InfoPathways News, Announcements & Tech Tips - A Maryland Web & IT-Support Company

Spice Up Your Email Signature

2012-01-24T15:49:00.003-05:00

Adding Graphics, Links & Graphics WITH Links in Microsoft Outlook! It’s nice to have an email signature that stands out. You don’t want it to be too big or too small, but at the same time, you want to include all the conveniences that your recipient may want. Obviously name and contact info are a given, but what about your website, Google Map Directions to your office or links to your social

Central Maryland Rehabilitation Services - WEBSITE LAUNCHED

2011-12-20T14:36:00.000-05:00

Check out the recently launched website, www.CMRSpt.com, for Central Maryland Rehabilitation Services. “InfoPathways created our website and professional portraits and they serve as an excellent tool to create awareness and education to our current and future clients,” said Todd Herring, Director of Central Maryland Rehabilitation Services. The photographic work on the website was a

What is a "Call to Action" ?

2011-10-17T11:20:00.000-04:00

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How SEO Works (Search Engine Optimization)

2011-09-09T11:22:00.001-04:00

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a train you need to hop on. The day you decide to join the brigade will be the day you can begin refining your marketing approaches and improve your business. Make it TODAY! Any business and promotional activities you participate in online can be deemed SEO. Often if you post or publish something, it is linked back to a personal or professional profile or

Free Online Marketing Tips

2011-08-16T11:13:00.001-04:00

There are many online marketing options you can pursue, both paid and free, whether or not you have a website. Following are free marketing ideas to get the ball rolling. Free Online Marketing Ideas Social Networking (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn…) Free Websites (WIX www.wix.com, among others) Blogging (Blogger, Wordpress) and Free Blog Templates Blog Commenting Press Releases, 250-400 words

Stock Image Scare: Using Copyrighted Images & Photos without Authorization

2011-07-12T14:12:00.001-04:00

Recently we have had a couple of colleagues burdened with a large, unexpected bill. This article is both a warning and an educational resource to explain what’s up. Please continue reading if you have a presence online or in print for your business, organization, or side job. Getty Images, a large stock image agency, is cracking down on anyone using unauthorized images from their image libraries,

Thermite & Hammers, Oh My!

2011-05-16T15:37:00.000-04:00

Last Friday, May 13th, InfoPathways continued the destruction of hard drives (and back-up tape drives) experiment using thermite and an 8-year-old armed with a hammer. Both are entertaining and both destroyed the drives. Have a look, brought to you through our InfoPathways YouTube Channel! Don't forget we are doing this LIVE on May 19th at our office in Westminster, MD. If you would like to

2011-05-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

Want to double your disk space? Try sawing your hard drive in half with a sawzall! InfoPathways ( http://www.infopathways.com/ ) is destroying hard drives to protect your data. Join us on May 19th for live demonstrations and to try some experiments yourself! RSVP to (410) 751-9929 x105! Have ideas? Jot them down in the comments section!

How to Shoot a Hard Drive with a 22 Caliber by InfoPathways

2011-05-11T12:47:00.000-04:00

Ready... Aim... FIRE! In preparation for our exciting Destruction of Hard Drives class on May 19th, InfoPathways is conducting many experiments to protect data. Some of the experiments are not safe to do with the crowd, so our team is getting these methods out of the way. These drives will be on display at the May 19th event and we will demonstrate other methods of destruction (safer methods)

Cut a Hard Drive in Half with an Oxy Acetylene Torch

2011-05-06T09:50:00.000-04:00

Kelly, Thom, Doug and Jovan of InfoPathways ( http://www.infopathways.com/ ) teamed up with Rob McDonnell, owner of Rob's Truck & Auto ( http://www.robstruckandauto.com/ ), to melt a hard drive in half with an oxy acetylene torch. Worried about the security of your data on old hard drives? You can rest easy now! View more of our experiments at the InfoPathways YouTube Channel! Don't try

InfoPathways Experiment: Burning a Hard Drive with Hand Sanitizer as Fuel

2011-05-05T10:29:00.001-04:00

InfoPathways executed their first experiment in preparation for our upcoming class "Destruction of Hard Drives & Other Equipment" on Thursday, May 19th 2011. For this experiment, we doused a drive with about 8 oz. of Hand Sanitizer. Hand Sanitizer is very flammable, containing 62% Alcohol.

