2014 May TCNAToday

V I S I T U S A T W W W . T C N A T O D A Y . C O M

Texas Community Newspaper Association (931) 223-5708 (888)450-8329 fax 1

TCNATodayTCNA offers connections—connections to information, trends, training and direct revenue opportunities.

Conference ScheduleWhen you receive this newsletter we will be one day away from our conference. Join us tomorrow!

Graphics Series Ellen Hanrahan showcases how Repetition can build a solid structure for great ads.

Page 5

Work PositivelyDr. Joey Faucette calls managers that suck the life out of the sales process a “Vampire Boss.” This article teaches us how tohandlethem.Page 6

What To Look For In A Sales Training ProgramBob Berting , Mr. Community Paper teaches us the components of a great sales training program.Page 5

What is Your Backup Strategy?You will need a backup of your computer systems at the worst possible time. Prepare now for that event by following these guidelines.

Page 8

by John Foust

In my years around newspapers, here are a few statements that made me say, “Huh?”

1. “LET’S RUN THE AD ONE TIME TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS.”

People who run an ad one time would get just as much for their investment by throwing it down a storm drain. This advertiser didn’t realize – perhaps because no one had told her – the power of reach and frequency. How many people do you reach? And how

Strange Things I’ve Heard

often do you reach them?

2. “IT’S RECYCLABLE.”A sales person said this in response to the question, “What is the number one reason to advertise in your paper?” It didn’t occur to him to talk about how advertising is good for business.

3. “YOU SHOULD SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL PAPER.”

The same sales person offered this as the second reason to advertise. He didn’t realize that most businesses are looking for ways to sell product, not

SERVING THE COMMUNITY MEDIA OF TEXAS MAY 2014

continued on page 2

support the local media.

4. “THE ONLY REASON TO CULTIVATE RELATIONSHIPS

WITH PEOPLE IS TO GET MONEY OUT OF THEM.”

This was said by a sales manager in a staff meeting. While it revealed a shal-low and manipulative approach to



customer relations, it was worsened by the fact that several people on his staff were in their first job. What a lousy introduction to the sales profession.

5. “WHITE SPACE IS A WASTE OF MONEY.”

An advertiser said this, while review-ing the proof of an ad which featured some white space between illustra-tions. She insisted on adding more pictures, which resulted in an uninvit-ing glob of clutter on the page.

6. “MY OFFICE BUILDING IS BROWN. SO PRINT MY LOGO IN

BROWN INK.”This advertiser was hung up on col-or, even though he had not built his brand on color (like Coca-Cola’s red or McDonald’s golden arches). When an advertiser has the freedom to pick any color, it’s best to base the decision on

continued from page 1 what will look good on the page.

7. “THEY JUST DON’T GET IT.”This is the way one publisher de-scribed his advertising staff. What he didn’t realize is that, when everybody doesn’t get it, something is wrong with the communicator – namely him.

8. “I DON’T BELIEVE IN HAVING FRIENDS AT WORK.”

An owner made this absurd state-ment at an all-staff meeting. Thank goodness, my boss didn’t discourage friendship in my first job after college. My former co-workers are still some of my closest friends.

9. “IF YOUR ACCOUNT REP DOESN’T DO A GOOD JOB, LET

ME KNOW.”An ad manager said this to a client, in the presence of the account rep. In an effort to impress, he put the sales per-

son in an awkward position. Not ex-actly a confidence builder.

10. “AN AD DOESN’T NEED A HEADLINE.”

This was mentioned by a recent grad-uate who was showing his portfolio to ad agencies. Commenting on an ad with all copy and no headline, he said his professor had called it a creative approach. In reality, numerous stud-ies have shown that the headline is the most important part of an ad. No headline? No way.

(c) Copyright 2014 by John Foust. All rights reserved.

John Foust has conducted training pro-grams for thousands of newspaper ad-vertising professionals. Many ad depart-ments are using his training videos to save time and get quick results from in-house training. Email for information: [email protected]

Community PapersWorking For You

Will the Internet kill your community paper?Did instant coffee kill coffee?

