Having life goals keeps us motivated. The issues we overcome make us stronger and as we reach each goal we should set new goals. Every step moves us towards the lives we want. We apply this to our individual lives but do we apply it to our professional lives?

We spend approximately 30% of our lives at work. For many people a significant amount of this time is unfulfilling. Redundancy in our jobs can cause us to feel like we have no control over how we spend our day. We repeat the same duties day after day i.e. monitor our inbox, file paperwork, return phone calls, and wait to get off work. This leads to an uninspiring work atmosphere and employees who feel detached from the business and constantly watch the clock. Setting goals can keep things new and help combat the rut that people are stuck in at work.

1. Set or Assess Goals Every 3-6 Months – These types of meetings will allow the team or individual to analyze the goals, set specific times for their completion, and help them stay focused.
2. Write Goals Down – Records helps to solidify the goals in your mind and provides a reference point for inspiration or redirection.
3. Aim High – Set goals a little outside your comfort zone. This can lead to learning new skills and finding pride in one’s work. Remember, don’t set your goals so high that it is an extreme burden or difficult for you or your team.
4. Find a System to Measure Performance –Breaking the goals down into smaller ones, determining specific timeframes, or deciding on specific skills that need to be learned before the goals can be accomplished can help you measure the progress toward achieving your goals.
5. Celebrate Each Achievement –Acknowledging achievements boosts pride and motivation to tackle the next step. This is important if you work independently as well as in a team environment.  Remember to always reward yourself.
6. Schedule the Next Goal Setting Meeting Ahead of Time – You may lose perspective and drive if you do not refresh your goals. Goals keep us feeling excited and accomplished and that leads to job satisfaction.

We all want to be proud of the work we do and feel like we contribute. Keeping focused on our goals can illustrate achievements in a very real way and be a reminder of the part we play in the larger picture.

An app is only as valuable as it’s function. There are specific things that can determine the value of the function, whether or not the app is useful, whether or not the app works accurately or even whether or not the app is fun. Take ‘Angry Birds,’ for instance. This app has value because of the universal level of entertainment it offers. But a good idea doesn’t necessarily translate to a beneficial app. So what key features do all good apps have in common? Here are three common features found in highly functional and valuable apps.

Stability and Reliability 

    A good app should go through rigorous testing prior to a launch date.  The developer should be confident that the app will still have value under a wide range of different conditions including disabled WIFI, impaired cellular data and smartphones set to airplane mode. Even if the base function of the app is creative and useful, if it doesn’t work under a variety of conditions then the app loses much of its value. A excellent way to determine value in an app is to research the amount of testing that went into development.

Consumer Consideration

    Any app worth it’s price is going to provide worthy functionality. However, the developer needs to consider the consumer in the design of the app and understand that no one wants a surprise overage charge on his or her monthly bill. A good app shouldn’t consume too much data as many cellphone plans consist of monthly data caps. Before downloading an app, make sure and research the amount of data it costs to use the app.

A Well Made API

    API stands for application programming interface. Basically, it’s the way in which applications connect with one another. For example, if you have an app that makes posts to Facebook, that app does so by communicating with Facebook’s API.  This is a very important part of app development because most apps, in one way or another, communicate with other apps. Nothing is more annoying than realizing your Twitter app has made duplicate posts. A good app will have a well-constructed API to insure that the right information is being communicated.

    While an app’s worth can be of objective determination, there will always be numerous key elements to look for when searching for that great new download. For more tips on finding great apps, take a look a this article.

Remember DOS, with its black screen and blinking cursor eagerly awaiting your command. The Disk Operation System (DOS) celebrated its 30th anniversary a week ago. DOS has arguably been the most important OS of all time and in honor of it turning thirty, I would like to reflect on where it has come from and where it is going.

In 1981 IBM released the PC and the following options for operating systems (OS).

• IBM Personal Computer Disk Operating System – cost at the time: $40
• Digital Research CP/M-86 – cost at the time: $240
• SofTech USCD p-System w/Pascal – cost at the time: $695

For the price tag, DOS was the economical choice and DOS was also the only one immediately available.  DOS dominated the market by a landslide and DOS was crowned the operating system of choice for individuals who were fortunate enough to have a PC.  DOS enjoyed its popularity until the launch of Windows in 1985, a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that required DOS as a platform to run it on. Newer versions of Windows continued to be released and they needed DOS less and less.

Eventually, a version of Windows was developed which could run independently from DOS as it contained its own standalone OS, this was MS-Windows 95. It did, however, include a tiny bit of the 16-bit DOS code. I guess Windows still needed a little bit of help from its trusty old friend DOS.

