I am finally ready to announce my new blog.

Online IT Guide is my new blog.

It is computer advice and blogging for people who have a life. I’ll be sharing computer advice to help with everyday computer problems. I have a very heavy emphasis on handling viruses and malware there right now (there has been so much lately that I think it is a priority).

I’ll also be talking about blogging.

Initially, my emphasis will be on building a blog or website for a small business, although much of that will be applicable to anyone starting a blog. I see a lot of local small business that have a terrible website (if they even have a website). Many barely rank for their own name, much less typical search engine searches that they need to. I’ve grown tired of searching for a local business and finding the typical citysearch type directory instead. I’m looking to help them develop a site that they can change on their own without having to fork over a couple thousand dollars to a developer when they need to change something.

My goal at Online IT Guide will be to make the information understandable to everyday people.

Information like:

• What they need to do to keep their computer safe.
• How to maintain their computer.
• How to back up their data.
• How to set up WordPress for a business site.
• How to create content on a business website that will bring in paying clients.
• When it is time to find an expert to handle the situation.

Again, I am going to try and present this information so anyone can understand (I know I’m doing it right if my mom can follow it).

I will be putting nearly all my blogging effort and time into Online IT Guide.

Much of the blogging topics I would cover here will be covered there. I won’t be making much effort to post here anymore. However, there are some things I may want to post that will not fit into the topic there. Those posts may find a place here. For the most part though, Digital Key is not going to be much of an active blog.

For those that have taken the time to read, follow, and comment here over the years, I thank you. I think you’ll like the new site too. I personally think that everyone you know should subscribe to the site so you know if there is an important update or malware you may need to be concerned about (and there is a lot at the moment).

Head over to http://onlineitguide.com because you’re going to like it!

I’ll be removing the top commentator and making some other changes here but for the most part this site will still stay the same. It is just not going to get the same priority. Who knows, it work out better than it did before.

Your Avatar represents you and your blog.

What does your image say about you and your blog? What does it say about your business? Do you even have one (a photo that is)?

Image via Wikipedia

Believe it or not an avatar is important for your business.

You should have a photo of yourself on your website or blog. There is a reason that realtors all started having their photo on business cards long before it became common in the rest of the business world. Even if you decide to use a logo for an avatar you still need back it up on your site with a photo.

A personal photo brings recognition to your name and trust.

When people can relate a name to a face, it helps create a relationship. On the internet, taking advice or purchasing something from someone you have not seen can be intimidating. Your photo on the site will help the reader feel that they know you. It builds trust. If you are afraid to show who you are, why should I trust you?

What kind of photo should you use?

As a former photographer, I would recommend getting a professional portrait taken. I see a lot of photos on websites that are almost as bad as no photo at all. The top of the head is chopped off. The color is way off (shot with a webcam with the glow from the screen as a light). Some look like an audition for a horror movie.

You can get away with a good photo by a friend. Make sure the background is not distracting if it is not related to your blog or business. Make sure it is a close up. Most avatars are fairly small so it will need to be close to be much use. If your friend can’t get a good photo of you, then find a good professional that will help make sure the photo will work for the online use you need it for. Tell the photographer up front what you need and be prepared to pay for it.

You want to look professional, but not artificial.

No need for a suit if you don’t wear one usually. At the same time, don’t be too cute. Let us see the real you, but don’t be too real. Professional is the word. On the other hand, if you are the SEO of a Fortune 500 company, a photo in a suit is a requirement for most purposes.

Once you have a good photograph make sure you have it sized and cropped right.

Some uses require a square crop, otherwise the top of your head is always cut off. Others need a normal vertical photo. Some need a smaller resolution (like 100×100 pixels) others need a higher resolution or the image looks bad. You’ll need several resolutions of both vertical and square formats. It’s always a pain when you find you need to resize the photo yet again for some new site or social network, but take the time to present yourself right.

After you get a good image, use it.

Add it to Gravitar, MyBlogLog, and Blog Catalog. Use it in your Google profile and Yahoo profile. Make sure it is on your Facebook page. Make yourself famous by using your image as a press release. Use it for your Twitter avatar. Have it ready to use and add to any site you join that takes an image.

In my own case, I misplaced my portrait for a while.

Yeah, I know, you would expect more from a photographer. I thought I had it handy, but it ended up I only had a low resolution image and it took me a while to find the full image. In the meantime, I used a photo of my wife and I. While my wife is the most important part of my life, she really does not have much to do with the marketing of my blogs or my online presence. I needed to find that portrait (or I would have needed to get another one taken). I am glad I took the time.

Your online business is not the place to be anonymous.

