PROMOTING YOUR HANDLING/BREEDING

BUSINESS THROUGH THE INTERNET

 

1. What kind of computer should I buy?
   1. Mac versus PC

                                                              i.      Both use Intel processors now so there is not much difference in performance between the two.

                                                            ii.      Amount of memory, motherboard bus speed, hard drive speed all make more difference then the platform (Mac or PC).

                                                          iii.      Windows has a 64 bit OS with 64 bit applications so it would be faster choice. But for the type of applications you would be using it completely irrelevant.

                                                          iv.      Mac is not more user friendly to power users. But to the average Joe it is. Because Apple controls the OS and the hardware it is easier for them to make things easier. If you are a tinkerer, the PC is cheaper and has more high performance advantages. But you have to be your own technician.

                                                            v.      You should buy a computer/laptop with at least 2 gigs of memory, 160 gigs of hard drive space, CD/CD-R/DVD/DVD-R and 802.11G. For NOW. Less in the future.

                                                          vi.      Bottom line Windows is much cheaper works good enough has the most variety of hardware and software. Mac comes ready to go but is limited. If you can and are willing to follow instructions Windows is better. If you just want to turn it on and try to let it do the work Mac is your brand.

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   2. Utilities

                                                              i.      No McAfee, No Symantec/Norton. All you need is FREE AVG antivirus and turn on Windows Firewall.

                                                            ii.      Make sure you update Windows regularly.

                                                          iii.      Mac is just as prone to viruses because they use the same Intel chipset – BUT most hackers don’t program Macs so there are much less virus, Trojan horses, spy ware… Requirements for Mac is to have the firewall on and find an antivirus, spyware… that is not a system pig. Keep it updated also. PC Tools iAntivirus is Free Mac Antivirus Software. I am not sure how good it is.

                                                          iv.      If you have DSL or Cable Internet and the box they gave you has a router/switch built into it, you probably have a hardware firewall which is better then a software firewall.

                                                            v.      If you want to pay for antivirus ESET NOD32 is the best.

 

 

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   3. Software

                                                              i.      Microsoft was and still maybe the largest Mac software company. Mostly, because of Microsoft Office. Which is available for Mac and PC? The basic version has a Word processor, Spread Sheet application, Outlook Email program and Power Point presentation program.

                                                            ii.      A Free program that does all the same things and more is OpenOffice.Org. Available for Mac and PC.

                                                          iii.      Accounting programs such as QuickBooks and Peach Tree work but they are generally overkill for what you need.

                                                          iv.      The versions that run on your computer cost approximately: $199 for the desktop version for Mac and PC.

                                                            v.      There are online versions for both Mac and PC. Free version will let you track 20 customers so it is useless. The $9.95 a month version will work but limited. The $34.95 a month version is overkill and very expensive.

                                                          vi.      I have a Windows version that is very comprehensive but I am devoting my time to moving it to “The Cloud”.

                                                        vii.      There is a free service from Microsoft that allows you to do some MS Office stuff online at http://www.officelive.com/.

                                                      viii.      Photo Editing – For Windows Paint.Net is free and will do most of what you want.

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   4. Hardware

                                                              i.      Printers – Brother, Epson, HP and Lexmark are all good. But most put too much meddlesome software on your computer which slows you down. Epson is the most versatile (text and photos) and is the least intrusive.

                                                            ii.      Scanners – Canon, Epson or Fuji.

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   5. Backup

                                                              i.      If you have less then 25 gigs of data, photos, music… then go to http://windowslive.com/online/skydrive. Create an account and backup to there.

                                                            ii.      There are paid backup services which are very good: www.mozy.com and www.carbonite.com.

                                                          iii.      If you have a lot to back up and will take a hard drive away from your computer (at least a couple miles away) then you can get a USB external hard drive. For about $125 you can get 1 Terabyte (1,000 gigs or 1,000,000 megs) the size of a large paperback book. Many of one button backup operations.

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   6. Email protection

                                                              i.      Only use Plain text, not HTML or RTF. Do not open any attachments. And do not click on any links. So now you can’t use email. If you don’t know the person sending you an email, you probably don’t need to do any of the suggested no nos. If you do know the person and they are an Internet slut… don’t download, click…

                                                            ii.      AVG and Eset check emails for most virus but they are not perfect. Be cautious of what you open.

                                                          iii.      Spam is prolific and the Russians can get through any spam filter. They get though easier then your own family members that you marked safe. Many of the providers get rid the worst offenders. Programs like Outlook clean some more. But there is no stopping all of it unless you only allow email in from people you have marked safe.

 

2. How does he know this stuff?
   1. BS/BA major Management.
   2. Systems Analyst Systemation N.A.
   3. 18 years working on the largest IBM Mainframes.
   4. Microsoft Certified Database Programmer.
   5. 11 years consulting Client Server, Web technologies.
   6. Show chairman for Kachina Kennel Club (5 years) with entries between 2400 – 2900 per show.
   7. Former Member PHA.
   8. Charter member Rocky Mountain Mastiff Fanciers.
   9. Attended many handling, movement, breed, health and judging seminars.
   10. Boarding and Grooming shop owner.
3. Where are things going now?
   1. To “The Cloud”. Little to No software on your computer. Only a Browser (Internet Explorer, Safari, Mozilla Firefox…). Now you know why you will need less in the future. A computer should be no harder to use then your cell phone. Actually, even easier. And every thing should talk to each other.
   2. Possibly even your phone will be your computer in the future. It may already have a browser on it. I actually have been doing it for years from my Previous 2 phones.
   3. If you were to use QuickBooks online. That is cloud computing. Microsoft Office Live is cloud computing. Gmail, Yahoo mail, Hotmail are all Cloud computing. You are using a service on the net and your data is on the net. Oh-oh. There are ways to get control of this.
   4. Facebook, Twitter, You Tube are social networking cloud computing. They became the rage during the recent Iran crisis.
   5. And now there is “WWW.THEDOGSHOWNETWORK.COM”.

 

The Dog Show Network

1. What can you do with TheDogShowNetwork.Com?
   1. Same as Facebook/MySpace

                                                              i.            eMail

                                                            ii.            Photos (TDSN is better)

                                                          iii.            Videos (TDSN is better)

                                                          iv.            Clubs (TDSN is better)

                                                &am