Title:

A Team That Gleamed

Word Count:

1199

Summary:

Too many techies get a bad rap for lacking teamwork and communications skills. The stereotype is that while techies are great at what they are trained to do, they cannot parlay their knowledge onto others. Because of the stereotype that techies cannot communicate, they also can be stigmatized that they lack adequate teamwork skills. So, what are the chances of two Helpdesk teams communicating with each other to successfully form one team while not compromising customer service?

Keywords:

Communication, Teamwork, Teambuilding, Techies, Information Technology, Call Center, Team, Motivation, Inspiration

Article Body:

Too many techies get a bad rap for lacking teamwork and communications skills. The stereotype is that while techies are great at what they are trained to do, they cannot parlay their knowledge onto others. Because of the stereotype that techies cannot communicate, they also can be stigmatized that they lack adequate teamwork skills. So, what are the chances of two Helpdesk teams communicating with each other to successfully form one team while not compromising customer service?

Does this plan initially sound like an enormous task? Does it sound impossible? Not if you were lucky enough to have been on such a dynamite team like mine.

In 1997, I started working at the Ameritech Advertising Helpdesk, which was supporting Yellow Pages Salespeople, Artists and Data Entry from Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin. When Southwestern Bell Corporation acquired Ameritech in 1998, procedures started to change. Ultimately, The Ameritech Advertising Helpdesk became the SBC Yellow Pages Helpdesk and we were to support clients not only in the five-state Great Lakes region, but clients in other regions in which SBC resided. SBC had Yellow Pages clients in the east in Connecticut, in the middle of the country in Missouri and Kansas, in the southwest in Oklahoma and Texas and in the west in Arizona, Nevada and California.

There were two Helpdesks: the Helpdesk who supported clients in the Great Lake region and the Helpdesk that supported clients in the eastern, middle, southwestern and western regions. The Helpdesk supported clients 24/7 during the weekdays, a part of Saturday and was on call for Sunday. The Great Lakes Helpdesk had about seven to eight dayshift personnel, two afternoon people and one mid-nighter. The eastern, middle, southwestern and western region Helpdesk had about eight to ten personnel that worked different hours from 7 a.m. until 10p.m. eastern time.

The grand plan was to combine both Helpdesks and have all of the analysts versatile in all of the applications in order to support clients from all of the 13 states. For example, most of the analysts who supported clients in the Great Lakes region had never worked with VMS systems, but were very familiar with systems like the Remedy Helpdesk software. Conversely, most of the analysts who supported clients in the eastern, middle, southwester and western U.S. had been trained on the VMS systems, but had never worked with Remedy.

Being in Information Technology, one may get used to systems and applications going wrong. It seems that in too many instances, techies are troubleshooting and fixing systems.

So, how did combining operations go without sacrificing customer service?

1. It was about a six-month plan, which started around February 2002 to gradually adjust analysts from both Helpdesks. One analyst from each Helpdesk was trained for several months before supporting clients in all 13 states.

2. Both Helpdesks were in different parts of the Call Center. A couple of analysts from both Helpdesks switched desks in order to familiarize each other with systems.

3. Management was very supportive of the transition and realized that there was a learning curve during the transition.

4. There were two analysts from both Helpdesks called Helpdesk Advocates, who were the liaison between the analysts and management. Both Advocates communicated the analysts’ concerns to management.

5. Clients were informed that both Helpdesks were in the process of being combined and to please be as understanding as possible during the transition.

6. Every analyst was receptive to any question from other analysts. Every analyst was in the same boat – so to speak. Every analyst knew that he or she would have questions about systems in which he or she was not as familiar. How every analyst handled any question from a coworker would reflect the way in which he or she would be treated when he or she had a question. It was the human nature aspect.

7. Every analyst had a desire to learn.

8. Every analyst had a willingness to train

9. If an analyst could learn one system, he or she could learn other systems.

10. Every analyst was a team player. Although there were folks who had years and even decades of experience on some systems, no one was too good to help out any analyst who had never worked with a particular system. The fact that every analyst was cooperative during the transition made it an enormous success.

This is what I personally learned from the experience:

1. Teamwork is not about individuals. When a client’s problem was solved, it was the whole Helpdesk that triumphed.

2. When superstars play as a team, the team will ultimately win. Every member of the team was a superstar who played as a team and we ultimately won in transitioning both Helpdesks.

3. Every analyst proved that they could parlay their knowledge and translate that language to other analysts and clients.

4. Perception and reality may be two completely different things. I knew very little about the folks at the other Helpdesk. When I got to know them, they were as wonderful as the folks whom I already knew at my own Helpdesk.

5. Teamwork is all about dealing with people. What you make of your relationships is up to you.

6. It is amazing what a team can do when it is up to the challenge. My team only had a certain amount of time to transition its operations and we did it!

7. Sometimes just a desire to learn can make the difference between success and failure.

8. Investment in relationships with people is invaluable with a rewarding rate of return.

9. Random acts of kindness

10. You can actually appeal to people’s better nature and not just their self-interest.

Everyone involved displayed so much cooperation and willingness to train no matter how many times they were asked a question. Everyone involved during the transition should be very proud that they were part of that awesome period and it is something that they can take with them anywhere else they go. All of us were a part of a group that needed to implement the greatest effort of teamwork or we were not going to make the transition.

Considering that three shifts were involved makes the event even more a source of pride for all of those who were involved. Any person on the team could be approached and they were more than willing to help with any question. We were an example to follow and we certainly set a great standard for teamwork!!

Teamwork is all about people. Those in technical professions are people too. No matter what your profession, people in technology have great skills like everyone else. My team broke the stereotype that techies cannot communicate well and are not team players. It’s not your profession that determines what makes you a great team player, it’s who you are. It’s not how much people skills that you possess, it’s what you do with those people skills that matter.

This article is dedicated to the one of those great team members, Monica Mitchell, who died of pulmonary embolism on Wednesday, November 5th, 2003. May God’s grace be with you always, Monica. For those of us who had the pleasure to have worked with her, we will greatly miss you.

Published November 2003 : zdnet.com.com/2100-1107_2-5107498.html

Title:

Learn French The Easy Way

Word Count:

547

Summary:

It is easier than ever to learn basic French. There are so many options available that you might find it difficult to know where to start. Don't worry, I have got four great tips that will help get you started. Ready? Then lets go...

Keywords:

french tuition, french online, learn basic french

Article Body:

It is easier than ever to learn basic French. There are so many options available that you might find it difficult to know where to start. Don't worry, I have got four great tips that will help get you started. Ready? Then lets go...

You're going to have to start by looking at your life. How much spare time to have each day and how much of that time are you willing to dedicate to French learning? It's a great idea to start by working out a learning routine. If you've got half a hour free each evening, then use that time each and every night and stick to it. The sooner learning French becomes part of you everyday routine the easier it will be to learn. There are many courses available on the market that only require 15-20 minutes learning time each day, so be sure to check these out.

Don't underestimate the amount of French you already know. You be amazed by just how much French you have picked over the years, just by watching films and TV. Why not try and build upon this existing knowledge in the simplest way possible. Watch some more French films and TV. Check out the TV guide, there is bound to be a French film or documentary on. If not you could always head to your local library. Libraries don't just carry books, they now offer excellent audio and video sections. I bet you'll find some DVDs that will entertain you whilst you learn.

You don't have to spend hundreds of buck on expensive French tuition. You could start buy buying a simple phrase book. They only cost a couple of dollars but they include everything you'll will ever need to get you started. Not only do they contain everyday words and phrases that will have you speaking and understand French in no time at all, but they will also teach you basic grammar, pronunciation and numbers. You'll literally be amazed just how much information there is in these tiny books. They're usually pocket sized so, you can take them with you everywhere. If you get bored, check out your book and learn another useful phrase.

Starting to learn French is easy – but staying motivated to learn isn't. Make sure you set yourself realistic goals. No one ever learned to speak French in a week! It takes time – so don't worry if you don't pick it up straight away. I know its hard, but you must try and stick to your learning routine. Don't give up – it'll all be worth it in the end. If you do start to loose motivation then don't just stop. You could always approach learning in a different way – join a class, get some one 2 one tuition or purchase a course. If you really feel like you want to give up then maybe you should take a trip to France. Nothing will rejuvenate you more than a holiday. Not only will your French instantly improve , but your motivation to learn will be doubled when you get back.

