Blog Recap for April

In case you haven't noticed my two other blogs, be sure to take a look!  Tech Tip Corner is my blog dedicated to businesses and organizations, while Coffee With a Nerd is dedicated more to my educational crowd.
I'm planning to do some monthly recaps here at the Ejulez Perspective as there are some pretty good videos over there to help you in your work....whatever it is that you may do!

Over the Month of April, here are some posts you may have missed:

Coffee With a Nerd:

• Google Drive Drawings 
• Piktochart for Infographics 
• Google Keep
• Building Flow Charts with LucidChart

Tech Tip Corner

• See Your Gmails With Split Screen
• Nothing to See Here
• Google Drawings Overview

My first book!

I have always wanted to write a book.  I started a couple, but never really could get behind them.  Then, I decided that maybe ebooks are the way to go for my subject area.  After some research, I realized that not only are ebooks good for my subject, but perfect for my vision too!  I love a good short read that is packed full of useful information and that's just what I am doing with this book (and the ones that will follow in the series).

Saving Seconds is my main title as while I am training, I find myself always saying, "Look, I just saved you a few seconds every day!"  So, these books will be dedicated to making your life easier by finding tips and tricks for doing things more efficiently.  This first book is focused on Gmail and includes 10 tips that help you use and be more efficient with Gmail.  The books to follow will include more on efficiency in the Google Apps suite, but also other tips that will help organizations function better.

I hope you will take a look and pass it on to those you know that may need it!  Just click on the book cover to the left to learn more!

Techie Bulletin Board

I spent a year looking at a lonely bulletin board in one of my schools and this year I decided to adopt it.  For me, it was a perfect location - In the teacher's lounge.  This lounge is where everyone goes for their coffee, to eat lunch, etc.  I knew I could come up with something to share techie awesomeness with them.
With a little help from one of my Media Coordinator/Pinterest Lover buddy (thanks Beth), I was able to come up with what you see here.

So, as a further explanation, the newsfeed is more or less what is going on in the tech world at that school for the month.  I put my coffee with a nerd videos on there and any upcoming trainings. Then, in the status update section, I have hand written posts (because I hope to one day get teachers to add their own updates) of things that might be of interest to them.  

This board has been up for a few weeks now and the teachers seem to really like it (or at least they're pretending to think my cheesiness is cool).  So, I'll continue updating it once per month and hopefully they'll learn a few things in the process!  

Time/Fun/Work

On the way to work today, I got to thinking about a former blog post "Success in 40 Hours?".  I went back to read it, to remind myself of my thoughts from almost 3 years ago.  I was happy that I still agreed with them but today I want to add an additional note to the post.  

Work does not have to be work all of the time for a person/company to be successful.  

So, what does that mean?  Well, it means that you don't have to clock in, work every single second, then clock out.  There are many articles, studies and other information all over the internet detailing the importance of down-time, mind breaks and other distractions throughout the day.  And, guess what?  All of those little distractions are actually supposed to INCREASE productivity.  

Wait, how do distractions increase productivity?  Well, think about it.  If you are given an outlet a few times a day (for a measly 2 minutes) to do something besides work; Or, you're given an outlet to, say, blog about ideas that come into your mind; OR! You're given a few minutes to plan a new project that is totally unrelated to what you're working on now...Those little moments or things throughout the day give you the mind break that you need to then have better focus on the task at hand.  Is it really costing the company/institution anything to let you have that little break?  No.  If anything, it's a savings because you'll be more apt to stay and continue to improve where you work!  

So to all of you out there that think shutting down all of the fun and distraction that takes place in schools or workplaces, stop.  A happy work community shines bright on everyone.  The opposite is also true.  I'd rather everyone be happy.  

Google Sites: An economical option

If you're looking for a good option for a website that is clean, user friendly, low cost, easy to update and very customizable, Google Sites is a great option.  In addition to school and business websites, I have used Google Sites for all of the following:

• Committee Resource Bank
• Presentation Tool
• Personal Resumes
• Small Group Updates and Publicity
• Portfolios
• Family Trip Planning

Personally, I think the best part of Google Sites is the ease of use.  Once the overall layout is set up, editing each page is as easy as 1, 2, 3. 

1. Click the edit pencil at the top of the page
2. Type the needed changes into the appropriate area
3. Click the save button at the top of the page

That's it!  You're done and everything you just added is already published online!  And, with Google's well-known reliability, your site is virtually never off-line!  

A Google Site can be set up with a "basic" theme in as little as a few minutes but there are many options available to the user that will help you customize the entire site to your needs as a group, business or school.  As an added bonus, Google is a free hosting solution and it is also free to set up. This can save schools and businesses a lot of money and hassle.  

I'd say the most commonly heard statement for me is "Yeah, but Google Sites look boring".  Well, yes, they tend to if you are using a "basic" template.  Keep in mind that there are a lot of customization options available and if you have some time and a little knowledge of html code, you can make them look awesome.  Here are a few examples of Google Sites I have created just to give you an idea of what they CAN look like! 

My Google Sites Design Business Website: www.rmssolutionsinc.com

Big Al's Pub and Grubberia: www.bigalspubandgrubberia.com

Stanly County Schools: www.stanlycountyschools.org

Why Google Apps?

Google Apps is a suite of services offered by Google including Gmail, Google Drive, Google Sites and lots more.  I not only recommend them for personal use but also for business and educational institutions.  As I have been using Google personally since 2006, I could probably go on all day discussing the reasons why I love it so much, but because I like to make things easy, here is my top five list.  

1.  Your Work Is always Backed Up

When typing an email or a document in Google, your work is autosaved almost constantly.  Nearly every letter you type is saved.  What this means is that if the power goes out or your computer locks up or you drop your phone in the lake, you can still access your work.  With several Gigs available (Depending on which version you are using-Personal, Google Apps for Business or Google Apps for Education) you can save away without working about storage space. 

2.  Low Cost (or Free!) 

If you are using Google Apps for personal or educational use, the basic storage package is free.  If you are a business wanting to use Google apps, the most basic cost is 5.00 per user (with, of course, package deals for larger groups).  With both options, you can always upgrade to large storage packages at any time.  Currently, personal space starts at 15 Gig and Ed/Business space starts at 30 Gig so there is definitely plenty to get you started! 

3.  Accessible Anywhere

Being in the cloud, you can access your documents and other tools anywhere you have access to the internet.  Concerned about internet outages?  No problem!  Google has an offline feature as well that automatically syncs when internet access is restored.

4.  Always Updated and Constantly Improving

Google is always working to improve their products.  Any updates or upgrades are pushed out so that users don't have to worry about a thing.  Any major changes are pushed out with a quick tutorial of the changes that is available on the next login.  

5.  Easy to Use and Collaborate with Others

With a simplistic layout and familiar look and feel, you are sure to get up and running quickly and efficiently.  The share button in the corner of all documents allows the user to collaborate in real time with other users.  This collaboration is one of the best qualities of Google Apps.  Not only does it show exactly what the other person is typing into the document, but it shows a flag by their cursor so you know exactly who is editing the document at that time.  

Looking for help getting started?  Check us out at RMS Solutions, Inc!

EJulez Update

I am now publishing a Coffee With a Nerd video blog weekly.  You can follow the Coffee With a Nerd site at coffeewithanerd.blogspot.com.

I also have started doing consultant work building Google Sites, Assisting businesses/schools in moving to Google Apps and doing general technical training/writing.  You can find my website for that at rmssolutionsinc.com.  I've done extensive work in moving my current school district over to Google Sites (District, Schools and all Teacher sites) and would love the opportunity to help other districts do the same.  Please feel free to pass on my info!