The IT Donut will be the fourth in a family of websites. You might already have seen the Marketing, Law and Start-Up Donuts. Its aim will be to demystify every aspect of business technology.

Expect heaps of advice about choosing, using and generally not getting totally frustrated with IT in your business.

I’ve taken on the role of editor (the next few months are looking to be very busy), but thankfully there’s a whole team of great people from BHP Information Solutions working hard on the site too. And because you can’t substitute for first-hand knowledge and experience, we’re on the hunt for experts who know all about IT at the sharp end of business.

You see, when businesses use IT, there’s an ideal world, and there’s what actually happens. The two often differ quite considerably.

The IT Donut isn’t going to live in the plain sailing, smooth running and largely theoretical ideal world. It will acknowledge the situations and challenges businesses face every day with their IT.

Although the team behind the website is packed with experience (I’ve been writing about small businesses and IT for years now), we need people who’ve been there and done it to help us cover every area. These IT experts are the people who’ll really bring the site to life.

So if you know a bit about IT in business, I want to hear from you. You might be an expert in web hosting, networking or accounting software. Or you might be a business that’s experimented with cloud computing, open source software – or gained some other knowledge that you’d like to share.

Whatever your expertise, give me a shout. It’s your chance to be involved in one of the most exciting projects I’ve ever worked on – and to get some great PR while you’re at it.

We always used to put quite a lot of thought into what to give away. We wanted things that would be eyecatching and useful too. We didn’t really want our competition winners to go sticking what they’d won straight up on eBay.

That job would be much easier today. There’s only one prize that anyone who’s anyone is giving away at the moment: Apple’s iPad.

I’ve come to this conclusion after noticing a spate of tweets, adverts, emails and websites, all promoting competitions to win the giant iPhone. And it really is quite astounding how many websites are giving this gadget away.

Unbeatable, Bitter Wallet, Pocket Lint, UK2,  Review Centre, T3 and Travolution. All these are UK-based sites, giving away a gadget which isn’t even officially available in the UK yet. When you widen it to US sites, it just gets silly.

Try Dummies.com, Zagg, SEOMOZ, Mashable, Symantec, Digg, PCMag and authorStream for starters. So many companies are giving the things away that there must be a danger of a shortage for ordinary buyers.

This got me thinking. Could the number of competitions offering a given item as a prize be indicative of the appeal of that prize? And if so, could companies use this statistic as some form of market research?

(Image courtesy of Apple.)

Apple

This hype machine generates levels of publicity that other companies can only dream of. The recent iPad launch is a prime example.

Now, that sort of PR comes to Apple, in part at least, because the company’s products are pretty impressive. With each launch, they work to improve everything – not just the headline features that persuade people to part with their money.

Here’s an example: mains adaptors. These are a necessary evil for those of us who like gadgets. And most of them don’t really seem to be designed. At all. Every laptop power supply I’ve ever seen is basically a big plastic block. I owned Nokia mobile phones for years and the chargers never changed.

There’s a reason for that. Power adaptors don’t sell mobile phones or laptops. Shops don’t put them out on display. You don’t normally find out what you’re in for until you get the thing home and unwrap it. Then you realise you own a tiny mobile phone, but it has a charger which is the same size but twice as heavy. Convenient, huh?

Apple is different. There are two iPhones and an iPod in my house, and as you can see from my photo, as the products themselves have changed, so have the mains adaptors.

The adaptor on the right came with my first iPod, bought five years ago. It’s pretty chunky, but it does the job. The middle one came with an iPhone 3G, bought about 18 months ago. It’s a lot smaller and lighter.

The tiny one on the left? That’s what you’ll get if you buy a new iPhone 3GS. It’s actually smaller than most plugs, but it does exactly the same job as the iPhone charger in the middle.

The point here is simple. Nobody’s going to buy an iPhone because they’ve seen the charger is tiny. But it’s one of the things you notice when you open the box. The next time you try to pack light for a trip, you appreciate it. And when you next come to upgrade your phone, you’ll probably buy another one made by Apple because you know they pay attention to all the details.

Whether you’re a copywriter (like me), a business selling some kind of physical product (like Apple) or just trying to keep your boss happy, details make a real difference to the way people perceive you. So don’t neglect them.

I’ve been using it for a couple of weeks now. Here’s what I think.

Styling and design

Several reviews of the NB200 slate how it looks. But actually, with its silver keyboard and brown lid, I quite like it. Maybe that says more about my tastes than anything else.

