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 The CTSI Tech Times
Monthly Updates from Your Business's IT Department
July, 2009 - Vol 1, Issue 3
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| Upcoming Area Events |
8/1 - Hub City Beach Party- Lubbock
8/1-8/7 - 74th Annual Lea County Fair and Rodeo - Lovington, NM
8/7 - First Friday Art Trail - Lubbock
8/8 - Van Cliburn Competition Gold Medalist - Lubbock
8/22 - Spencer Theater Lobster Fest Fundraiser - Alto, NM
To have your event listed, please contact us.
|
| Milestones |
- Jeremy and Kristi Howard welcomed Alexis Diane Howard into the world on July 21st. Please join us in congratulating them!
- Bobby Cude was selected to participate in the Leadership Lubbock program offered by the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce.
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From David's Desk...
|
 Is Traditional Advertising Worth the Money?
The popularity of web-based search engines like Google and Yahoo!, coupled with the proliferation of advanced "smart" phones such as the Blackberry and the iPhone, has led to a large percentage of Internet usage being related to information searches. When trying to find a nearby restaurant, today's technically-savvy person is more likely to look for it on their phone than by any other means. The ease-of-use provided by technology has also put traditional print advertising on the decline, as readers get their news and information online and on-the-go. This shift has newspapers and yellow book advertisers scrambling for ways to survive.
Let's take a closer look at the daily newspaper's unfortunate waning. Newspapers are struggling because advertising revenue is down; many have been forced to cut staff, move to on-line only editions, or close their doors entirely. According to the website www.newspaperdeathwatch.com, since March of 2007 the Tucson Citizen, Rocky Mountain News, Baltimore Examiner, Albuquerque Tribune, and several other daily papers have been forced to shut down their presses. Additionally, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Detroit News/Detroit Free Press, Christian Science Monitor, and the Ann Arbor News now feature online-only editions of their newspapers.
As for yellow books, take into account your own usage. Do you have phone books nearby, or do you use websites such as Google, Yahoo!, or Smartpages? My guess is that most of you have used phone books sparingly, and would use them even less often if they did not have a slew of restaurant coupons in the back!
That brings us to the bottom line: where are you spending your marketing and advertising dollars? Consider the money that your company has spent previously for traditional print advertising. Wouldn't that money be better spent on a new web site or a site makeover?
With an ever-increasing number of your clients and potential clients relying on the Internet, and newspapers and phone books slowly being phased out, my guess is that the future of advertising points to online mediums. Whether that is a web site, a Facebook page, or a company blog, all of these options are more cost-effective in the long run than traditional advertising, and they market your company to a much broader population base. Consider the advantages of an internet presence for your company, and feel free to look at CTSI's newly-remodeled web site at www.ctsinet.com. If this is something that interests you, feel free to contact us to learn how we can help you maximize your online marketing power.
Until next time,
David D. Baucum
President, CTSI
|
Facebook Mania!
|
 Facebook, the popular social networking site that has taken the world by storm, may be more than just a way to keep up with what your old friends are doing right this second--it could have the ability to grow your business. Facebook's appeal spans every age group, and with the site now accessible to everyone with a computer or iPhone, Facebook can be accessed from just about anywhere. Sounds like the perfect recipe for a powerful marketing tool, right?
Originally started by Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard Computer Science major, Facebook was nothing more than an experiment that spread around the Cambridge campus and a few other Ivy League schools. The "experiment" soon took on gargantuan proportions, both socially and financially: Zuckerberg was eventually offered $1 billion for his company. He declined, and in 2007 sold a meager 1.6% share to Microsoft for $240 million.
Facebook's multi-faceted approach--with a myriad of applications, games, and groups--gives the website broad appeal, and increases the likelihood that focused marketing will work. What started as a way to re-connect with friends and classmates that one hadn't heard from in ages is now the newest way to advertise and promote a business. With a captive audience that features local, state, national and global users, Facebook can really help you to position your company.
But, don't take our word for it, check it out for yourself. Take a look at CTSI's own Facebook page. From there, you can become a fan of CTSI, which will give you a heads up each time we add new updates to our page.
