Of all the Firefox extensions I use, ReminderFox has proven to be the one I would be most lost without.

This is the first post in a series about some of my favorite Firefox extensions.

I was not in a hurry to even try Firefox.

After a particularly bad version of Netscape, I’d switched to Internet Explorer and stayed there. For many years, I was a dedicated IE user. I can’t remember what finally got me to try FireFox, but now you’ll hear me complain whenever I have to use Internet Explorer. I hope you are not the webmaster of a site that would be forcing IE use on me! There are too many. It is like having to take the bus instead of driving a Porsche.

ReminderFox was the answer to a particular problem I had.

ReminderFox is easy to use.

When I only used Microsoft Windows, I used Office Outlook’s tasks to remind me of dates, especially recurring ones like paying the many bills I have every month. Outlook worked for the job because I nearly always started it to read email (not all my email accounts were in Outlook, but enough to get me to load it). I did loath starting Outlook. It is a resource hog that always brought computer use to a standstill while it loaded. Task reminders would pop up and freeze the screen till it loaded fully. Outlook also mixed up the Hotmail accounts, switching the mail between them and then completely failing to load the other.

When I began to switch to using Linux, I had a problem finding a substitute for Outlooks tasks.

Evolution (Ubuntu’s default email client) does not handle tasks as I would like. While there are plenty of calendar and task management programs available, these additional programs have the problem of needing me to start them in order for it to work. I find that I tend to not be very reliable at starting these things.

A search of FireFox extensions turned up ReminderFox.

ReminderFox has turned out to be the ideal solution. If there is one program I can nearly guarantee I’ll use regularly, it is a browser (particularly FireFox). Now I get the important reminders much more reliably.

I have found ReminderFox very easy to use.

You can set reoccurring tasks just as easily as Outlook. Reminders can be set over several days. I needed this feature for those online bills that still claim they need a couple working days to post the payment to the account. This way I get a warning before the bill is due so I can prepare for it.

Just a pet peeve:

I have seen credit cards that want a couple business days to acknowledge a payment. Add a weekend and a holiday and you need to make a payment five days before it is due to be on time. You could mail a check faster! I have canceled accounts with companies that do this but sometimes, you just have to work with morons like this. Just as annoying is finding out you paid too early and missed a monthly payment because it was credited a month early (a month that the balance was paid off also). I only hope the current banking problems will clear up stupidity like this, but it looks like our dear government leaders in Washington feel stupidity needs funding with our tax dollars. So, those companies that charge me extra fees because of their stupidity are not spending my tax money to do it.

ReminderFox can make a little pop up when a task is due.

This works just like Office Outlook’s pop-up warning for tasks, except it does not lock up the program on loading.

ReminderFox itself, lives in the toolbar in FireFox.

Hovering the mouse over it will show due or upcoming tasks. You can also add an audio warning for tasks that are due and choose your own audio file.

I have not mastered ReminderFox yet.

I still need to experiment to find out all the things it is capable of doing and all the features. Basic use is simple enough to figure out quick and I have not need to learn much more to do what I need.

If you need a good way to keep track of dates conveniently, ReminderFox may be just what you need.

Because it is run with FireFox, you see the reminders and don’t need to run a separate program. I’ve found it perfect for my needs. It makes my life easier.

Creating An Effective Small Business Website – Introduction

This is the start of a series that will take a small business owner through the steps of creating a website for marketing his business.

Having been in small business, I have a good idea what the needs of a local small business are for a Website.

I also know that as an owner, you don’t have time to goof around or time to learn html. You also don’t want to waste money on a site that is not effective (that is if you have the money in the first place). You’ll want to read this series even if you are planning to have someone else create a Website for you. You may want to read this even if you have a website already because I plan to show you how to make one that will increase your business.

What will you learn in this series?

• You will learn how to set up a website that is very inexpensive (all the software is free).
• You will learn how to setup a website that is easy to modify, add to, and change.
• You will not need to learn code.
• If you can use a word processor and read and send email, you will find this fast and easy.
• You will learn what kind of content you need for the site to get business
• You will learn how to make that content bring in the traffic that you are currently missing
• You will learn how to use your site to bring your current customers back again – with their friends.
• How to use the website as the most cost effective advertising medium you have ever had.
• How to build customer loyalty
• I’ll show you what tools you need and software to download.
• I’ll take you step by step in using those tools and software.
• We will also look at some ways to work with other businesses in your area as joint ventures that help both businesses.

This series will not show how to set up an Ecommerce site.

