E-mail driving you crazy? Every time you delete one, do five more show up? Are you finding it impossible to answer every e- mail you receive? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you're not alone!
     Some people are even declaring e-mail bankruptcy - they dump every e- mail in their inbox and start over. If that's not an option for you, then here are 10 tips to reduce e-mail overload.

1. Get a good spam filter. Even if it saves you just 10 minutes a day, that adds up to over 59 hours a year.
2. Cancel subscriptions to unwanted mailing lists, and opt-out of LEGITIMATE e-zines. But be careful! Trying to opt-out of spam e-mails will only alert the sender that they have a LIVE address. Also, make sure you are careful to check the "unsubscribe" or "opt- out" box when purchasing items online.
3. Ask your friends to remove you from joke groups or chain messages. Simply explain your situation and, if they are good friends, they'll take you out of their message group.
4. Don't post or publish your e-mail on web sites. Spammers will steal it and put it on their lists.
5. Don't respond to every e-mail you receive. Yes, it's okay NOT to respond to some e-mails. If it's a group e- mail, don't respond with "okay" or ":)" - it's not necessary unless the sender is specifically asking you a question or requesting a response.
6. Be succinct. Restrict your messages to a few sentences. If you can't, pick up the phone or talk in person. This will avoid the back-and-forth of e-mail conversation.
7. Take advantage of subject lines. If possible, put your question in the subject line, or your message. If that's not possible, make your subject line very descriptive so the recipient knows what your message is about. Here's another tip; create a set of codes with your coworkers and place them in the subject line to help them process and prioritize messages. For example, use "FYI" for informational messages. Use "AR" for action required and "URG" 1. for urgent messages.
8. Block time to answer your e-mail and fight the temptation to check your e-mail every few minutes. You will save yourself a lot of time and be far more productive.
9. Respond to messages when you open them so you only read them once. If the e-mail requires an action step, schedule the action step and delete it from your inbox.
10. Set time aside in the morning and the evening to process your inbox. Shoot for a completely empty inbox. File messages you need to keep and set reminders for messages that require you to follow up.

Now, here are some tips to keep from adding to the e- mail overload of others
1. Be courteous when forwarding an e-mail: summarize the thread and why you are sending it at the top of the e-mail.
2. Don't copy someone on a message unless it is necessary. And explain why you're copying them. Recipients won't need to guess your intentions. This means less back and forth messages.

Retirement:
      www.Benefits CheckUp.org
     www.AARP.org
Saving money:
     www.ChooseTo Save.org
Interest rates:
     www.Bankrate.com
     www.CardRatings .com
Mutual funds:
     www.FundAlarm.co m
     www.Morningstar.c om
Real estate:
      www.Realtor.com
      www.Zillow.com
     www.loopnet.com (commercial real estate)
Paying for college:
     www.FinAid.org
     www.collegesavi ngs.org
Financial planning:
     www.fplanet.org
      www.smartab outmoney.org
     www.Youngmon ey.com
Consumer Protection:
     www.idtheftcenter.o rg
Legal:
     www.findlaw.com

     With the new year upon us, many of you may have upgraded your old PCs for shiny new ones. So what should you do about that old PC left over? Whatever you do, don't just throw it into a dumpster! Not only is it an environmental hazard you could be fined for, but you also don't want complete strangers getting access to your old files, passwords, financial information, and e-mails.
     First, keep your old PC around for a few months until you are absolutely certain that you transferred all of the files and programs you needed to your new PC.
     Next, you need to make sure the hard drive is wiped clean of any data you had stored on it - and simply deleting the files is not enough. We recommend you seek professional help in clearing the hard drive from any old PCs you are disposing of. PC MedEvac provides this service for $25 (we can also dispose of it for you)
     Finally, you may consider donating your old PCs to a charity such as Youth for Technology (youthfortechnology .org) or Computers With Causes (www.com puterswithcauses.org). Many of these organizations will clean your hard drive to prevent identity theft, and you can write off the donation on your taxes! PC MedEvac can find a local charity for you to donate to if you'd prefer.