Last month we featured an article on Twitter. In that article, we asserted that research shows Twitter faces an impending decrease in popularity. Combined with the fact that traditional advertizing methods are slowly disappearing, Facebook may be a cutting-edge alternative with staying power.
Additionally, Facebook's multitudinous features give you many opportunities to showcase your company. Breaking news that is important to your client base, or changes to your business can be added to the site, getting communicated to your intended audience almost immediately. But, your options don't stop there; pictures, directions, website links, and even testimonials can all be added to your organization's page. Office moves, new partners, holiday well-wishes and company newsletters, normally relegated to the world of costly printed cards and brochures, can also be listed on Facebook, giving clients and potential clients all the information they need about your business in a concise, easy-to-find location.
If expanding your Internet presence into the world of Facebook is something that interests you, contact CTSI today and let our Web and Application Development team start work today on your very own Facebook home.
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SEO - The Key to Customers Finding Your Website
|
In this day and age, it is of utmost importance that you have a website for your company or organization. More and more, people are using the Internet as their primary tool when trying to find a product or service they need, with paper directories, bulletin boards, and classified ads all falling by the wayside. Having a solid website that advertises your goods and services is a good start to getting in front of potential customers--but is it enough? What if no one can find your site? What if your fancy digital storefront doesn't come up as a result on any of the major search engines?
Enter Search Engine Optimization (SEO). You may have heard the term thrown about, and wondered if it was just another piece of unnecessary technical jargon floating around the Internet. However, SEO is a very important matter to businesses of all sizes. It addresses the very question, "How can I get people to come to my website?"
You see, there are two primary means for prospective customers to find your Internet site: directly and via a link. When someone accesses your site directly, they know your domain name by heart, and type the address directly into the browser (e.g. www.amazon.com, www.microsoft.com, www.ctsinet.com). Chances are slim that your business has such a luxury. Unless you have been lucky enough to secure a domain name that matches your company name exactly, or unless you have deployed a massive marketing campaign to make every man, woman, and child aware that www.itsmybusinesspage.com is synonymous with your business, people will not know how to go directly to your site.
That leaves us with links. Whether it is from business partners' sites or the large search engines, you must find ways to get pages on the Internet to link to your site. The easiest (and most powerful) of these link options is via the search engines. These sites have been developed and finely tuned over the years to help people find exactly the information they're looking for in that vast collection of information that is the World Wide Web.
In their efforts to provide the best possible results for a search request, the major search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, and Bing have developed a complex set of rules to help weed out the bad results. In order to have your site appear near the top of the results for a given search term (or to appear at all!), your site needs to follow these rules. Sometimes it's as simple as modifying the wording on your site just a tad; other times it's as complex as modifying things such as "metatags", "sitemaps", and "robots.txt". SEO is the practice of adhering to these rules and techniques to help your site get higher in the listings, which in turn increases the likelihood of your business getting found online.
If employing Search Engine Optimization technologies to improve the visibility of your website is something that you're interested in, CTSI can help. We have an easy and affordable SEO service that has brought positive results many local businesses. Call us today for a free consultation on how we can help you improve your web traffic.
|
Tips of the Month
|
Some handy time-saving shortcuts for both beginners and experts:
- If you're using Word, Outlook or PowerPoint, you can change the justification of a paragraph using the following four keystrokes:
- Ctrl+L: Left justify the current paragraph, but keep the right margin ragged.
- Ctrl+R: Right justify the current paragraph.
- Ctrl+E: Center the current paragraph (since Ctrl+C is already taken with Copy, they had to use the second letter.)
- Ctrl+J: Left justify the current paragraph, but keep the right margin justified.
- Want to minimize all the apps on your Windows screen? Press Windows+M
- If you're getting up from your Windows computer and want to lock it until you get back, press Windows+L. Anyone trying to use your computer will have to enter your password.
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Staff Spotlight
|
Meet Ellen Qualls
We know many of you have worked with Ellen over the years, and we thought you might like to learn a little more about her. Here's what we found out:
What is your title, and what do you do at CTSI?
- My title is Senior Software Support Specialist. Primarily I assist clients with their Dynamics Great Plains accounting software. I also perform internal administrative and network reporting tasks.
How long have you been at CTSI?
- I started on 02/01/94, so I have been with the company for 15 years now.
