Unfortunately, we’re only dealt 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, 4 weeks in a month, and 12 months in a year. That will never change, but we are constantly needing more time to scale our businesses. For instance if it takes us 1 hour to make $500 (everyone’s rates will vary) then to make $1,000 we need 2 hours right?
Thinking purely in a linear logical manner it would seem that you would then reach a glass ceiling since there is a finite amount of time. After all we still need time for meals, sleeping, and family.
However, as a smart entrepreneur you’ll start to realize the power of leverage. By harnessing the power of leverage you can turn a finite amount of time into an infinite amount of time.
For example, if you don’t have enough time to do your work… Get someone else to do it for a cheaper amount then what you would have made during that time. If I charge $500 an hour but can get someone else to do that work for $250. Then I have saved myself an hour to make another $500. Plus I still made $250 on top of paying for the other guy to do my work for me.
Now I’ve made $750 in one hour instead of $500! What if I had 5 people working for me? What if I only had to pay them $20 an hour instead of $250?
People aren’t the only things you can leverage. There are all kinds of tools and systems you can leverage to maximize your earnings per hour or per effort spent. Here are 5 tools I use to save time and maximize earnings
Canned Responses
A canned response is a pre-written response to commonly asked questions. As an information marketer who sells dozens of downloadable courses I’m constantly getting questions to my inbox. 80% of these questions are exactly the same though.
Things like, “I lost the download link” or “how do I find my password if I lost it.”
We pre-write the answers to these questions and then just copy/paste them into the email. This saves us the time of having to write these out every time. If we save 2-3 minutes 10 times per day then we’ve added an extra 20-30 minutes onto our day to do other more important tasks.
Depending on which email client you use you may or may not have this feature built in. I’m loving that Gmail just added this feature into the Gmail labs. If you are using Gmail just go into your settings at the top right of your user interface. Then click on the labs tab and you’ll find “canned responses” about half way down the list of add ons.
If you don’t have Gmail you may have to look around or do what we used too. We just kept a live running document of all the questions and answers to those questions that we were getting. This was great for when we hired someone to start doing our email support for us since they already had the answers to 80% of our emails.
Gmail has just made this really easy for us though. Now we can just load all our responses into their system and not have to keep another document open all day. You can ever setup a filter (which we talk about below) that will automatically send out canned responses based on a keyword found in the email!!!
To Do Lists
This one is one of the most common most heard about methods of saving time. Yet, SOOO many people aren’t doing it. The power of to do lists was best described to me by Kirt Christensen. Kirt says “Just like a computer with lots of programs open and starts running slow, so will your brain if you are constantly having to remember lots of tasks.”
When you create a to do list you are effectively closing out all the open programs in your brain. Which lets your brain run more clearly and faster because now everything is on a list and it doesn’t have to juggle all your thoughts at once. Now it can just focus 100% on the task at hand.
Not to mention how AWESOME it feels to cross a task off of a list.
There are tons of applications you can use for to do lists. Personally, I don’t have the organizational fortitude to keep up with software based to do lists. I’m more of a whiteboard/yellow note pad kind of guy when it comes to lists.
However, if you want some cool resources for to do lists then I suggest Gmail Labs again for the Gmail Tasks add-on. People using Outlook have had this feature for years but Gmail now has it also. If you want something a little more robust then that I highly recommend RememberTheMilk.com (also suggested by Kirt). RememberTheMilk has the capabilites to sync with your email and cellphone so you are always on top of your tasks.
Re-purposed Content
You’ve heard it a million times “Content Is King.” I’ve noticed that the amount of content I produce directly affects my traffic and income levels. That’s why I’m always trying to think of how I can use one piece of content for multiple pruposes.