New technologies change many things. But not everything. You may tweet, blog, surf, shop, or search online but you continue to read your free community paper. You just proved it.

Readership of community papers is now higher than the big papers, and continues to grow. Rather than being replaced by “instant” media, your local community paper has become an important part of our neighborhood.

The reason, which sometimes is not heard because of all the noise about the Internet, is pretty obvious: your community paper does what the Internet doesn’t. We promote connections at a local level. Community papers join readers and advertisers in ways digital media don’t.

In fact, the local content and power of your community paper makes advertising even more effective. We are the number one medium for driving purchases. That’s important in every product category.

Including coffee.



DirectorDonna Stanley 512-259-4449

PublisherHill Country

News

DirectorRick Wamre 214-560-4212

PresidentAdvocate

Media

PresidentKathleen Holton

281-331-4421Managing

EditorAlvin Sun

DirectorNicole Morris 361-668-6397

Publisher/EditorReal Hometown

Media

DirectorDennis Skinner 903-794-0996

PublisherAmerican

Classifieds/Texarkana

Vice PresidentLance Winter 817-594-9902

Publisher/EditorWeatherford Star-Telegram

Past PresidentDennis Wade 512-994-0482

PresidentGranite

Publications

Sec/TreasurerAmber Weems 830-693-7152

PublisherVictory

Publishing

Executive Director

Douglas FryTCNA Office

Columbia, TN931-223-5708

DirectorJonathan McElvy

713-686-8494Publisher

The Leader News

LeadershipNot only is the board of directors made up of some of the sharpest and most dedicated media reps in Texas, they also take time from their very busy schedules to make decisions that will help each and every member.

By Bob Berting, Berting Communications

A new wave of sales train-ing programs are bom-barding the newspaper

industry. Although most of them are well structured and are developed by sincere people, they miss the mark of what advertising salespeople need to

develop in a profitable clientele for them and their publication.

The major drawback is that the sales training experts who write and present these programs many times have little experience in the newspaper business. A great majority of them have either an overwhelming background in elec-tronic media –or they are internet continued on page 4

What To Look For In ASales Training Program

gurus who have never worked in the newspaper industry. The material cov-ers such topics as interviewing skills, needs analysis, quantifying measurable value, post sales analysis, etc. These are all good but unfortunately can apply to almost any type of salesperson and hardly focused on the specific needs of



a newspaper advertising salesperson.

The other aspect of this type of sales training is that the emphasis dwells on step by step procedures based on classroom theory rather than actual field experience. The thrust of these programs deals with an information gathering process which develops into a feedback phase, which leads to po-sitioning the value of the product, to achieve the goals of the prospect. After the prospect is led through this pro-cess, an action phase creates the sale. Again, note the informational process can apply to a broad area of selling and not targeted to the newspaper ad-vertising salesperson.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD ADVERTISING SALES TRAINING

AGENDA?1. SELF MOTIVATION AND

INTENSIVE SELF CONFIDENCEAll the sales training in the world won’t help if advertising salespeople have poor attitudes and have no de-sire to improve themselves. In many cases there is an order taker syndrome rather than an advertising counselor reality.

2. UNDERSTANDING MEDIA COMPETITION

In today’s selling climate, a good ad-vertising sales counselor must know their media competition and how to outsell it. A good training program will show the advantages and disad-vantages of other local media.

3. PLANS, PACKAGES, AND PROGRAMS

The ability to present long range pro-grams and effective campaign packag-es is of paramount importance. Most media buyers want plans, packages,

and programs which require creative thinking and extensive demographic evaluations of their market.

4. CREATIVITYThe ability to create great ads which are part of a continuing program is very important. A good advertising counselor knows how to design eye-catching ads, write exciting copy, and put everything together for a long range program, which basically tells the story of the prospect’s business.

5. THE NEWSPAPER WEBSITEAlthough having a great website is very important, there should be a balance between the print product and the on-line product. If dominant ads are the case for the newspaper , they must be emphasized on the website also. Verti-cal banner ads on the website are pre-ferred over repetitive smaller unit ads which fade away with time.

