Open Source Software Companies

Open Source Software Companies
For years enormous software companies have dominated the software marketplace by charging businesses a hefty price for using their software. Thankfully there are software developers out there that offer a free alternative. Open source software is usually as good as the commercial versions. Here is a list of commercial products and their open source alternatives that you can use to run your small business –all these open source software titles are absolutely FREE!
GENERAL OFFICE SOFTWARE
(SPREADSHEET, WORD PROCESSING, PRESENTATIONS, ETC)

Commercial Product: Microsoft Office

Open Source Alternative: OpenOffice
OpenOffice has all the features you need to run you small business. The entire office suite is here, everything that Microsoft Word can do “Writer” can do for FREE. Need to keep track of information and perform sales/expense calculations in a spreadsheet, “Calc” can do it. Giving a presentation to potential customers on a projector? “Impress” can give you all the functionality you need in on-screen presentation software. There are more applications in suite so I recommend you download and install OpenOffice for free and compare the features before you go out and purchase Microsoft Office 2007 for $679.99. OpenOffice can be used on Apple and PCs.
ZIPPING FILESCommercial Product:

WinZip

Open Source Alternative: 7-zip
For years I dealt with the “WinZip is NOT free software” message and waited for 150 days to count out before zipping my folders/files, now I don’t have to. If you (like most people) downloaded WinZip and did not buy it – don’t worry you don’t need to. Download 7-zip for free and get all the nice features of WinZip for free. I really like how it adds a new right-click menu entry for zipping files (just like WinZip).
MIND MAPPING

Commercial Product: Mindjet MindManager

Open Source Alternative: FreeMind
The people that develop mind mapping software are amazing. The concept of being able to layout my ideas in a structured way, really helped me visualize certain aspects of my business that were complex and sometimes confusing. When trial period of MindManager ran out, I had a dilemma – I didn’t want to pay out $349 to get my ideas out of my head. Along came FreeMind. FreeMind can do everything most people need when it comes to structuring your ideas, and as always - it is free. FreeMind can be used on Apple and PCs.
CREATING A PDFCommercial Product:

Adobe Acrobat/Adobe Distiller

Open Source Alternative: PDFCreator
PDFs are a great way to get people to see your documents as you intended. The problem is making them. Adobe Acrobat can perform this but the $449 price makes it very unpleasant. A great alternative is PDFCreator. PDFCreator basically adds a printer (that you can give a custom name) to your available printer list. When you are ready to convert any document to a PDF, use File > Print like you normally would, now choose your PDF printer from the list, hit Print (then save) and your done. It works great.
CHECKING EMAIL

Commercial Product: Microsoft Outlook

Open Source Alternative: Mozilla Thunderbird
Nothing is as thrilling as getting your own email address. Freeing yourself from the “aol.com” stigma is a great thing. Now you have the problem of how do I check my new email address if I don’t have AOL? You have two options, buy Microsoft Outlook for $109.99 or download Mozilla Thunderbird for free. If you just need to be able to check your email, Mozilla Thunderbird is a great choice.
CALLING PEOPLE THROUGH THE INTERNET (VOIP)
Commercial Product: Vonage

Open Source Alternative: Skype
At this point I want to share a humorous story. Since last 2 years I had been using Vonage. I was paying $24.99 per month. When I heard about the new Skype deal which was in $29.95 for unlimited calling per YEAR, I decided to cancel my Vonage account. I called Vonage support as we can’t cancel your account online and told the rep that I wanted to cancel my Vonage account. She asked me why you want to cancel. I told the nice customer service rep that I was gong to switch to Skype. I told her about the $29.95 for unlimited calling per YEAR which is a yearly savings of $250. She said “on the other hand sir, do you know that you have to talk through your computer’s microphone?” I said “No, that isn’t factual, there are regular cordless phones that are attuned with Skype, hence I can be at anyplace in my office”. She was quiet for a second or two. Then she said “Did you know that with Vonage you can take your number with you to different locations, like if you move offices or between the office and home?” I answered “Yes, Skype can do that easier than Vonage”. She lastly canceled my account. This autobiography can elaborate you Skype VS. Vonage, but here is incredibly cool – Belkin have created Skype handsets that DO NOT need to be connected to a computer to use Skype. These devices connect through any open wireless network and make calls through Skype. This means that if you had one of these devices and the unlimited Skype account, you would have an unlimited use cell phone! Vonage can’t do that! Skype can be used on Apple and PCs.

