A creatively designed invoice can be so much more than a collection tool. Links to social media websites are simple additions to electronic invoices providing opportunites for increased visibility and contact with customers. Plus, they add a little color and fun to an otherwise boring document.
While I was exploring settings in Xero, the social links area caught my attention. When activated, it adds Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ icons to online invoices. This is one of Xero’s many new invoicing features introduced in December 2012 and is a small step into the exciting world of Social Accounting.
Today, I stopped by the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and added the following to my gadget wish list:
The Samsung Galaxy Camera combines its 21x zoom and 16 megapixel sensor with the features of a tablet (4.8 inch touchscreen and Jelly Bean). Engadget has a detailed review.
Soon, high definition just won’t be good enough. The TV in this picture has 4K resolution, or 3,840 by 2,160 pixels. This is about four times the resolution of 1080p (1,920 by 1,080). There was a noticeable difference in image quality when comparing TVs with the two resolutions side-by-side.
Coming soon is a device from Delphi and Verizon that will plug into most cars and allow the user to track and monitor a vehicle through a web browser or mobile app. The device keeps a history of the dates and miles driven for each trip. This may be a helpful tool for business owners to keep a mileage log. Plus, it includes a GPS and is a great way to keep track of your teenager.
3D printing is a technology I have heard about in the past couple of years, but it was amazing to witness it in person. Check out some objects on Makerbot.com that have come from 3D printers.
I saw Fujitsu’s new ScanSnap iX500, which has built-in Wi-Fi connectivity. Using the ScanSnap Connect Application, a scanned document can be sent directly to a mobile device connected to a network.
Also, I’m very happy with my new Samsung Galaxy Note II smartphone. Despite putting it through a full day’s work at CES checking e-mail and taking pictures, it has 41% battery life remaining. It is great not having to pack a charger.
One of my favorite things about Xero, an online accounting software, is its ability to automatically categorize transactions based on a customized set of rules. While other accounting software have some built-in automation features (such as pre-filling information from the last entered transaction for a payee), Xero is unique in that it categorizes transactions when they match certain conditions for payees, amounts, references, etc.
For example, I set up an automatic monthly payment on my bank’s online banking site for a recurring expense with a fixed amount. The bank sends the payment with a paper check. Xero does not import a payee or description for these particular transactions. Xero imports the amount of the check and “CHECK #XXXX” for the reference. Even with this limited criteria, these transactions can be automatically categorized with the rule shown in the screenshot below.
Creating the automatically categorized transaction in Xero and reconciling it then becomes as easy as clicking on the “OK” button. Though setting up the bank rules takes some time on the front end, it saves a ton of time in the long run.
A couple of years ago, I wrote about the LinkedIn connection dilemma I face when I receive a request from someone I don’t know. Back then, I would just hit the “ignore” button because I have no idea who John Doe is, nor do I know any tire salesmen across the country in Maine.
I have taken a different approach after reading a few blog posts by Joel Ungar in AccountingWEB. Joel is a principal with Silberstein Ungar, PLLC in the Detroit area and a CPA who really understands social media.
Like me, Joel sometimes receives LinkedIn connection invitations from people he doesn’t know with the generic text, “I’d like to add you to my professional network.” However, he doesn’t ignore all of them. He has a rule for requests from the Detroit area: if he meets them first, he’ll accept. He replies to invitations (without initially accepting them) to explain his rule and suggest meeting for lunch, breakfast or coffee. Joel says that he has developed some great relationships from this rule.
Be sure to read Joel’s excellent advice for how to make a connection on LinkedIn. He also has several examples of how NOT to make a connection on LinkedIn (sales pitch, not taking time to learn about a person, and starting a relationship with a falsehood).
Many of his replies to LinkedIn invitations go unanswered, which is unfortunate. He is a nice guy and fun to talk to. I met Joel briefly last year when he came to Las Vegas for a conference and look forward to meeting up with him again next month.
If you’re ready to make a LinkedIn connection the right way and you’re willing to meet in some shape or form, you can find me at http://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinwheeler.