For most local small businesses, you need to get more customers or clients in the door or to call you on the phone. That is what we are going to concentrate on. I want to help you survive that Wal-mart moving that moved into or is moving into your community. If you are looking to actually sell products on your site, this series will help you in getting customers to that site but you will need to get help in creating an online store. Ecommerce can be complicated to set up. It is also not what most small businesses need.

It really does not matter what kind of business you have.

An effective small business website can bring in more business. You can be a contractor, lawyer, photographer, a music store, a restaurant owner, mechanic,or a jeweler. If you are a one man shop or have 50 employees. We will make a website that is far more effective than any phone book ad ever could be and costs less.

How much should your small business website cost you?

If you do just about all the work yourself as little as $50 to start. That is estimating $20 for a domain, $20 for a custom header graphic, and $10 for hosting. After that, $10 a month for hosting and additional $20 a year when it is time to renew your domain. That is all you really need to pay if your budget is really tight (and I’ll show you a free option for the graphic). The way we are going to create the site will make a very nice looking and very effective site that costs about as much as a one week classified ad in many newspapers. If you want to add more features to your site you can get some custom options for a theme anywhere from $100 to $1000 but you may need to pay to have the theme upgraded in some cases.

It is important though that you start this way and maintain control of your hosting so you can keep it at $10. Many times businesses get locked into sites and end up paying hundreds a month for ineffective sites. The only reason you would need to pay more is if your site makes you so much money that you need a better server. If that happens, it is simple to fix and you’ll have the money to look at maybe even better options. Cross that road when you come to it.

How much time will this cost you?

Setting up the site will take anywhere from 2-6 hours after you finish this series. You will need to spend several additional hours before that creating content for the site. After that, plan on up to an hour a week adding to the site, not including answering emails and that sort of thing.

Creating the content will be the most important part of the process. This is often where most small business websites fail miserably. We will start to tackle the content early in the series so you will have time if you need to find help from a friend or professional copywriter. I cannot stress the importance of the content on your website enough. The way it is written, and its purpose is vital to making your website bring in more money. Once the original content is done, you need to add to the site weekly. This can be just a short bit of news or the latest testimonial from a customer. Adding this content will be quick and easy.

Start your small business webmastering right now by downloading the FireFox browser.

I’m not going to go into how much more safe it is, or how much better it is. I want you to use it because we will be adding some extensions to FireFox that will help with your website. You will want to have a section of bookmarks dedicated to your site an the tools you will use. Add FireFox to any computer you may use to work on. It is free.

The next post in this series will cover getting a domain for your business. I will cover this a bit differently than what I would recommend for someone wanting to blog or create niche sites.

If you want to make sure you catch all the posts in this series subscribe to this site in an RSS reader or by mail at the top right of the page so you do not miss an update.

The last $1.00 ScratchBack link for this blog has been taken.

I really like the ScratchBack ad system.

They have added some new designs to the widget too. I am still hoping that narrower designs will be coming out soon.

I have raised the price of the links to $2.00.

It will stay at $2.00 until the last $1.00 link is bumped off. Then it will go up to $3.00.

In the meantime, it is my job to bring traffic to see these links. Otherwise, there will be no reason for anyone to pay $2.00 to purchase one. Unless, of course, they are just purchasing the link as a tip. That is also greatly appreciated.

I would also suggest taking a look at the various links yourself and seeing how people are using them.

You can learn from what others are doing to further your own efforts. There are one or two sites that are very good blogs. I find the car wax ad an interesting idea, and don’t forget Jim Kurkral’s Flip camera ad.

The Firefox SEO link surprised me. I have been using the Firefox SEO extension for a while myself and it can be a useful addition to anyone running a blog or website or several blogs or websites.

So far, I have approved all the ScratchBack links that were requested/tipped for.

As long as they do not lead to anything that could be termed offensive I will most likely approve a link. If you have any concern about your link feel free to contact me first, that or $2.00 is not really a risk anyway. Since the ads are no-follow, there is no need for concern on my part about linking to spam.

The ScratchBack widget is a great alternative since Google started to crack down on paid links without no follow.

The catchy graphic help the links stand out. The marketplace also helps advertisers find your site to purchase a link. While there are some alternatives that will let you keep all the profit from an advertisement, without a marketplace, you may not find advertisers. While ScratchBack has not replaced the income I used to get here from TTLA, it is doing well and shows promise. I kind of wonder what it would do on John Chow’s blog.

If you haven’t given ScratchBack a try, what are you waiting for?

Most sites have things that take up space and are less profitable. It is a safe and easy way to monetise a site or blog.

It is not even the original color.
I was planning to post a review on the Google pack this week and still plan to. Maybe Google does not want to promote it anymore?