Here’s a little system I shared with my mastermind buddies last weekend…
Step #1 = Do a live Ustream show about a popular topic (make sure to record)
Step #2 = While broadcasting turn on some sort of microphone to record your audio
Step #3 = Send your Audio out to iTunes and all the podcast directories
Step #4 = Send your Audio to CastingWords.com for quick/cheap transcribing
Step #5 = Embed your video broadcast and transcription into a blog post on your blog
Step #6 = Mass submit your transcription to the article directories
Step # 7 = Bundle all 3 versions of the content onto a squeeze page and build a list
Using those 7 steps I’m able to take the content I made in a 20 minute Ustream broadcast and massively redistribute it all over the web. This gets me a ton more backlinks, traffic, exposure, sales, and subscriptions.
Signatures
When I send out an email I have a pre-written marketing message that follows along at the bottom of every one of my emails. This includes links to my websites and even a signup link to my affiliate program.
In Gmail you can set it up in your settings so that this signature will be automatically posted to every email. And I just found out that you can do this with your autoresponders and broadcasts if you’re using Aweber like we do.
Using the {!Signature) tag you can add a pre-written signature to the bottom of every email you send out to your subscribers. I was doing this manually for awhile and saw a 30% increase in the amount of income each email was bringing in.
I just added a signature that said “Recommended Readings” and then added affiliate links to my favorite reports and books on Amazon. I would make 2-3 sales per email I sent out in addition to the normal promotions in my email. Plus, this is a soft sell and doesn’t piss off your subscribers like a hard sell would.
Filters
This is a little more advanced in regards to email clients. Just about every email client I can think of and have ever used has this feature though. Basically, a filter creates a “rule” for your inbox. Then your inbox watches for signs of this “rule” and implements the action you told it to everytime it see’s the “rule” happening.
For example I hate getting those notification of payments received emails from Paypal (I used to LOVE seeing them) but now they come in so often that it’s cumbersome to keep removing them. That’s why I used a filter to create a rule that told my inbox if it ever see’s those emails to just automatically place them in their corresponding folder.
Now I never have to see them even though they are coming in all day long. They just get filed to their correct folder automatically. You can ever set these up to auto-reply to certain emails. There is a lot you can do with filters especially with Gmail’s new canned response feature. I hope you’ll check it out and get creative.
Wrap Up
If you’ll implement those 5 tips into your business I can promise you’ll see drastic changes in time efficiency and maximized revenue. None of them are all that hard to implement either. Just takes a little discipline and they almost run themselves.
Do you have any time saving tips for us?
Kamis, 02 Juli 2009
5 Time Savers That Produce Big Results
ABC's of RSS
Implementing RSS (Really Simple Syndication) can be aided by an understanding of the terms relating to RSS. Learn the ABCs of RSS....
A - AutoDiscovery
Auto Discovery is code that is inserted into the header of an HTML web page, which then indicates to readers that an RSS feed is available for the content.
B - Blogs
Blogs are web logs that are updated regularly, usually on a daily basis. Blogs generally contain information related to a specific topic. In some cases, blogs are used as daily diaries about people's personal lives, political views, or even as social commentaries. The truth of the matter is that blogs can be shaped into whatever the author wants them to be. While initially thought of as diaries or online journals, blogs have evolved into the latest fresh web content.
C - Cache
Cache is a temporary storage area for frequently-accessed or recently-accessed data. Having certain data stored in a cache area speeds up the operation of the computer. Using a cache with RSS feeds will help minimize bandwidth and display an RSS feed's content quicker.
D - Display
RSS Many webmasters post the content of an RSS feed on their website. They use either PHP, ASP, or javascript for such purposes. If done properly, the feed's content will dynamically update as the content of the feed changes.
E - Elements
Within an RSS feed, there are various feed elements. The elements of an RSS feed are defined by tags.
F - Filter
Many RSS feeds contain duplicate or similar content. Publishers can filter RSS feeds so that they only see content that they wish to see, by filtering out duplicate postings.
G - GUID
GUID stands for Globally Unique IDentifier. The RSS specification strongly suggests that each RSS feed item have a unique GUID. If you are creating feeds, a GUID is important because GUIDs are often used by feed readers and aggregators to determine if a feed item is new or simply an existing item that has been updated. Each item in the RSS feed should have a unique GUID.
H - HTML
HTML, which is the acronym for HyperText Markup Language, is frequently used to design websites.