It’s certainly well put together – if a little plasticky – and I like that it’s uniformly thick, rather than wedge-shaped. The screen pushes back a good way too, giving you a bit more flexibility in where you work.

On the downside, the high capacity battery sticks out and looks like an afterthought. It’s not particularly neat, but hardly the end of the world.

Performance

Most netbooks have similar specifications, so there’s often not a great deal between them performance-wise. The NB200 runs Windows XP well and it’s got enough grunt for me to work on documents and get online. As a writer, that’s all I really need.

The battery life is worth noting. I’m reckoning eight or more hours from a single charge – certainly up there with the Asus I had previously, if maybe not quite as good.

Screen and keyboard

Because I use my netbook to write when I’m out and about, the keyboard is make-or-break for me. And the NB200′s is good.

It’s a “chiclet” keyboard: the edges of the keys are set apart like on a Macbook. This doesn’t make any difference to ease of typing and while the keys feel a touch spongy it’s easy to hit the right ones and not uncomfortable to use. Top marks for including separate page up and down keys too.

The screen has a different tinge to the Asus I had before. Frankly, I don’t think it’s as good. You have to knock the brightness back a bit to get a true-ish black and it has a silly reflective coating that I just know is going to be a pain on a sunny day.

Other stuff

This netbook is the worst computer I’ve ever encountered for coming with copious pre-installed crap. In a fit of annoyance, I started randomly uninstalling stuff after turning it on for the first time. I deleted something I shouldn’t have and the Wi-Fi stopped working. Don’t make that mistake.

On the plus side, the NB200 has all the connections you’d expect: USB, memory card slot, etc. You can even charge your iPod (or similar) from one of the USB sockets when the netbook is switched off.

Overall, I’m really pleased. The design and execution of this netbook is a bit different to the Asus I had before, but the result is similar: it’s an excellent computer. I’d better try and take better care of this one.

It’s snowed a fair bit in the last few days here, and despite dire warnings on the radio and telly, actually it’s been lovely.

However, this chilly weather isn’t without its dangers. You might have read about my new Asus netbook and how it’s helped me get out and about and find new places to work. Since buying it, I feel I’ve got a lot out of it.

Looks like I’ll have to manage without it for a bit now though. Yesterday I took a tumble on some snow and contrived to fall so the bag on my back took most of the impact. That’s the bag which contained my unmarked laptop.

Well, it’s not unmarked any more. The screen’s cracked, the LCD has gone all black and skewiff  in one corner, and it’s going to cost about £140 to repair.

The perils of working on the move, eh? Maybe it’s time to invest in some sort of heavy duty computer. That might make me look cool in the local cafés too.

The change of scenery’s good, and with Wi-Fi it’s certainly possible to get out and about and stay productive.

One problem for me though: although my main laptop does everything I need, it’s pretty big, pretty heavy, and has a less-than-impressive battery life.

Working in the local café is no fun if your computer is too big for the table and there are three other people fighting for the same power outlet. So step forward my latest purchase: an Asus Eee 1005HA PC. It’s a netbook – a cheap, cut-down portable computer.

At £300, this one was a little more expensive than average, but nowhere near as expensive as some. I did lots of research before arriving at the conclusion that it was right for me. Here’s why I like it:

• The battery life is astonishing. If I switch to power save mode I can get seven or more hours out of it.
• Considering its size (tiny), the keyboard is excellent. I’ve been typing documents on it without any problems.
• It’s fast. Ok, so it’s not going to give your main PC a run for its money. But it’s more than adequate as a portable machine.
• It’s got Bluetooth, the latest Wi-Fi, a memory card reader and lots of USB connections. In short, I can plug most stuff into it.
• It’s small (of course). I barely notice it in my bag and the great battery life means I don’t always have to lug the power supply around.
• It looks pretty neat and manages to be sleek and stay functional. Asus do a lighter, more attractive model too, if that matters to you.

The downsides? Well, there are a few:

• It came with lots of rubbish software on it. While this isn’t unique to Asus, it uses up system resources and is a pain to remove.
• The screen has a shiny coating. This reflects bright light and can be difficult to read. It hasn’t been a nightmare. Yet.
• The trackpad has a strange texture and the button is stiff. Both take some getting used to.
• It has a stupid name. Who on earth thought calling it an Eee was a good idea? It sounds like a Yorkshireman’s expression of mild surprise.

Overall, I’m really pleased – and convinced the impressive battery life and decent keyboard make this the right netbook for me. I’d highly recommend it if you’re a writer looking for a capable, portable PC to make coffee shop working that bit easier. (Picture: my netbook in its natural environment.)

