February 2010
In this issue

> Technology Plan
> Future of Computing
> Recover Excel
    Workbook
> Smile - You're on the
    Phone
> Windows 7 Upgrade
 

Your Nonprofit Needs a Technology Plan
by Monte Enbysk
used with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center

To the surprise of the nonprofit sector, Internet technology is enhancing good works.

Relief agencies such as the American Red Cross have demonstrated how effectively online systems can speed cash donations to tragedy-stricken parts of the world. Smaller nonprofits have found the Web to be a blessing for locating discounted items and organizing people to support causes. Foundations and charities have found success with e-philanthropy -- the securing of pledges and donations over the Web -- and made it a vital part of their fundraising strategies.

"Technology is, in many ways, a necessary evil for nonprofits doing business today," says Joni Podolsky, a technology consultant to nonprofits and the author of "Wired for Good: Strategic Technology Planning for Nonprofits." "You need it now just to stay competitive."

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The Future of Computing is in the Clouds
By Shane Robison, Chief Technology Officer, HP
reprinted with permission from the HP Small Business Center

Technology is in the early stages of a big shift, one that will transform how companies and individuals access information, share content and communicate. This next wave will be driven by a new model of computing: people and businesses will use their Web browsers to access a wide range of "cloud services"--computing services available on demand, over the Internet.

Imagine services that are intelligent enough to anticipate your needs, based on a real-time understanding of your location, time of day and preferences. In this next phase of computing, the search for information will be done for you, not by you. You will have a seamless, consistent experience across all the devices you own, and all the on-demand services you care about.

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3 Ways to Recover a Corrupted Excel Workbook
reprinted with permission from the HP Small Business Center

It's your worst Excel nightmare: a damaged or corrupted workbook. This can happen for a variety of reasons -- and the good news is that there is a variety of ways to retrieve your damaged file.

If a file is corrupted, Excel should normally perform an automated recovery. However, if that doesn't work, there are a few other options you can try.

1. Recover or repair the file manually with Excel
The steps for manually recovering a workbook are quite simple.

1. Select "Open" from the File menu. In Excel 2007, click the Office button and select "Open".
2. Using the Look In control, locate and specify the corrupted workbook.

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Smile - You're on the Phone
Used with permission of Joel H. Weldon & Associates, Inc.
http://www.SuccessComesInCans.com

Forget the research evidence, the dozens of pages of documentation and the years of prodding by communications consultants. Do your own survey right now. Pick up your telephone and call ten companies or businesses in your area that provide some sort of customer service, such as banks, brokerage firms, business equipment or insurance companies. Ask to speak to "a manager." If you get through, explain that you called to evaluate their telephone techniques. Then give the manager a brief report, hang up, and record your findings.

Chances are your research will prove that the most common errors you encounter in telephone answering are among the "dirty dozen." Here they are: