Remembering Dick and Myra Larkin - National Association of ...

technology tipsBanish your Fax MachineBY STEVE ADAMSAt a key point in the TV Christmasclassic Rudolph the Red NosedReindeer, Rudolph and his travelingcompanions stumble across the Island ofMisfit Toys. It’s the place where toys thatdon’t quite measure up to expectationsare banished forever, leaving them towish they could serve a useful purpose.Of course, television during theChristmas holidays requires a happyending for all except the bad guys, so atthe end of the story, all of the toys find ahappy home. It seems they were useful tosomeone after all.In the real world, however, things area little different. Once an office productor technology has outlived its usefulness,it’s time to banish it to the Island of ObsoleteOffice Equipment. The steno ordictation machine has surely found itsway there. Hardly anyone dictates lettersfor secretaries or stenographers to typeanymore. Today, we type our own letterson computers. (This is progress?)The classic typewriter is all but extincttoo. Sure, there may be one hangingaround to address a quick envelope,or sitting on the desk of some crusty oldtimer who just won’t give it up, but forthe most part, typewriters are now partof our nostalgic past. There are plenty ofother examples as well.And then there are those products thatshould be there, but haven’t quite made ityet. I’d put the fax machine in that category.Not because faxes aren’t used anymore– in truth, more faxed pages weresent in 2008 than in any year in history,many of them to and from Allstate agencies.But because there is a better way tosend and receive faxes than hovering overa machine waiting for it to scan pagesand slowly transmit the data over phonelines, the traditional fax machine has becomea bit of a relic. Who hasn’t had thejoyous experience of attempting to senda 10 page fax only to experience multiplemisfeeds or paper jams, delaying whatshould have been a simple process?That better way is to use an Internetfax service. These services allow you tosend and receive faxes as electronic documents,either through your e-mail accountor via a secure online server. Withthe e-mail option, received faxes appearas attachments (either as a PDF or someother common format), with the abilityto preview, forward and/or save the faxto any folder you choose. With the onlineserver option, you can read the faxonline, download it to your PC or otherdevice, forward it as a fax or e-mail, andstore it. Either allows you to do all of thisfrom your desktop, anywhere you can getan Internet connection.When you send a fax, it also goes directlyfrom your desktop, much as youwould send an e-mail. Yet the fax goesto the recipient’s fax machine, creating aseamless connection between both parties.Making the move to an Internetfax service has several benefits,including:• Greater mobility. With a fax machine,you are limited as to where andwhen you can send or receive faxes. If youhave a busy office, sending and receiving52 — Exclusivefocus Summer 2009