Digital Journal

Email accounts come in all different types and sizes, but two common types are IMAP or POP. Technically speaking, these account types require you to specify an incoming and outgoing mail server but require different port settings.

For most, the technical side is not of importance, as this information is only required once for set-up on each computer or mobile device you’re sending and receiving mail on. The important part, and what I will discuss in this article, is the difference between the two email types.

POP (Post Office Protocol) allows you to download messages directly from the email server and store the downloaded email on your local computer or mobile device. Unless specified, once email is received it will permanently be removed from the server.

Alternatively, you can specify an amount of days to keep messages on the email server.

The downside of keeping messages on the server, and not specifying a timeframe for them to be removed, is that these messages will continue to stay on the server, taking up space and potentially reaching your allotted email account limit.

POP was the most common method of retrieving email. However, with the introduction of smartphones there’s been a shift from POP to IMAP. Many of the new operating systems such as Windows 8 no longer support POP accounts.

IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) works in much the same way as a POP account, however messages are always stored on the server. The accounts are synchronized on each device, so when a message is deleted from your Outlook (PC) or Mail (Mac) account it’s also removed from the server. This can be considered an advantage or disadvantage. The advantage is that you don’t need to download emails you’ve already seen and deleted on one device (such as spam messages). The disadvantage is that once you remove the email it’s now gone forever — there’s no retrieving it.

One of the key features of an IMAP account is the ability to create folders and store emails in those folders. The folders and contents contained within them are then able to be viewed on each computer or mobile device that receives the IMAP account mail. The downside to this is that the mail is stored and will take up valuable email server space.

I use a variety of POP and IMAP accounts for several of my email accounts. In my experience POP is more reliable in terms of communicating with the server. When travelling and using a different computer an IMAP account is particularly useful as you will still have access to mail you have filed in your folder.

What’s your preferred method of email delivery IMAP or POP?

Online education is a trend that has been increasing in popularity over the past decade. According to studies by re:fuel, the number of college students taking online classes has doubled over the past five years. High school students enrolled in online courses has been on a steady increase as well, and recently, middle school students have jumped on the e-learning bandwagon.

The question that lingers in the minds of parents and educators is whether or not online courses can give students the same discussion-rich, well-rounded learning experience as traditional “brick and mortar” classrooms can.

Advantages

Online courses, especially college online courses, can be quite beneficial for a busy student. The courses are flexible as far as time management because students don’t have to commute and sit in a class at a given time during a week. Online classes can often be more cost-effective than traditional classes and can be done at a pace the student is comfortable with.

For middle and high school students, the logistics of online courses can also be beneficial. Adding online classes to their regular classload can help struggling or at-risk students make up failed or missed credits attributable to truancy or being transient. By being able to play “catch up” online, students can graduate on time with their classmates.

Drawbacks

While logistically sound, taking too many online courses or having poor online instruction can be harmful to a student’s future.

One of the most glaring issues with online education is the lack of interpersonal communication. If an online course has any sort of discussion element, it is usually written discussion in the form of an online post. For students looking to become successful outside the classroom in any career that requires verbal communication skills, this could be considered a significant drawback.

A big disadvantage to middle and high school students is the lack of one-on-one support. Many at-risk students are behind in reading and math. If they are using online courses to “catch up,” they may find themselves faltering for further explanation or intervention when they don’t grasp a concept.

While having a schedule of online courses can be good for practicing time management for the highly motivated and focused student, it can also be the downfall for students who lack these basic skills. If a student struggles with putting away the video games, signing off Facebook and ignoring the cell phone, finding time to do the online classes and all the coursework on his or her own time could be a major challenge.

Ethical Issues

One of the most concerning ethical questions facing the credibility of online education is that of rigor and grade-level expectations.

Some online courses consist of pre-programmed software that has the student read or listen to a lecture and then take a test or quiz. The computer (or software) scores the assessments and either passes the student on or not. If these courses are not closely managed, what keeps students from cheating or having someone who can read and understand the content better take the assessments for them?

Other online classes involve an actual teacher running the class with deadlines for assignments and discussion questions that need to be posted. Because the online classroom is not made up of a room of “real” bodies, it is less likely for students to have outside discussion surrounding the behavior or content of the teacher’s “lectures.” This opens up the possibility of online instructors using the virtual classroom to push political, religious or other views on students.

In certain circumstances, online classes can be highly beneficial. However, like anything, too much can have a negative impact. Earning an entire degree or diploma using online education may have an unintended outcome on the student.

Most businesses today recognize social media should be part of their overall web presence, but there’s always the question of how much time should be devoted to it. There’s no hard and fast rule to the amount of time you should spend on your social media platforms, however thinking through the ways you want to be using social media for your business might give you a better idea of time frames.

While Facebook is a powerful communication tool for personal and business use, it, along with other platforms, shouldn’t be used as your sole source of information.

Social media platforms can change anytime, take Myspace for example. From 2005 to 2008 Myspace was the most visited social networking site in the world, surpassing Google in June 2006 as the most visited website in the United States. By 2011, the company that once employed upwards of 1,600 people reduced its employee numbers down to 200 when U.S. pop star Justin Timberlake acquired the company for $35 million dollars. The once popular $800 million dollar revenue making platform is now trying to find its place in the overcrowded social media market. As of June this year the Myspace website was ranked at 303 by total web traffic.

The moral of the story above is,

“Don’t put all your social media eggs in one basket.”

If you invest all your time making sure your Facebook page has all the bells and whistles today, those shiny tools may not be relevant in six months time, should Facebook decide to change its rules.

Think about it this way, as a Facebook user you’re just one of 1.15 billion people following the rules of the Facebook kingdom. You don’t control the way Facebook displays its information; what information you’re allowed to display. Or in the case of Twitter, how many characters you’re allowed to use.

