Essential Online Tools for Small Business Owners
Posted By Michael D'Elicio / 22nd May 2009
Part of what I do is to help small businesses create an online marketing presence where there previously was none. However,what I’ve learned is that, in order to help them help themselves, it also means I often have to teach small business owners how to properly navigate through the web and 21st century software.
It’s occurred to me that if these businesspeople had the bare essentials, it would make collaboration much easier. The below list represents software and applications intended to make your online experience easier, more efficient, and much more pleasurable.
These are my suggestions: there are several different types of apps which some may feel are superior to the ones I’ve outlined. But rest assured the below are considered acceptable by even the most ardent techie. Enjoy.
TOOL 1: BROWSER
Mozilla Firefox – The current standard, Firefox makes surfing the internet faster, and protects much better against pop-ups, malware and adware than its main competitor, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE). Because IE comes with Windows, it becomes your default browser; for owners who often are running Windows 2000 or XP, they’ve failed to update IE, and have a slow, plodding, and painfully obnoxious internet experience. I hate Internet Explorer with every fiber of my being.
Additionally, Firefox allows for plugins – or additional features – which greatly enhance your browser, such as Google Toolbar, AdBlocker (blocks unwanted ads), and the script writer GreaseMonkey (a subject for another post!). Download Firefox TODAY.
TOOL 2: EMAIL
Gmail – Do you still have an AOL account? Really? Still? Change it. Now. Please. For all that is holy.
Am I being too dramatic? No, no I’m not. Pop-ups, slow loading, unnecessary news articles and a negligible spam blocker…if AOL is not the worst email carrier currently in existence, it’s certainly trying its damnedest.
For web-based email, Gmail is by far my favorite. Organizing, uploading and downloading files, and archiving past emails is incredibly easy and quick. In fact, its abilities are so robust, I stopped using Microsoft Outlook altogether.
Even if you have a hosted email account, which most businesses with websites do, I recommend forwarding your email to Gmail instead of Outlook. To learn how, click here.
TOOL 3: INSTANT MESSAGER
Google Talk – Google Talk allows you to instant message – that is, “chat” in real time with a collaborator, either via text or voice. There are other services, such as Skype, Yahoo! Chat, AIM, MSN Live Messenger, and others, but Google Talk can be done based out of Gmail, and makes usage more efficient. You only need one password for both services; in fact, a Google password can be used for Google Analytics, Blogger, and any other Google application.
TOOL 4: FTP CLIENT
[A little background here: The websites you are used to going to are referred to as HyperText Transfer Protocol, or HTTP. FTP, on the other hand, stands for File Transfer Protocol. What this means is that instead of transferring hypertext (multimedia, words, images), this website transfers files. In plain English, you can upload and download off these sites.]
Filezilla – Ever had a web designer or printer ask you to send them files, but they were too big to email? Did they ask you to send them to their FTP site? Did you completely freak out?
Filezilla is an FTP client – that is, an application that allows you to search your folders, select one or more files, and upload them directly from a site. You can also download files from an FTP to your computer. All you’ll need is the FTP URL (ftp://theirdomainname.com), their username, and password, and you’ll be all set.
TOOL 5: PC CLEANING TOOLS
A big problem with many office PCs is that they have collected a lot of unnecessary temporary files and caches, not to mention harmful viruses and adware. Instead of writing my own breakdown, I suggest reading this great blog post on MisselhornMedulla.com about keeping your PC clean and running efficiently.
You don’t have to be a computer expert to run a small business. But you do have to know how to use a computer. These tools and techniques are a good first start in gaining control over your PC and the World Wide Web.
