Consuelo Meux, Ph.D.

A wiki is a tool that allows multiple users to collaborate with each other through a group website.  Each user can add or modify text as well as upload files by simply using a web browser.  While a wiki has many advantages, there are some disadvantages to this unique tool.

• A wiki is a web based document which means that what you put up into cyberspace can be found by other people.  Wiki’s can be protected by using a password, but that doesn’t mean someone can’t hack into it.  One of the people that has the password may be a little less than trustworthy and give the password out to others.  If you are working on a project that you really don’t want others to see, you may not want to use a wiki.

• Wikis do make it easy for several people to brainstorm and collaborate on projects by adding content to a group website, but if no one is keeping tabs on the content, it can get pretty confusing.  All of your great ideas may turn into one big “idea mess”.  Designating someone to organize the wiki and its content may be a solution to this problem.

• If someone in agroup is not tech-savvy, they may be very timid about using the wiki.  If one or more of the users are avoiding the wiki because they are scared of it, the whole group will lose out on those people’s ideas.

• It is not uncommon for a group member to be lazy about doing their fair share of the work.  When that person has access to everyone else’s work, it may be easy for them to steal ideas and take credit for work they didn’t really do.

• What happens when you lose your Internet connection or are traveling and cannot find a connection?  Since the wiki is web based, if you can’t get to the web, you can’t access the wiki, and therefore, you can’t access the work.

• There are many types of wikis to choose from.  Some of these can be confusing as to how to install it and back it up.

These are just a few examples of what can go wrong with a wiki. It’s important to realize that using a wiki can have many advantages as well.  You should weigh both the positive and negative aspects of a wiki before you decide on using one.  You may want to experiment with one, perhaps on a personal level first, before you implement the use of one for your business.

Social bookmarking is a system of sharing Internet bookmarks with other Internet users.  There are many websites that allow you to share your favorite web pages and network with other users. Here are 10 of the most popular social bookmarketing sites for you to use to increase your web traffic:

technorati.com – This site allows users to share their blogs, photos, videos and more and boasts almost a million and a half visitors each month.

del.icio.us – This site is a very popular and was one of the first social bookmarking sites to really take off.

digg.com – This site receives 8.7 million visitors each month.  Visitors can look up any topic and receive instant information and statistics.

stumbleupon.com – This is a relatively new site and it combines myspace with social bookmarking.  Users can make up 5 of their own pages on any topic they want.

reddit.com -This site allows users to view what’s new, what’s hot at the moment and what the weekly stats are.

fark.com – This site’s main page has categories displayed that allows the user to go directly to topics such as sports, business, politics, music and more.

mybloglog.com – This site combines social bookmarking, blogging and social networking.

blinklist.com – This website is still in beta testing and it’s mission statement is more about how people can use the service for keeping track of their own research.

ma.gnolia.com – This site isn’t quite as big as some of the others but it is very easy to use and has a lot of information to make the process of social bookmarking understandable.  This is a great site to get started with.

tailrank.com – This site keeps track of the conversations between blogs to help find what is hot on the web. The user can search on any topic they like or view randomly through categories such as politics, video, technology and entertainment.

These sites are all varied and, while they share in social bookmarking, they are all geared towards different audiences.  To get the most out of these sites you may want to combine the use of several of them.  For instance, you can list your blogs on technorati.com and ping the site when you update your blogs.
Then join a site such as stumbleupon.com and set up five web pages about various topics found on your own website.  For instance, if your website featured information on guinea pigs, one of your stumbleupon.com sites could feature information on feeding guinea pigs and another page could feature information on the type of environment they should be kept in and so forth.

Meanwhile, keep your bookmarks in del.icio.us to share with other users and visit a site such as tailrank.com to keep track of what other people are blogging about.  This can inspire new blog posts for your own blog, which would then mean you’d have more pings for technorati.com and the cycle would just start over.

All of these elements would work together to create more buzz for your website and introduce you to people with similar interests.  This could lead to more web traffic and even some future joint venture partners, which, in turn would lead to even more traffic (but that is a whole new topic for another article).

A business card can be your first introduction of your business to someone else. Spending loads of money on that first card is not an expense you have to have. You can start with a service that provides free business cards and later, upgrade to a better busines card.

Take advantage of a good free source of business cards when you can. To do so, it’s great to know how.   Here’s how to take advantage of free business cards.

Step One:  Visit the VistaPrint website.

Step Two:  Right on the homepage you’ll see a free products area.  Click on free business cards.

Step Three:  Using the form, enter the copy that you want to see on your card.

Step Four:  Verify that the copy is correct by viewing the sample business card on the screen.  The copy should update as you enter it into the form.

Step Five:  Select your design.  This could take some time, there are many to choose from.  Look for a design that fits your business products or services.  If there isn’t a good match, then you can choose a plain business card that fits your personality best.

Step Six:  Make sure the card looks exactly like you want it too.  If you don’t want your address listed on the card then you don’t have to enter that information.  You can leave it blank or enter information that you do want on your card.  For example, some business owners have multiple websites.  You can list those instead of listing your business address.  Once your card has been carefully proofed, enter your initials in the box provided.  This signifies that you approve of the card’s appearance.

Step Seven:  You’ll need to register next.  It’s a typical registration form.  Once that’s filled out you submit the form and you’re taken to an order page.  Order your free 250 cards and click next.

Step Eight:  Choose your shipping option.  If you don’t need the business cards tomorrow, go ahead and choose the slow option.  This is the most economical option and it doesn’t really take that long.

Step Nine:  Choose your finish.  Matte finish is free and it looks good.  If you want to upgrade to a glossy finish or premium paper it will cost extra.

Step Ten:  Your next step is to choose what goes on the back of your cards.  Left blank and they’re free.  Of course the free option includes the vista print logo on the back.  To have the back completely blank it will cost a few dollars.  You can also add a message, calendar, or graphic and message to the back for an extra expense.

Step Eleven:  You’ll scroll through a couple of option pages where you can add other business supplies to your cart like note pads, stamps, return address labels etc.  Once you get through these you’ll arrive at your checkout page.

Step Twelve:  Enter your payment information and you’re done.  Choosing all of the free options, your customized business cards will come exactly as you have indicated.  Your only cost will be the shipping expense.

As a last word of advice, make sure you proof read your business card carefully.  If you don’t, you could end up with a business card that you can’t use.  Careful proofreading will result in a beautiful customized business card for free!

Of course, you don’t have to use this vendor. You can always do an Internet search for “free business cards” to research other resources. No matter what you do, just get something done and start handing out those cards.