I - iTunes Namespace
The iTunes Namespace allows the user to add the information necessary to have a podcast listed on the Apple iTunes Music Store (ITMS). J - JavaScript Javascript can be used to display the content of an RSS feed.
K - Keywords
Keywords should be integrated into the RSS feed to help search engines determine what the RSS feed is about.
L - Links
Links are used to direct RSS readers to the original webpage containing information that directly relates to the feed.
M - Mashup
A mashup is a combination of multiple RSS feeds that have been merged together to create a new, single feed.
N - Namespace Extensions
The RSS specification allows you to create and use your own custom elements (tags) in any RSS feed by declaring your own namespace. Doing this is 100% in line with the RSS specification and the feed will validate. However, you should have a specific and well-planned reason to do so. No RSS readers, or other RSS processing applications, will be able to use your custom info for any purpose. Adding elements (tags) would typically be used only in an in-house situation where both the writing application and the reading application have prior knowledge of the new tags.
O - OPML
OPML, or Outline Processor Markup Language, is a file format standard that can be used to exchange subscription lists between programs. OPML is used as a standard to import or export groups of RSS feed subscriptions. OPML was initially designed by Radio UserLand as a file format for outlines. The purpose of this format is to provide a way to exchange information between outliners and Internet services. OPML has since been adopted for other uses, the most common being to exchange lists of RSS feeds between RSS aggregators. OPML is an open format, allowing other services to extend the format. While OPML was not initially designed as a vehicle to share RSS feeds, it has become the de facto standard. OPML, like RSS, is based on RSS, and because of the similarities, those familiar with RSS have embraced OPML as a way to share RSS feed collections
P - Podcasting
Podcasting is online audio content that is delivered via an RSS feed. Many people equate podcasting to "radio on demand". However, in reality, podcasting gives the listener far more options than radio does, in terms of content and programming. In addition, podcast listeners can determine their own time and the place for listening, meaning they decide what programming they want to receive, and when they want to listen to it. Listeners can retain audio archives to listen to later, at their leisure. While blogs have turned many bloggers into journalists, podcasting has the potential to turn podcasters into radio personalities.
Q - Query
Webmasters can create RSS feeds based on search queries for their websites.
R - RSS
RSS is a standard format for syndicating content on the Internet. The content can be anything! Information contained in an RSS feed is often syndicated on other sites, which expands its reach. Website visitors love RSS because they choose which feeds they wish to subscribe to. If at any point they are unhappy with the content contained in the RSS feed, they simply unsubscribe and no longer receive notification of feed updates. RSS is really a win-win for both subscribers and publishers. In order to get a better understanding of how RSS works, download an RSS reader or use a web aggregator and subscribe to an RSS feed (they are usually indicated by a small orange icon).
S - Syndication
Syndication is the supply of material for reuse and integration with other material.
T - Template
Many webmasters use templates to layout the contents of their RSS feed and make it match there website.
U - URL
URLs can be embedded into the description of the RSS feed items, so that when the feed is syndicated, the content originator gains backlinks.
V- Validate
Feed validation is important. If a feed is not properly formed, it will not always be valid for reading.
W - Website
Updates RSS feeds can be set up to notify visitors when a website changes.
X - XML
RSS is a subset of XML, or eXtensible Markup Language.
Y - Yahoo Answers
Yahoo's interactive system of questions and answers can be tracked using RSS feeds. You can create keyword or category feeds for anything in Yahoo Answers.
Z - Zero Feeds
Not having RSS feeds for your website puts you at a competitive disadvantage. RSS feeds bring traffic and help the stickiness of your website.
Kamis, 18 Juni 2009
Structured File Naming Strategy For Managing Scanned Images
Many organizations purchase document scanning devices as a first step initiative to convert their paper-based filing system into an electronic one. Their second step may involve the acquisition of a document management system but because of effort and cost implications there is a common tendency to try managing with the free organizer software that comes bundled with the scanner. An affordable and more effective alternative is to use structured file naming. When using this approach there is no need to input metadata for each document or have to rely on visual identification to locate a specific document. The file name is sufficient. Structured file naming can be done manually of course but for speed and precision, it is best to use a tool such as eXadox™ that enables semi-automated structured file naming and advanced search.