A couple months ago, FreshBooks added an awesome feature to its online billing and accounting software: attaching expense receipts to invoices. I am a big fan of the integrated document management, which makes digital documents always available for quick and easy retrieval. Plus, receipts can be attached in several file formats from whatever device is convenient. Check out this video from FreshBooks showing users taking pictures of receipts with smartphones and tablets.
Since it looks so easy in the video, I tested attaching receipts from each of my devices.
On my desktop computer, I clicked on the “attach image of receipt” link while adding a new expense. A “choose file” button appeared below the link, and after I clicked on it, a file explorer window opened. I navigated to the file’s location on my computer and double-clicked it. That was easy enough to meet my expectations.
After tapping my finger on the “attach image of receipt” and “choose file” buttons on my tablet (a 10.1″ Samsung Galaxy Tab 2), it prompted me to select an action from several options as shown in the screenshot below. I chose the camera function. After I took a picture of the receipt, it was automatically uploaded and attached to the expense in FreshBooks. I don’t think it can get any easier than that!
My smartphone, which runs on Android, is capable of doing the same thing as my tablet. However, I can’t quickly launch FreshBooks, enter the details for a new expense and attach a receipt with my smartphone’s small screen and cellular connection. My solution is to use Evernote, one of my favorite mobile apps for taking digital notes. The Evernote widget includes a camera button for quickly uploading pictures. I uploaded a picture of the receipt with the Evernote app on my smartphone, and when I was later on my desktop computer, I downloaded the image from Evernote’s web application. I then went to FreshBooks, added a new expense and attached the receipt image.
If you have questions or are seeking the help of a FreshBooks Certified Beancounter and CPA in Las Vegas, please feel free to contact me.
For a guy that enjoys new technology, I entered the realm of tablet computing a little late. I recently bought a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 with a 10.1 inch screen.
The tablet fills a unique role among the other devices I own. It is more portable and boots up faster than my laptop. The larger screen makes it a much better device for viewing web pages and PDF files than my phone.
Unlike my desktop and laptop computers, the tablet is not an ideal device for working and typing. It is not as portable as my phone, which follows me everywhere like my shadow (my tablet won’t be so lucky). However, its characteristics make it my preferred device for consuming web content. Up to this point, I have used my tablet primarily for reading news, books, blogs, and other social media.
Although I use Google Reader for most of my online reading, I have discovered Google Currents to be an awesome app as well. Google Currents puts my reading material into a newspaper or magazine-like format, adapts the content to the screen size of a tablet, and makes it available offline. See the below screenshot of one of my favorite tax blogs, the Roth & Company Tax Update Blog by Joe Kristan. How do you like the layout, Joe?
While I’m not a power user of Google Analytics like those who track e-commerce and advertising performance, I know my way around it well enough to discover fun and interesting facts about my blog’s visitors. Below are a few insights into my blog’s statistics:
I love maps! The Demographics-Location screen shows that my blog has nearly spanned the globe. It’s no surprise that the United States is the darkest shade of green, which means that it is the country with the most number of visits. The countries in grey have yet to make a visit. I am still waiting for Greenland to turn green. If you have friends there, send them my way.
It is always interesting to see the search keywords used to get to my site. “Should I…” is a very common search phrase. Sure, I can explain how to enter credit card charges correctly into QuickBooks, but don’t expect too much more from me.
Below is a graph showing the value of my investment portfolio. Just kidding! The graph shows the number of daily website visits. It is satisfying to see an increase in web traffic over time. This is a good lesson for people just starting to blog to not be discouraged by low numbers. Loyal readers, links from other sites, and search results accumulate over time, so don’t give up!
Not long ago, a friend told me that he hoped to buy a certain piece of used equipment on Craigslist. He said that he frequently went to the Craigslist website and searched for the name of the equipment he wanted to buy.
If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you know that I use Google Reader to pull content from all over the Internet and read it all in one place. My friend’s situation made me wonder if a Craigslist search could be pulled into Google Reader. Indeed, it can be done and it is very easy.
