Sometimes, it's been said, The Simplest approach is usually the best. This is especially true when considering converting Paper Files to Digital Images. While there are many advanced capabilities that are available for scanning and capturing data from imaged documents, Most people simply need to be able to scan a file, attach some very simple metadata, and retrieve that file when it's needed later on.
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<br>For many businesses, the question is not whether or not the Paper to Digital process makes sense, but rather how to select the right scanner.
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<br>Step One: Examine your Needs
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<br>Before you purchase a scanner, you should consider what types of information you're looking to capture. What is the size of the pages? Is there Color on the documents? If so, is it important to preserve the color on the scanned version? These questions and more will weigh heavily on how you proceed. If you're capturing standard business documents, most of these don't need color, and are 8 ½" x 11", making it easy to choose the right scanner. If, however, you have smaller pages, such as newspaper clippings or receipts, you may want to look for a scanner that has a Flatbed or special feeder to handle these types of pages.
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<br>Step Two: Choose a Scanner
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<br>Once you have answers to these questions, you can go out and look for a scanner that will suit your needs. It can get Pretty Confusing, so keep in mind that for most users, there are only three main options to selecting the right scanner, Speeds, Feeds, and Price.
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<br>•Speeds – Scanner Speeds are measured by PPM, or Pages Per Minute at which a scanner will capture images. This is only applicable for scanners that have an Automatic Document Feeder, or ADF, as a Flatbed scanner will be largely dependent on the user that is working with the scanner.
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<br>•Feeds – Again, a scanner with an ADF (Automatic Document Feeder) will be more useful if you're capturing batches of files at once. For example, If you're looking to scan and save a 30-Page Contract, it's much easier to capture this on a scanner with an ADF than without one.
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<br>•Price – Oftentimes, price is the key determining factor in selecting a scanner, and with good reason. For example, two scanners that have ADF's and run at 25PPM may vary greatly in price, and it may not be clear exactly why that's the case. You should take a close look at what Software is being included in the box, as that's often the source of the discrepancy. Keep in mind that good Software will help make the scanning process much easier.
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<br>Step Three: Establish a Process
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<br>Scanning Files is not the magic cure to address all of your challenges with Organizing your information. Without the proper process for attaching metadata, or establishing a folder structure for scanning, the time and money invested in purchasing a scanner can easily be wasted. There should be careful consideration given to the process for scanning these files and how they should be named and stored within a folder structure.
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<br>In addition, you may want to consider capturing your files as Full-Text PDF's so that you can perform full-text searches and find certain words or phrases within files later on. If the volume of files that you're looking to store is significant, you may want to consider an Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) that would allow you to create a Searchable Repository of all of your scanned information.
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<br>Current technology has advanced to the point where most document scanners are interchangeable. They all feature similar optics and features, buy with so many different models to choose from, choosing the right scanner can seem overwhelming. At the end of the day, users need to consider how the scanned information will be used, and then compare speeds, feeds, and price to make an appropriate decision.
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<br>About the Author: Michael R. Thomas is Vice President of Client Services for Shoreline Records Management, Inc, and Author of the Upcoming book "Practical Records Management for the Busy Professional." Shoreline Records Management can help you <a href="http://www.shorelinerecordsmanagement.com/hardware-solutions.htm" rel="nofollow">select the perfect scanner.</a>
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Saturday, September 19, 2009
ADD Nation - We're Being Programmed by Our Computers
<p>It was not so long ago that I was able to focus - fully and completely - on my work, on the person in front of me, and on my thoughts. I used to have the ability to remember in great detail the ebb and flow of conversations. I could do a presentation, get off on a tangent and then come back out through the exact same path that I had taken to get there. But no more.</p><p><b>Working Online Takes Its Toll</b>
