Robot Guard Dog, OLED, Haptics and more.

When you submit your site to directories, it becomes searchable by other search engines. For example - Google is a search engine. DMOZ is a directory. If you are listed in DMOZ then you've got a chance of that listing turning up on Google, as well as your own submission to Google.

Getting listed in the major search engines is a must for getting found. If you don't have a huge budget then you are more than likely to be thankful for the traffic that search engines will bring you. For example, it would cost you almost $2000 to get a listing in the Yellow Pages directory. But it costs nothing to get a listing on Google (unless you pay for their Adwords Select program) It can take up to 6 months before your ad actually appears in a printed Yellow Pages directory, but it only takes up to 2 months to appear on Google. (Or 5 minutes if you pay for Adwords Select) As well as this, people are more likely to search with Google than they are to find the Yellow Pages directory for their area, type in the assorted business and location keywords needed then read what comes up. While we're not saying you shouldn't put an ad in the Yellow Pages (after all, there are customers without internet connections out there) you definitely should be listed in search engines so that people can find you.

So you've got yourself listed in search engines and listed in directories. Great. Now you need to do some seeding. If you have a group devoted to, lets say, Black Sabbath, you need to go to any community groups or devoted websites on the net that also have Black Sabbath interests and find out whether they want to list your site in their directory. This is also true for almost any subject. (Though if you're selling computer books, don't expect someone else who is selling computer books to put your site link on their site, after all, you're their competition!)

The more places you're able to list your site the better it will be for you as word spreads and people visit. But always keep your site fresh and alive. If you don't, people will stop visiting and you'll be back where you started.

And if you wish to exchange links with us, you can submit your suggestion via the feedback form below.

Next issue, some other promotion techniques.

2. Welcome Tim Walter and Steve Ku.
Many of you in the Northern Beaches area will remember Ben coming and helping you with some computer services sometime in the past 12 years. Well Ben is moving on to bigger and better things and Tim is Ben's replacement. Tim brings with him his support experience and training in the latest computer environments. When you call 0414 229 669 and register your request for a computer help consultant, Tim is most likely to be the one we send out to you.

If you are in the CBD or not in the Northern Beaches area then you are most likely to get Steve Ku. Steve is joining us to help out with the greater Sydney area. We have other part time staff that do the regular computer maintenance for you but Tim and Steve are our main consultants. Please make them feel welcome.

3. Assorted news.
*Those of you who have been following the Robot Dog wars between Sony and Sanyo may be interested to know that Sanyos Robot Guard Dog is now available. Unfortunately only available in Japan. It is a neat little system that prowls around your home, looking for intruders. As soon as it detects something suspicious it takes a photo of it then transmits that photo to your mobile phone. With houses in Japan being very small I assume that means the Robot Guard Dog doesn't really need to do much in the way of prowling. I don't know how they would go if you had a Beverley Hills mansion needing guarding. For a picture, go to Sanyo's Japanese site at
http://www.sanyo.co.jp/koho/hypertext4/0203news-j/0325-1.html
*Symantec, the makers of Norton AntiVirus, have now released a new program for detecting Viruses in Lotus Notes.
* OLED is the new standard for screens. Replacing LCD and Plasma, OLED is so versatile that, if it wears out you can replace it just like replacing a light globe. Expect it to take the screen market by storm in the next couple of years.
* Haptics. The new science in computer interactivity. Lots of things are happening with Haptics but the main thing, that has been talked about on and off for years, is the creation of an interactive virtual environment. The theory is that using Haptics technology you could create a room in Sydney with assorted notes, tables etc and link it completely to a room in Norway. The link would be seemless so that you in Sydney and your friend in Norway could be sitting in the same room and exchanging programmed items. The software is on its way. Oh, and of course, you would be using the glasses and gloves systems so that it is physically interactive.

4. Make Your Site Sell
Here is the first in a list of tools to help you with your online business. Over the past few issues we've been looking at ways to get your website up and running, then to promote it. With this downloadable ebook, you'll be surprised how many promotion possibilities there are. When I first read it I was blown away by the amount of information in it. Due to the fact that I'm running my own real world business and don't have the time to read and involve myself completely in everything this book does I can't give you definite answer as to whether it works for me, but I am completely convinced that it would, if I spent the time on it. Perhaps you can make it work for you then tell me all about it?! Find out more here: http://myss.sitesell.com/yourinfo.html

Piles of stuff for the August issue. Stay tuned and don't forget to subscribe.

Best regards

The Team at Electronic Desktop Solutions Pty Ltd