Structured File Name
A structured file name consists of multiple segments where each segment provides specific information about the document. The quantity and type of segments employed is dependant on the type of documents and the business activity. A general purpose file name structure used within eXadox that can handle most requirements consists of the following segments:
SUB-FOLDER NAME_REF ID LIST_REF-ID_DOC TYPE_
DOC NAME_VERSION_[TRACKING]. EXT
The following are some examples showing how this structure can be used:
GLOBAL_GENEXPENSE_P76328_INV_090125_[BOX4].PDF
SMITH-J _SUNLIFE_367450_POLICY_EXP120215.PDF
LAGOCONDOS_PPELEC_5786_SUBCON_H&L.DOC
In the examples above, each segment can convey different types of information based on need. The following provides some insight on how to exploit each segment in the structure:
SUB-FOLDER NAME is the primary entity (e.g.: clients, suppliers, employees, projects, etc...) for which/whom we are filing documents. A sub-folder should be created for each entity name. If the list is available from a CRM or business system, eXadox could auto-create all the sub-folders instantly. The sub-folder name can automatically be injected by eXadox as a prefix for easy document identification. This segment is especially important if the documents are mobile.
REF ID LIST is a list of possibilities that can logically categorize the primary entity or perhaps the type of department, employees may be divided based on work classification or perhaps department. An insurance brokerage firm may offer insurance protection by different companies based on the type of insurance required. The resulting list is used by eXadox to ensure consistency and to help auto-populate the segment.
REF-ID - is a free-text segment used to help identify a specific document or a group of related documents. For example in an accounts payable department this segment can be the supplier invoice number. A legal firm may use it to input a case number as a provision to enable the grouping of case specific documents.
DOC TYPE is a list of possible document types (e.g.: invoice, letter, contract, policy, accident report, etc.). Because this is a list, eXadox uses the entries in the list to auto-populate the segment as per user needs.
DOC NAME is a free-text segment used to provide specific information on the document content or purpose (e.g.: type of statement, invoice date, type or purpose of a report, etc...)
VERSION is a free-text segment that is used for version control. The entry gets auto-incremented when a document with identical name exists in the same folder.
[TRACKING] is a list driven segment that can be used to track the status of the document or where the physical document is located (e.g.: BOX 235, SHREDDER, PAID). eXadox uses the list to auto populate the segment and/or embed the tracking info into the PDF.
SOME GENERAL TIPS
• Focus on the part of the business that is the most paper burdened and that could bring the most value.
• Start with current incoming documents immediately and work on old documents as time permits.
• Make a decision on whether you wish to save or destroy your physical documents. If you wish to maintain them you may pack them chronologically (based on scan date and time) in numbered banker boxes destined for storage.
• Use suitable structured file naming conventions for each business activity.
• Get consensus with coworkers on a suitable file name structure in collaborative work environments.
• To maintain policy adherence, accuracy and minimize keyboard input, consider semi-automated structured file naming.
For more info visit http://www.exadox.com or refer to: eXadox White Paper: Semi-Automated Structured File Naming and Storage.
Computer Repair Done Right For FREE
This article will help users to perform a complete computer cleanup, which will improve the overall performance of their computers. It's not meant as a substitute for regular computer maintenance, performed by a professional computer technician.
Almost every computer user knows that, from time to time, your computer starts to run a little slower or you notice that you hard drive space is dwindling. So many people shrug this off and choose not to do anything about it. They think that it's normal to have these kinds of computer problems and that there isn't anything they can do about it. Your computer is trying to tell you something...it's time for a cleaning. It's time to clean up the junk and organize the files on your computer, just as you would clean and organize your office.
This step-by-step tutorial will put you on the path toward a cleaner, more efficient computer. You'll learn how to perform a complete computer cleanup and you just may save yourself some money, in the future, by maintaining your computer, instead of just taking it to a repair technician when it breaks.
