We had a fabulous meeting at RiverQuest on their boat, Discovery!  We talked about tech, had breakfast, and received a tour of the boat from Billy Rudek, RiverQuest’s tech manager.  Many, many thanks to Billy, Mary Louise and the RiverQuest team for making this meeting possible!

Here are the various resources and software tools discussed at the meeting:

How to cope with Spam and Email Spoofing

  • GFI Essentials – http://www.gfi.com/mes/
  • RMU uses Proofpoint Protection Server – http://www.proofpoint.com/
  • Avoid putting email addresses directly on web pages (link to a word or phrase that is not the email address in question  – Email me or leonard AT rmu DOT edu)
  • Configure folders and rules in email client to sort

Content Filtering in the Workplace

  • Sonicwall (can subscribe to service or manually/locally work with it) – http://www.sonicwall.com/us/
  • Note that people can get around content filtering sometimes using programs like Pagewash (http://www.pagewash.com/)  – may have to block that on Sonicwall as well.
  • Two potential approaches – 1) filter everything and let users approach you about whitelisting items, 2) allow everything and blacklist items as needed.
  • This is really an HR issue – the policy (and enforcement of it) are the real problem, not the technology.  (“The workstation is a privilege, not a right.”)
  • Remember that, the more obstacles you put in place for non-techie users, the less likely they will be to engage with and to adopt the technology.

Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) Summer Office Hours

  • Find or volunteer to give nonprofit tech help via chat:  http://nten.org/officehours
  • Members only service – fortunately, the cost of membership is very reasonable and is pro-rated according to your organization’s overall budget.  Find out how to become a member here: http://nten.org/join

TechNow 2008 Conference

Next Meeting:

Remember – we have no B&B meeting in July!  We will resume our meetings on August 6 at Rodef Shalom in Shadyside.  If anyone has any topic suggestions or any issues you’d like to discuss at the meeting, please email them to me at leonard@rmu.edu. The meeting is, as usual, from 8 am – 9:30 am.

Download Bagels & Bytes 2008 Calendar & Directions