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When Was the Last Time Your Business Morphed?

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I’ve been in business for what seems like forever. 1991! That’s like the stone age, right? Well maybe not quite the stone age, but it’s been a long time … 25 years as I write this post.

A lot has changed over these past 25 years. Especially when it comes to business and technology. The thing about business and technology is this … it WILL continue to change and advance. Change is inevitable, whether you want it or not.

business and technology [Read more…]

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What is SlideShare?

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SlideShare was created back in October of 2006 and its original intention was to be a place to upload PowerPoint presentations that could be shared with others. Since then SlideShare has been acquired by LinkedIn (2012) and has evolved into a well-used content-sharing platform. It is now a place to share presentations; recorded audio tracks, post Word docs and infographics, share video that can be used by others, create podcasts, webinars, and recorded lectures. These presentations and other information can then be downloaded to reuse or remix. [Read more…]

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Posting Pictures that POP on Google+

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It’s no secret that big, vibrant images are key in social media for drawing users in and encouraging engagement. Pinterest has been the reigning image champ for a while now, but other social media platforms are scrambling to step up their image games, including Google+.

When using Google+ to promote your blog, website or services, an effective key to great images is to NOT use the little picture that pops up when you insert the URL link of the information you are looking to share. Like Facebook, when a link is inserted in an update, a little picture of your post will automatically pop up below the link. These smaller pictures suffice, but are less likely to get noticed by users as they scroll past. A larger picture affiliated with your post will not only look better, but is more likely to “hook” readers and get their attention. [Read more…]

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Karma, a WiFi sharing tech tool

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Ok, now this is just way too cool … pardon my French, but they say Karma is a bitch? Well not this Karma. It’s the good kind, and happens to be the name of one of the sweetest little tech gadgets that have come along in a
long time.

Karma is a tiny little WiFi device that fits in the palm of your hand. It’s $79 for the device, and comes with 100 meg of WiFi. Additional WiFi can be purchased 1GB at a time for $14 (a normal person uses about 1/2 gig per month). No contracts and your WiFi doesn’t expire. 100 megs doesn’t sound like much, but get this …

Your Karma WiFi device is branded to you (Terry’s Karma, Lara’s Karma, etc.) and it works on a “share a little, get a little” basis very similar to Dropbox. You share your Karma (with up to 7 people at a time) and both you AND those you are sharing with get 100 megs added to your accounts. It works on any device that will use WiFi, and the more you share, the more you earn.

Say you’re at the airport and you’re using Karma. Mary Jane is in the area and trying to find a signal and sees “Terry’s Karma” in her choices for public WiFi. She connects to “Terry’s Karma.” Terry’s login page pops up and Jane creates her own K arma account (no charge), and 100 megs of WiFi are added to both Terry’s and Jane’s accounts. Now Terry has 100 more megs of Karma, and Jane has 100 megs to use. (If 5 more people connect to Terry’s Karma at the same time, Terry gets a total of 600 megs added to her account.) Since Karma WiFi doesn’t expire, every time Jane connects to someone else’s Karma account, she acquires more Karma without ever having to purchase the device. And for Terry … when someone else connects to her Karma, it starts all over again. Is that cool or what?

Right now, Karma is available in 80 cities, and that most likely covers most big airports. If it’s not available in your city, you can request it … but even if it’s not available, most people have their own WiFi at home. And, since Karma is so inexpensive and the existing WiFi doesn’t expire, it’s great to buy and keep on hand for when you travel.

I know I’m not doing it justice by my explanation, so head on over t o yourkarma.com and check it out yourself.

If you don’t want to purchase the little device, I would still suggest looking for Karma connections to use in airports and cities whenever you travel, and join in on the connection. You’ll not only be receiving good Karma, but giving it to someone else by doing so.

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Edit graphics and photos online with ease …

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While there are a lot of people out there who have photo/graphics editing software like Photoshop or The Gimp (my personal fave because it’s free!), there are a lot of people out there who don’t. And sometimes, even those of us who do, simply want to do something simple like resize an existing graphic or photo quickly and easily. For cases like this, there are a couple of websites that will let you resize and edit graphics online, for free!

Edit graphics and photos online with ease

Resizepic.com: This is a really simple site if all you want to do is resize a graphic or photo. If you know the dimensions you want your new graphic or photo to be, just click on “choose file” in the Image Resizer, and browse through the files on your computer to find the one you want to resize. Enter the width and height you want your new image to be in the next two boxes (Width/Height) and click “resize image.” That’s it.

shrinkpictures.com: Shrink Pictures is also very easy to use, and has step-by-step instructions to alter your graphic or photo in a number of ways. In addition to resizing your graphic or photo, you can also change it to grayscale or sepia, and set the quality of the graphic. There is a handy dandy video tutorial on the site, and they even have a new Facebook Image Resizer available.

Photobucket.com: A lot more robust, but still offering a free solution, Photobucket not only allows you to resize images, but also host photos, create slide shows and a lot more. You will need to open an account to use their free services, and they offer paid accounts as well. All you need is the free account to do the things mentioned above. There is a tab in the navigation on Photobucket’s main page that allows you to upload your images. Just sign up for a free account and log in. Then click on “start uploading” and either drag and drop your photos from your computer or use the browse button to find the one(s) you want. Once you have selected the files you want, hit upload and they will upload to your album. Then, once your photos are uploaded to an album, you’ll have the option to resize (there are some great preset resizing options available), rotate and even send your image to email.