<br>I have spent the last four years working online. The constant interruption of e-mail, IM, and multitasking has taken its toll. I find my brain supremely undisciplined as a result. Following a single thought from inception to conclusion is a luxury today. I do not like the way my computer has trained my brain to think.</p><p><b>It's Not Just Getting Older</b>
<br>Many of my friends tell me that I'm just getting older. They insist that we just don't remember things as well as we age. And I've experienced this. At age 33, I couldn't keep nearly as much in my head as I could at 23 - but I could still concentrate. It's not age, so much as habit that is splitting my mind apart and frittering my attention.</p><p><b>Frazzle Becomes Panic</b>
<br>The odd thing that I've noticed as my attention has dwindled and my focus shattered, is that my overall sense of panic has increased. It seems that my brain interprets a constant state of shifting priorities and small crises as a sign of danger - which makes sense, if you think about it. But the insidious part of this process is that as my brain begins to panic, my mind shifts focus evermore quickly, which causes my brain to panic even more, and the cycle continues. I'm starting to have more compassion for those who have panic attacks.</p><p><b>Simplifying for Sanity's Sake</b>
<br>And so it is my intention to break the cycle. Being someone who has always been a bit of an over achiever I expect this to be a difficult process. I really enjoy having a multitude of things to do and being able to switch from project to project as my excitement waxes and wanes. But I need to simplify - or truthfully my brain needs me to simplify. Years of working on the computer, having 10 to 15 browser screens open at any given time, have implied that I can do more at once than is reasonable. It's time for me to cut out the stuff that isn't critical factor and focus on the stuff that is.</p><p><b>Controlling My Computer</b>
<br>In addition to simplifying my life in general, I also intend to put some severe limitations on my computer. No more will I allow it to beep at me wildly. No more will it be allowed to interrupt my thoughts at random intervals. No more will it be allowed to shatter my focus and destroy my sanity. I refuse to be programmed by my computer!</p><p><b>The Computer Sanity Pledge</b>
<br>I am taking a pledge: a pledge to take back my life from my computer. And I invite you to join me. If you too would like your mind back - the ability to focus, to pay attention to those who are speaking to you, to think a thought from start to finish without interruption, then I invite you to join me in reading these points out loud every day and committing to them.</p><p>• I will not turn on my IM for more than an hour at a time. I will encourage others to contact me via e-mail instead.
<br>• I will not keep screens open unless I am actively using them.
<br>• I will not move on to another screen until I'm done with the one that I'm working on.
<br>• I will set my e-mail to send and receive only upon command.
<br>• I will restrict myself to checking my e-mail only three times a day: morning, noon, and evening.
<br>• If I put aside an e-mail to work on it later, I must handle the e-mail before I leave for the day. I will not allow my e-mail box to exceed 100 unread e-mails at any given time.
<br>• I will use my delete key with abandon.
<br>• If I haven't read the last three editions of a newsletter, I will unsubscribe.
<br>• I will not download podcasts that I know I will never listen to.
<br>• I will restrict myself to no more than 10 hours a day on the computer. At that time, I will turn the computer off.
<br>• I will find an activity other than the computer to entertain me during my downtime.
<br>• I will not start a new project until my current project is complete or has hit a completion marker.
<br>• Each time I complete a task, I will get up from my computer and take a walk around the office.
<br>• I promise to review these rules daily until they are second nature.
<br>• The day I decide I no longer need to review these rules, I will put them into a reminder for 90 days from today to make sure I stay on track.</p><p><b>This is my pledge.</b></p><p><b>Brain Reboot</b>
<br>If we can maintain this process of the next 45 days, then chances are, we'll get our brains back. And I don't know about you, but I'd really like that. I miss mine. A lot.</p><p>Kelle Sparta, author of The Consultative Real Estate Agent, is one of the top innovators in the industry. Kelle's innovative techniques took her to the top of the market and they can take you there too. Kelle has coached agents from around the country who have been producing as much as $45 million per year in gross volume. Now she brings her unique style of real estate to you. Her dynamic presentation skills, high energy approach, and brilliant new ideas are sure to be the highlight of your day. Kelle is the founder of Sparta Success Systems, a real estate training company that provides products, coaching and training to empower agents and brokers to create lives and businesses they can love. For more information, visit her website at <a target="_new" href="http://www.spartasuccess.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.spartasuccess.com/</a>. © 2009, Kelle Sparta.</p><p><a target="_new" href="http://www.spartasuccess.com/FreeRealEstateAudio.asp" rel="nofollow">FREE 10-Part Audio Training Program</a></p>
