It's Worth Noting

Tether your AT&T Blackberry Bold to a MacBook running Snow Leopard

I had to look through a number of forums to get this figured out and wanted to post the easy solution here.

 1. Copy the BlackBerry_3G_CID1 modem script to /library/modem scripts on your Mac
 2. on BB: Setup -> Setup Bluetooth -> ...
 3. on BB: set device name for pairing, click OK, then Listen, it will start waiting for connection
 4. on Mac: System Preferences -> Bluetooth -> Setup new device -> ...
 5. on Mac: choose your mobile phone name, click Continue
 6. on BB: enter passkey which will be on your Mac screen, click Enter
 7. on BB: choose Yes, and check off Do not ask again
 8. on Mac: Bluetooth Mobile Phone setup screen will ask for data
 9. on Mac: Vendor = Other
10. on Mac: Model = Blackberry 3G CID1
11. on Mac: Check off Enable error correction and compression in modem.  Leave other defaults.
15. on Mac: Username = wap@cingulargprs.com
16. on Mac: Password = CINGULAR1
17. on Mac: APN = wap.cingular
18. on Mac: Click Continue
19. on Mac: Click System Preferences ..>Network to connect your new Bluetooth DUN

Cloud Computing Guide for Churches or Nonprofits

If you represent a church or nonprofit, you know all to well that financial resources are limited.  You have real technology needs, but the strain on capital makes the investment in server hardware and software a real challenge.  Even if your organization is large or well funded and can afford the investment, it means precious capital is tied up in technology rather than in your direct mission.

Today, these challenges can be easily overcome by moving your organization's technology to the cloud.  This simply means that the servers reside in third-party data center and you access your data, applications, etc. via the web or a local application that syncs.  If you use gmail, you're emailing in the cloud, so it's not as unfamiliar as you might think.

Most nonprofits need the following core technology to further their mission: email, calendar, address book, document creation/management, contact/task/donation management and a web site.

You can do all of this for free, with some limitations, using the two cloud solutions below:

Step 1 - Google Apps: For email, address book, document creation/management and a web site, you can sign-up for the Google Apps nonprofit edition (technically the education edition now).  You'll get access to an enterprise class cloud platform to manage your email, create/store documents, spreadsheets and presentations, share calendars and contacts and host websites.  You can do all of this using your own domain name and for free for up to three thousand users.  Learn more here.

Step 2 - Salesforce: When you're ready to start managing contacts (volunteers, donors, etc.), tasks, workflow, donations, build customs apps and integrated websites, you can setup Salesforce's nonprofit edition.  Salesforce, like Google Apps, is an enterprise class cloud platform.  You can customize the platform for your organization and most of it is free, or very inexpensive, for up to ten internal users.  The sky's the limit with Salesforce in terms of using it to host sites and custom applications, so the solution scales well as your organization grows and its needs evolve.  And, since Salesforce and Google Apps integrate nicely together, you'll end up with one integrated solution, which will make life easier on everyone. Learn more here.

You may also find the tech toolbox presentation I've put together helpful.

Some tips & tricks for fellow road warriors

If you're like me and spend time on the road traveling for business or pleasure, you're happy to find anything that makes the experience a little easier. This is especially true if you need to stay connected and take your technology along for the ride. I enjoy reading suggestions from other travelers and hope this brief list proves useful for you.   

• Checkpoint friendly laptop bag: I like the Checkpoint Flyer from Tom Bihn, but most laptop bag manufacturers make similar models. These bags let you get through airport security by laying your bag flat on the x-ray belt instead of taking your laptop out. In addition to being quicker and less frustrating, you're less likely to forget your laptop on the belt. Just saw someone do that last week.
• Organized Itinerary: If you're still carrying a paper folder full of reservations and maps or trying to keep them in one folder on your laptop/phone, an app like Worldmate can be very helpful (free and paid versions). You forward reservation emails to Worldmate and the app compiles it all into a trip timeline that is accessible online or on your phone. It captures map locations, phone numbers, etc. and providers you with alerts, weather forecasts and other information you request. You can also manually add items like office locations, etc. so it's all in one place.
• Taking notes: If you need to take some notes on the road, I recommend Evernote (free and paid versions). Works online, via an app on your laptop or on your blackberry or iphone. Let's you sync and record text, image or audio notes. Evernote makes it really easy to rely on your phone for note taking on the road without fretting over how you'll organize or share it all when you get back to the office.
• Power Adapter: An all in one AC/car laptop and usb power adapter is essential. I only bring this one power adapter with me since everything besides my laptop can be charged with a usb cable. The car charging option has come in handy many times and is essential for being able to charge your phone/gps, etc. while in the car without having to bring other power adapters. I use a model from Targus.
• Cables: I carry a single retractable usb cable with necessary tips to let me connect/charge everything I bring with me (via the power adapter above). I also carry a retractable VGA cable so I can hook-up my laptop to a TV in the hotel room (to play DVD or streamed movies) or a projector. The retractable cables are lightweight and don't get tangled up in my bag.
• Speakers: I carry a mini amplified speaker, which charges via USB, to plug into my laptop or phone to play music or movie audio.
• USB powered light: This is helpful if your laptop doesn't have a built-in light or lighted keyboard. Also helpful if you travel with your spouse and want to read at night in those hotels rooms with limited light options.
• Preparing for failure: I carry a keychain USB with copies of presentations, etc. in case my laptop goes crazy. I recommend that you or your IT person setup your laptop with recovery options and that you carry a BartPE recovery CD for system recovery on the road (remember your slim CDROM/DVD if your laptop doesn't have one built-in).

