Not sure what Viral Marketing is? Want to know how to use viral marketing? This article will get you started.
Twitter is more than a recreational conversation
June 17th, 2009For those who are still trying to figure out if Twitter has any value beyond entertainment, here is a hint of the incredible potential of social networking tools.
In requesting that Twitter delay a scheduled outage, the Obama administration acknowledged that the message service could change history in Iran.
Washington Taps Into a Potent New Force in DiplomacyThe Obama administration says it has tried to avoid words or deeds that could be portrayed as American meddling in Iran’s presidential election and its tumultuous aftermath.
Yet on Monday afternoon, a 27-year-old State Department official, Jared Cohen, e-mailed the social-networking site Twitter with an unusual request: delay scheduled maintenance of its global network, which would have cut off service while Iranians were using Twitter to swap information and inform the outside world about the mushrooming protests around Tehran. Read the rest of this entry »
5 Ways to Quiet the Noise
June 12th, 2009
This blog entry from Fast Company is worth a read by itself. It raises some interesting questions.
In this entry, Robert Brunner hypothesizes:
We are so connected now that peace is elusive. I know I have had to force myself at times to just say no to my iPhone–I find myself in social situations having to stifle the urge to crank up the ol’ pocket pal just to see what is up. We are bombarded constantly with e-mail, IMs, Twitters, RSS feeds, YouTube, iPhone games, the list goes on and on. It’s hard to find moments where the brain can just be still.
Made to Stick: Hold the Interview | Fast Company
June 8th, 2009
What does an interview really tell you about a potential employee? If that person interviews well, are they going to bring the skill set you want? How do you really know?
A manager I know needed to hire someone who could master MSExcel. He designed a test consisting of a simple set of actions to be carried out in Excel. One task was to Freeze Panes. No one tested actually knew how to do that. Only one person looked it up in the Help index. Read the rest of this entry »
7 Ways to Wake Up
June 7th, 2009
Here are a few tips to try when you hit that point in the day where you are struggling to keep your eyes open, and you wish you could just go back to bed.
- Put on some peppy music. It is hard to be sleepy when your toes are tapping.
- Get up and walk around. Stop by a couple coworker’s offices, and find out how their day is going. When you sit too long, your blood pools in your legs and seat, and your brain doesn’t get as much oxygen.
- Caffeine. Go get a cup or can of your favorite caffeinated drink.
Cinnamon also works as a stimulant for some people. - If you are cold, get warmer. If you are cozy warm, get cooler.
- Write a letter to someone you care about. Once you are engaged in communicating, it is difficult to stay sleepy.
- Work creatively on a creative project. I’m fighting the midmorning slump by writing this blog entry.
- Stretch and yawn. It’s okay, and it really can help.
A Short History of the Learning & Performance Profession
May 29th, 2009
Training and Development (T&D) has been a part of human culture from the beginning of civilization. By sharing our discoveries with one another, applying our learning is a significant hallmark of the human species. Guild apprenticeships, Greek philosophy, the scientific method and military discipline are all examples of early T&D programs.
The Industrial Revolution created a need for more formal T&D strategies. In 1906, the National Society for Promotion of Industrial Education formed. Just a few years later, in 1913, the first cars rolled off the assembly line at Ford. Through the 1920s, unions set up the first training programs for employees, while quality control became an important topic of conversation for all industry.
Thoughtful Places
May 24th, 2009
I’ve always been a serious, deep thinker. Anxiety and depression seem to be part of the package. Those fears, worries, and bouts of pity aren’t productive, but sometimes it is difficult to get back on track. Fortunately, there are a few places where I can’t stay stuck in my head.
One place is the swimming pool. I’m not a skilled swimmer. When my head goes under the water, all of my concentration is on my breathing, my arms, my legs. The more comfortable I am, the more my thoughts may drift, but they don’t go far. Often times, they remain under water with me, basking in a sense of security.
Another place is the ocean. I can’t walk on the beach and pout. There is too much fresh air for that. There are birds, and dogs. There is the constant soothing motion of the waves that carry you forward. There is the feel of the sand, and bits of shell and rock and wood to look at.
Winnie the Pooh had a special place. Pooh’s Thoughtful Spot was halfway between his house and Piglet’s , and offered a good spot for “deciding what to do today”.
I’d like to hear about your thoughtful place. Where is it? What do you do there?
Stay in One Store and Save More
May 22nd, 2009I hate paying too much for stuff. I don’t want to give the store my money when they are charging too much. So I go to another store to see what they are charging.
“There - see? Cereal is $0.40 cheaper here! Those croissants look good, don’t they. We should get some strawberry jam to go with them too. Oh, look at those flowers! Let’s get some. Wow - pepsi is on sale - let’s get some more while it is cheap.”
Check it out: In order to save 40 cents, I spent extra gas, 30 - 60 more minutes, and another $20 - $40, plus I stocked up on more junk food and calories to eat, and probably added more clutter to my already disorderly house. Not only have I failed to save money, but I’ve sabotaged my efforts to keep my diet healthy and my house in order.
Impulse shopping sneaks in when you don’t expect it. One way to defend yourself is to stay in one store. By staying in that first store, you experience less diversity of stuff to distract you.
The cost of saving a buck can be high when you make that quick last stop at Wal-Mart, and come home with a new DVD, 2 bags of chips, oreos, a decorative rug for the kitchen, and a tray of annuals (that you will have to plant!). “Please tell me you at least REMEMBERED the milk?”
Choose your stores wisely, always shop with a list, and be willing to pay a little more. It will save you plenty in the long run.
Get More Energy
May 21st, 2009Here’s a fabulous list chock full of easy fun tips to keep your energy up: 55 Ways to Get More Energy. It is a guest post by Greg Go, on one of my favorite sites, www.zenhabits.net. Tips include changing your socks, eating lots of berries and playing to relax. To read more, go to http://zenhabits.net/2009/05/55-ways-to-get-more-energy/#more-3360.
Have you met Sockington yet?
May 20th, 2009
Twitter users have probably met him, but if you haven’t started tweeting, you may be missing one of the fastest rising celebrities on the internet: Sockamillion, aka Sockington. Socks is a housecat with his very own Twitter account. He keeps the world posted on his professional activities, with Tweets such as
“and so I slept and then I walked around and then I slept again and then I saw a cobweb and OH FINE YES IT IS A SLOW NEWS DAY”
“excuse me pardon me up stairs not explaining why going around corner WHO HOO RUNNING LIKE MANIAC back around corner excuse me pardon me”
“time for sockington talk show WELL MORE LIKE I AM YOWLING IN THE LAUNDRY ROOM still I make an excellent musical guest”
Did you think there was nothing but banal airheaded celebrity conversation on Twitter? You were so wrong! Join Socks’ army of 500,000 and rising. Go to http://twitter.com/sockington and click Follow.