to the chosen location.  Another essential aspect to give consideration to is the range of your WiFi signal. Use a Repeater or Antenna to extend the signal to the garden office space.
• Excavate the site: hire a specialised earthmoving vehicle and driver.
• Create the level concrete base.
• Prepare the wood: although the timber has already been treated it will benefit from another coating of preservative. This will take quite some time to do, so the building could be ordered and delivered well before the excavation takes place.

The Build

First, pray for fine weather!

Plan a BBQ Party for friends and family and invite them to help you with the build. It would be marvellous if your family/friends network included a professional builder but if not just 'wear-the-hat' yourself and do some research about managing such a project.  I found great advice here. ** It is recommended that you have a planning meeting with your team of helpers before hand so that everyone knows the task assigned to them, and what the task entails. Assign people tasks according to their strengths.

On the day of the build play some up-beat music to keep the folks all happily working to target, something like this perhaps:

"There's plenty of time to sleep when we die". ~ Adam Lambert

• Add extra insulation to walls and roof space if you feel this is needed. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere as I do, this definitely makes sense. It's easy with a twin skin design* just fill the space with the insulation material. If you are going to indulge in portable heating for the extremely cold winter months, you don't want to let all that expensive energy escape through the walls and roof of your little piece of paradise. A portable halogen heater makes sense.        * Log cabins made by Southwest have great twin skin designs.
• Hire an electrician to fit the office space with adequate socket points for all your equipment.  Don't forget a socket point for the kettle, which ideally would be placed near a window so that you can let all the steam escape.
• Move all your gear into your new garden office! Sit back, have a cuppa and look out onto your beautiful garden before returning to your work-desk which is now situated in the fabulous surroundings of your log-cabin office.

The approximate cost of the project

I have been quoted between £1,200 and £1,500 for the groundwork including the concrete base, which needs to be 10 sq metres for my purposes. If you choose to lay paving stones on the surface of the concrete around the log-cabin, the cost could be in the region of an extra £500+.

The log-cabins on my list for consideration are:

• 3m x 3m £2054.10 inc VAT & delivery or
• 4m x 3m £2302.56 inc VAT & delivery.

The security issues associated with erecting a log-cabin office work space

• Is the construction of the log-cabin strong and durable enough: will it resist an attempt by an intruder to break down the door, or smash through a window for access to your expensive kit sitting inside? (Here's a thought, fit blinds and remember to close them when you leave the office).
• Take the precaution of making sure all garden tools and implements are locked away out of sight so that an intruder does not have access to something which could be used to make the job of breaking in that much easier.
• Check that the perimeter fencing is robust and deters opportunistic intruders.
• Fit tall, solid gates which cannot be scaled by an intruder.

This video covers all the general security points that need to be considered by everyone concerned with keeping their property safe.

Thanks to Homebase for this video.

Are you tempted to build your own log-cabin office? Do you have any pointers that would be of use to me before I undertake this project?

Head to the comments section below and leave your advice, or click one of the buttons on the top right of this page to connect with me via Social Media, and tell me what you think of my idea. I'd be very pleased to hear from you.

Digital Inclusion in Wales

Your help is requested.

If you are one the people I have added to my Twitter List called 'Wales Community' you could be of help.

I was contact this morning by the Administrative Officer she asked if I could get this message out to the wider community.  DIW wants to record the ICT venues in Wales where members of the public can go to use a computer.

"We're recording basic data about a venue such as whether they have internet access, if they hire out their computer suite for training and whether they run a drop in centre.

If you are involved in running a venue which has these facilities, or know someone who does, we'd really love to hear from you.

We have added a form to the Digital Inclusion Wales website – please download this and fill it in or pass it on, then return it to marc.thomas@walescooperative.org

Form:

http://www.digitalinclusionwales.org.uk/files/MjAxMjAyMjcwODQ0NDctaHFwY3NoYnp4emZ2YXF4ZGwvRGF0YV9DYXB0dXJlXy1fSUNUX1ZlbnVlcy54bHN4

(you may need to copy this link and paste it into your browser's address bar).

We are only recording venues in the Convergence Area of Wales at the moment."

The Digital Inclusion Framework Delivery Plan was launched in March 2011 and lays out tasks to be undertaken, intended outcomes and targets for 2012 and 2015 where possible. It sets targets for reducing digital exclusion for adults in Wales, for older people, for those who are unemployed, economically inactive or are resident in social housing. The plan lists 15 key objectives and the tasks associated with achieving these targets. Six of these objectives are included in the collated Digital Wales Delivery Plan, which was published on 31 March 2011, along with key goals from the other strands of Digital Wales. 

Welsh Government: Digital Wales           Welsh Government: Digital Inclusion

If you are concerned about digital issues in Wales and would like to join in the DIW Discussion Forum you can register here.

