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A previous newsletter (“Organize Your Digital Life: Clean the Clutter!”) looked into the fact that our library of documents, pictures, music, etc. is growing at a steady pace; this is particularly true of document-based businesses that are required by law to keep client files archived for years. Organization is a key component for finding information when you exactly know what you are looking for; however, for other type of searches (by date, keyword, author, or file format, for example) another approach is required.

⇒ Can you, really, find anything in this digital stack?

Please keep reading to improve your odds…

CAN YOU FIND IT?

For many years, most operating systems include file-searching utilities that work up to certain level of success. Back in the “DOS-days”, where “C:\>”, the command prompt, reigned, third party applications like the Norton Utilities and PC-Tools filled the gap with a text-based graphical interface, which included a comprehensive file search module.

Norton Utilities – Norton Integrator (circa 1989)

PC-Tools 1 (circa 1988)

Document searching, from the user point of view, is a test of patience and luck. In addition to the growing document library, computer and hard disk speeds are always to blame for slow results. But, it does not have to be this way! Programs, like Norton Utilities and PC-Tools, were successful because they had a couple tricks under the hood; once installed, they became an extension of the operating system and found ways of indexing the files as the user created them. This indexing trick allowed very fast access to information about files saved in the local system; instead of traversing the whole disk to locate a particular file, it just queried an index for instant results.

Unfortunately for the consumer, in my humble opinion, Microsoft has been afflicted by late blooming episodes, particularly in regards of security and file management. It is a possibility that its woes as a monopolistic mammoth forced them to leave certain areas open to be filled by other companies like antivirus firms, system utilities, et al.

Seizing the opportunity in 2004, Google announces a new product called Google Desktop that brought powerful searching capabilities to the user’s computer. Complementing the standard file search capabilities (including content for most known formats), it extended its results to emails, chats and browsing history. It was not a novel idea, other products like Copernic Desktop Search (a success story from Canada) predate Y2K; however, Google expanded the simplicity of their web search experience to the local computer (Windows/Mac/Linux).

Currently, each operating system has its own search engine: Windows flags its Windows Search (or Windows Desktop Search), Macs have the brilliant Spotlight and Linux sports Beagle. Learning how to use them properly and understanding their limitations is most important for proper document management.

Technologies

Desktop Search technology is based on the efficacy of the application indexing the information. Index files can grow into several gigabytes; however, their internal nature is ideal for fast access. Building the initial index can take considerable time as each file in the computer (or network) is analyzed; some times the process is not noticeable as it runs in the background when the computer is idle, sophisticated engines can even pause the scanning if the computer is running on batteries to conserve power.

There are three types of information collected by desktop search utilities about files:

1. File name and directory path (folder) information
2. File metadata that is embedded inside the file, which is common in word processing, PDFs, music and graphics: author, title, description, album, composer, lyrics, dates, geographic information, etc.
3. File content. With special filters desktop search applications are able to collect and index the contents of word processing files, spreadsheets, presentations, emails, contacts, favourites/bookmarks, chat histories, PDF documents, help files, web pages, etc.

The suitability of desktop search technology in your office should be in agreement with the type of documents that are collected. Free solutions like Google Desktop or the one supplied with the operating system may fulfill most technology needs; however, there are many commercial products that offer a wider selection of filters or are tailored to particular industry sectors like Law firms, Architecture companies or publishing houses. Network search appliances are available for an easy implementation; these servers connect to the local network and through a web interface are configured to collect information from other computers/storage devices and install small local applets that can integrate into the local system for searching and indexing.

Best Practices

If your business depends on digital information, it is vital to collect as many details about the files as it is possible. The following are some suggestions that can improve the success rate of locating a file in the future:

File naming

1. Use descriptive file names. Instead of “INVOICE004”, try “004-Invoice-ACME Technologies”
2. Use date codes if it is likely you will look for documents by date. For example: “004-Invoice-ACME Technologies” can be made date sensitive by “20100531-004-Invoice-ACME Technologies”, where 2010 is the year, 05 is May, and 31 is the day. It can be argued that this is unnecessary because a search can be made based on the file date stamp; however, there are cases where by mistake, or intentionally, a file is saved in a future date which will affect search results. As an illustration, if I would like to look for invoices created in February 2010, I can make the search criteria: Look for file names that contain the words: “201002” and “Invoice”.