Commercial Building Maintenance Website Launched

2011-05-02T15:03:00.000-04:00

Commercial Building Maintenance LLC has been serving Maryland since 1985 with quality, dependable building maintenance, temporary labor solutions, and property management services. We provide property management MD, post construction clean up, janitorial services, temporary labor and help solutions and green cleaning to a variety of businesses. Our clients range from commercial and retail to

QR Codes

2011-04-20T09:45:00.007-04:00

While working on InfoPathways' Bing Local profile, Bing provided this great cartoon styled explanation of a QR Code. We've been seeing these around a lot lately, in TV commercials, in magazines and on poster, etc. We will be writing an article about them soon, to give you more insight. But for now, enjoy this tiny tutorial:

Twitter for Business

2011-04-20T08:20:00.002-04:00

The Twitter dance is about interaction. The social medias of the World Wide Web are online venues to build upon your relationships. The first goal is to build trust among your satisfied customers and prompt them to suggest your products and services to their clients, colleagues, friends and other contacts. The second goal is to eavesdrop on conversations about your company and services and the

New Websites Launched

2011-04-05T10:46:00.001-04:00

InfoPathways has recently launched three (3) websites with more to come! Solar Tek Window Tinting, above, is a 3M Authorized Prestige Window Film Dealer and Applicator serving the Baltimore metropolitan area. InfoPathways redesigned their website while also reducing the size of the site to improve the user experience. Visit their website at www.solartektinting.com! MACS (Maryland Association

The Benefits of Google Analytics

2011-02-17T10:35:00.002-05:00

So you want to start learning what gets your website hits and what doesn’t. A great way to study your website and marketing success (based on the visitors you receive, how you receive them and when) is to integrate Google Analytics with your website. All you have to do is ask your web developer to sign you up and copy and paste the appropriate code into your web page and Google begins collecting

SPOKEO, the new social network search engine

2011-02-01T09:05:00.003-05:00

HELPFUL WEB APP OR CYBER-STALKING TOOL? If you think current social medias are intrusive and possibly hazardous to your personal and professional safety, put that to rest. SPOKEO or what I call SPOOKY-O, brings a great deal of online AND offline information to one place. It pulls this information from phone directories, over 40 social networks, photo albums, marketing surveys, mailing lists,

15 New & Old Computer Dos & Don’ts FOR YOUR HOME AND OFFICE COMPUTERS

2011-01-19T13:41:00.001-05:00

New computers are great they run fast they look good and they have the latest and greatest processers and newest versions of windows. But clearly they don’t stay that way forever. So here are a few tips and tricks to prolong the life of your aging computer. 1. Keep automatic update on, it will update every day or every few days. 2. Turn off your computer when you go to bed; this is

Section 508 : Website Accessibility

2011-01-04T10:46:00.001-05:00

508 Compliance refers to “Section 508” of the Workforce Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and mandates that electronic and information technology purchased by the Federal Government is accessible by people with disabilities. An accessible web site is one that can be understood by everyone, regardless of what browser or adaptive equipment he or she may be using. It’s likely you are not a federal

HAPPY HOLIDAYS from InfoPathways!

2010-12-22T15:24:00.002-05:00

Microsoft Word Compatibility : USE MICROSOFT 2007 / 2010 WITH THOSE STILL USING MICROSOFT 2003

2010-12-16T11:46:00.000-05:00

Imagine that you have an important letter to send out, and you need someone to proof read it first. Instead of wasting paper, you email it to an associate. Unfortunately the associate cannot open it because they are still working with Microsoft 2003 software while you have upgraded to Microsoft 2007 or 2010. To avoid printing, you have three options to solve this problem. Option #1 Save your