I hope my learn basic French ideas have helped you realise just how easy it is to learn a new language. If you stick to this simple advice, you'll be speaking French in no time at all.

Title:

Calling Cards - their so much cheaper that land lines

Word Count:

334

Summary:

Calling cards are those cards you get handed to you on the street sometimes, or see advertised in corner shops

Keywords:

telephone, calling-card, communication

Article Body:

Calling cards are those cards you get handed to you on the street sometimes, or see advertised in corner shops. They’re a cheap way to call internationally – much cheaper than a normal landline phone – and they’re getting more and more popular as more people choose to live and work in foreign countries and make friends internationally.

So how do calling cards work? There are two main kinds of cards: free and paid-for. Free cards have a premium rate phone number on that you then call and enter your card number and PIN number. The premium rate phone call pays for a certain number of minutes for you to the country of your choice. Paid-for cards work similarly with the card number and the PIN, except that you buy them in a shop instead of paying with a premium rate call.

The reason your calls can be so much cheaper than usual when you use a calling card is that they are no longer being routed through the normal phone network. Instead, calling card companies are free to construct their own international telephone networks, often using advances in technology to their advantage.

Most modern calling cards actually route calls over the Internet, which means that an international call in fact becomes only a local call at each end, with the Internet acting as a ‘bridge’ between the two phone networks. This means that the calling card companies can make a lot of money for very little work, while also providing a much cheaper service than usual to the customer.

If you want to cut out the middleman, though, you might consider using a voice-over-IP service on your computer, such as Skype. This allows you to make calls for free over the Internet, and at local rate to landline phones all over the world. While you have to have a computer and Internet access and use a headset instead of a phone, the calls are a lot cheaper than even the cheapest calling card.

Title:

How to Run a Successful Conference Call

Word Count:

1194

Summary:

These days with more and more of us working from home, working on the road, and generally dealing with multiple suppliers, contractors and business partners in locations all over the world, the conference call is supplanting the face-to-face meeting. Here are some tips on getting the most out of your conference call...

Keywords:

conference calls meetings business agenda notes effective

Article Body:

These days with more and more of us working from home, working on the road, and generally dealing with multiple suppliers, contractors and business partners in locations all over the world, the conference call is supplanting the face-to-face meeting. Here are some tips on getting the most out of your conference call...

Tip One: Send Out an Agenda

The key to an effective meeting is an agenda - this applies to any kind of meeting, not just a conference call. With a conference call, always make sure you have the instructions on how to access the conference call at the top of the agenda, preferably in a box or with some other text decoration to make it stand out.

Another option is to send a meeting request from within your calendar application, whether it be Microsoft Outlook or Apple's iCal, or some other scheduling tool. The meeting request is sent as a specially formatted email, so you can add attachments just like with a regular email. Attach the agenda, and repeat the instructions on how to connect to the conference call in the body of the email.

Most conference service providers require participants to dial a special number (which may be different depending on where the user is, or it may be a national number), then enter a conference "room" number, followed by a security code or PIN. Make sure all the necessary details are included on the agenda and the meeting request.

If the conference call is a regular status update, ensure you also send out the meeting notes from the previous call, since the first item on the agenda should be chasing people up for the actions they've agreed to be responsible for.

Tip Two: Take Care of Housekeeping

At the beginning of the call, call off the roll and ensure everyone is on the call. Introduce any newcomers to the rest of the group and invite them to spend a couple of minutes describing themselves and their role on the call. If anyone is missing from the participants list, immediately call them (preferably on their mobile) to get them onto the call as soon as possible. If they can't get on the call within a couple of minutes, proceed without them. Nothing detracts from a good conference call more than making everyone wait at the beginning.

Next, ensure everyone has a copy of the agenda, and that they can all hear one another OK. If you are not going to be the one taking notes, make sure everyone is clear who is. This serves two benefits: firstly, the person taking notes is going to be careful and accountable, and secondly, a single set of meeting notes will be distributed after the call. If this is not made clear, you may end up with several versions, which is both redundant and confusing.

Finally, lay out the rules for interaction on the call. Because it's audio-only, the usual cues we use to indicate that we wish to take a turn at speaking are not present. Therefore it's worth stating at the outset what the rules will be. These can be as simple as "Please make a note of any questions and we'll deal with them in turn after each agenda point", or as sophisticated as listing the order of speaking of the participants, and asking each participant only to speak at their particular time. This last is called "round table" conferencing, and is particularly effective once people are used to it. It has the dual effect of keeping all participants engaged, and speeding up the time it takes to get through each point.

Clearly it's unrealistic to expect people to stick to the interaction rules for the duration of the call, but laying them out at the outset will help ensure things run quickly and smoothly.

Tip Three: Turn Off Speakerphone

Unless you have a majority of participants all in one room together, you should turn off speakerphone. Speakerphone and conference calls are a bad combination, unless you have a high-quality dedicated speakerphone. In order to prevent audio feedback, speakerphones automatically mute the speaker when a sufficiently loud sound is heard at the microphone. Unfortunately, few speakerphones do this particularly well, and often the speaker will mute because of its own output feeding back into the microphone. This means annoying dropouts and missed words and sentences.

Because it's a conference call, often these dropouts can go on for some minutes before someone has the opportunity to pipe up with "We missed all that!" Needless to say, having to constantly repeat yourself can be very time consuming and irritating for all the non-speakerphone participants.

Even if you're in the same room as someone else, it can sometimes be an improvement to use two handsets rather than use speakerphone.

Tip Four: Send Out Meeting Notes

You should ensure everyone on the conference call gets a copy of the meeting notes no later than the following morning, while the call is still fresh in everyone's minds.

There are many helpful guides on the web for effective note-taking, but in essence:

• Don't try to write down absolutely everything; just the items where an action needs to be taken
• Keep track of who has agreed to be responsible for each action
• Keep track of the deadlines for each action item
• Don't forget to note the time and date of the meeting and who was present

If the conference call is a regular status update, ensure you note in the meeting notes the time and date of the next meeting. If possible, deadlines for action items should correspond to the dates of status meetings so that the notes can be quickly scanned (or even sorted) for items that need to be chased up in a given meeting.

Tip Five: Keep it Brief

Studies have shown that people start to suffer a number of unpleasant side-effects after holding a telephone receiver to their ear for longer than about an hour. In any event, forty minutes is about the limit of most people's concentration span.

If you find the call is starting to drag on beyond an hour, it's a good idea to wrap things up and continue either later that day, or preferably the following day. If you find this is a regular occurrence, it may be an indicator that you need to revisit the agenda, or possibly split the group up into separate, more focussed groups. A particular time-waster is having engineers and businesspeople on the same conference call. A better way to handle this is to have three shorter meetings - one with just the engineers, one with the businesspeople, and one with single representatives from each group to present the results and take any feedback to the next department meeting. With practice, you can keep the length of each meeting down to around twenty minutes.

Title:

Call Centers - A Backgrounder

Word Count:

521

Summary:

The call center business has become one of the fastest booming industries today. In the era of customer-oriented services, the provision for accessible support is now a priority. With many companies trying to cope up with their customers’ needs and demands, the concept of the call center was born.

A call center normally operates with all its agents (or customer service representatives) in one central location. It is equipped to handle a large amount of transactions between...

Keywords:

business, call centers, internet, online business

Article Body:

The call center business has become one of the fastest booming industries today. In the era of customer-oriented services, the provision for accessible support is now a priority. With many companies trying to cope up with their customers’ needs and demands, the concept of the call center was born.

A call center normally operates with all its agents (or customer service representatives) in one central location. It is equipped to handle a large amount of transactions between customers and the call center agents. Transactions may be carried out through a variety of media. The telephone is the foremost form of communication in call centers today. However, transactions are also carried out via email and the live chat through the Internet.

Call centers offer a wide range of services. The first thought that comes to mind for many is support - product information, technical support, and all sorts of after sales services. However, call centers can offer more than that. They also deal with marketing and sales. Telemarketing is an aggressive form of selling your product and can yield very good results. Call centers cater to businesses which aim to increase their sales as well as provide customer services. One example would be credit card companies.

While aiming to provide information and assistance to customers, they can also increase their revenue through sales spiels given by their agents. Another service that can be dealt with by a call center is debt collection. Credit bureaus also make use of call centers to provide information on a person’s credit rating. In effect, basically anything that has to do with your customers can be done through call centers.