Metadata/Tags

Complete and retain metadata information as much as possible.

For example, to access the document information section in all applications from Microsoft Office 2003 and earlier, select the “Properties” entry from the “File” menu. In Office 2007/2010 click on the Microsoft Office Button, select “Prepare” and then “Properties”.

Similarly, metadata information can be added to PDF files (using Adobe Acrobat or compatible software), images (by keeping/updating the EXIF/XMP information, EXIFTOOL is a good choice), music files (ID3 tags for MP3s) can be maintained by music applications like iTunes, Winamp, Audacity or dedicated programs.

Digital cameras save important information inside each image, configure image editing software to preserve EXIF information when saving the file. Consider expanding the file information by filling in the XMP tags, which can contain things like titles, author, location, people in the photo, copyright information, author contact information, license, dates, etc.

Through the analisys of metadata information is how a document can be traced back to its author. Next time you send an attachment by email remember that you may be disclosing more information than you think. Pictures of your backyard BBQ taken with your iPhone may contain GPS information. Be careful where and how you post your images!

Location of files

Keep files grouped in folders organized by function.

This principle may help you find files without the assistance of search utilities. There is no standard filing convention as it is based on the nature of your business.

To avoid surprises keep files under “My Documents” in Windows, “Documents” in Mac/Linux. This strategy helps, additionally, in backup and encryption policies.

Hopefully this document will help you spend more time working on your business and not looking for things…

Finding us cannot be easier, call us to discuss methods and procedures that will enhance your business!

We are committed to taking professionals to a new level!

NEW!!! Check our growing Library: www.BackOfficeWORKS.net/library

Visit: www.BackOfficeWORKS.net for more information.

Contact Us! for more information…

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Copyright 2010 © BackOfficeWORKS! Business Services. All rights reserved.

The “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” mantra is today as prominent as it was years ago when waste management public awareness programs were launched around the world to minimise consumption. Similarly to our physical reality, natural hoarding instincts apply to our digital life. Availability of digital archiving tools and affordability of storage media are responsible for the accumulation of material with no use in the immediate future.

⇒  How can I manage this information overload?

Please keep reading to find out…

Organize Your Digital Life:
Clean the Clutter!

Tim Bray, a brilliant Canadian software guru, co-developer of the XML standard, which drives a great deal of online technologies, in his blog post “The Great Music Migration” decides to deal with the clutter created by one thousand CDs. His approach is to RIP (convert from CD format to digital files) all his music into his powerful Mac Pro system. This enormous task is greatly alleviated by iTunes for its great conversion and organization tools. The explosion of digital cameras opened the market for commercial and free tools that help us manage our treasures; programs like Picasa and iPhoto offer complete workflow solutions from getting the images from the camera, to enhancing, tagging and submitting them for printing. How do we deal with other types of data like word-processing documents, emails, bookmarks, etc.?

Start with your documents. Filing discipline is the first line of approach. Creating a meaningful system should be the starting point. Analogous to a file cabinet, a well organized set of folders are important to keep each file in its place. How this should look like, depends on your business and personal needs; if you have several businesses, start by creating one base folder for each one of them and sub-folders organized by function. For example…

Keep your email tidy. The previous organizational concept applies easily to other applications like your email program. Create a functional folder structure were you can easily drag and drop messages from the Inbox; additionally, set up filters that can do the email sorting automatically as soon as messages are received. For an excellent article on email filtering read “Rule Your E-Mail” from PC Magazine.

