11 Ways to Get Your Digital Life Sorted in 2011

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA, January 08, 2011

Carolyn Holgate, General Manager at MWEB Connect in South Africa, shares 11 tips to get your digital life sorted in 2011.

1. Back up your computer: Don't put it off - start the year with your digital life backed-up safely and stick to doing this on a regular basis. Holgate recommends the MWEB Online Back-up service, allowing you to "purchase space" on the MWEB server which will securely save all your specified data.

2. Twitter up: The current darling of social media, Twitter, can be a powerful business tool enabling you to connect, share and get advice from like-minded people. It's also a great way to keep your customers engaged on your latest product offerings. Visit http://www.webdesignerdepot.com for the "Ultimate Guide for Everything Twitter"- including an alphabetised glossary and a list of popular Twitter applications and instructions for incorporating Twitter into your website and blog.

3. Get rid of the cap: Stop worrying about reaching your Internet cap and the additional costs to your business every month. MWEB offers Uncapped ADSL packages starting from just R219 per month.

4. Widgets: This nifty little "application" brings your favourite things right to your desktop. With thousands of features available, you can stay up-to-date with industry news, local and international stock markets and check the weather before planning that business trip. Check out Widgets by Yahoo! on http://widgets.yahoo.com/

5. Protect your assets: A variety of cost efficient virus packages are available on the market, including AVG anti-virus for R15p/m from MWEB.

6. Back up those contacts: Got a smartphone? Blackberry users can back up their data by simply installing Blackberry Desktop Manager on their desktop. Get it for your PC or Mac at http://www.blackberry.com/apps-software/desktop/ . If you're an Apple Fan, iPhone users can download TouchCopy (www.wideanglesoftware.com/touchcopy/index.php) to back up data to their computer. iPhone Backup Utility is another tool that allows you to easily backup and restore important files on your iPhone.

7. Sharpen up your tools: Tools such as Google Desktop or Spotlight will allow you to search for your files and information on your computer with ease.

8. Sharing is caring: Save your work and files on a cyber-network. Google Docs allows you and others to access presentations, documents and spread sheets from different locations across the world, making it easier to share data from any computer or smartphone.

9. Do you Poken?: Bridge the gap between the people you meet in the real world and those you stay connected with online with a Poken - a little USB "business card" that carries your most basic information. Insert this device into any computer with web access to easily upload your new contacts to the Poken web database. Visit http://www.doyoupoken.com

10. .Mobi yourself: The mobile market has taken South Africa by storm and setting up a .mobi site (mobile website) is a perfect way for potential customers to interact with your brand and access information on your company quickly and easily.

11. Revolutionise the Fax: Save time, money and the environment by sending and receiving local and international faxes via your email. MWEB's Faxmail solution is a state-of-the-art fax over Internet service suited for businesses of any size, offering a seamless solution that requires no software or hardware to get setup.

Carolyn Holgate is the General Manager of MWEB Connect. Visit MWEB at http://www.mweb.co.za.