Today is a holiday for those of us in the United States. We’re taking a break, too, here at OTR, so we’ve decided to take a page out of Darren Rouse’s book and share a few “speedlinks.” These are links to several articles that we find interesting and that you might, too.
· Yard Art Gone Wild [HGTV.com]. Bears, frogs, tigers, gnomes, fairies, alligators, owls, dalmatians, hens, and others live together in this homeowner’s front yard…at the same time.
· Paint by Mood: How Different Hues Affect You [ShelterPop.com]. Did you know that certain colors can affect how you feel? …and even how productive you are?
· The Real Consequences of Office Clutter [Inc.com]. We know that a cluttered workspace can make us less productive, but can it lead to unprofessional behavior, too? Check out the study done by Office Depot and NAPO.
· Cluttered Fridge Doors, Cluttered Lives [NYTimes.com]. Does the clutter on your fridge door really indicate what the rest of your home looks like? Survey says…yes.
· Seven Steps to a Good Night’s Sleep [OpenSpacesFengShui.com]. A lack of sleep can lead to stress which can get you off track and allow for the build up of mental and physical clutter. This article offers tips to help you have a better relationship with your pillow. I was especially surprised by tip #1…mirrors…
· 6 Desktop Apps for Better Focus & Organization [OpenForum.com]. If you’re a techie, this article is for you. One of my favorite apps is mentioned – Evernote.
“Women still do more housework and child care than men — it takes 27 percent of mothers’ time and 18 percent of fathers’. Women in turn spend 11 percent of their time on leisure while men spend 23 percent.” [Cluttered Fridge Doors, Cluttered Lives · Lisa Belkin · NYTimes.com · May 24, 2010]
How much time do you spend on housework? Think it’s more than your mate?
This is the second installment in a two-part series by Problogger, Rajeev Edmonds, on the benefits of having a well structured small business blog. In this follow up article, he focuses on blog design, integration, and engaging the community.
Design And Integration
Normally, business blogs are tightly integrated with company’s web site. The strategy behind this tight integration revolves around driving traffic to-and-fro from both ends increasing the probability of more conversions. Well, it’s all about how easily a visitor is able to browse and navigate through web site and blog.
You can make it happen by replicating the core visual components of site into your business blog to gel it well with your web site. A visitor shouldn’t feel like he’s on an alien land once he leaves the site and enters the blog. Sometimes your designers do all the hard work on “look and feel” only to know later that visitors are unable to spot even if a blog exists for your company. Tighter integration also that your visitors are able to easily spot a link to your blog and vice-versa.
Community Building Strategies
Every business blog formulates guidelines for interacting with visitors to help build a large fan following. This involves effective comment moderation policies, contests and promotional giveaways. Building a large fan base takes time and involves regular interaction with the growing community.
1. Interaction with community - The most important factor in building a community is how you engage with commentators, how you handle every comment, and treating each visitor as individual. It’s not just about the number of comments, but how you respond matters the most. A single mistake can ruin the image of company that can prove fatal for the business. That’s why I always say – “Blogs have the power to build as well as ruin reputations.” There’s a fine line between inflammatory remark and constructive criticism. If you haven’t drafted a clear-cut policy for comment moderation, your business blog may experience no inflation in readership.
2. Contests and promotional giveaways - Undoubtedly, this is one of the best ways to increase readership and to build a strong community of followers. Often, companies run contests and offer freebies through their blogs that helps in increasing returning visitors and in attracting new prospects. Seasonal and festive giveaways work the best when supplemented by regular contests. Sometimes, companies offer to publish interesting case-studies and success stories submitted by the readers that directly or indirectly promote their product or service. This is yet another way to help build a lively community around your bossiness blog.
If you haven’t yet created your company blog, you’re losing an opportunity to grow your business. Still wondering why your business needs a blog?
About the Author
Rajeev Edmonds is a Social Media Enthusiast who blogs about how to blog. A developer by profession, he started blogging in 2008. Rajeev is also a technical reviewer of books with subjects ranging from Web Developement, WordPress and Social Media.
Connect With Rajeev: Twitter | Website
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Greetings readers… My standard greeting holds – I hope this post finds you well.
Time management-wise, things have been on the up since my last post. As some of you might remember, my business partner/recording partner/long time friend since college and I are striving to finish up a CD project we’ve been working on for (literally) years (life *does* get in the way, eh?).
