Thoughts from the Gurus

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Do you know anyone who was affected by the recent flooding in the Midwest?  If they are an Intuit customer, please encourage them to contact us for assistance in recovering software and data lost due to the flooding.  We offer replacement software, hardware, and data recovery services for free.  

For those of you who would like to donate toward helping people affected, see this link.

Be careful to avoid donor scams.  Unfortunately, there are people out there who take advantage of situations like this to try and scam donors out of money.  A couple of tips from the donor scam link:

    
• Give directly to known, legitimate charities
    
• Be cautious of people going door-to-door or calling you on the phone, asking for donations for Iowa disaster victims.
    
• Ask phone solicitors to send written information.
    
• Don't be fooled by "look-alike" names.
    
• Be wary of calls from supposed "law enforcement" or "firefighter" charities. 
    
• Don't give your credit card or checking account numbers over the phone to someone you don't know.

Thanks,
Nic

I'm going to revisit the Best Answer feature on the QuickBooks Community forums because I don't see it being used that often. Maybe the reason people aren't using it is because they don't realize what it's for and don't know how to use the Best Answer feature. I see a lot of questions with successful resolutions, where the user comes back and thanks another user for their help but the Best Answer isn't selected.

Below is a brief tutorial on where you can find the Best Answer feature in the forums and how to identify questions that have been selected as having a successful resolution (Best Answer)

Note: Only the person that created the question can select what they think solved their problem and is the Best Answer.
When you go back to your post and see a solution to your problem, be sure to click the "Mark as Best Answer" button.



When you mark a Question as Best Answer, the link changes as shown in the following picture:



And in the main forums, all the questions that have a Best Answer are show with  "Has Best Answer" under the question's title.




Marking the questions as having the best answer not only helps people find their solutions faster, but it also helps the people answering the questions because they can focus their attention on posts that don't already have an answer.

Thank you for helping the QuickBooks Community become even more of a success. :)

I’m a frequent traveler. I can’t help it, it’s in my blood. My parents took me everywhere as a kid and by the time I was 14, I’d been to almost all 50 states.

Most everyone has “vacation time” at work that you are given to take some time off for yourself. I really think it helps you replenish your mind by taking a vacation. If you find yourself under too much stress at work – getting away somewhere might just be what the doctor ordered.

My favorite spot is an island in the Caribbean called St. Maarten. It’s dubbed “The Friendly Island” and truly is. Traveling isn’t for everyone though, and for those who do take on the adventure, you’ll know that expenses add up quickly and a nice week in the sun can turn into a huge credit card bill. I’ve been to St. Maarten 5 times and I’ve received really good traveling tips each time I’ve gone. I’d like to share these tips for others who also might be thinking of traveling:

1. Hands down the best tip I’ve ever gotten was from my Aunt and it was a website – www.homeaway.com. Instead of paying $100+ a night at a hotel, you can find an apartment or condo to rent for about the same price or in some cases less. This means you will have a kitchen to cook some meals so you don’t have to dine out 3 times a day. That in itself is a huge savings. Most of the time these places also include a washer/dryer which means you can pack lighter too. Anyone who’s ever flown with more than one suitcase will definitely appreciate this.

2. Airfare is a killer. It seems every year the airlines jack up the rates. I know it’s due to the ever increasing price of gas, but if they’d give you more than a cookie on those flights I sure would accept the price a little easier. I love the website www.kayak.com because it searches the prices of all the airlines and even competing sites to show you which airline has the least expensive tickets. Keep in mind that airfare prices change on a daily basis.

3. Ever want to fly first class? I got a free upgrade from coach just by calling. Granted, I think that was just because I lucked out and got someone in a really great mood, but it can’t hurt to call. If you call the airline within 24 hours of your flight, you may have the opportunity to upgrade your seat either with miles, a small fee, or just your natural charm ;)

4. Ask the front desk, or concierge, of the place you are staying if they offer any coupons or discounts at local restaurants. If they don’t, try the resort next door – it’s very unlikely that they will know you aren’t staying in that resort. Even if they do, they may help you out so you will consider staying with them on your next visit.

5. If you have an extra three hours to kill and want a free dinner, take a time share tour. In the Caribbean time share tours practically fall in your lap. Other places you might need to seek them out. Just be sure to have a clear understanding of what the “free gift” is, as some places only offer free drinks to listen to the timeshare spiel.

6. Invite friends. Half of a 2 bedroom condo is going to be cheaper than a 1 bedroom condo. Invite friends to come and split the room and the cost. Just remember that personalities can clash so invite only people you know very well to come along.

