Home Office Tools - Get an online fax solution

Why would you want to use an online fax program? Well there are a few good reasons to look into it. Online fax programs give you a little more flexibility.

You can get faxes and check them online before you waste paper on printing them out. So instead of junk faxes taking up your copy paper you can just hit the delete button.

You don't have to sit by the fax machine waiting for your fax to come in. Most online fax companies will send an email that lets you know that you have a new fax. So you can be on the go and still stay up on the information that you need.

Cut down on the amount of work you are putting your current fax machine through. You might not have to be concerned about paper jams and replacing toner and the drum as much. Fax toner and replacement parts are not cheap. With online fax software you can focus on getting your information without the hassles of worrying about fax hardware.

You can download your faxes and keep them on your computer. If you have a fax that came in on your machine and you misplace it its gone. But with an online fax program you can download your fax messages and keep them safe on your computer as a backup.

Blogging First Steps - Building a WordPress Site

Blogs are easy to setup

The time and effort to put a blog type of website up is minimal. With a few quick steps you can have your site online. The process for setting up a blog has been simplified with new software programs. Wondering how you can do this?

Domain Name Registration - Buying Your Web Address

Start by getting a domain from a web address registration company. Expect to pay around 10 dollars a year for a web address. Prices can vary so be sure to shop around for a good price. Think about registering the address for more than one year. There may be discounts for doing this, and it can give you a little piece of mind knowing that you have an address for a few years. Remember to store the expiration date and keep it in a safe place. Before you buy a domain name make sure to check for discount codes.

Domain Name Discount and Promo Codes

There are websites online that specialize in giving out discount codes. Just type in the name of the domain name company and discount or promo codes into a search engine. Write down all the codes that can fit your type of domain (.com.net.org ) purchase. Promo and discount codes usually have an expiration date on them. Not all discount codes will work, but it only takes a few minutes to enter a discount code which could save you some money. After you get your domain name, then you have to find a place to host your website. Now you need to find a web hosting company.

Finding a Web Hosting Company

Go to your favorite search engine and type in web hosting. Or you can go to the WordPress website and find the hosts that they suggest. This can be your starting point. Not all hosting companies are the same. Find a host that supports WordPress and has quick installations. This type of quick install software can make getting your site up really easy.

WordPress Themes

Now a basic site is up and running on the internet. Login and start entering information. Create blog posts and pages that contain information. This can include text, photos, links to video, or audio. WordPress makes it easy to customize your site. There are many web designers that create WP themes.

What is a theme? A theme is a group of files that determines how your site will look. Search online for WP themes. Some themes are free and some have to be paid for. Free WP themes will usually contain links to other websites. Commercial themes ( the ones that you have to pay for ) might allow you to remove hyperlinks that are normally found in the footer section of the theme. After selecting a theme you can then start to customize your site. Well coded WP themes will make it easy for you to make changes to your site without having to know html or php. Upload a header image or change the colors of your site with a few clicks of the mouse.

Start Your Home Business - Use Your Computer to Leverage Free Internet Tools to Get Started

Home Business - Start a business at home

Nobody is stopping you from starting your own business. Nobody is telling you when to go to sleep and when to get up in the morning. There are all kinds of opportunities that you can take advantage of. You can sit down at your kitchen table and come up with a business idea that you can do from home. Start writing down your business ideas. Most people have access to cell phones and the internet. You can start by using free marketing tools like a blog or social media tools like twitter.

Home Business - Use Your Computer

A computer gives you global access. There are all kinds of free software that you can use to get started. Software usually comes with a computer when you purchase it. You can expect a word processor, graphics program and bunch of other applications that you can use to get started. If you have internet access a lot of these applications will be available online. Now you can be connected with using social media. Take some time to learn these new tools and see how they can be used in your business.

Home Business - Getting People to Your Website

Build websites with search engine optimization in mind. Start by creating your web content for the people that are going to be reading your stuff. If people get to your website and they like your information they might link to your website and they might tell their friends to visit your website also. Search engine optimization is about helping the search engines get better results.

You want people to get to your website. Attention span for web users is really short, so you have to make a good impression really fast. If you have content that people find interesting they will not only come to your website but they might bring other people with them too. So start with the good content first and add your search engine optimization later.

Getting Web Traffic - Building Links to your content

The internet is just a bunch of files that are linked together. So links are important. Search engine optimization is all about getting links to your website up higher in the search engine results page. You want links back to your website. You want more links and you want them from good internet sources. If you have a blog make sure to include it in your marketing activities.

Home Office - Can You Imagine Not Having to Wait in Bumper to Bumper Traffic to Get to Work?

