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PC Miracles Connection

PC MIRACLES, INC.

January 2009

The 23MostImportantRules For E-mailEtiquette

List on Page 2

What’sInside

Is Your ComputerKeyboard MakingYou Sick?

Answer On Page 3

What To DoWhen You DropYour Cell PhoneIn Water

Story On Page 4

If Disaster Strikes, How FastCould Your Company Be Back Up And Running?

You hear it all the time from us—back upyour data, keep your virus protection current,and install and maintain a firewall to protectyourself from hackers and other onlinethreats.However, while these precautions willcertainly help you avoid problems, theyCAN’T do anything if you don’t have a goodbackup and disaster recovery plan in place.

Are You A Sitting Duck?

We all know that an ounce of prevention isworth a pound of cure; yet, disaster recoveryplanning often takes a distant second to thedaily deadlines and pressures of running abusiness.That means that most businesses, includingyour own, may end up offline and without yourdata after a simple lightening storm.Don’t think that could ever happen to you?Consider this: “data-erasing disasters” canalso take the form of office fires and brokenwater pipes, not just earthquakes, floods andtornadoes. If a fire started in your building,the parts that weren’t burned beyondrecovery would probably be destroyed by thefiremen’s efforts. But even more common issoftware corruption, hardware failures andhuman error!

Disaster Recovery QuestionsYou Need To Answer

A disaster recovery plan doesn’t have to becomplicated, time-consuming or expensive.Start by asking yourself the followingquestions...1. Do you back up your company’s data dailyto both an onsite

and

offsite location?2. Are you absolutely certain that yourbackup copy is valid, complete and notcorrupt? How do you know for sure?3. If disaster strikes, HOW would you getyour data back, and how long would ittake? In many cases it takes days andoften weeks; what would you do duringthat period of time?4. Do you have copies of all the softwarelicenses and discs in a safe location thatcould be accessed in the event of havingto rebuild your server?5. Would you and your employees have away to access your network remotely if you couldn't get to the office?6. Do you store important passwords in asecure place that company officers canaccess if you are unavailable?

15 Years of Thanks!

As we celebrate our 15th Anniversary, nextmonth we’ll launch a special celebration, forthe remainder of 2009. Watch for details nextmonth!

Issue 24

Continued on page 3

More than 80 years have passed since Emily Postwrote her first book on etiquette. Back then, therules had more to do with how to properlyintroduce someone and which fork to use at adinner party. But with the introduction of newcommunication tools comes new rules of engagement. Here are 32 quick tips and rules forwhat is—and isn’t—acceptable behavior whenusing e-mail.1. Be concise and to the point. Read your e-mail tomake sure it makes sense before sending toavoid e-mail “ping-pong.”2. Don’t reply just to say “got it” unless therecipient has asked you to.3. Use proper spelling, grammar & punctuation.This is still a communication and arepresentation of YOU. Sloppy spelling andpunctuation looks unprofessional.4. Don’t use e-mail to deliver bad or personalnews. If you need to discuss a serious matterwith someone, only use e-mail to request a faceto face meeting or phone call, not to deliver thenews.5. Do not attach unnecessary files, especially largeones. Sending big files can cause someone’s e-mail system to clog, shut down or crash.Instead, use www.yousendit.com for largedocuments.6. Do not overuse the high priority option. Use itonly when something is truly critical and timesensitive.7. Do not write in CAPITALS—it’s the equivalentof shouting.8. Don't leave out the message thread.9. Give your recipients an easy way to opt-out orremove themselves from your list.10. Do not overuse “Reply to All.” If you have amessage for the sender that is not relevant toeveryone else, makesure you only send it tothat person.11. Do not cc everyone when sending a broadcastto multiple people. Instead, use the bcc (blindcarbon copy) to keep everyone’s e-mail private.12. Don’t overuse abbreviations and emoticons.13. Don’t use neon colors, hard to read fancy fontsand background images. They make itdifficult—if not impossible— to read yourmessage.14. Only use rich text and HTML messages whenyou are certain the recipient can receive thattype of message. Many people can only opentext messages, and most rich text and HTMLmessages don’t convert well.15. Do not forward chain letters,

ever.