Let people see that you are someone to be trusted. Let them see that you are someone to be taken seriously. Let your social networks see that you are social. In the end, a good photo for an avatar and on your website will pay off.

Will 2008 go down in the books as a good year for you?

Did you do good financially or are you one of those facing foreclosure? Did you finish the year in good health or in the hospital. Is your family well or is your father on hospice and your daughter on a milk carton?

Just before New Year, a local talk radio host asked this question.

For many of the callers it had not been a great year. For some of the other callers, 2008 was an improvement over 2007. Actually, it was very interesting to hear how others felt about 2008 as a year. However, it is really a useless question.

Live in the present not the past or future

It is a little late to do anything about 2008.

No matter if it was a good year or bad year for you. You may have got a new job the pays $250,000 a year, but that does not mean that you will still have it at the end of 2009. You may have lost your home in a foreclosure in 2008, but that does not mean you will not have a mansion by the end of 2009.

The past really has no bearing on the future.

I think this is a good thing. It means no matter how much I screw up, I can do better. It also means that you will always need to keep on top of things and keep improving. The only thing the past gives you is education and experience. Unfortunately, for many of us, learning from the past is something that never seems to happen.

It is easy to spend too much time worrying about past failure.

Living in the past is not a good use of time. You can profit from the past by learning from it and moving on.

The future is also something that you can spend too much time worrying about.

You can spend so much time preparing for the future that you never enjoy life. You can never be fully prepared for the future. You do not know what it holds. No one does.

This coming year could be a great year for you. Some people spend so much time worrying about the future they never really have a chance to enjoy life. They spend the whole day preparing for the next. And then, when the future throws them a surprise they did not prepare for, things are even worse.

I do believe in setting goals for the future.

I also believe in being prepared for the unexpected but it is easy to take both way too far. Yet, having no goals and being totally unprepared will lead you nowhere.

A lot of people set new years resolutions at this time of year.

The trouble is not just that they are goals that people never really commit to. The question is why wait till for a new year to make them and are they really a resolution or just a wish. We say “This year I am going to lose weight” when we really mean “Sometime, maybe, if it is convenient, later on during the year I’ll think about losing weight more seriously if it is easy.” Very few people are really resolved to their resolutions. If they were,  they would do it right then rather than wait for a new year.

My personal resolution for this year?

I plan to live as much as possible in the present.

I have that habit of leaving things for tomorrow. Tomorrow never seems to get here and I find myself thinking or saying “I ran out of time.” The truth is, I left the job for the future and the future had other plans for me. It is also easy to over analyze the future by constantly trying to prepare for it.

I also am not going to let the past dictate what can and cannot be done. I noticed that I just typed “I am going to” when it should say “I do not.”

Time to start using the proper tenses when I type too.

I live as much as possible in the present.

I do not let the past dictate what I can or cannot do. I learn from the past and use it for the present. I do not let past failure keep me from succeeding now. I do not spend more time thinking about making that important call (or blog post) than just doing it now.

I live now, not in the future, not in the past.

Now.

As far as not having enough time? Someone much more successful than I once said something. I am not sure it was his originally or if he got it from someone else (I am sure he listens to a lot of inspirational speakers). I think it is very profound.

“You have all the time there is.”

No more, no less.

Three important points in being a real man that Steve Pavlina missed.

Don’t just read the headings, the points are in the details. I think that these points also work for being a real woman, but I can’t say I would have experience with that. Maybe I should ask my wife?

I have seen a lot of bloggers mention Steve Pavilina’s article on being a man.

How to Be a Man How can men consciously express their masculinity without becoming cold or closed-hearted on the one hand… or wimpy and emasculated on the other?

It is very good post. I think a lot of us would do better if we really take the advice to heart. I just think Steve Pavlina could have added three more important points on being a real man.

Maintain control of the remote control at all costs!

Don’t just accept what is in front of you as the best available. Keep seeking something better. Find ways to improve yourself and everything around you. Find out what is better. Giving up your drive for the better may mean your program is over.

Shave every day!

Or don’t shave every day. Whatever you do, be consistent. Not being consistant makes you look like a bum. If you are going to do something, then do it. Things look much worse when you start and stop than if you just are consistant. This point is needed to make sure you keep on the plot line when you are using that remote control.

Pee standing up!

Let’s face it, it can be easy to sit down on the job. Don’t be lazy. Get to work and get it done quickly. Make sure you use your time wisely and don’t waste time on things that should not take as long. There is a better time to read that magazine.

While I made the headings in jest, I really believe that the points are true.

We all tend to settle for less than we should sometimes. Sometimes we don’t follow through. Often, I am lazy or slow doing something that should be done quick.

How about you?