But you can have an online presence that you have complete control over — your own company website.

Your domain name and company site is your longevity on the web. By using your website as your online business information hub you can supply your social media channels with snippets of information that drive traffic to your website.

Time is a valuable commodity for business owners, if you have a document (perhaps a menu) you update regularly, keep that information stored on your website and add links to it from your social media platform. By doing this you’re not only saving time by not updating two platforms, but you know the information is always correct.

Reduce your time spent on social media updates, drive more traffic to your website and ensure your online longevity by making your website the star of your online presence.

As a small business owner, you may think you are safe from security threats. After all, why would a hacker go after your little business when there are so many larger targets out there? It’s that very thinking that’s placing small businesses at risk, making you a prime candidate for hackers. In 2012, almost half of the hacking incidents occurred in companies with fewer than a thousand employees. The number of hacking attacks on businesses with fewer than 250 employees is up to 31 percent, a large increase from the 18 percent the previous year.

Many small businesses don’t have strong firewalls and monitoring systems in place. They may not track employee internet activity closely, and may allow more freedom of access to accounts. Small business owners often do not fully understand the protection offered by the banks on their business accounts vs. their private accounts. Some use outside companies to handle tasks, such as accounting and payroll services, that can put them at risk. They also probably don’t have a full time IT staff to handle security issues. All of these shortcomings add up to a high risk in terms of “hackability”.

As a small business owner, you don’t have to be vulnerable to hackers. Here are some ways you can protect yourself and your company:

ARM Yourself – Business Insider recommends that you remember to ARM your business, which stands for assess, remediate, and monitor. Assess the tools you are using to scan and protect your business. Only use tools from reputable companies and keep them up-to-date. Remediate any problems the tools identify. Patch security holes or seek professional advice when needed. Monitor your logs frequently for irregular activity. Address any irregular activity as soon as possible.

Secure Your Information – Intuit accounting software stresses the importance of securing your information. Limit the number of people who have access to accounts, enforce strong password policies, and have strict rules in place regarding employee computer use. Limiting the downloading abilities of employees can prevent issues. A well managed site layout and data security plan can also help enhance your site’s security as well.

Check Your Bank Accounts – Find out what your bank protects on your business accounts and what it doesn’t. Federal regulations do not cover commercial accounts. Select a larger, more well established bank. Inquire about their policy and methods for tracking unusual activity on accounts to make sure everything’s secure. Also require multiple steps or approvals on transactions, such as voice and text, or approval by more than one person.

Do Your Research – When using outside companies for services, be sure to check them out before trusting them with your information. Using reputable, highly rated companies to handle your accounting, tax preparation, payroll services, and tech support can reduce the risk to your business. There is a high risk involved when using outside companies to handle your secure information that you can be held responsible for.

Secure Your Hardware – Just as important as what you have available online is the equipment you use. Entrepreneur business magazine reminds business owners that devices such as cell phones, tablets, computers, laptops, flash drives, need to physically be secure as well. A stolen cell phone, flash drive, or laptop may give a hacker an easy window into your company

It’s a common scenario: you fire off an e-mail with a file attached, the e-mail moves into your sent items folder then shortly after you receive a bounce back notification: “too large to send.” Below are a few easy ways to ensure your large files reach the recipient, whether they’re sent by e-mail or by electronic transfer.

The traditional method is to upload files to a designated server using a file transfer protocol (FTP). Using an FTP requires one user to have space on their server and allow others access by using an FTP address, username and password. Although this is a quick and simple method, many people not familiar with FTP often find it a daunting process.

If you’re looking for a simpler and more modern way of sending large files by e-mail, or another way of sharing folders and photo galleries, you might like Dropbox.

Dropbox is a cloud-based web storage program that allows users to create and upload files, and create and share folders. To share a folder, an invitation is sent by e-mail to the user you wish to share the folder with. Once registered, that user can now upload and download to the shared folder.

One of the neat features of Dropbox is its ability to share photo albums and files via e-mail. The e-mail recipient receives a link directing them to a web browser, where they can view beautifully displayed photo galleries, videos and documents.

A free Dropbox account starts with 2GB of storage and can grow to an allocated 18GB which can be used to store files and photos. There are several fun simple ways to grow your free storage space, by posting a tweet, following and linking via social media accounts and referring Dropbox to others.

If you want the freedom to store large amounts of data and don’t want the restrictions of a free account, there are monthly Pro and Business plans starting at $9.99/month.

For its sleek interface, the way it handles and displays online photo galleries and files, its ease for sharing and for creating links for distributing via e-mail and on social media platforms, Dropbox gets top points.

 

CREATE YOUR DROPBOX ACCOUNT TODAY

It used to go a little something like this: you’d call a web designer to get your site designed, and then when you wanted to change some text or add some photos you’d have to call them again to get the changes made. While some people still like to work in this method, preferring to let the experts do the job for them, for years people have been asking, “Can’t I just make the changes myself?”

There’s no shortage of content management systems (CMS) on the market, and at the top of my list CMS list sits WordPress.

Although WordPress started out as a blogging system, it’s since evolved into a full CMS, and its blogging capabilities allow for seamless integration with social media platforms. WordPress has been available for the past 10 years, and it’s now used on millions of sites and seen by tens of millions of people every day. Whether you want a basic site that showcases your business, or you want an eCommerce site with all the bells and whistles, WordPress allows you to manage your site and make changes at your convenience.

WordPress is not only free but it’s upgraded regularly, and there’s an infinite number of external code constantly being written and updated that can easily be integrated into your site.

If you’re looking at upgrading your old, static HTML site to a newer version that’s viewable on both mobile and desktop platforms, and you’re looking to change your own content once your web guru has handed over the keys to your new site, than WordPress is a platform that should be taken into consideration.