StorMan eNews Issue #14
September 2009 Edition |
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Greetings, %%Facility name%% - and welcome to eNews issue #14. This month's issue is packed with everything from staff blogs to info about upcoming industry events. As usual, we also have the usual regulars - including recent Poll Results, the Brainteaser and Facility of the Month features.
We also have some free "Introduction to StorMan v8" webcasts coming up in October, so be sure to register ASAP - before the sessions fill up! If you have any comments, ideas or suggestions, please get in touch with me via andy@storman.com. Until next time, happy surfing! :-)
 Regards,
Andy & the StorMan Software Team
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| StorMan v8 Release information |
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As promised last issue, here's the info you've all been hanging out for! Every year or so, we release a major new software update which literally contains hundreds of new features & bug fixes. This year, our flagship version 8 release is no different - with each and every screen recoloured & redesigned, as well as stacks of new features (including many features that some of you have asked us for!).
As this version includes a number of important changes, we have created an online resource to help you smoothly transition to the new version, including...
- A summary of new features (including a highlights movie)
- A list of what's changed between v7 and v8
- An online skill tester
- A downloadable training booklet
- Details about our upcoming v8 webcasts (see section below)
- v8 rollout information
» View our complete guide at myStorMan
Upcoming Webcasts - See v8 in action!
Before you can upgrade to v8, you will need to participate in one of our compulsory "v8 Introduction" online webcasts (or at least watch a video recording of one of the sessions). To register for one of our free v8 Introduction webcasts, please click here. For your convenience, our webcast session times are also listed below.
Please note that the webcast video recordings will be added once the sessions are over. Joining a live sessions is recommended, because you can ask us questions using the webcast 'Chat' system.
- Wednesday 14th October @ 10am AEST
- Wednesday 14th October @ 2pm AEST
- Thursday 15th October @ 10am AEST
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SSA UK Conference & Tradeshow
For those of you based in the United Kingdom, be sure to come and say hello if you are attending the SSA UK's Conference & Tradeshow at the Midlands Hotel (pictured below; left), Manchester, September 15th & 16th. A number of our staff will be presenting from StorMan's tradeshow stand (booth #12).
SSAA Conference & Tradeshow
For those of you located in Australasia, we will also be attending the Self Storage Association of Australasia's Conference & Tradeshow. This year's convention returns to the fabulous Marriott Hotel at Surfers Paradise (pictured above; right), on Australia's Gold Coast. Myself, Ben & Aaron will be in attendance, at booths #33 and #34.
We look forward to seeing you there!
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This month's Secret StorMan Shortcut is CTRL + L
...I wonder what it does! |
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| Computer Tip of the Month |
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Ready to present?
 Everyone will, at some time in their lives, need to present something on their computer to someone else - whether it's pitching a new idea to the boss, playing a pre-recorded facility video to a potential business or government client, or demonstrating how to use the storage kiosk out the front.
When demonstrating using your computer, especially to large audiences, it is important to ensure your system is ready to handle the task at hand.
Tips for Preparing a Computer for a Presentation
- Disable / turn off your screensaver.
- Disable any hard drive sleeping & hibernation features or modes.
- Disable screen-blanking... it can cause problems with some data projectors.
- If you're using power, disable any power-saving or speed-shaping features your computer or laptop may have. These can slow down the speed of your computer, which may not be the best image for your presentation!
- Disable MSN Messenger or other chat applications - these may cause embarrassment & can look unprofessional in a business environment, particularly in front of potentials.
- Disable any other auto-stating applications that you may not need for your presentation.
- Close or disable as many system-tray application as you can - they all use up memory.
- Select a desktop / background wallpaper that suits a projector screen... eg: black or white plain colours. If you must use a colourful background wallpaper, make sure it doesn't distract your viewers from what you're presenting! A properly scaled company logo may work well.
- Clean up your desktop - remove unnecessary icons / documents / files, or move them into a temporary folder on your drive. Not sure how to hide your desktop icons? Click here for last month's tutorial.
- Defrag your hard drive - defragging improves hard drive access speeds and prevents data corruption problems.
- Virus scan and ad-scan... you certainly don't want annoying ads or virus messages popping up during your presentation!
- Always remember that your computer could need rebooting - how long will it take? Do you know the passwords to get back in?
- Try not to use too many keyboard shortcuts... your viewers mightn't be familiar with them, and could easily get confused.
- Most importantly: practice, practice, practice!
Additional tips for larger, out-of-office presentations:
- Test your computer with the projector you plan on using - make sure the cables are right.
- Test everything you plan on doing - can the computer cope with the demands of a live show?
- Visit the venue before the day of your presentation - is there power? Will the cables reach? Will you need a microphone? Will you be able to get sound from the laptop through the main venue sound system? Will you need any additional cables or adapters for this?
- Make sure your display resolution isn't too small so that those at the back of the room have trouble reading the projector screen.
- Try not to whiz your mouse around on the screen too quickly - your viewers may loose it; especially on a large projector screen.
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| Blockbuster? I'll wait for the DVD... |
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Our most recently ended myStorMan poll put movies into the spotlight, asking poll participants to choose from one of the following when it came to the latest blockbuster movie...
