Microsoft Office is still the dominant software used by small businesses for software productivity applications such as word processing, spread sheets, presentations, and in-office communication. But, Office is a suite of desktop applications. Outlook can be accessed remotely, but Word and Excel files are stuck on your office computer. Sure, you could then log in to your GoToMyPc account to access your business computer’s files, but doesn’t that sound like a mess, and it’s expensive! Here are five reasons why I think small businesses of 100 employees or less should consider Google Apps for the business productivity solutions:

1. Every employee gets an email account using Gmail’s web app interface.

The recently upgraded Gmail platform allows for easy labeling and organizing emails. Also, the filters are very easy to set up. And the best part is that you can access it from anywhere you get an internet connection, and it can easily be pushed to the iPhone mail application.

2. You can create, share, and access Google Documents. Ever have a project that you were working on with a co-worker, and you kept emailing a copy back and forth for revision or addition? Pretty annoying, huh? Well, you can work on a document in Google Docs in real-time together, and it will update the changes every time you refresh the page. Also, I bet many people didn’t know that you can export Google documents and/or email them to clients or co-workers in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format with one simple click of a button.
3. Calendar goes everywhere you go. It’s very easy to sync with your iPhone or Blackberry.
4. Take your work home without taking your computer home. How much money do you think companies spend on employees having a desktop and a laptop for their job? If you’re using Google Apps, everyone can have a laptop and take their productivity applications with them no matter where they are.
5. Worried about losing critical company information? When all of your work is on the web, you never have to worry about backing up your files. Ever lost your company laptop and worried that the information went into the wrong hands? Everything is password protected with Google Apps. Very few employees use a password to access their Outlook, Word, and Powerpoint documents.

This isn’t a paid advertisement for Google Apps, I just believe it’s a better solution for small businesses than Microsoft Office. Technology is quickly moving to the point where hard drives will be outdated and everything will be stored on the web. Does that thought freak you out? I know, but don’t worry, it’s not being stored in space somewhere, and it’s much more secure than your personal computer full of gaping security holes.

I have been so pissed off at social media lately. Every social media outlet eventually becomes a cesspool of advertisements and get-rich-quick schemes. Why do humans always make an effort to destroy good things? Twitter needs help, or it will die quickly. Tomorrow, I will post my grievances toward Facebook and Twitter. But for those of you who actually care about social media and don’t intend on abusing it, here are some tips to help bring value to your social media contributions.

Post Relevant Content

Whether it’s your blog, facebook stream, twitter stream, friendfeed, youtube, or social bookmarking account, make sure that what you post is relevant and interesting to others. People follow you for four different reasons: they are your friend, family member, co-worker, or because you are an expert in your field. Ask yourself this questions before you post a link, video, or article: “Will my audience find this interesting and/or entertaining?” Post content that you are passionate about, because you most likely have a group of friends who are passionate about that, too.

Stop Updating So Much

Honestly, put Tweet Deck away. I follow hundreds of people that I follow, and I must use user lists to filter the people that I want to read on Twitter, because there are a handful of people that I follow that post every 2 minutes, literally. And it’s not even a batch of automated tweets. These are real tweets from ADDICTS. Maybe I am just jealous because you somehow find a way to update social media more often than me, but just take a minute to realize that Twitter and Facebook are not a stream of consciousness.

Engage In Conversation

It’s called SOCIAL media, but the social part is often forgotten by people who just want to advertise themselves and their products. I think that social media is a great way to market a brand or product, but it’s not effective if it’s annoying and one-sided. Use social media to meet new people and engage in meaningful conversations. Large corporations are finding that outlets such as Facebook and Twitter far better marketing tools for existing customers rather than attracting new customers. This is because social media gives corporations a quick, easy, and free way to communicate with customers and get their feedback about a product or service.

Go through your last 100 tweets and count how many were @replies. It might surprise you.

Don’t Be a Jerk

I still can’t believe that many people haven’t realized that your social media presence directly correlates with your reputation in the “real world”. Before you write anything, remember that anyone and everyone has the ability to find it and read it. I love discussions and debates on Facebook about political and social issues, but I don’t ever write anything that would make me sound like a 10 year old. I also don’t bully people or blatantly make fun of them (other than old buddies that know I am joking around). It’s so much easier to be bolder on the internet than it is face-to-face with someone. Make sure you choose your words carefully and no one likes a jerk on social media.

Are You A Giver?

With social media, we tend to fall into the mentality that everyone should want to comment on our blog or status updates. Everyone should want to re-tweet our tweets or post a link of my article to their Twitter stream. But what have you done for them lately? Are you participating in their social media lives? Remember, you must always give in order to receive.

Do all of these things, and you won’t have to read a 100 different articles about how to increase your following on Twitter or Facebook. You’ll naturally gain a following that is interested in your life and what you are passionate about. You’ll also build your personal brand, build contacts for potential job offers, and gain leads to clients for your small business. Social media is like anything else in life, use it the way it was intended to be used, and you’ll be the most benefit out of it.