Computer Tip of the Day – 4 Tricks for Using Gmail for Business

Gmail is the preferred email service provider for many people. People use it for business and personal purposes alike. Here are four useful tips to help you use Gmail more effectively.

Forward Mail From Another Client

If you have a business email address that is associated with your website, it can often be a pain to constantly have to go to your cPanel dashboard and log in. As an alternative, you can have your mail forwarded to your Gmail account. Just go to settings and click on Forwarding and POP/IMAP. Follow the instructions or ask your website hosting provider if you run into any hiccups.

Undo Send

What if you send an email and then suddenly realize that perhaps it wasn’t worded right or that sending it was a mistake? Click the Undo Send option that pops up in the yellow bar at the top of the screen if 30 seconds haven’t yet passed. First, though, you have to enable this option in the settings.

Preview Your Gmail Messages

If you have a large screen, you can enable a preview tab so that you get a pane to preview the beginning parts of your emails without even opening them. First, though, you have to enable Gmail Labs in the settings. You can then toggle between a preview pane, a vertical preview pane, and a horizontal preview pane. Gmail Labs is where you can get many features that haven’t yet been released to everyone yet.

Forward Entire Gmail Threads

If you want to forward an entire thread of emails to a contact right away, you can do that by enabling Conversation View in your settings first. When you click on the forward button, click on More and select Forward All.

For more computer tips and IT help, contact us today.

How To Gain IT Support As A Small Business

a tablet and keyboard sitting on a table

As a small business, you may be envious of the large companies with their own IT departments. When something goes wrong with your computer technology, you feel as though it’s all on you to take care of the problem. However, IT support is available. You can be more proactive when it comes to your IT issues simply by finding the right partner.

Managed IT Services

One of the easiest ways to get IT support is to sign up for managed IT services. This essentially allows you to increase productivity within the workplace simply by letting someone else manage the IT components of your operations.

Your technology will grow as you grow, allowing you to have a scalable solution in place.

Additionally, you can rest easy knowing that both your data and network are secure. You can achieve a higher level of uptime simply because someone else will be monitoring your IT connectivity.

The IT services are managed remotely. Further, you can choose a service plan that meets the needs of your business processes as well as your budget.

Consultations

It may be time to sit down with an IT specialist to talk about the technology that you have and what you can benefit from in terms of making an investment. There may be new tools that can help you to boost productivity and lower costs. Creating a technology strategy is something that many small business owners miss when they’re running their business – and you don’t want to make the same mistake.

Regardless of what industry you are in, you can benefit from IT support. If you feel as though you’re missing various details, you probably are. Asking for support from a third party can be a smart business move.

Learn more about gaining IT support for your business by contacting Bluwater Technologiestoday.

Tip of the Day: Tweaking Computers

four people holding hands over a wooden table

Computers have changed a lot over the past decade. They are becoming more user-friendly and easier to manage. Newer computers such as smartphones and tablets aren’t as tweakable as older-style computers, nevertheless, all types can be tweaked in certain ways.

Many people don’t understand computers on a deep level and don’t have the time to learn about them. Throughout the workday of an average computer user, there is seldom time to search the internet for solutions to the little annoyances that creep up from computers; even if one can find the time to do so, search results can be vague and relatively useless. However, if the tips below are followed, one could minimize the frequency of those little annoyances that creep up:

Manage boot-time programs

Whether a newer or older-style computer is being used, there is almost always an option to prevent programs from running at boot time. Boot time is when a computer is powered on. When a program is installed on a computer, sometimes it’s automatically enabled to run as soon as the device is powered on. Learning how to disable programs from running at boot-time will help a computer to run faster. It can also help reduce conflicts on a computer overall.

Disable antivirus features

Again, for all types of computers, antivirus software can be overwhelming if not appropriately configured. Many antivirus features are automatically enabled after the software is installed. There could be too many features running within the software causing conflicts. Understanding antivirus software will help mitigate these issues. When installing software downloaded from the internet, great care should be taken. Regardless of what style of computer is being used.

Watch for malicious software

Usually, when a device gets infected with a computer virus, it’s because the software was downloaded from a malicious website set up by criminals. Software that initially looks good is commonly tainted with malicious software.

Add RAM memory

Lastly, no matter how much one pays for a new computer and how many great features it has, if it doesn’t come with sufficient RAM memory, one can count on a dull experience during use. Lack of RAM memory can cause sluggishness and various conflicts. Laptop and desktop computers’ RAM memory is generally easier to upgrade than smartphones’ and tablets’ RAM memory.

Please contact us for a consultation if assistance is needed with the tweaks suggested above.

Tip of the Day: The Power of Free Word Processors

a person typing on a laptop keyboard

Computers are wonderful machines that can be our best friend or our worst enemy. If one wishes to harness the power of that friendly side of computers, it helps a great deal to understand computer word processors. 

In the computer world, if one wants to type a statement, letter, or some other kind of document, a word processor program will typically be used. The most common word processor program in use today is Word which is sold by Microsoft. There are some other options that may be used for typing documents that are free. OpenOffice Writer and LibreOffice Writer are free options.

Issues

The only major obstacle to using these particular free options is that the file extension (.odt) generated by the program when a document is saved might not be readable by the word processor program installed on another computer.

For example, say a document is typed and saved with a .odt file extension. Then, sent to a computer with Microsoft Word installed. Depending on which version of Microsoft Word is being used, Word might not be able to read the document. However, the free options mentioned above both have a function to convert .odt files into .pdf format. Most computers have software installed that can read .pdf file types. If no software is installed to read the .pdf file type, simply download and install a free .pdf reader program.

As implied, there is no exact science to collaborating with word processor programs. However, the benefits are many including saving money. Furthermore, the information herein only skims the surface of what word processors can do. If a business has several employees requiring the use of a word processor but there is no budget for purchasing such software, the free options could serve nicely as an alternative.

Please contact us if consultation is needed with regards to word processor options.

Computer Tip of The Day: Knowing When to Replace Computers

a person is holding a remote control in front of a rack of wires

If it has been a few years since you replaced the computers in your office. You may be wondering how you will know when it is time to replace computers.

In general, depending on what you use them for, and how heavily they are used, business computers will need to be replaced every 3-5 years. This is in order to ensure maximum productivity.

If you are coming up to the five-year mark, you may want to consider replacing all of your computers preemptively. Thus, before you start encountering problems. However, your computers will also begin to give off other signs indicating that they will soon need to be replaced. Here are a few of these signs you can look out for in your office.

Computer Problems Are Disrupting Your Day

One of the clearest signs that you should consider replacing your computers is if you have begun to spend more time fixing your computers than using them. Your computer should help you get work done, not disrupt your workday.

Thus, if it seems like you are constantly battling your computer because it won’t connect to your WiFi, it keeps crashing, or you are continually encountering the blue screen of death, then it is likely time for a replacement. The fact is that computers don’t last forever. When they begin to become more troublesome than they are helpful, it is likely time for a replacement.

Speed is Everything

Another obvious sign that it is likely time for a new computer is if your computer has become painfully sluggish. In today’s fast-paced work environment, speed is everything. This means that it is critical that you have a computer that is fast and up to the task of getting everything done in the day that you need it to.

However, computers slow down over time, and you may begin to find that pages take forever to load. Or you can make a coffee run before your computer is done booting in the morning. These are signs that it is time to replace your computer. Being a slow computer can have a negative impact on the overall productivity of your business.

Contact us to learn more about how you will know when it is time to replace the computers in your office.