Posts in the ‘Articles’ category

How To Set up a Home Office Network: Part 1 – Getting Internet Service

How To Set up a Home Office Network
Part 1: Getting Internet Service

The first step in setting up a home office network is to figure out how you are going to connect to the internet. You need an on-ramp to the information superhighway. There are several different ways to get on the Internet. This is good because competition lowers prices and improves features, but bad because marketing geniuses have a gift for confusing everyone about their choices.

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How To Set up a Home Office Network: The Overview

How To Set up a Home Office Network: The Overview

This is a multi-part series to explain in simple language the process of connecting to the internet and setting up a home network.

The Overview – Includes a checklist. Looking for the basics? Start here.
Part 1: Get Service – Choosing an internet service provider
Part 2: Get Connected – What equipment is necessary for connecting one or more machines to each other and the internet.
Part 3: Get Secure – Securing your network from hackers and pests. (coming soon)
Part 4: FAQ – Submit your questions in the comments or using our form. (coming soon)
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20 Rules for Better Conference Calls

20 Rules for Better Conference Calls or “Don’t make me reach through this phone and slap you!”

This article was born from experience. After you have sat through so many conference calls, you just can’t put up with one more heavy-breather, or side-talker or snack-muncher. You just snap.

When that moment comes you have two choices. Go on a manic screaming tirade, or write a sarcastic article. I chose the latter.

Now, you can benefit from my passive aggressiveness. The next time one of your co-workers sends you over the edge with rude conference call behavior, email them the link to this article. They will thank you for showing them the light. (Editor’s note: They won’t thank you… but others may.)

You may notice that these rules are simple and common sense. Yeah, I noticed that too and yet I still had to write the article… Go figure.

So without further ado, here are the 20 Rules of Conference Call Etiquette Read the rest of this article »

Review: Vonage Voice over IP (VoIP) Telephone Service

What is it?

Vonage is a voice over internet (VoIP) telephone service. This means that you make telephone calls using a normal phone over your internet connection instead of over the lines of the phone company. You can call any phone number using this service and the receiver does not need anything special to receive your call.
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