Whiteboards - 24 Square Feet Of Planning Surface To Play With

Gone are the days of the messy and chalky blackboard, both in the classroom and in conference centers. The blackboard has been replaced by the whiteboard. Users write with dry-wipe pens instead of chalk. The pens come in about eight colors. Dry wipe pens leave marks that can simply be erased using a duster or clean board duster. The pens do leave a powdery residue when the board is wiped clean. Using dry wipe pens is considerably more expensive than chalk, but much less messy. Whiteboards also make excellent additions to home offices, kitchens and garages. Jot your notes, to do tasks and phone messages on the whiteboard and they will never be lost, as pieces of paper will be. A whiteboard will allow you to prioritise all the tasks associated with running a business from home. Planning is made much easier, too. My Internet business revolves around my white-boards. Whiteboards come in a wide range of sizes, though the common sizes are 3 feet by 4 feet and 6 feet by 4 feet. Buy the biggest one you can fit on your wall space, because you will manage to fill it much faster than you think. You may have to buy from a specialist office supplier, like Viking Direct, because high street stores are often limited in the stock they carry. Interactive whiteboards are another ball game entirely. An interactive board will cost hundreds of dollars, as opposed to a dry wipe plastic board that only has a cost of thirty dollars or so. An interactive board allows users to use special non-marking pens that appear to write on the surface, but the board clears when the computer attached to the whiteboard is switched off. The interactive board comes into its own when it is used with specially designed software that allows users to project spreadsheets onto the board, then draw on the board with special "pens", that leave a colored mark on the board, which disappears when the PC is turned off. There is really no mark there at all.

MAC vs PC - Which is the best computer for your home business?

Why do people love MAC computers? Are they really the best choice for your home business? To answer that question you need to understand the basic difference between MACs and PCs. A P.C., the acronym for “Personal Computer”, is the machine that most of the computing world owns. That actually should be the acronym for “Popular Computer”. You’re likely reading this from a PC.

How can you tell? Well MAC computers, manufactured by Apple, run on their own operating system, versus the PC which all run on the Microsoft Windows operating system, i.e. Windows 98, 2000, etc. That’s it…that’s the defining difference between the two types of computers. If you’re running a computer with a Microsoft operating system, than you have a PC.

Bill Gates actually ripped off the original Apple operating system, but that’s a whole other article.

Most media and creative professionals, who work in design or in the film and music industries, only use these computers. That’s the foundation of their business. But other than that, you don’t find them too much in many business settings.

Now I’ve never owned one, but I’ve worked with other business owners who have and I actually fiddled around with one a few times. Here’s what I can tell you….
MAC users LOVE MACs!!!!!! They’re generally like cult followers, they worship them and would drink a vial of arsenic before switching to a PC.

That in itself does say a lot! You don’t generally see PC users feeling the same way. I admit they are really hot machines, but since I’ve worked with PC’s for over 15 years I am admittedly biased. It's really just a "comfort", "familiarity", "feels like a good ol' shoe" kind of thing.

The truth is MACs are essentially better-made. Apple tends to “over-engineer” their computers, so that you can get by without an upgrade for a much longer time. It's about eight to ten years, as opposed to the PC’s three to five year span.

Their operating system is superior to Windows and they have far fewer technical issues, especially relating to viruses. Macs only make up about 2% of all computers out there, so hackers don’t think it’s worthwhile to develop viruses that affect their operating system; hence computer viruses on MACs are virtually non-existent.

Not to mention computer hackers hate the fact that Microsoft has created a monopoly. Viruses are their way of creating a massive migraine for them…and unfortunately us as well.

Now on the other side, since there are fewer Macs in the world, not all software, especially specialty software, is available to run on their operating system. So you have to look into that before you decide to purchase one.

So if they’re so great, then why doesn’t everyone own one?

Simple…they are more expensive than PC’s. That’s the main reason why PC’s are more “popular”…period! You see “Popular Computer”…oh never mind!