What is the typical set up in a call center? The term call center brings up images of wide open work spaces, with small workstations containing a computer, headset, and telephone dialer. The practice is increasingly turning to the linking of data and voice in one pathway. This integration makes for more efficient work practices and is called Computer Telephony Integration (CTI). Individual agents are normally managed by a floor supervisor who also takes calls when the need arises.

Setting up a call center requires certain technology to be applied. There is a wide range of available technologies for call centers today. More often than not, different types of technologies are combined in order to achieve the most effective and efficient set up. The Computer Telephony Integration has already been mentioned is one of the trends in the business today. In fact, CTI is used to combine most applications used in call centers - voice, email, fax, and web. CTI provides many functions such as caller ID, on screen dialing, on screen phone controls (conference calls, hang up, hold, etc.), and agent status control (whether agent is available for calls or not).

With all these advances in technology and developments in consumer-oriented practices, the call center has emerged as an ideal solution for many companies. The call center provides standardized service to customers and helps cut the cost. In addition to that, the separate entity of the call center subtracts from the actual operational considerations of the company.

Title:

Who was it that Invented Electricity

Word Count:

311

Summary:

Electricity is a naturally occurring form of energy found in nature, and human beings did not invent it. Natural forms of electricity are found in lightning and in all electro-chemical impulses within living beings. For instance, the heartbeat is controlled by a micro-impulse of electricity. All forms of thought are electro-chemical impulses traveling within the neural network in the brain.

Keywords:

Invented Electricity

Article Body:

Electricity is a naturally occurring form of energy found in nature, and human beings did not invent it. Natural forms of electricity are found in lightning and in all electro-chemical impulses within living beings. For instance, the heartbeat is controlled by a micro-impulse of electricity. All forms of thought are electro-chemical impulses traveling within the neural network in the brain.

Human beings only ‘discovered’ the existence of electricity and found ways and means of using it for constructive purposes. Westerners seemed to know around 600 B.C that amber can be charged with static electricity by rubbing it. But it was not until William Gilbert, the father of modern electricity appeared on the scene in 1600 A.D that much progress was made. He discovered the electrical properties of many substances, and it was he who coined the term ‘electricity’ from the Greek word for amber.

While advances by early pioneers were mainly experimental in nature, Henry Cavendish and Charles Coulomb began quantifying the results through mathematical equations. By the mid 1700’s a crude form of battery was invented. This enabled to standardize all forms of electrical experiments. Later Ohm and Kirchhoff used batteries to power various electric circuits and discovered the Ohm’s Law and Kirchhoff’s Law of electric currents respectively.

It was Hans Christian Oersted who discovered that a wire carrying an electric current was surrounded by a magnetic field. D.F. Arago developed on it and invented the electro-magnet. André Marie Ampère developed mathematical equations for electromagnetic laws. Michael Faraday invented the electric motor as well as the generator. Within half a century, engineers were able to construct power plants that could supply electricity to the consumer. All of these inventors and other unnamed ones contributed towards the discovery of the laws of electricity and electromagnetism and invented ingenious means of using it for the benefit of mankind.

Title:

Better Online Communication Makes Business Sense

Word Count:

561

Summary:

How you communicate with your online customers will make or break your company. What are you doing to improve your customer relations?

Keywords:

customer, relations, communication, online, email, tech support, business

Article Body:

Many companies are now doing the majority or even all their business online and foregoing the “Brick and Mortar” storefront. It is easy to see why that trend has happened. For one thing, the cost of setting up such a business is relatively inexpensive and easy. There is no need to pay for the overhead of a physical building. Also, the cost of maintaining a Web site is minimal. Moreover, the Internet provides a convenient and efficient way of marketing products. As more and more people are spending time on the Internet, the market of online customers continues to grow.

But when businesses shift from face-to-face customers to anonymous online customers, there is a loss of personal connection and trust. All the online spamming and scamming hasn’t helped the matter at all. That has eroded the trust in E-commerce and the credibility of many companies. How are you gaining and maintaining customer trust? What are you doing as an online vendor to communicate to your customers?

In an online world, business just doesn’t stop after hours and on weekends. What are you doing to answer your customer’s questions? Here are a few things that you can do to improve communication with your customers:

1. Offer a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page and online product support information. This is an excellent way of answering basic questions that may otherwise flood your support email. For example, our voice-changing product, MorphVOX, has a FAQ on the common issues that customers may come across. We also have provided detailed online documentation on topics that users may want to explore more. This takes care of roughly 95% of the questions people may have.

2. Add a support email link on your Web site for issues that can’t be resolved by the Web support. At Screaming Bee, we try to answer our customer questions within one business day. More often, we’ll answer questions within an hour of receiving the email. I believe that we have gained many loyal customers because of our aggressive efforts to meet needs in a timely manner.

3. Provide a message board or forum for customers to voice their opinions, add comments, and interact with each other. Remember that people are social creatures and like to be heard. This also helps to build up a community of users that are empowered and have a say in the products and services that you provide.

4. Write a personal email to each customer. Have you followed up on your customers after they have made a purchase of your products or services? This is essential, not only from the perspective of getting feedback on how to improve your offerings, but more importantly, maintaining the trusting, long-term relationship with your customer. Send them an email within 3-4 weeks of the first purchase. In this way their experience with your products and services is fresh in their mind. Remember, a customer who is ignored is a customer who is lost.

Spending time and effort on better communication with your customers will pay off. Your company will rise and fall not on the customers you gain, but on the customers that you don’t lose. Loyal customers will be the ones that give you the best testimonials. They also provide you with the richest, organic, word-of-mouth marketing. Remember that every happy customer is a testament of your company’s success.

Title:

Proxy Lists

Word Count:

181

Summary:

A proxy list is a list of all the working proxy websites. A proxy website is a website which lets you surf anonymously and it allows you to access the websites which have been blocked by a content filter.

Keywords:

Proxy Lists

Article Body:

A proxy list is a list of all the working proxy websites. A proxy website is a website which lets you surf anonymously and it allows you to access the websites which have been blocked by a content filter.

How does this work –

A proxy website allows you to enter the URL of the website which you wish to surf and once you’ve entered the URL, the proxy website displays the target website in a special window. In this way, your real IP address, location are not revealed to the website and you can access it even if it is blocked by the network administrator. You can interact with the website in real-time just like the way you would have interacted with it if it was not blocked on your network.

The only known problem associated with the proxy websites is that they’ve a small life as other websites block the proxy websites to avoid anonymous surfing. So, it’s important to maintain a regularly updated proxy list in order to get the information about the working proxy websites.

Title:

Gift Baskets - a nie way to say thankyou

Word Count:

332

Summary:

Gift baskets are a great way to say thank you, whether it’s for something personal or work-related

Keywords:

gift,basket,thankyou

Article Body:

Gift baskets are a great way to say thank you, whether it’s for something personal or work-related. You buy a basket of food, usually some kind of fresh produce, and have it sent to someone’s house with a note. It’s like sending a bunch of flowers, only less romantic and more tasty – although gift baskets can contain flowers too, if you want.

Typical things for a gift basket to contain include wines or champagne, cheeses, chocolates, fruit, and relishes or spreads such as chutney and marmalade. They can be surprisingly inexpensive at the lower end of the market, yet always make a well-appreciated and long-lasting gift.

In fact, if you’re going to get a gift basket, it is often worth going with a cheaper one. Expensive ones tend to be pretty much the same in terms of what they contain, but the presentation can be intimidating and the food can seem to many people to be ‘too nice’ for them to just eat when they want to. To avoid any awkwardness, try not to spend more on a gift basket for someone than you would on buying them flowers or chocolates – department stores sell wildly expensive baskets full of posh jams and things, but that doesn’t mean they’re good!

If you have some idea about the tastes of the person you’re sending the gift basket to, you might want to send a more specialised one. Instead of getting a mix of everything, you can get baskets that contain only a selection of wine, or a set of cheeses, or even more unusual gift baskets full of meat or fish.

As a final note, if you don’t even want to shell out for the most basic of gift baskets, don’t let that put you off. Baskets are cheap, and filling one with someone’s favourite foods is unlikely to turn out very expensive at all – but you can bet that it’ll be appreciated.

Title:

USB Headsets, the Cadillac of Headsets

Word Count:

406

Summary:

Wireless headset technology has provided us with comfort an convenience unthought of twenty years ago. Who could have predicted how utterly immersed technology would be in every facet of our lives? Our professional and personal lives are made easier by the newest technologies that come out every year.

Keywords:

wireless headsets, mobile headsets, gaming headsets, telephone accessories, blue tooth, headsets,

Article Body:

Wireless headset technology has provided us with comfort an convenience unthought of twenty years ago. Who could have predicted how utterly immersed technology would be in every facet of our lives? Our professional and personal lives are made easier by the newest technologies that come out every year.

One of the greatest improvements on wireless technology in recent years is the advent of the wireless headset. If you are looking for the most luxurious wireless headset then check out USB headsets.

USB headsets utilize the newest technologies in their models while incorporating comfort and luxury into their headset. USB headsets thinks about the extras such as plush ear pads to enhance your online experience. Let’s face it; it is easy to get lost online chatting with our friends or enjoying a game with online buddies. Plush ear pads allow you to have the most of that experience with out discomfort.

USB headsets also have the outside noise canceling function. Say goodbye to the annoyance of the person you are speaking to not being able to hear you due to outside noise on your end. These technologies will only enhance your experience whether it is listening to music, talking to your girlfriend who is overseas, or enjoying a LAN party.

USB headsets also use the latest in audio technology to give you the highest quality sound. This is great for when you are downloading your favorite tunes. The USB headsets have soft touch controls that allow you to adjust the volume and microphone quickly (this especially good for those times you need to quickly mute).

So if you are in the market for a new wireless headset and you are looking for luxury and those extras that will enhance your online experience then consider a USB headset. You can get a premium headset for about $50 with high frequency, excellent audio, plush ear pads, one year warranty, and a lot of little extras that truly make USB headsets the Cadillac of wireless headsets.

Ultimately when we are online we want to enjoy our friends, music, and relationships. We want to enjoy these things while taking a break from our life and the daily stresses we encounter. Those around us don’t always respect our down time and see our computer time as a time they can engage us in unwanted conversations and requests. A USB wireless headset will improve this annoyance while giving us cutting edge technology.

Title:

Two Way Radios : A Beginner's Guide

Word Count:

788

Summary:

A two-way radio is a device which transmits and receives voice signals through the air. They work somewhat like a telephone, but since they do not require a central network they can be used anywhere! With two way radios, two or more people can have a discussion no matter where they are -- sometimes while they are miles apart! Another common name for a two-way radio is a “walkie talkie”.

The most common type of two-way radio for regular consumers is the FRS/GMRS two-way rad...

Keywords:

two way radio, two way radios, 2 way radio, 2 way radios, walkie talkie, walkie talkies

Article Body:

A two-way radio is a device which transmits and receives voice signals through the air. They work somewhat like a telephone, but since they do not require a central network they can be used anywhere! With two way radios, two or more people can have a discussion no matter where they are -- sometimes while they are miles apart! Another common name for a two-way radio is a “walkie talkie”.

The most common type of two-way radio for regular consumers is the FRS/GMRS two-way radio. These are the radios that you typically see in the big-box stores. FRS and GMRS are the different frequency ranges, or channels, that these radios can operate on. The FRS channels are 8 though 14 and the GMRS channels are 15-22. Channels 1 through 7 are shared, and are used by both the FRS and GMRS systems.

All radios in your group will need to be set to the same channel before you can communicate. For example, if your radio is set to channel 7 it will send your voice over that channel when you talk, and it will listen for and allow you to hear other people talking on channel 7. It is always important to remember that these channels are public! Always be careful what you say over a two way radio, because you can never be sure who is listening.

When choosing a channel, privacy and range should be your primary concerns. If you are using a FRS only channel, because of government regulations your radio will only broadcast at a maximum of .5 watts of power. This wattage will typically get you between half a mile, and one mile of range. If using a GMRS channel, you can get the maximum output power and range out of your two-way radio. However, if you are using a GMRS channel, you are required by the FCC to purchase a license to operate on those frequencies.

As far as privacy goes, if you choose a channel and notice that there are others using the same channel, you should switch to a different channel to avoid confusion. Sometimes, such as at a crowed amusement park, 22 channels just aren’t enough to provide privacy. Because of this, most mid range radios and up also provide “Privacy Codes,” which break up a single channel into anywhere between 38 and 121 sub-channels. When you figure in the privacy codes, many radios offer over 1000 individual channels for you to choose from.

Some two-way radios operate on AA or AAA batteries. You will also find that many of the radios come with rechargeable battery packs and desktop chargers. If you buy a model with a rechargeable battery pack, you will get the convenience of the rechargeable batteries and plus, you will still be able to operate them with regular batteries if your battery packs happen to drain before you get them back to their chargers.

There are many good uses for a two-way radio, but they can come in especially handy on family vacations or outings. Have you ever taken a trip to an amusement park or a ski trip and somehow got separated from your friends or family? A two-way radio would have been very helpful to locate one another. How about taking more than one car on a road trip? A two-way radio would be a great means of communication between vehicles.

Another popular sport in which two-way radios can play a big part is hunting. Hunters are always in need of some sort of communications device to keep in contact with one another throughout the woods. The avid hunter can now even find two-way radios in camouflage color!

The major brands of two-way radios include Motorola, Cobra, Midland, Kenwood and Uniden. You can find radios from these manufacturers in all different ranges of output power and distance. There are all different types of features out there you can get with your two-way radios as well. Many two-way radios even support the NOAA weather channels. There are also lots of accessories you can find for your two-way radios including headsets, handheld speakers, earbud receivers, and throat mics. A lot of these you can even operate hands-free as long as they, and the radios, are VOX capable. You can now even buy car chargers for your two-way radios!

It is no doubt that two-way radios have come along way over the years. Most people have found them impossible to live without, just like cell phones! From starting out at a maximum range of about 2-5 miles, you can now find them with maximum ranges of up to 14 miles! Next time you are on the go with friends or family, make sure you’re prepared and take a two-way radio along. They may just prove to be pretty handy.

Title:

What is Scan Disk

Word Count:

297

Summary:

ScanDisk checks and repairs file systems and bad data clusters. ScanDisk is a system utility which is bundled with and all Microsoft Windows Operating Systems.

Keywords:

What is Scan Disk

Article Body:

ScanDisk checks and repairs file systems and bad data clusters. ScanDisk is a system utility which is bundled with and all Microsoft Windows Operating Systems.

Scandisk was programmed to check the integrity of the hard disk drive to ensure that there are no significant issues which could corrupt your computer data. It is used to scan your hard disk for errors caused by improper shutdowns, viruses, etc.

It was first seen in MS-DOS version 6.2. Previous versions of MS-DOS had only a very basic, purely text-based program called CHKDSK. From Windows 95, SCANDISK added a GUI (Graphical User Interface).

The disk scanning utility bundled with Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP is also called CHKDSK and has the ability to check NTFS disk drives. From Windows 2000 onwards, it has been integrated with Disk Properties under the title of "error-checking".

The ScanDisk utility is owned by Microsoft, which originally purchased it from Norton (now Symantec).

Scandisk can scan and correct errors in your computer and can fix damage caused to critical Windows files, thereby improving system performance.

You can find Scan Disk in Windows 95 and 98 by going to Start Menu. Afterwards, go to Programs/Accessories/System Tools/ScanDisk.

In Windows 2000 and other later versions of Windows, Scan Disk has been given the title “Error Checking” under disk properties.

In order to run Scan Disk in Windows 2000 and Windows XP, you need to press the Start button and click on My Computer. On the list of disk drives, select the drive you want to scan. Then, click on the File menu and choose Properties. On the Tools tab page, click on the Check Now button. As a final note, you should ideally use the Scan Disk feature once a month in order to ensure that your PC is free from errors.

Title:

Define Anonymous Surfing

Word Count:

710

Summary:

Anonymous surfing is browsing web sites privately.

Anonymous surfing encompasses two different forms of privacy.

Keywords:

Anonymous, Surfing

Article Body:

Anonymous surfing is browsing web sites privately.

Anonymous surfing encompasses two different forms of privacy:

• Privacy protection from the web site you are browsing.

• Privacy protection from eavesdroppers who may be watching your network connection.

Why Anonymous Surfing?

There are many reasons why someone would want to do anonymous surfing. People surf anonymously to protect themselves from the government, their employers, or nosy family members.

People in Iran use anonymous surfing to prevent being executed in the streets. People in corporate America use anonymous surfing to avoid sharing the details of their personal lives with their employers. Everyone uses anonymous surfing to protect their privacy from nosy web sites and annoying advertisers.

How does anonymous surfing work?

