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A great place to start learning about networking your Mac computer is through the use of an Ethernet connection. As a physical presence in your home, the Ethernet cable connects your cable modem to your desktop computer or to your wireless router. In this instance, you will have enabled a small network that can be accessed by users who come into contact with your network and have the designated privileges to interact with it. Desktop, laptop, and mobile devices mostly connect to the Internet for browser capabilities but they do not necessarily connect to each other’s files, as supported by the use of a home network.

User-friendly shared storage is the next step in creating an Ethernet Shared Storage solution for you, but before we get there, the first step in Mac networking for beginners is to go back to the modem and work your way up from there.

Ethernet cables are the most commonplace solution for interconnecting computers within a network. Once the connections have been made, it is up to the drivers for each machine to run the requests and deliver the information from the data source. To best serve beginners, we will create a network with the Internet and the other machines in your home or small office.

Ethernet is an easily-integrated solution. It works extremely well between wireless output and optical delivery of information to servers a user wants access to. An Ethernet network involves the type of equipment you are likely already familiar with. When your computer was first taken out of the package and set up, chances are you worked with Ethernet then, so there is no need to stress when tackling this simple process.

Ethernet cables connect your computers to the network of the Internet. They are similar in appearance to telephone cables but are unique in their design. A “cable modem” (probably based on the DOCSIS Standard) receives and sends signals using the coax cable TV cable already in your home. This is the most common form of Internet delivery to homes today, but once the cable ends at the hole in the wall, you need to be able to get from the cable to using Internet on your computer using Ethernet technology.

Inside the home, your Mac will network with the Internet using an Ethernet connection to either a router, an Ethernet hub (a tool with several Ethernet ports which allows multiple devices to connect to the network or computer), or directly to the cable modem supplied to you by your ISP (Internet Service Provider). The router directs the network’s traffic by sending and receiving information packets. Add a network switch or a wireless router to your network using Ethernet and your network can now negotiate a large number of users working together at the same time on the same files.

A network in its simplest form is two computers hooked together using an Ethernet cable. It’s called a crossover network and they are the easiest networks to build. These networks can use standard “RJ45” connections or are using CAT6 and CAT5 Ethernet cables which are typical in networks like this. A Mac crossover network is the simplest form of Mac network; two machines sharing files and operating as closely together as possible. When you begin to add more machines and users, however, you need the help of Servers, multi-port Ethernet cards, and/or switches, to deliver high-speed data services reliably. This equipment is often recommended because it negotiates through sensitive data manipulation and file security to maintain a balanced network. Connecting computers to an Ethernet network will reduce congestion and network bottlenecks. This type of basic network is thee easiest choice because of price, value, and lowest up-front cost to implement.

About Small Tree

Designer of simple-to-install and affordable Mac-based networking and shared storage products, Small Tree is the premier multi-port Ethernet networking technology provider for OS X customers, enabling cost effective Ethernet shared storage technology. For more information about the company and its products, please 1-866-STC4MAC (1-866-782-4622 ), visit their website or follow Small Tree on Twitter.

Popularity: 43% [?]

Some history on Shared Storage.
Shared storage was considered the orphan of networking. The fact that it was available went widely unnoticed until it began to develop into something more than hardware without a purpose other than to house old files. Technology grew much like a family as each new format was developed and introduced. As Shared Storage needs grew, so did the speed requirements and capacity needs too. Now there were more ways to save data then ever before and new programs that were keeping proprietary files safe with proprietary file names and applications to access that data, from where ever a user was on the network. More computers meant more people using computers and while everyone was creating new files, storage companies were developing storage devices that could hold more and retrieve faster. The next hurdle in the evolution of virtual shared storage was the ability to connect different users to the same information. This was where software and hardware took different paths. With the more choices that were made available, separate systems could become one within an organization that depends on collaboration. Shared storage was being connected, but somewhere in the middle the desire to create channels to handle the traffic halted the advancement of many Ethernet networks simply because IT managers were being led to believe that Fibre Channel would be the only thing to give them the performance they were looking for. The truth is that while FC does advance speed in the web of users, the only thing that held Ethernet back was the software. After all Ethernet has been around a very long time. The ability to handle more traffic and connect to more pre-existing connections was in place. Because the infrastructure within offices and corporate headquarters around the word are were wired with Ethernet, the new costs of developing a new Fibre Channel network, or maintaining an existing one, was considered exorbitant when compared to the performance and price that Ethernet could offer. The simple fact that developers created the newest Ethernet protocols to handle surges, bottlenecks, speed, and security through scalable systems equaled the ability to upgrade a pre-existing network within a corporate system. This also meant you could do so without the introduction of Fibre Channel, and without the need for multi-manager departments to maintain the equipment and data when specialized companies that are responsible for introducing the new drivers to the public were becoming readily available.