We recently had a project status meeting at Panera Bread, which turned out to be quite productive. I’m actually populating our project calendar on Google with the new target dates for later syncing to my BB and and iCal on my Mac…you know the drill. With most of the summer planned out for the remainder of work on the CD project, I still have to plan some weekend trips in. If any of you know of online resources like Expedia, Travelocity or similar, that combine something like trip planning and scheduling, please let me know (that’s one area I’ve yet to embark on when planning a trip).
Ironically enough, I came across an article on the Zen Habits website entitled the tao of productivity. I found this article to be very interesting, and frankly was somewhat rivited by an excerpt from it that reads:
Stop Planning
Other people have a purpose; I alone don’t know. I drift like a wave on the ocean, I blow as aimless as the wind.
This goes hand-in-hand with letting go of control. Stop planning, stop trying to control how things will go and what the outcomes will be. Life never goes according to plan, so why stress yourself out worrying about the future and then worrying about the past when plans get disrupted?
Huh? Frankly, I find that ridiculous. While I believe we are only promised one day at time, good planning is essential to live your life (as long as you can) in the best way possible. Could you imagine trying to attain your college degree without any planning? How about that grand day of nuptials? You get the picture. While I understand the premise behind this specific Tao-ism from a foundational standpoint, I think it also demonstrates irresponsibility. I don’t think we are a culture obsessed with productivity, but one that would like to reap the benefits of efficiency. I, for one, would love to obtain the secret formula that will allow me to get more done by doing less. J Thoughts?
Ok, I have a calendar to populate…and a few other things to mark off my list. Have a great day!
One of the top complaints I get from clients is that the mail seems to be grow exponentially every day. Here are three simple things you can do to control your mail and kick the paper monster to the curb.
1. Kiss the Junk Goodbye. Make a point to recycle the junk mail BEFORE it enters your home or office. During the walk from the mailbox to the front door, separate the junk from the good stuff and discard them straight away. If you let a few pieces sneak inside, it may take a while before you can get rid of them.
2. Open the Mail EVERY DAY. This may seem obvious or even daunting, but if you open the mail daily, you’ll know what you need to act on…or if you’ve just won a million dollars. ;) You’ll also see what you can file or shred immediately.
3. Contain the Keepers…in One Place. Whether you use a basket, clear container, or bill sorter, be sure to keep the mail that you need to act on in one central location. This way, letters won’t be scattered about your home and you won’t have to go on a mission to find what you need.
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I remember when I was in high school, I hated wearing a uniform. The same thing, day in and day out…kinda blah. What happened to be boring for me turned into a crusade for Sheena Matheiken. She “pledged to wear one dress for one year as an exercise in sustainable fashion” for The Uniform Project. Though she wore the same dress (there were seven of them for each day of the week), she did spruce it up and get creative with accessories.
Check out her fab hat!
The Uniform Project is also a fundraiser where proceeds will be used to provide uniforms and take care of educational costs for children in India. A woman with a good heart and good tips, too. Here’s one of them…
Shop your closet. “There are so many things in your closet that are just sitting there buried and completely forgotten. There are many things you can do in terms of layering — little things you can add to change a silhouette, like a belt, or adding layers underneath a dress or over it — that can completely change a look. And, very often, it’s something that’s already in your wardrobe. You don’t need to buy new things. Just by throwing around a few things in different permutations, you can create a very different look.”
I love this tip, of course, and am sure that wearing the same dress for a whole year would solve the problem of finding something to wear. Could you do it? One little, black dress for 365 days?
P.S. On May 1, 2010, Sheena Matheiken jumped into a *new* dress.
“An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth.” ~Bonnie Friedman, author
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Today’s guest author, Mike Neumann, is a frequent business traveler. Check out his tips on how to keep sane – and organized – with a hectic travel schedule.
I travel frequently for client work, and most often, the travel is international. I’ve traveled to Nice, France for a day, and around the world for a month. Each trip has its own differences, but some things are always the same. I’ll try to focus on these common things to help you make any business trip a little less harried.
Visas – Check Carefully
If you’re fortunate to live within any of the VISA Waiver Program (VWP) countries, then your pre-travel complications are few. Keep in mind, however, that some countries, such as Australia, require an Electronic Travel Authority, which is a form of a “light” Visa. You will be denied boarding at your originating airport unless you can prove to the agent that you have completed an ETA or have a valid Visa in your passport. Visa processing can be expensive if you wait to the last minute. Plan as far ahead as possible. You’ll need to purchase your flight before you can apply for either a Visa or ETA.
