TAO Podcast (Mobile Work Tip) - Remote PC Access

Phil talks about accessing a PC remotely using an online service called GoToMyPC.

Virtual Collaboration and Brainstorming - Use the right tools

I recently stumbled on a great article on Read-Write-Web about the “Work From Home” Generation.

They give a good overview of the pros and cons. While I agree with almost all of it, the first issue they raise as a negative is “Brainstorming is difficult”. While I agree initially it can be more challenging while you adapt to collaborating with others virtually, like anything it becomes much easier with practice. A large part of successfully brainstorming and collaboration with others across distance is choosing and “thoughtfully applying” the right technology. This is something we often talk about and stress in our workshops and books. Read more

Dropping Outlook for webmail? My 60 day experiment

Let me start by saying that for as long as I can remember I have been a devout Microsoft Outlook user. I lived, breathed, and worked in Outlook all day long using it not only for email - but also for organizing my contacts, calendar, tasks, and notes. About 6 months ago I upgraded to Office 2007 and really like the new version of Outlook - however I have been giving a lot of thought lately to just how mobile my email is (and can be).

This prompted me to start thinking about making the switch to using webmail. By moving away from Outlook to a web based email system I always have access to all my mail from any web browser. At a client site - no problem just jump on the web and I’m able to send, receive or access all of may mail. Visiting friends and family . . . I don’t even need my laptop with me as long as I can use their computer to get on the web.

But me leave the comforts of Outlook? Just the thought of it made me quiver . . . so I decided to conduct a 60 day experiment to see if I could leave my trusty Outlook behind and free myself to truly work the web!

I evaluated the big boys of webmail - Yahoo, Windows Live (formerly Hotmail), and Google’s Gmail. After a painstaking analysis of their various features and options and a few short tests I have decided to go with Yahoo Mail for my experiment. There are a lot of reasons why which I will explain in future posts - but one of the reasons is their new interface which makes the experience of working with it very similar to working with Outlook or any other desktop email program. Also it was important for me to be able to send mail from a number of different email addresses seamlessly so I could consolidate my mail into one program like I did with Outlook. While the other claim to do this they have some shortcomings in this area that Yahoo did not have (as long as I subscribe to their Yahoo! Mail Plus service for $20 a year).

I also like the fact that I can free myself from having to use a smartphone (like my current Treo 650) to access my email being that almost all phones have internet access and Yahoo provides a very usable wap (phone based) interface to access and work with your email. I’m planning on getting a new phone soon and wanted to move to something a bit simpler (my Treo tends to crash a lot and in the end I realized I want my phone to be mostly just that . . . a phone and not try to do everything). I spend enough time troubleshooting my computer - I don’t want to troubleshoot my phone too!

I decided now would be a good time for the test as I will be traveling a lot for the holidays so it would give me a good chance to really put it through it’s paces. So about 3 weeks ago I made the switch (gulp). I have a copy of all my email forwarding to my Yahoo Plus account (while leaving a copy on the mail server that I still have been downloading into Outlook once a week in case after the 60 days I decide to scrap my webmail experiment).

At first my mouse kept hovering over the Outlook icon on my taskbar every time I went to check or send an email but soon I overcame that and a strange feeling has overtaken me. Let’s call it a lightness of being . . . I feel less tied down not having to live in Outlook anymore. Instead of running into my home office to check my email I just use my phone’s web access to log into yahoo and view messages. And guess what? When I delete a message on my phone it’s gone the next time I access Yahoo’s webmail from my laptop. I also have to admit my laptop has been a lot snappier now that I don’t have a big resource hogging program like Outlook running all the time. Most of the time I am just working in my browser (which I always have open anyway).

I’m not fully convinced I am leaving Outlook yet - but so far I am really enjoying the experience! The next week or so when I am visiting family for the holidays will be much more telling. What about my calendar, tasks, and notes you ask? I’ll save that for another post in a few weeks. At that point I’ll share more details about my experience and what tools I am trying in replace of Outlook there - yes they are also web-based!