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I'm first in line to watch them at the cinema! |
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I'll watch them at the cinema when I get time |
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I'll wait until they're on DVD |
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I'll wait until they're on TV |
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I'll *ahem* acquire them online |
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I don't really care - they're just movies |
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Movies are boring / I have a short attention span / I prefer TV shows |
The results are now in and it seems that the majority of you will wait until they're out on DVD. This matches with recent studies which show a growing trend towards in-home theatres for family (and friend) entertainment.
As issues such as fuel costs, the environment and spending in general hit hard at home, families appears to be traveling less and finding greater amounts of comfort & entertainment value in their homes.
Looking back...
As you might remember, last month's StorMan Monthly eNews featured the results from our "80's music" poll - with links to YouTube music videos for some popular 80's hits. Interestingly, of all 9 music video clips that we posted, Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" was the most popular; with over 60 eNews readers clicking on the link to view the music video.
Current Poll
Which brings us to our current poll... asking what your first morning task is. A morning coffee? Some cartoons (or the morning news) on TV? Or do you press the 'snooze' button and continue sleeping? Cast your vote at myStorMan today!
| Further reading: |
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Vote now @ myStorMan (the poll is at the bottom-right) |
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Most of us read books - but once you finish a book, how can you find another good book of the same style? Easy - ask 'What should I read next?'. The website asks you for the title and author of your current book, then matches up some similar books as recommended by other readers!
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| What could possibly go wrong? |
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Recently, Ben and myself have been using our own product to send invoices to our new customers all around the world and have been amazed at the different sales tax amounts and weird and wonderful conversion amounts especially when dealing with foreign currency conversions. The Rand, UK pounds, the US dollar, the Euro and let's not forget the Guatemalan Quetzal (yes we have quoted in Guatemala), all have their own special idiosyncrasies and I laughed at a quote I had to do where we had to go three decimal places for the cents. I mean other than the scam from Superman 3 who really cares about .003 of a cent?
Luckily StorMan software does and once you have sent out 600 invoices all dollar perfect you will be thankful that you didn't have to proof read each one. Even getting the decimal place wrong can be disastrous.
Most of us don't feel sorry for the New Zealand couple, now long gone, who asked their bank for a $10,000 loan and were mistakenly given $10,000,000. Obviously they couldn’t get to the bank quick enough with the withdrawal slip, but surely there are some of us that feel sorry for the bank worker who missed the decimal placing error and approved the deposit for the wrong amount. The worker has been re-assigned, which is bank speak for shown the door...
» Continue reading this post on Timm's Blog... |
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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 trinket.
Thirsty Light
 Most storage facilities will have a plant or two in the front office (not to mention the garden). Plants need water - even the most arid-climate-loving plants need it from time to time.
While there are plenty of detectors on the market, most of them check the conductivity of the soil (if there is enough water, then the salts in the soil dissolve - allowing a tiny amount of current to run through the electrodes). Problem is, that this method is not accurate enough.
The 'Thirsty Light' digital moisture meter uses a patented process to actually interpret the readings it gets, and gives you a far more precise measurement of the dryness of the potting medium. No cryptic readings to gauge - if your plant needs water, the head of the Thirsty Light blinks. It's that easy!
So no more excuses! Get yourself a little living plant life in your office. Give it enough light and water, and it will thrive.
» Dry point Digital Circuit
» Long-lasting LED
» Corrosion resistant Brass Probe
» 2 replaceable 1.5V Lithium batteries
» ABS plastic casing
» On/Off switch
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Are you getting your weekly fix? We electronically send complimentary Weekly TechTips to customers on the Advantage and Corporate support plans.
So if you've recently renewed your support plan, or if you've upgraded from a Standard plan, please get in touch with us to ensure you email is on the list. |
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This month's Facility of the Month is Earlville Self Storage, located in Cairns (Queensland, Australia). We recently caught up with Joy for a quick chat...
AP: "How long have you been with Earlville Self Storage?"
JB: "Just over two years now - since we opened actually. We've been using StorMan since Day 1 as well."
AP: "What's your current role at Earlville and how many units do you manage?"
JB: "I am the Facility Manager here and look after our 550 units."
AP: "Anything interesting about your area, or the building itself?"
JB: "Cairns is a wonderful tropical laid back city and we enjoy the lifestyle. Our unique facility design sets us apart from most other storage facilities and is often commented on."
AP: "What do you like about StorMan?"
JB: "There are so many great features - but the ease of having all the information at your fingertips and the ability to deal with more than one customer at a time is great. I also love the reports that can be generated. It is a very versatile program!"
You can find out more about Earlville Self Storage via their website. Thank you to Joy & Barry 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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HTTP ...it's at the start of virtually every web address, but have you ever wondered what it stands for? HTTP stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol. This is the common protocol for moving hypertext files across the Internet.
The protocol requires a HTTP client program on one end (like a web browser), and a HTTP server program on the other end. Web files commonly transferred with the protocol are pictures, text, video, sound, etc.
As the HTTP protocol doesn't offer any security features, the HTTPS protocol was invented. HTTPS introduces Secure Socket Layer (SSL) functionality in the communication between the Web Server and the browser. This has now become the de facto standard for secure web communication. |
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Imagine an analog clock set to 12 o'clock. Note that the hour and minute hands overlap. How many times each day do both the hour and minute hands overlap? Stuck? The answer is in the next issue!
Last month's answer: Charcoal |
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This month's "Monthly funny" is sure to attract some attention on your next road trip. Tie some inflatable missile-shaped helium balloons behind your car then drive down the highway...
Have you got a joke or funny pic to send us?
Please let us know! |
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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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