It’s only when you need some assistance with your new purchase that you realise the online help is woefully inaccurate. Lacking in depth and quality, it feels like a last minute bolt on. And all-too-often, it is.

Whether you’re a professional writer or not, if you get given the job of producing online help articles, please think about your approach before you get stuck in. It can be hard to hit the spot, and as a reader, there’s little more frustrating than being stuck with a problem you can’t fix.

I spent much of the first half of this year writing help articles and tutorials. I reckon I got a reasonable feel for what works, and what doesn’t. So here are some tips to make help articles clear and understandable:

1. Use numbered lists, not bullets. When people follow your instructions, they’ll often be flicking between their web browser and other windows. It’s easy for people to remember that they were on step five, so put instructions in numbered lists.
2. Break complex processes right down. It’s better to have a longer list of simple steps than a short list of complex ones. A good rule of thumb is that people should be able to read each step, then follow it without having to refer back to the instructions half way through.
3. Use screenshots to complement written instructions, not to replace them. Screenshots are a really good way of showing people what to do. But not everyone will be able to see them – think about people using screenreaders or on slow connections. By all means, use images to make it blindingly obvious which button to click. But make sure your copy spells everything out too.
4. Underestimate the IT level of your readers. If your audience is a tech-savvy bunch then you won’t have to explain every single point. But if you’re not sure exactly how much they know, or the audience spans a range of levels, err on the side of caution and explain things more fully. A few of your most knowledgeable readers might feel a bit patronised, but everyone will understand everything properly.
5. Think about the permutations. Are your instructions valid for Windows XP and Vista? What about Apple Macs? Have you thought about different web browsers? And don’t forget about the user’s preferences – make sure your instructions match what’s on their screen. Try and take care of the most common permutations at least – if you can, use web metrics to find out what software your audience typically uses, rather than relying on guesswork.
6. Do some testing. The instructions might be blindly obvious to you, but that doesn’t mean everyone else will be able to understand them. Ideally, get some typical readers to follow your instructions. At the very least, get a friend to look them over.
7. Be consistent and be precise. Use the correct terminology, and use it consistently. Don’t tell people to ‘press’ a button when actually they should ‘click’ it. And if there’s any ambiguity, explain things so they’re clear. I had to write online help content for a popular piece of security software – some screens had two ‘Configure’ buttons on. It was a hassle explaining which one to click every time, but it had to be done.
8. Don’t reinvent the wheel. If the articles you’re writing deal with problems with someone else’s software, link off to their help pages rather than duplicating it on your website. After all, they made the software and so they’re in the best position to document it.
9. Get to the point and don’t joke around. If I’m having a problem with your product, I want it fixed. I don’t want to see clever puns or over-elaborate copy. Get to the root of the problem, and get it solved. Quickly.
10. Don’t try and sell other stuff. If someone’s having an issue with your product, it’s not the time to persuade them to buy something new from you. Just fix the problem efficiently – that’s a good way to keep your customers loyal.

Any more suggestions? Leave a comment and let me know.

It probably won’t work (there’ll be no coverage or I’ll lose my phone in a moshpit), but if it does, check out all the photos in my Reading Festival set on Flickr. I was planning to pull them straight into this blog, but I’m a bit rusty on the technical side and can’t work out how. Anyone have any tips?

Update: I’m having trouble getting photos to go into a specific set in Flickr, and it’s a pain getting them uploaded anyway, so please check out my mobile blog instead for the latest pics from Reading. Like I said, I haven’t worked out the technical side yet…

I was playing about with the camera the other day when I found an addictive new feature. One-click blogging. Well, almost one-click blogging.

I pulled the menu up by accident when I pressed the wrong button. ‘Blog this’ it said. And it really did. All I had to do was enter a title and some text for the post, and it published it. Straight away.

Sure, blogging while on the move is nothing new. But it was the easy setup that got me. I didn’t have to do anything complicated or set anything up in advance. My new blog was created on the fly when I pressed ‘Publish’.

Just to make it a nice experience all round, I was texted some login details for www.blogger.com. These let me choose an address for the blog, change the design and everything.

I’ve no idea what it’s costing me in data charges, but it’s really addictive. I imagine I’ll keep it up at least until I get my next bill. See it for yourself.

I’ve never really had a decent reason to use data on my mobile before. It’s always been a bit of a novelty. But now 3G means everything loads nice and quickly. Between the blogging, National Rail’s live train departures and Gmail’s handy mobile email client, I really can do useful things on a tiny screen.