The idea of getting up in the morning and having no commute to work is really what drives a lot of people to work for themselves. The idea of making as much money as you can without a yearly cap on your income. When you work for yourself the only limit is your production. Some types of work can be done from a home office. You might not want to jump into working from your home office. Maybe you want to start off slowly.

Can working from home save money?

You might not have to invest in as much dry cleaning for suits and dress shirts. You might have a lower monthly gas bill. If you are working from home using your internet connection and smartphone you are not going to be putting as much wear and tear on driving your car all over town.

Can you do your work with no supervision?

Being your own boss means that you don't have anyone looking over your shoulder when it comes to getting your job done. You have to be organized, you have to manage your time and you are accountable for the getting the work done to the clients satisfaction.

Distractions in Your Home Office

Working for yourself means that you are taking on more responsibility. You are going to have to be more focused that on the job. If you are working from home then that means creating a place that you can work without interruption. Can you get your work done with the 1080p 46 inch tv with bose surround sound in the next room or are you going to stop and watch your favorite show during the middle of the day. More focus will be required because you are in familiar settings.

Are you ready to make the call?

The thing about being your own boss is that you can make that decision. You might decide that you work best at later hours during the day. As long as you are getting your work done does it matter? It might depend on the type of work you are doing also.

If you are your own boss it can also mean some times of isolation. Are you okay being alone for long stretches of time. Its one thing to talk to people on the phone and on email but you might miss the relationships and face to face meetings that you have with people from work. If you might need some chatter in the background you can always go to a coffee shop or a library with your laptop and work from there.

Home Office Websites

Here are just a few ways that you can get your website up quickly.

1. Create a blog at blogger or wordpress - you can create information to put up on the site but if you violate the terms of the blogging platform your site can be deleted and all your work will be gone.  You can purchase a domain name and have it point to the blogging platform.
2. Download wordpress blog software and purchase web hosting with your own domain and setup a business blog.  You will have to purchase a domain name for your business and pay a web hosting fee either monthly or yearly.  Using the wordpress software to power your website can be helpful.  There are a lot of programmers and designers that are developing themes and plugins that extend the use of wordpress.  Some themes and plugins are free and others you will have to pay for.  You can switch the look and feel of your website with a few mouse button clicks.
3. Purchase a domain and use a website builder application that walks you through creating a simple business website.  Some web hosting companies offer software applications that make it easy to get a website published quickly with a what you see is what you get approach.  You have to enter the information into the program and it will create basic webpages for you.  
4. Hire a programmer to have a custom business website designed and built. You talk to the programmer or web designer about what kind of website that you want.  You can give them a list of websites that you like and what you want included in yours.  You can say the colors that you want to use and what you want to use your website for and you go through a process of viewing and reviewing website updates until you get what you want.  

Home Office Phones

You have a choice when creating your home office.  With new technology and low cost you can go for a separate land phone line or you can get a cell phone / smartphone to use for your business.  The cost of unlimited cell phone calling plans has dropped and the cost of smartphones are reasonable too.

In addition to land line and cell phones you also have the option of using an internet based phone solution.  There is the offering from google called google voice that lets you make phone calls on the web.  You can get a google voice phone number that you can give out to people and when they call it can ring your cell phone or any other phone number that you specify.

Skype is another internet phone web application that allow you to make phone and video calls. You can make your phone calls from your computer.  You can use a headphone set with a microphone or use a bluetooth headset to make calls.

Home Business: Start using what you have access to

We want systems that we can put into place that will help make it easier to get the job done.  Home business is still business. Where you physically do the work doesn't matter much anymore.  With the internet and computing technology you can work from were you choose. 

A computer programmer can write code and send it anywhere or just upload  it on a server.  A writer can write with a netbook or laptop and email the information or post it on a website.  Some types of work can be done from home easily.

New computer technology and devices make it possible for your office to be anywhere.  You don't have to be tied down.  You need an important document and it could be faxed to your toll free number and forwarded to your email that is accessible from anywhere.

Portable scanners can transform physical papers, documents, and business cards into digital information.  No more misplacing those business cards.  Scan them in and you have the information stored in your database.
You can create or purchase websites and blogs with custom designs that offer your products for sale online all the time.  Collaboration software both free and premium can allow you to work with your associates to get projects done.

You can keep your smartphone on and stay in contact with important phone calls.  You can use voip phone services to make calls for less money. You can email or text and get all of the latest information.  You can do it with technology now.

Remember that just like you have access to all these tools, so does everybody else.  You are in much more competition than before. Technology advances keeps changing the small business landscape.