For example, after selecting my location (Las Vegas), I can go to the For Sale – Computers section and search for a tablet (not that I’m looking for a used tablet on Craigslist, but it makes a good example for this blog post).
When I scroll to the bottom of the page, there is a small RSS button on the right side.
After I click on the RSS button, I copy the resulting page’s URL. In Google Reader, I click on the subscribe button and paste the URL.
How do you use Craigslist for business, if at all? I am curious to know, so please leave a comment below.
Just as a GPS is a handy gadget for a stubborn guy who refuses to ask for directions, Excel’s Go To Special feature quickly finds and selects cells in a spreadsheet without all of the U-turns and dead ends. The Go To Special window can be launched under the Find and Replace button in Excel 2010 and it offers a plethora of options to choose from.
One of the most useful abilities of Go To Special is selecting blank cells. For example, I first select all of the cells in a table (A1:D6 shown below). In the Go To Special window, I select the Blanks option. After clicking on OK, the empty cells in the table are selected.
With the empty cells selected, I can then change the cells’ background color to yellow, for example. I can also enter a value for the cells, such as zero, making the value apply to all of them at once by holding the Ctrl key while pressing enter.
The Errors option (under Formulas) in the Go To Special screen will select all of the cells with errors. It’s a fast and effective way of making sure a spreadsheet is error-free. After all, few things are more embarrassing than giving someone a spreadsheet with errors where there are supposed to be numbers.
How have the other Go To Special options been helpful for you? Please share by leaving a comment below.
Pinterest, a rapidly growing social networking site, has a fun pinboard-style layout for sharing photos. Although I am not Masturbazione e bodybuilding? qualita boldenone undecylenate con spedizioni allenamenti e routine di bodybuilding suck per costruire muscoli! currently an active user of Pinterest, I created an account and am experimenting with it. You can find me at http://pinterest.com/dustinwcpa.
I don’t log in to Pinterest often, so I follow my friends’ boards in Google Reader. I use Google Reader to subscribe to blogs, news websites, and other RSS feeds. It’s my way of consuming social media content all in one place.
Subscribing to Pinterest boards in Google Reader is a simple process. For example, to follow my Tax & Accounting board, copy the URL of the board (http://pinterest.com/dustinwcpa/tax-accounting/). In Google Reader, click on the subscribe button and paste the URL into the box. Then, type “rss” at the end of the URL and click on the add button.
Some of the accounting related boards I have subscribed to are Jody Padar, Bill Sheridan, FreshBooks, and the CPA firm of Alpern Rosenthal.
The Samsung Galaxy Camera combines its 21x zoom and 16 megapixel sensor with the features of a tablet (4.8 inch touchscreen and Jelly Bean). 
Soon, high definition just won’t be good enough. The TV in this picture has 4K resolution, or 3,840 by 2,160 pixels. This is about four times the resolution of 1080p (1,920 by 1,080). There was a noticeable difference in image quality when comparing TVs with the two resolutions side-by-side.
Coming soon is a device from Delphi and Verizon that will plug into most cars and allow the user to track and monitor a vehicle through a web browser or mobile app. The device keeps a history of the dates and miles driven for each trip. This may be a helpful tool for business owners to keep a mileage log. Plus, it includes a GPS and is a great way to keep track of your teenager.
3D printing is a technology I have heard about in the past couple of years, but it was amazing to witness it in person. Check out some objects on 
Creating the automatically categorized transaction in Xero and reconciling it then becomes as easy as clicking on the “OK” button. Though setting up the bank rules takes some time on the front end, it saves a ton of time in the long run.
about the 
My smartphone, which runs on Android, is capable of doing the same thing as my tablet. However, I can’t quickly launch FreshBooks, enter the details for a new expense and attach a receipt with my smartphone’s small screen and cellular connection. My solution is to use 
After I click on the RSS button, I copy the resulting page’s URL. In Google Reader, I click on the subscribe button and paste the URL.
How do you use Craigslist for business, if at all? I am curious to know, so please leave a comment below.
Some of the accounting related boards I have subscribed to are