You can find out how the Broadband Support Scheme in Wales is helping communities and businesses within those communities, by visiting this webpage.

Simple solutions to pernicious business problems work best.

Here is my advice.

At some point or other in the life span of a business it get's really tough, so tough we think we might give up and 'throw in the towel'.  It could be for various reasons:

• Cash-flow pain
• Having to sacking an employee
• Raising performance levels 

There are many more situations which test us to the limits as small business owners, but there is one thing we can all do which will help us survive almost anything.

Exchange the negative mindset for a positive one.

When you are in a business partnership the troughs are much easier to negotiate because there is always someone there to consult with and share woes.  It makes negativity much easier to banish – a quick pep-talk delivered by your partner helps you to rise above the doll-drums and helps to get you back on course with a clearer vision.

But who is there to rally the sole trader or entrepreneur?

He or she has to find a way to rally themselves.  This is how to do it successfully.  Make a resolution to change negativity into positivity.

Shawn Achor founder of Good Think Inc., illustrates this perfectly.  He encourages us to shift our mindset: he tells us:

"We need to reverse the formulae for happiness and success."

"Happiness fuels success, not the other way around. When we are positive, our brains become more engaged, creative, motivated, energetic, resilient, and productive at work. This isn’t just an empty mantra. This discovery has been repeatedly borne out by rigorous research in psychology and neuroscience, management studies, and the bottom lines of organizations around the globe."

Listen to his fascinating and sometimes hilarious TED Talk, and as a result I guarantee you'll be thinking differently about the path to success.

Shawn Achor helps people to realise what the 'happiness advantage' means to business success:

"People who cultivate a positive mind-set perform better in the face of challenge. I call this the “happiness advantage”."

Take the advice on offer and tackle it head on.  Choose to adopt a positive psychology by employing the steps outlined in the video.

These steps, carried out with 100% commitment, will enable you to work more optimistically and successfully.   Head to the point indicated on the timer if you'd like to skip directly to this advice.

The whole talk is excellent and I recommend taking a coffee break to listen and absorb the message.

Share your success with me: tell me how you are going to approach re-training your brain.

I have found using Social Media very helpful in achieving 3 out of the 5 pointers: Use a blog to record the 'gratitudes' and positive experiences, and Twitter or LinkedIn to deliver 'acts of kindness'.  Exercise is proving the most difficult of the 5 for me – it must be an outside activity but I hate being outside in the bad weather! 

(BTW It works in parenting too – give a child positive reinforcement each and every day of it's life.  I wrote about A Lesson for Life – Children Learn What They Live.)

Image: Positive v Negative © Fotolia

Using book-signing events to network with authors and writers is essential if, like us, you offer niche skills.

Here at the very end of 2011 the time is perfect for aspiring writers to launch their books within the digital arena.  

This tidal wave of activity within digital publishing, which has been steadily building up over the last few years, isn't about to end soon, in fact it's probably heading for tsunami proportions.

Computer Weekly's Matt Hamblem reported on e-books in March 2009:

E-books poised for 'huge surge' in 2010

"Fictionwise research also shows that the company's typical customer is a woman, between 40 and 50 years old, who tends to have a higher-than-average income and level of education. In comparison, a few years ago, the typical customer was a man, who might have been a "gadget freak," Pendergrast said.

Analysing the demographics at this particular book-signing event proves the assertion to be correct.  

By far the majority of the audience were ladies of that age, and although they might well have their tablets, or e-readers stocked full of digital books, they don't give up easily on the opportunity to get the authors signature on their hard or paper-backed books.

Photo courtesy of Andy Kropa/Getty Images North America

Allison Pearson the focus of this particular book-signing event, proves to be a savvy lady.

Savvy lady indeed!  

She knows how to 'do-it-right' … a writer and journalist, Allison Pearson decided to write about what she knows best.

She serialised a story about her experiences as a full-time working mother, her story was read by thousands of readers of The Daily Telegraph.

Then on the back of this success she published the book "I Don't Know How She Does It"  and it became a best seller, a smash hit with working mothers across the globe.

It didn't take long for Hollywood to notice her name on the list of best-selling authors :  they came knocking on her door pleading with her to sign a film contract.

So what followed that huge tidal wave of success?

Book #2 of course, in the same popular genre. Capitalising on the success of the 1st book. Here's the savvy bit: she identified her target audience right from the word GO!  And, that is what many, many 1,000's of aspiring authors DO NOT DO! Apart perhaps from the one-and-only John Locke of "How I Sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 months" fame.

This time Allison's book focussed on the teenage experiences of falling in love with a 'pop-star'!

Book #2 is called "I Think I Love You": very apt considering the idol in question is David Cassidy.