As you can see from above, you can have some really great business software without having to pay the high price for commercial software. Don’t get me wrong, I think Microsoft and other big companies make great software titles, but if I can get a very similar version for FREE and save my business money (which means more money in MY pocket) - sorry Microsoft I am going with the open source versions. If you need help finding and downloading any of the above open source titles, just contact me and I’ll help you out. Enjoy!

Data entry jobs

Increasingly, the modern businesses are moving into the global marketplace, thanks to the facilities of the internet. These businesses are realizing that online data entry jobs can make a huge difference in the cost of running business. By sending work from the business location over the internet to offshore home based office workers and receiving the completed information in the similar way, workers don't have to be housed in a classy office. This leaves more takings to the business and helps the workers as well. The number of companies using such means is increasing every day.
Jobs that need a minimum of training
Online data entry jobs come in a range of levels and prerequisite training levels. Some of the jobs only require knowledge of the computer and internet access. Others require complete knowledge of spreadsheets, database programs, accounting and bookkeeping skills or particular software and technology. Most people have some skills to steer a computer, but some data entry work involves using more complicated transcription equipment. At the lower level of the skill range there are more jobs, but those requiring more experience and more specialized knowledge also pay better.
Jobs that require ability to use the computer
It is probable that online data entry jobs need computer skills in order to do well. Though, these workers must be able to do more than just peck away at a keyboard in order to accomplish the job. Home based jobs require the worker should be a self-starter with the ability to manage and schedule work and rest times so that contracted work is finished on time and accurately. The use of computer is only part of the knowledge required of a technical nature.
Jobs that come in a variety of difficulty levels
Online data entry jobs vary according to the abilities of a worker required to complete them satisfactorily. Data entry work online doesn't require specific technical familiarity of programming language or operating systems, except some basic skills to work with the computer and with the type of data entry that you are hired for. You must be a reasonably steady worker, although some people are naturally faster than others in completing a specific project. You can advance your skill level by doing each job accurately and to the best of your ability.
Jobs that can be done from a home office
The handiness of working from a home office means that expenses are lowered and the most efficient use of work time is accomplished. As mentioned earlier, online data entry jobs just require a computer with an internet connection. The equipments like Fax machine and printer equipment are another piece of equipment that helps smooth the communication of data. A normal office chair and desk completes the needed infrastructure.
Typing
Data entry jobs related to typing are very common. Almost any subject and type of business has need for typing working. Many of these jobs are simply commissioned out to home workers. The most needed qualifications are attention to detail, a good command of English language, structure, punctuation, spelling and utter accuracy in the above areas. Typing jobs sent to home workers come from small businesses houses that don't have enough work to warrant hiring internal staff. They also come from large entrepreneurs that have learned the economic advantages to out source the data entry work. Business houses from large scale to small scale can realize benefits by outsourcing the data entry jobs.
Editing
Another of the data entry jobs which are able to be transported to home based businesses is that of editing previously prepared materials for accuracy. Even the most cautious typist may sporadically make syntax mistakes or punctuation errors that are difficult to pick out when reading back over the typed work. Though, if an editor looks at the work, such inaccuracies generally swoop by the reader. For work that is importantly important for accuracy, an editor can be employed to review previously completed work for accuracy and fullness. Every organization wants finished written material under the name of the company to be something to be proud of.
Statistical Data entry jobs in the statistical field generally go to home based workers who are quick on a calculator or keyboard. These jobs often involve entering names and addresses in a database or making amendments to existing database fields. As may be expected, Absolute accuracy is of vital importance in this type of work. At times the work is completed by different workers and then the work is tested out through a merge and software program for the additional assurance of accuracy. If you are the kind of man who wants a little fun in your work, this kind of work may not work well for you, since it tends to be monotonous.
Transcription
If you are familiar with syntax and spelling in the English language, transcription data entry jobs may be just the answer for you. You have to listens to recorded audio/video resources and type out what is being said so that there is a written record of the spoken word. Transcription of the interviews and of tele-seminar conferences and calls are becoming quite widespread amongst marketing experts. Transcription typists can make excellent money in preparing such material.
Medical
Data entry jobs in the field of medical are highly specialized. There are so many medical terms that are usually alien to the general public. Misspellings in a medical term can result in huge legal and medical entanglements. These workers typically are in charge for transcribing case notes that have been dictated by doctors and serve as a written documentation of diagnosis.

