My blog this week is written by a guest, Ross Hendry from Interface Consulting and Engineering. Ross and I both write a monthly column in an expat magazine, The Deux-Sevres Monthly, here in SW France. This article caught my eye as I’m a user of Windows 7, who is just changing to Windows 10 as my PC has become so slow. Windows 10 is so much faster and doesn’t take long to get used to.
“All good things must come to an end, even Windows 7. After 14 January, 2020, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates or support for PCs running Windows 7. But you can keep the good times rolling by moving to Windows 10”
“Windows 7 support life-cycle – Microsoft, made a commitment to provide ten years of product support for Windows 7 when it was released on 22 October 2009. When this ten year period ends, Microsoft will discontinue Window 7 support so that we can focus our investment on supporting newer technologies and great experiences
After 14 January 2020, technical assistance and software updates from Windows Update, that protect your PC will no longer be available for the product. Microsoft strongly recommends that you move to Windows 10 (sometime before January 2020) to avoid a situation where you need service or support that is no longer available.”
The above two articles were published on 16 April 2019 by Microsoft. This means potential trouble for Windows 7 users from 14 January 2020, because the last security update will be sent out before 14 March 2020. However, this is only for non-enterprise licenced copies of the operation system. Support is available for $200 a year per enterprise (business) licence. Therefore, non-business users will not be permitted to have the most important security updates.
Top ten most popular operating systems
According to marketshare.com for the year ending April 2019, Windows 7 had 39.02% of the operating system market, with Windows 10 taking 39%; Windows 8.1 – 4.68%; MAC OS X 10.13 – 3.92%; Windows XP – 3.57%; MAC OS X 10.14 – 2.75%; Linux – 1.51%; MAC OS X 10.12 – 1.37%; Windows 8 – 0.93% and MAC OS X 10.11 HAD 0.88%.
Even though users could claim a free copy of the Windows 10 operating system when launched on 29 July 2015, nearly four years later, almost half of their users have not converted to the new OX. They must be quite disappointed.
So why should you move to the latest operating system?
…Because the newest one is faster, safer, more reliable; probably the most important reason is Windows 7 doesn’t support the latest Intel and AMD processors. And when 
extended support for Windows 7 ends next March, there will be no more security updates.
The good news is you may still get Windows 10 for free, although it gets harder after the first year. To qualify, you must have a legitimate Windows Licence for Windows 7.8 or 8.1.
If you would like to upgrade to Windows 10, please see the information on the following websites…
www.howtogeek.com/…/all-the-ways-you-can-still-get-windows-10-for-free/
www.zdnet.com/article/heres-how-you-can-still-get-a-free-windows-10-upgrade/
www.trustedreviews.com/news/windows-10-free-download-upgrade-2949184
There are, of course, other sites with information on this issue, just google search ‘how do I get Windows 10 for free?’
Alternatively, contact your IT support person. I am sure they will be able to help you. If you need any further information, please send me an email and I will try to help.
I also strongly recommend that if you PC came with Windows 7 on it when new, it is probably worth considering getting a new PC as this will come with Windows 10. It is then a relatively simple task to migrate the data from your old PC and load the latest versions of the programs you use. You will be pleasantly surprised how friendly Windows 10 is and after a few weeks, will wonder why you did not do it sooner!
Ross Hendry is the proprietor or Interface Consulting and Engineering, who has over 14 years’ experience in communications, computer technology and direct marketing.
“Good luck if you take on the upgrade yourself and please do not hesitate to call or email me if you have problems. I do not charge for telephone or online internet support for the first hour. Generally if the issue needs longer to resolve, I will need to visit you.”
Ross Hendry
My last blog post talked about how to get more ‘likes’ on Facebook, so this is a follow-up with information on the different types of posts you can use to engage your audience.
Ask a question…this doesn’t have to be linked to your business. People like to talk about themselves and this is a good way to get a conversation going in your Facebook post…just be careful that the question you ask isn’t too controversial!
Something personal (make it interesting)
the day, so are checking their Facebook before they go to work and then again, once they’re home, had dinner and relaxing in front of the TV.
It is estimated that there are around 40 million people on Facebook, many of them small businesses who use Facebook to promote their business and brand and connect with their customers. So, with this many people out there, why is it hard to attract ‘likes’ to your page? You could go the route of using paid ads, but I’d like to take you through some ideas that don’t cost any money.
Make images a regular feature of your posts…captivating and relevant images can increase engagement and reach on your page and posts. Research has shown that posts with multiple images get more interest, so definitely worth giving that a go.
People like to see the face behind a name, so make sure that you use a good profile picture of yourself.
Above all, try and post regularly, so your name keeps popping up on your followers pages – their friends may see your name a few times and decide to take a look at your page.
