Irunabiz: Technology » General

4 Sites Worth Reading for Tech News and Info

Jeff Spiller — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 14:16:33 +0000

Here are 4 sites worth for reading for tech news if your not a techie and are running a business:

smallbiztechnology.com. As its name indicates, this is a blog that deals with technology for small business. It has lots and news and tips.

CNET. CNET provides tech news and information in a very non-techie friendly format.

ZDNet. More technical than CNet, but worth a regular review.

irunabiz.com. For obvious reasons.

Leave a comment and let me know what sites you like to read.

5 Ways To Make Technology Work for You

Jeff Spiller — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 05:07:11 +0000

1. Don’t buy a Cadillac when all you need is a Chevrolet. Microsoft has lured us into believing that we should have software with every feature possible. We will never use most of these features, but we still pay for them. Only buy what you need. There are plenty of free and inexpensive applications out there that will get the job done. For example OpenOffice vs. Microsoft Office, Quicken Home and Business vs. QuickBooks. Make sure you are getting what you need, not paying for what you don’t need.

2. Technology doesn’t solve problems. People solve problems, and sometimes they use technology to do it. For example If your accounting person cannot accurately write checks by hand, a piece of software won’t solve the problem–I know from experience. Your technology is only as good as the people who are using it, and the procedures you have in place to run it. Make sure you have the right people and procedures in place before you get new technology.

3. Don’t buy a solution looking for a problem. Too many people (me included) will get the newest gee-whiz tool out there, and then try to come up with a justification for using it. For example buying a PDA when you Paper Organizer works fine; all that’s going to happen is that your going to be disorganized until you go back to the paper organizer.

4. If you are putting in new technology have a plan. It is true with technology that those who “fail to plan, plan to fail”.

5. Keep it simple. If all you need are two computers that can share files, don’t put in a full fledged network with file servers; Don’t host your own email if you don’t have to; Don’t write software if you can buy it; and so on.

Welcome to my improved site

Jeff Spiller — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 03:08:27 +0000

I have updated the site so that it is easier to read (especially for Safari users) and has more features. I hope that you like the new look. Please note that if you have links to articles from the old site (business.irunabiz.com), you will have to update your bookmarks.

Thanks

Refined focus for this blog

Jeff Spiller — Sat, 17 May 2008 09:37:30 +0000

I started this blog at the beginning of the year with the hopes of helping people start and manage home and small businesses. As I have been researching and posting articles for this blog, I’ve noticed that there is a wealth of information out there about running businesses (my favorite sites are listed under general business in the sidebar). Most of these sites can give you the same information that I can, and some in much more detail. (One of the best is the US Small Business Administration, go to their website and take advantage of their services and information — you paid for it with your taxes.) The information that I was providing was too general not providing much extra value for small business owners.

After some deep retrospection I have decided to focus this blog on an single area of running a business — Information technology(IT). IT is an area that I have over 20 years experience with. The new sites goal will be “to help part-time and full-time home business use technology to effectively and efficiently grow and run their businesses”. The look is going to change a bit, but I hope that information will be valuable to my readers.