SO the base line is, data entry jobs are amongst the most widespread of jobs on the internet for at home workers. They are easy to get, pay well and don't need a lot of initial investment or advanced degrees to get start. The world of business has changed drastically in the past few years. Online collection and manipulation of data is making a growing share of the work force. SO we can say this confidently that online data entry jobs will increase in popularity.

6 Steps to Link Popularity

Summary: Link Popularity is the one of the most important attribute for the SEO. Link Popularity means popularizing a link of the website for top rankings in search engines. These days Link Popularity is being considered to be the most important procedure for the search engine optimization. Good ranks are utterly unattainable without the effective Link Popularity Plan. In one piece we can say that link popularity is a measure of the quantity and quality of other web sites that link to a specific site on the World Wide Web. Given below are the 6steps to excel at link popularity:

1. Include enlightening and informative content which will help in building your link popularity. Every search engine gives first and foremost importance to content. Search engine spider constantly tries to store as much as fresh content in their database. Therefore, make an effort to publish as much as content in your website but don't choose too many paragraphs in single page. If you have additional content then split the content in pages. You should target each page with your desired keywords. Never publish the needless hype in your website with that you can loose the potential visitors.
2. Article marketing is a new way of increasing link popularity. Article marketing obviously is the process of writing articles and submitting them to different online article directories and websites that accept articles for the idea of generating direct traffic and backlinks to your website. If your articles are accepted by the article directories, they will be included in their pages. If you submit just one article to a 500 directories, you would have half a thousand backlinks to your website. Therefore, article marketing is a powerful source of generating traffic and generating backlinks to your website. Article marketing generates traffic to your website through two primary ways. One way is that of search engine optimization that is created by the back links that are created by your article marketing. The second way of article marketing that is quite powerful is that of bringing direct traffic.
3. Forums are usually used to discuss matters and as a social link. Lots of flexibilities available in the forums make it a preferred choice of today’s people and solution to their problems. Though the forums offer so much they demand very little in return. The best part of joining a forum is that it is free and you can reach your targeted group of audience very effortlessly and remain in constant touch, whatever is your reason to access the forum. All you need to do is partake in allied forums and put your subscription link in your signature.


4. Advertise at www.craigslist.com. There are millions of people who are browsing through Craigslist for various reasons such as jobs, shopping etc. You can take advantage of this free service to market your goods and services. Craigslist is actually a local classifieds website for 450 cities all over the world. This fast rising website is the 7th most visited site in the World Wide Web. It is projected that over 20 million people visit Craigslist monthly resulting in over 7 billion page views per month. Craigslist has received over 30 awards and honors as well as the #1 spot on Time Magazine's list of 50 Coolest Websites. To have a link in a website like this would give a wonderful boost to your own website. Just go to that site and select the category that your pages belong to, and then post your advertisement, with your link of course.
5. The free classifieds and free classified advertising have turned into hot online slogan. Free classified advertising is a swiftly growing trend of recent times. Classified ads are an outstanding way to promote your business both online and offline. Classified ads web sites endorse effective means of expressing ideas and bartering information, by offering subscribes the opening to post their ads on a web page, or else to access the ads posted by others. Classified ads web sites provide exact information, clear in various categories: job classifieds, homes classifieds, events classifieds and many more!
There are plentiful websites that offer the free online classified ads. Find out a dependable, specialized classified ads web site and you will certainly locate what you are in quest of! Premium, dependable classified ads web sites usually indict no fee for posting classified ads. This is for sure a great mean to boost the traffic on your website and consequently an enhancement in your Link Popularity.
6. The plan of linking websites is a very productive marketing plan. The linking process has cemented the way to get far greater likelihood of getting more and more traffic on a website. The correct use of linking strategies and techniques will be attaining more and more chances of bringing good things on your site. Nevertheless, many times, there are people who are questioning the relevance that linking strategy describe in the field of online marketing. Apparently, they do not have sufficient understanding about what basically is the driving reason for linking. Well, to give a better explanation on the significance of the linking and the strategies that work best with it, below are some of the explanations. This is what it means; look for two or more website owners who are willing to give it a shot. Owner A can place a link to owners B’s website in his own pages. Owner B can place a link to owner C’s website in his own pages. And owner C can place a link to owner A’s website in his own pages. This is indisputably a great poly to better Link Popularity.
The bottom line is that Link popularity is nothing, but exchanging of links between two different popular sites. Link popularity is performed to acquire the backlink from any of the popular website. Link exchange is carried out by the webmaster to get more and more of popular back links from other sites. Link popularity is achieved either by one side link exchange or two way link exchange. Link popularity assists to amplify the ranking of the particular web site, which obtains more popular back links from other sites.