So what do you think? Are you an Outlook addict? Have any of you made the switch? Post a comment and let me know your thoughts and experiences.

The Virtues of Going Virtual

Many people consider the pros and cons of moving to a completely virtual office setup but aren’t sure whether it is right for them. I recently came across a blog post from Don Loper who manages a web design firm. At the end of May he made the jump from a physical office to a full virtual office. Read more about his thoughts and experience in this post - The Virtues of Going Virtual.

He also posted some thoughts about the experience a few months later in his post The Virtual Office is Complete (love the photo Don!)

Now while many of you may be thinking it’s easy for him to go with a virtual office setup because he runs a web design firm, I think you will find most of the points he makes to be true of many businesses in varied industries.

A panelist at the NICSA convention discussing the changing workplace and virtual teams

I arrived at the beautiful Doral Resort in Miami today (only a few hours South on the Florida Turnpike for me). It was a beautiful day in the mid 60’s and the sun was shining, so I really enjoyed the drive. I felt guilty guilty for a second getting ready this morning and watching the weather channel when I saw that it was -10 degrees with the wind chill in Boston today (the place I called home before moving to Florida). But only for a second . . .

I’m speaking on a panel tomorrow at the annual NICSA convention. Our session is called Looking Forward/Looking Back: Changing Demographics in the Workplace of the 21st Century.

Our panel (which lasts an hour) will be discussing:

• How to get the best candidates
• How to integrate part-time and remote employees into the culture
• How do alternative work arrangements impact the bottom line in terms of cost savings and increased productivity?

I’m looking forward to an interesting discussion. I’ll post more on Wednesday with more info on how the panel went and a summary of best practices and lessons learned.

Many advantages to a virtual office and company

I came across a great article in last Sunday’s Boston Globe called “Virtual Office is what you make it” talking about the trend of working in a virtual office and how for many entrepreneurs and startups they grow their businesses this way from the ground up.

“The future is likely to be the age of virtual businesses,” writes Anita Campbell, founder of Small Business Trends. “Forget three guys in a garage — that was your father’s startup. Today it’s three people spread out across the country or even across continents, each in their home offices or back porches with laptops, mobile phones, and WiFi.”

Check out the article for some interesting insight on virtual companies.

Show #9: Work Unchained - Work where and when you want with a virtual office

This week we explain the concept of a virtual office including the different types of virtual offices and their uses. Thanks to Guillermo Rotman of Regus for joining us as our guest on the show.

If you missed the show you can listen in below or download the MP3 file.

Show # 9: Work Unchained - Work where and when you want with a virtual office

Whether it’s a web-based collaboration service or an actual physical office that you can use on an as needed, on-demand basis virtual offices are empowering teams, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. This show will cover the ins and outs of all types of virtual offices and new ways to collaborate. Phil and Jason will be joined by Guillermo Rotman president of The Regus Group Network for the Americas, the world’s largest provider of outsourced workplaces for companies of any size.

Here’s what we covered:

• The rise of virtual offices: We look at the way that working and workplaces have changed to embrace a more mobile, flexible style of work.
• Different Types of virtual offices: We explore the different types of virtual offices and how solo professionals, teams, and companies of all size are using them to improve productivity and collaboration. Smart phones, free web-based collaboration tools, web-based virtual offices, and physical virtual offices.
• Websites and Resources:
  • Yahoo Groups and MSN Groups - setup a shared collaboration space or virtual office for free. Basic features include calendar, discussion boards, document and photo storage.
  • Webex Weboffice - Professional level web-based virtual office. Shared contacts, calendars, documents, task lists, and more. Get everyone on the same page. This is what we use at Montero Consulting.
  • How Virtual Ofices Work - Good article that guides you through some of the issues you have to deal with when setting up a virtual office. They also discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of operating solely in cyberspace.
• Guest: Guillermo Rotman, President of The Regus Group Network for the Americas, the world’s largest provider of outsourced virtual offices and workplaces for companies of any size.