The Week Before
Check the news and weather for the city that you are traveling to. As I write this, the ash plume from Eyjafjallajökull has grounded air travel in Europe for nearly a week. Some things are beyond planning.
I also try to begin my expense report at least a few days before I get to the airport. An empty template with trip purpose, airline ticket and mileage to/from airport, is a good start. I then try to do a brief update of expenses each evening during the trip.
Your Gear
I’ve been through a shoulder bag phase, a roller briefcase phase, and now I’m firmly in the backpack phase. Regardless of the bag type, I must be able to run my business out of it.
The most important thing about any of these bags is the arrangement of pockets. My favorite backpack was a conference ‘freebie’. It had a large, narrow, yet separate pocket for the computer that kept it from getting too much pressure from the rest of the bag’s contents. My current backpack has a nearly perfectly sized external pocket to hold my passport, boarding pass(s) and customs form.
We have a lot of electronics these days. Fortunately, most things don’t require external voltage conversion (our adapters handle it automatically), but the plugs are still an issue. I carry adapters for the destination country as well as connecting airports. Also, I prefer devices that have USB “Synch-and-charge” cables. I power my computer from the wall, and charge the phone, Bluetooth earbud, etc., all off of USB.
Whatever you plan to take, think light and essential. In the next post, we’ll cover the night before travel and arrival at your destination.
This is the 1st installment of a 3-part series, so check back for more tips from Mike.
About the Author
Mike never planned to launch Agile Set, LLC and consult to smart card clients worldwide. He planned to be an astronaut. Now, he is a Certified GlobalPlatform Trainer and editor of ISO/IEC 24727-3, a standard poised to influence future card and system architectures. After earning his MSME from Virginia Tech, Mike intended to play for a year, and then get serious. Seventeen years and two kids later, the serious part has yet to kick in.
Connect With Mike: Twitter
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Hello readers…hope this blog post finds you in well spirits.
Growing up, my mother use to drill into me and my siblings, a quote she liked – ”Waste not, want not!” While that applied to eating all the food put on our plate, it definitely applies (in my book) to time management.
Continuing on the topic of using the 24 hours each of us has in our respective days in the most efficient way, I did two things, in particular, that I’ve been meaning to do for some time. The overall task was to take a VCD (yes, another acronym) – “virtual clearance day.” My definition of a VCD is, essentially, a day to clear (eliminate) all virtual sites that I have frequented that really don’t provide any benefit to me. I define “benefit” (in this case) as that which will propel me to reach specific goals.
The underlying task I accomplished was to get rid of my personal Facebook page. Without getting BACK on my soapbox, I basically became fed up with their “Wild West” type privacy changes, and the need for members to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out how to maximize their privacy settings, (especially having to opt-OUT, instead of in) of personal data sharing, should they choose to do so. Facebook became a entity that I was essentially wasting time on. I had eliminated the use of other social networks that I found myself “wasting time” on, based on some of the tenets in an article on the Productivity 501 website entitled, How to Keep from Wasting Time on the Web.
By doing so, it’s turned out that I’ve actually been able to devote that time spent in a more efficient manner. Easier said than done? Maybe. Virtual habits DO have a great deal to do in success versus non-success, so an honest assessment of that area can go a long way. I came across an excerpt The Productivity 501 website that speaks volumes:
“It really comes down to how much time you must expend doing things that matter less in order to be able to do the things that matter most. This requires a balance of your particular priorities. You only have one life, so spend it wisely.”
While the last sentence is common sense (to me), it’s the first sentence that speaks volumes, for sure.
Thanks for the read, I appreciate it!
.
- New apps emerge to reset Facebook privacy settings (news.cnet.com)
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Whether you live in an apartment, townhome, or home-home, there are some things you should definitely do to ensure your safety. Being proactive and prepared can help you and your family avoid lots bad stuff, and by bad stuff, I mean:
1. Radon. This sneaky, radioactive home invader is silent: you can’t see it, smell it, or taste it. The good news is that you can test for it. Get a radon testing kit.
2. Lead.This dangerous substance can be found on toys, in drinking water, residential soil, dust, paint, etc. Children are most susceptible to the ill effects of lead. Get a lead testing kit.
3. Carbon Monoxide. Just like radon, CO is odorless and is not easily detected. The EPA offers several suggestions on how you can reduce the presence of this toxic gas in your home. Get a carbon monoxide detector.
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