fusion IT

We’ve been blogging about the technical infrastructure needs of creative businesses as well as publishing a local production events list at this site for close to a year. You may or may not have been aware that we’ve also been blogging about the special needs of managing creatives for more than four years at Creative Reaction.

We kept separate Twitter handles to brand each blog separately, plus an additional handle for our Back Bay Creative Collaborators Meetup Group – mostly for job postings. Two Blogs and Three Twitter handles is simply too much to manage! So we’ve rebranded and consolidated everything in one place under a new name – ka-POW-er!

Please visit ka-POW-er.com where you will find all of the Creative Reaction archives as well as our latest technology ruminations.

(If you are one of our RSS subscribers, remember to add the ka-POW-er! feed to your News Reader of choice)

Do you have a creative Mac-centric business? Is technology or another aspect of business hindering your team’s creative output? Have you grown quickly and now realize you could use some organization and strategy? Are you looking for ways to better collaborate? You’ve heard about fusion IT and/or follow us on Twitter – would like to meet in person?

Now through the end of July, fusion IT is offering Open Office Hours in the WorkBar Boston conference room every Thursday from 3:00 – 4:00 PM. We will offer two half-hour sessions to offer big picture advice, without cost or obligation.

(UPDATE-SEPT 2010: We plan to resume Office Hours in October)

We first read about Open Office Hours last Fall at 37 Signals and loved the idea. Then Scott Kisner wrote this article last December detailing a few local (to Boston) experiments. (Be sure to scroll down to “Open-Door Policy). Now fusion IT is following the lead of our WorkBar Boston colleagues New Leaf Legal.

Here’s a list of the types of questions we can answer:

• How can we make our network faster?
• Why do we need our wireless to be secure?
• How can I stop using my aol/hotmail/comcast/rcn e-mail to use my own branding and appear more professional?
• We know we should back up, but how do we start?
• How can we make our web videos look better?
• Why is our Final Cut editing system so slow?
• Should we upgrade to Snow Leopard? Should we upgrade to Adobe CS5?
• Why does it take so long to export video? Can we make it go any faster?
• We have dozens of hard drives. Is this a safe way to store our video footage?
• What’s the difference between Avid and Final Cut Pro?
• I have dozens of passwords (or passwords on post-its). How can I manage them safely?
• Is there any way to reduce the amount of Spam we get?
• How can we improve the productivity in our office?
• We need a new web site, and have no idea how to start. Can you help us?
• We have X video camera, Y editing software, and we need to put Z on the web. How?
• What is a codec? What is “uncompressed”. What’s better, 720p or 1080i?
• Should I buy a new Mac now, or should I wait?

Ask any of these, or bring your own. Contact us to inquire about the next available time slot. We look forward to chatting!

We recently passed an important landmark – doin’ about 80 MPH!

There’s been little time to rest, as we revamped our web site, adding this blog to it, passed a certification exam, transitioned the MPC to a new web site, and are gearing up to launch an e-Mail newsletter. In addition to networking, blogging and tweeting.

None of this is merely busywork. Our purpose is to inspire, connect and equip the Massachusetts Creative Economy to do great things. We hope that you are inspired to do the same!