Tell us about your family, and pets (if you have any)
- My husband, Dee and I have been married for 21 years. We have an eight year old son, Ryland. Dee's son, Dustin has two children and his daughter, Allison has one child. The only pet is Ryland's hamster, Walleey.
What do you do in your free time? (hobbies, places you like to visit)
- We travel often to Houston (to see Dustin & family) and Dallas (to see Allison & family) as well as Connecticut, where I am from. We also enjoy snow skiing in New Mexico and Colorado.
If you weren't working in the business technology sector, what would you be doing?
- I'd probably be a lawyer.
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Helen's Recipe of the Month
Helen Burns, CTSI's Purchasing Manager, has been with the company for almost nine years years. In addition to her purchasing duties, Helen serves as our unofficial party coordinator. Helen (with help from our administrative assistant, Nancy Clark) makes sure we celebrate every staff member's birthday as well as various holidays by providing a wide range of delectable treats. Without further ado, from Helen's kitchen to you, here's a recipe--enjoy!
Fresh Peach Cobbler
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 stick butter or margarine, melted
2 cups peeled & sliced fresh peaches (or may use frozen, but thaw first)
2/3 cup orange juice
Combine peaches, orange juice, and 1/2 cup of sugar and set aside. In another bowl, combine salt, cinnamon, flour, remaining sugar, baking powder and blend well. Add milk and melted butter and stir until it's the consistency of a thick batter. Pour batter into a large buttered baking dish. Pour the peach mixture over the top, and bake uncovered at 350 degrees 25-30 minutes or until deep golden brown. Serve warm, and top with ice cream, if desired. Serves 6.
|
|
Coming Next Month:
- What You Need to Know About Computer Viruses
Miss a prior newsletter? See our newsletter archive.
Thank you for giving us the privilege of serving you! If there are any topics that you would like us to cover in future newsletters, please drop us a line.
Sincerely,
|
3223 S. Loop 289, Suite 556
Lubbock, TX 79423
Voice: 806.793.8961
Fax: 806.793.8968
www.ctsinet.com
|
|
The CTSI Tech Times
Monthly Updates from Your Business's IT Department
July, 2009 - Vol 1, Issue 3
|
|
| |
| Upcoming Area Events |
8/1 - Hub City Beach Party- Lubbock
8/1-8/7 - 74th Annual Lea County Fair and Rodeo - Lovington, NM
8/7 - First Friday Art Trail - Lubbock
8/8 - Van Cliburn Competition Gold Medalist - Lubbock
8/22 - Spencer Theater Lobster Fest Fundraiser - Alto, NM
To have your event listed, please contact us.
|
| Milestones |
- Jeremy and Kristi Howard welcomed Alexis Diane Howard into the world on July 21st. Please join us in congratulating them!
- Bobby Cude was selected to participate in the Leadership Lubbock program offered by the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce.
|
|
|
From David's Desk...
|
Is Traditional Advertising Worth the Money?
The popularity of web-based search engines like Google and Yahoo!, coupled with the proliferation of advanced "smart" phones such as the Blackberry and the iPhone, has led to a large percentage of Internet usage being related to information searches. When trying to find a nearby restaurant, today's technically-savvy person is more likely to look for it on their phone than by any other means. The ease-of-use provided by technology has also put traditional print advertising on the decline, as readers get their news and information online and on-the-go. This shift has newspapers and yellow book advertisers scrambling for ways to survive.
Let's take a closer look at the daily newspaper's unfortunate waning. Newspapers are struggling because advertising revenue is down; many have been forced to cut staff, move to on-line only editions, or close their doors entirely. According to the website www.newspaperdeathwatch.com, since March of 2007 the Tucson Citizen, Rocky Mountain News, Baltimore Examiner, Albuquerque Tribune, and several other daily papers have been forced to shut down their presses. Additionally, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Detroit News/Detroit Free Press, Christian Science Monitor, and the Ann Arbor News now feature online-only editions of their newspapers.
As for yellow books, take into account your own usage. Do you have phone books nearby, or do you use websites such as Google, Yahoo!, or Smartpages? My guess is that most of you have used phone books sparingly, and would use them even less often if they did not have a slew of restaurant coupons in the back!