Most businesses, especially small businesses, don’t need to spend the extra bucks on a computer just to run simple word processing and database programs…it’s really not a necessary cost. That’s an important concern when starting a small business.

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider one. They’re really great machines and will certainly keep your business running at peek efficiency. And the upfront price may be worth the cost, because it may actually save you money on the back-end. The savings from not having to upgrade hardware every couple of years or having to update virus protection software will save you lots over the long-term.

Find out more about MACs for your home business at Duh Idiot’s Home Biz Start-Up Guide.

© 2005 A Covert Operations, Ltd.
All rights reserved.
http://www.starting-a-home-business.org

Checklist Before Starting a Home Based Business

When you are looking for a home business opportunity, it is important to make sure that you are aware of all that you will be required to bring to the equation. This can help save you a lot of confusion and money by avoiding opportunities that require too much from you to get started. Here is a checklist of thing that you should consider before selecting a home business opportunity.

1. Do you need to get a license to run the business? Many states require that businesses get a license before they are allowed to open. This includes home businesses in many locations. Check with your local government agencies to see what you will need to have in place to start your own home business.

2. Do you need a zoning permit? If you have a home business opportunity that requires doing actual business with the public, you are going to need to make sure that you will not be in violation of any zoning laws. Most cities have very strict residential zoning requirements and it is not hard to violate them. Make sure that the type of business you want to start will be acceptable to run at your current location.

3. How much equipment will you need to buy? You’ll need to know exactly how much money you’re going to have to spend to get your business operational. While some home business opportunities require just a computer, others may need a special printer, extra software, additional gadgets or even heavy equipment. This can add up in a short period of time. Make sure that you are aware of all the expenses that you will incur before you start up.

4. Do you have enough space in your home to devote to your business? Running an informational company is one thing, but if you are going to be stocking products in your home, you’re going to need enough space. For tax purposes, you’re also going to have to have a room that is completely devoted to your home business. This means no kid’s toys, or anything from your normal family life can intrude on this room. If you don’t have this kind of space you may need to add on to your home to accommodate your business.

5. Will you need to purchase any insurance? If you are doing business with the public at your home, you will need to get liability insurance. This will help protect you if anyone falls on your property or injures themselves in anyway. If you will be storing products, you will need to have them insured in case there is a flood or they get damaged in any way.

Lastly, you may want to consider business protection insurance that will help you in the event of any copyright infringement claims or other common complaints. Don’t forget your own health insurance, or any insurance that you may need to provide for employees. This can add up quickly and increase your overall start up costs.

Home Internet Options: The War Between DSL And Cable

If you are still using dial-up, you have probably gotten either the “You don’t use DSL yet?” or the “You don’t use cable yet?” expressions of credulity. So you’ve decided that it’s probably time to get off of dial-up – yet, the question remains: which is better, DSL or cable? There are advertisements arguing the perks of both, but which will really get you more bang for your buck?

The three issues to take into account when comparing DSL and cable Internet connection are speed, customer satisfaction and security.

Theoretically, cable modems run faster than DSL because they offer more bandwith. There is also a form of DSL called VDSL which can match the speed of a cable modem. However, the speed of cable is relative to the number of people in your area who are accessing the neighborhood at the same time. One popular commercial compares cable modems to drinking out of a straw – the straw is fine, if one person is drinking from it. But if the straw must be shared – well, obviously things slow down a little. Both DSL and cable also vary in speed by the minute depending on the congestion caused by multiple users.

Customer service surveys conducted by J.D. Power and Associates in 2004 showed that DSL had an edge over cable in customer satisfaction ratings. This survey looked at billing, the provider’s business image, cost and tech support, and email services. Earthlink and Verizon, both DSL, were the top two service providers rated in the survey.

Since cable modems necessitate the sharing of a cable line to provide service to the entire neighborhood, DSL is slightly more secure. However, cable modems are easier to install, and many sources believe that the difference in security is not significant enough to go through the trouble of installing DSL. Many cable customers avoid security problems by putting up firewalls in order to protect themselves, and their information.