Claim Your Google Business

2010-12-02T12:43:00.001-05:00

Your website is up to date and you’ve had some search engine optimization (SEO) work done, but you still aren’t receiving a ton of hits on your website. Maybe you are receiving tons of hits, but hey, why not do something to get more? Maybe you don’t have a website at all (you probably should) and you would like some sort of web presence. One suggestion we give businesses is to claim their

Facebook Fan Page Vanity URL

2010-11-24T09:08:00.002-05:00

Have you started a fan page for you company but it's a long, ugly URL? You can pretty it up with a Vanity URL. All you have to do is log in to the personal account the fan page is linked to and go to http://www.facebook.com/username/ and find an available name for your facebook page. The only requirement is that you have 25 or more fans/likes/followers. If you already have incoming links to

County Tourism Manager; and Workforce Development Award

2010-11-18T12:04:00.000-05:00

Economic Development chose the following categories and award winners: Agriculture Award- Galloping Goose Vineyards and Lambco, LLC.; Posthumous Agricultural Legacy Award - Tommy Dell; Business Expansion Award - Ridge Engineering, Inc. Redevelopment Award - Bruce and Suzanne Reamer and Classic American Homes for Salernos Restaurant & Catering; Small Business Award - Simply Stone; Tourism Industry

Beginning Your Website Project

2010-11-16T09:15:00.004-05:00

Need a new website design and don't have the slightest idea where to start the process? We can help! Below are a few things to think about before we dive in. The suggestions below may make you feel like you're doing our work for us – but that is not the case. Utilizing the suggestions below provides us with a solid starting point so we get it right the first time. In the end, we can save you time

Microsoft Outlook 2010 : SHARING EVENTS WITH CLIENTS & COLLEAGUES

2010-11-03T08:54:00.000-04:00

Microsoft Outlook is the email client included with the Microsoft Office Suite. It is designed to operate as an independent personal information manager, as an Internet mail client, or in conjunction with the Microsoft Exchange Server for group scheduling, email, and task management. It manages email, calendars, contacts, tasks, to-do lists, and documents or files on the hard drive. Outlook helps

Erin James Music Website Launched

2010-10-15T08:35:00.000-04:00

We launched http://www.erinjamesmusic.com/ last week. Featured on the site is music, several photography, videos and more of Erin James and her amazing singing, songwriting and instrumental skills. She is an artist in Nasville TN but was raised in Carroll County Maryland! Check out her site!

Cell Phone Photos : INTERNET SAFETY & SECURITY FOR KIDS & FAMILIES

2010-10-13T10:31:00.000-04:00

The example everyone is gabbing about is MythBusters Adam Savage, who posted an image of his new Toyota (in front of his home) to his Twitter page. Not only did he let users know that he bought a new Toyota Land Cruiser, but he provided a geotag (the exact latitude and longitude) of his home and proceeded to let users know he was off to work. In other words, all his twitter followers know where

Balancing Network Reliability with Cost : The Never Ending Struggle

2010-09-16T11:08:00.000-04:00

Intro - The Cost of Handling Network Problems Some might say that the number one problem in Network Reliability is cost. When your equipment fails, you have to be ready to pay for the solution to keep your productivity on track. What is that cost going to be? $200 or $5,000? Are you ready to shell out that kind of cash if your computer, server or printer blows up Trusting Your Provider The number

The Benefits of Leveraging Remote Help

2010-08-24T13:18:00.000-04:00

A variety of Remote Help tools are available with great functionality, providing remote trouble-shooting of operational problems. These tools also provide an ideal way to demonstrate features, concepts and solutions to a person or group that may not be geographically convenient. Remote Help, like remote access, is when someone (in this case a technician) remotely connects to your computer system

Transitions Healthcare of Sykesville MD Website Launched!

