According to an email received by InformationWeek from Microsoft – Microsoft will extend Windows XP downgrade rights to larger OEMs until July 31, 2009.

You can read the full article here. 

This means that companies like Dell can continue to offer a Windows XP “Downgrade” option on select new computer purchases. From what we have seen on Dell’s web site, this includes most of their business laptops (Latitude) and business desktops (Optiplex).

Our customers should keep in mind that an upgrade to Vista or whatever the next version of Windows is (Windows 7) the decision to upgrade is mostly unavoidable and you will have to upgrade SOMETIME.

We have been using Vista since its release in January of 2007. Despite some initial problems with drivers not working properly – we like it. Vista will work with most of your existing business applications if they are a current version. The only reason we would recommend that you NOT upgrade is if you feel the new operating system will create confusion for your less than tech savvy employees. Vista is better than Windows XP but there is a learning curve to understand the differences between the two.

For the record, we do not recommend that customers upgrade their computers which are currently running Windows XP to Windows Vista – but on new computer purchases, it is OK to purchase your new computers with Vista (make sure it is Vista Business).

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If you have not already created an account and joined LinkedIn – you need to. http://www.linkedin.com/ Its Free.

When you join LinkedIn, you create a profile that summarizes your professional accomplishments. Your profile helps you find and be found by colleagues, clients, and partners. You add trusted contacts to your LinkedIn network and in turn have the ability to be networked with your connections trusted contacts.

LinkedIn organizes people by degrees of separation. So people that you know (directly) are in your network – 1^st degree, people they know are in the 2^nd Degree, and so on.

Through your network (and extended network), you can find potential clients, service providers, subject experts, and partners who come recommended. You can search for jobs and get introduced to other professionals through the people they know.

Lets say that you have created such a profile and you are looking for someone to help you build a web site. You can then search LinkedIn for “web developers” and a list of people you know will appear who match that criteria (1^st Degree) and the people they know (2^nd Degree). You can then contact that person through the person you know.

LinkedIn offers a pay service which allows you to connect with people who are in the 3^rd degree of separation from you. I have never used the pay features of the site.

I use LinkedIn to find contacts at companies and people I want to network with. Commonly, if I have a sales opportunity with a company, I will search LinkedIn to see what contacts in my network have contacts at the company I would like to do business with.

This is also a great tool for people who are job hunting or looking for employees. If you have an interview somewhere, you can search for contacts that work at the company you are interviewing with and see if anyone you knows someone who works there. If you are looking to hire someone for a job – you can search by those skill sets and find potential employees.

In this day and age – networking and marketing through referrals is the best way to contact others. LinkedIn allows you to do that by organizing and linking the people you know to people they know. It is very easy to use and will change they way you use and stay in touch with your contacts.

To learn more about LinkedIn visit their help center: http://LinkedIn.custhelp.com

Also, check out the LinkedIn Blog: http://blog.linkedin.com/

Can you view my LinkedIN profile here: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ericclemens

I recently ordered a CD from cdbaby.com and I received this very polite email to let me know how my order was doing. I thought I would share.

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