StorMan eNews Issue #16
November 2009 Edition |
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Greetings, %%Facility name%%. Welcome to eNews issue #16, where we wrap-up the recent Self Storage Association of Australasia Convention, take a look at a new & growing trend in online marketing and delve into some new content on myStorMan.
As usual, if you have any comments, ideas or suggestions, just get in touch with me via andy@storman.com. Until next time, happy surfing! :-)
 Regards,
Andy & the StorMan Software Team
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| Computer Tip of the Month |
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Back up your Bookmarks / Favourites
If you (or your IT people) have ever had to reformat your computer or re-install the main operating system, it's likely you'll have had to make a backup of your music, documents, photos and other files before the hard drive was 'wiped clean' for a fresh install.
If, like me, you've completely forgotten to make a backup of your web browser's bookmarks, then you'll know just how annoying it can be to try and remember what they all were. Thankfully there's a way to backup your bookmarks...
How to: Back up your Internet Explorer (v8) favourites
Press ALT + F on your keyboard to open up the 'File' menu (or just click on 'File' if it's visible at the top) and select 'Import & Export' from the menu. Choose 'Export to a file' and select 'Favourites' on the next step. Choose the favourites to export and a location to save the file.
How to: Back up your Firefox (v3) bookmarks
From the 'Bookmarks' menu, select 'Organise Bookmarks'. Click on the 'Import and Backup' button and then choose 'Backup' from the submenu. Choose a location to save the file.
How to: Synchronise your bookmarks / Store them online
There are also a number of free tools available to let you synchronise your bookmarks between different computer (eg: home, work & laptop). This is generally achieved by storing them online on a password-protected website. Personally, I've only tried a plug-in called "Xmarks" - but I can't fault it; it's well worth a look if you use multiple computers.
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This month's Secret StorMan Shortcut is CTRL + Q
...I wonder what it does! |
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myStorMan, as you're probably already aware, is our huge online repository of technical support articles, movies, hints & tips. For a few months there, the updates had slowed to a trickle - but we're pleased to announce that over 50 new articles were added in October!
Other updates that took effect recently include a minor redesign of the Knowledgebase Index, speed improvements to the myStorMan Search Engine and a scan of all existing articles to fix most of those pesky little "Insert text here" or "Link coming soon" placeholders!
Some of the new articles you might like to check out include...
As always, if you spot any problems, typos, unlinked messages or out of date screenshot's, please let us know via our Contact Us page, or via the "Feedback" section (at the bottom-right of all myStorMan knowledgebase articles).
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October 7th to 9th saw hundreds of delegates and exhibitors hit the sunny Gold Coast for the Self Storage Association of Australasia's (SSAA's) flagship event - the 2009 SSAA Convention & Trade show...
Day 1 started off with a sensational welcome & opening speech by motivational speaker Laurie Lawrence, followed by Shondra Hill's talk on Operational matters.
The group took a break for lunch in the trade show area then returned to hear Michael Pascoe (television finance editor and contributing editor to the Sydney Morning Herald & Age) talk about current Finance & economical issues, then Storage King's very own Michael Tate on Management strategies. The night ended with a welcome dinner at Movie World.
Day 2 opened with a few sore heads from those who had decided to skip the roller coasters at Movie World the night before and decided to try the 'bar' ride instead. Bernard Salt began the day with a speech on Demographics (view presentation), followed by Rod Douglas on Environmental issues and David Blackwell on Valuations & Industry data (view presentation).
Lunch was again held in the trade show area, followed by the Round Table discussions and a facility tour to close the evening.
Day 3, the final for the convention, began with a great talk from Stuart Alying (founder of Marketing Nous) on Marketing (view presentation), followed by Buzz Victor on the US Market (view presentation) and an "Oprah does Storage"-style industry panel.
Lunch was again held in the trade show area before Simone Hill ended the main sessions covering Legal issues (view presentation). Delegates were then free to spend their time prior to the awards dinner in the evening - but virtually everyone went on to join StorMan's Ben Williams and Storer Check's Simone Hill for a separate session in the Verandah Room.
The evening closed with the sensational awards dinner and conference finale. Congratulations to the award winners...
- Facility of the Year – Storage Solutions (2002) Ltd Porirua (NZ)
- Regional Facility of the Year – All Secure Self Storage – Paraparaumu (NZ)
- Innovation of the Year – Storer Check
- Manager - David Benson - Storage King Virginia
- Expansion- National Mini Storage Albany (NZ)
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Twitter, just like the popular sites before it (MySpace and Facebook) has exploded in recent months. So much so, that even your website's Google ranking could be affected if you're not on it!
