Check out these online business tools – to do list, project managment, digital whiteboard, chat, and more! These tools are totally internet-based so you don't have to install or configure anything… just sign up and start using these awesome applications. For more features, you can subscribe for very reasonable prices.

http://www.37signals.com/

Kim Komando gives great advice – her latest is a column on how not to be ripped off by online scammers. They're always coming up with new ways to part us from our money, so it's important to keep up with the latest. It's a quick read – well worth a few minutes:

http://websitecleanup.com/go/4e02f8

Here's a very interesting article about making things stand out as quality products. The advice here can be applied to your web site, too. I especially like the seventh point about getting your work out there – it doesn't have to be perfect, just well-formed and constantly improving. How could you apply these principles to your web site?

jergames.blogspot.com/2006/09/thoughts-on-quality-3-7-steps-to.html

Sorry for the delay in publishing this and the next few issues – it's been a rather busy month around here. Thankfully, most everything has cleared up and we're back on track.

I've done lots of research on how to write for the web, as it's a bit different than other types of writing. Recently I came across this wonderful blog which has a ton of good articles and advice on writing your web site copy.

http://www.copyblogger.com/

Brian Clark is the author, and he has a great writing style which makes his articles easy to understand and very entertaining to read. I'll let you know in a future Byte how his strategies have worked for us. 

Sometimes I'll go off-topic if the subject is important, like this one! Exercise is crucial for living a long, healthy life. Here's an article with tips you can use every day to help get in your fitness time:

www.wikihow.com/Exercise-While-Sitting-at-Your-Computer

You'll find useful info and good advice about keeping in tip-top shape. Enjoy! 

Build business by asking your clients what they want! Automate the process with GREAT poll softare for your web site – Advanced Poll . It's really easy to set up and use. So easy, in fact, I've created a poll for you to complete:

http://websitecleanup.com/poll.php

It took less than half an hour to install and integrate the poll into the site. Plus it's totally flexible on how your polls and results are displayed. Definitely worth a look if you're interested in your visitor's opinions.

Sometimes you need to change the format of a file, perhaps if someone wants to send you a file but you don't have the version of software they do. MediaConvert to the rescue! This online utility will convert many types of document, sound and video files. 

http://media-convert.com/

One note about the site – sometimes it gets too busy and doesn't work. If that happens, try again later. 

Seth Godin knows a lot about web site marketing, so you can trust his advice. I came across an article where he discusses ways to  make your site more visible to web surfers:

http://www.squidoo.com/topfreethings/

It's definitely a great article worth reading. Squidoo.com is pretty neat, too. I'm checking it out and will post here when there's something to look at.

Here's a great service that automatically creates a variety of site maps for your web site! The two we like best are the Google site map and the HTML site map. The Google site map tells Google  where to look and how often your web pages change. The HTML version is for your human visitors to see how your site is organized. They also check your links and for$5 you can buy a report of the broken links they found. Nifty!

http://www.xml-sitemaps.com/

Of course, if you need assistance with or advice about putting site maps on your site, we're here to help. Just contact us!

If you have a wireless network in your home or office, it's a good idea to make sure it's secure. Here's a great article from Kim Komando to explain why:

http://websitecleanup.com/go/737b2b

For details about or instructions on configuring your equipment, check the manufacturer's web site or the manual that came with it. Bad guys seem to be lurking around every digital corner these days… it pays to be proactive with your security!