Today I made the transition from QuickBooks version 2006 to QuickBooks online. I’ve been contemplating an upgrade or possibly a switch from QuickBooks to a newer version or possibly even over two Microsoft’s new accounting system.

I’ve been using QuickBooks for about two and half years now and it has been a fairly reliable system for me. I am an accountant, and I have always felt like this particular software program was a little bit of overkill for the needs that I had. In addition to QuickBooks 2006 was not compatible with Microsoft Vista. To get a QuickBooks version that was compatible with Microsoft Vista you had to go with the 2007 version or something newer. QuickBooks is relatively expensive, and if you contemplate any or all of the modules that go with it can be downright expensive.

I have a relatively simple bookkeeping system and I didn’t really need most of the functionality that comes with QuickBooks. However there were times I wish I had some of the added features that do come with the other modules.

Well today I finally made a transition and I ended up going with QuickBooks online. The online system does not require an upfront payment of several hundred dollars like the software version does. The online version charges anywhere from $10 a month to about $35 a month with an additional $17 a month if you want to accept credit card transactions. The nice thing about this system is that it is scalable in cost and scalable in service and options. I don’t ever have to worry about installing or updating the software on my machine which was a bit of a pain in the butt with the software version in the past. In fact I’ve been prompted with QuickBooks 2006 to install an update on my machine for about a year and a half now every time I login. The only problem is that update cannot be installed on my machine for some of obscure reason I’ve never been able to find an answer for.

With the online version of QuickBooks I don’t have to worry about upgrades anymore I can leave that to Intuit. I will always have the most up-to-date version and I won’t have to worry about software eating up resources on my machine. On the downside, I will always have to be logged into work with my books. That can be a problem if my Internet connection is down, however I do have multiple backups for connections. I run three different Internet connection services for my business: one cable Internet, one DSL connection, and one 3G Internet connection as well. So if the Internet is down for me, then I will probably have bigger problems than trying to access my books online.

So far the interface for QuickBooks online seems almost identical to the interface that I’m used to with the software version. For anyone worried about having an interface that’s different, or getting used to a new interface and having to train or retrain people, from what I’ve seen so far the difference is extremely minimal. Most of the items from my old version of QuickBooks, the actual company data, was able to be uploaded to the online version, and within about 10 minutes I was able to transition all my book work from my hard drive to the online version of QuickBooks.

That seemed pretty impressive to me, and I do not seem to have lost any information or data with the single exception that my invoice formatting has disappeared. If you have elaborate invoice setups already done in QuickBooks I could see how this could be a problem area I lost my logo and the setup for my invoices.

I don’t personally have elaborate invoices and so this is not too big of a deal for me, however I do know from past experience working with many other companies that invoice customization can be a lot of work and if you have to redo that during the transition from a software version of QuickBooks to the online version of QuickBooks, that could be problematic and could cost you a couple weeks worth of work. That said all things considered, I think I made a wise choice and immediately post-transition, I’m very happy with the results.

I should also add that you don’t have to pay anything up front for the online edition. I’m currently on a free 30 day trial, even though I definitely anticipate paying for the subscription. My first question will be, what level of subscription will I need to continue doing business way I’m used to doing business.

From everything I’ve seen, I think I will be able to continue at about $9.95 per month. From mine perspective that definitely beats paying $250 or $300(about the cost of a big lcd monitor) out of pocket buying the software at Sam’s Club or even downloading online. Even if I have to pay $16 or $20 a month for a slightly more advanced version of the online system I don’t think it would be that big of an issue, and if the day ever comes where I’ve spent more money on the online version that I would’ve on the software, I think it will probably be a wash if I consider the amount of time to spend installing the software, maintaining the software, and dealing with a few issues that always come with a new software program that you install on your computer. Freeing up resources on my computer for the things that actually generate revenue for my company, well that’s just priceless.

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One week from today the national novel writing month (NaNoWriMo) contest or event begins. This is a event where people from all around the world gather together online every day for a month to attempt to write a novel, or a 50,000 word novella about anything. This novel writing contest is not necessarily intended to produce a polished finish novel ready for publication. It is intended to produce the words necessary to create such a novel. It’s basically one of those confidence building contests to show you that it is possible to write that many words, or at least the number of words it would take to publish about 170 page book.

It is a major milestone for a number of people, and once you have that book published, or at least uploaded online through the contest, you can also then seek out and receive a significant amount of support from the large number of people that participate in the contest.

They can help give you feedback on your writing style, your plot, your characters and how realistic they are and a wide range of areas that help you improve the book so that you can get ready for publication.

This contest takes place every year during the month of November and starts on November 1. There will be launching parties for the contest. Many of those will be kicking off on Halloween at midnight.

This year I will be participating in the contest for the second time ever, although this will hopefully be the first time that I’ve completed or will complete that is an actual novel. 

I haven’t completed this contest in years past, so before I put on my Dansko shoes and start clog dancing, I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me!

Last year I only made it to about 10,000 words. Work and travel and other events took me away from the contest and I wasn’t able to complete it. This year I have an ace up my sleeve. I’m using Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 10, which enables me to not only talk without using my keyboard, but it also allows me to talk and write without even sitting at my computer. As I write this article right now I’m actually driving my car down the road to the airport to pick up some friends and family that are getting back from the Bahamas.

I’m using a microphone with noise cancellation capabilities plugged in to a Sony voice recorder. I take the voice recorder which has a USB jack on it, I plug it into my computer, and I upload the voice file in the form of an MP3 file onto my computer. I can then use Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10, the preferred edition and not the basic, to convert the MP3 file into text. I do a little bit of editing to the text, and I published my article that you’re reading today.

I’m hoping to use the same tool and the benefits that come from this tool to get my 50,000 words out for this writing contest much faster and easier than I did last year. When I write with Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 in this style, I can write about 3000 words in 30 minutes. It does take a little getting used to, and it does take a little practice to write at a level that is acceptable for publication. I have a writing style when I type with my fingers that is probably considered to be at a college level of writing if not higher.

I wrote this 840 word article in about 8 minutes while driving!

However when I write with my voice, that is when I’m speaking aloud and speaking in a way that can be transcribed into text, my writing level is probably closer to that of a freshman or sophomore in high school. I may be a little harsh on myself in that regards, but I have high standards for my own writing. One of the benefits I get out of using Dragon NaturallySpeaking in this way is that I rarely misspell words. I currently have a laptop computer, a Toshiba, that has a relatively cheap keyboard. I mention this because when I type with this keyboard, it makes lots of errors because several of the keys on the keyboard stick. This is a factory defect and these keys have stuck ever since I bought the damn thing. That drives me nuts because I am a good typist, but this particular keyboard is going to be the death of me I think. Never fear I do intend to purchase a new laptop very soon, I just haven’t figured out which computer I’m going to buy yet.

So that’s what I’m up to with the national novel writing month contest, and I’d encourage you to try it out as well. I’m not hiding any of my secrets tricks or tips, if you want to try Dragon NaturallySpeaking and write with both hands behind your back, literally, that should be a piece of cake for myself and for you and anyone else that wants to give it a go.

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