In this tutorial, we'll only concern ourselves with Windows XP (I guess I'll have to re-write this article for Vista), for a couple of reasons.
Microsoft has ended support for Windows 98, 98SE and Millennium.
If you still have one of those earlier operating systems, your computer is just too old to become "efficient" by today's standards.
Follow these cleanup steps and you just may learn to love your computer, again.
Unused User Accounts If you have any User Accounts that are no longer active, logon as a computer administrator and remove them.
1.Click START, then CONTROL PANEL. 2.When the Control Panel opens, click USER ACCOUNTS. 3.Click CHANGE AN ACCOUNT. 4.Click on the name of the account you want to remove. 5.Click REMOVE THIS ACCOUNT. 6.When given the option to "delete files" or "keep files", choose to delete them. 7.After removing all unused User Accounts, restart the computer. Windows Updates Make sure you have all of the latest Windows Updates installed by visiting update.microsoft.com and following the instructions on the website.
It's critical that you keep your computer up-to-date. Microsoft releases new security updates all the time and it's easier just to set your computer to automatically download and install these updates. Here's how to do that:
1.Right-click on MY COMPUTER. 2.Click PROPERTIES. 3.Click the AUTOMATIC UPDATES tab (reference the illustration, below). 4.Choose "Automatic (recommended)". 5.Click APPLY and OK.
Remove Unused Programs This is pretty basic stuff. Most Windows users have already been through the steps of adding and removing programs, but we'll list the steps for those who haven't.
1.Click START, then CONTROL PANEL.
2.Double-click ADD OR REMOVE PROGRAMS.
3.When the window that opens has fully loaded, scroll through the list of programs and remove any that are unwanted or no longer used.
4.Just a piece of advice...any programs listed that mention anything about "bargain", "cash", "search", "web" or "fun", in the program name, should probably be removed.
Temporary File Cleanup Temporary files are one of the biggest wastes of hard drive space, hogs of computer resources and major causes of recurring spyware and virus infections. They need to be cleaned on a regular basis. Follow these steps to remove ALL temporary files from your computer:
1.Double-click MY COMPUTER. 2.Open the root drive (usually C:). 3.Open DOCUMENTS AND SETTINGS. 4.Click TOOLS, then FOLDER OPTIONS. 5.Click the VIEW tab (reference the illustration, below). 6.Under "Hidden files and folders", click "SHOW HIDDEN FILES AND FOLDERS". 7.Uncheck "HIDE EXTENSIONS FOR KNOWN FILE TYPES". 8.Uncheck "HIDE PROTECTED OPERATING SYSTEM FILES (RECOMMENDED)". 9.When the warning message pops up, click YES. 10.Click APPLY, then OK.
***It's recommended that you change the file folder settings back to their default settings after you fully complete the computer cleanup.***
1.With the Documents And Settings folder opened, open a user account folder. 2.Open the LOCAL SETTINGS folder. 3.Open the TEMP folder. 4.Press CTRL+A to select all files. 5.Press SHIFT+DEL to permanently delete all selected files. *Note*: you may be unable to delete ALL of the files and folders because some of them may be "locked" by the operating system or another program. Select smaller groups of folders or files in order to remove as many as possible. 6.Navigate back to the LOCAL SETTINGS folder. 7.Open the TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES folder. 8.Repeat steps 4 and 5. See *Note*. 9.Repeat steps 1 through 8 for all user account folders. 10.Empty the RECYCLE BIN and restart the computer.
Virus And Spyware Scans If you don't already have an antivirus program and two or three antispyware programs installed and updated on your computer, then you're BEGGING for problems. I use Webroot Antivirus/Antispyware and Spybot Search & Destroy (free). If you're relying solely on "free" programs for your computer security, you're likely making a big mistake. I understand that you don't want to pay for software. Nobody does. You just have to look at the value in investing a little bit of money toward preventing the problems that might arise from choosing the "cheaper route". Ok...enough said on that subject.