What is Twitter & how does it work? Twitter (www.twitter.com) is a free social networking and micro-blogging website, allowing you to post short (up to 140 characters) messages for others to see. In the personal realm, it's generally used for groups of friends to tell others what they're up to, seek encouragement and basically just be in contact all of the time without physically seeing or hearing the person. On the business side of the coin, it's often used by companies to promote upcoming events & specials.
However - regardless of what you use it for, it's important to remember that you should never toot your own horn too much. Remember that it's all about social networking. If you meet up with a group of friends, it's often seen as rude or snobbish to continually talk yourself up. The same applies on Twitter; you don't want to become "that annoying person (or company) that just bombards me with useless information".
How do I get an account? Signing up for an account is free (watch our video to see how it works) - just pick a username, set a password and you're virtually ready to start tweeting...
This article continues online...
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There will no-doubt come a time in your life when you'll just want to spend an entire weekend building something (whether to cure your boredom or that of the kids'). But what should you make? A candle-powered hot air balloon? Lego catapult? 3D dinosaur birthday cake? Bicycle-powered USB hub?
Whether it's something you'd make in the kitchen, back shed or sewing room, Instructables is bound to have it - all detailed with the required tools, steps and even photos / videos of the finished product - so you'll know exactly how to make it and what's involved. Happy tinkering!
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We recently held a series of live webcasts for users upgrading to StorMan version 8. If you missed any of our sessions (or want to see them again), the video recording is now available...
What was covered? The online webcast covered 10 primary topics, including Integrated Help, Dashboard Search, Merchandise Discount Plans, SMS with Read Receipts, the Waiting List and a look at some of the new features in System Setup.
Where can I watch the recording? To watch the recording, head over to our main Recorded Sessions page. You'll find the video under "What's new in StorMan v8".
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| Agent Darran's Latest Gadget |
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 Hi there - I'm Darran, one of StorMan's Technical Support Agents. Each issue, I'll trawl through the deep depths of the internet to find you a funky piece of software, hardware or other interesting technological trinkets.
Digital Luggage Scale
Don't get caught out at the airport with overweight baggage - avoid Excess Baggage Charges with the Advanced Digital Luggage Scale! The Digital Travel Luggage scale is the consumer's latest weapon in the battle against excess luggage weight surcharges.
Most airlines have tight luggage weight allowances now and impose high fees for any checked-in bag that is over the limit. Budget airlines especially will not offer any flexibility even if you are just a few grams over the limits because this is one way they make their money!
The smartly designed Advanced Digital Luggage Scale weighs up to 40 kg's and is robust enough to handle even the biggest items of luggage. Extremely accurate to 50g (most other luggage scales are only accurate to 100g at best), and weighing only 175grams, the scale is compact enough to take away on your trip without adding to your baggage weight worries. Smart travel cases are also available. Featuring a retractable handle and a stunning blue backlit LCD display, the advanced digital luggage scale has it all.
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Weighs in kilograms, grams, pounds and ounces |
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Very easy to use! |
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Very compact and lightweight design - weighs only 175g! |
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Large digital display for easy reading |
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Automatic hold feature allows you to lift the luggage, set it down on the floor and then read the weight |
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Can weigh items up to 40kgs |
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Accurate to within 50grams |
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Features a stunning blue backlit LCD display |
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You can generally find this product for under $AUD50 online! |
Nb. All 'Latest Tech Gadget' information & imagery is sourced from online entities & supplier websites. StorMan generally doesn't endorse, own or test any of these products; we merely link to them as you might find them interesting for your own use...
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This month's Facility of the Month is Cockburn Central Self Storage, located in Western Australia. We recently caught up with Shirley for a quick chat...
AP: "How long have you been with Cockburn Central Self Storage and what is your position within the company?"
SS: "Cockburn Central is a new site and finally opened its doors to the public on the 27th July 2009 - I've been here since that day and my role is defined as the Operations Manager."
AP: "Tell us a little about the unit mix..."
SS: "We have 280 storage units all up, which is made up of drive-up, ground-floor and first-floor units. We have three lifts on site for easy access."
AP: "How long have you been using StorMan for?"
SS: "While we've only been using StorMan here since we opened in July, I personally have 11 years of experience in the Storage Industry and have used StorMan at all of the facilities I've worked at. I wouldn't use anything else!"