Manage your bookmarks/favourites. The number of years of Internet browsing, typically, is in direct proportion to the length of the bookmarks/favourite list. Keeping it neatly organized is a chore that starts from the moment a new site is added to the list. If you use more than one computer, keeping track of your bookmarks can be very difficult, fortunately, there are tools that will help you keep your links sorted and synchronized between computers. My favourite utility is part of the Google Toolbar (reviewed in “My Top 10 Firefox Extensions”). The toolbar is compatible with Internet Explorer and Firefox (Windows, Mac and Linux), Google Chrome has several extensions supporting it; and, it integrates nicely with iGoogle in case you need to access your links from another system like a public terminal (just remember to log off at the end of the session!) A free Google account is required.

Got pictures? Some of you may know that photography is one of my passions and my collection spans thousands of images of all types. There are many applications that are designed to help you manage your digital treasures, some are commercial and others are free. If you need a simple free utility, get Picasa from Google, it is fast and makes complex imaging tasks very easy procedures, as this introductory video demonstrates. In the Mac platform, iPhoto is my program of choice, intuitive and easy like Picasa, adds the flare and style of all Apple products. I invite you to visit colourstudio, my photography site.

Find it! As your document and music libraries grow, your emails accumulate, more birthdays are artfully documented, it is more difficult to manually find what you are looking for. The next logical step is implementing some type of search technology. Newer versions of Mac OS X, Windows and Linux have built in searching utilities that fit the need of most users. Another third party utility for all platforms is Google Desktop that brings a powerful personal search engine with the well-known interface to your own computer (or network). Read here a review of Google Desktop features.

Hopefully these pointers will help you organizing your digital life. There are as many solutions as unique problems and requirements; if you would like us to assist you addressing your unique business needs, please do not hesitate to contact us.

We are committed to taking professionals to a new level!

NEW!!! Check our growing Library: www.BackOfficeWORKS.net/library

Visit: www.BackOfficeWORKS.net for more information.

Contact Us! for more information…

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter!.

Copyright 2010 © BackOfficeWORKS! Business Services. All rights reserved.

I cannot imagine my browsing experience without Firefox leading the way. Since the source code release of the of the now forgotten Netscape Navigator to the Mozilla Foundation in 1998, the Open Source business/technology model has improved the original code from the robust, feature-rich Mozilla Suite to the lean and super-fast Firefox Browser. Very important parts of this evolution are user-contributed components (extensions or add-ons) which have enhanced or added features to the browsing experience. In this weeks instalment I will show you my favourite Firefox extensions…

⇒  How can I extend my browser functionality?

Please keep reading to find out…

My Top 10 Firefox Extensions

Extensions (or add-ons) are powerful little utilities that expand the functionality of the programs they “attach” to. By clever programming, they can change the behaviour of the host application and add features that are not part of the “out of the box” version. Popular extensions may be so successful that they eventually integrate into the official release; on the other hand, bad written code can slow down your program and even “break” it. It’s a good idea to install well known extensions and stay away from ones that have not built a positive reputation or rating.

The modular design of the Netscape Navigator set a solid platform for developers from all lifestyles to customize the Mozilla Suite to their heart’s content. Soon after, little utilities started to appear, mostly as an aid for web development; however, colloquially speaking, the cat was out of the bag and the focus changed to enhancing the web experience. Commercial software companies saw the opportunity and released bridges that would connect web information to their application.

The appearance of the leaner Firefox in November 2004, as a standalone browser based on the Mozilla Suite, took consumers and developers by storm displacing the monolithic Mozilla Suite (and, in fact, Internet Explorer) to become the browser of choice for millions of users around the world.

The rapid growth of the add-on segment has been truly amazing. A quick glance to the add-ons (or extensions) page at the Firefox stats web site reveals the staggering numbers of registered add-ons and number of users. Take a look at a screenshot of the site and the number of downloads for a single day (July 26, 2009)… over 74.2 million!!!

If you would like to download Firefox, visit www.mozilla.com and install the latest version.