What Happened to Ethernet?
Budgets killed the Ethernet. When mainframe systems operating FICON and ESCON followed the lead of fibre optic advancements as the natural “next step” in the evolution of shared storage and network capabilities they took a leap of faith that fiber channel was the manifestation of the future. What happened to Ethernet was that all the best dealers and developers of software platforms and storage devices stuck with Fibre Channel too. All of them left Ethernet alone in the 90′s and now what is left behind is an underutilized string of hardware and software capabilities going untouched. The cost of enterprise storage networks is staggering and the lost value is just as embarrassing when you consider that the savings could mean the difference between success and failure of some mid-sized companies struggling to compete and an ever-increasing competitive global market. What they don’t know will hurt them if they choose to move ahead without first taking advantage of Ethernet Shared Storage capabilities linked together on pre-existing Ethernet grids.

Whats Happening to Fibre Channel?
Fibre Channel is given a place to be and everyone knows where it will reside. If not properly watched and constantly managed, the network is an over developed money pit sustainable only by the biggest budgets. The reality is that for most companies who need shared storage, Fibre Channel has moved on. Fibre Channel consistently works for the massive databases that run e-commerce online today, but for a lot of creative designers who rely on collaboration between project partners, the Ethernet now has the promise of giving more for less right where it’s needed, within deadline, and on budget like never before.

About Small Tree
Designer of simple-to-install, affordable Mac-based networking and shared storage products, Small Tree is the premier multi-port Ethernet networking technology provider for OS X customers, enabling cost effective Ethernet shared storage technology. For more information about the company and its products, please call 1-866-STC4MAC (1-866-782-4622 ) or visit www.small-tree.com or follow Small Tree on Twitter.

Popularity: 29% [?]

Small Tree Communications http://www.small-tree.com/

Mac OS X video editors develop fresh ideas as they happen, in real-time. It is not always where you work, but what produces the best result. The task of collecting and sharing creative files in a working environment is where the creative side of design meets the technical world of real-time editing and accountability. Even when creative impulse drives a project’s direction, it is the digital hardware and software that makes the work readily available or hard to find.

Design firms edit video files using software technology and the editor’s eye to insure quality. Their products go into commercial business messages and publicly viewed entertainment. The need for more Mac file storage and accessibility grows as the video industry evolves into multiple dimensions. The video quality is better, the task is harder, and the critics are even harsher.

Without peripheral network services like file sharing, a company’s ability to compete becomes apparent at the first hint of lost revenue. A change occurs only when a company believes that it is not losing because of effort but falling behind due to lower than expected productivity. Now, these firms can develop an environment to take advantage of specialized software packages and hardware configurations like those on Mac OS X and Apple’s Final Cut Pro editing platforms running from a ST-RAID Shared storage device.

A network must include storage, connection devices, user software, and users. Starting with a storage device connected to a user, a network can be an efficient environment where the creative is not hindered by the process. A scalable network is one that grows with the demand for more use.

Showing the Way
Video and audio implementation takes a precise hand. Cutting edge editors understand the challenge of creating advancements in video quality each year. The whole industry is moving so fast that critics say they don’t know where it will all end. Video productions in 2D, 3D, and even 4D theaters offer consumer experiences that were impossible just a couple of years ago. Television and big screen producers are taking the media to an entirely new level.

This is why enlightened network companies like Small Tree are specializing in equipment and services for small to mid-sized design firms trying to keep up with the limitless budgets of their larger competitors. The answer to the question of when and why, is as easy as creating a network that works. The answer should always be right now, because your success may be at stake. Many of the best tools that are available today come from places like Small Tree. They understand Mac OS X, Final Cut Pro, the programs, and the tools that need to run in your network. Network solutions that are scalable will dramatically decrease the cost of moving ahead in a competitive industry.

Are We There Yet?
The best way to know when you reached your destination is to see the signs. For a well-rounded Mac network you need to have storage like the ST-RAID Shared storage solution. Pre-existing performance barriers that once prevented real-time editing over Ethernet Mac network have been removed by Small Tree. Ethernet connections save some, thousands of dollars over Fibre Channel and nearly any workstation can be hooked directly up to the shared storage device so that designers can work together easily and efficiently. Ethernet is everywhere.