<br>I have spent the last four years working online. The constant interruption of e-mail, IM, and multitasking has taken its toll. I find my brain supremely undisciplined as a result. Following a single thought from inception to conclusion is a luxury today. I do not like the way my computer has trained my brain to think.</p><p><b>It's Not Just Getting Older</b>
<br>Many of my friends tell me that I'm just getting older. They insist that we just don't remember things as well as we age. And I've experienced this. At age 33, I couldn't keep nearly as much in my head as I could at 23 - but I could still concentrate. It's not age, so much as habit that is splitting my mind apart and frittering my attention.</p><p><b>Frazzle Becomes Panic</b>
<br>The odd thing that I've noticed as my attention has dwindled and my focus shattered, is that my overall sense of panic has increased. It seems that my brain interprets a constant state of shifting priorities and small crises as a sign of danger - which makes sense, if you think about it. But the insidious part of this process is that as my brain begins to panic, my mind shifts focus evermore quickly, which causes my brain to panic even more, and the cycle continues. I'm starting to have more compassion for those who have panic attacks.</p><p><b>Simplifying for Sanity's Sake</b>
<br>And so it is my intention to break the cycle. Being someone who has always been a bit of an over achiever I expect this to be a difficult process. I really enjoy having a multitude of things to do and being able to switch from project to project as my excitement waxes and wanes. But I need to simplify - or truthfully my brain needs me to simplify. Years of working on the computer, having 10 to 15 browser screens open at any given time, have implied that I can do more at once than is reasonable. It's time for me to cut out the stuff that isn't critical factor and focus on the stuff that is.</p><p><b>Controlling My Computer</b>
<br>In addition to simplifying my life in general, I also intend to put some severe limitations on my computer. No more will I allow it to beep at me wildly. No more will it be allowed to interrupt my thoughts at random intervals. No more will it be allowed to shatter my focus and destroy my sanity. I refuse to be programmed by my computer!</p><p><b>The Computer Sanity Pledge</b>
<br>I am taking a pledge: a pledge to take back my life from my computer. And I invite you to join me. If you too would like your mind back - the ability to focus, to pay attention to those who are speaking to you, to think a thought from start to finish without interruption, then I invite you to join me in reading these points out loud every day and committing to them.</p><p>• I will not turn on my IM for more than an hour at a time. I will encourage others to contact me via e-mail instead.
<br>• I will not keep screens open unless I am actively using them.
<br>• I will not move on to another screen until I'm done with the one that I'm working on.
<br>• I will set my e-mail to send and receive only upon command.
<br>• I will restrict myself to checking my e-mail only three times a day: morning, noon, and evening.
<br>• If I put aside an e-mail to work on it later, I must handle the e-mail before I leave for the day. I will not allow my e-mail box to exceed 100 unread e-mails at any given time.
<br>• I will use my delete key with abandon.
<br>• If I haven't read the last three editions of a newsletter, I will unsubscribe.
<br>• I will not download podcasts that I know I will never listen to.
<br>• I will restrict myself to no more than 10 hours a day on the computer. At that time, I will turn the computer off.
<br>• I will find an activity other than the computer to entertain me during my downtime.
<br>• I will not start a new project until my current project is complete or has hit a completion marker.
<br>• Each time I complete a task, I will get up from my computer and take a walk around the office.
<br>• I promise to review these rules daily until they are second nature.
<br>• The day I decide I no longer need to review these rules, I will put them into a reminder for 90 days from today to make sure I stay on track.</p><p><b>This is my pledge.</b></p><p><b>Brain Reboot</b>
<br>If we can maintain this process of the next 45 days, then chances are, we'll get our brains back. And I don't know about you, but I'd really like that. I miss mine. A lot.</p><p>Kelle Sparta, author of The Consultative Real Estate Agent, is one of the top innovators in the industry. Kelle's innovative techniques took her to the top of the market and they can take you there too. Kelle has coached agents from around the country who have been producing as much as $45 million per year in gross volume. Now she brings her unique style of real estate to you. Her dynamic presentation skills, high energy approach, and brilliant new ideas are sure to be the highlight of your day. Kelle is the founder of Sparta Success Systems, a real estate training company that provides products, coaching and training to empower agents and brokers to create lives and businesses they can love. For more information, visit her website at <a target="_new" href="http://www.spartasuccess.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.spartasuccess.com/</a>. © 2009, Kelle Sparta.</p><p><a target="_new" href="http://www.spartasuccess.com/FreeRealEstateAudio.asp" rel="nofollow">FREE 10-Part Audio Training Program</a></p>
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