Sales Trainingcontinued from page 3

Most merchants today have endured the slick sales approaches and know all the ploys and step-by-step selling procedures. What they want are adver-tising salespeople who can help them solve their marketing problems, not just spend their budget…salespeople who really know advertising strategy...salespeople who know how to develop the image of their business effectively. This is where a sales training program conducted by experts who have exten-sive newspaper advertising sales expe-rience can really help.

Bob Berting is a professional speaker, newspaper sales trainer, and publisher marketing consultant who has conducted over 1500 live seminars, tele-seminars, and webinars for newspaper sales staffs, their customers, print media associations and trade associations in the US and Canada.

Contact Bob at 800-536-5408 or [email protected]. He is located at 6330 Woburn Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46250.

Free PapersWorking For You

While others retreat, we are moving forward.Some publication’s numbers are falling behind. Your free community paper is moving forward. Readership of free community papers is now higher than paid daily papers, and continues to grow. Rather than being replaced by “instant” media, your local free community paper has become an important part of our neighborhood.

Insert Your Logo Here

Another sign we’re working for you.

Free PapersWorking For You

In a letter to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson wrote:

“No government ought to be without censors & where the press is free, no one ever will.”

Your free community paper works hard each issue to provide you with great value. That value comes to you, our readers, at no cost. To some, freedom of the press means freedom from interference from others. We believe freedom of the press means that connection to our community should not cost the reader. You should not have to pay to be connected to or be a part of this region. That’s why we’re free.

Let freedom ring.



Ellen Hanrahan ©2014

I welcome your input and suggestions. A former art teacher, I entered the free paper publishing business in the early 80s. I write for IFPA, Community Papers of Michigan, and am still learning. E-mail: [email protected]

RepetitionREPETITION IS A WAY TO DEVELOP CONSISTENCY THROUGHOUT YOUR DESIGN. IT IS A CONSCIOUS ATTEMPT TO UNIF Y SEPARATE ELEMENTS BY TYING THEM TOGETHER. SO REPEAT AFTER ME AS WE LOOK AT A FEW WAYS TO CREATE UNITY IN AN AD BY THE USE OF…

X

”””

SAMPLE ONE

Ellyn HanrahanArtist/Design Consultant

Custom Painted Finishes & Murals

Jackson, Wisconsin 53037262/555-5555

”””””””””””””””””””