Raw video and sound is being cut and remastered over and over again without file degradation. Clips are being inserted into the time-lines in one cubicle while in the other they are adjusting the color tone. Most of these kinds of edits are occurring real-time with each editor realizing the change as it happens or upon signing in at the next production session.

Any design firm that takes advantage of this new network technology will want an effective customer support center that knows what it is talking about as well. When you are still planning on making the move, invite yourself in for a chat with Small Tree. They will be there to help solve all of your Shared Storage Network problems. A team that works well with all the parts of a Mac network is the right partner to team up with when you choose to make your move.

About Small Tree
Designer of simple-to-install, affordable Mac-based networking and shared storage products, Small Tree is the premier multi-port Ethernet networking technology provider for OS X customers, enabling cost effective Ethernet shared storage technology. For more information about the company and its products, please call 1-866-STC-4MAC (1-866-782-4622) or visit http://www.small-tree.com/ or follow Small Tree on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/smalltreecomm .

Popularity: 22% [?]

Small Tree Communications

In a recent SCRI (http://www.sarahcannonresearch.com/) poll of US editing and production companies, over 52% report using Final Cut Pro as the production platform of choice. The report also shows that the number of editing guild members who use Final Cut Pro over Avid Technology’s Media Composer continues to rise. Final Cut Pro is a non-linear software package for video editing currently being developed by Apple Inc. What makes Final Cut Pro so popular is what it can do within a Mac network of computer users and hardware.

Historically
Adobe Premier captured the attention of world’s digital editing industry with three different versions. Adobe Premier was what the world used before the team that developed Premier was hired by Macromedia to create programs for another editing suite called KeyGrip. KeyGrip would utilize Apple’s Quick Time video drivers and was poised to be a leader in the digital editing industry until a series of missteps by Macromedia. In the end, Macromedia encountered licensing problems and even though Key Grip was ready for release in parts, an issue with Microsoft halted the initial release.

Macromedia renamed KeyGrip to Final Cut in the end of 1997 and Final Cut was finally released to the public in limited private showings at the 1998 National Association of Broadcasters exposition (NAB Expo). The intent was to find a buyer for the platform but during the event no buyer could be found. After the expo Apple purchased the product from Macromedia as a defensive move knowing the product was that good.
Apple continued to develop Final Cut and created a transition opportunity in 2003 for Mac owners to upgrade from Adobe Premier to Final Cut Pro using a rebated offer of $500 off. Users were able to edit clips from a large number of cameras. At the same time companies like Sony and Ericsson were releasing their newest digital video cameras operating FireWire (IEEE1394). Suddenly Mac OS was leading the way with high-end editing capabilities. From that point in 2002, Final Cut Pro was on its way to become “the” editing tool to have for commercial products having anything to do with digital video production.

The User
Final Cut Pro users are able to swiftly navigate and organize through files using four windows separating file locations from the viewer from the time-line from the Final Cut Pro browser. When Final Cut Pro is used to create new digital videos the user has fingertip tools ready at a glance. Final Cut Pro utilizes the best visual and sensory editing cues that lead creators through each project until it is complete.

FCP Timeline
Video clips turn into full length video productions, the time-line is the procession from beginning to end. Final Cut Pro puts the time-line at the editor’s fingertips. Not having to pull things together and edit in chunks, with the Final Cut Pro time-line tool video can now be pulled and dropped just about anywhere easily. Layered and in-line edits can be run over and over again and altered until the placement compliments the other scenes.
The file clip is easily kept in place or made available in the fill clip option of the time-line window.

Working Canvas
Producing the time-line commands, the Final Cut Pro canvas allows editors to overwrite edits, superimpose, replace, and edit overlay directly from the wire frame view. Now changes can occur in both the viewing and editing windows of the video editing program. Final Cut Pro includes tools that other drivers cannot. Where Final Cut Pro exceeds expectations is the general optimization of the software. Not new, just better than the beginning.

FCP Browser
Final Cut Pro has a virtual browser where aliases and reference clips are placed for quick access. Folders called bins can be created in the Final Cut Pro Browser to arrange and track the files for future use or during an existing session. The browser is capable of searching offline files and compiling the locations that files are stored. Final Cut Pro can affect video using tabs located within the browser.

FCP Files
Final Cut Pro is tunable. Locate files where you need them and configure Final Cut Pro to retrieve and edit, store and share. Final Cut Pro allows the user to erase all files except the project file. For cost-saving storage capabilities Final Cut Pro places these foundation elements high on the list of what makes Final Cut Pro the best video editing software available for Mac OS X.

