MacUpdate offers bundles of software at a deep discount. You’ll find a link to their current offering below and on the right side of this page.

The reason I am sharing this with you is it is an insanely great deal. I love my Mac, but the price of software and updates keeps dipping into my bank account. Do yourself a favor and look at the deal. The cost of just one piece of software is more than what you’ll pay for the whole bundle. Even if you don’t use all of the apps, you are still saving money.

The Winter bundle includes Tech Tool Pro 6 and some neat, small utility applications to make your life easier. Don’t wait. These deals are only around for a few days.

 

There are a number of screen sharing applications out there. Some work to varying degrees on both the Mac and PC.

If you ever attended a webinar and had to go through installing software and plug-ins each time, you may have said never mind.

Screen sharing should be easy.

I’ve tried many solutions and found that there was always something difficult or unsatisfactory about the process.

Today, I was introduced to “join.me” an online provider that doesn’t make you sign up for an account, give them your e-mail, and in a few seconds you can be sharing your screen and inviting up to 250 other people to join you.

I forgot to mention that it’s free. They have a Pro version as well. I can’t wait to take it for a spin. Screen sharing is a great way to collaborate at a distance.

If you have the need to share information, if you do training, or if you’d like to get help and troubleshooting problem on your computer, real-time screen sharing is a great option.

 

I just made a video using Stupeflix. It didn’t take me very long, under an hour, and the results are high quality.

I used still images that I uploaded from my computer. I had a choice of using images stored on line as well. I could add video clips too.

For this video, I recorded a vocal track,  saved it as an MP 3 file and the process to upload it into the project was as simple as loading the photos. You can add music or narration, both if your audio program has multiple tracks. I’ll talk more about audio in a future post.

I was able to preview the movie before exporting it. This gave me an opportunity to rearrange, or delete images before completing my project. I was able to save the project, reopen it, and continue editing.

I decided to export the movie using the free option to test it out. My 1 min. video was processed quickly and I posted it to my Facebook page. I was able to upgrade the quality of the video to an HD version once I had one like on Facebook.

The project was reprocessed in the HD format and with one button I uploaded to my YouTube channel.

From there, I could get the embed code and I popped into the GLB architect’s web site and into this post.

From start to finish in less than an hour and the results are already posted to YouTube and Facebook.

Stupeflix  is anything but stupid. Give it a try and decide if you want to upgrade to one of their premium versions. I think you’ll like.

 

If you have been waiting to purchase Camtasia for Mac, this is a great time to buy it.

If you aren’t already familiar with what Camtasia can do,  You can see an example in my previous post, Sounds Good to Me – Tips for Video Production on Your Computer. I used it to create a promotion for a presentation. It is great for developing web based learning tools. I am taking a class now that uses videos made with Camtasia.

The Fall Mac SuperBundle includes Camtasia for Mac and some other great software tools at a ridiculous price of $49. Camtasia alone is usually $149. This is a limited time offer, so don’t wait too long or it will be gone.

Check this out.

 

This weekend was the official launch of the Wine Country WordPress Meetup. It was a refreshing to be on the receiving end of tips and resources to make my blog better. I learned something new from every person who was there. I appreciate the wisdom in the room. It reminded me that sometimes the most valuable contributions come from holding the space for others to shine.

Building on that idea, I want to share an update on a great resource: SlideShare. They just introduced HTML5 SlideShare. This is important because your slides will now play flawlessly on mobile devices like the iPhone, iPad and Android devices. No more digital divide between the desktop and mobile devices. Everything will display as intended on all platforms.

If you are mobile, take a look at their site and download the new mobile app so you can see clearly where ever you are.

 

This is a twelve minute, 44 second movie I made using Keynote. It is a recap of a live presentation made to Softech at their October 2011 meeting.

I will not confess that up until I was working on this particular presentation, I had a passing acquaintance with the amazing capabilities in Keynote. In fact, I have just scratched the surface. Having struggled mightily with Powerpoint, I am convinced that I have found a new reason to love my Macintosh computer.

After watching a couple of short tutorials, I was well on my way to presentation nirvana. I created a custom background image for my slides and In a few hours, I was able to create an effective and visually engaging presentation.

I promised the audience they could get a copy of my slides. Following the live event, I came back to my office where in a relatively short time I did the following from within Keynote:

• Recorded  narration for the slides
• Added live hyperlinks to slides and text
• Exported the slideshow as a Quicktime Movie
• Exported the slideshow as a pdf file that retained all of the live hyperlinks

The built-in ease of use and well thought out workflows for sharing saved me a lot of time with no sacrifices in quality. I have other tools in my arsenal for making slideshows and movies. None are as easy to use as Keynote. Most of them would require significantly more time and resources to produce similar results.And I know there is a lot more I can do with Keynote.It takes visual presentations to a new level. If you have to, you can import or export to Powerpoint.

Keynote also works on the iPad. You can download an app to turn your iPhone or iPad into a presentation controller.

If you make presentations for a living and are on a Mac, take it for a test drive.  You can purchase it as a stand alone application or as part of the iWork suite of software tools from Apple. I am sending out another thank you to Steve Jobs for making something so “insanely great.”

 

These a some tips and recommendations for making viewable video using your computer. It is a preview of a presentation created for Softech.

