Three Simple Tricks

To Get More Done Every Day

   In today's crazy-busy world, who doesn't want to cram more "done" into your day? We've got 3 really simple things you can do to get more work done for the hours you're putting in.

1. Use dual monitors. According to a University of Utah study, you can increase your efficiency by 25% simply by adding a second monitor. Performance measures included task time, editing time, number of edits completed, number of errors made, as well as usability measures evaluating effectiveness, comfort, learning ease, time to productivity, quickness of recovery from mistakes, ease of task tracking, ability to maintain task focus, and ease of movement among sources. All of these factors combined show truly increased productivity.

2. Block social media sites and/or other non-work related content online. THIS one won't be popular for a lot of people, but if you want to get more done, then take the distractions out of your day. Of course, if your job is "social media director" for your company, this doesn't apply; for all the other workers in your office who don't NEED to go on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to do their job, this will remove the temptation to "snack" on social media sites throughout the day, which add up to hours wasted on entertainment surfing. Content filtering software can easily manage which sites you can and cannot go online to view, also keeping employees from gambling, searching for jobs, reading the news or visiting sex sites.

3. Set up remote access. It's incredibly easy to access files, e-mail and programs from home (or while on the road) these days, using cloud technologies or other remote-access applications. Not only does this allow people to keep working when forced to stay home with sick kids or to wait for the plumber to show up, but employees also put in several more hours of work on their own initiative if they can easily jump on their home PC and put in a few hours.

     Each of these is an EASY fix for us to implement. If you want more details on how to implement these into your business, just give us a call at 518-320-8906 or shoot us an e-mail at: support@groffnetworks.com.

You Are Doing Facebook All Wrong!

Pop Quiz: Out of your last 10 company Facebook posts, how many were videos or photos, versus a status update or a link to an article?

A recent study of 300 Facebook company pages by Pandemic Labs showed that most companies post status updates and links to articles more than 75% of the time.

Here are two good reasons why you want most of your posts to be photos or videos: Videos are 10 times more likely to be shared than links. Photos are five times more popular than links.

Change your posting mindset. Share photos with an interesting short caption. Take more pictures and post them up. Running an event? Post pictures. At an event? Post pictures. Meet a celebrity (local or national)? Take a picture and post it. Publish a book? Post a picture. Sign up a new customer? Post a picture about it. Share fun and interesting videos. Have a blog post to share? Post a 30-second video to tell others why to read (or watch) it. Having a giveaway? Post videos. Holding a seminar? You guessed it ... post a video.

  Which of these musicians was not born during the month of December?

a) Jimmy Buffet

b) Jim Morrison

c) Ozzy Osbourne

d) Mick Jagger

E-mail us right now with your answer at: trivia@groffnetworks.com

Please note: One prize per entrant per year. Entrants who have won a trivia contest in the last 12 months are ineligible to compete for prizes.

Shiny New Gadget of the Month:

Special Holiday Edition

   Looking for the perfect Christmas gift? New ultrabooks will score you BIG points with that special someone on your list this year...

   It's becoming common for business folks to have multiple devices these days: a laptop for work, a tablet to travel with, plus your smartphone to play Angry Birds and text-or even to make the occasional phone call (yes, we still use it for that, too). Thanks to the new ultrabooks inspired by Intel, you'll be glad to know you can now get the best of both worlds in one super cool, ultra-portable, lightweight device.

     The new ultrabooks were created to provide key features everyone wants: a thin and lightweight device (less than one inch and two lbs.) without sacrificing power and speed; a large, brilliant screen; a large keyboard (for those of you, like me, who would actually like a keyboard when typing long documents) and battery life of six to seven hours. Whew! And, coming soon, the newest versions of ultrabooks will give you the ability to flip the screen-and even detach it-to use it like your average touch-screen tablet.

     Right now, most ultrabooks start at about $1,200 and range upwards to over $2,000; but, like all new gadgets, the prices will continue to drop while the features continue to increase. Naturally, with the holidays here, many retailers will be running promotions and discounts, so watch for the best deals online. For our clients who need network upgrades, travel, and are heavy computer users, we recommend these devices.

     If you don't care to spend that much money on one device, here's another gift that keeps on giving: buy goats, sheep or chickens to feed a family; donate water filters to prevent cholera and give Haitians access to clean water; or support a child who has been rescued from trafficking or slavery by donating money to organizations like  Heifer International, Clean Water for Haiti, and International Justice Mission.

The Lighter Side

Happy Ha-Ha-Holidays

Q: If athletes get athletes foot, what do astronauts get?
A: Missile-toe!

Q: What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?

A: Frostbite.

Q: Where do polar bears vote?
A: The North Poll.

Q: What do you call a bunch of chess grandmasters bragging about their games in a hotel lobby?

A: Chess nuts boasting in an open foyer!

Q: What do you call a cat on the beach at Christmas time?
A: Sandy Claus!

Q: How do sheep in Mexico say Merry Christmas?
A: Fleece Navidad!

Q: What did Santa shout to his toys on Christmas Eve?
A: Okay, everyone; hit the sack!

Q: What do snowmen eat for breakfast?

A: Frosted Snowflakes.

Q: What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus?

A: Claustrophobic.

Client Spotlight

Young/Sommer, LLC

Attorneys at Law

Last month, we brought lunch over to Young/Sommer to ask for some feedback (If you're a current client, willing to be featured in our client spotlight, call 518-320-8906 x105 or email Lori at: lhardy@groffnetworks.com to schedule breakfast or lunch with us. We'll bring the food and drinks!). Check out the spread at Young/Sommer, below.  

***

Young/Sommer, a full-service law firm established in 1999, has been working with Groff Networks since June 2008.  At that time, Groff NetWorks serviced the law office's on-call IT needs in a reactive manner.  In November 2010, Young/Sommer switched from a reactive relationship with Groff to a proactive relationship, outsourcing all of their IT needs via Groff's MyNetWorks plan.

Nicole Banagan, firm administrator for Young/Sommer, says: "Groff NetWorks provides real-time responses to any arising, day-to-day technical support requests while, at the same time, monitoring and maintaining the entire server and network."

Young/Sommer has 28 computers connected to its servers, and, thanks to Groff NetWorks, they are able to operate with no in-house IT staff.  That arrangement has greatly assisted the firm's office manager by allowing her to instantly "pass on" computer problems via email or phone to Groff NetWorks and have a  great level of confidence the issue will be dealt with in a timely manner. 

Young/Sommer has offices in Albany and Saratoga Springs. They concentrate in Environmental, Municipal, Land Use, Energy, Commercial Litigation, Education, Labor and Family Law. 

Comic of the Month

Lauren's Corner

Merry Christmas, Season's Greetings, and Happy Holidays!

From Our Family to Yours....