Anonymous web surfing works by putting a proxy server between the user and the web site. The web browser talks to the proxy server, and the proxy server talks to the web site.

The web site does not know who you are, it only knows who the anonymous proxy server is. The anonymous proxy server does know who you are -- so you had better choose an anonymous proxy server that you trust.

There are four technical approaches utilized to enable anonymous surfing through a proxy server:

Anonymous surfing through a web site

With these systems, you browse the web site of the anonymous proxy server and enter in the URL of the web page you actually want to surf.

Anonymous surfing through client applications

With these systems, you download and install a client application which manages the details of anonymous surfing for you.

Anonymous surfing though an anonymous web proxy service

With these services, you configure your browser to point to an anonymous web proxy. These systems are public and are setup and advertised for anonymous proxy usage.

Anonymous surfing though an anonymous server

With these systems, you configure your browser to point to an anonymous web proxy. These systems are published in constantly updated lists on many web sites on the Internet. You normally do not know who is running each of these anonymous proxy servers. You hope it isn't someone who is recording your traffic.

Anonymous surfing is browsing web sites privately.

Anonymous surfing encompasses two different forms of privacy:

• Privacy protection from the web site you are browsing.

• Privacy protection from eavesdroppers who may be watching your network connection.

Why Anonymous Surfing?

There are many reasons why someone would want to do anonymous surfing. People surf anonymously to protect themselves from the government, their employers, or nosy family members.

People in Iran use anonymous surfing to prevent being executed in the streets. People in corporate America use anonymous surfing to avoid sharing the details of their personal lives with their employers. Everyone uses anonymous surfing to protect their privacy from nosy web sites and annoying advertisers.

How does anonymous surfing work?

Anonymous web surfing works by putting a proxy server between the user and the web site. The web browser talks to the proxy server, and the proxy server talks to the web site.

The web site does not know who you are, it only knows who the anonymous proxy server is. The anonymous proxy server does know who you are -- so you had better choose an anonymous proxy server that you trust.

There are four technical approaches utilized to enable anonymous surfing through a proxy server:

Anonymous surfing through a web site

With these systems, you browse the web site of the anonymous proxy server and enter in the URL of the web page you actually want to surf.

Anonymous surfing through client applications

With these systems, you download and install a client application which manages the details of anonymous surfing for you.

Anonymous surfing though an anonymous web proxy service

With these services, you configure your browser to point to an anonymous web proxy. These systems are public and are setup and advertised for anonymous proxy usage.

Anonymous surfing though an anonymous server

With these systems, you configure your browser to point to an anonymous web proxy. These systems are published in constantly updated lists on many web sites on the Internet. You normally do not know who is running each of these anonymous proxy servers. You hope it isn't someone who is recording your traffic.

Title:

The Many Uses of Phone Cards

Word Count:

608

Summary:

The Many Uses of Phone Cards

Keywords:

Technology, blog, articles, Phone Cards

Article Body:

One of the best ways to keep in touch with your family, kids and employees without having to pay for a sky rocketing phone bill when the month ends is to have a phone card. Most people who have been using phone cards found out that using it for long distance calling really make sense. Phone cards have various practical uses such as:

For your kids or Employees to Stay in Touch with You
If you’re the type of person that gives phone cards so that your kids or your employees can keep in touch with you, be very sure that the cards have been purchased from a trusted company. You’ll find some phone cards undesirable due to their busy signals. This means that, when you call in, you will hear a recording that says the circuits are all busy at the moment and you should try to call up again later. This kind of phone cards can’t do any good especially if the call is very important or urgent and you are unable to contact someone.

You want to know how your child is doing from time to time, but you are worried that he/she is unable to memorize the number of the phone card? This trouble is easy to work out. You can retain their phone cards and just recharge it every now and then so that your child can call you up anytime. If you are recharging the same phone card consistently, there is no need for your kid to memorize more than one contact number. Should you plan to do this, just see to it that the phone card has been purchased from a highly-reputable phone card company that will be around over time so that you can keep on recharging the card.

For travel
Among the most common uses of phone cards is for traveling. This will save you from paying big bucks on hotel incidentals particularly if there’s a need for you to call in your office or home or any person that you want to talk to while you are on travel. Phone cards are extremely used for journey overseas.

For students
Students, especially those who are taking their college studies in another country or state, usually use phone cards to call home from their dormitories. Phone cards are advisable in case you do not have a long-distance provider. Some people choose phone cards than long distance service providers for the reason that these cards help minimize the use of phone for the month.

For home use
If you find it hard to get an excellent long distance phone service at a reasonable cost, then phone cards can surely help you out. These cards can be the answer to your needs for various reasons. With phone cards, you pay as you go so there will never be a chance that you have to pay for a gigantic long distance phone bill when the month ends. As long as you charge your long distance calls on your phone card, expect that you only have to pay for basic service. However, you have to go through the hassle of dialing first the phone card number before you can make a call.

Another downside of using phone cards is that the calls made using these cards usually give uncommon caller identification number to the call recipient. So if you are calling a person who simply does not answer the phone if they don’t know the caller, make sure you inform them that you are using phone cards so your home number will not appear on their caller ID.

Title:

How to Engage Someone in a Lively Conversation

Word Count:

516

Summary:

Meeting new people can be quite intimidating for most people. If you make it a game, it can actually be fun.

Keywords:

conversation, small talk, personality skills

Article Body:

I have found that the best way to get someone to respond positively to you is to LIKE them!

Seriously! It is so easy!!! Plus, it works.

I’ve recently started a new position as a professional headhunter. I’ve always done professional networking and marketing for individuals but now have joined a new firm. Most of what I’m doing now is COLD CALLING. UGH..the dreaded COLD CALL.

What does it consist of? Hi! My name is Mary Gardner and I’m with XYZ company, … who is the Director of Operations? From there I ask questions and gather information until I get the right person on the phone that might have a serious interest in my candidate that I’m marketing.

The difference that I’ve seen in my first few days is that the first day I was TERRIFIED to call. I didn’t feel ready. I felt unprepared. I wasn’t clear of the procedures and I didn’t even feel comfortable with the phone. Here is what happened: the first few calls.. people almost hung up on me. They didn’t have the tolerance for a person with no confidence.

Today, I relaxed. I committed to myself that I was going to have FUN and to make the people enjoy our encounter. I’d do that by showing them favor over the phone and acting excited to talk with them, even though I had no idea of who they were and what they did. And guess what? It worked! I spoke with numerous “gatekeepers” as we call them, or administrative people who shared all of the information that I wanted about the company. I used their NAME in the conversation! I asked how they were doing and didn’t ignore them. I asked about the weather when they were in south Florida and laughed with them when they forgot whether it was morning or afternoon in their greeting. I truly just enjoyed all of the people I met.. and guess what?

They liked me back!!! I expressed enthusiasm when speaking WITH them and TO them, and they responded in kind. It was so much more fun to speak with them when I stopped thinking OF MYSELF and my nerves, and started thinking about THEM!!!

Of course I did all of the standard things you do in small talk! I asked them questions and I listened to them intently. I asked about them, or their company or the weather or if they were having a good day, but I showed interest in THEM and their lives. That was the total key today to enjoying new people and getting them to feel comfortable with me.

I liked them.

How about you? Are you expressing interest and curiosity in others? Are you excited to speak with them? Do you show interest in their response? Do you laugh at their jokes? Do you sincerely want to show that person that they are OK in your book?

You might find what I found. A day of potential stress can turn into a day full of fun.

Title:

Convert DVD to AVI

Word Count:

519

Summary:

Today it is possible to convert DVD to AVI and also AVI to DVD format. These two tasks and many others can now even be performed with a single piece of video editing software.

Keywords:

dvd, avi

Article Body:

Today it is possible to convert DVD to AVI and also AVI to DVD format. These two tasks and many others can now even be performed with a single piece of video editing software.

AVI is a type of a video format which is commonly used today, and you can use a special piece of software called a DVD ripper to convert the AVI format into a DVD format with a single click.

Special Software for the Conversion

Most of the DVDs are high quality, and as a result of this are large in size. An average DVD can store 4GB of content. You can use special video software which converts the DVD content into an AVI or a MPG file with the same quality of the DVD but which takes up less space.

Software Has User Friendly Interface

Video software has a user friendly interface that will guide you through a step by step process of converting the DVD into AVI format. You should first insert the DVD into your DVD drive and then start the program. If DVD files are stored on the computer itself you can start ripping the files from the computer immediately.