7. If you plan on snorkeling or fishing or doing something on your vacation that you would typically rent equipment for, consider bringing it with you instead. I bought a snorkel set for $40 and brought it with me and snorkeled 5-6 times on my last vacation. The rental prices were $15 a day if you rented. I not only saved money, but I didn’t have to worry about whom else’s mouth was on the snorkel. I also still have the set so I can use it next time.

8. When shopping, remember that in different parts of the world, and even in different parts of this country – price is negotiable. Offer less. Just because it says something on the price tag, doesn’t make it so.

9. Do your research. There are a lot of discounts out there if you book things (car rentals, activities, etc.) in advance. Find out the price in advance and the same day price. Online booking can sometimes save you an extra 5% too. www.google.com is my preferred search engine for finding discounted activities.

Have fun on your next traveling adventure!

Have you ever wondered why your business is called a "Small Business"? This thought came to me as I was watching an advertisement for a credit card company telling us how they can help a business owner. The point of the commercial was that to the owner the business is not small. There is a great amount of truth to that, you business may not be a multi-billion dollar corporation but it is by no means small. I know business owners and a vast amount of their time is spent trying to ensure that the business is successful. A "Small" business owner has to be concerned about growing the business, connecting with customers, taking care of personal issues and dealing with employees. All of this while trying to lead a normal life as well. I mean how can the business be called small when it takes up most of the owner’s time and energy. Not that this is negative issue because many owners enjoy what they are doing and that is why they started the business. This can be overwhelming to many business owners and can lead to stress. Our feeling here is that no business is a small business, and our goal is to provide you with the tools needed to succeed. How do we do this we have the forums for asking other QuickBooks users how they use QuickBooks day to day. We have provided a Small Business Center to help the business owner. We now have webinars as well, designed to provide you with the tools needed to succeed. Our next webinar is titled "How to take vacations and work remotely". I have provided links to the each of the items I mentioned but encourage you to take the time and walk around the site; you might be surprised at what you find.


Bruce

I recently read an amusing tale of 4 characters placed in a maze where their survival depended on finding and eating cheese.  The book, 'Who Moved My Cheese?' by Spencer Johnson, M.D.,  is a parable intended to represent your environment whether that is your love life, business, health, etc. regarding the management of change.

In the story, the 4 characters all react differently to a change in the situation.  When first placed in the maze, all 4 characters pair up (2 mice and 2 mice sized humans) to find cheese.  They eventually all arrive at a room filled with cheese.  Every day, they would go back to the same room and consume more cheese.  None of them realized that over time, the cheese was no longer as fresh and that there was less of it.  However, one day when they arrived, there was NO MORE cheese.    The 2 mice didn't even stop to think about it...they just went looking for more cheese.  The humans, after giving it some thought, decided to wait for the cheese to return. 

After a lot of discussion (and several days), one of the humans decided to go out and look for new cheese even though he was scared that he might not find any before he perished.  As he searched the maze, he gathered insights about change and wrote notes on the walls of the maze hoping that the other human would find them and be able to follow.  In the end, the characters that looked for new cheese found it even though there were many obstacles to overcome on the way.

One of the notes written on the walls of the maze really hit home for me.  "What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid?"  As I gave that idea some thought, I realized that there have been many times in my life that I wanted to make a change but didn't because I was afraid of the unknown.  I had become complacent, taking my situation for granted.  Then, when change occurs as it inevitably does, I found myself unprepared. 

My learning from this book is 'Be on the lookout for new cheese all the time', even when or maybe especially when things are good.  Are you looking for new cheese?

Steve

You may be aware that we have a Terms of Use page for our community.  Much like software End User License Agreements (EULAs), very few people actually read our Terms of Use before posting.  While there is valuable information in there, it can be hard to extract from the legal wording and the length of the document. 

First time visitors to our site usually have to learn what is acceptable on the QuickBooks Community site by watching the behavior of others, or by trial and error. 

To make this a little easier, I've condensed down some of the key sections of our Terms of Use into a "Rules of the Road" list.  This list gives you a quick reference for what is okay to post on our site, and what sorts of posts we discourage.  I've included a "why" after each rule, so that you can understand the reason behind each rule. 

1. No profanity (including masked profanity, where letters of swear words are replaced with other characters) or inappropriate content.
Why: We want to keep the community a friendly yet professional place.  We welcome your opinions, as long as you refrain from using profanity.

2. No personal attacks or insults
Why: We want to make the community a safe place where people can learn from each other without fear of being insulted or attacked.