”SAMPLE TWO

```````````````` ```````````````` ```````````````` ```````````````` ```````````````` ```````````````` ```````````````` ```````````````` ```````````````` ```````````````` ```````````````` ```````````````` ```````````````` ````````````````

`Ellyn Hanrahan

Artist/Design Consultant Custom Painted Finishes & Murals


SAMPLE THREE

X




I will try very hard next time to stay away from the 2x2 “look”… but it really works well on this page! Enjoy the Mayflowers!

SAMPLE FOUR




`

Repeating typefaces, type sizes, paragraph formats, etc., helps you build the under-lying structure. It creates a continuity from one point to another as well as acting as a device that can hold a composition together. Sometimes a piece of artwork can be re peated… as a light screened pattern element or even a part or sections of the artwork can be used somewhere else in the ad, again, to unify all parts of the ad to make the information more cohesive and easier to understand. Visual patterns can create the illusion of texture. The rhy thm of a repeated item can add dimension to the surface area. Blocks of type can even create a visual tex-ture. Relate an image to its background—a floral pattern to emphasize flowers on sale at a florist. Screens in the background can soften the look —graduated screens can add a fabric-like look to the background. The ads on the right have a business card-like look to them—no doubt because they were business card ideas. However, they are also perfect for those small space size ads (those wonderful 2x2s!). These ideas would work as personals, cards of thanks, or memorials. You do not always have to make the type big to help fill up the space. Use of repeating patterns helps create unity within the space.

The SamplesThe basic Elements of design—Line, Space, Shape, Texture, Size, Value and Color are the building blocks that help support the structure of design. The Principles of design—Balance, Emphasis, Rhythm and Unity are the “directions” on how to use the elements. In my samples, we have a mixture of the elements and principles of design. The typefaces, Adobe’s Nueva Std Italic and Regular and ITC Officina Serif remain constant in the ads. In these samples, I am manipulating the patterns, rhythm, and textures in the space. The emphasis remains the same in all ads. I want the text to stand out and I want to suggest creativity without the use of a “realistic” graphic. I even gave my name a creative spelling.

The PrinciplesBALANCE The equal distribution of weight. There are two ways to set up balance in a layout—symmetrical balance, an even distribution of the elements; asymmetrical balance, an arrangement of dissimilar objects of equal weight. Symmetrical balance sets up feelings of stability and strength. Asymmetrical balance conveys movement, tension and variety. In Sample One a positive/negative relationship sets up the sym-metrical balance. The graphic dingbat is an element from Type Embellishments Two. In Sample Two the balance is asymmetrical, but the shapes are repeated, so there is still more of a feeling of stability than of tension. These dingbats from ITC Rennie Mackintosh Ornaments. RHYTHM A pattern created by repeating elements develops a certain rhythm. Keys to developing a visual rhythm are by repetition, or repeating elements in a consis-tent manner and variation, changing the form, size or position of the elements. Placing elements at regular intervals will establish a calm and relaxed mood. Abrupt changes in size and spacing of elements can set up a more exciting and dynamic layout. Sample Three repeats the elements in a consistent manner thereby creating a “calm” ad. Dingbat from Type Embellishments One. In Sample Four the repetition is extremely subtle. The curves on the border, the cutout area and in the Type Embellishments Two dingbat are similar. The balance in this ad sample relies on the strength of the text and space around it to offset the graphic—which is the focal point—and leads to the name. (In the top box I was able to use rounded corners and square corners using the Corner Options feature in InDesign. Back in the day I had to create two boxes and merge them to achieve this effect. And adding a stroke and drop shadow to the dingbat is also so much easier!)UNITY All the elements in each of these samples look as if they belong together. Readers depend on visual cues to tell them what information goes together. A bor-der is a simple way to bring all the items together, but as seen here, repeating shapes will also unify the information. Developing consistency in handling any of the ele-ments in a design will create that needed unity.



Work Positive3 POSITIVE STRATEGIES TO DEAL WITH AN EEYORE VAMPIRE BOSSDr. Joey Faucette

Ever find yourself striving to Work Positive and your Eeyore Vampire boss is doing everything he can to prevent it?

You’re in good company. Negative bosses—Eeyore Vampires—swoop in with alarming consistency on our coaching clients despite their best ef-forts to Work Positive.

How do you deal with them to in-crease your sales with greater produc-tivity and get out of the office earlier?

Here are 3 Positive Strategies to Deal with an Eeyore Vampire Boss:

SELECT YOUR BATTLESYour attempts to prove yourself right on the battlefield of negativity with your boss are like trying to put out a fire with gasoline. Resistance is futile. You waste precious resources, get tired of the war, and acquiesce to the dark side.

Instead, select your battles. The one battle you can win every time is the battle for your mind. That’s the one place where you have the final answer.

Consistently choosing to actively re-place negative thoughts with positive ones is your antidote to the mental erosion of your boss’ negative bar-rage. Create a dynamic list of positive thoughts about business to crowd out the negative messaging of your Eeyore Vampire supervisor. Keep it on your tablet and smartphone for on-the-go reinforcement so you win the battle of your mind.

SET YOUR BOUNDARIESAs you win the battle of your mind, you increase your odds of winning by setting boundaries in your relation-ship with the Eeyore Vampire boss. The most positive results-producing boundary you set is with the time you spend with him.

Get in and out as quickly as possible whether on the phone, an email, or in person. Invest the obligatory time—he’s the boss—yet treat him as if he has the flu. When you’re with some-one sneezing and coughing, you back up and out of the room asap.

Negativity is like the flu. Sales decrease with less productive and you work longer hours. Your boss is the carrier. Avoid him as possible.

Adopt a “must go” attitude. Invest only as much time as is required with your Eeyore Vampire boss.

STEER YOUR BOATYou’re winning the battle for your mind by giving the Eeyore Vampire boss as little time as possible. In those times when you must talk with her, steer the boat of conversation.

She will talk about what you’re doing wrong and search for what’s not going right—the “sickness model.”

Steer the boat of your conversation to the “wellness model.” Your rudder is this phrase: “Yes, you’re right, and yet…” “Yes, you’re right” acknowledg-es there is room for growth. “…and yet” transitions to your positive results while avoiding “but” which is a mental stop sign of disagreement. Steering the conversation in this way empowers you to focus on the positive and filter out the negative as much as possible.

Yes, you can positively deal with your Eeyore Vampire boss as you select your battles, set your boundaries, and steer your boat of conversation as you Work Positive in the negative world.

Here are more positive ways to deal with a Vampire Boss. I knew there were flocks of negative bosses everywhere, but evidently more than I realized.

Your overwhelming response prompt-ed me to remember some of my Eeyore Vampire bosses. The one who was so insecure she didn’t want the organi-zation to grow. Another who wanted me to trade product for pot. The one whose boyfriend was jealous of my success.

I reflected on what I learned from them and here are “3 More Positive Strate-gies to Deal with Your Eeyore Vampire Boss”:

TAKE CHARGE OF THE CONVERSATION

From the one who was so insecure she didn’t want the organization to grow I learned that positive success means change. While some bosses say they want to succeed, their definition is to keep things as they are. To prop up the current façade so that it survives, not thrives.

Take charge of the conversation with such bosses and realize that their fear is real, primarily fear of losing control. Rather than waiting until the weekly meeting, have impromptu conversa-tions about some positive outcome and connect it to something famil-iar that he knows about. That’s com-forting to your boss, easing him into growth mode rather than jerking him out of his comfort zone.



TAKE CARE OF YOURSELFFrom the one who wanted me to trade product for pot (and promised to share with me) I learned that you have to take care of yourself.

Yes, the job is important. Yes, you re-spect authority. Yes, you need to make money.

Yes, you have a job and respect au-thority in jail, but it doesn’t pay very much.

Each morning when you get up and stare at yourself in the make-up or shaving mirror, it’s you. Only you. Your first responsibility is to yourself. As James Altucher writes in his great book, be sure to “Choose Yourself.” www.jamesaltucher.com

Take care of yourself. Live in honesty, integrity, and love and you’ll always have a job, or better yet, be your own Work Positive boss!

TAKE COMPASSION ON THE BOSSFrom the one whose boyfriend was jealous of my success I learned that sometimes the boss needs some com-passion, too.

I was 22 years old, had tripled the company’s revenue each month in my first three months, even picked up her Great Dane from the shelter when he ran off in a driving rainstorm, and she fired me a week after I returned from my honeymoon because her boyfriend was threatened by me. What did I learn?

It took a while to quit hating her and forgive her. When I did, I realized this company was the first she owned. She was figuring out what it meant to be responsible for all kinds of operational matters that she had little background in. She was in way over her head, which is why she got drunk to fire me. Later she lost the business.

The boss is human and makes mis-takes, too. I made my fair share work-ing for her.

Quit hating the boss. Hate hurts only you.

Forgive the boss. No, she doesn’t de-serve it, but forgive her for your sake.

