Send A Fax, Save A Tree

A few weeks ago, my fax machine was on the blink, and while it was out for repair, I desperately needed to send and receive a fax that was time sensitive. It was not an option for me to go to the local Staples to have them do it for me as there was a time delay between sending and receiving of about four hours, and I could not afford to either wait in the store that long, or return later in the day to pick up the faxed documents.

Besides—the information contained in the fax was highly confidential. So where did that leave me? I began looking at online faxing solutions. I have used eFax in the past, and for the most part, I was satisfied with their product offering. However, after reading some reviews, I was introduced to MyFax.

I decided to give them a try, and I was so impressed with how quickly and easily I was able to set it all up, that I even decided to sign up as an affiliate. Sending and receiving is as simple as email, it is always available (no busy signals, no paper shortage), the cost is less than what I would spend on a dedicated fax line plus the cost of toner for my fax machine, and best of all, because it is Internet based, I can use it anywhere I have an Internet connection. Because my business is virtual in nature, I find myself working in some of the most obscure places (ie: while camping, on trains, etc.)

So why not give them a try. Click on the image below to get started. Send a fax and save a tree today!

For Every Action, There Is An Equal And Opposite Criticism

The title of this article is a quote from an unknown source, but I thought it was as appropriate a title as any. You see, a few weeks back, I received some of the first real negative feedback about an article I had written. Gasp!! … could it be true? Was it possible that not everyone was a fan of my writing? It is a known fact that I am my own worst critic, but could it be true that the fan base was growing?

My first reaction was a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Then a knot developed, which grew and festered, and became a huge tumour spreading throughout my system. I was truly bummed about the response, and it completely consumed me for the remainder of the day. It wasn’t until the next day when I realized that I was completely overreacting. And here’s why — the response to the article was, and I quote, “I’m sorry, I don’t like that.” I could have been offering this person pepper on his salad, to which he could have responded with the same thing, and it wouldn’t have affected me in the slightest. So why, then, when he made the comment about my piece, did I consider giving it all up for a job at the local Tim Horton’s?

It all came down to the human response to criticism. It sucks.

However … I took the steps necessary regarding the criticism. Firstly, I acknowledged it. (”No problem”) … Secondly, rather than dwelling on the issue, I offered alternatives (”check this one out”) and finally, I MOVED ON!! … One of the most difficult things for me to do, both personally and professionally, is to move past the difficult hurdles that I might face, and this was no different. But I managed to accomplish the task.

There was probably an element of truth to his comment … but, just because this particular person didn’t like the article, that does not necessarily mean it was a ‘bad’ article. More to the point, it was just not to his liking. Period. Just as some people like certain movies, and others do not. For instance, my husband’s favourite movie is ‘Pulp Fiction’, whereas I, personally, cannot stomach it (which, by the way, my husband wishes he knew that before we were married!). I’m sure there are many people out there that have this movie on their top ten list of favourites, which is okay. I’m cool with that. But, sorry, I don’t like that (movie). See? I said the same thing! I’m sure there are tons of people that may react in the same manner that I did when the comment was made to me, but that’s okay too. I doesn’t make it a bad movie — just not to my liking.

I guess it all just boils down to opinion. Everybody has one. Everybody is entitled to one. And everyone has a right to offer theirs. I’m just going to have to get used to the fact that not everybody will share the same opinion as me.

A wise poet was quoted as saying, ”The only sin that we never forgive in each other is a difference in opinion.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) U.S. poet, essayist and lecturer). I think it’s possible to forgive, but can we forget? We’ll have to see.

WordPress vs, Blogger

Since I started blogging, I have used a few different tools for setting up my blogs. The first one I used was WordPress, hosted on their site, not my own. I then tried a company call Squarespace. Finally I moved onto Blogger.com, the tool provided by Google. They each had their good and bad points, and I liked each one for different reasons. WordPress and Blogger are free tools, and anything free is good in my books. Squarespace is an absolutely fantastic tool, and if you need hosting along with it they provide if for a minimal fee (around $8 per month). However, if you want a TLD (top level domain), or in the case of my blog, a subdomain, you have to upgrade to a premium hosting package, which is almost double that price. Ouch!

I am currently using Blogger, which I find to be a useful tool. It's a neat and tidy package, and it allows you to *link* to other blogs, and gives great exposure for no fees. It's also very user friendly and takes little time to set up As far as ease of use and flexibility in design, my favourite is WordPress. The biggest issue I have with WordPress, however, is the fact that you cannot advertise on your blog, which can be a main source of income for most blogs. I'm a Google Adsenser, and I need to have that capability.

After doing some reading (when I finally had a few free minutes), I checked out WordPress.org -- you can install WordPress onto your server, and host it yourself with the software. Very cool! ... This will allow me to continue to advertise with AdSense and others, and get the benefits of WordPress.

My dilemma is the amount of time it will take to switch everything over. Right now, everything is running smoothly on Blogger, and it's free. However, I can host my own blog with my current domain host, which will also be free, and WordPress will allow me to expand the blog to bigger and better things.

To switch or not to switch ... that is the REAL question.

CDW Canada - An Awesome Company!

It's not too often that I recommend a company for products or services, especially when it comes to my business, but recently a customer of mine asked me where I purchased my computer hardware and software. Now, I am not a big purchaser of these items -- most of it happened when I first started my business -- but to this day, I still have the same supplier as I did in the beginning. I'd like to tell you a bit about my experience with them.

CDW Canada is my primary supplier for all things computer related. They provide IT products and services for both businesses and the general public, and their customer service is beyond compare.

I have a business account with them, so I can log in at any time to get prices, see stock availability, and use their many available online tools to find the parts I am looking for. If I decide to place an order, I can do so quickly, and at my convenience, with the comfort in knowing that the order will ship out the same day (if the order is placed before 4:00 pm EST), or the next day if the order is placed in the evening.

Not only will I receive confirmation of my order via email, but my personal sales rep will contact me both by email and phone to first thank me for the business, and to let me know the order has been received. I will also receive an email and a phone call to let me know the order has been shipped, along with tracking numbers from the courier company. Additionally, I will receive follow up email and phone call to ensure that the order has been received.

Now, I ask you -- what other company will do that for you when you spend less than $1,500 per year on their products? I cannot think of any other company that I have dealt with that has that level of customer communication. They honestly make me feel like a million dollar customer, and treat me with as much respect.

So, thank you, CDW Canada, and in particular, Jackson. Although your profit margins from my purchases are those of a pauper, you have always made me feel like a princess!