Yes, those crazy kids are at it again. Spending all their time in front of the boob tube… I mean… You Tube. I’ll tell you what, back in my day we watched real TV, on real television screens. You sat down and watched whatever the networks served you, and you liked it. And when the commercials came on you watched them as a courtesy to those nice people who put in the time and money to remind you to buy their stuff. Boy do I miss the late 1990’s.

Do you ever feel like technology is making you old before your time? Trust me, you’re not alone. I just turned 32 this past December (62 in tech years), but I’m what they would typically call a “late adapter”. This is not always a bad thing, as I recall that blank compact discs – or CDs if you will – used to cost roughly $5.00 a piece, and are now as cheap and disposable as a box of matches.

In my long-winded, round-about way, what I’m trying to say is that there is a lot happening around us and it’s hard to keep up. So what I have decided to do is do a little research (as the kids like to say “Wikipedia rocks!”) and from time to time I will put a short description of some new technologies that are so often referred to by some acronym or other. For instance:

What’s wi-fi and how can I get it?

Wi-Fi is a brand originally licensed by the Wi-Fi Alliance to describe the embedded technology of wireless local area networks (WLAN) based on the IEEE 802.11 specifications. Got it? Okay, basically, wi-fi is wireless internet which is delivered via a router that is plugged into your phone jack. You can usually get this router from a telephone or cable company when you subscribe to their high-speed or broadband internet service, taking care to specify that you need wireless capabilities. It is possible to purchase a router on your own, but it’s not always worth the frustration to configure it all yourself.

Once you have the wireless router plugged into a power source and a phone jack (ensure that you use the phone filters, that come in the pack, on every jack in the house that has a telephone hooked up), and all the little lights are green, then you are ready for the next step.  The real joy of wi-fi is in the fact that you can go almost anywhere in your home or outside, on a laptop or PDA, and be able to access the web. The downside is that it has to be within a certain radius from the router. If your laptop doesn’t come with a built-in wireless card/modem, then it probably has a slot for one. Decent ones cost around $30.00 and are fairly easy to install.  This is probably a lot to digest, so I’ll stop here for now. Okay, the truth is that I’m tired and ready to sleep. I hope that you’ve learned something. If you have any questions, feel free to email me. Next time, we can explore a new topic. And if there’s anything that you’d like me to cover, feel free to send suggestions. Chances are, somebody else will benefit from what I find out about that.

If you’d like to know more about how wi-fi works click here.

Who needs a web site? Frankly, you do. Everybody does. Gone are the days when people could take you at your word, and trust that you were who you said you were, or you could deliver what you said you would. Now there’s Google. When you are introduced to a potential employer or prospective customer one minute, I can almost guarantee that two hours later, they are on the Internet, Googling you. So why not put your best face forward?

There’s good news, and there’s bad. The bad news about the explosion of the World Wide Web is that everybody knows your business. The good news is… everybody knows your business. The Web is, indeed, the great equalizer. On the Internet, the little people can appear as though they are big. With the right kind of Web site, you can present that clean, professional image that is the essence of your company. You can imply a culture, showcase creativity and tout your exceptional customer service. As long as you can deliver on all your promises and maintain loyal customers, the only thing that separates you from the “big fish” is that you still have something to prove, with lots of room to grow.

The reason I’ve decided to start this blog is mainly because after designing their Web site, my customers often ask, “Now what?” I often tell them as much as their site will work for them, they will have to work hard to keep the site fresh and interesting. You have to constantly feed it and nuture it and… Okay, maybe I am a little too passionate about what I do, but seriously if you take care of your site, it will take care of you.

 On this blog, I will be talking about exactly what it means to “take care of your site.” I’ll explain what a Web site marketing plan looks like, evaluate inexpesive (or free) ways to promote your products and services online, and answer some of the questions that burden the minds of my clients. In a sense, as the title of this posting suggests, I hope to give you some of the ammunition you need to slay your Goliaths. Whatever they may be.

 Please feel free to share some of your thoughts and ideas, as others will surely benefit from your wisdom.