Wiring up a LAN (local area network) can be very easy, or it can be very difficult - it all depends on the size of your network, and how you’re trying to go about it.
For a very small home network, you can get by without using any special equipment except the wires. If you want to use a network to share Internet access or a printer, just plug an Ethernet cable into the computers you want to network, and then use the simple networking features that are built into Windows, such as Internet Connection Sharing. This approach has many downsides, though - you’ll need an extra Ethernet card in each computer for every extra computer you connect to the network, for one.
Instead of connecting each computer to the next, it is better to simply connect all the computers to a central router. This is a very efficient way of connecting computers together, as the data you send will be quickly and easily routed to its destination: the data goes to the router, which knows which wire to send it down for it to reach the destination address, and simply sends it that way. This also allows you to turn on and off computers as you please with no ill effects, as the router is always-on.
If you want to connect more devices to the network than the four or five ports on a router will allow, then you need to get a network switch. This allows you to create a separate sector of your network especially for one group of devices. For example, you might have your computer and your printer both plugged into a switch. The computer and the printer can then communicate between themselves without the data needing to travel out onto the wider network - but if they want to send to or receive from the wider network, they can do that too.
John Gibb is the owner of ethernet resources
For more information on ethernet check out http://www.ethernet-intelligence.info
Tags: Ethernet, internet, networkEthernet, internet, networkShare This
These days, when it comes to seeking out information, most people turn to their computers to do the work for them. “Surfing the Net” has become a routine way of gathering necessary data, facts, and other such knowledge. Need directions to your Aunt Susie’s friend’s garage sale? Head to mapquest.com and you’re likely to find a customized map, tailored to your specifications. Can’t remember what macerate means? Dictionary.com will remind you. In fact, these days, people use the Internet to search for answers to nearly any and every imaginable query, including information on business competition.
But how sure are you that the information you are obtaining via the World Wide Web is as accurate as it could be? What exactly do you sacrifice in the name of convenience? I, for example, have been steered astray on more than one occasion by the almighty Map Quest. And, although Dictionary.com is helpful, it certainly isn’t able to replace the vast resources available at your local library. Speaking of local libraries, even they have taken content online. AccessMyLibrary (www.AccessMyLibrary.com) is a site from Thomson Gale featuring free access to over 15 million articles from leading as well as trade/interest specific publications and journals.
Powerful and accurate online resources do exist, though they are often buried beneath a virtual layer of illegitimate websites and flashing advertisements informing you that you are, in fact, the winner of a new pink Motorola RAZR phone. Lucky you.
However, if you are searching for information on your company’s competitors, chances are you’d like that information to be as accurate and as easy to obtain as possible, a feat that is likely far more difficult than it should be. However, sites like ECNext’s Goliath (www.goliath.ecnext.com) simplify this task by providing you with clear, accurate company profiles, industry information and market reports as well as business news, resources, leads and more. Essentially, the site does your homework for you.
I probably don’t need to remind you that this sort of information can be imperative to the success of your business. According to Steve Strauss, Business Expert for Microsoft Small Business Center, “if you want to succeed in business, doing your homework is critical. Knowing what the competition does right (and wrong), what they charge for their products or services, and where they seem to be headed can give your business a significant boost.”
Dawn Rosenberg McKay, writer for Career Planning at about.com, agrees: “It’s important to keep up with business news about the industry in which you’re working or are considering working. It’s good business practice to be well informed about your clients’ industries as well. It will help you stay ahead of the competition.”
The accuracy and depth of this information is often the key to a successful business. Being aware of your competitor’s strengths and weaknesses is an invaluable learning tool. In the opinion of Warren Struhl, writer for Inc.com, “the more information you have, the better position you will be in to propel your business forward. So don’t become the entrepreneur that says, ‘If I only knew that before I started.’ Stay informed and you’ll be building a platform for success.”
Essentially, using the Internet to gain pertinent information can be an effective process, but it can just as easily yield inaccurate and out-of-date information. Valuable corporate information is out there and ripe for the picking. You just have to know where to look.
Sources:
Rosenberg McKay, Dawn. Keeping up with Business News is Good for Your Career. 29 August 2006. From: careerplanning.about.com/od/companyresearch/a/business_news.htm
Strauss, Steve. Ask the Expert. 29 August 2006. From: microsoft.com/smallbusiness/resources/expert/strauss120105.mspx
Struhl, Warren. Doing Your Homework. 30 August 2006. From: inc.com/resources/startup/articles/20050701/homework.html
Laura Watkins is a contributing business writer for http://goliath.ecnext.com. Goliath is one of the Internet’s largest collections of business research, news and information.
Tags: business, career, competition, information, internetbusiness, career, competition, information, internetShare This
When your website visitors arrive, they are looking
for, and need to find, very specific things. They
enter your “front door” thinking:
1. “Make it quick, I don’t have time to waste.”
2. “Make it easy for me to understand the benefit.”
3. “Make it easy for me to reply.”
4. “Don’t let me down.”
Funny enough, or not so really, the MAJOR search
engines are looking for, and need to find, these same
“features” in order to give your website the thumbs up
and allow your webpage to be listed.
However, a search engine is much more specific in the
sense that the overall flow through of your website
must meet a particular set of criteria. To ensure
you’re on the right track with your current or soon to
be in existence website, let’s take a look at Google’s
Quality Guidelines.
Basic Google Search Engine Website Principles:
Make pages for users, not for search engines.
Don’t deceive your users, or present different content
to search engines than you display to users.
Avoid tricks intended to improve search engine
rankings. A good rule of thumb is whether you’d feel
comfortable explaining what you’ve done to a website
that competes with you. Another useful test is to ask,
“Does this help my users? Would I do this if search
engines didn’t exist?”
Don’t participate in link schemes designed to increase
your site’s ranking or PageRank. In particular, avoid
links to web spammers or “bad neighborhoods” on the
web as your own ranking may be affected adversely by
those links.
Don’t use unauthorized computer programs to submit
pages, check rankings, etc. Such programs consume
computing resources and violate our terms of service.
Google does not recommend the use of products such as
WebPosition Gold
Tags: Google, Internet marketing, msn search, search engine, Search Engine Marketing, seo, yahooGoogle, Internet marketing, msn search, search engine, Search Engine Marketing, seo, yahooShare This