Settings in Software

You can now make the relevant settings in the input setting dialog box as well as in the audio settings dialog box. In the output settings dialog box you can opt for settings as to whether to convert in AVI format or MPG format. You can even select the screen size, video format [PAL or NTSC], and audio quality level.

Compression Methods

Audio compression methods such as Lame MP3 can be used where the quality of sound is excellent and the size of the sound file is small. You can set the output settings in the export settings dialog box; you can also choose settings for display on widescreen monitors or normal monitors. Next is the setting for the max frame number. You can leave the other settings at their default value as these are mostly designed for use by professionals only.

Destination for Saving

You can then use the file menu to browse to the destination folder where you want the final AVI file to be saved. Then click on the record button and the process of conversion will begin. You can also use the conversion software to convert audio files from the DVD to MP# format or other formats such as FLV and MP4. The converted AVI files can then be save to your computer system or portable music player.

Use a Decryptor

You can also convert DVDs into small AVI files by using the split DVD option. Using this converts only the part of the DVD that you want to see. If an error occurs in converting into AVI format because of extra copyright protection, you can simply download a decryptor such as DVD decryptor and remove the protection.

Most of the software for converting DVD into AVI format is available at very reasonable rates - only professional video software like Pinnacle studio with extremely advanced functions and settings will set you back a few hundred dollars.

Title:

Five Ways Web Conferencing Can Help You Sell More Products

Word Count:

612

Summary:

When it comes to business, any new technology will ultimately be judged on how well it contributes to improving productivity and profit. If you are selling goods or services, online web conferencing can improve your bottom line by boosting sales and lowering costs. Here are five reasons why this is so:

1. It allows you to meet with more prospective clients

If you have to physically travel to a client’s office or location, there is only so much that you can do within any...

Keywords:

video conferencing, web conferencing, video conferencing software, web conferencing software

Article Body:

When it comes to business, any new technology will ultimately be judged on how well it contributes to improving productivity and profit. If you are selling goods or services, online web conferencing can improve your bottom line by boosting sales and lowering costs. Here are five reasons why this is so:

1. It allows you to meet with more prospective clients

If you have to physically travel to a client’s office or location, there is only so much that you can do within any given period. Let’s face it, travel is exhausting and expensive not only in terms of the direct costs that you make when you travel, but also in the way that your productivity is affected every time you have to pack up and leave your office.

You can meet with more clients online than you could ever do by trying to visit them all physically. Web conferencing is one of the best ways to get this work done.

2. Online Conferencing allows your prospects to put a face with the voice over the phone

A lot of selling is done on the telephone, and some people are very effective with a simple telephone. If you are able to sell on the phone, think of what you could achieve if your prospects and clients could see you by simply opening their browser and entering a few mouse clicks and keystrokes! People prefer to deal with people, rather than faceless voices. Video conferencing allows you to project your warmth and sincerity and will enhance whatever selling skills you already possess.

3. Conferencing allows you to get together with more decision makers

Many purchasing decisions require the input of more than one person, and web conferencing allows you to get all the decision makers together in one meeting. For example, suppose John in New York wants you to also meet with Lisa in London, you can do so very easily. Instead of trying to arrange a face-to-face meeting, you simply have to get all parties together in a web meeting.

Easily arranged online conferencing means that you will be able to shorten the time necessary to close complex transactions involving the input of several parties.

4. Online conferencing enables you to sell more “add-on” products to your existing clients by giving you the ability to be in a meeting with them at any time and within minutes.

The more time you spend with any prospect, the more opportunity you have to build your rapport and to explain in detail what you have to offer. Someone who contacts you for a simple service, upon getting to know you well online, will probably go on to purchase your other offerings. If that prospect is limited to a short phone call, the chances of selling them something else is far less than it is with them seeing you.

5. Web conferencing allows you to offer better after-sales service

Customers are not only interested in what you are selling today, but on what kind of service you will be able to offer them tomorrow. Web conferencing opens up great service opportunities. For example, your technicians can “visit” your clients online. Some conferencing applications even allow a person in one office to remotely “take over” and operate a computer in another office.

When your prospective clients and customers understand that you have the capacity to remain in touch with them and help them online, they will have one more reason to want to buy from you.

Once you try your hand at it, you will probably be able to add a few more points to this list by devising new ways to improve sales with online web and video conferencing.

Title:

Conference Calling – Saving Time And Money

Word Count:

720

Summary:

The Internet has brought all of us a variety of great benefits. It has become a new form of media that rivals television. Advertising on the Internet is now a must for business owners who want to run successful advertising campaigns.

The opportunities for doing business with people all over the world in ways no one thought was possible is one of the greatest benefits. It brings people closer together. The Internet allows us to connect to people in other countries as if the...

Keywords:

Conference Call Center, Conference Call, Conference Call Services, discount conference calling, unli

Article Body:

The Internet has brought all of us a variety of great benefits. It has become a new form of media that rivals television. Advertising on the Internet is now a must for business owners who want to run successful advertising campaigns.

The opportunities for doing business with people all over the world in ways no one thought was possible is one of the greatest benefits. It brings people closer together. The Internet allows us to connect to people in other countries as if they were our next door neighbors.

In this article, I am going to help you explore the many ways in which we are able to connect to other people on the web and how that interconnectivity can be used to help your business save time and money.

Early communication on the web was mostly by email. People sent emails back and forth with people around the world. Then along came the chatrooms where people could chat in real-time. The instant messengers also came along to offer real-time chat and millions of people began chatting to each other daily across the world.

However, instant messengers, chatrooms, and email are not exactly the communications solutions business owners needed. Conference calling over the Internet provides that solution like nothing else can.

Conference calling is a very broad term though. It is used to describe a variety of services that all qualify as conference calling, but not all are equal. There are a lot of different options and choices to make when choosing conference calling for your business.

This can save your company a fortune in travel and accommodations for meetings that can be held online instead of the more expensive method of traveling to destinations and holding meetings in person. Also time is a huge factor. Your need for a meeting may be urgent. You may have no time to make travel arrangements to hold that meeting. Conference call meetings can be set up on the fly.

There are monthly services that range from connecting a few people several times per month for as low as $30 per month, to medium range services that connect more people for $80 to $100 per month, to services that connect a lot of people for regular meetings for $150 per month and above.

It all depends on your needs. The best conference call services offer a variety of plans to help you choose the one that is right for your business. Some have live operators to facilitate calls. Some guarantee your sound quality, some don’t.

Some conference calling plans include the ability to schedule regular meetings each week or each month, where it automatically calls all of the participants at the right time to join them into the meeting.

Many companies hold daily staff meetings by conference call. If your business has many locations across the country or worldwide, then you need to consider how much time and money conference calling can save your company.

Do not just consider price as the deciding factor for choosing a conference calling service. Remember how much conference calling is saving you and your company. I am not saying you must get the most expensive service out there, but you need to consider all of the options the different services have to offer.

For instance, a live operator to connect the calls can save you a lot of time and hassle. If there are problems connecting or with the audio or video feed, there is someone that can fix the problem without you having to cancel an important meeting.

Audio and video quality are huge items to consider. The better your audio and/or video feed will be the difference between a successful meeting or a miserable one.

The ability to set up a conference call meeting on the fly is another important option to consider. It is very convenient to be able to call a meeting wheneve3r you think one is needed VS using a conference calling service that only allows you a set schedule you give them each month.

The bottom line is this; Decide what your needs are. Decide which meetings can be held online VS being there in person. Once you establish your needs, then shop around and look at the various options that are available from conference call providers, before you make your decision.

Title:

What is Subnetting?

Word Count:

378

Summary:

Subnetting is, at it’s essence, the process of allocating bits from a host portion of a network as a network portion of that same network.

Keywords:

subnetting

Article Body:

Subnetting is, at it’s essence, the process of allocating bits from a host portion of a network as a network portion of that same network. This is done with networks that are using the Internet Protocol, or IP address system to create a subnetwork (also known as a subnet) of logical addresses within a particularly limited address space that is assigned to a business, organization or other large group.

With every IP address, there is a subnet mask associated with it. The subnet mask is designed to determine which and how many IP addresses are on any given local network. The router or firewall is known as a default gateway, as it is the device that is contacted every time a computer wants to access another computer that is not located within the same local network.

The subnet mask that most people are familiar with is 255.255.255.0. This is the default mask for most systems. As is the case with all IP addresses, the last digit can range from 1 to 254--and that’s it. If there are more than 254 computers or other network devices that require IP addresses on a network, the subnet mask will run out of space.