And Now, My Top 10 Firefox Extensions…

10. Customize Google — Customize Google is a very robust extension that lets you customize many features of the services provided by Google. Customize Google lets you block advertisements on pretty much any Google page (including Gmail). It remaps Google Images search results to point directly at the images (no longer will you need to click through the originating site). Customize Google lets you add links from other search engines directly into your search results. It can also block Google click tracking and allows you to connect to Google Calendar and Gmail securely (https). Try it, you will not be sorry.
9. IE View — Lets you load pages in Internet Explorer (IE) with a single right-click, or mark certain sites to *always* load in IE. This add-on is useful for sites that insist on using Internet Explorer as the only supported browser.
8. Evernote Web Clipper — This extension provides a toolbar button and context menus to easily add a selection or an entire page to Evernote. If Evernote for Mac or Windows is installed – the clips go directly to the local application, if not the clips go to the Evernote Web application via a pop-up. This extension works on Windows, Mac & Linux. Evernote is a wonderful program that helps you to organize information regardless of the format and source, a superb tool that allows you to access your data across computers and even through the web. Try it by downloading it from the Evernote website.
7. iMacros — Automate Firefox. Record and replay repetitious work. If you love the Firefox web browser, but are tired of repetitive tasks like visiting the same sites every day, filling out forms, and remembering passwords, then iMacros for Firefox is the solution you’ve been dreaming of! ***Whatever you do with Firefox, iMacros can automate it.***
6. ReminderFox — ReminderFox remembers things so you don’t have to! ReminderFox displays and manages lists of reminders and To-Do’s and makes sure you remember all of your important dates via easy-to-use lists, alerts, and alarms, right in your browser without the need for a separate calendar program.
5. Flashblock — The Flashblock extension by default blocks flash from playing when a Web page is first opened. Most (distracting) advertisements are written using flash. Flashblock is particularly useful because it replaces the flash from a Web site with a “play” button so you can watch the flash if it something useful (like a video at YouTube) and leave it blocked if it is an advertisement.
4. Google Toolbar — Lots of great features, including enhanced search box, AutoFill, spell checker, and more. I always recommend changing the layout to replace the Firefox search box with the toolbar’s version. The configuration screen will give you the power to turn on and off buttons to fit your needs. As an extra security bonus, it intercepts malicious sites that may infect your system.
3. Tab Mix Plus — Many of the features of Tab Mix Plus were incorporated into the release of Firefox 2. However, Tab Mix Plus allows you to add finer-grained control of your tabs. The following is a description of Tab Mix Plus: “Tab Mix Plus enhances Firefox’s tab browsing capabilities. It includes such features as duplicating tabs, controlling tab focus, tab clicking options, undo closed tabs and windows, plus much more. It also includes a full-featured session manager with crash recovery that can save and restore combinations of opened tabs and windows.”
2. NoScript — Winner of the “2006 PC World World Class Award”, this tool provides extra protection to your Firefox. It allows JavaScript, Java and other executable content to run only from trusted domains of your choice, e.g. your home-banking web site, guarding your “trust boundaries” against cross-site scripting attacks (XSS) and Clickjacking attempts, thanks to its unique ClearClick technology. Such a pre-emptive approach prevents exploitation of security vulnerabilities (known and even unknown!) with no loss of functionality… Experts do agree: Firefox is really safer with NoScript This tool requires more interaction with the user in order to have a smooth experience with feature rich sites.
1. AdBlock Plus — Annoyed by adverts? Troubled by tracking? Bothered by banners? Install Adblock Plus now to regain control of the internet and change the way that you view the web. Adblock Plus allows you to regain control of the internet and view the web the way you want to. The add-on is supported by over forty filter subscriptions in dozens of languages that automatically configure it for purposes ranging from removing online advertising to blocking all known malware domains. Adblock Plus also allows you to customize your filters with the assistance of a variety of useful features, including a context option for images, a block tab for Flash and Java objects, and a list of blockable items to remove scripts and stylesheets. Personally, this is the only add-on that has prevented me switching to other browsers like Opera, Google Chrome and Apple’s Safari. My favourite filter subscription is called: Filter von Dr. Evil (Deutschland). It’s very interesting that this add-on is never reviewed by commercial sites as it changes the content by removing ads.

NEW!!! Check our growing Library: www.BackOfficeWORKS.net/library

Visit: www.BackOfficeWORKS.net for more information.

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