3. No Spam, off-topic commercial postings, or blatantly self-promotional posts are allowed.
Why: For the same reason you don’t want Spam in your email.  Posts that are merely advertisements waste time and make it harder for people to find what they are looking for.  If you want to advertise, please use the Classifieds forums:
http://www.quickbooksgroup.com/.f7c72fb!leftNavLink=classifieds

4. A link to your business website is allowed in the signature field.  No pictures or email addresses are allowed in the signature field. 
Why: If people need to contact you, you can opt to make your email address visible in your profile.  We want to keep emails out of the post for two reasons: to reduce spam harvesting of emails; to encourage conversations to stay in the forum so that everyone can benefit from them.  Allowing a business website in the signature field allows community members to publicize their business, while making sure that discussions still stay on topic and don’t devolve into spam-fests.  You can also use the “Show me on Map” feature in your profile, which will put a link under your signature to display your location and contact information.

5. No links or contact information in the body of post (unless the link is on topic for the discussion).
Why: Your profile is the best place for contact information.  If someone wants to contact you, they can find that information there.  You can link to other pages if those links are relevant to the question being asked.  Again, this makes sure that discussions are on topic and reduces spamming.

6. You can link to your own products by linking back to the Classifieds forum or the Marketplace website, as long as your product is on topic for the discussion, and it is clear that you are offering your own product.  No detailed discussion of your own products and services in the post itself. 
Why: To reduce spamming.  You can make people aware of the fact that you have a product that meets their needs if they are explicitly asking for such a product; if they are interested they can click on your link.  You need to make it clear that you are promoting your own business, rather than astroturfing (pretending to be a satisfied customer).

7. Acceptable usernames: you can use your business name, but not the URL to your website.  You can use Intuit in the username, but not to mislead people about being affiliated with Intuit.
Why: We want to make a clear distinction between Intuit employees and other community members, so that you know where information is coming from.  Obviously, allowing usernames such as “IntuitEmployee” defeats this effort.

8. Hosts reserve the right to make judgment calls on all situations.
Why: There are always cases where there is no clear cut right answer.  In those cases, the Hosts will make a judgment call on whether to edit or remove a post.

Hello Community...   Just thought I would highlight the Small Business Center which is loaded with all kinds of tips to help your company succeed.

Starting and Growing  
You will find everything from help on building a business plan, money & finance, and topics such as 75 Startup Secrets and 17 practical no-cost promotions.

Leadership & Management 
The name says it all but you can find tips on managing your time, creating a business operations manual and managing your money.

Marketing & Sales 
Find out how Lumpy mail can help get you message across to the customer and how Target Niches will lead the way to Riches. You will find out various marketing tips including marketing on the web.

Legal  
This is where you find the ins and outs of hiring and firing employees, learn about Independent Contractors and what kind of business ownership model would work best for your business.

Ask the Expert
The QuickBooks Community sponsors an Ask the Expert event every 2 weeks. This is where small business experts offer their time to help answer questions about their specific area of expertise, and you can submit questions specific to the expert's area of expertise. (Some questions may not get answered due to the volume of questions submitted)

I’ve been a regular seller on eBay for the last 7 years. During that time I’ve been a big advocate for eBay – even singing the “on eBay” song when I’m out in public. :) The only time I’ve ever not had anything listed for sale was when I was on vacation and out of town. Until now…

eBay recently changed one of their “rules” and it’s put me at odds about listing new items. The new rule is that Buyers will only be able to receive positive Feedback. For those of you familiar with selling on eBay, you know that sometimes you get the faulty buyer who doesn’t pay you, or refuses to pay you through your accepted payment methods. In cases like these, I now can no longer leave negative feedback for the buyer to show other sellers to be careful. This also means my option to automatically block bidders with a less than zero feedback total will no longer work.

Granted this will probably apply less than 20% of the time, but it still worries me. There are some not so honest buyers out there who like to “play” on eBay and leave negative feedback for sellers for unfair reasons and without the thought of return negative feedback I think we might see more of these unruly individuals crop up.

Does anyone else sell on eBay? If so, what are your thoughts about this new policy?

Ever wish that QuickBooks could do that one thing your business needs but most businesses don’t? It might. Check out the QuickBooks Compatible Software Center to see if there is an add-on product out there specifically for you. What kind of things do these add-on products offer you ask? Well let me tell you….

QuickBooks Compatible Software currently available includes consolidated reporting, timecard management, inventory control, point-of-sale solutions, and much more. So check it out – you might find exactly what you were looking for! :)