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Tech Recipe Guide 101: Money Management Software

When it comes to money, there are really a lot of things that we can talk about. Sadly, most people are poorly educated on how to handle their finances properly. Even a simple spreadsheet can already be used as a budget sheet but using a money management software offers a lot more advantages than spreadsheets.

A money management software can do almost everything you need when it comes to your economic affairs. It can create a plan for you by simply entering all the details needed in order to make a budget such as income, expenditure, etc.

There are a lot of online money management software that you can find. Among the most popular ones are Quicken and Microsoft Money. We will give you a list of the finance software that you can use for free.

Let us start with HomeBank (http://homebank.free.fr). This software is fully packed of useful features for filtering and graphing financial reports. Keep track of your expenses, income as well as assets through this program.

Another free and open-source money management software is Money Manager Ex (http://www.codelathe.com/mmex). Carefully monitor where your money is going and keep them well organized at all times. This is sure to be user-friendly and can run on Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux.

You can also check out the Metalogic Finance Explorer (http://www.metalogicsw.com/financeexplorer). No matter how small, this program sure is powerful. This comes in a Windows Explorer-like interface that for sure users will love. Its primary advantage over other money management software is that it allows users to upload financial data from banks automatically. In addition to that, users can also import financial reports generated from other software by means of the OFE (Open Financial Exchange) protocol.

Money Management Software

Security, privacy and convenience – these are what AceMoney Lite (http://www.mechcad.net/products/acemoney/free-personal-finance-software-quicken-alternative.shtml) promises its customers. Keep your account protected with their password protection feature. It also has a currency converter and comprehensive Local Help file that is surely advantageous for novices. However, this can only handle up to 2 accounts but can be upgraded to the full version of AceMoney.

Spend your money wisely and budget them thoroughly. Help is at hand with these money management software. Decide now and pick your choice.

Get now The Tech Recipe Guide to learn more marketing techniques for your business.

Posted by Tech_Expert on March 23rd, 2012 | 3 Comments Posted in tech guide

Tech Recipe Guide 101: Essential Project Management Steps

Today’s market trend persuades us how important good project management is in determining the success of an organization in whatever field it can be. And leaders must not get discouraged by this statement. Instead, they must take this as a challenge and an opportunity to improve. The Tech Recipe Guide now gives you our own project management steps to help you accomplish your goals.

Step 1: Build Your Team

You simply can’t work out any project on your own. You will need other heads to contribute their ideas and hands to share their skills. Make sure to pick people from various fields to guarantee diversity. If you are handling a large project, you can also create committees and assign a head with each committee. It will be your job to make sure every group works in harmony.

Step 2: Get The Ball Rolling

Start your project right by defining the project’s objectives, scope and other relevant particulars. If an important detail remains ambiguous, contact your boss about it.

Step 3: Brainstorm With Your Team

More properly, we can call this as the planning stage and this is considered as the foundation of the whole project management steps. By planning, you also get to prepare for the possible challenges the whole team might face in the future.

Develop a checklist of all the things which need to be done. It will be much better if they will be arranged in chronological order but in due time you would have to make some changes, then do so. It is also always a good idea to create a timeline so that you can monitor each phase of the project. Deadlines should also be made clear to everyone involved.

One more important thing which should always be included in project management steps is to identify budget and make the necessary calculation for your future expenses. Bear in mind that resources can be limited so try to maximize everything. If you think you need additional budget, inform your superior in advance.

Step 4: Carry Out The Project

Schedule regular meetings to get an update regarding everyone’s progress. Develop good communication with everyone and carefully monitor everyone’s progress.

Document everything so you can have some sort of reference.You can actually utilize a project management spreadsheet and you can download one like this: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/software-project-tracking-sheet-TC030003907.aspx.

As the project leader, know, understand and motivate your members. Be a leader by example.

Learn more helpful ideas for your business, get The Tech Recipe Guide.

Posted by Tech_Expert on March 23rd, 2012 | No Comments Posted in tech guide

Reaping the Benefits of Google Traffic Estimator

Get Stats Using Google Traffic Estimator

Google AdWords is indeed full of various internet marketing tools. Let’s add the Google Traffic Estimator to our list and let’s see how this works and how it can help increase web traffic. This website traffic estimator can give you a web traffic report as well as a cost estimate in just one look.

