What is AI and Why Should I Care?

August 29, 2024

It seems the AI (artificial intelligence) buzz is everywhere. Although it has been talked about for decades and worked on for years, it seems it just dropped like a rock on the American commercial conscience. It’s on TV ads interrupting our favorite movie. It’s splashed across magazine covers at the grocery store. But what is it? Does anybody know? Why should I, in my business and private life, care about its impact?

One respected source online says that AI is “the ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings”. OK, that’s a bit vague. What tasks? Thousands of tasks are already using AI. Used a website chat lately? You could be chatting with AI. It is in use, in some level of expertise and inclusion, in many, many industries, professions, and even seemingly mundane software applications. Gaming is changing rapidly due to AI. Business software vendors are including it or planning to do so.

So why should I care?

As with any technology, the separation between helpful usage or destructive usage is a wavy line. As with nuclear power, we can get useful advantages or nuclear war. With something as powerful as AI, and it is in its infancy right now, who is making sure that it is not misused? Is it possible, as so many pundits claim, that AI could replace your job one day? Or will it make it easier and more productive?

Outside of the relatively few people involved in AI design and implementation, AI is still a novel, sci-fi subject. But it is coming. Anyone reading this article should be concerned to some extent and should start reading up on the subject. It is easy to find any level of material about it – just Google it, of course. Start with searching ChatGPT and then hold onto your chair. It goes from simple explanations, the through cross-eyed technical manifestos, and then talks about every threat known to mankind scenarios. It is a wild world to explore, but we really need to do it!

It is normal for people to distrust new technologies. Remember when the microwave was invented (sadly I do). Some thought it was going to be a major health hazard. In reality, the health hazard comes by the stuff we are nuking in it. Is mistrust in AI justified? Only time will tell. But already, governments are gearing up for regulation of the technology, which may be more dangerous than the technology itself.

We believe that businesses will embrace it, or at least, will not resist its inclusion in their software. This will include CPAs, attorneys, and medical practices, and your local charity selling doughnuts. Only off-grid hermits will be free from AI’s impact, and that’s if they do not use satellite for their internet access.

Authors note: Curtis Parker is the president of PARKERTECHGROUP in Dunn NC. As a technical business owner, he is as confused and concerned as the rest of us.

A Quick Update from PTG About Our Services

July 8, 2025

I would like to use this issue of our periodic newsletter to make you aware of some of the changes PTG is making and how it can help your IT and web technology needs. It is a short read, because we are really busy implementing our new changes.

In our Web World…

We are developing and soon to release a separate website for our website marketing efforts. It is really sharp, with some nifty features that can be incorporated into your website. It is shows a lot of our work for different types of businesses, churches, health care and more.

In our Tech World…

We have revamped our MSP (managed services plan) to bring itemized clarity to our contractual IT support customers. All new MSP customers as of July 1 are this new quoting, contracting, and billing model. Existing MSP customers will be migrated as time permits.

In our Employee World…

One our long term employees, a senior technologist, retired June 30^th. Many of our customers will know who I am talking about, but we will keep his name confidential and call him “Bob”. Bob was with us for 20 of the 23 years we have been in business. He was critical to our success, and in light of that, we now have Bob on a consultancy contract, so we will not lose his expertise. So, if you happen to run into Bob, congratulate him on this new venture.

On the Horizon – the Horizon is upon us!…

We wrote about AI and its buzz in August 2024. We are here, in July 2025, to tell you that it has not gone away. At all. You are seeing it now predominantly in browsers, but it is also being actively integrated into business applications. It has a profound impact on our search engine and digital marketing efforts for our customers. So the tech changes continue, and we continue to evolve our services accordingly.

I hope you enjoyed this update, and as usual, we welcome you to connect with us for your technical and web IT needs. Stay cool!

Should I Choose a Local Website Development Company?

February 21, 2025

If you have been in business for even a short time, you have seen the emails and received the phone calls stating that such and such national SEO company can do wonderful things for you. They promise big results, number one Google rankings, and leads, leads, leads. But you may be wondering why you should pay big bucks for a national company to help your web presence locally. How can they do it? Is it worth it?