Top Reasons Why People Want to Redesign their Websites

Summary: Did you ever think about redesigning your website? If your answered is yes, you have arrived at the right place. In this article, we will take a close look on several reasons that you may want to get a complete website redesign. We will also take a look at some of the things that redesigning your website can do for you. Please read on this article to discover more. The process of web design is just like writing a research paper. In the conceptualization phase, flowcharts are created which demonstrate the navigational makeup of your website. In the modeling phase, static wireframes are created which demonstrate the skeletal layout for each section of your website. Then, graphics, colors and text are employed to create the design of your web pages based on the layout. In the implementation stage, your design is transformed into a format supported by web browsers, text and content are added, and finally, your final draft is published live to the Internet for the world to see in the form as website.
Making Your Website More Attractive
Have you developed a website for yourself only for having a website? Have you just developed a dinky website on your own since you have no experience in website designing? If your answered is yes, then chances are that you may want to redesign your website. If you have a business, you want to get the paramount results. The key to your success may be how alluring your website looks. A website redesign actually helps your business in the long run.
Organization Can Make All the Difference
You may want to consider getting a website redesign is because your website is unorganized at present. Probabilities are that there is information strewn right through your entire website, devoid of any assonance or reason. If so, a huge probability is that people may not come to your website when they decide to visit it. Hence, by making a decision to redesign your website, you could be making a great difference in the success of your site.
Right Style for Your Website
Undoubtedly style can be extremely significant for your website. There are certain things which you want to see on your website. This includes, what is the most suitable for your business, as well as what people are concerned in seeing. If you choose to your website redesigned, you will be able to have a website developed for the style which you are looking for. This can make possible the overall success of your website.
Website promotion:
One of the most important keys to your overall company success is website promotion. There are numerous ways to increase your website promotion, some of which include search engine optimization, email campaigns, directories, and other websites. Obviously, before you can experience the best website promotion, you need to make sure that your website is as professional and attractive as it can be. In order to have the most successful website promotion, you should categorically consider an innovative look for your website.
Get Better Website Optimization for Your Website
Chances are that you probably have your website submitted in search engine databases. If this is the case, you perhaps know the way that search engines work is through website optimization. In order to boost the search engine optimization for your website, some new website designing should be done. The best keywords will be selected, to make your website more successful in search engines. For the best search engine optimization strategies and to amplify website optimization, you should certainly consider having your website redesigned.
Change the Wording to Make it More Appealing
Are you uncertain of whether or not the information on your website sounds engaging enough? Do you also want to make sure that people who view your website can simply understand it? These are together very good reasons to consider website redesigning. Making sure that it sounds as engaging as it possibly can be very important to your success, plus your website optimization.
What Good Graphics Can Do For You
One of the most important things which people usually notice when they visit a website is graphics. There are countless effects that graphic design services can do for your website. It can create your overall website look more appealing to someone who visits it. Graphic designs can also encourage the style of your website. If you have a company website, you may find that your overall success will be augmented through graphic design.
Make Sure That Your Web is User-friendly
People dislike those websites which are not easy to use. When people use a website that has confusing navigation, probabilities are that they will not use the website again because they will get frustrated with it. Website redesigning can assist you a lot when it comes to making your website user-friendly. A comprehensible website can lead to the overall success of your company, by increasing the sales that you get.
Develop a More Professional Looking Website
Another important thing that there is to know about website design is the fact that a website is just like the heart to your company. If you have a company which is very professional, chances are that you will also want your company’s website to be very proficient and professional as well.
If anyone finds that your website does not look professional enough, they will most likely avoid using your services. If you make up your mind to get your website redesigned, you will feel rest assured to know that your website is as professional-looking as it should be.
Match Your Competition
The reality is that industries are continually altering their web designs. If your website is older, probabilities are that the content that can be found on it may be outmoded. So as to go with your competition, you should have a website that is just on the same level with your competitors. Having your website redesigned can be very successful when it comes to this.
The conclusion-------! Why Is It So Advantageous?
The looks of your website will be enhanced thru graphics. Your website promotion will be booming. Website optimization will be increased. Great web layout with effective and interesting to read text will definitely give boost to your website promotions. The overall success of your company will be greater than before, through encouraged sales or use of services.