The Google Traffic Estimator plays a really important role in helping you decide which keywords to use in your website’s advertisement campaign. The tool can provide a web traffic report containing the average CPC (cost per click), estimated ad positions, approximate number of clicks per day and the total cost on a daily basis as well.

You can use this tool along with the other free tools from the Google AdWords program (like Google Analytics, Google Keyword Tool, etc.) to maximize your site’s performance. So to get started, go to the official page of the Google Traffic Estimator:

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal. (Tip: If you want to get rid solving captcha codes from time to time, you can pay the one-time fee of $5.00). If you already have an idea on what niche to work on with yet you find it too broad, this tool can help you narrow down your search.

It will give you keywords that have been proven to have commercial value already. And when we say ‘commercial value’, it means that it is listed among the keywords that advertisers in Google AdWords are paying for them.

For beginners in the field of advertising, it is such a great way to start with this traffic estimator from Google. This can definitely help you save money and get the most out of your investment. By giving a price of up to how much you are willing to pay per click, Google will have an idea where to put you. Based on their estimate, they will tell you the number of times that your chosen keywords might be clicked daily.

It is very normal to expect for a more popular keyword or keyword phrase, the higher will the price be. And the technique for this is to put an additional word in an already popular keyword phrase. For example, if your keyword is “dog training” (which is surely popular), you can make it “dog potty training” instead. You now have a more specific keyword phrase, thus giving you more highly targeted traffic.

With the Google Traffic Estimator, you can spend your advertising budget wisely and make a better choice for your keywords that will drive more traffic to your website in the future.

If you want to learn more technical computer related stuff for your business, you might want to consider getting The Tech Recipe Guide. The guide contains compiled instructions of tasks that may come in handy when making an online presence for your business. The explanations are very detailed so that computer newbies will be able to comprehend it with ease.

Posted by Tech_Expert on February 18th, 2012 | 32 Comments Posted in website traffic

Tech Guide Tip: Windows 7 Task Scheduler

Schedule Tasks Using Windows 7 Task Scheduler

Is it hard for you to carry on with your hectic schedule? In their quest to help their users deal with their tasks more efficiently, Microsoft has developed a scheduling tool. With the aid of the new Windows 7 Task scheduler, you can spend your time more worthwhile.

Windows 7 Task Scheduler is oftentimes mistaken as the Wiindows Task Manager but in reality, they are definitely not the same. With Windows 95 Plus! pack, it was formerly a System Agent but when Windows 98 came, its name became Task Scheduler.

Carry out repetitive tasks in your computer automatically using Windows 7 Task Scheduler. Easily send an e-mail, open a computer program or switch off a computer at your desired time using this tool.

If you want to make the most of this tool, make sure to make the terms ‘triggers’ and ‘actions’ to yourself. What a trigger does is to make a pre-assigned task start. Once the criteria set by the trigger has been met, the scheduled task will then be performed. The work actually done whenever a certain task is being performed is what we refer to as ‘action’.

The two types of trigger that could begin a certain task are event-based and time-based. When a specific system occurrence is the one to start out a task, we call this as an even-based trigger.

For instance, a certain user scheduled a task to open a program after start up, the task scheduler will execute this instantaneously once the user has logged on. Time-based triggers are those which have been assigned daily, weekly or monthly.
In order to find Windows 7 Task Scheduler, hit the startup button, click on the Control Panel, find System and Security, and choose Administrative Tools. Once you are already there, you are now ready to use the Task Scheduler.

Without any doubt, Windows 7 Task Scheduler is way better than all the other task schedulers that existed in the earlier operating systems from Microsoft. In contrast to Windows XP task scheduler, it is still possible to carry out a task even though the apparent user logs out and updates are automatic even if the password is also altered.

Posted by Tech_Expert on February 18th, 2012 | No Comments Posted in tech guide

Increase Website Hits Through SEO

There are so many methods available toincrease website hits. One of the most popular is through SEO. Search engine optimization, more commonly known as SEO, is a systematic method used to increase website hits. As the importance of generating more traffic for websites intensifies, the number of the so-called “search engine optimization tools” also continue to grow.

You will find loads of information about the latest, hottest and most widely used search optimization tools that will help you solve the dilemma on how to get your website on Google. Each tool is designed for a specific purpose and they are grouped according to the goal they were set to do. Below, we give you the leading search engine optimization tools.

