When you start using Twitter it is suggested that you follow as many people as possible.  The more people you follow increases the chance that they will follow you back and then you will have more followers.  If that occurs, that increases the number of people that might read your tweets.  It’s a numbers game just like sales.

This is the problem; I can’t possibly read what people tweet because it is way too much information.  There’re certain things in life I just don’t get it and Twitter is one of them.  Although I think it’s interesting to be able to follow a celebrity or someone that really is interesting to you, for the average person Twitter is a waste of time in my opinion.

But more importantly, I felt I was being socially dishonest by following people when I had no intention of reading their Tweet’s.  It’s just rude when you don’t listen to people when they talk to you.  Fundamentally that is my major issue with Twitter; I felt I was being rude.

Well not anymore.

Tony Holowitz
781-728-9777

Thanks Scott!

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Tony Holowitz
781-728-9777

The book about reputation management is unique because it’s the first book I’ve read on my new Kindle.  My three sons and Santa brought my wife and I a new Kindle for Christmas, which confirms their reputation as good kids.

At bedtime I like to read fiction and I’m currently reading Nelson DeMille’s new book The Gate House, which is a follow up to his earlier book The Gold Coast.  I’ve been on a Nelson DeMille kick for the last few months and it is a very entertaining book.

What are you reading and what would you suggest?

Tony Holowitz
781-728-9777

One of the main reasons I decided to offer all of my computer training for free is because I believe that almost anything you want to learn about will be available to you for free in the not-too-distant future.

If you want to learn about computers visit my site www.teachanolddognewtricks.com, or go to sites such as YouTube and you will find a large variety of tutorials about computers.  Maybe you don’t want to learn about computers, it doesn’t matter.  Virtually anything you can think of you can find on sites such as YouTube.

Unfortunately, anyone can post anything on YouTube and it differs in quality.  Well, almost anything.  Need to learn how to boil water?  Visit www.YouTube.com and type in “how to boil water.”

Ninety percent of the training at www.teachanolddognewtricks.com  has been created by me and it is very time-consuming to produce.  Each hour of training takes approximately 3 hours to plan, produce and post on my website.  Individual and corporate donations allow me to take the time needed to produce that training and all donations both big and small validate what I’m attempting to do.

My goal is to bring computer training to anyone in the world for free and your donations allow me to do that; even a $10.00 donation.

Thank you so very much for your donation!

The article then went on to describe why gas mileage can vary so widely.  Was the car being driven on a hot or cold day?  Was the heater or air conditioning on in the car?  And if so, was it on high or low?  Was the car being driven in stop and go traffic or doing highway driving?  What was the road surface like and how old was the driver?  Were the windows up or down?

The main point I took away from reading the article was that many factors affect gas mileage.  Let me tell you why I’m mentioning this story to you.

I recently saw a post in a LinkedIn group from and ACT! user that was having all kinds of issues with ACT.  The issues were getting so bad that both he and his boss were having negative thoughts about ACT.  They were blaming the software about some issues and it made me wonder if that was fair.  When you install ACT, or any software for that matter on a computer, it is expected to work as advertised.  When it doesn’t, we get frustrated and take our frustrations out on the software.

I want to be clear here: I’m not defending the software.  What I’m suggesting is that sometimes these issues are not clear-cut.  Every computer is different and every user uses different software on that computer.  Could it be a firewall issue, or antivirus software that is creating the problem?  Maybe the user downloaded his favorite game and that’s impacting the situation.

The main point I’d like you to think about after you’ve read this is that there is no such thing as an average ACT! user.  We are all different and that impacts the way the software works.  If nothing else, recognizing this fact will hopefully make the whole process a little less stressful and make your situation a little easier to deal with.  Hopefully.

Many ACT! Certified Consultants and ACT! consultants specialize in the complex installation of ACT! in a complex multiuser environment.  I implore you to make sure you enlist their services if you don’t have the requisite skills to address all the variables that can impact the performance of ACT.  Best of luck, regardless of what you decide to do.