The most efficient way for antivirus and antispyware products to complete their scans successfully is to run them while the computer is in Safe Mode. To restart Windows in Safe Mode, tap the F8 key about every half-second or so, at computer startup, once you see the manufacturer's logo. You'll then be brought to a screen where you will use the arrow keys to choose the boot mode. Use the arrow up or down key to choose SAFE MODE. Press enter and let Windows do it's thing. When the computer has fully booted, complete FULL SYSTEM scans with your antivirus and antispyware programs. When they are completed, reboot the computer, normally.
Defragment The Hard drive(s) This is the final step in your major computer cleaning. This will insure that the files on the disk are organized in such a way that makes them more quickly accessible, causing less "wait time" and less wear and tear on your drive.
1.Click START. 2.Navigate through ALL PROGRAMS to get to the ACCESSORIES folder. 3.Choose SYSTEM TOOLS. 4.Choose DISK DEFRAGMENTER. 5.Select the main disk (C:). 6.You shouldn't need to "analyze" the drive. At this point, it's better just to choose "DEFRAGMENT". 7.Let the program run through the process and reboot the computer, normally, when completed.
That's it! You should see a HUGE improvement in the performance of your computer.
For More Computer help or advice please Visit http://www.rescuetech.ca
James Perrin
Rescuetech.ca
How To Throw Your First Lan Party - Trust Us: Networking Will Never Be This Fun Again
LAN parties are the perfect way to spend a rainy weekend with friends,all it takes is a little planning to make sure that things go smoothly.
Whether you are planning a PC or console oriented LAN party, getting the right mix of gear together is the first and most crucial step. Console players have it a little easier, since the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are much more portable than their full sized PC counterparts. However, don't forget that you'll need extra monitors, game titles, LAN cables, and a hub or switch big enough to handle as many consoles that you need to connect everyone. Having a buddy with a 16 or 24 port switch is always handy,but an older 10 or 100 switch is all you need. Spending hundreds on a Gigabit grade switch is overkill.
When you tell your buddies what to bring to a console LAN party, don't forget to tell them to haul along their monitor, correct video cables, game titles, wired controller, and networking cable. The A40 Audio System is the ideal solution for a console LAN, so don't forget your audio gear, even if your friends don't have ASTRO equipment yet. If your buddies have an extra network cable and wired controller, have them bring those too after they've marked them with initials. Someone is bound to forget theirs. Remember that a wired controller is required more than four wireless controllers are going to interfere with one other unless you are a fair distance away, which takes away from the fun.
The same advice for a PC LAN applies,with the addition of needing a place to put computers,monitors,and mouse pads in addition to a spot for everyone's butt. Beg and borrow every card table,picnic table and folding chair that you can scrounge from relatives, neighbors and friends.
Lastly, whether you go the PC or console route, don't forget to sort out the power situation well beforehand using industrial grade extension cords to draw power from multiple circuits in your house is a smart way to go. Nothing is a bigger drag than blowing a fuse or tripping a circuit breaker mid match. Having your buddies bring their own power strips with surge protectors is also a smart idea.
What to play? This is the all important question, and one that will make or break your party. Start with your friends what games do you usually play? This game whatever it may be will be the game that gets the most mileage during your party. Being all together will certainly open up new strategies and new wrinkles to whatever you are playing if only the 'in yer face!' factor of in person versus play, in addition to the tactical advantages of having a 'Lag-free' connection that is only possible when you are on a LAN.
If you have another game that people might enjoy, but haven't necessarily played yet or perhaps not for a long time, this can be a welcome break from the main attraction. Mix and match your genres as well if everyone got together to play an intense first person PC shooter like Counter strike or Battlefield, be sure to take it down a notch by starting a friendly pickup game of an RTS classic like WarCraft III or Dawn of War. If you've got newer gear and newer game collections, Dawn of War II and Supreme Commander are incredibly fun. Most RTS titles have 2v2 or even 3v3! modes that enable you to put noobies with more experienced players, and advanced controls that enable you to balance things to a fine degree guaranteeing that everyone is enjoying fun and challenging games.
