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Displaying posts from September, 2009 (Clear Search)
By Tyler King    |     September 1st, 2009 View Comments
Why you can't find good reviews online
Have you ever done a quick Google search before buying a product to check out how other people feel?  Doesn't it seem odd how overwhelmingly negative the comments generally are? For example, look at this Palm Pre message board.  I have a Palm Pre and I think it's an amazing device. &n...
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Tags: Using Technology
By Tyler King    |     September 5th, 2009 View Comments
Focusing on experience means you expect a mediocre hire
Here's some advice for anyone that ever needs to hire a programmer: Stop focusing so much on years of experience.  I think this advice is probably fitting for almost all jobs, but I'm certain that it is for programmer positions. The other day I was writing up the description and requiremen...
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Tags: Bad Decisions, Hiring
By Tyler King    |     September 7th, 2009 View Comments
Are there more problems with new software?
I have a lot of experience helping people switch technology. ...
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Tags: Using Technology
By Tyler King    |     September 9th, 2009 View Comments
Don't let users design
The end goal for any smart software developer is to create something that the users enjoy. It matters little what the software does as long as people like using it. Happy users generate a lot more money for you than any amount of measurable utility will. Making your users happy can be a lot mor...
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Tags: Design, User Feedback
By Tyler King    |     September 14th, 2009 View Comments
Don't send an email to confirm that you won't send me emails
I had to deal with some pretty terrible software earlier today so I thought I'd share.  I've been getting emails from my Alma Mater that I really have no interest in, so I clicked the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of the email. First, let's go over what I expected.  I expected to g...
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Tags: Bad Software
By Tyler King    |     September 17th, 2009 View Comments
Windows hotkeys you should know and use
I spend a fair amount of time looking over people's shoulders while instructing them on how to do various things on their computers.  Of all the ways in which many people could improve their productivity, I think learning basic hotkeys would probably lead to the most noticeable results.  T...
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Tags: Using Technology, Windows
By Tyler King    |     September 19th, 2009 View Comments
Sales or Development - The chicken or the egg?
I got in an interesting conversation tonight with a friend of mine that works as a sales rep.  We were talking about his job, and we somehow got on the topic of how important the product is to a salesperson.  His claim was that the product is completely irrelevant to a salesperson because ...
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Tags: Business Decisions, Start-ups
By Tyler King    |     September 21st, 2009 View Comments
Base decisions off hope, not fear
If there's one thing that a start-up company has an abundance of, it's decisions that need to be made.  The smaller and newer a company is, the fewer things are already defined which means that every little step in the process requires at least a little creativity. I think that there are b...
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Tags: Business Decisions, Risk
By Tyler King    |     September 21st, 2009 View Comments
A terrible commercial
Here's an IBM commercial I just saw on tv. It starts with "What is cloud computing" and then continues with a bunch of vague meaningless statements that in no way explain what cloud computing is. Seriously, does this commercial do anything to answer the original question? In my opinion, this is t...
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Tags: Copy, Marketing
By Tyler King    |     September 27th, 2009 View Comments
Compromise is the death of Innovation
Bracken and I are in the process of designing our first round of software.  I'll write a post in the next couple of weeks explaining exactly what we're working on, but what's been more interesting so far is how we've been making decisions.   First let me say that I'm really excited ab...
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Tags: Design, Less Annoying Software, Business Decisions

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This blog helps small businesses find and use easy, effective software. Most technology is meant either for individual consumers, or huge corporations. We'll help you find the tools that are powerful enough to help run your business, but simple enough that you can start using them by yourself.

This blog is written by the co-founders of Less Annoying CRM. We build an easy customer management tool that helps small businesses organize customer information and track leads.