     Nobel Prizes are awarded for scientific achievement; the Ig Nobel awards are awarded for unlikely, though sometimes legitimate, scientific achievement.
     The awards are the brainchild of editor and co-founder Marc Abrahams whose magazine is called The Annals of Improbable Research (www.improb.com). According to CNN.com, past awards have gone to researchers who:

¨ Gave hamsters Viagra and discovered it prevented them from suffering jet lag.
¨ Looked at sword swallowing and its side affects.
¨ Created a "bottomless" bowl of soup which proved Americans eat as long as there is food in front of them, not just until they are full.
¨ Found that wrinkles in sheets are replicated in human and animal skin.
¨ Created a device that drops a net over bank robbers.
¨ Explored why woodpeckers don't get headaches.
¨ Looked into the question of what happens to clams when given Prozac.
¨ Asked why spaghetti break into more than two pieces.
¨ Levitated a frog, pieces of fruits and vegetables, and a grasshopper.
¨ Queried why birds were not pooping on a statue.

     A lot of people are paying hefty bank service fees without knowing about it! That's because most people never request a fee schedule from their bank and review them from time to time. Here are just a few of the ways banks are slipping in hidden charges and fees to their customers:

· Online bill pay. Are you sure this is free? Many banks offer deals where the first two months are free, followed by a monthly fee thereafter.
· Use of ATMs in foreign countries can cost as much as $5 per transaction.
· Check enclosure fees. This is for return of cancelled checks, images, debits, or substitute checks.
· Copies of deposit slips or checks. Banks often charge $2 or more per copy.
· Insufficient funds or returned items fees. Keep an eye on this because it can really pack a wallop! That's because on the first day, the bank will charge an "occurrence" fee which can be $20 to $25. But it doesn't end there. For every day your account is overdrawn, they often charge a higher fee ($35 or more) for each transaction.
· Some banks charge research fees as high as $20 per hour, with a one hour minimum. "Statement balancing" is listed under research fees.
· Money transfers between accounts. Some will charge $10 per instance.
· Customer service inquiry fees. At some banks, only one free inquiry is allowed per statement period; after that is used, a fee is charged.
· Need a letter of reference? Some banks charge $10 for this service.

If this is one of your New Year's Resolutions I can help!

• If people don't know you're in business - you're not in business
• When your customers don't hear from you they may assume you're not there.
• Unless you ask for referrals, most people don't even think about people they know who can use your services


If I could show you a way to keep you "top of mind" with curret and potential clients would you be interested?

To start out 2008 with a bang give Theresa Carter a call (369-7801), email me or check out the demo on my website.

     Your domain is registered by one company, your hosting service is supplied elsewhere, then you find out that another company will beat the prices you are paying if you bundle the hosting and domain name registration and employ the services all in one company. This will be beneficial to your bottom line, but you are uncertain how to transfer your domain.
     Whether you have been paying one registration company for years or only a few months, you can switch the company that handles your domain registration. The only stipulation is that the transfer can only take place after 60 days of your last transfer or purchase of that domain.
     To transfer a domain, first check the Web site of the company you wish to finally use. There will be instructions for an initial transfer purchase. The fees are usually similar to purchasing a new domain for a year, so it can be a money saver to wait until your yearly fee is due at the original registrar.
     After you fill in the forms at the desired registrar, contact the administrative contact associated with the domain and current registrar to advise them of your transfer. The administrative contact is an individual or organization authorized to interact with your domain name registrar on behalf of the registrant specified in the WHOIS record. This confirms that you are actually authorizing this transaction. The new company will send a transfer request, and your current company should email you for authorization as well. All of these communications also go through a main Registry, but you will not have to make that contact. Transfers take several days to complete.
     You are responsible for filling in the appropriate administrative contact on the forms for the registration which will update the WHOIS database directory. The WHOIS directory is a database of domains and the owners associated with those names.
     It may be in your best interest to check the policy of your new registrar company. Some will allow you to lock domain names to prevent unauthorized domain transfers. You can unlock your domain online through your account or in that initial contact when you inform the company of the transfer.
     Beware of scams! Be mindful of where your domain is registered. Some fraudulent transfers are being made when a purchaser gets a notice from a company that a payment is due and that consumer pays without a question. The domain gets transferred to another company and the associated Web site goes down because the proper steps were not taken to change DNS information on the hosting server. This scam is common and emphasizes the security of the locking feature offered by some registrar companies.
     For a step-by-step instructions visit: www.creativisibility.com

Do you have a funny story or a resource you want to share with other subscribers? Send it to me! We are always looking for new and useful content to add including partners who want to submit articles!

Contact Theresa Carter
919-369-7801
theresa@pc medevac.com