But all things must come to an end and in 1996 a version of Windows was released that did not need DOS. This was Windows-NT and from that point on Windows and DOS would part ways, but it has not left our lives.

There are many die-hard DOS users still out there that prefer its efficient and simplistic nature. They believe that the more “user friendly” interfaces have too many features that can muck up the system. For this reason we are still seeing new versions of DOS being developed, a few of these are FreeDOS, ROM-DOS, and DR-DOS. Some computer manufactures still make computers with DOS as the main OS. We have seen DOS change but I do not believe it will go the way of the eight-track so long as people still want the simple functionality of cmd enter.

Gadgets, for the most part, are designed to make our lives easier. We have smartphones to keep us entertained, tablets to keep us connected, and even digital blood monitors to help keep us healthy. But are there devices out there that are designed to help keep us cool? Moderating body temperature is an essential part of staying comfortable and thankfully, technology has worked to make that moderation more manageable. We are all familiar with desktop fans and air conditioners, but here are three unique personal gadgets that can also help you beat the heat.

The Bedfan

It’s natural to sleep best when nestled tightly under a heavy blanket. However, it’s difficult to do this in the hot summer months without running a high utility bill. Luckily, gadgets like the Bedfan are an efficient solution to this problem. The Bedfan connects to the end of your bed with a thin vent that easily fits right under the covers. Then air is pumped out createing a light current. Because the current is insulated between your body and your blanket, the effects are highly noticeable. You’ll enjoy sleeping under a heavy blanket any time of the year. For more information, check out this website.

The BEX Runner

Exercising at a temperature above your internal body temperature can be dangerous. This is problematic in the summer months, especially for anyone who enjoys a nice outdoor stroll. While the BEX Runner is not necessarily a safe solution to extensive exercise in high heat conditions, it does offer a new level of comfort. The BEX rests on your palm and conducts and stores your body heat. Basically, it draws the heat away from your skin to help make you feel cooler. To learn more, read over this article.

The iPocket Fan

While this gadget doesn’t provide the most effective means of cooling you off,  it is definitely entertaining to use. This fan is linked to a charging dock for your iPhone that displays an animated fan on your phone’s screen. If you spin the blades on the screen faster, the blades on the dock spin faster. While you shouldn’t expect to replace your air-conditioner with this gadget, you can at least expect to have a fun time creating a light breeze. For a closer look, check out this link.

Keeping cool is easy with the right gadgets. Make sure and beat the heat this summer by moderating your temperature. If you’d like to read up on some more cooling gadgets, take a look at this article.

Business cards are an essential and longstanding cornerstone of effective networking. The format is as standard as the medium, a small stock-paper card with basic contact information and, if you’re feeling saucy, a witty catch phrase. However, more and more creative thinkers are handing out extremely memorable business cards that toss out old networking conventions and replace them with unforgettable innovations. The very definition of what is and what is not a business card is changing. If you’re looking to improve your networking skills by creating a business card that will have people talking, take into account a few of these creative techniques.

Add Texture

This is one of the simplest ways to make your business card more memorable. Adding texture to a card engages the sense of touch in a dynamic way, creating another layer of memory in the brain. It may sound silly, but if your business card has an fascinating texture, then the brain of the receiver will have one more thing to notice. Check out this great example.

Make Them Share-Worthy

Hand out a card that people will want to share with their friends or hang up on a wall at work. A simple and clever design on the back might just inspire others to show it to their coworkers. For example, take a look at this great mustache design on the back of a particularly fun business card. This sort of style will have people holding the card up to their face and, in turn, sharing it with others. Check it out here.

Make Them Digital

Who says a business card has to be a card? Why not go green and implement digital business cards by generating QR codes instead? QR codes are a popular trend among tech-savvy smart phone users. Demonstrating the ability to use this technology effectively will impress your audience, making your business card (and more importantly, your business) more memorable. Here are some tips on using QR codes.

Creating a business card is only limited by your imagination. Making your cards unique will make them more effective networking tools. For more tips and tricks on making business cards, make sure to read this article.

Communicating with people from all around the globe is as easy as a click of a button. This considerably impacts our social lives and we are seeing more and more the effect this has on business. The virtual team, or geographically dispersed team (GDT), is a reasonably new organizational strategy but the quantity of businesses that have embraced this strategy has grown significantly in the past few years. You may be asking yourself if it right for your business.