The simplest answer is this: generally, if you sell products nationally, a national web development company with good SEO work might be the answer for you. But you can expect big bucks on your credit card charges. They have to charge more to keep their sales engines running. All those annoying solicitations are people who have to be paid.

If you are a local business and the majority of your sales, if not all, are local, then it probably makes sense to use a local web services company. Here are a few reasons to consider.

First, local almost always costs much less than national. There are exceptions of course. Some local web firms have ‘national-itis’ disease, and charge thousands for a site. Big city local firms tend to do that. If you find that to be true in your big city, then look for a web firm outside the big city. You will be shocked to see the difference in pricing.

Secondly, a good local web company will know that local reviews are key to your online success. They will coordinate your site with your SEO strategies and focus on your selling area. Local does not necessarily mean your town only. It can be multiple counties. But even in this case, a local webmaster is going to be even more in tune with your target area than a national firm.

Thirdly, a local web company can be more flexible. Nationals make their money on volume and utilization of the same technologies over and over. Your local guy is going to be more receptive to things that your company stands out for.

And last, but most importantly, a local web company is reachable, especially if you want face-to-face meetings. A reputable web company is keenly aware of its own local reputation and will be very willing to make things look good and work for you. A video conference is better than email or phone, but face-to-face will always be best.

At PARKERTECHGROUP, we base our entire web services portfolio on what we have described in this newsletter. We provide websites for companies in our town and our surrounding counties.

You have heard the phrase “buy local.” It is a good motto for web technologies too.

2024 Christmas Shopping Safety Tips

November 14, 2024

Again, I find myself saying, “where has the year gone?” After a very busy 2024, we are coming into the holiday season. Malls, online shopping, lots of goodies, and perhaps travel, will be on our credit cards in January. As we are out and about, or flipping plastic, it is important to stay safe. Here are some tips that we can consider in order to be safer from scams and criminals.

First, let’s look at online shopping. It’s a big deal. From scammers to porch pirates, we have to be on our guard. Last year, an estimated 250 plus billion dollars were spent online for the holidays. Over 12 billion dollars in porch pirate thefts were recorded in 2023. That is a lot of money. In the USA alone, there were over 460 billion dollars of fraud in 2023.

Before going online to shop, are your computers and phone devices up to date on their operating systems (Windows, Android, etc.)? If not, make sure you update them, which will give you the latest known protections against hacks. Don’t forget to keep your anti-virus software up to date too. If you haven’t done it already, get a malware protection software app too, like Malware Bytes. They have a great free version and a paid version that will catch things like spyware that some anti-virus programs do not.

Be careful where you buy from. Don’t buy from a “store” in an email link. Consider never leaving your credit card information on a store’s database, in case they are hacked. Data breaches are everywhere. Yahoo in 2013, 2014, First American Financial in 2019, Facebook in 2019 is just the tip of the iceberg. And remember to look at the web address you are on (at the top of the screen). If it doesn’t have a https (instead of an http) at the beginning, bail out ASAP! And it is important not to use public WI-FI to make purchases. Your local pizza maker is the best ever, but self-installing a wireless router for his customers is not like making dough!

But let’s turn our attention to shopping in person. Just as with most of the tips above, this series of tips are well known to all. We just need a reminder once in a while, right?

You need to think about how you look to a potential crook. If you are dressed extremely well, wearing expensive jewelry, and distracted with your phone or kids, you may get noticed and watched. Ladies, if you have to carry a purse, secure it. You also need to keep your head on swivel in the parking lots. FBI statistics indicate there are almost 2000 violent crimes every week in parking lots or when walking to a building (stores mostly). Herd mentality is good advice here – shop with other adults when you can. A group is not a good target for most thieves who are looking for soft targets. A parent carrying armloads of gifts is a gift to thieves. Keep yourself free to run or fight.

Try not to use ATM’s, even if it is a drive up. ATMs are watering holes for bad actors. Be sure to have a record of your credit cards at home in case they are stolen or lost. It will speed up the important task of canceling the cards before too much damage is done.

And most importantly, try not to shop at night.

I hope this reminder list of common-sense safety tips is helpful to you and from all the folks at PARKERTECHGROUP, we hope you have a merry and safe Christmas and holiday season this year!

Your Total IT & Web Solutions Provider