AP: "What does the facility mean to you?"
SS: "To be given the opportunity to have a free hand to build a facility is a wonderful experience - particularly when I can put all of the knowledge, lessons and experiences that I've learnt over the years into practice. I stand proud & optimistic - and know that we will be the 'up and coming landmark' that we've set out to become. To be able to give customers 'affordable rates' with 'good customer service' is our motto."
AP: "Anything interesting about your area, or the building itself?"
SS: "Our building is brand new with bright and bold colours; it was intentionally designed this way to become a landmark. We are situated right next to 'Thompson Medical Centre' which has a continuous flow of traffic and just along the road from 'Jandakot Liquor Store' - which is itself a landmark, having been there for over 25 years. We're also only a short distance from 'Gateways Shopping Center' and a train station."
AP: "How has StorMan made things easier for you?"
SS: "Setting up the facility was a breeze - it's a great software package. To be able to have the backup service that you guys give your clients is excellent. You also helped us through all of the teething problems when setting up a new facility. God bless Josh from the Australian technical support team and a big thank you to Ben from the Brisbane sales office for his assistance in quickly flying to Perth to help us setup under some very different conditions."
AP: "And finally... what's your favourite StorMan feature?"
SS: "I think StorMan's best feature is that it's great to work with. But I must say that I get the most satisfaction from is the Monthly Summary Report.
To be able to watch each month grow bigger & better - and to watch how each part of the facility is growing & improving each month is a real motivator!"
Thank you to Shirley & the team at Cockburn Central Self Storage for their time and input. If you'd like your facility to be featured as a Facility of the Month, please get in touch with us. |
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What occurs once in every minute, twice in every moment, yet never in a thousand years? Stuck? The answer is in the next issue!
Last month's answer: None - a hole doesn't contain any dirt. |
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This month's "Monthly funny" comes from Budget Truck Rentals' on-truck advertising campaign. I wonder what the other 47 Moving Tips are?
Have you got a joke or funny pic to send us?
Please let us know! |
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Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 7 was recently released - and we're pleased to report that initial testing of StorMan v8 has shown no issues with the new operating system. Keep an eye on our knowledgebase for updates as we continue our testing.
Also - if you're up with the latest tech-news, you've probably already heard of the cringe-worthy videos Microsoft released about hosting a "Windows 7 launch party" in your home... but as we come to the end of this month's eNews, I thought I'd leave you with a funny parody video (created a few weeks ago) dubbed the "Windows 3.1 launch party".
Windows 3.1 was released back in 1992; you may recognise or remember it from the video if you were using a computer in the early 90's. Enjoy! |
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Nick Wykes (of StorMan New Zealand) will be growing a moustache for Movember. Nick has decided to put down the razor for one month (November) and help raise awareness and funds for men’s health – specifically prostate cancer and depression in men.
What many people don’t appreciate is that close to 600 men die of prostate cancer each year in New Zealand and one in ten men will experience depression in their lifetime - many of whom don’t seek help. Facts like these have convinced Nick that he should get involved.
To sponsor Nick's moustache, please click to visit Nick's Movember Profile or write a cheque payable to ‘Movember’ (referencing Nick's Movember Registration Number: 136799 and mailing it to: Movember, PO Box 12 708, Wellington 6144, New Zealand).
Remember, all donations over $5 are tax deductible.
Movember is now in its fourth year and, to date, has achieved some pretty amazing results by working alongside The Cancer Society and the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand. Thank you for your support of this great cause.
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Not so much an acronym as it is a common set of letters in technology, you would most probably interact with QWERTY every day. Chances are that if you're reading this newsletter on your screen, QWERTY is right in front of you.
So what is a QWERTY? Well - look down - at your keyboard. The first 6 letters are QWERTY and sets out the design standard for the keyboard you're using - otherwise known as ISO/IEC 9995-3:2002 (the 2002 standard; it's currently undergoing a redesign - so expect another standard in the coming years).
QWERTY, however, is one of many keyboard layouts... there's also QWERTZ (the Y and Z keys are swapped), QZERTY and AZERTY... just to confuse things!
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StorMan eNews is a monthly publication designed & compiled by
Andy P. + guest writers, and is ©
StorMan 2009. E&OE.
We use publicly available sources (web sites, magazines, news
clips, etc) to help write our newsletters, and provide links where
possible. All prices quoted, if any, contain GST (unless specified otherwise). |
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Please visit us online at www.storman.com/contact/ for full contact information. |
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