About Small Tree
Designer of simple-to-install, affordable Mac-based networking and shared storage products, Small Tree is the premier multi-port Ethernet networking technology provider for OS X customers, enabling cost effective Ethernet shared storage technology. For more information about the company and its products, please call 1-866-STC4MAC (1-866-782-4622) or visit www.small-tree.com or follow Small Tree on Twitter.

Popularity: 22% [?]

Small Tree Communications http://www.small-tree.com/

Business technologies are split between the spreadsheet and the art of business. Industry and environment dictates how a company will integrate computer network technology into a custom business process. Choosing the right network is one thing but creating one that performs well under pressure is another.

You see, the infrastructure for today’s business technology is divided as well. Fiber optics and copper wire share the duty of connecting networks inside and outside the office. Both methods accept a wide variety “network protocols” such as Fibre Channel, Infiniband for high speed connections, and Ethernet.

Ethernet is the most common network grid and has been connecting computers since the 1980’s. It continues to be something more widely accepted and standardized today. The need for custom computer protocols for business will remain as long as technology evolves but the designs that drive them have also improved and will continue to improve into the future.

Customarily, Apple’s Mac OS is the leading choice of digital art and design firms. More and more artists who work with digital print, video, and audio, rely on Mac computing to perform as the editorial backbone when doing pre and post production work flows. A designer can easily produce content-rich products people pay for in print, video and audio using Apple’s Mac OS X platform. Using the best tools for the job insures a high-quality product and the production company is able to compete for more work and better pay.

Production companies get what they want with Mac OS X

Now inject a deadline and give these same content designers no way to interact digitally together. A firm without a network has editors who work alone. They work alone unless taking a file from one computer and physically downloading onto another computer is considered collaborating. This is also referred to as “Sneaker Net.” The situation is real, the lost productivity is real, and the security risk is real. Having more content designers working together means more files to share, which means you need stronger networks in place to support them.

Redundant: Exceeding what is necessary

Production companies without shared network capabilities report that as business begins to increase, more and more productivity is lost to processes that have nothing to do with being creative. Ask a small design firm about doing more with less, they usually say something like “I look around the office near a deadline and a lot of what I see is designers tracking down lost files, copying files, formatting files, back and forth, back and forth with the files on a portable disk or flash drive.” “It’s disheartening.”
Lost productivity will hold a company back from moving forward when sales and production are up. Creating more productivity equals getting more done. Removing redundancy is the easiest way to get more work done while keeping costs down.

Small Tree says “Our clients want to know how to get everyone using a Mac on the same network where projects can be locally stored and accessed from anywhere.”

The computing power of Mac OS X is outstanding when combined with editing software packages like Final Cut Pro. Industry reports state that when employees working with Apple computers have equal access to team projects, and collaborate together, it improved work flow, performance, and morale dramatically. Small Tree is an expert at providing super fast networks with a primary focus on Mac OS X environments and Ethernet connectivity.

Finally, eliminate down-time due to an over abundance of archived flash drives, hard disks, and peripherals that require physical retrieval and insertion of data into a new work space. Use redundancy to your benefit with RAID file sharing and archival capabilities. Take advantage of existing infrastructure with Small Tree Ethernet connections that dramatically adjust the cost of upgrading to a network that works better under Mac OS X. Small Tree network solutions for Mac OS X put control back in the hands of editors who utilize MAC OS X, the safest and most forward looking operating system today.

Small Tree is all about scalable and reliable Mac networks for production companies focused on the Mac platform. They include service and support from experienced network driver engineers that are very knowledgeable about creating dependable solutions which are rigorously tested under the conditions of the users that need them to perform one hundred percent of the time.

All Small Tree innovations are designed to perform above expectations using the best of the best Ethernet networking and shared storage Mac OS X configurations! Safe, reliable, and cost effective Small Tree GraniteStor networks are the most reliable and advanced Ethernet networks available for pre and post production needs.

About Small Tree
Designer of simple-to-install, affordable Mac-based networking and shared storage products, Small Tree is the premier multi-port Ethernet networking technology provider for OS X customers, enabling cost effective Ethernet shared storage technology. For more information about the company and its products, please call (1-866-STC-4MAC) 1-866-782-4622 or visit www.small-tree.com or follow Small Tree on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/smalltreecomm .

ST-RAID is a reliable, stable, shared storage solution with a user-friendly interface to customize your configuration.