Hope this list is helpful. If you have additional tips & tricks, please share by commenting on this post. Thanks

Make a purple cow: customer centric web and app development

I've worked with a lot of web developers over the years, from solos to mid-size and larger.  All have left something to be desired, which is probably why I've tried so many.  I've talked with peers about this and their experiences are the same.  Why are web and app development customers so consistently dissatisfied?

I believe the central problem is that most web and app development companies are staffed, run and owned by technicians.  These folks know how to program/design, but they are fish out of water when it comes to being customer centric.  Customers are a problem or annoyance to be tolerated or managed, not the focus of everything they do.  This is similar to how folks view auto repair shops.  Expect the worst: poor dollar/time estimates, unnecessary technical jargon, one excuse after another and consistently unmet expectations.  Rinse, repeat and switch when you can't take it anymore.

Whenever there's an "always" that can be applied to a product, service or industry, there's an opportunity for someone to do it differently and stand out from the crowd.  This is true in the web and app development world.  If someone was willing to make every interaction and experience customer centric, they could be the purple cow in the herd.  For the technicians, this is difficult to imagine and more difficult to execute, so few even try.  Will you?

Below are my top ten recommendations for transforming a web or app development company into a customer centric organization, which will retain customers and convert them into evangelists instead of antagonists:

1. Don't take clients that have an insatiable appetite for being dissatisfied.  They're bad profit and tips 2-10 below won't make any difference to them.
2. Develop a customer interview process that ensures you understand the business objectives (e.g. a site isn't the objective - web marketing is) and a key decision maker or influencer.  Help them translate the technical task into a business objective with an assigned value.  If someone jumps in halfway through the project and disrupts things, your interview process failed you, not the customer.  Improve your process or toolkit.
3. Following the interview, and as part of your written statement of work (which you should be doing if you're not already), put the business objectives on paper.  That becomes the goal post - the project is just a means to that end.
4. Storyboard sites and apps.  Don't waste time or money programming/designing something that can be sketched, flow charted or mapped out first.  Seek the feedback on the front end, not after all the heavy lifting is done.  Ad agencies don't record commercials and then pitch them.  They storyboard, seek feedback, obtain buy-in and then produce.  You should do the same.
5. Develop a time/module matrix that allows you to track and communicate where the project stands at any moment in time.  Update the matrix daily based on % of work completed for each module and share it with your customer.  This will force you to prioritize the work, will introduce accountability and will improve communication.  If you and the customer can't accurately assess where a project is at on a daily basis, you cannot consistently meet deadlines or know whether you can take on more work.
6. If your customers ever email or call you wanting a "status update", you've failed in your communication.  They're not the problem - your communication practices are to blame.  If a customer wants status updates daily, direct them to the matrix, but never go more than a few working days between contact for an active project.  Setup a system to handle this and make it easy for you execute day in, day out.
7. Get on the phone.  Email is efficient, but it doesn't build relationships like face to face or telephone conversations do.  If it's just about the project for you, it'll just be about the deadlines and budgets for them.  If you build a relationship, you'll build some cushion for rough spots and increase the likelihood of repeat business and referrals.  It's also more fulfilling.
8. Speak up.  You're being hired to execute a project to move the ball forward on a business objective.  If you're perplexed by a request, don't know why it's not being done a simpler or more cost effective way, say so.  If you don't, your customer won't get the full benefit of your perspective and expertise and you're likely to waste some of your time and their money.
9. Don't assume.  I once had a home builder tell me that I should have caught a framing mistake.  I told him that's why I was paying him to build the house.  He just shifted blame because he assumed and developers consistently do the same.  Be mindful of the information gap.  Develop a set of questions or techniques to assess whether what they're saying and what you're hearing are the same thing.  They're frequently not and it's not their job to correct this - it's yours.  Good communicators listen intently and ask inquisitively to understand what someone means, not what they've said.  The point isn't to hear words, it's to understand why they're being spoken.
10. Don't permit you or your team to complain about customers anymore, whether internally or externally.  It's cancerous.  If they are a challenge to deal with, you've most likely failed to adhere to one or more of tips 1-9 above.

Presentation on productive and inexpesive tech tools

I put together a quick presentation for a business group and thought others might find it helpful.  The idea was to briefly describe several tech products or services that could improve productivity without incurring significant costs.  Touches on everything from hosted email to brainstorming, collaboration and travel tools.

Tech Toolbox

View more presentations from Levi Smith.

Check out vlingo

I've been using this application called vlingo. It recognizes what you say, so you can text people, send email, search the web, call people, or write yourself notes just by speaking. It works well, it's fast, and it's free! Right now it's really just for BlackBerry. The iPhone version only allows speak to search, which Google already provides. http://www.vlingo.com

Syncing Browser Bookmarks

If you've got a work/home pc and a laptop, it can be helpful to synchronize bookmarks between the browsers on both. Whether you use Internet Explorer or Firefox, there are some good tools to do this. For Firefox, I recommend Foxmarks. For Internet Explorer, I recommend Zinkmo. Another solution is to use an online bookmark service like Google Bookmarks, but the downside is that it only works if you're online. Not so good for laptops. Happy syncing!