Category: Creative Programs and Systems - page 23

When it comes to repairing anything I have a motto, “pay a professional!” I know many people think that in this economy that my attitude is off a bit but I think of it more like this I have a job and I should pay people who are the professionals to fix things I cannot. I am helping by keeping people employed.  Yes I agree there are some things that I could do myself but really do I want to risk tuning up my computer to save a few bucks on computer repair costs?  No.  I know nothing about other people’s areas of specialty and would prefer them to handle it so that I don’t have to waste time and energy trying to fix something I have no busy fixing.

Top Seven Repairs To Rearrange The Budget For

• Bike Shops: I love my bike.  We ride all the time as a family.  Whenever my bike needs a tune-up or tire repair I take the bike into the local bicycle repair shop.  This way I know it is fixed properly and it is ready to go sooner than if I tried to look up how to do it myself and it is not as expensive as you may think.  My last bike tune up was twenty nine dollars and my bike is as good as the day I bought it.
• Plumbers: This is one issue I will never try to handle myself.  Toilets, showers and pipes are all to be left alone and handled by trained field techs.  The last thing I need to do is think I have turned off the right water value, loosen a pipe and have a water emergency on my hands.  I also have no desire to reach my hand anywhere in a drain to loosen the nasty that may have gotten lodge.  Nope, I gladly rearrange the budget if the need arises for a plumbing repair.
• Tailor/Seamstress: With the amount of money we spend on our professional wardrobes I cannot even imagine why people think they can spare the expense and try to adjust their clothing with their home sewing machine.  Not me.  Spending money on clothes for work is one area that is a must for me and with that I include the alterations needed.  There is no way that I could even think producing a professional hem and the last thing I want is to walk into a sales meeting with one pant leg shorter than the other.
• Cell Phones: My phone is another appendage to me. It is important that it is in working order one hundred percent of the time and if it isn’t that it is fixed immediately.  Paying to have it fixed is way less expensive than missing a sales call or a call from one of my children if they need to be picked up from a friend’s house.  I don’t care if it a simple battery change or screen install the cell phone company can fix it and send me on my way.
• Computer Repair: So many of my friends become IT experts when I mention an issue that I am having with my laptop.  As with surgery, I would never have a doctor that was not licensed cut me open and work on me and will not have my laptop subjected to that treatment either.  Computer repair done by a licensed technician will keep your computer running faster and smoother until your need an upgrade in technology.
• Automobiles: My husband always tells me he will do the maintenance on our vehicles.  The problem with this is he has very little extra time above and beyond family, work and activities so for me it is a simple choice; the car will go in for checkups as does my computer, my children and us.
• Handyman: As with the cars there is home maintenance that slips under the rug and goes undone.  This happens to everyone.  Instead of waiting for large issues to arise I find myself calling our local handyman and giving him the detailed list of issues to repair.  He comes out when he gets free time, fixes things up and we are all happy. I don’t nag at my husband, he doesn’t get irate with me and the house is maintained.

CPS is excited to announce EAZCO and their site redesign.  You can check them out at http://www.eazco.com for all of your advertising, marketing and operational supply needs.

If you have a computer you are not unfamiliar to computer repairs.  It is inevitable that your computer will eventually run slow or not at all especially if you are a novice to technology which lets admit most of us are.  One of the biggest reasons clients bring their computers in is that they are slower than when they first purchased them.  They always want to know who or what is to blame for this.  No one wants to hear it but the problem your computer may be running slower than when you purchase it is…YOU!

Maintenance is the key in making sure your computer keeps running at peak performance. Just like your car needs regular oil changes and filter changes your computer needs tune ups to clean up the registry of old programs not in use, updates on spyware and adjustment of settings to insure peak performance.  Of course there could be more reasons for the slow down.  It is best to take the computer in to a local computer repair firm, as you would your car to a mechanic; to have it thoroughly looked at.

Other reasons that your computer may be having issues running slower than normal could be that your computer has contracted a virus. Trojans, spyware and malware may be the cause of the issue with your computer running slowly.  Spyware creates an issue where outsiders have gotten into your computer without you knowing it and start sending out personal data to entities that will take advantage of your system and cause it to run slowly.   Even if you have up to date virus protection you can still become infected it just lessens the likelihood.  Computer repair in the form of a virus scan and removal are needed and can be done at your local computer repair store.  It is also recommended that a tune up be performed on your PC at this time to regain the speed and efficiency of your computer.

You can also inspect your computer and delete files and programs that have been added that are unnecessary.  The more files and programs you keep stored on the hard drive of your computer the slower it will run.  I recommend having a separate flash drive to store big files such as pictures, word and excel documents.  The space adds up quickly.  Also, delete any unnecessary short cuts on your desk top they could be causing your computer to run at a snail’s pace.

It is important if you have tried all of the similar solutions to look at the computer’s hard drive. Run a disk defragmenter which will help optimize how data is stored and then Scandisk to help ensure nothing is actually corrupt within the drive.

Another issue that is common is that the processor is overheating.  This is common.  You will want to first make sure the cooling system in the computer, the fan, is running.  If not it will need to be shut off and taken in for the fan to be replaced.  If the fan is running look to make sure a build-up of dust is not causing an issue or that the cabinet the computer is stored in is not blocking the air flow.  I have found this happens to me when I am in bed using the laptop and forget about the heat issue.  If I set the computer on the blankets the air flow is blocked and the computer will have issues.

Memory, hard drive disk space and conflict in hardware/software are all problems that could also be responsible for the slowing down of your computer.  If you have a computer repair check all of the above and there is still issues they will most likely recommend you do an OS reload.  Basically this will consist of wiping the computer clean and reloading your operating system.  Make sure your data is backed up before doing this.  Also, this requires installation of the programs that you run on your computer.  This is basically a last resort but it will make your computer like when you first brought it home.

