Did you know that net banking has been going on for 15 years? More...
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It is now 9 days we have been waiting for a confirmation e-mail from callnet0800 with the configuration details to receive 'totally free' net access: More...
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Last weeks article on net phone costs would have been slightly different had we known that with AOL's £9.99 per month, 1p per minute service, that a condition of this is to pay your on-line time through your credit card to AOL. More...
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As part of a small business, you probably see how important your IT systems are; and how important it is to have the right data available when it is needed.
However, a huge number of businesses are risking productivity, compliance with laws, and even profitability by failing to keep track of all their data. More...
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Small businesses in the UK are spending around £400 million a year on personal calls made by employees on company phones and mobiles according to new research by telecom expense specialists Aurora Kendrick James.
This huge cost not only undermines the profitability of British businesses, it also puts them at risk of inadvertently breaking tax regulations by mistakenly reclaiming VAT on the total mobile phone bill - rather than reclaiming just the business element. More...
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If your business receives queries by email, then you need to make sure that you respond to them quickly; otherwise, a new survey has found that you could be pushing your customers to your competitors.
A staggering 78 per cent of British consumers have been disappointed by a slow response to a customer service email enquiry, with the average consumer sending three emails before receiving a satisfactory response... More...
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The continuous problem of unsolicited emails, faxes and computer viruses is hitting the pockets of small businesses across the country. More...
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If your business loans computers to your employees under the Home Computing Initiative, allow your employees to use work laptops at home, or provide a work computer for a homeworking employee; then you need to be aware of your liabilities for inappropriate use. More...
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With the huge rise of new web technologies like blogging and podcasts under the banner of Web 2.0; it is surprising to find that many small businesses are unaware of it, and even fewer are making the most of its potential.
A survey carried out by Mediasurface has found that 61% of smaller businesses do not believe that their website reflects their company’s brand, whilst 52% of individuals in these companies are unaware how often their sites are updated.
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Although the increase in flexible working is providing SME’s with better efficiency and happier employees; you need to be sure of protecting your business against the dangers of illegal software, viruses and compatibility issues. More...
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More small businesses than ever now have a website, but are you making the most of the internet with your online presence? More...
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Almost every business spends money on IT equipment and services each year, and the use of IT is a key part of making your business run smoothly and reliably. Yet managers and IT directors are still failing to measure the contribution that IT makes to their business, even though failing to do so hinders success and prevents budgets being agreed... More...
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More than a fifth of small businesses who are entitled to Business Rate Relief are failing to claim it; effectively throwing away free money. More...
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Small business, the backbone of the UK economy, is lagging behind bigger enterprise when it comes to gaining commercial benefit from the internet according to new research from UK Online. The study reveals that a staggering two thirds of small businesses with 1-10 employees are still doing business without an internet connection, email or website. More...
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A lack of support and SME specific software are just two factors that are preventing small businesses from gaining the full benefits of IT. Yet even without these issues, hundreds of thousands of smaller businesses are throwing away money by not making IT purchases knowledgably. More...
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If your business has a website or takes phone and mail orders; then have you considered whether an e-commerce store could improve your profitability? Despite 90% of small businesses with e-commerce sites saying they are profitable, only one in ten SME retailers has one... More...
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As someone with an interest in a small business, you know the importance of being well prepared; but despite being ahead in some areas, UK businesses are still lagging behind in being ready for certain types of business risks and disasters. More...
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Almost every business in the UK uses computers or other technology to run part of (or often all of) their operations. Yet nearly two million small businesses are putting their data and productivity at risk by using old technology to run their business. More...
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If you are one of the 24% of small businesses that are taking advantage of the growing online shopping market then the odds are that you have increased your customer base and had increased growth over the Christmas and New Year period. More...
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You may have heard about the growth in Blogging, Podcasting and RSS; but do you know what they are and what they could do for your business? A survey by the UK Business Barometer (UKBB) shows that over half of SMEs do not know what any of the three terms mean... More...
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As part of a small business you are probably aware of how vital it is to keep your computers and technology protected against viruses and other threats. Yet a huge number of small and medium sized businesses (SMB) have insufficient security in place, and are leaving themselves at risk of cyber-crime. More...
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Whilst you are probably aware of the dangers of trips and falls in the workplace, you may not be aware of the issues that can arise through poor desk management. The online survey of 1,500 UK office workers, conducted in February 2007 by Visual Display Manufacturer ViewSonic, shows a clear link between poor ergonomics knowledge and an increase in symptoms such as headaches, eye fatigue and backache. More...
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Banks are understanding (slowly) the value of Internet customers. More and more banks are launching an internet service... More...
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If you work on ladders or at heights then you should be aware of the risks and regulations; yet despite increased knowledge of the dangers of working at heights, the number of trades-people falling is not reducing. More...