ST-RAID can provide real-time support editing up to 12 streams of ProRes 422HQ using Final Cut simultaneously with no dropped frames.

ST-RAID is designed to use standard copper or optical Ethernet technology, greatly reducing your costs over Fibre Channel shared storage solutions.

ST-RAID does not require any license or additional software on Mac OS X.

http://www.granitestor.com/

Popularity: 34% [?]

If you’re on the web and have a running website or blog, you spent some time searching for the right host to fill your needs.
I came across this post from Justin from the Twitter network and I wanted to share it among you to bring it to your view. He poses a good article. Please read his comments to find The Sales Corner recommendation! – Matt G

The Best Web Hosting Deals
Written By: The Income Coaches

Ok let’s be real, if you want to run a successful online business you need to have a solid web hosting company, period.

I have made many great choices in the past when it comes to the purchase of web hosting. Unfortunately, I have also made some pretty poor choices…

I have been burned by multiple companies, and experienced a lot of unnecessary obstacles.

The goal of this website is to provide you with some of the resources that will make your online journey to success much quicker, easier, and less stressful. This post is an attempt to do just that.

To read the rest of this Article about Web Hosting follow this link…

Popularity: unranked [?]

Written By Jacques Werth

Last week I got a call from “Mark” who has been a financial services professional for 12 years. He said he works far too hard for the $80,000 he earns. My response was, “What are you committed to?

He replied, “I want to make a lot more money and work less.”

“I make as many appointments as I can and I try to persuade every one of my prospects to buy from me. But then, I really try to help them.”

“That is a selling strategy that you are committed to and that strategy is not working,” I said. “It is obvious that you need to change your sales strategy.”

In sales, and in life, commitment is everything. Yet, most people cannot accurately articulate what their commitments are. They make a sincere stab at it by telling you what their ideals and goals are. However, evidence shows that what you are committed to is seldom the same as your ideals and your goals. So, what are you really committed to? The answer to that is simple. You are committed to the life you have now.

To read the rest of this Sales and Marketing Article please go ….

Popularity: unranked [?]

Written By: Leanne Hoagland Smith

Business referrals are much like the game of baseball where you pitch and catch. Did you know that business referrals are the source of 80% of all new sales according past and current market research? What continually amazes me as a business consultant and sales coach these past 10 years, is the number of small business owners and even C Level executives who fail to leverage this untapped revenue resource. Possibly, these 7 tips may help you to change your current business results and catapult sales to new levels of success.

1. Revisit all clients (current and old) and ask for a referral. When was the last time you asked a former client or a new client for a referral?

2. When meeting new prospects or even suspects, upon the end of your conversation ask the
following: “Do you know of anyone who might benefit from my services or products?” Asking is a powerful tactic to increase sales.

3. Incorporate asking for 3 solid referrals within your proposal or statement of work.

Click here to read the rest of this Sales and Marketing article please go here …

Popularity: 2% [?]

I found this article when I was out looking for information on Affiliate Marketing. I also know that Nicky Cakes is on Twitter as well which is how I “really” found this article. This will be good for anyone interested in Affliate Marketing. Anyone who is already in the mix of it, unless you’ve got some questions, you might not get much out of this… – Matt G – The Sales Corner

Newb Guide Pt 1: What is Affiliate Marketing?
Written By: Nickycakes

Often times you will be asked, as Nickycakes is often asked, “What do you do?” When you start making money online, people are generally curious as to exactly how you are doing it. The first time you are asked this, it’s hard to come up with a short answer. Nickycakes generally says something like, “I run an internet marketing company.” If they pry further and ask specificially what that entails, it’s usually, “Companies pay me to run ad campaigns for their products.” (No, Nicky doesn’t refer to himself in the 3rd person when talking to people irl) While Affiliate Marketing is a little more complicated than that, and a lot less glamorous than “running an internet marketing company” implies, that’s pretty much the reality of what you’re doing. Companies pay you a commission to advertise their products.

Of course, when you are asked by a family member to explain what you’re doing, you may have to give them a little more detail. The analogy Nickycakes uses is one that was given to him a while ago by one of his affiliate managers: Let’s say that Coca-Cola wants to sell more Coke. They already have their own ad campaigns running on TV, and possibly the internet. But, they want to sell more. So Coca-Cola sets up a program where anyone who so desires can make their own advertisements for coke products which link to the coke website. For every case of coke sold through one of these links, Coke agrees to pay the “affiliate” $1 commission. Pretty simple.

Popularity: unranked [?]