Effective 8 Ways to build backlinks

Summary: Building backlinks is the most crucial aspect to get first-class ranking on the search engines. The status and the importance of the information and website are usually determined by the number of backlinks on a page. The proper backing backlinks motivate the search engines to recommend your site to any of their visitors. Thus, each backlink on your page serves as a vote from another website to your website, gives you required exposure. Consequently, you get high amount of traffic which proves a key stone for the progress of your Internet business. I shall discuss top 8 ways to build backlinks. By following them you can skyrocket your blog up search engines rankings.
Article Submissions: You can efficiently generate a flood of high quality backlinks by submitting articles to authority article websites. You just have to use an article submitter like Article Post Robot, and in turn your article will be submitted to hundreds of article directories. One thing that can be a problem for you is creating well written articles. But you can hire the services of a freelancer to write a set of 4 to 5 good quality articles to submit to article directories. The submission of your articles to as many article directories as you can enhances the possibility of more backlinks to your site.
Do some research: Extensive research to find relevant sites can be a great help in building a list of backlinks. Relevant means related to your content, for instance, if your website is about dogs and the page you wish to develop your search lists for is American bull terriers. Try to find backlinks on pages related to American bull terriers first, then the dogs. Avoid the other, irrelevant to your subject because it would be useless fundamentally. You can also find possible link partners through search engines using same keywords as you have used in your articles. Through the contact details of other websites, you can exchange links with them. It is commonly advantageous practice to exchange links. So, always do research to build a list of backlinks.
Post comments: A very efficient and really quickly way to build backlinks is to comment on the blogs having related subject to yours. Post these comments to the recommended blogs but remember not to spam the blogs. Despite, you should post relevant and helpful comments. Each posting will provide you an opportunity to mention your name and your website to other blogs. You can also mention your main keyword. The majority of blogs check out the comments strictly before they are approved. So, be careful and send only relevant and effective comments to get more backlinks.
Social bookmarking: Another efficient way to get authoritative backlinks is social bookmarking. This can generate real incoming links for you which will help you to keep track of other pages related to yours. You have just to post to the quality websites such as Digg, reddit and del.icio.us that give effective backlinks directly and ensure the privacy of your postings. In case, if you post to these sites through Social Marker, it would make the whole process mechanical. Social networks and search engine optimization tools also offer a huge list of backlinks to your site if you use them properly.
Forum posting: You can build quality backlinks if you spend some time in posting to a forum relevant to your subject. Updated with the fresh matter from forum posters, many forums are regarded as authority sites that offer you to create backlinks from your forum's signature file. However, One thing you must remember is that if the given forum is with ‘no=follow’ tag, it would not be fruitful for you to post to it. You can also trade links with other webmasters through Digital point which is a large forum having a trading section. Thus, backlinks can be created fastly by posting in forums.
Buy backlinks: Huge list of backlinks can be made by buying them also. Top ranked websites on the search engines with high amount of traffic permit you to place your website link on their site. They demand money for this.Another way to buy backlinks quickly is to visit DigitalPoint.com. It has a trading section from where you can buy quality backlinks. Just make one thing clear that you are buying relevant backlinks. Webmasters also sell their links. Such deals can be found on Digital point forums. Thus, there are many ways to buy backlinks to increase the amount of traffic to your blog and develop your Internet business.
Press Releases: One of the most efficient and most commonly used methods to create tons of quality backlinks in a matter of seconds is Press Releases. Just write your press release like a newspaper report and submit it through press release submitter such as Web Wire. An ample amount of backlinks will be produced on your site when your press releases are used by online publications. For the effective promotion of your website make a habit of press release on the every new and unique feature of your website. The content of Press Release sites is usually picked by top news sites. Therefore, a single press release can give you extraordinary response.
Submit your website to various directories: You can generate a large number of backlinks by submitting your website to more than one web directories. As these web directories are visited by a lot of people daily and this increases the possibility of building a list of backlinks to your blog. The more you enter your website to various directories, the more backlinks you will have. If your budget does not permit you to do so, no matter, submit your website to all popular toll free directories. Just make sure that these directories are related to your niche. Through some research you can easily find some suitable directories.
In short, the above mentioned ways to build backlinks will help you to create quality backlinks. The vital factor that really matters is the content of your site. If your site contains good quality content, it will be visited by more people that means more backlinks, more traffic and finally more sales. And this ensures the upgrading of your Internet business and your blog.