The Virtual Woman: A Woman's
Weekly Guide To Cyberspace
Small Business Tools Handy Online
Last night I was watching a TV show about new developments in technology. Out of all the new products that were discussed, the most excitement revolved around a robot dog. Yup, man's best friend is going new millenium. This puppy barks, wags its shiny metal tail, rolls over and plays (albeit somewhat redundantly) dead. Furthermore, you can program it to respond to touch and to recognize a series of commands. Fascinating. But unless you live in a remote region of Alaska and are considering commuting via a team of electronic sled dogs, there's probably not much practical use for this development. So for tips on using the web to find out about the newest, most relevant technology and what it can do for your business, check out this week's column. And just in case you're dying to see the robot dog (there's one in every crowd), go ahead and visit him in his virtual doghouse at http://search.sony.co.jp/~backup/www.world.sony.com/robot/get/meet.html.
Dear Virtual Woman:
I am a marketing professional
who works out of my home. I do a ton of various mailings, and I find that a lot of my
valuable time is wasted standing in line at the Post Office. I am interested in finding
out more about the personal postage metering systems that I've been hearing about lately.
Do you know where I can find information on this topic online?
- Lady in Waiting, Minneapolis, MN
Dear Lady:
Luckily, your days in line may be numbered! The Pitney Bowes Personal Post Office website at https://ww1.pb.com/sohoshop/soho_frame.asp?body=ppo_home.asp offers home metering equipment that is ideal for small business owners as well as for personal use. You pay for the postage online, then their metering system refills itself, prints labels, and they even claim that your mail can arrive to its destination a full day earlier than with conventional mailing. They also offer a 90-day free trial if you want to check it out before making a purchase. If you have a PC and want to participate in beta testing on a similar postage system, you can receive free software from E-Stamp at http://www.e-stamp.com/. Although E-Stamp isn't currently available in all areas, it promises to be a worthy contender in the world of independent postage software.
Dear Virtual Woman:
I am a small business owner with
a rapidly-growing client base. Business is great, but now it seems like I have a million
things to do and not nearly enough hours in the day to do them. Consequently, traveling to
visit out-of-town clients is a luxury that is becoming more difficult to fit into my
schedule and my budget. I've heard about desktop videoconferencing technology, but I don't
know where to start. Cost is an issue, and I'm not the most technically-inclined person,
so I'm worried that it might be too complicated. Help!
- Jackie W., Ames, IA
Dear Jackie:
Sounds like your dilemma is typical of most small business owners. Thanks to modern technology, videoconferencing can be a convenient and affordable alternative to traveling. Videoconferencing systems have been around for a decade or more, but have traditionally been expensive and difficult to use, while offering limited benefits. Consequently, videoconferencing has mostly been an alternative to travel for well-heeled multi-national companies. Until now. Because of the growing number of small businesses, a lot of companies are designing software and affordable videoconferencing equipment aimed at the small business owner. The best place for a novice like you to start in the Videoconference Resource Center located at http://www.videoconference.com/. This will give you plenty of information about how to get started, as well as allow you to read the helpful discussion boards or post a question of your own. For PC users, when you're finally ready to invest in videoconferencing software, jump over to the Microsoft website and download a free copy of Microsoft Netmeeting ( http://www.microsoft.com/netmeeting/ ). Netmeeting is the leading videoconferencing software and it allows you to videoconference with your client, draw or work with images on a shared whiteboard, share an application, and send files to up to eight other people at one time. You will also have to invest in some additional hardware outlined on the Netmeeting site. For both Mac and PC users, Avistar offers both hardware and software to get you up and running. Visit them at http://www.avistar.com/.
Happy Surfing!
Find these links and more at WWWomen.Com (http://www.wwwomen.com) the web's largest search directory of topics for women online. Email the Virtual Woman with your Internet questions or send snailmail to: WWWomen.Com, Attn: Virtual Woman, 3701 Geary Blvd., #325, S.F., CA 94118. Copyright, 1998. WWWomen, Inc. All rights reserved.
This column can only be re-distributed with written
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Contributing Editor: Mary Bergner
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