Video Conferencing: A Grossly Under-Used Tool

Video conferencing was once a vision for the future. That is no longer true, as this technological advancement is used today in many industries as a means of sharing information across long distances as well as in education for “virtual field trips”. Unfortunately though, neither business nor school has used video conferencing to its full potential, and there are many other industries that could benefit from it as well.
In terms of business, video conferencing is simply cost-effective. It not only saves you money in airfare, car rental and hotel fees, but it also saves on lost time due to travel. One could set up and give a presentation on the east coast which can be viewed by employees or perspective clients on the west coast all in real time. There is no worry about jet lag or inclement weather that can delay flights; it is simply a meeting that will happen, regardless of those things. Video conferencing can also allow you to present information to all parties who need it simultaneously without the waste of money and time of mass producing marketing or informational packets to be distributed.
As far as education is concerned, video conferencing offers students the world, quite literally! Imagine being able to be taught a French lesson from someone in Paris, or being able to compare your daily life with that of a peer in Japan. It can also allow a teacher to serve a broader, perhaps even larger number of students. The world wide web has an abundance of information that teachers can use to spark and keep the interest of their students that simply isn’t available (or feasible to make available) without the help of this technology. In the more rural school districts where busing students creates an economic hardship, video conferencing could be a viable alternative. Some districts already use this type of learning for pupils that have learning disabilities or behavioral issues, many more could benefit from this as well. Another major benefit to this is that it allows students to learn in their own way without the distraction of other students.
Video conferencing is becoming more popular on college campuses, allowing professors to attend conferences and still give lectures to their students. In fact, some colleges are strictly web interactive. Elementary, middle and high schools would be wise to follow suit, Shared lessons throughout a district allow for more equal opportunity learning, and can be more extensive without being more expensive. Tests, quizzes, and study materials can all be made available to students via the computer as opposed to the mimeographed reams of paper from the past.…

Data Recovery Services – Protect Yourself From Data Loss

There is a lot to learn when people first started using a computer whether it’s for business or pleasure and when they hear terms like data recovery services and remote backup they may wonder why they would ever need to look into a services like these in the first place. The answer is a lot simpler than you might think and many of these computer users will also think that data back up is not necessary or they may think that flash drives and external hard drives are all the data recovery backup they really need, unfortunately life is not so simple and nothing could be further from the truth.
Whether you’re in business or just use your computer for entertainment you can agree on the fact that one of the most important elements of any PC or laptop are the files that you have saved. These files contain information that may have been collected over many years much of which (digital photography for example) could be totally irreplaceable, or they could even be the sum of months of work (imagine losing a manuscript for a book or important research for a professional white paper), so the safety of your files should never be underestimated.
Reasons For Data Loss
There are several different ways that you can lose this important information one of course is a hard drive crash or drive degradation.
Through no fault of your own your hard drive can give out on you without notice and you need to be sure that you can find a place immediately that specializes in some kind of hard drive recovery so that everything you’ve done isn’t lost. Anything from electrostatic shock to a power surge can cause your hard drive to fail but if it is more than a few years old it will be more susceptible to drive degradation in which case you may not be able to access all your files.
Viruses and Trojans can also lead to data loss, so you need to be sure that you can get your files back especially after an attack by malware or some kind of virus and of course even good old mother nature can have her hand in taking your mission critical data away from you. Natural disasters like floods and hurricanes are just another good reason to have files that are backed up in a separate location.
Of course the other reason why you might need one of these services is human error. Pushing one wrong button can often result in deleted files that you need, but fortunately many of the best data recovery services that you can find on the web will be able to get these files back for you up to a certain point in time provided you have not written other data back to the drive.
Back Up Your Data
Data loss can occur at any time so it is essential you have a back up facility in place and not just the proverbial external disk or flash drive as these whilst better than nothing are also prone to faults and errors too. By far the safest method is to store your files in a remote location that is in itself backed up too. This method of back up is known as remote data back up or online back up, and these services whilst once more expensive are now very affordable indeed and well worth looking into.
If you are however unfortunate enough to lose your data and not have a back up it’s important to look for data recovery services that have a great reputation so that you can rest assured you’re getting the best for your money.
Of course you want to find one of these services that comes at a reasonable cost, but don’t fall into the trap of going for the cheapest quote as your data can be very valuable and as the saying goes you often get exactly what you pay for. Try to find out about their customer service and you’ll want to take a look at the website to make sure that it has the kind of contact information you can use if you have any questions.…

Are QR Codes Fading Out? Only If Self-Absorbed Businesses Will Allow It

The Changing Nature of Technology
If one thing is for certain, it’s that technology is ever-changing. Being far from immutable in all senses of the word, technology is always shifting and flowing as it marches onward. Perhaps these QR naysayers do have some validity to their claims; although not to the extent that they probably imagine. While it’s true that virtually all technology will get replaced eventually, it’s not true to say that the technology in question is not going to have a strong run… and QR technology is fresh in the industry.
So What’s the Problem?
So why do people think that QR codes are going to get replaced before they’ve even had a chance to fulfill their full potential? It’s because people use them stupidly. That’s right: stupidly. Most businesses and companies have been using QR codes like narcissistic drama queens. What’s the bottom line? People don’t care about your website. Many people don’t bother to scan QR codes because there is simply no reward for doing so. Think about it from a consumer’s point of view: if you’re sitting in a pub, drinking a pint of your favorite beer, and you happen to catch a glimpse of a poster on the wall for a beer company, and on that poster is a QR code, are you really going to pull out your smartphone, activate the camera, and scan the QR code? For what? So you can be brought to a webpage that promotes Miller Genuine Draft? No. You’re not going to do that. Why? Because there’s absolutely no motivation for it.
So What’s the Solution?
The solution to this should be obvious to all: offer the consumer a good reason to scan your QR code. The aim of marketers needs to be to make QR codes as ubiquitous as possible – that way, people won’t think about the effort it takes to take out their smartphone and snap a photo. It will become second nature to them. But giving users no motivation will not achieve the ubiquity of QR technology. Companies need to start using QR technology in intelligent ways. They can do this by offering things like coupons, promotions and contests that will spark user interest. If businesses will wake up from their self-absorbed, megalomaniacal coma, they can together start creating the well-deserved buzz that QR codes should already be fostering.
QR technology provides limitless ideas to marketers – and it’s their responsibility to use it to its full potential. So what’s the conclusion of all of this? If companies don’t smarten up, then the naysayers may be right. Innovative and intelligent technology will die if not used in an innovative and intelligent fashion. Let’s start using this useful technology in more creative ways. By doing so, it is certain that QR technology will undoubtedly have a long shelf-life.…