Take compassion on the boss for being human, too, take care of yourself, and take charge of the conversation so you Work Positive in a negative world.

Dr. Joey Faucette is the #1 Amazon best-selling author of Work Positive in a Nega-tive World (Entrepreneur Press), leading Positive Success expert, & speaker who helps business professionals increase sales with greater productivity so they leave the office earlier to do what they love with those they love. Discover more at www.ListentoLife.org.

Advanced Selling Skills For The Advertising Sales ProeBook now on sale www.adsalespro.comBob Berting, newspaper marketing consultant, has published his new e-book for sales professionals in the newspaper industry entitled “Advanced Selling Skills For The Advertising Sales Pro”. This is a publication for beginning salespeople to learn advanced selling techniques and experienced salespeople tosharpen their selling skills. Salespeople can learn more about this publication by using the link www.adsalespro.com and see the table of contents as well as reading the complimentary first chapter. The cost to download the eBook is only $24.95.

Bob Berting is a professional speaker, newspaper sales trainer, publisher, and marketing consultant who has conducted over 1500 live seminars and tele-seminars for newspaper sales staffs, their customers, and print media associations in the U.S. and Canada. His 40 year background includes 15 years in newspaper management, 5 years as university marketing instructor, and owner of a full service advertising agency for 20 years..

Bob can be contacted at [email protected] or 800-536-5408. He is located at 6330 Woburn Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46250.

$24.95



BEST PRACTICES FOR PLANNING EFFECTIVE BACKUP SYSTEMS AT

YOUR ORGANIZATIONby Kevin Lo and Elliott Harmon, both of TechSoup.org

Regular backups are vital insurance against a data-loss catastrophe. In this article, we’ll offer some best practices and basic strategies for backup. Be sure to also read our follow-up article on implementing your organization’s backup strategy.

SAVING TIME BY SPENDING TIMEDeveloping a solid backup plan re-quires an investment of time and money, but the cost is far less than the burdensome task of recreating data for which no backup exists.

Susan at the Eagle’s Nest Foundation (ENF) is no stranger to IT disasters. ENF’s remote campsite frequently deals with power and Internet failures. Susan had this to say about regular backups: “It’s better to ‘waste’ the time backing up than to dread the effects of a disaster that could happen any time. Redundancy in communication options is very important, as is hav-ing off-site resources for communi-cation when your systems are down. We have two offices in different parts of the state. This gives us an excellent natural backup strategy.”

UNDERSTANDING ON-PREMISE AND REMOTE BACKUP

There are two broadly defined ap-proaches to backup: on-premise back-up and remote backup. Either route (or both) may be appropriate for your nonprofit.

ON-PREMISE BACKUP

Your Organization’s Backup Strategy

In an on-premise setup, you can copy your data to a second hard drive, other media, or a shared drive, either manu-ally or at specified intervals.

With this setup, all the data is within your reach — and therein lies both its value and its risk. You can always ac-cess your information when necessary, but that information is vulnerable to loss, whether through theft (someone breaking in and stealing equipment) or damage (such as a leaky water pipe or a natural disaster).

REMOTE BACKUPIn remote backup, your computer automatically sends your data to a re-mote center at specified intervals. To perform a backup, you simply install the software on every computer con-taining data you want to back up, set up a backup schedule, and identify the files and folders to be copied. The software then takes care of backing up the data for you.

With remote backup solutions, you don’t incur the expense of purchasing backup equipment, and in the event of a disaster you can still recover criti-cal data. This makes remote backup ideal for small nonprofits (say, 2 to 10 people) that need to back up critical information such as donor lists, fun-draising campaign documents, and fi-nancial data, but lack the equipment, expertise, or inclination to set up dedi-cated on-site storage.

Automation is another key benefit to remote backup. A software program won’t forget to make an extra copy of a critical folder; a harried employee at the end of a busy week might. By tak-ing the backup task out of your users’

hands you avoid the “I forgot” prob-lem.

The main downside to remote backup solutions is that Internet access is re-quired to fully restore your backed-up data. If your Internet connection goes down (as may happen in a disaster scenario), you won’t be able to restore from your backups until your Internet connection is restored.

Another potential downside is that

continued on page 9

you have to entrust critical data to a third party. So make sure you choose a provider that is reliable, stable, and secure. You can also help secure your data by encrypting it before it is trans-mitted to the remote backup center.

UNDERSTANDING TYPES OF BACKUP

