It’s time to break up with Outlook and move to Google Apps for Business to manage your email, calendar, contacts and documents!  Watch the breakup as it happens!

SoBuzzMe is an authorized Google Apps reseller.  Contact us today so that you can break up with Outlook!

When most people start out on Twitter, after they have created an account, they ask: What’s next?

First impressions are as important on Twitter as they are in real life so make sure your first impression makes an impact. Before your first tweet, here are 10 tips that will help you grow to a Twitter novice.

1.  Once you create an account, the very first thing you should do is follow people, NOT tweet. Get to about 75 followers before your first tweet.

2.  Follow people or brands in your industry or that you have a personal interest in.

3.  The ReTweet (RT) is a great way to show YOUR followers that you support something from another Tweeter.

4.  Direct Messages (DM) are used to facilitate a conversation offline or in private, much like an email.

5.  Hashtags (#) are used for archiving special words, phrases or acronyms within your tweet. For example: “Amazing how #Google seems to reinvent itself every year!”

6.  The best use of Twitter is to have a conversation in real time. The best way to do this is by joining a chat. This guide on ‘How to Participate in a Twitter Chat’ should help along with this List of Twitter Chats.

7.  Be real. The Twitter community can see through the BS and know if you are not being real. Transparency is key so make the best of your Twitter experience and show everyone who you really are.

8.  Lists will help organize your followers. Be diligent on placing the bulk of your followers into lists – this will help you in the long run. For example: If you love photography, it’s natural to follow others that share that interest, so you would place them in a “Photography” list. This helps when you’re interested in seeking only photography-related tweets without using a #hashtag.

9.  Things NOT to tweet about:

a. Your breakfast, shopping trips, personal drama (this is not a place to vent – no one cares!)

10.  Things to tweet about:

a.  Anything that will add value or carry the conversation further.

b.  Anything that has a story behind it.

c.  Something that provides your followers with credible, retweetable information.

The idea is to be engaging. If you were to tell your co-worker that you are going shopping, their reaction would be lackluster. If you were to tell your co-worker that you saved an old lady from a tall grocer shelving unit that was about to fall on her, then you can see where the tweet is interesting; engaging.

For more examples of good vs. bad tweets, check out Radiant Veracity’s 10 Worst Tweets of All Time.

What are some of your best Twitter tips to add to this list? Please leave your comments below.

Cloud computing in a non-traditional sense. What does that even mean? Read on!

The Cloud. We know it has many different uses, but most tend to think of its usefulness in a traditional sense: Google Apps for email, Salesforce for customer relationship management (CRM), Quickbooks Online for accounting, etc. Basically this is utilizing the cloud for the replacement of standard desktop software that you would normally install on your computer. So let’s take it one step further. What else can the cloud do for your business?

How about data backup? Ok, so that’s not way outside of the box by any means, but it’s still a relatively new concept. One major player in cloud backup solutions is Mozy. They offer cloud backup solutions for home, small business and enterprise users. The interface is intuitive and it works very well. The feature of Mozy that I really like is that it will not only copy your data to the cloud, but it will also copy your data to a local usb hard drive. This not only allows me to keep two copies of my data backup but also allows me to perform a quick file restore from a local hard drive. What’s not to like? Great job Mozy!

Now let’s take it one step further. As a business you need to have some type of dependable antivirus solution loaded on your computers. Chances are those computers are mobile and go home to virus infested networks and visit non-preferable websites. It’s preferable to have a status of these computers whether they are on the corporate LAN or on the road at the Marriott. Enter Symantec Endpoint Protection.cloud. It’s the antivirus solution that you’ve come to know and depend on for your enterprise, but now integrates a cloud based controller that keeps tabs on each computer! It can send you an email when certain thresholds are exceeded and keeps track of your enterprise computers as long as they have an internet connection. And don’t fret, even if your end user doesn’t have an internet connection, the computer is still protected per normal. Plus 1 for Symantec and this great use of the cloud!

Lastly, we are going to take the cloud to its limits with Meraki network hardware. Yes, I said hardware. Just about every business has a wireless access point or three. How about switches and security appliances? Sure thing. When it comes to management of each of these device types, you need to be present on the network where the hardware resides or utilize a VPN connection. That’s the old way! Meraki uses a cloud based controller that gives you access to all of your devices. Just log in to your dashboard and start reviewing network and device info or making changes. Meraki packs their controller with so many features it’s literally crazy! You can actually manage devices on your network for no additional charge – the feature is built in! Check out network traffic currently flowing or historicals. See who the bandwidth hogs are and then put a policy in place to block certain websites. Need multiple SSID’s? No problem, Meraki’s got you covered – and all from the cloud! These guys easily take the innovative cloud use of the year award!

So what are some of different cloud uses you’ve seen? We are standing by, awaiting your comments!

Here’s your chance to meet the Co-Founders of SoBuzzMe and to see what all of the “Buzz” is about!

This short video covers the three main services that SoBuzzMe offers and a quick intro of it’s Co-Founders.

So most of us have heard about “the cloud,” but what is it and how can your business benefit?

So most of us have heard about “the cloud.” It’s all over the Internet, TV commercials, and those IT guys at the office can’t stop talking about it. But what is the cloud and how can your business benefit?