2010-08-23T15:52:00.000-04:00

InfoPathways just launched the new website for Transitions Healthcare of Sykesville, MD. They are a 118 bed facility with a 34 bed Sub-Acute unit located in beautiful downtown Sykesville, a southern Carroll County, Maryland community. Transitions Healthcare is devoted to helping individuals who have suffered from a medical event, transition to their highest level of physical and mental

1, 2, 3 : Marketing, Websites & Social Media

2010-08-16T09:28:00.000-04:00

MARKETING: When you send email from work, are you using a consistent email signature? Outlook and most other email tools will allow you to do this so you do not have to retype it. A signature is that block that says something like: "Sincerely, Kelly M. Heck InfoPathways - Web Design & Photography (410) 751-9929 x105 http://www.infopathways.com/" ... it should include your name, where you work,

LinkedIn for Business

2010-08-12T10:42:00.000-04:00

LinkedIn (definition): LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking website designed for professionals, allowing you to share work-related information and maintain an online list of professional contacts. A LinkedIn profile highlights one’s education and work experience, somewhat like a resume, and additional information that helps each (regular) user stand out in their industry. By the end

1, 2, 3 : Marketing, Websites & Social Media

2010-07-28T14:29:00.000-04:00

MARKETING: Create a slogan! Your slogan should be short and unique, therefore memorable! I'll be honest and say that even our slogan "We make your technology work for you" is a little on the long side, but clearly states that we will make YOUR technology work, not hassle you with new shiny toys and unnecessary bills. Consider what makes you stand out... WEBSITES: Keywords/Keyphrases - good or

Does My Business Need A Server?

2010-07-22T11:34:00.000-04:00

Server (definition): A computer that is set aside for group use or networking tasks. It “serves” or shares with the other computers connected to it. What functionality does a server provide in a typical business environment? 1. A server provides a single storage location for a business's important information, easily shared with everyone in the organization, and backed up by a single scheduled

Client Appreciation - Night Blooming Primroses

2010-07-19T11:36:00.000-04:00

On Friday night, InfoPathways hosted their 2nd Annual Client Appreciation event at Doug and Susie Heck's home. We had a great turnout, enjoying good food and drink as we sat around the Night Blooming Flower Gardens. Susie gave an interesting lecture on Night Blooming Flowers and nightlife as the sun set, ending just in time for the first Primroses to open. The image to the right is of a

Optimize Your Hard Drive

2010-07-07T08:27:00.000-04:00

These days we’re all demanding faster service from everything around us. Technology has to move move MOVE and we want the same from our computers. With computers, however, the problem so often is that the hard drive is cluttered with old, unorganized files, unnecessary programs and in most cases, spyware. Below are some helpful methods to clean up and make space on your packed-to-the-max hard

Kelly Heck Photography

2010-07-06T14:07:00.000-04:00

The Kelly Heck Photography website was launched July of 2010. This site was designed and developed with the portfolio in mind, keeping the images the main focal point of the site. The features of the gallery include javascript and behaviors for user friendly viewing with right-click disabled for better protection of the portfolio. The scrolling thumnails menu, a javascript feature, is a fun bit

Website Design for Family Foot Care

2010-06-30T14:33:00.000-04:00

Kelly Heck of InfoPathways teamed up with Peter Borreggine of WebParity.net to design and develop the new site for Joseph Borreggine of Family Foot Care located in (two locations) Charleston and Effingham Illinois. InfoPathways created the design and template and WebParity.net will complete the final development and launching of the website... WebParity.net will also take care of future support

InfoPathways Participates in the 2010 IT CarreerPaths with Carroll Community College

2010-06-23T15:19:00.000-04:00

InfoPathways Participates in the 2010 IT CarreerPaths with Carroll Community College 2009 IT CareerPaths Student HIRED by InfoPathways WESTMINSTER, MD. June, 2010. On Monday, June 21st, the Carroll Community College IT CareerPaths participants concluded the first day of the program with a network troubleshooting exercise at InfoPathways. IT CareerPaths is an intensive, four day continuing

Outlook Social Connector

2010-06-17T10:53:00.000-04:00

The latest exciting feature from Microsoft Outlook 2010 is the Outlook Social Connector. It allows Microsoft Outlook to pull feeds/updates from your LinkedIn account. Soon it will also pull info from MySpace, Facebook and Windows Live. And it gathers all this information in the bottom right-window when you are in preview-pane mode (my favorite). Why is this awesome? Assuming the people who email

Erin James Performs at St. John's Carnival, 2010

2010-06-03T14:16:00.000-04:00

... and sponsored by none other than InfoPathways! Our sponsorship support went towards Erin's performing costs. Erin James is a native of Carroll County and traveld all the way from Nashville TN to perform Monday night at the St. John Carnival in Westminster MD! Kelly also took some creative shots which will be included in her website portfolio, soon to launch!