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Having your website on a free web host can save you money, but could it be costing you customers? New research by Fasthosts web hosting has shown that many small businesses are unaware of the potential hidden costs and problems of using a free web host. The good news is that moving to paid web hosting does not have to be expensive... More...
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With the collapse of boo.com we have the usual plethora of doomsday articles and jokes, for instance: 'Boo to Bust', and for the joke - How do you make an Internet investor cry? Creep up and say 'Boo'.
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The most spectacular business failure in e-commerce, Boo.com, is returning to the e-marketplace as a fashion community web site, but not as a retailer More...
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Last week we reported AOL's offer of 1p per minute, 24 hours a day. For £11.99 per month BT are now offering 3 free hours each month... More...
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'BT Surftime', subject to satisfactory agreement with Oftel, will be available from Spring next year - and will consist of a range of unlimited usage packages for a single monthly fee. More...
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Those of you who have been receiving this newsletter for some time will remember our weekly updates of 'CallNet 0800' the 'free-call' ISP. More...
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Can fast internet access help to increase the amount of time you get to spend with your family and friends? The answer according to a new survey is yes…
Eighty two per cent of the UK’s small business owners with broadband report a better work-life balance thanks to their internet connection, according to research from BT Business. More...
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Businesses IT systems are under increasing strain, malicious software as well as the growing number of PC-Connectable gadgets are putting increasing pressure on computers and IT support... More...
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As part of a small business, you are probably aware of just how important the internet can be for promoting your products or services. Yet a surprising number of small and medium sized businesses (SME’s) are failing to get the most of the internet by failing to spend time choosing a good web domain name. More...
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Did you know that US banks were warned well in advance that there would be attacks against large websites More...
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America is putting the boot into domain name squatters: they who register domain names in the hope of selling the name onto the like named company for lots of money. More...
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The owners of the controversial web site www.192.com have set up their database on-line. More...
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Online shopping is still growing quickly, but frustration with poor or broken sites is causing “web rage”, leading to some online buyers heading back to the high street. Website testing specialists SciVisum have found that 78 per cent of online shoppers complained that frustration with website performance has led them to turn off their computer. One in three online shoppers refuse to give even their favourite website more than a second chance... More...
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Email-to-fax service, Efax.com, has lost it’s battle over the rights to the domain "efax.co.uk". Mr Justice Jonathan Parker ruled that the American company.... More...
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If your business is growing, then you may be interested in a survey by Cisco that shows just how much of an effect embracing technology can have. The survey polled more than 600 business and IT directors across the UK from various sized companies, and clearly highlights a relationship between strategic IT adoption and business success. More...
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The well-known search engine software developers Engenius committed the 'cardinal sin' of computing with the release of their latest software application. More...
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Free* 30-Day Access to Over 750,00 Images From Art Today More...
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Regular readers of this newsletter will know that we have followed the telcoms attempts at offering free net access with contempt. More...
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If your business has an online presence, are you checking to make sure you are getting good value and reliability from your web service (hosting) providers? More...
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FreeServe have started a trial period of ADSL, the high-speed connection that provides lightning speed downloads of video and software for a monthly fee of £50 More...
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DealPilot is a freeware application that comes into it's own when you enter any net-shop. Usually you look at the goods and price of what you want, then you look around for the supplier with the best deal (labour intensive). More...
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If your business uses computers then you need to be certain that all of your software is fully licensed. New research shows that 27% of software in use by UK businesses is illegal copies. More...
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DoubleClick send a cookie (a coded message) to your PC’s hard drive that it can activate the next time you visit any web site connected to them More...
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Making IT effectively support your business can be a difficult challenge; and a new survey shows that this is the main worry of IT decision makers (Which can include business owners, managers, IT-managers or admin staff.) in small businesses. More...
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It’s not often that a new product is launched in the cash flow industry, however, we have one now and it is sure to be a great success with all small and medium size businesses. More...
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AOL have started the shake up of UK telephone net deals by announcing an unlimited access plan. More...
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Despite worrying about security, businesses are continuing to take up Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone calls at a rapid rate; with cost savings and advanced functionality appearing to outweigh any possible risks... More...
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Patricia Hewitt, the Small Business and E-commerce Minister on the 14 January 2000 announced that internet users at home and in the office will soon benefit from fast always-on access to the internet over radio links. More...
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Yahoo! the largest web directory has finally succumbed to commercial and people pressure. For a fee, Yahoo! will guarantee to look at any submitted site within seven days of submitting. More...
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Alta Vista have today converted to a directory. They still claim to list submissions in 1-2 days! We will see. More...
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As part of a small business you know how important your website can be in dealing with customers. Yet a huge number of businesses are potentially driving customers away, and making them angry to the point of violence by hiding their contact details. More...