How is subnetting used to extend the number of devices on a local network?

There are two different options for a systems administrator when a local network runs out of space in it‚ؤôs subnet mask. One option is to change the subnet mask to allow for more devices. The other option is to add a router to extend the IP address range and essentially start over with a fresh subnet mask. Faster networks that have a lot of data transferring around should add a switch or router while smaller networks that will not exceed 300 devices should extend the subnet mask.

While keeping with the same IP addresses, all hosts should have their subnet masks changed to 255.255.252.0. With this simple change via subnetting, the network will now be able to grow much larger and have a range of IP addresses from 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.3.254. With subnetting in this example, it is extremely important that all hosts are changed to the new subnet mask. If they are not, the network will experience communication issues and various other performance problems with the network.

Title:

HTC VX6800

Word Count:

473

Summary:

The HTC XV6800, also known as the HTC Mogul is a smartphone designed with the corporate market in mind.

Keywords:

Verizon HTC VX-6800, HTC VX-6800, Verizon VX-6800

Article Body:

The HTC XV6800, also known as the HTC Mogul is a smartphone designed with the corporate market in mind. It is available from a variety of carriers, including Verizon, Qwest, Sprint, U.S. Cellular, and Alltel. The phone’s design is very similar to a number of other HTC devices, in that it features a large touch screen with only a few actual tactile buttons for navigation. The smartphone capabilities of the HTC XV6800 are accessed via the Windows Mobile 6 Operating System.

What network does the HTC XV6800 use?

The HTC XV6800 is a dual band CDMA phone. Because of the CDMA network, it can only be used in the United States and a few other places in the world, unlike GSM phones which can be used almost anywhere on the planet. However, despite the lack of roaming capabilities, the HTC XV6800 does allow for high speed 3G data access speeds over the EV-DO rev. 0, rev. 1, and rev. A high speed data networks.

How large is the HTC XV6800?

The HTC XV6800 measures in at approximately four and half inches (4.3) by two and a half inches (2.3) by one inch (0.7). It also weighs 165 grams, making it a large and relatively heavy device.

What kind of battery life does the HTC XV6800 allow for?

On a full charge with a brand new battery, expect to get approximately three and a third hours of talk time. Alternatively, the HTC XV6800 also allows for 228 hours of standby time on a full charge. Over time, however, expect these numbers to decrease.

What media functions are included with the HTC XV6800?

The HTC XV6800 comes stock with a very large 240 by 320 pixel display that is capable of displaying 65k colors. It is 2.8 inches in size and fully touch capable with the use of a stylus. There is also an included built in digital camera that allows for 2 megapixels of resolution and can also record video. The camera has a built in flash and 8x digital zoom.

A variety of audio and video formats are supported by the HTC XV6800, including MP3 and WMA. Songs and videos can be loaded directly into the phone’s built in memory or be accessed via a MicroSD card.

What other features are included in the HTC XV6800?

The HTC XV6800 is a fully loaded smartphone with a lot of forward thinking features. There is a full QWERTY keyboard for text messages and emails. The HTC XV6800 is also loaded with data access options, including built in WiFi support and Bluetooth 2.0 support. Other features include: a large phone book, an alarm, calendar, voice dialing, speakerphone, calculator, notes, a large variety of email support, and GPS support. With all of the included connectivity features, it is easy to see that the HTC XV6800 is basically a low powered computer in a phone’s form factor.

Title:

How to Unlock a Blackberry

Word Count:

801

Summary:

Anyone who needs to unlock blackberry devices may feel a little frustrated trying to get the right information to do so. It may seem like this information is kept away from consumers and locked down like Fort Knox.

Keywords:

blackberry, unlock blackberry, unlock cellphones

Article Body:

It's Worth it to Unlock Your Blackberry

Anyone who needs to unlock blackberry devices may feel a little frustrated trying to get the right information to do so. It may seem like this information is kept away from consumers and locked down like Fort Knox. Your confusion and frustration is warranted and understandable. However, it is worth it to go through the appropriate channels to gain this information. Consumers who unlock their Blackberry phones

are able to utilize any network around the world. This saves on astronomical international charges while traveling abroad. There are no roaming charges while traveling in other countries when a Blackberry has been unlocked. Also, the resale value of one's phone is increased by fifty percent.

How Do I Unlock Blackberry Devices and what is the Cost?

There are many websites that offer to unlock blackberry devices for consumers. The typical fee is close to $65.00. There are a precious few sites that offer their service for about $25.00, but this is quite rare. Most will perform the service remotely. All you have to do is have a USB cable available to plug into the device. Then, they can take care of the process for you with no hassle to you. In addition, some will give you the code for the unlock and you can do it yourself. Many of the sites that offer the service do so risk-free. Cost free customer support is available from most of the websites.

Other Options to Receive Unlock Codes

Sometimes EBay sellers will put up unlock codes for options. This may save you some cash in the long run. Every Blackberry that is sold has its own unlock code that is specific for the phone. The codes sometimes take between four and ten days to receive. In order to be able to successfully unlock blackberry devices one must have the IMEI number. The IMEI number can be obtained by typing in *#06# from the keyboard. A string of fifteen numbers will appear, which is the IMEI number. The IMEI number can also be obtained from the Status menu.

You're in Luck

There are a few Blackberrys where the Unlock codes are readily available for consumers on the Internet.

Here's a few that will hopefully let you unlock blackberry devices you currenly own:

Blackberry 8800 / 8300 Curve Unlock Code Directions

How to Enter Unlock Codes for the BlackBerry 8800/8300 Curve Blackberry:

1. Access the Settings Menu => and then Options

2. Select Advanced Options => and then Sim Card

3. Type MEPD using your Blackberry Keyboard (NOTE: You won't be able to see any text appear on the screen while typing MEPD)

4. Type MEP then [ALT BUTTON] then number 2 on your Blackberry keyboard (NOTE: No text will appear on the screen while typing MEPD)

5. A prompt "Enter Network MEP Code" will then appear on the screen. Press in the unlock code and press into the track wheel / jog dial to confirm

6. The Blackberry is now unlocked.

Blackberry 8100 Unlock Code Directions:

1. Place the SIM into the Blackberry 8100.

2. Power phone on and turn off the radio (Turn Wireless option to off) This is crucial.

3. Next, pick "Options" and SELECT ADVANCED OPTIONS.

4. Arrow down and select "SIM Card."

5. Type "MEPPD" (what you type will not appear on the screen).

6. Type "MEPP, next [ALT BUTTON],and then 2" (what you type will not appear on the screen).

7. Punch in the Unlock Code

8. Press enter

9. Reboot your Blackberry. Your Blackberry is now unlocked.

Blackberry 8700 Unlock Code Directions:

1. Access Settings.

2. Select Options.

3. Then access Advanced Option.

4. Then, select SIM card.

5. Type MEPD (this will not be case sensitive, and no text will appear on the screen).

6. When the device says Network Active it's ready.

7. Hold down the ALT Key while typing in MEPE into the device (this is not case sensitive, and no text will appear on the screen).

8. The screen will say "Enter Network MEP Code, type in the unlock code, and press in the jog dial to confirm.

9. Your Blackberry is now unlocked.

BlackBerry 6xxx 7xxx: ie 6230, 7100, 7290 etc. Unlock Code Instructions

1. Access the Options menu on the Blackberry.

2. Click on the SIM CARD menu. To be able to see this you have to type this on the keypad on phone : (The text won't appear on the screen until you press in the unlock code).

3. Type 'MEPD' for all models, except 7100 and instead use 'MEPPD'.

4. Normally, you will see "active" NET lock appear on the screen. To disengage this lock, type 'MEP2' respectively ('MEPP2' if phone is 7100).

5. The Blackberry will request a code. NOTE: You must use the "alt" or "shift" key to enable numbers so example would be: m-e-p-"alt key"-2 A place to enter an unlock code will appear (if not, you didn't type in mep2 or mepp2 properly.)

6. Enter the "NET Unlock Code" that you have.

7. At this point you have done unlock blackberry successfully.

Title:

Life getting Easier with a Plantronics Headset

Word Count:

402

Summary:

The phone is ringing, you are driving the beltway stuck in traffic and the phone is in your back seat. You are frustrated because you can’t get to your phone without causing an accident, but it would be a perfect time to take a call to kill the time you are stuck in traffic.