The idea that the level of productivity corresponds directly to the quantity of face-time a team receives is a misconception that is falling to the wayside. Managers are noticing that an individual’s motivation, the dynamics of the group, along with the capabilities of each person can have a much more significant impact. Virtual teams allow for more selectiveness when building the team, as location isn’t a factor. A manager can then find individuals who compliment one another and are self-motivated through the bettering of their personal careers.  Virtual teams can be a blessing to managers because of their productivity and the fact that they need less direct managing.

Virtual teams are not realistic for industries and companies that require physical interaction, however for businesses thatdo not require physical proximity, employing teams that interact remotely is not only feasible but can improve their processes. If you are considering the use of virtual teams in your business here are a few items to consider.

Advantages

• Recruitment based on competence not proximity
• Team members can work during the times when they perform most efficiently
• Teams consist of members who are self-motivated and self-driven
• More accommodation for team members’ personal and professional lives
• No commuting time or expense
• Reduced overhead, as there is no physical location
• IT expenses are lowered as most teams use web-based tools for collaboration
• Managers can better assess the team’s efficiency because there are less social pressures

Disadvantages

• Less social interaction, which may be a demotivator for some people
• Loss of trust between team members if there is not guarantee that everyone is pulling their own weight
• Creativity could possibly be stifled, as the physical dynamics are lost
• Team members may overwork themselves as managers can not physically see the length of time each task takes
• Managers may lose track of the team’s progress, i.e. out of site out of mind

Virtual teams make use of a number of technology to interface. These include email, audio and video conferencing, and file sharing programs. Below is a list of a few programs that can be beneficial to virtual teams.

• Go to meetings – a relatively inexpensive way to have remote meetings
• Yammer – a private social network for companies that enables quick communication and interaction
• Drop Box – a free way to share files
• Second Life – allows for interactive meetings with the use of avatars

If you want more information on virtual teams in action, consider the articles below: 
http://www.theanywhereoffice.com/mobile-work/telework-viritual-teams-midmarket-companies.htm
http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/19/virtual-teams-meetings-leadership-managing-cooperation.html
http://www.openforum.com/articles/7-effective-tools-for-managing-a-virtual-team

It’s easy to get a feeling of deja vu these days.

Every week brings big news of another tech IPO. We read about super-sized valuations for companies that haven’t turned a profit. Sounds familiar doesn’t it? It has a certain late 1990s flavor.  Are we experiencing another tech bubble? A reprise of dot-com mania?

If you’re foggy on the meaning of tech bubble, here’s Investopedia’s definition:

“Tech Bubble – a pronounced and unsustainable market rise related to increased conjecture in technology stocks. A tech bubble is highlighted by rapid share price growth and high valuations based on standard metrics like price/earnings ratio or price/sales.”

So should we be anxious? Is history doing it’s thing again — repeating itself?

You may think so when you scan headlines. Let’s go through the list of recent and impending IPOs that have made news lately: LinkedIn.com, Pandora.com, Groupon.com, Zynga.com, Twitter.com, and Facebook.com.

Are investors irrationally exuberant about these businesses? Perhaps. Consider that Pandora and Groupon aren’t profitable. LinkedIn posted its first profit ($12 million) last year. Twitter has managed to generate a little net profit, nevertheless the social network is still trying to find a long-term moneymaking method. On the plus side, Zynga and Facebook, which are expected to go public soon, are pocketing big profits.

(But is the maker of Farmville really worth several billion dollars?)

What about the companies that aren’t making much or any money? Are investors insane to pour money into them? Maybe, maybe not. Remember, profitability today is not the same as profitability down the road. Amazon.com didn’t post profits until 2004 — practically 10 years after launch. But now the organization takes in money by the truckload. Last year the Amazon’s net income exceeded $1 billion.

So who knows, maybe Twitter will discover a way to parlay its big user base into a moneymaking machine, a la Google and Facebook.

If you’re concerned, you might find comfort in Jolie O’Dell’s recent Mashable column, which points to some important differences between the today’s tech climate and the dot-com era. To begin with, the number of tech IPOs in 2011 (25 so far) pales in comparison to 1999 (308), the height of the dot-com bubble.

Another difference is quality. In 1999, you could take a vague idea, write a half-baked business plan (or not), and somehow convince investors to throw money at you. This year’s crop of IPOs are quite buttoned up by comparison.

But there’s still reason to fear a bubble, even if things have changed since 1999.

If Limp Bizkit stages a comeback, I would recommend hitting the panic button.