If you are gearing your LAN toward PC play, take a break by firing up a fun, tried and true console game. Sure, everybody knows Halo can be a great way to blow off some steam, but after playing PC shooters, a console FPS will seem like it is in "slow motion". It's better to fire up Mario Kart, Bomberman, or Boom Blox try it, seriously! if you have a GameCube or Wii. If you have an Xbox 360 handy, the Xbox Live Arcade selection should have something for everyone old school multiplayer titles like Gauntlet and Joust are a riot, while new school faves like Geometry Wars are extremely entertaining just to watch. And of course, fighting games like Super Smash Brothers, Street Fighter, and Soul Caliber are perfect for a quick player versus player fix.
For console centric LAN parties, taking a break from the controller is the way to go. Try loading up the universal LAN party standard Unreal Tournament 2004. 2k4 is a stellar run and gun action title that is 10lbs of fun in a 5lb bag even if you are playing for the very first time. It's also an older title that even low spec laptops will be able to handle nicely, and available dirt cheap in most stores' bargain bins, or downloadable from Steam.
Once you've attended or held a few LAN parties, you'll start noticing games in the bargain bin that will be ideally suited to a LAN, especially those "forgotten" shooters. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. has an amazing deathmatch mode that is wildly popular in places like Russia, but if you live in the West, you'll need to create a local server and a LAN party is the perfect opportunity. Likewise, Prey is an ideal PC LAN game if your group is on the small side this console centric shooter fared poorly since it was too claustrophobic for 16 to 32 player servers, but is ideal for 4 to 8 friends at a LAN.
One last thing unless you are getting your Guild together for some in person raid action, it would be wise to ban World of Warcraft during the weekend. WoW has a tendency to divide your group into ever-smaller chunks, and really takes away from the mano a mano spirit of a LAN.
Good luck and save us a slice of pizza!
Recommended Technologies by SAP for Integration
Seamless integration across business applications has always been a critical area of interest for any organization. The criticality of application integration is obvious from the fact that this is often a critical factor in purchase decision making.
SAP recommends the following technologies for integration:
1) SAP BAPI (Business Application Programming Interfaces)
2) Remote callable function modules (RFMs) that have been released for customer / external use
3) IDocs (Intermediate Documents) provided by SAP, that are sent or received by mySAP Business Suite components
4) Data Transfer Programs provided by SAP
1. SAP BAPI (Business Application Programming Interfaces)
Business Application Programming Interfaces (BAPIs) are standard SAP interfaces that enable software vendors to integrate their software into the mySAP Business Suite. BAPIs are technically implemented using RFC (Remote Function Call) enabled function modules inside SAP systems.
BAPIs are defined in the Business Object Repository (BOR) as methods of to SAP business objects that perform specific business tasks. They allow integration at business level, not technical level. This makes it much easier to find suitable BAPIs compared to non-BAPI based function modules.
Once SAP has released a BAPI, its interface definitions and parameters will remain stable in the long term, which means third-party application programs will not be affected by changes to the underlying SAP software or data. If upward-compatible enhancements are made to the BAPIs, the integration of the existing applications is not affected. If incompatible changes to the BAPI become necessary, SAP will create a new BAPI and mark the old BAPI as "obsolete". Obsolete BAPIs are guaranteed to work at least in two subsequent functional releases, starting with the one in which they are declared obsolete. This gives developers approximately two years, depending on SAPs release cycle, to change their existing integration from using the obsolete BAPI to the usage of the new BAPI.
2. Remote Function Call
The SAP development environment supports several ways of structuring software. ABAP function modules are equivalent to what most programming languages call "functions". The SAP system contains thousands of function modules - for example more than 110,000 in SAP R/3 release 4.6C.
Only a subset of those can be called from external systems using a protocol called Remote Function Call (RFC). RFC allows for remote calls between two SAP systems (for example SAP R/3 and SAP BW) or between an SAP system and a non-SAP system. These remotely callable functions are called RFC-enabled function modules or RFMs in short. SAP R/3 release 4.6 C for example contains more than 10,000 RFMs. They can have import and export parameters to send and receive data between systems. Only RFMs with a 'released for customer/released for external use' status will remain stable in long term. Only these should be used for third-party integration projects and are eligible for interface certification. As the special set of RFMs that are linked as methods of the business objects in the SAP systems, BAPIs are explicitly released for customer usage.