Blogging - Tech Tips

2010-05-20T09:33:00.000-04:00

You can now view InfoPathways Tech Tips on our website, current and past! Blogging for Business The two most popular blog sites today are Blogger (Google purchased Blogger in 2003) and WordPress. They are free web-based tools people can use to publish on the web instantly (monthly, weekly, daily or hourly) without writing code or installing software. Hobbyists, families, celebrities, writers,

SEO - What are Spiders?

2010-05-04T15:17:00.000-04:00

If you're unsure about what it means when people describe SEO (search engine optimization) as "Spiders crawling the Internet", you should check out the article "How Internet Search Engines Work" post by Curt Franklin. It's very down to earth and will help you understand the methods behind SEO rankings.

The Affects of Spyware, Removal & Prevention

2010-05-03T13:04:00.000-04:00

Spyware (definition): The Anti-Spyware Coalition (a group of companies that include EarthLink, Microsoft, and Hewlett-Packard) have recently published a document that defines spyware as such: “Spyware impairs users’ control over material changes that affect their user experience, privacy or system security; use of their system resources, including what programs are installed on their computers;

Carroll County 4H & FFA Fair

2010-04-28T15:59:00.000-04:00

We just launched the Carroll County 4H & FFA Fair website sometime between last night and this morning. Their site features lots of photographs displaying the many happenings at the fair. Their fair manager and a select group of hard-working volunteers have access to update and edit the Calendars, Documents listing and Announcements. Check it out, attend the fair, and support agriculture!

Google Analytics

2010-04-22T14:11:00.000-04:00

If you don't know about Google Analytics yet and you have a business or blog, well TISK TISK on you. Just joking - but really, if you don't know, you need to look into it. InfoPathways, can of course help you set it up if it's not something you want to tackle. But it's fairly simple and Google Analytics is a free service! Here is an excerpt from the Google Analytics webpage: "Google Analytics is

Photography Tips - Taking the Shot to Digital Enhancement with Photoshop & Other Image Editing Softwares

2010-04-20T12:38:00.000-04:00

Using poorly shot photography within your web and print layouts may be worse that no photo imagery. Interesting images and design is what will hook your audience initially. You have to hook a viewer (with good views) before you can expect to hook them as a reader. If you want visitors to read your content, they have to like the look. This paper is for those who are not professional photographers

InfoPathways Intern Helps to Upgrade Network at Taneytown Police Station

2010-04-16T15:35:00.000-04:00

WESTMINSTER, MD. April, 2010. InfoPathways intern Emily Thompson assisted in the installation and set-up of several new computers and a new server at the Taneytown Police Station, Taneytown, MD. Thompson, a senior at Francis Scott Key High School, has been interning with InfoPathways since February 2010 and will complete her internship this June. As a member of the network team, Thompson is

PEEPshow at the Carroll County Arts Council

2010-04-16T15:24:00.000-04:00

Here is the InfoPathways entry for the 2010 CCAC PEEPshow. We decided to give a twist to the old master's paintings. All four images were created digitally and printed on canvas and stretched to try and keep the painterly presentation. The new PEEP titles and original artist and date are listed with each piece... The Last PEEPsLeonardo da Vinci, 1495-1498 The Persistence of PEEPsSalvador Dali,

Carroll County Arts Council - Website Redesign Launched!

2010-04-14T11:57:00.000-04:00

We recently launched the redesigned Carroll County Arts Council website. It features a fresh design with lots of imagery to portray the variety or arts and programs they bring to the community. It also features a large number of database backend features which allow them to publish updates on the fly, many of which are integrated with PayPal features! Check out their new site and support the arts

Keywords & Keyphrases - Are they still worthwhile????