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Optimizely makes website A/B testing simple, fast, and fun
Google Affiliate Network connects you with online advertisers
Google Apps accounts now have access to the full Google catalog
Microsoft Security Essentials - Free PC Antivirus Software
Tip: Imagine what your future self will think about how you spend your time
Microsoft adCenter works as advertised (as long as you have a Windows machine)
What it means to be a Lean Startup, and why we chose this model
Microsoft adCenter only wants your business if you use Windows
Testing vs using in software development and evaluation
Workflowy Review - Online workflow and to-do list
Register a domain name for cheap at Namecheap.com
Don't let grammar get in the way of expression. Don't blindly follow the rules.
How to build a great programmer portfolio site
RegExr makes regular expressions easy(er)
If a company wants to create a great product, they need to own the experience
October (22)
Sometimes you just have to use a site to really evaluate it
Vote with your wallet
The gap between mobile apps and mobile websites is shrinking
Ninite installs all your PC applications for you (no more clicking "next")
When a client requests a new feature, imagine that they're not your client anymore
Microsoft continues its push into the cloud with Office 365
The differences between graphic design and user interface design
Book (chapter) review: Built to Last
Get started with link building by submitting your site to directories
Need to hire a programmer? Make sure they have a good portfolio.
Rocket Lawyer: one stop for legal documents, referrals, and advice
If you write a blog, just accept the fact that people can steal your content
Run a quick audit on your web security with the Gmail Security Checklist
Windows Phone 7 reviews highlight how fast technology is advancing
Try out a new web service this weekend
The very basics of writing scripts in Google Docs
Tip: Pin your taskbar to the side of your screen
Check domain name availability quickly and easily with Domize.com
How User Generated Content Helps SEO
What we can learn from Google Wave's failure
September (20)
The predictive power of search
Dealing with negative blog comments
Perform a simple mail merge in Google Docs
Flavors.me makes it easy to create a personal website
Join.me provides free simple screen sharing
Bluffing is easy when you're not actually bluffing
Great Google Docs templates for flowcharts, business plans, and more
inDinero automates finances for small businesses
Use Q&A sites to get your name out there
Syncplicity update: Google Docs sync now working (but slow)
Gliffy Review - How does it stack up against LucidChart and Visio?
Syncplicity doesn't live up to it's name
How will Google Instant impact online marketing?
Google Instant - blurring the line between searcing and browsing
Usability trumps aesthetics in UI design
Three ways Canonicalization can help with SEO
The principles of a good password system
The best customer service is the kind that never happens in the first place
What a good help section looks like
Gmail offers a new type of inbox to help you prioritize your emails
August (21)
Quick Tip: Give Chrome application shortcuts their own profile to manage multiple logins
Apps vs. the web: how do you read your favorite content?
Using a no-reply email address tells your customers you don't care about them
Keep the 80-20 rule in mind with your SEO
Revisiting Disqus vs. IntenseDebate - I choose neither
Choosing the right communication medium
Submit your blog to Google News
Tutorial: Create a Wiki in Google Sites
Why you shouldn't base your software off open-source projects
What is your software worth
Amazon's affiliate program pays you for referring business
Set up a wiki to keep your team organized
Google Small Business blog offers tech tips for SMBs
Create application shortcuts in Google Chrome on a Mac
SheerSEO Review - Track and analyze your site's SEO
Planning is important, but most people don't plan the right way
Check out our new white paper on customer management software
Forget Visio, LucidChart makes great flowcharts online
Fast(er) switching between Google accounts with Quick Google
Productivity Tip: Use more than one computer monitor
July (23)
Dear craftsmen: sometimes your tools deserve the blame
Learn from the LAPD and be glad that you aren't running a big company
Stop writing business plans, and start writing business reviews
SEO Checklist: 6 easy things you should be doing
Real simplicity doesn't make your software easier, it makes your life easier
Access your Google Analytics data in Google Docs for custom reporting
Blog Software Reviews - Wordpress, Tumblr, and Blogger
Blogger.com Review
Apologizing like a pro (and not like Apple)
Google Webmaster Tools - Free SEO Tools for your Website
How much money can you make with a blog?
Check out your online competition with SEMRush.com
Blog planning: marketing and user engagement
Get started online by spying on your competition
Blog planning: choosing your content
Get questions about web apps answered at Web Apps - Stack Exchange
Optimization Tip: Start at the Beginning of the Funnel
How Unix style file permissions can guide your file sharing policy
Become an expert in your industry by following relevant blogs
Great software doesn't need an "advanced" section
June (22)
What does Google's new web index mean for search and SEO
Zoho: The web-based productivity suite that we don't talk about
Quick Tip: Use stock photography to fill out your website
The differences between inbound and outbound marketing
What should we learn from Square
Control your online brand by taking over the first page of Google
Tutorial: Make an Invoice in Google Docs
Revamped Hotmail has a nice feature list, might be missing the point
How inbound link anchor text affects SEO
Product Update: Organize your contacts into groups, and invite your friends
Start selling online in 15 minutes with Shopify
Wordpress Blogging Software Review
A quick look at Microsoft Office Web Apps: not ready for prime time
Read all your favorite websites in one place with an RSS Reader
10 web browser extensions to help small businesses with SEO and more
Use Twilert to monitor what people say about you on Twitter
Disqus vs. IntenseDebate - Why we switched
Evolving your business software
How to make an online form with Google Docs
Evolve your business, literally
May (24)
Find better alternatives to your current software on AlternativeTo.net
You can tell a lot about software by looking at the pricing model
Analytics reviews - Clicky, Chartbeat, and Google
Put your company on the map with Google Places
The basics of a good landing page
7 tools to help small businesses find online success
Tumblr review - Simple blogging software
3 steps to help improve your search engine click-through rate
Facebook launches a new mobile site - is this the future of the web?
Help Microsoft Office and Google Docs Users Coexist With OffiSync
Google Docs has templates for invoicing, project management and more
Clicky Web Analytics Review
AdWords: the other half of search
Use the Hubspot Website Grader to evaluate your website
Product Update: Reminders and Improved UI
Finding the long tail
Book Review: The Referral Engine
Google Analytics Review
Chartbeat review - Real time analytics software
4 reasons to update your blog at least once per week
Playing to your strengths: NFL edition
The history of search engines: Why Google cares about inbound links
Access your web applications even when you're offline
Tip: Monitor your brand with Google Alerts
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