I attended a book-signing event at Patrick's Restaurant, Mumbles (in conjuction with Cover To Cover Book Shop) where Allison gave an extremely entertaining talk about the road to success, obviously not lingering long on the pain she'd suffered, while in the grip of depression.

Part of our work here at PBS is helping authors and writers to fulfil their dream: we are helping them to publish their works in the digital world, via Kindle & Nook e-Readers etc. etc. 

In a fraction of time compared to tradition publishing, PBS transfers the precious book from it's raw Word document state, into a digital book, instantly downloadable for purchase by the author's fans, friends and family. 

N.B. ~ Whilst we do not act for Allison Pearson in this niche market, we are able to say that attending 'book signing events' such as this has helped us to network with our target clients.

At this event two new clients signed up for the PBS Digital Marketing Package.  :oD

If you are still not convinced about the power of e-Books read what Mike Elgan at Computer World says:  he recently did a complete U-turn on his views regarding the potential success or failure of e-Readers:

Why Kindle rules

"I've dissed and dismissed e-books for years. But three factors I didn't anticipate reversed my long-standing attitude."

To review the added value features of Kindle scroll through the 4 pages.

Nancy Hopkins Reily says "There's a Book Inside Everyone" or more precisely "inside everyone is a book waiting to be revealed".  

I hope we can help you to reveal your book, at some time in the not too distant future.

Prevention is far better than cure.

There's no doubt in my mind that if you are able to begin to influence your offspring into the right mind-set at a very early age, and continue to drip feed the safety message to them as they grow, they will have a much better chance of staying safe on the web.

The message is best delivered within the warmth and security of the family.  I'm of the opinion that school isn't always the right place to get this message across, no matter how sincere the teaching staff are, I think the message best comes from within the loving arms of the parent.

Some basic advice on practical use of the Internet, which should be tweaked to suit your individual child, and a very good video for the 7 – 13 year old age group.

PhotoCredit: Fotolia ©Cherry-Merry

What has branding got to do with me, I'm a sole trader!

If I had a £5, $5 or …, for every time I've heard that from a small business owner, I'd be a very wealthy lady.

This article addresses those individuals who think it doesn't apply to them. They believe they are too small to have to worry about such things.  That I'm afraid is a fallacy.

It's just as applicable to you the solo-entrepreneur as it is to large corporates.  Cyber-criminals would love to harvest your personal information and your business identity.

Branding is about protecting your personal and business identity.

You need to take a pro-active approach to 'branding', and protecting that brand.  Your 'stamp' or 'brand' should be unique.

From the moment you begin to act on 'that great business idea' you need to think in terms of building a robust brand. More advice and help on branding.

PhotoCredit: Fotolia © F.C.G.

Rebecca snatched the glory in this worldwide competition and she was just 15 years old. She competed in a field of  228,000 international rivals, to win the Excel category outright! 

Here she is with her fellow competitors they are holding their winners certificates.  Her prize was a cheque for $5,000!

There's nothing geeky about Rebecca, you'll see from the video below that she's a regular 15 year old who is the epitome of youthful charm. Let's hope she continues to love working with Excel and finds herself the right Degree Course to further her talents.  It's obvious there is no lack of mentoring in this respect with such a strong role model for a Mom.

The 79 finalist gathered in San Diego, California to compete for the title following qualifying exams held in their own countries in October 2010.

Rebecca said "First we had to take a qualifying exam which I took back in about October. Then at the end of June we got the phonecall saying I'd got the best score in the UK so I was coming to Dan Diego for the world championships."

The 'we' she refers to is herself and her mother, who is a Microsoft trainer. So I guess the 'nature' & 'nurture' elements are in balance in this instance.

IT Learning Specialists, Prodigy's website reports:

Rebecca, from Sawtry Community College in Cambridgeshire, scored an incredible 100% in her specialist subject Microsoft Excel at the finals. Rebecca had earned her right to attend the world finals back in May after she achieved the top nationwide score in the Microsoft Office Specialist Excel certification exam.

Since then Rebecca has continued to hone her skills by studying at lunch and in the evenings at her school, supported by Pam Kitchen her instructor at Sawtry Community College.  

The final rounds consisted of timed tests in which the contestants had to build a spreadsheet to present a set of data.

Sponsors Certiport have posted a Flickr folder which contains photographs of the event.

Now more than ever before, passwords need to be cryptic, obscure and impenetrable.

If enterprises with sophisticated IT security get hacked, just imagine how easy it might be to hack your data.

The greatest threat to individuals using the internet is identity theft via access to personal and unique data.  Email accounts are hacked regularly to target personal information and so too are computer files hacked, revealing banking details, and passwords. Hackers once inside your PC, can leave malicious code which will attach itself to your files and spread to other PC's that might have cause to share these files.  

Read the full post in order that you protect against unwittingly falling victim to hackers who would steal your data and control your computers.