Keywords:

wireless headsets, mobile headsets, gaming headsets, telephone accessories, blue tooth, headsets,

Article Body:

The phone is ringing, you are driving the beltway stuck in traffic and the phone is in your back seat. You are frustrated because you can’t get to your phone without causing an accident, but it would be a perfect time to take a call to kill the time you are stuck in traffic. What can remedy this scenario? The answer is simple, a plantronics headset.

A plantronic headset is a completely wireless and hands free solution to those physically awkward moments in life when you are looking to effectively multi-task. Every year new technology comes out that brings us ease and convenience in our personal and professional life. Twenty years ago who would have thought that our mobile phones would be so indispensable? With the convenience of the mobile age comes a product that brings its customers even more ease. The plantronic wireless headset is catapulting us into the future.

With the plantronic headset it is possible to talk to your husband while taking a jog with the baby in the stroller or participate on a conference call while on the train or in the car on your way to the office. The plantronic headset allows people the comfort of working at their computer completely hands free while communicating with coworkers or participating in a conference call. Plantronic headset technology allows you to be completely hands free and have every function of your mobile phone. Your neck and back will not be sore, because plantronic headset allows you to be ergonomically correct.

Whether you are using a plantronic headset for your home office, home, phone, mobile phone, or large office your life will get easier. You can find headsets specifically designed for your cordless home phone or use a plantronic headset that allows you to check your email with the touch of a button for those long tiring commutes to and from the office.

There are so many functions and possibilities with this technology. Price ranges for varying headsets go from $24.95 to $395.00. With the varying price ranges, plantronics headsets bring you a variety of function technologies. The bottom line is that plantronics has a solution for you to make your life easier whether you are a top level executive or a stay at home mom. No matter your current position in life, no doubt you would benefit from a technology designed to make your life easier and bring you convenience.

Title:

How To Find The Owner Of A Phone Number

Word Count:

451

Summary:

A Guide to trace phone numbers, find the owner of a number and or stop prank calling

Keywords:

owner of phone number, phone number search

Article Body:

Finding out who's calling or has just called is a very handy and helpful thing, either from a safety point of view or curiosity. As long as you have the area code and the seven digit number, you should be able to locate any number’s owner, if you know where to look.

There are many reasons people turn to finding who owns a cell or land line phone number, take for example, a hypothetical situation of prank callers harassing you. Or a stalker that just wont leave you alone.

Searching For That Number

Your first stop should be a free reverse phone number directory. Plenty of them are available on the Internet. You’ll enter the entire number including the area code and hit “Search.” If the number is a published land line, you should get the information you want, including the name of the owner and the entire address of the owner.

If you’re lucky enough to get results, then your search can stop there. In most cases, you’ll need to try a slightly different approach.

Usually, the reason you’ll run into problems is that the number belongs to a cell phone. Because there is no central database of cell phone numbers, free reverse phone directories cannot return information on those numbers. You also won’t be able to get information on land line numbers that are unlisted or non-published.

Don’t bother trying multiple reverse phone directories in order to find the owner of a phone number, either. Most use the same databases, so if you don’t score results at one then you won’t fare any better at another site.

Find a Phone Number Owner – With Reverse Phone Detective

Instead, you may have to use a paid site. For a reasonable fee, you can access all of the information you need about the owner of a phone number using Reverse Phone Detective. There database gives you accurate, up-to-date information using both land line and cell phone searches.

The exclusive database includes broad coverage of the entire United States – with better results than you’ll find at most other sites. They also give you free search assistance, access to expanded people search databases, and more.

In addition, they also give you a 100%, ironclad guarantee – if you don’t get results, you don’t pay.

To use Reverse Phone Detectives’ reverse lookup service, you will pay a fee which gives you an unlimited number of searches inside the members’ area, plus a premium full phone report. After you sign up, just enter the phone number you want to find, click “Search,” and you’ll have your information. It’s that easy!

Title:

What is a torrent file and how does it work?

Word Count:

919

Summary:

A torrent file is the file that is transferred among users using the torrent technology. The file extension used by torrent files is .torrent. Torrent files, when added into a torrent application, can be distributed among numerous amounts of people without the need of any major hardware costs and server fees on a particular individual.

Keywords:

torrent file, download, share

Article Body:

A torrent file is the file that is transferred among users using the torrent technology. The file extension used by torrent files is .torrent. Torrent files, when added into a torrent application, can be distributed among numerous amounts of people without the need of any major hardware costs and server fees on a particular individual. This is because each user supplies bits of the full torrent file to users without those particular bits, while receiving bits that they do not yet have. Therefore, torrent files can also be shared relatively quickly.

History

Torrent technology was first planned and developed by Bram Cohen in April 2001. After months of development, it first went public in 2 July, 2001. Today, Cohen’s technology is widely used. Although there are no specific measurements, it is considered as one of the most significantly used protocols in the Internet today.

Behind the Technology

The torrent technology is operated by a torrent client sending bits of the torrent file through a torrent protocol. A torrent client would be for example a personal computer while the torrent file can be of any file in the .torrent format.

For the sharing to begin, first a user must create a .torrent file (eg. File.torrent). A torrent file contains information, such as the tracker, the main computer distributing the file first, and the metadata, information about the files in the torrent file. People wishing to obtain the information must first download the torrent file (in this case, File.torrent), run it with their torrent application, and then connect with the tracker, which will give orders on where to download what bits of the torrent file.

Torrent Files vs. HTTP Files

Although torrent files and its sharing are technically a transfer of files over the network, it has its strengths compared to the old-school HTTP downloading style. Firstly, when downloading files, web browsers will make one HTTP GET request through one TCP socket. However, torrent files make numerous amounts of small data requests over many TCP sockets. Also, HTTP will download in an order—what is first will be downloaded first; however torrents download in a random way—whatever is of high availability will be downloaded first.

This is exactly why the torrent files have its strengths; it doesn’t need much financial back, it has a higher redundancy, and a better resistance to potential abuse from flash crowds than what would be a frequent thing with HTTPs. However, as with everything, there is a downside. It takes a bit of time for downloads to be running in full throttle, as connecting to other peers can tae time. Also, becoming an effective uploader also takes time. Not to forget, while torrent file downloading will reach immensely high speeds, the speed will eventually fall near the end of the download as availability of the bits of the torrent file decrease.

Sharing Torrents and Files

First a user browses through the Internet looking for torrent files. Once a torrent file is obtained, the user will connect it through a torrent application and connect with the tracker. Then, the user will begin to download off of seeders and a group of peers known as the “swarm.” If there is one seeder, the user will directly connect to that seeder and begin to download, but eventually start to exchange files with other peers too, which lessens the burden on the seeder.

Applications of Torrent Files

Surprisingly, torrent files are widely used today by many individuals and some corporations.

 Some bands like “Ween” uses torrent files to distribute their free albums

 .torrent files are increasingly used by Podcasters to meet the high demands of these radio MP3s

 The game America’s Army uses torrent files to release their updates and patches for the games

 An immense number of open source and free softwares utilize torrent files to increase availability and awareness of the projects

Torrent Files’ Limitations

Although torrent files seem to be another great way to download and share files, it has some limitations such as security issues.

 IP Address Exposed: The use of torrent files can lead to anonymity issues, as all IP addresses of current and potentially previous swarm users can be found and abused

 Internet Speeds: It is best to use broadband when sharing torrent files, so dial-up users cannot take full advantage of the torrent technology

 Leeching Problem: While sharing torrent files is good, it doesn’t have many incentives behind it. Thus, there is no real reason to continue to seed after the download has finished. To fix this issue, some torrent sites have begun to limit the download speeds of users who do not upload often.

Free Torrent Applications to Download Torrent Files

In today’s market there are both quality free open source and paid products to download torrent files.

 BitTorrent: BitTorrent is the first and official torrent client made by Bram Cohen himself. It is supported in major operating systems such as Microsoft Windows, Apple, and Linux.

 Azuerus (Vuze): This is also a widely used torrent client first released in SourceForge in June 2003. Released under the GNU General Public License, Azuerus is a constantly developed, free client.

 µTorrent (uTorrent): uTorrent, also known as microTorrent, is a torrent client written in C++. Because of its small size but a powerful interface, it is another widely used free torrent client. It was first released on December 7, 2006 between BitTorrent, Inc. and Ludvig Strigeus, but was later fully acquired by BitTorrent, Inc. because of the application’s popularity, size, and power.