That brings us to the bottom line: where are you spending your marketing and advertising dollars? Consider the money that your company has spent previously for traditional print advertising. Wouldn't that money be better spent on a new web site or a site makeover?
With an ever-increasing number of your clients and potential clients relying on the Internet, and newspapers and phone books slowly being phased out, my guess is that the future of advertising points to online mediums. Whether that is a web site, a Facebook page, or a company blog, all of these options are more cost-effective in the long run than traditional advertising, and they market your company to a much broader population base. Consider the advantages of an internet presence for your company, and feel free to look at CTSI's newly-remodeled web site at www.ctsinet.com. If this is something that interests you, feel free to contact us to learn how we can help you maximize your online marketing power.
Until next time,
David D. Baucum
President, CTSI
|
Facebook Mania!
|
Facebook, the popular social networking site that has taken the world by storm, may be more than just a way to keep up with what your old friends are doing right this second--it could have the ability to grow your business. Facebook's appeal spans every age group, and with the site now accessible to everyone with a computer or iPhone, Facebook can be accessed from just about anywhere. Sounds like the perfect recipe for a powerful marketing tool, right?
Originally started by Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard Computer Science major, Facebook was nothing more than an experiment that spread around the Cambridge campus and a few other Ivy League schools. The "experiment" soon took on gargantuan proportions, both socially and financially: Zuckerberg was eventually offered $1 billion for his company. He declined, and in 2007 sold a meager 1.6% share to Microsoft for $240 million.
Facebook's multi-faceted approach--with a myriad of applications, games, and groups--gives the website broad appeal, and increases the likelihood that focused marketing will work. What started as a way to re-connect with friends and classmates that one hadn't heard from in ages is now the newest way to advertise and promote a business. With a captive audience that features local, state, national and global users, Facebook can really help you to position your company.
But, don't take our word for it, check it out for yourself. Take a look at CTSI's own Facebook page. From there, you can become a fan of CTSI, which will give you a heads up each time we add new updates to our page.
Last month we featured an article on Twitter. In that article, we asserted that research shows Twitter faces an impending decrease in popularity. Combined with the fact that traditional advertizing methods are slowly disappearing, Facebook may be a cutting-edge alternative with staying power.
Additionally, Facebook's multitudinous features give you many opportunities to showcase your company. Breaking news that is important to your client base, or changes to your business can be added to the site, getting communicated to your intended audience almost immediately. But, your options don't stop there; pictures, directions, website links, and even testimonials can all be added to your organization's page. Office moves, new partners, holiday well-wishes and company newsletters, normally relegated to the world of costly printed cards and brochures, can also be listed on Facebook, giving clients and potential clients all the information they need about your business in a concise, easy-to-find location.
If expanding your Internet presence into the world of Facebook is something that interests you, contact CTSI today and let our Web and Application Development team start work today on your very own Facebook home.
|
|
|
| |
SEO - The Key to Customers Finding Your Website
|
In this day and age, it is of utmost importance that you have a website for your company or organization. More and more, people are using the Internet as their primary tool when trying to find a product or service they need, with paper directories, bulletin boards, and classified ads all falling by the wayside. Having a solid website that advertises your goods and services is a good start to getting in front of potential customers--but is it enough? What if no one can find your site? What if your fancy digital storefront doesn't come up as a result on any of the major search engines?
Enter Search Engine Optimization (SEO). You may have heard the term thrown about, and wondered if it was just another piece of unnecessary technical jargon floating around the Internet. However, SEO is a very important matter to businesses of all sizes. It addresses the very question, "How can I get people to come to my website?"
You see, there are two primary means for prospective customers to find your Internet site: directly and via a link. When someone accesses your site directly, they know your domain name by heart, and type the address directly into the browser (e.g. www.amazon.com, www.microsoft.com, www.ctsinet.com). Chances are slim that your business has such a luxury. Unless you have been lucky enough to secure a domain name that matches your company name exactly, or unless you have deployed a massive marketing campaign to make every man, woman, and child aware that www.itsmybusinesspage.com is synonymous with your business, people will not know how to go directly to your site.