16. Do not request delivery and read receipts.17. Do not recall messages.18. Do not forward a message that was sent to youwithout permission from the original sender.19. Do not use email to discuss confidentialinformation. A good rule of thumb is this: if you don’t want the entire world to see it, thendon’t put it in an e-mail.20. Use a meaningful subject line to help therecipient sort through their inbox.21. Don't send or forward emails containinglibelous, defamatory, offensive, racist orobscene remarks. They aren’t funny and if sentusing company e-mail, they could get you suedor fired.22. Keep your anti-virus up-to-date to make sureyou don’t spread viruses to your friends.23. Don't reply to spam; it only signifies that youraddress is active to the spammer and will invitemore of the same.

The 23 Most Important Rules Of E-mail Etiquette

Page 2 PC Miracles Connection

Page 3

The Lighter Side:

What Goes Around, ComesAround...Eventually

One night a man was sitting at home andheard a small knock at the door. When heopened it, he noticed a snail perched on hisporch. Irritated at the interruption, the manbooted the snail as far away as he could seeand slammed the door shut.Three years passed. Again, the man wassitting at home and heard a knock on hisdoor. He opened it to see the same snailperched on his porch looking grumpy.Before he could react, the snail demanded,“What the heck was that all about?”

My Dog Is Smarter Than Yours...

Two neighbors were arguing over whose dog wassmarter.“My dog is so smart that every morning he waitsfor the paperboy to arrive, gets my paper out of the mailbox, and then brings it to me.”“I know,” said the other neighbor.“How do you know?” the first neighbor asked.“My dog told me.”

Exit Strategy

“An optimist stays up until midnight to see theNew Year in. A pessimist stays up to make surethe old year leaves.”—Bill Vaughn

The Top 5 New Year’s ResolutionsFor Your Dog

I will not suddenly stand straight up when I’mlying under the coffee table.

I will no longer react to the sound of the canopener.

I resolve to bite that freak who gives me a shotevery year.

I will break into the pantry and decide forMYSELF how much food is “too” much.

And the Number 1 New Year’s Resolutionmade by pets . . .

I will NOT chase the stick until I see itleave the hand!

7. Do you have a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) device inplace to keep your network and other critical data operationsrunning during a power outage?This is NOT a complete list, but it is a good start to get youthinking in the right direction.

Our FREE Disaster Recovery PlanHelps You Prepare

Since it’s the New Year, we’ve decided to help our clients gettheir “IT house” in order by giving away a FREE Backup andDisaster Recovery Audit. At no charge or obligation, we’ll come toyour office, review your current plan (or lack of one!) and provide asimple action plan on what you need to do to make sure yourbusiness can always be up and running.

But take note!

We can only make this available to our clientsand friends during the month of January; after that, the fee for thisconsultation will be $395. For more information, please contact ouroffice at 248-620-2201 and ask for Dan, or e-mail us atinfo@pcmiracles.com.

Is Your ComputerKeyboard Making You Sick?

Now that we’re at the height of cold and flu season, youmight want to take a closer look at what’s living on yourkeyboard. A series of studies called "Germs in the Workplace," found that the following four office surfaceshad the most bacteria (in this order):

•

Phones

•

Desks

•

Computer keyboard

•

Computer mouseObviously these are items you touch all day, every day.Germs and dirt from yourhands and mouth gettransferred easily on to theseitems, and vice-versa, making them breeding grounds forharmful bacteria. To lessen your chances of picking up colds and flu, werecommend cleaning your mouse and keyboard daily withdisinfecting wipes. It’s also smart to clean these itemsbefore a new person uses them.

If Disaster Strikes,

Continued from page 1