Cut Through the Clutter

 Search engines are great for locating information.  However, they are notorious for all the extraneous, useless material that is generated when you search on a given word.

 Recently I discovered a little known website that provides concise, relevant recent magazine articles for a variety of subjects without all the search-engine clutter.  This website is www.magportal.com and it provides clear, pertinent answers very rapidly.

 I went to the site to do some research on a topic for an up-coming presentation.  When I entered the topic, I received over 100 highly practical articles about the subject.  There was little waste and traditional search engine extraneous material.  The articles were exactly what I was looking for delivering pertinent information to my audience. 

 Bill Dimm, owner and creator of magportal.com, from the Philadelphia area, said you can use the service to create an account to keep track of important information you’re searching.  You can access relevant saved articles you have chosen from any Internet-access device by typing in your account and password.  This can be very helpful if you happen to be aware from your computer and need that article you found last week.

 The speed of the search was amazing.  I tested it from a hotel room while on the road.  Even at a painfully slow 26.4 bps connection speed I was able to get the information I needed in less than 10 seconds.  The text-only interface speeds up the inquiries and makes finding the information refreshingly fast.

 This can be your secret weapon in research.  If you need relevant information fast, check out magportal.com.

 (www.magportal.com, free service)

 Speak Fluent Multimedia

 Communicating with your target audience is always a challenge.  You want to break through the clutter that your competitors create.  You want to stand out in the crowd and get your message across to prospective and current customers in a gentle, informative and compelling way. 

 CyberCard from Media Dynamics, based near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has developed a vehicle that can help you stand out in the crowd.  This is a CD-ROM that is the size of a business card.  There is a 10MB and a 40MB version. 

 The opportunities for this are limited only by your imagination.  You can put text, sound, video, graphics and pictures on the card.  You can develop a PowerPoint presentation complete with voice narration, pictures and video of your products or services and then deliver that powerful message to potential customers. Anything you can put on a CD-ROM you can put on the CyberCard.

 The small size is intriguing.  This can help to create demand.  The small form factor also makes it convenient and easy to hand out at tradeshows or send via a 33 cent first class mail envelope. Try that with a video tape!  The CyberCard will run on most CD-ROM players in today’s computers.

 Costs will vary depending on the work done.  Media Dynamics can help you create and design your presentation on the card, or they can take existing material and put it on the CyberCard for you. Costs range from $2.30/card for existing material or $9500 to create a new presentation and put it on 1,000 cards.

 This is a product that is worth investigating for a small business looking to get a competitive advantage.  It’s a great way to stand out from the crowd and create interest in your products and services.

 (CyberCard from Media Dynamics, www.mediadynamics.com, 414-475-4800, price varies)

 Getting the Answers You Need Fast

 When you work with a software package you need answers to your questions fast.  One of the easiest and cheapest ways to do that is with the products from BarCharts, Inc.

 These handy quick reference guides are laminated and packed full of information about given software packages like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PageMaker, PhotoShop, Java and more. 

 They are much like the handy cheat sheets we used in college.  You get relevant answers to how to accomplish a given task in a software package rapidly and concisely. 

 Prices range from $2.95 per sheet to $5.95, depending on the subject discussed.  They cover a wide range of software applications as well as other business topics like Accounting, English Composition & Style, Public Speaking and Management.  Since new topics are being added regularly it would be good to visit their website for current information on what is available for you.

 This is a low-cost solution for a small business who needs to help people get up to speed quickly on certain software products or business procedures.  If you’re looking for an inexpensive, fast way to train your people quickly on the skills they need, check out BarCharts.

 (Quick Reference Guides, BarCharts, Inc., 800-226-7799, ext. 3020, www.barcharts.com, price varies by product)

 Terry Brock is an internationally recognized professional speaker, consultant and author in the fields of business productivity, technology and marketing.  His is a regular columnist for the American City Business Journals and can be reached at 407-363-0505 or by e-mail at terry@terrybrock.com.