Boston, MA (PRWEB) October 11, 2011

Do you feel like an “old dog” when it comes to your computer skills? In this rough economy, many companies have cut back on technology training for their employees, and the unemployed often can’t afford the training they need to gain the computer skills necessary to compete in the job market. Boston-area software trainer and business owner Tony Holowitz is there to help by offering more than 55 hours of free computer training videos and tutorials (available 24/7/365) to anyone who wants it through his website http://www.TeachAnOldDogNewTricks.com.

TeachAnOldDogNewTricks.com offers free computer training videos in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, as well as, Social Networking, Computers 101: Beginners, the Internet, QuickBooks, web design and ACT!, a very popular contact manager which is a great tool for small business people and salespeople. Even experienced computer users will find http://www.TeachAnOldDogNewTricks.com to be a great resource to be visited over and over.

“My motivation for offering free computer training,” says Holowitz, “is the almost daily news stories of people down on their luck, barely able to make ends meet. My hope is that this training can help people enhance their skills enough to get a job, or maybe even start a business.” Holowitz has over 13 years’ experience teaching people the ins and outs of computers and software programs, and enjoys the challenge of training users at all skill levels.

Can you teach an old dog new tricks? When it comes to computers, Holowitz has proven he can at http://www.TeachAnOldDogNewTricks.com.

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Accessing Work Email via the Web (2:00)

Google Tools & Tips

Creating a Free Google Account (1:00)
Google Alerts (3:00)

Reviewing Microsoft Word 2010 Tabs

Word 2010 Insert Tab (5:00)
Word 2010 Page Layout Tab (2:00)
Word 2010 References Tab (1:00)
Word 2010 Mailings Tab (3:00)
Word 2010 Review Tab (2:00)
Word 2010 View Tab (2:00)
Word 2010 Add-Ins Tab (1:00)

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Tony Holowitz | 781-728-9777 | www.TonyTheTeacher.com

Last week I put out the following press release: http://www.prweb.com/releases/Free-Computer-Training/Teach-Old-Dog-New-Tricks/prweb5062364.htm.

Have a look and tell me what you think!

Tony Holowitz | 781-728-9777

John Anthony Group | www.JohnAnthonyGroup.com
Tony The Teacher | www.TonyTheTeacher.com
Teach An Old Dog New Tricks | www.TeachAnOldDogNewTricks.com

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/FreeComputerTraining
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tonyholowitz

I know some people are early adopters and just have to have the latest and greatest. I’m not one of those people.  Sometimes you have to upgrade just to make other software work properly with ACT!. Sometimes it’s a cost issue.  But many times it just comes down to the new features and how they will make your ACT! experience better.

Assuming you don’t have to upgrade, I’d urge you to consider sidegrading.  Let me explain what I mean by sidegrading.

Imagine for a moment that you are a software developer who works for ACT! and your goal is to make ACT! the perfect software program for the way you use it on a daily basis.  What does it lack?  What would make it perfect?  What tools and features would you develop?  Next, ask yourself the following question: are those tools and features already available to me?

There is a large community of ACT! software developers that have created ACT! add-on products that can help you take ACT! to another level.  One example of this is Swiftpage, which adds Constant Contact like e-mail features to ACT!.  One of my favorite developers is Jim Durkin of Durkin Computing (www.DurkinComputing.com) because he makes tools that extend the value of ACT!.  I also like the products offered by Gilles Cavin at Exponenciel (www.exponenciel.com) because they are also very practical.  I’d also urge you to visit the AddOn Store (www.actaddons.com) to see a large variety of products and services.

To take this a step further, have you ever considered what add-on products might be available for other software programs that you use?

The bottom line is simple, we all want to work as efficiently and effectively as possible as long as it doesn’t break the bank; and sometimes sidegrading is better than upgrading.