That leaves us with links. Whether it is from business partners' sites or the large search engines, you must find ways to get pages on the Internet to link to your site. The easiest (and most powerful) of these link options is via the search engines. These sites have been developed and finely tuned over the years to help people find exactly the information they're looking for in that vast collection of information that is the World Wide Web.
In their efforts to provide the best possible results for a search request, the major search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, and Bing have developed a complex set of rules to help weed out the bad results. In order to have your site appear near the top of the results for a given search term (or to appear at all!), your site needs to follow these rules. Sometimes it's as simple as modifying the wording on your site just a tad; other times it's as complex as modifying things such as "metatags", "sitemaps", and "robots.txt". SEO is the practice of adhering to these rules and techniques to help your site get higher in the listings, which in turn increases the likelihood of your business getting found online.
If employing Search Engine Optimization technologies to improve the visibility of your website is something that you're interested in, CTSI can help. We have an easy and affordable SEO service that has brought positive results many local businesses. Call us today for a free consultation on how we can help you improve your web traffic.
|
Tips of the Month
|
Some handy time-saving shortcuts for both beginners and experts:
- If you're using Word, Outlook or PowerPoint, you can change the justification of a paragraph using the following four keystrokes:
- Ctrl+L: Left justify the current paragraph, but keep the right margin ragged.
- Ctrl+R: Right justify the current paragraph.
- Ctrl+E: Center the current paragraph (since Ctrl+C is already taken with Copy, they had to use the second letter.)
- Ctrl+J: Left justify the current paragraph, but keep the right margin justified.
- Want to minimize all the apps on your Windows screen? Press Windows+M
- If you're getting up from your Windows computer and want to lock it until you get back, press Windows+L. Anyone trying to use your computer will have to enter your password.
|
Staff Spotlight
|
Meet Ellen Qualls
We know many of you have worked with Ellen over the years, and we thought you might like to learn a little more about her. Here's what we found out:
What is your title, and what do you do at CTSI?
- My title is Senior Software Support Specialist. Primarily I assist clients with their Dynamics Great Plains accounting software. I also perform internal administrative and network reporting tasks.
How long have you been at CTSI?
- I started on 02/01/94, so I have been with the company for 15 years now.
Tell us about your family, and pets (if you have any)
- My husband, Dee and I have been married for 21 years. We have an eight year old son, Ryland. Dee's son, Dustin has two children and his daughter, Allison has one child. The only pet is Ryland's hamster, Walleey.
What do you do in your free time? (hobbies, places you like to visit)
- We travel often to Houston (to see Dustin & family) and Dallas (to see Allison & family) as well as Connecticut, where I am from. We also enjoy snow skiing in New Mexico and Colorado.
If you weren't working in the business technology sector, what would you be doing?
- I'd probably be a lawyer.
|
|
|
Helen's Recipe of the Month
Helen Burns, CTSI's Purchasing Manager, has been with the company for almost nine years years. In addition to her purchasing duties, Helen serves as our unofficial party coordinator. Helen (with help from our administrative assistant, Nancy Clark) makes sure we celebrate every staff member's birthday as well as various holidays by providing a wide range of delectable treats. Without further ado, from Helen's kitchen to you, here's a recipe--enjoy!
Fresh Peach Cobbler
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 stick butter or margarine, melted
2 cups peeled & sliced fresh peaches (or may use frozen, but thaw first)
2/3 cup orange juice
Combine peaches, orange juice, and 1/2 cup of sugar and set aside. In another bowl, combine salt, cinnamon, flour, remaining sugar, baking powder and blend well. Add milk and melted butter and stir until it's the consistency of a thick batter. Pour batter into a large buttered baking dish. Pour the peach mixture over the top, and bake uncovered at 350 degrees 25-30 minutes or until deep golden brown. Serve warm, and top with ice cream, if desired. Serves 6.
|
|
Coming Next Month:
- What You Need to Know About Computer Viruses
Miss a prior newsletter? See our newsletter archive.
Thank you for giving us the privilege of serving you! If there are any topics that you would like us to cover in future newsletters, please drop us a line.
Sincerely,
|
3223 S. Loop 289, Suite 556
Lubbock, TX 79423
Voice: 806.793.8961
Fax: 806.793.8968
www.ctsinet.com
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