Google does a lot of things, not the least of which is providing the world’s most popular search engine for people to conduct their internet searches. One thing Google has recently released is something called Google Authorship. If you are an author and publish your work on the internet, in a blog for example, you can become a Google author. Becoming a Google author means that your reputation as a writer will influence your content within the Google search results.

Several factors influence your reputation and rank as a Google author: your interaction within Google+, the authority of the site where you publish, your outside authority ranking and more. Maximizing your authority as a Google author can have a great effect on the placement of the pieces you write, and hence how many people see those pieces.

Forbes Magazine did a great story about becoming a Google author and its new Author Rank. Click here to read the full story.

My name is Aaron Young and my business card says that I’m a Senior Programmer Analyst; but I think it should say “I get paid to write code… AND I LOVE IT!”

I'm from Bristol, England and I moved to the U.S. in 1998 after meeting my then soon-to-be wife, Debra, online.

I've had a passion for programming since I was 8 years old when my parents bought me a Commodore 16 for Christmas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_16); Little did any of us know, they were putting me on a path that would shape the rest of my life...

I quickly got bored with the games that came with the C16 (on cassette tapes - remember those?) and I decided I wanted to write my own stuff. I bought every magazine I could find looking for examples of code that I could spend hours typing into my trusty 16KB behemoth to make wondrous things happen.

I remember my first ever complete program; I was 9 years old and it was the lyrics to "Jingle Bells" scrolling across the 13” TV screen (no monitors!) with custom-made candy canes and stocking characters to the festive 8-bit sound of Christmas music - I was hooked.

I went through a variety of hardware growing up; a Sinclair ZX Spectrum 128 + 2 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX_Spectrum#ZX_Spectrum_128) and a Commodore 64 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64).

While in high-school I got an Amiga 500 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amiga_500 ), my first power-house (it had a 3.5” Floppy Disk Drive!) and I learnt AMOS, a basic-like procedural programming language. I wrote many programs; fruit machines, a scrabble game (with A.I.), arcade-style shooters, you name it and I had created a version of it!

When High-school was ending I had to make a decision about college and my future; would I pursue Computer Science or my other passion; Art & Graphic Design?

Up to that point, programming had been a hobby; there didn't appear to be a huge future in it. I hadn’t seen a PC as we know them today and they certainly weren’t common place.

So, I decided to pursue Art...

My first day of college, I attended my introduction art class and... I hated it.

It was a disaster, I didn't like the professor (and she didn’t like me), I was unprepared and I felt out of place; at the end of the day, in a snap gut decision; I decided to change from Art & Design to Computer Science and the rest, as they say, is history!

By Stephanie Elsen

We would like to wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Each one of us at Red Wing Software appreciates our customers and our partners. We are thankful you have chosen us as your accounting software or payroll software provider!

By Stephanie Elsen

With all the changes happening in healthcare, such as the 2013 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, your payroll solution must accommodate those changes. What are the steps you have in place to be sure your payroll complies with the mandated changes?

If you are using a reputable payroll software system or payroll service, they should be managing the changes to your software, so that you are aware and able to stay current with those changes. However, if you are using an older system or managing payroll by hand, these changes will be extremely difficult to stay on top of and manage.

CenterPoint Payroll Software stays current with these changes. So do many other payroll software programs and services. As 2013 approaches, be sure you are covered for the upcoming year and the looming changes.

By Stephanie Elsen

If you are currently using an accounting software program and are thinking about moving to Red Wing Software’s CenterPoint Accounting Software, an important consideration is which of your current data can be brought into CenterPoint Accounting Software, and what is the process for transferring that data. This post explains how that works.

What will Transfer

Providing you can pull out the data from your current system in a compatible format, you should be able to bring all master record information into CenterPoint. When importing your master file information, the only required field is the ABBREVIATION. This will be the unique identifier for that customer or vendor, etc. All other fields of information are optional.

These are the parameters for what can be brought into CenterPoint for Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable. You can also import your master data into the General Ledger, Payroll, Budgets, Inventory Items and more. As for what can be brought in, again all master record file information can be imported into CenterPoint.

How the DataTransfer Process Works

Any importing of data, no matter where it comes from, is done with the help of the Red Wing Software support team. You extract the information you wish to transfer from your system and provide it in Excel (.CSV or .XLS) file format. The Red Wing Software support team takes that information and maps it into the CenterPoint System for you. We can start up a new database for you, but we recommend that you have CenterPoint installed and set up before we transfer your data into the system for you. We find most customers prefer to start the system setup themselves with such basic information as sales taxes, shipping methods, terms and accounts that most businesses would use.

When the data import is complete, Red Wing Software staff will assign your information to the specified destination within CenterPoint, and provide you a completed import file, which you then use to restore your CenterPoint system. Your system will then be populated with your data. Please call Red Software for more details.