3. Intermediate Documents
Intermediate documents (IDocs) were originally invented by SAP to support Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) in a generic fashion. Later, IDocs were also used in the SAP Application Link Enabling (ALE) technology as data containers, which allow exchange of business information between an SAP system and other SAP or non-SAP systems.
IDocs are based on a hierarchical, tree-like segment structure. The syntax for each IDoc type is defined in the SAP system. IDocs can be used in the following business scenarios: ? ?Application Link Enabling (ALE): Communication between logical systems (intra-company relations).
Logical systems can be either SAP systems or non-SAP systems. ALE distribution models are based on message types and BAPIs that indicate the appropriate IDoc types. ? ?Electronic Data Interchange (EDI): Communication between SAP systems and the 3rd party EDI subsystem which is typically connected to an EDI VAN (inter-company relation).
IDocs are created when message types and (object) methods are distributed. The message type is the semantic information which identifies the usage of business data. The IDoc type defines the syntactical format in which the data for a specific business process is transferred.
4. Data Transfer Programs
Some SAP applications provide data transfer programs that can be used to transfer data into or out of SAP systems. The Data Transfer Workbench is a tool that supports the transfer of data into the SAP system with these data transfer programs. The Data Transfer Workbench is particularly useful for business objects with large data volumes. It guarantees that data is transferred efficiently and ensures that data in the SAP system remains consistent. The data transfer is performed in a batch-like fashion.
The Role of Software Development & Other Knowledge Based Technologies in Dubai’s Development
Stability and strong fundamentals, not high growth and high returns, are very important to develop an economy. This is the lesson the global economic crisis has taught us. Dubai has also suffered by the worldwide financial downturn and financial pressure.
But indications of improvement are now emerging both at home and abroad. Assuming that we have learnt some lessons from the faults, it is high time to re-evaluate, reorganize and prepare a new plan for permanent economic expansion and prosperity. Various nations have come out smarter and wiser from fiscal and economic problems in the past and there is no reason that Dubai cannot do the same. But there are many challenges. Some need rapid solutions and others need a long-term strategy to fix. If we analyze even blogs in Arabic language, one can easily understand that even commoners can understand the problems.
The Minister of Labour lately said that the UAE is heading towards a knowledge-based economy which needs a smaller but extremely skilled workforce. The report shows that the government of UAE is looking forward at the future forms of things. According to new theories of growth, knowledge can lift the profits on investment, and as a result contribute to the accumulation of knowledge. It does this by inspiring more well-organized methods of organizing production as well as new and enhanced products and services. This creates the prospects of sustained increases in investment which can lead to nonstop rises in a nation’s growth rate. Knowledge can also spill out over from one section of industry to another, with fresh ideas used constantly at modest additional cost. Such spillovers can relieve the constraints placed on growth by scarcity of capital.
The example of the industry of web development in Dubai is a case in point. As the industry grows it not only involves software computer engineers but also provides opportunities of jobs for other professionals. For example thousands of professionals are involved in copy writing in Dubai. Because of the overflow of web sites in this digital age of ours the professionalism in any field is required to such a degree that content management systems in Dubai becomes a separate specialized field.
In this age of knowledge based economy, the commerce world has embraced novel concepts that have radically changed the way in which organizations are structured and the method in which they operate. With the arrival of the World Wide Web, worldwide economic struggle is now a brutal reality and is always on the increase. The world of business has become an ever-changing atmosphere in which organizations are compelled to adapt quickly as a means of endurance and competence. A key to survival is the generation of knowledge to understand a strategy to stay inventive and synchronous with the fast pace of economy and business. The development of soft industries has created a path for electronic business.
Investments in the teaching and enhancement of newly emerging knowledge like software development can increase the overall economy of UAE and transform it from a monotonous oil based economy to a multi dimensional post modern financial power.