2010-04-05T14:29:00.000-04:00

Yes Yes Yes! Many “experts” are saying this element of your site development is a waste of time and that search engines aren’t paying attention to them anymore. Google is the only search engine as of today that ignores < meta > tag keywords/phrases. All the other search engines, such as Bing and Yahoo, still use keyword/phrase < meta > tags to learn about your website which leads to better

Do It Yourself SEO Techniques (Search Engine Optimization)

2010-04-01T08:40:00.000-04:00

There are countless ways to advertise your website. You should take advantage of those that fit your needs. Most important is word of mouth and your marketing materials. You should also consider social media. If you have accounts or your business has accounts, make sure your website URL is listed. Building your website properly is a necessity. It should be made for the user which means it should

New Website Design - The Barbour Group

2010-03-29T14:17:00.000-04:00

The Barbour Group in downtown Westminster Maryland recently redesigned their logo and marketing materials, so we were asked to redesign there website to go along with the new color scheme. Here is the new look for The Barbour Group: Check it out online at www.thebarbourgroup.com.

New Website Launched - Business Training Group at CCC

2010-03-29T14:15:00.000-04:00

Last week InfoPathways launched the new Business Training Group website for the continuing education department of Carroll Community College. The Business Training Group is located in the Hikel Business Training Center on the Carroll Community College campus. The Business Training Group delivers customized training and consulting services designed specifically for your business and employees when

InfoPathways PM Connections with the Carroll County Chamber

2010-03-24T12:10:00.000-04:00

InfoPathways had a blast with about 100 clients and friends at the PM Connections last night. It was a Luau for the first day of Spring! Here's a few shots to hold you over until the gallery is online!

When Should I Restart My Computer?

2010-03-16T13:20:00.000-04:00

A Daily Restart for Good Measure As you load and unload applications and files repeatedly, your computer may not free up memory for subsequent use. As you push hard through your day, your computer may overlap its use of video memory. As you work on your computer, you may experience some problems, some of which might be quite bizarre. What should you do? Save your files, close all programs,

Windows Small Business Server 2008

2010-03-03T17:11:00.000-05:00

Windows Small Business Server 2008 (SBS 2008) is an all-in-one server solution designed to help you keep your data more secure and your company more productive. Here are a just few reasons to make the switch: Local Email Management: SBS 2008 includes Microsoft Exchange 2007, providing for internal management of your organization's email, keeping your internal email private and freeing up network

New Team Members

2010-02-25T16:07:00.000-05:00

InfoPathways would like to welcome some of our most recent new team members: Emily Thompson is our new intern from Francis Scott Key High School. She works mostly with our network team to help solve client problems. Rebecca Tims is our new leader in Accounting and Administrative duties. Becky, Bookkeeper, has experience in Accounting, Finance, and Human Resource Administration. Her previous

Droid Phone Training on February 23rd

2010-02-22T10:40:00.000-05:00

Join Thom Bethune and the team for a new training session on the latest cell phone craze, the 'Droid'. The web is richer. Photos are sharper. Videos pop. It has the most advanced browser and Android 2.0 software, taking advantage of blazing-fast processors and 3G speed for faster search. It can help you navigate turn-by-turn. It's the phone with the "Hi" IQ. Learn more about Droid at

Websites Launched in January : Target Community & Kelly's Weddings

2010-02-09T16:10:00.000-05:00

Since its inception in 1983, Target Community & Educational Services, Inc. (Target, Inc.) has been dedicated to enhancing the lives of children and adults with disabilities through quality, community-based residential, educational, vocational, recreational, and family support services. Target's redesigned website is maintained by Target Staff via Adobe Contribute, a WYSISYG editing program that

The Blogging Begins

2010-02-09T11:30:00.001-05:00

Thanks for visiting the InfoPathways Blog. Occasionally we may post news and awards related to our growth and involvement in the community, as well as technology updates. However, if you really want to be in the InfoPathways loop, join our Constant Contact email list by clicking "Constant Contact" or go to our website at www.InfoPathways.com and you can submit your email in the footer!Our emails