The Blogging, Podcasting Church

The Blogging, Podcasting Church

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This Liverpool Church claims that Podcasting encourages people to attend their church.

Blogging Church is a one-stop resource for pastors and leaders who want to know the why, what, and how of blogging.

  • Why should my church embrace blogging?
  • What can blogs accomplish in my church?
  • How can we get started?
Microsoft Empower ISV program

Microsoft Empower ISV program

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Microsoft Empower for ISVs
Empower Benefits

Microsoft Empower for ISVs offers the following benefits:
  • Up to five (5) software licenses (for internal use):

    • Microsoft Windows XP

    • Microsoft Office XP (Premium or Developer Edition) or Microsoft Office 2003 Editions

  • One (1) software license and up to five (5) Client Access Licenses (CALs) for:

    • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 (Standard or Enterprise Edition)

    • Microsoft Exchange 2003 Server (Standard or Enterprise Edition)

    • Microsoft SQL Server 2000 (Standard or Enterprise Edition)

    • Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003

  • Development and Testing License: One (1) MSDN Premium Subscription media kit and five (5) user licenses**

    • One (1) MSDN Premium Media kit (DVD)

    • Each MSDN Premium Subscription includes the full range of Microsoft Windows Server System integrated server software, all Microsoft operating systems, Microsoft productivity applications (Office Developer Edition, Microsoft Project, FrontPage, Visio, and MapPoint), as well as access to SDKs, DDKs, and the MSDN Library. Each subscription also gives you priority access to new product releases, updates, and betas through the MSDN Downloads site.

    • Five (5) licenses to Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition. Up to five (5) users, concurrent with development and testing licenses provided with the MSDN Premium Subscription, may use Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition.

  • MSDN Online Managed Support Newsgroups (English Only)

    • Ask software, hardware, and related technology questions in the newsgroups supported by Microsoft Support Professionals.

  • MSDN Online Concierge Trial (English Only)

    • This service helps users find articles and resources within MSDN. It is available worldwide and provides real-time responses.

  • ISV Advisory Service – 10 Hours

    • This new phone-based consultative service helps Microsoft solutions partners develop applications using Microsoft technologies. Select from a broad range of services including ad hoc development advice and best practice recommendations, as well as code samples and limited technology architecture or application design reviews.

Empower Requirements

To join Microsoft Empower for ISVs, participants must meet the following requirements:
  • Be a Registered Member of the Microsoft Partner Program.

  • Submit the URL of your company’s official website at the time of enrollment, using the online enrollment tool. Maintenance of the contact information on the official corporate website is required during the membership.

  • Commit to developing one (1) packaged and resalable software application that supports at least one of the following Microsoft technologies:

    • Microsoft Windows Server 2003

    • Microsoft Windows XP

    • Microsoft SQL Server 2000

    • Microsoft Mobility platform (Microsoft Windows Mobile software for Pocket PCs, Microsoft Windows Mobile software for Smartphones)

    • Microsoft Business Solutions

  • Execute the Initiative Agreement located in the online enrollment tool.

  • Pay the annual membership fee of US$375 (fee varies from country to country).

  • Provide profile information on planned software application development.

Act now to receive one MSDN Premium Subscription media kit and five user licenses at the membership fee of US$375 (the membership fee varies by country).

Guidelines to using PowerPoint

Guidelines to using PowerPoint

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Why do schools love to teach PowerPoint?  Because they can?  Is that the best use of computer education dollars?  More than learning how to create a nice document using styles?  Wouldn’t teaching them the finer points of inserting pictures into a document benefit them more?  How about starting a blog, programming, creating a picture slideshow with music, understanding how to use email effectively, guarding against SPAM, forwarding email after cleaning them up and removing CC lists.  I would choose a dozen other things before teaching a kid in Elementary school how to use PowerPoint.  Is my daughter going to create a powerpoint slideshow explaining the benefits of increasing her allowance?  What does a kid need PowerPoint for?  It reminds me when I was volunteering at SeniorNet and was sadden when I saw the syllabus.  They were teaching 70 year olds that never used computers, Access Database!  How about teaching them an alternative to double-clicking which to some was very difficult to do?  I digress.

If you have a legitimate need to use PowerPoint. Here are some tips:

Jesper writes: Death By PowerPoint

How not to give a presentation

Microsoft RSS Platform

Microsoft RSS Platform

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I’m keeping an open mind regarding the new Microsoft RSS Platform introduced in IE 7.0. It will be a standard component of Windows Vista.  I’m perfectly happy having the OS maintain the feeds store and helping with synchronization and letting applications focus on the display of content.  After all, the SocialDynamX software never was a true RSS aggregator.  It basically served as a consumer of a service, just as Microsoft is suggesting applications do in their new platform.  The service in FM Radio was the local Userland Radio server running on the PC.  We simply picked up the data locally from Radio using XML-RPC.