Keyword Research Tools

Researching and analyzing keywords is one of the basic processes of SEO. It can also be considered as the most crucial part. All your content is dependent on your keywords and in choosing the right keywords, it is a must to maintain a balance between popularity and competitiveness.

Google Adwords keyword tool is definitely the most popular keyword research tool in the web these days. Not only is Google AdWords comprehensive, it is also free of charge.

Backlinks Checker Tools

Inbound links play a very important role if you want toincrease website hits – so it is no wonder that we included it in our list of the top search engine optimization tools. A backlink checker or website checker is used to verify how popular your website is in Google. What it does is tell you the number of sites which links to a specific website.

One of the backlinks checker tools that is available for free is Social Monkee. Just visit http://www.squidoo.com/free-online-backlink-checker for more info.

Sitemap Generator Tools

Spiders (Let’s define what a spider is here) can crawl easier with the help of sitemap submission. This function is quite similar to a backlinks checker tool as it also aims to find all the links to a website. You can manually create a sitemap for a website containing only a small number of pages. As you increase the pages of the website, making the sitemap also becomes more tedious. With the aid of sitemap generator tools, you can have a sitemap in just a matter of seconds even for websites containing lots of pages.

Google will never run out of features directed for the benefit of their users. They also have their very own Google sitemap generator. It is packed with all the cool stuff that SEO professionals surely love.

There are other available SEO tools which you may find useful in optimizing your website and therefore increase website hits. Using these tools does not assure you that you have a great website. What makes a good website is good content, nice visual design and authentic credibility; so use these tools wisely.

Posted by Tech_Expert on February 6th, 2012 | 37 Comments Posted in website traffic

Tech Tip of the Day: How to Make a Spreadsheet

For most computers, spreadsheets are definitely one of its most beneficial applications. Spreadsheets also help ease the work of business owners. In any office productivity suite, a spreadsheet would surely be found. The leading names of Productivity Suites would include Microsoft Office and Open Office. They will contain Microsoft Excel and OpenOffice Calc as spreadsheet programs. Beginners typically get a rough start with spreadsheets. Consequently, we will teach you how to make a spreadsheet.

To make it clearer, let us try to make a simple financial report using Microsoft Excel. Here are the steps of how to make a spreadsheet:

Look for the MS Excel icon and open it.
What you will see next are cells with:a. Columns having numbers (A, B, C…) as labelsb. Rows with numbers (1, 2, 3…).
Keep in mind that a cell is addressed by the column and row where it is located. For instance, cell A1 is the very first cell you will see directly beneath column A and row one(1).
Select cell A1 and key in ‘Item’.
Type ‘Cost’ in cell B1.
Select cell A2 and enter ‘Printing’.
Consequently, input 100.00 to cell B2. Tip: Anything you have entered in a cell will be retained by simply making a click outside the cell.
Select cell A3 and then type ‘Postage’.
Go to cell B3 and enter 85.00.
Type the word ‘Envelopes’ in cell A4.
For cell A4 in particular, enter 42.00.
Enter the word ‘Total’ in cell A5.
Select cell A5 and enter ‘=SUM(B2:B4)’.
227.00 will come out if you happen to click on any cell inside the same spreadsheet.
Save and you’re done.

The version of Excel that we used today is MS Excel is 2010. The same course of action can be taken on how to make a spreadsheet even for previous versions. If you ever wondered how to make mailing labels from excel, spreadsheets are also serviceable as well. You can also check out this link for a more comprehensive view on how to make a spreadsheet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Sm8uVX-mFE&feature=youtu.be.

Posted by Tech_Expert on January 28th, 2012 | 38 Comments Posted in tech guide

Getting to Know Google Web Analytics

Google Web Analytics can be considered to be among the most widely used website tool. Anyone can use this service at no cost at all. But before we go any further, we will first talk about what is Google Web Analytics all about.

Google Web Analytics or GA in short, is a service Google offers for marketers which can produce a detailed report about a website’s performance. As a matter of fact, more than half of today’s leading websites utilize GA.

Before anything else, one will be required to open a Google Analytics account. Next, place the tracking code which was generated by Google Web Analytics to the header or footer of every page of your website. As the web crawlers begin their indexing, data will also start to be collected in your account.