To listen to the show you can use the flash player below or download the MP3 file. Use the PLAY IN POPUP link below if you want to use our flash player and roam the web while listening.

Advice to help you weather any storm - from Office Depot

As we discussed in our radio show a few weeks back, disaster recovery and business continuity is about developing an effective response to a crisis - and preventing that crisis from becoming a full-fledged disaster. Having a sound contingency plan can enable your small business to successfully “weather” any storm - be that a hurricane, tornado or flood, as well as a technology disaster, such as a computer virus or a power outage that can happen at any time and without warning.

Check out this excellent resource compliments of Office Depot. It has lots of great information about disaster preparedness as well as a very useful downloadable brochure with tips and checklists to help you develop a strategy for this important business consideration.

Show #8: Juggling your life is not a circus trick

This week we discussed work life balance and work life integration. Thanks to Gil Gordon for joining us as our guest on the show.

If you missed the show you can listen in below or download the MP3 file.

Show # 8: Juggling Your Life is Not a Circus Trick

With all of the tools and strategies we embrace on our show, and that comprise the concept of The Anywhere Office there is the danger that your Anywhere Office can become an everywhere office blurring the boundaries between your work and your personal life. This week we were joined by Gil Gordon, telework guru and author of “Turn it Off“, to discuss strategies for work life integration and work life balance.

Here’s what we covered:

• The challenges with work life balance: The differece between work life balance, intergration, and harmony. Grass roots movements versus top down approach to flexible work benefits.
• In the News:
  • Importance versus Satisfaction - In this article from Network World salary survey respondents rate the job-related items that are most important to them, and then tell how satisfied they are with each one. Very interesting.
  • Work-life Balance: Ways to restore harmony and reduce stress - If your work life and personal life are out of balance, your stress may be running high. Here’s how to reclaim control.
• Website Spotlight:

  • WorkLifeBalance.com - Tips, articles, newsletter, and training for work life balance. Has an excellent definition of work-life balance. Here is the diagram of the Four Quadrants we mentioned.
• Guest: Gil Gordon - Telework Expert, President of Gil Gordon & Associates, and author of “Turn it Off“

To listen to the show you can use the flash player below or download the MP3 file. Use the PLAY IN POPUP link below if you want to use our flash player and roam the web while listening.

TAO Podcast - eMarketing Overview

This episode is a change of pace; rather than a segment from last week’s radio show, this is lesson one of a 6 part eClass that we offer on internet marketing through our smallbizemarketing.com site. We discuss some fundamentals of successful eMarketing. In a few weeks we will be dedicating a number of full radio shows to how small businesses, entrepreneurs, and solo professionals can utilize the concept of The Anywhere Office. Some of the strategies and technologies introduced in this podcast will be examined in detail during those shows.

Visit www.TheAnywhereOffice.com and sign up for updates to learn more about this special series. While you are there be sure to visit our blog and post comments and feedback as well.

TAO Podcast Theme Music - Begin by Andy Simon

eClass Music Bed - Walking Along Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Next Page »

Advertisement



• Recent Posts

  • The growth of telework and virtual teams in midmarket companies
  • TAO Podcast (Mobile Work Tip) - Remote PC Access
  • TAO Podcast (Mobile Work Tip) - Free Conference Calls
  • Travel Delays Highlight the Need for Virtual Team Strategies
  • TAO Podcast (Mobile Work Tip) - Communication Guidelines
  • Virtual Collaboration and Brainstorming - Use the right tools
  • Happy Holidays from The Anywhere Office - a musical gift!
  • Dropping Outlook for webmail? My 60 day experiment
  • Free Business Continuity Teleseminar for National Preparedness Month
  • Small Adjustments = Big Changes

Copyright © 2008 The Anywhere Office · Log in