I used two TechSmith software applications: Camtasia:Mac and Snag-It for the visual portion of this movie. The audio narration was input with a Yeti Microphone. The movie was uploaded from Camtasia to YouTube.

 

Writing a book is a great way to get known as an expert. In today’s world, you can publish it yourself. Many authors who have gone through the experience of traditional publishing are joining the ranks of the self-publishing world.

Jim Horan, author of The One Page Business Plan, was a speaker at the Bay Area Consultants Network and one of the keynote speakers at the BAIPA Get Published Institute. He has been a member of both groups. I bring this up because his affiliation with both groups was critical to his becoming published. These groups and those like them are there to support entrepreneurs in building their business. I happen to be on the board of both of these groups because they are sources of inspiration, support and I meet wonderful people at the meetings. Our speakers are thought leaders, mentors and people who have blazed a trail and want to encourage the success of those who follow.

Today, I will focus on BAIPA and why you could benefit from becoming a member and attending meetings. I was introduced to the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association in 2010 by a friend and author, Bill Buchanan

I attend my first Get Published Institute in 2010 and was hooked.

Before joining BAIPA, I worked with authors who self-published. My contributions included book layout and design, as well  marketing coach and branding expert. Most authors will tell you that the writing of a book is the easy part. Publishing and marketing are much harder. I help authors overcome many of the hurdles encountered from manuscript to published book. My clients have successfully self-published books and multi-media projects. One client self-published a workbook and multiple DVDs. We are currently developing  additional  projects for publication in 2011.

Today I attended a panel of authors representing the Redwood Writers. My friend, Catharine Bramkamp moderated the panel, that included Patricia V. Davis, the author of the award-winning Harlot’s Sauce: A Memoir of Food, Family, Love, Loss and Greece, and The Diva Doctrine: 16 Universal Principles Every Woman Needs to Know. The discussion was lively and what was abundantly clear, if you are going to write and want to get published, you will learn what to do and what not to do if you join a writers group or a publishing group.

The world of publishing has been transformed by the internet, Amazon and the rise of new media channels. Publishing is going through major changes similar to the those we experienced in the realm of  graphic design. With the rise of services like Create Space, Lighting Source and SmashWords, publishing is moving away from the Big Publishing House Platform just as printing moved away from service bureaus and print shops into the hands of desktop publishers in the late 1980′s and early 90′s. We still need talented experts, but many steps in the process have become accessible by the general population. These monumental changes were started with the wide spread availability and affordability of desktop computers with Apple leading the way.

The birthing of a book takes time, attention and usually more than one person. Find a coach, a writing group or peers to support you when you get stuck, for inspiration and learning how to get your ideas out of your head and into the world.

BAIPA is one great group of independent publishing professionals and those who want to be published. We meet monthly on the second Saturday in San Rafael. Come and learn.   I joined the board of BAIPA as part of the program committee. You can read more about this in the Sonoma Index-Tribune. I’ll be speaking about Video for Publishers at the April 9th meeting. If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area,  I invite you to come learn about how you can share your ideas and publish them.

 

I highly recommend the book “Head First WordPress” by Jeff Siarto. The best parts of the book include its humorous yet detailed step-by-step actions and instructions. Part of this series of “brain friendly guides” published by O’Reilly.

There are quizzes, visuals, samples and related website where you can download sample code. From start to finish this book uses a variety of ways to help users master the material. This is a great resource for intermediate to advanced web developers.

As a user of DYI Thesis theme for WordPress, I found this book helps me understand how to customize and make the best use of WordPress for my blog and the blogs I administer or my customers. I have long been a fan of books published by O’Reilly. In part my loyalty and support of O’Reilly comes from the fact they are located nearby in Sebastopol. What really distinguishes  this company is their support for local groups like the North Coast Mac user group. O’Reilly offers a substantial discount on their books and other products to members ncmug.

They participate in a variety of local as well as national events and tradeshows. They host groups like the North Coast Internet Society no charge. Their representatives are friendly, helpful and truly lovers of knowledge and people. The content of their website, their well-designed books, and the expertise contained there in, have me returning to their catalog to find resources for mastering software and concepts.

Visit their website at www.oreilly.com to find the missing manual for almost any software you use and how to books that will help you work smarter.

 

Productivity expert, Josh Zerkel, of Custom Living Solutions, was the presenter at the most recent meeting of the Bay Area Consultants Network. Under an hour Josh provided useful tips, introduced software that can save time, increase profit, and help you stay sane.

Those of us who are independent consultants often find ourselves wearing too many hats. What we can do is find ways to cut down on interruptions and time lost searching for information.

Time is a valuable element in any business. As independent consultants, it seems we have more to do in the same amount of time as larger businesses. We have to work smarter to be sure we accomplish the tasks that keep us in business. We sell our time and our expertise. Finding ways to shift from activities that leach billable time to habits that enhances time spent is critical. Joshua presented ways we can modify our habits easily. He provided incentive in case studies of his clients who made small shifts that resulted in huge financial gains plus a more peaceful way of approaching their businesses.

Some of the tools he introduced to this room of consultants included ones for scheduling (TimeTrade) , note organization (Evernote) , and a number of voice activated solutions that make running your business easier and take less time than you might imagine. You can find the slides from his presentation at the BACN web site.

Taking a stand against the things, habits and people who can drain away your precious time is the first step becoming more productive.