If you want to access this information, then log on to your Google Web Analytics account to visit your dashboard. Basically, the system can provide up to 140 reports. Among these reports are:

Site usage – A pictorial depiction of the visits on daily basis that your website has got in the earlier month (this covers total number of page views, number of page per visit, and how long each visit lasts.
Bounce rate – this records the total number of visitors that reached your home page but did not visit other pages later.
Traffic sources – at this part, you can learn how were able to reach your website. There can be 3 ways: Direct (addresses which have been typed in the address box directly), Organic (link has been clicked from the varied results from the search engines), and major referrals (obtained from websites that have links directed to your website.
Map overlay – this provides a topographical view of all of your visits. If you try clicking on ‘View report,’ you delve in deeper to more specific details such as state and city-level information about the visitor.
Content overview – in just one look, you can view the page with most number of visitors.

Google Web Analytics is definitely a helpful tool for web page optimization and in the first place, backing up small and starting internet marketers is what Google Analytics is all about. To begin with, GA members can learn the ways people will be ale to reach your website. This can even narrow down into keyword level; that is, you will know what are the keywords they key in order to reach you page. In the second place, analyzing the stats will tell you if your SEO techniques are effective or not. In addition to that, you can also be able to point out which pages are in need for more SEO efforts. Most of all, Google Web Analytics is at the house! Additionally, you can also make use of this with other Google web services such as Google AdSense.Furthermore, other Google web services can be mixed together with GA.

Posted by Tech_Expert on January 25th, 2012 | No Comments Posted in website traffic

Tech Recipe Guide 101: How To Make a GIF from a Video

Videos can also be the source of a perfect picture! Guess what? You can turn that image from a video into a GIF file. What is GIF by the way? Well, if you have ever tried sending electronic greeting cards, then you are familiar with GIF. GIF is actually a format for bitmap images and it denotes Graphics Interchange Format. Software applications used to make a GIF from a video online are also available. Anyhow, the Tech Recipe Guide is here to teach you how to make a GIF from a video.

For convenience, we will use Microsoft’s GIF animator for this tech recipe guide on how to make a GIF from a video. In case you don’t have this yet, you can get it for free at http://www.toggle.com/lv/group/view/kl34879/Microsoft_GIF_Animator.htm. If download has been completed already, you only need to install in once and then you’re good to go!

Click on the program icon and open it.
After that, you can go to the video’s location by clicking the “Open” icon. Take note that the format required for the program is AVI. If ever you don’t have a video converter, just visit http://video.online-convert.com/convert-to-avi and you can directly convert videos there for free.
The minute you reach the video’s location, click “Open”. After doing this, thr program will initiate the reading of the video into individual frames. The longer the video, the longer its time may take. If ever you are planning to convert only a portion of a video, edit the video in advance. For safety purposes, make sure to back up the original copy of the video!
Subsequently, you will see a set of images along the sides of your window. The ones that you will see are the individual frames that the software read earlier.
By clicking “Select All”, all of the frames shown will be selected.
Subsequently, click on the “Animation” tab after seeing it.
Then select “Looping” and adjust it depending on the number of times you want to have it repeated. Usually, most people would choose ‘continuously’.
Now, click on the “Image” tab to set how long should each frame of the slider last. If you haven’t decided yet, play the GIF each time you change it so that you will know what will be the final product.
Finally, save the project with the “Save As” button.

How to make a GIF from a video is really wonderful, isn’t it? It is undeniably simple. Just 9 clear steps are what it would take so that you will learn to make customized electronic greeting cards. Just like any other task, this is not just the way of how to make a GIF from a video. You can even use Photoshop if you are very much familiar with it already.

Posted by Tech_Expert on January 24th, 2012 | 1 Comment Posted in tech guide

The Tech Recipe Guide Blog

Tech Recipe Guide 101: Money Management Software

Tech Recipe Guide 101: Essential Project Management Steps

Reaping the Benefits of Google Traffic Estimator

Tech Guide Tip: Windows 7 Task Scheduler

Increase Website Hits Through SEO

Tech Tip of the Day: How to Make a Spreadsheet

Getting to Know Google Web Analytics

Tech Recipe Guide 101: How To Make a GIF from a Video

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