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Easy Skype Tips

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For those of you who use Skype and have been wondering how to set it up so it automatically starts when you start Windows, and automatically set your status as “Away” when there is inactivity. Here is a quick and dirty “how to” tip. Just go to to “tools,” then “options,” and check the two boxes as shown below. You can set your non active time to whatever you like. I chose 60 minutes. This screenshot is for Skype version 5.10.0.116, so if yours is older it may look a little different than mine does. You’ll still find it in the same place though.

Skype Tips

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Increase writing productivity by boosting your focus

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The phone rings, the dog barks, Skype is pinging in the background…and before you know it you are distracted and flustered.

Some people have short attention spans, or a bad case of “Shiny Object Syndrome.” And some of us just experience non-stop “life happens” moments. Whatever the reason, sometimes sitting down to write a 30 minute blog post can take a hour+ of our already precious time.

Enter Focus Booster. Focus Booster is a neat tool that many bloggers/writers can use to increase writing productivity. It’s designed to help you eliminate the anxiety of time constraints, and enhance your focus and concentration. Focus Booster has been designed based on the principles of the pomodoro technique . This technique uses a timer to break down periods of work into 25-minute intervals (referred to as “pomodoros”) separated by breaks, and is based on the idea that frequent breaks refresh the mind and increase writing efficiency.

Pretty cool, ‘eh? I installed Focus Booster and found it very quick to install and even easier to use. Focus Booster pops up as a horizontal ticker-style bar that is repositionable. Start the timer for 25 minutes of intense work time and a timer will ding. Then, a new timer (your 5-minute-break timer) starts. Once your 5-minute break is up, the 25-minute work time ticker can be started again. Even as I navigated between Word docs and the Internet, the ticker bar always stayed visible.

Don’t want to download the desktop version? No problem. Focus Booster also has a live online version to tap into. Both options are free to users.

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Capture Screenshots with Ease with Snagit

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I was introduced to Snagit (by TechSmith, also the maker of Camtasia) a while back and I have to say I am snagged hooked. Snagit is a feature-rich screen image capture product that is just a bit cooler than your Paint application.

Snagit 11 could come in mighty handy in many ways. You can use it if you need to explain a problem you’re having in a clearer way, and it’s great for taking screenshots when you want to provide a step-by-step process or explanation, or simply take a screen shot of something for posterity.

Snagit’s “capture” feature lets you laser in and select items to copy, crop, and do a variety of things like instant email, save to a clipboard, save to your computer, send to PowerPoint and more. If you use the Video Capture, you can send your video directly to You Tube and Camtasia as well.

If you want to add a little flair to your capture, Snagit offers great tools like text boxes, speech bubbles, arrows, and borders. The highlight tool allows you to draw attention to any part of your capture you want to call attention to as well.

Snagit 11 runs around $49.99 if you’re ordering for the first time. If you are a current Snagit customer with a previous version, you can upgrade to Snagit 11 for a mere $24.95! I just upgraded from version 9 to 11, and I must say I’m impressed with the new features!

So if you need a full-bodied screen capture tool, or are simply tired of tedious custom and precise cropping, this cool tool is a must have … and also a lot of fun!

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Tweetables, Not just for breakfast anymore …

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I recently read an article from HubSpot about how “creating, optimizing, and promoting content are keys to filling the top of your sales and marketing funnel with more website traffic and leads.”

In a nutshell, you need to be always producing stellar content and looking for creative ways to entice people to Like, Share, and Tweet your content. The same article shared that companies who find ways to optimize and promote their blogs get 55% more traffic and 70% more leads than those who don’t. Blog posts that were shared on just Twitter had 113% more inbound links than those not shared on social media at all.

Sound daunting? Here’s your new secret weapon. Click to Tweet is a way to create “tweetables” right within the body of your blog post or article. Here’s how it works;

  • Write the message you want to share in the box.
  • Click the “Generate” button to create a custom link.
  • Use the generated link to turn a quote or a piece of quotable information branded to you into a Tweet.
  • Add this information to your post blog with the call-to-action “Click to Tweet” and PRESTO, and simple and innovative way to encourage sharing from your blog or website.
  • Whoever clicks on the link will have the message automatically added to their Twitter status box. Easey Peasey!

Check out this cool (free) new tool for yourself at http://clicktotweet.com/

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And the beat goes on …

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Most of you know how much I love Skype … and how much I love Evernote. They are both in my top 3 must-have technical tools. So, when I find another cool tech tool that uses BOTH Skype and Evernote, it makes my heart beat with uncontrollable joy!

I like to record phone calls with clients and team members when discussing something that needs to be on record – whether it’s for continuity purposes, or so we can easily refer back to the recording rather than having the need to take copious notes. I pay $2.95 per month so I can call landlines in both the US and Canada via Skype; it’s just so much easier to be able to have a conversation using a headset than it is to hold a regular telephone. I was also using Pamela for Skype; which is pretty nice and easy to use. It’s $24.95 per year, but it does the trick.

However … I was looking through the different apps available for Skype and found Callnote (be still my heart!). Callnote will record your call automatically, and then, get this, ask if you want to upload the MP3 to your Evernote notebook for you. If it’s not an important call, you just say no. But if it is important, you don’t even have to remember to TELL it to record, it just does it automatically. And … to top it off, it’s free.

There is also Callnote premium, that will allow you to record Skype Video, Chat, Screen Share, and of course Voice conversations and automatically store them in your Evernote notebook. The Premium app is free for a limited time, but I haven’t tried it yet; I’m still getting over my aversion to video chats in general.

Both Pamela and Callnote can be found under tools/apps in your Skype menu. It’s not a bad idea to check the apps out now and then. You may find little gems that make your heart flutter!

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