There are loads of different kinds of posts to keep your followers engaged, for example, promoting your blog post, inspirational quotes, top tip, competition and photos of your products.
everything feels fresh and new. The only downside is that the grass grows at a phenomenal rate, so I’m out on the sit-on lawnmower a lot! But even that gives me a weird sense of pleasure…my thinking time!
I’ve always thought that my piles of stuff were a kind of organisation – I know where everything is; it’s my system and it works for me. In reality, it doesn’t, there have been several times recently where I couldn’t find something important…because I’d put it ‘somewhere safe’ in a pile of other paper. I’ve always found what I’m looking for in the end, but this has taken up precious time and effort…if I’d had a designated space for my piles of stuff, I’d know for sure where everything is.
Go paperless – in our world of recycling and conserving the environment, it amazes me how many people don’t do online banking, for example. It’s so much easier that sifting through page after page of bank statements, when you can do it at a click of the mouse. I do appreciate that not everyone is computer savvy, but as much as possible, get rid of everything ‘paper’ that you can.
Finally, I just LOVE stationery! I have an abundance of pens, pads, staplers and little gadgets, but do I really need them all? I like to have them, but I don’t necessarily need them all on show on my desk, so if you’re the same, it’s time to find a place to put them…in a drawer, or in a box within a drawer, so you know where they are. Actually, having all my bits and bobs in a box within a drawer means I can buy some more stationery (!)…the little boxes to put everything in! Probably not a good idea, but works for me!
A clean and clear office space will help you feel more organised and motivated, whereas a messy space makes for muddled thoughts and needless stress.
Stress plays a bit part in most of our lives, and a huge pile of paper can make you feel that the hill is too big to climb; it’s overwhelming.
quiet after the Christmas period and January seems to go on forever…or is that just me? It’s a time when we feel lethargic and I always think January feels like a bit of a let-down after the festivities of Christmas and New Year…..a bit like my Chimp friend here on the right!
Physical – everything your customers see and feel when interacting with your business. This can be from the physical environment of your shops, office or wherever you provide and showcase your products or services, to meeting you face to face and how you come across to them, how you act and relate to your customers. It also includes your packaging and your branding.
a particular product, but just saying you want to sell more isn’t enough – you need to be specific, so you have something concrete to aim for. For example, say you have a crafting business and you make rag dolls. An objective might be to sell 40% more rag dolls in 2019, than you did in 2018. This gives you a solid and specific objective.
Once you have your list of objectives, put them into a timeline – what you want to achieve and by when. This makes it much easier for you to review at a later date. I usually put a date in my diary at the beginning of the year to review my business objectives every three months…of course, I’m not always brilliant at keeping to that date, but by having it in my diary, at least it’s a reminder and I do review things…even if it’s a couple of weeks after the date I originally set!
dolls over the next 12 months. You know what you want to do – you know when you want that result. How are you going to sell that extra 40%? These could be some of your options…
The last thing on your list is how will you measure the success of each of your objectives? Sticking with the rag doll example, this is an easy one – each quarter, measure how many more dolls you have sold compared to the same time last year. To achieve your 40% increase over the course of the year, you need to see a steady increase in sales from the new selling strategies you’ve put in place.
OK, so you’ve tested whether you can be found, you’ve registered your business to make it easier to be found in search engines. Now you need to look at your website and ensure you have the right keywords and phrases in place.
If you are a creative person, you may find that everyday jobs like email, accounts, taxes, marketing, social media or marketing, a distraction from what you want to be focussing on. Hiring someone to do those jobs for you is a great option, and hiring in an expert gives you peace of mind that everything will be done to a high standard and you can stop worrying about it.
Running your own business can be very isolating and this can be depressing if you were previously used to working in a busy environment. There are always local groups of small businesses who get together to network, have lunch and generally chat about their businesses. Join some of those groups and meet other people … it’s highly motivating to talk to someone who is enthusiastic about what they do and that energy is contagious and will help you to revive your excitement about your business.
When you’re first in business, it’s like being in love. Exhilarating, exciting, stimulating. Then, after a while, it might feel like your business is losing its appeal, it’s become humdrum and a bit boring, as reality of day to day life sets in. It’s hard work and maybe not as financially rewarding as you hoped…and it makes you tired and irritable.
So what’s the secret to rekindling the love for your business? Remind yourself of all the good things…make a list of all that’s good about your business, the positive things it brings you. What really matters to you and what ignited that spark to be in business in the first time? And finally, never lose hope, being in business for yourself isn’t a bed of roses, but with a little bit of patience and effort, you can learn to love it again and keep it alive and kicking.
The Write Way 