With most backup solutions you can choose to back up all of your data (a full backup) or just parts of your data (an incremental or differential back-up).

A full backup is the most complete type of backup. It is more time-con-suming and requires more storage space than other backup options.

An incremental backup only backs up files that have been changed or new-



ly created since the last incremental backup. This is faster than a full back-up and requires less storage space. However, in order to completely re-store all your files, you’ll need to have all incremental backups available. And in order to find a specific file, you may need to search through several incre-mental backups.

A differential backup also backs up a subset of your data, like an incremen-tal backup. But a differential backup only backs up the files that have been changed or newly created since the last full backup.

BEST PRACTICES FOR BACKUPAll backup routines must balance expense and effort against risk. Few backup methods are 100-percent airtight — and those that are may be more trouble to implement than they’re worth. That said, here are some rules of thumb to guide you in devel-oping a solid backup strategy:

PLAN YOUR BACKUP STRATEGYDevelop a written backup plan that tells you:

What’s being backed up

Where it’s being backed up

How often backups will occur

Who’s in charge of performing back-ups

Who’s in charge of monitoring the suc-cess of these backups

Think beyond just your office and its computers.

Of course you should back up the data on all of the desktops, laptops, and servers in your office.

But what about data stored on staff members’ home computers? Or on mobile devices? Is your website backed up? What kind of data is your orga-nization storing in the cloud? How is your email backed up? For more in-formation on identifying what infor-

mation to back up, see the companion article, Implementing Your Organiza-tion’s Backup Strategy.

Also consider data you currently store only in hard copy, as this kind of data is not easily reproducible. For example: Government forms, such as 501(c)(3) paperwork, Financial information, HR information, Contracts, and Leases.

This type of information should be stored in a waterproof safe or file cabi-net as well as backed up electronically (either scanned or computer-generat-ed).

GIVE HIGHEST PRIORITY TO CRUCIAL DATA

Each organization needs to decide how much work it is willing to risk losing and set its backup schedule ac-cordingly. Database and accounting files are your most critical data assets. They should be backed up before and after any significant use. For most or-ganizations, this means backing up these files daily. Nonprofits that do a lot of data entry should consider back-ing up their databases after each major data-entry session. Core files like doc-uments (such as your Documents fold-ers) and email files should be backed up at least once a week, or even once a day.

It’s not usually necessary to back up the complete contents of each individ-ual computer’s hard drive — most of that space is taken up by the operating system and program files, which you can easily reload from a CD if neces-sary.

STORING AND PROTECTING YOUR BACKUPS.

For on-premise backup solutions, we recommend rotating a set of back-ups off-site once a week. Ideally, you should store your backups in a se-cure location, such as a safe deposit box. Another method is to follow the “2x2x2” rule: two sets of backups held

by two people at two different loca-tions.

Especially if your area is susceptible to natural disasters, think about going a step further. You need to make sure your local and remote backup solu-tions won’t be hit by the same disaster that damages your office.

For example, in the wake of Hurricane Ike, one organization we spoke with had displaced staff working remotely in four different cities. One staff per-son reminded us that if you’re stor-ing your backups in the same city as your office computers, there’s a danger that one catastrophe will destroy both: “Consider your entire city a poten-tial point of failure!” Similarly, when TechSoup relocated our datacenter in 2011, we made sure to select a site that was located in a different earthquake zone from our main offices.

Although it may sound overly cau-tious, you will be glad to have a system like this in place should disaster strike.

Think about how you will access criti-cal data and files

Consider what data would be most es-sential to have at your fingertips in an unexpected scenario. If you lose Inter-net connectivity, online services will be unavailable. What information or files would be key as you wait to regain In-ternet connectivity (which will enable you to restore from an offsite backup)? Where will you store those files?

TEST YOUR BACKUPS BEFORE YOU NEED THEM

Make sure your backup software has full read-back verification. Design a recovery plan, and try restoring a few files to a different computer at a differ-ent location so you can test your plan before you actually need it.

2014 May TCNAToday

Documents

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s i t u s

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sales process

sales profession

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advertiser didnt

community paper