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Is your business suffering because you are struggling to solve IT issues? If so you are not alone; two thirds of the UK’s SMEs are still utterly perplexed by routine IT problems, according to a recent survey conducted by PC World Business (PCWB).
PCWB’s annual questionnaire on IT issues, which surveyed 254 SMEs across the country, found the biggest IT issues most businesses expect to face this year are also the most common. More than a quarter of respondents (26%) say security and viruses are the biggest threat to the smooth-running of their IT. More...
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The continued growth of the internet should not come as a surprise to you, but if your business does not have a website (or has a poor one) then the potential costs could be bigger than you realize. Research by web host 1&1 Internet has found that 53% of UK consumers would walk away from any business that does not have a website. More...
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Most companies have important data stored on their computer systems and networks, but could you be risking your business through staff error or lack of knowledge?
A survey of more than 100 UK office workers has revealed that employees are hugely reliant on access to network data to do their jobs, yet show an alarming apathy about the value of that data. More...
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Despite the continuing growth of the internet and online sales, the majority of small and medium sized businesses are still failing to represent themselves online; with only a tiny number profiting directly from it... More...
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If your website is not pulling in as many visitors as expected, you could be among the many thousands of business websites that fail to take advantage of search engines. More...
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The government has started on a final campaign to help companies avoid problems created by the millennium bug. More...
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Another good resource for any web site. More...
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The software developers Redstone Telecom and Witchity Capital Corporation have a good answer to all who use the one telephone line for the Internet and phone calls. More...
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Dialpad.com is the world's first free web-to-phone service. More...
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Small businesses understand the many potential benefits of running a blog, yet only 3% are actually planning to start one. Despite being a cheap and simple way of improving your business communications and attracting more customers, the vast majority of SME’s seem happy to ignore them.
In a survey by Fasthosts, almost half of those questioned said that they would use a blog to drive website traffic, with the aim of increasing customers; despite only a tiny number actually intending to do so. More...
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If your business is not using eBay, have you considered the potential income and information you could gain by doing so? More...
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If your business uses computers then you are probably aware of the danger of viruses and how much damage they can cause. The good news is that more business owners than ever are finding out that good protection need not cost a fortune... More...
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I want to start up a business solely using a web page to create CV’s for people. More...
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As someone involved with a small business, you know how rare it is to be offered decent products or services for free (with our BizStart24 software a notable exception!); but now Microsoft are offering small businesses reasonable website services for nothing. More...
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Microsoft's 52 million-user Hotmail system was down over Christmas weekend because the software manufacturer forgot to pay a 35-dollar invoice. More...
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As companies search for ever more innovative marketing strategies On-Hold Marketing has grown to be an extremely important part of many companies marketing strategy. Ovation Messaging supplies professionally recorded music and messages, providing a free script writing service, access to a huge music library, and professional voice over artists. Famous voices and full branding audio is also available. More...
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If you own a small or growing company it’s far too easy to miss important business calls when you are really busy; and there’s nothing more frustrating for your customers than trying to deal with people they simply can’t get a hold of!
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screaming.net the alliance ISP - Tempo (electrical retailer) and LOCALTEL (recently the subject of harsh words from the Advertising Standards Authority) have stopped distributing their 0800 CD. More...
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"We have just received a warning from an anti-virus specialist (poacher turned gamekeeper ?) about some idiots in Holland who have established a competition for the best Y2K virus. More...
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Excite UK has launched a WAP service, which can be customised to user preferences. Owners of WAP mobile phones will be able to see share prices, news stories, sports & weather reports, TV listings, and set personal reminders... More...
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A report due out this Tuesday (28th) will confirm some of Tony Blair's recent concerns regarding the lack of e-commerce knowledge and experience within UK businesses. More...
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Almost every business with an email address receives unsolicited email from other businesses; but despite most business owners saying they ignore it, research shows they do read some of it. A survey by MarketingFile found that 43% of business people surveyed said they read no unsolicited mail at all; however, this is not true as the survey itself was sent out by unsolicited email! More...
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A few months ago I sent a letter to Internet Magazine saying that if I had a couple of million pounds I would set up a company that provided merchant accounts (credit card facilities) for small business owners who wanted to trade on the Internet........ More...
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A UK company called Ashpool Telecom plc has developed a simple alternative to the standard text e-mail. More...
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Record numbers of online shoppers are expected this holiday season, but website performance is now more important than ever... More...
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Yahoo!, Amazon, eBay, CNN, Buy.com, E*Trade, Datek, ZDNet and Excite are the known websites attacked. Yahoo! was offline for 3 hours.... More...
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With the focus of the world firmly fixed on the rise and fall of large retail web sites, small businesses More...
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Despite most businesses being flooded with junk emails every day, it is not the part of office life that small businesses find most irritating.
A BizHelp24 survey of almost 400 small business owners and employees has found that slow and unreliable computer equipment is the most annoying thing about modern office life. More...
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