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Where is the first place you turn now days to find a product or service that you are in need of?  Fifteen years ago the answer would have been the phone book. Today however technology has advanced so far that many of us instantly recycle the phone book that lands in our driveway twice a year.  Instead we turn for our I-pads, laptops or phones and start searching the internet.  Businesses always wanted the biggest and best ad in the phone book.  The same is true for the internet.  Your website is the front window of your business.  It must be well designed and functional.  More importantly however is getting the consumer to your website in the first place.  This function happens in the internet world with search engine placement.

We get to websites that sell the products or services we are searching for using key phrases commonly associated with what we need and plug them into a search engine such as Yahoo, Google or Bing.  From there we are bounced to a list that the search engine has found listing the web pages that are associated with our key phrase.  The job of search engine placement is to make sure your company is recognized with the key phrases people will type in for your product or services.  Not only do you want to come up when the key phrase is entered but you want to be on the front page of the search and as close to the top as possible.

This is important because as with the phone book people are going to call upon the first advertisements, or web page in this case, that catches their eye.  So it is easy to see how a website design is important to actually sell your product or service but search engine placement is even more important in that it is the process of getting them to your site in the first place. A company that does website design should place as much emphasis on search engine placement as on the design of your site if not more.

Search engine placement is an ongoing process.  To keep your site rankings on the first page and to get them there in the first place you will need to work with a search engine company that places value on this process.  Working with a company you should expect results within a few months.  It is important to work with a firm that is willing to research key phrases, using input from you, to come up with the most commonly used phrase search engine recognize with your services and products.

Many companies that offer search engine placement services should also offer website optimization.  This includes either building a site revolved around keywords associated with your business or tweaking an existing site to include phrases that will be used in the process of maximizing searches to get consumers to your website.  Your website should then be designed in a matter that is visually impressive, easy to use and includes information that consumers will be looking for.

CPS, a local IT company, has been growing consistently for over a decade. Recently they have hired three new people including a consultant, technical consultant, and web developer. CPS is now staffing eight people from the local area. Owner, Kevin Germain, hopes to expand further in the coming year including possibly opening another office in one of the surrounding areas.

CPS has been in business for over ten years and focuses on networking, structured cabling, web development, and computer repairs among other things. They are located at 322 W. Grand River Ave. in Brighton, MI. Call 810-224-5252 or email info@cpsmi.com for questions or to set up an appointment.

Glen Miller the Home Doctor, Inc. is a remodeling firm located out of Howell, MI servicing all of southeast Michigan. Glen is a state licensed builder and plumber. Kitchen and bathroom remodeling is the core of his business. He also creates basement spaces and provides handyman services to maintain your home. Glen is also a local provider and installer of handicap ramps. The Home Doctor, Glen Miller, has been providing his services to the community for over twenty years.
You can check his site out at http://www.glenmillerthehomedoctor.com.

Monument Engineering Group Associates, LLC (MEGA) was founded to offer the highest level of service possible in all the major site development disciplines. MEGA provides large company talent, expertise and experience with small business client services and fees. MEGA’s staff will do more than produce a set of plans showing boundary lines and proposed buildings – their staff will become an interested stakeholder in every project they are involved in. Make their success yours. MEGA supports clients in Michigan, the Midwest and Nationally with great success.
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Security Access Controls and Fence is an industry leader in state-of-the-art gate automation, access control, CCTV, and security fencing. They are a full-service residential, industrial, and commercial fence contractor with over 35 years of fencing experience. They offer both aluminum and steel ornamental picket fencing, privacy fences, tennis court and swimming pool fencing, color coated chain-link, PVC, wood, handrails, and pedestrian gates.
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So many factors go into search engine placement in order for it to be effective. In many cases professional search engine placement services are employed to give you the best online results possible. It is important to take into consideration many different elements when examining the best route to accomplish search engine placement for your online business.

The following are some tips to help in the quest for optimal search engine placement for your website.

1) It is important that you use the key words that you are focusing on in the title of the article or information you are presenting. A good title is one in which brings a search engine to the information you are presenting. It is important to use the target key words in the Meta title of the website also.

2) The anchor text should also be used to promote the site key words. If possible they should ultimately link back to the website. Anchor text should be chosen to target the keywords you are after for the search engines to recognize.

3) Another area is the popularity of your site in regards to other sites that are linking in to yours. Every time you write a blog entry or have information represented on another site that links to your site what tells a search engine that your site is okay. It is almost as bad as a middle school popularity contest. The more links that like your site the more likable your site is. That is basically how search engines look at it.

4) Of course the longer your site has been on the web the better also. Keep updating information to make it relevant. After time your patience will pay off.

5) Link the pages within your site back to your home page. This also helps with search engine placement.

6) Make sure that the pages in your site are relevant to your keywords when linking them back to the home page. The homepage should also focus on the same keywords you want recognized by the search engines.

7) Make sure that when using other sites to link to yours that you are using sites that are well liked within the web. It is the popularity of the sites linking to yours also that will have search engines recognize you.

8) It is important that your keyword is used in the text. How often and when also is relevant. Make sure your keyword is used and that the text is relevant to the key words you want recognized by major search engines.

As you can tell there is a lot that goes into search engine placement. Your ranking within these search engines is what will get visitors to your site. If you rank within the first page of a search engine it is more likely that people will click on your site before one on the second, third or fifth. That is the goal in search engine placement is to get your site on the first page of the search engine. Follow the steps above and you should be well set on your way to increased search engine placement.