Taken to the most basic level, “the cloud” is simply another word for the Internet. When people in IT create a network diagram, they use a picture of a cloud to represent the Internet. Over the last few years the term “cloud” has evolved into the buzz word as we know it today.

But what is all of this talk about cloud computing? When people use the term “cloud,” they are most often referring to cloud computing. This term refers to using an application over the Internet, via a web browser. An example would be using Quickbooks Online edition. I don’t have to physically install Quickbooks on my hard drive. Instead I use my web browser to log in to my account at the Quickbooks website.

So what’s the big deal about accessing different applications through your web browser? The big deal is that you can access your information from any Internet connected computer! And more often than not, you can also access the same information via your smartphone and/or tablet device. But wait, there’s more. You don’t have to worry about backing up your data as it resides in a large data center(s) and is backed up by your provider (assuming they are a large establishment such as Google, Amazon, etc.). The other plus is that you don’t have to manage any server hardware or perform maintenance updates or hardware fixes. That within itself saves a decent amount of time and money. So access to your data from anywhere, no backing up and no server hardware to manage. That’s a pretty sweet deal!

The pricing model for cloud computing takes a different approach than traditional software that you load on your computer or server. Since you are essentially leasing space on the servers of your application provider, you normally pay a monthly or yearly fee per user. From a business standpoint, this is great for budgeting as with the traditional software model you always had a risk of downtime and associated costs to fix a physical server. This simply doesn’t exist with the cloud computing model.

Also consider that cloud applications such as Google Apps email for Business and Salesforce CRM will continually add updates to their products which you automatically have instant access to. No more waiting for the latest version of Outlook to come out and then waiting for your IT guy to install it. The application provider does the heavy lifting and you automatically benefit!

So what’s the down side? The potential down side is that your data is stored on someone else’s servers. Obviously it’s key to work with an established company that you trust. The other potential issue is that all of your data is traversing the Internet. A reputable provider will encrypt all data transmissions and certify with the standard security guidelines.

Now the question is: Will you move some or all of your business applications to the cloud? Why or why not? We would love to hear your thoughts!

What is the phenomenon that is so big it passed Twitter for referral traffic in February 2012? The cool kids call it Pinterest.

Pinterest for Your Interest. Pinterest is a photo-centered website that allows you to categorize, tag, comment, and share photos with other pinners. What’s a pinner?

Pinterest revolves around the concept of pinning photos to boards, thus, making the person the pinner. Each board has a different name or “album title”. For instance, any pictures of a themed event might go in a board called “Jack’s Over-the-Hill Party Ideas”.

Just Browsing. All photos in Pinterest are categorized, so if you’re looking for a certain type of photo, be sure to check the dropdown menu (which can be found by hovering over “Everything” near the top of the screen).

Special Feature. While browsing, you can access a special feature unique to Pinterest called “Pinners You Follow”. This features allows access to viewing only the pins from people you follow, increasing the likelihood of Repinning (sharing a pin with your followers). Twitter and Facebook offer features similar to this, but both involve extra steps in creating special lists to separate special users.

Using Pinterest for More Than Your Interest. Pinterest is a more than flashy flare, it can be used for marketing your business, too.

Pinterest picks up the photos from your websites. Those photos are categorized and thrown into the Pintere-verse (Pinterest universe). People searching for those photos will be directed to your website. Obviously, the more appealing the photo, the higher chances of it being clicked. Some examples:

• Infographics are just a popular as Pinterest right now, so having an inforgraphic ON Pinterest is a double-whammy! Create a board of infographics to direct your followers to one area where they can find all the statistics from these graphs.
• Stand out with a “Quotes” page or an inspirational section to instill hope and dreams into your customers. Daily pins can prove to be high traffic areas for your website as your customers begin to share your content.
• A collection of your company’s products or services can provide additional visuals on a different piece of online real estate, which is great considering that online real estate is just as tough to collect as REAL real estate.

I use Pinterest in a number of ways, including the other popular phenomenon, infographics. These visually appealing “number mounds” make Math something tolerable. They combine pictures and statistics to create a storyline.

SoBuzzMe pins infographics to their Infographic Board, keeping these ever-changing artistic landscapes all in one place. Without organization, Pinterest can be slightly overwhelming.

With all the opportunities in the Pinterest community, how will you use pin your boards?

* The Guest Blogger today was Dan Fuoco, a social media expert (in his own right). Follow Dan on Twitter: @danfuoco

Hello to all!  We are SoBuzzMe, a technology services company that is ready to make technology easy for you and your company.  Take a look at our brand new site that officially brings us to a full v1.0.  In case you were curious, we are based in Metro Detroit and offer a plethora of technology services ranging from social media integration and website development to general IT support and moving to “the cloud!”

Keep an eye on The Buzz Blog for fun and entertaining posts about the things we like and the work we provide.  You’ll also get to know the rest of the team here at SoBuzzMe as they chime in with their views on technology and geekdom.

Our team is charged up and ready to help solve tech problems in your digital environment!  Contact us for more info on how we can assist you!

Hey, one last thing.  Check out this sweet infographic on The Evolution of the Geek!

SoBuzzMe is a Detroit-based, digital marketing and tech support Company. Our site is almost finished and we’ll be up and running very soon. In the meantime, submit all inquiries to hello@sobuzzme.com