QR codes have been showing up in more and more settings of late. Maybe you’ve seen them on the side of buses, on posters, in magazines, or even on business cards.  These advanced bar codes were first implemented to track car parts, but have lately been useful in generating brand awareness and loyalty.

What is a QR Code?

    A QR, or Quick Response code, is a multi dimensional version of the common barcode. Much like the common barcode, a QR code is readable by a scanning device.  As smartphones are able to scan these codes, QR codes have become an invaluable tool for interactive and very targeted advertising.

    When you scan a QR code using your smartphone, the web-enabled information that is embedded within the code is triggered, enabling your phone to then navigate to the information intended by the code’s generator. It’s a similar technology like a barcode at a grocery store, except the QR code is complicated enough to hold a lot more information.

How are QR Codes used in Business?  

    Generating a QR code is simple. All you have to do is enter the information you wish to be accessed into a QR generator. There are many free generators on the Internet.  A good one to begin with, if you’re interested in making your own code, is the Kaywa generator.

    Once you have the QR code, you can publish it on any print media or online. Making a QR code available allows anyone with a smartphone to scan it and access the information stored within.

Why it works

    QR codes are a great way to build brand loyalty because it adds a special value to the data, making accessing a fun experience for the user. Although QR codes are a new marketing strategy in the Western World, they have been used to develop business for over a decade in Japan. If you’re looking for a fun and simple way to create interest in your business, consider giving QR codes a try.

Technology has advanced to a place that allows for constant connectivity. Getting a hold of someone is as easy (and as impersonal) as sending a simple text message.   Where ever we go, as long as we have a smartphone in our pocket, we are within reach. This has been a beneficial change in many respects, but what are the negative effects of growing up in the age of connectivity? Communication is developing digitally; aspects of this will be positive where others will be negative. In this blog we will take a look at a few of the pros and cons of staying connected digitally.

The Pros

• Being connected means increased safety. No mater what emergency you face; contacting the right help is no longer a serious concern. Through increased technology, cell phone range is greater than ever. Car accidents and unexpected accidents and illnesses even in remote locations can be quickly relayed to emergency help services.
• Connectivity allows you to stay in touch. Relationships can be managed remotely. With webcams, email, and texting you can stay in contact with loved ones, even at a distance. Consider the gain experienced by a soldier serving over seas by seeing their loved ones via Skype video chatting.
• Technology has made telecommuting an accessible reality. Thanks to cloud computing, working from home is easy and practical. This allows workers on maternity or sick leave to maintain a valuable level of productivity.

The Cons

• Being connected means being always available. True, it is nice to be in touch with those you love, but we all need some privacy. We all have days when we need a little alone time and being constantly connected makes that time more and more difficult to find.
• Always being connected encourages over-working. While telecommuting helps redefine your workspace, it also blurs the line between private and professional life. It’s important to know when to disconnect, so having your entire office available on a laptop can make that decision a difficult one.
• While connectivity can be hard to break, it can also encourage us to detach from those close around us. While technology has helped to make communication possible at a remote distance, it’s also made personal connections easy to ignore.

As with every cultural shift, coping with constant connectivity is a matter of moderation. Finding the balance between too little and too much is paramount when determining which degree of connectivity you are most comfortable with.

For more information on connectivity, as well as an interesting look at unplugging yourself from technology, check out this article. 

Have you noticed the steady decline of standard spamming in the past few years? The lowered levels have come about because the Internet has developed along with current technologies to make the z a safer place, one that is progressively difficult for spammers to navigate. However, spammers are notorious for creatively adapting to change. First, we’ll look at why traditional mass spamming has declined. Secondly, we’ll consider how spamming might change to keep ahead of recent Internet security updates.

Profitability

    The amount of money that could be made in 1997 with traditional mass spamming is nowhere near the amount that can be made today. Because of current Internet security updates, spammers have to pay for more hardware and work for a greater amount of time to accomplish the same amount of spamming that could easily be done with one machine on one server a little over a decade ago. Someone looking to make money would do better getting a minimum wage job than they would with old fashioned spamming.

    Even though the existing shape of the Internet has made spamming more expensive than it is worth, spammers are known for creatively adapting to change. How will spammers evolve to survive a more secure Internet?

Smart Spam

    Spammers are getting creative. In 1997, traditional spamming was sending out mass emails to millions of accounts. With the improvement of spam filters, this method is no longer viable. Instead, spammers are mixing their skills with hacking techniques. Spammers now hack authentic email accounts and send their message from them in lower volume. This form of spamming is also adapting to new connectivity outlets, such as social media. Recently, the twitter account of actor Simon Pegg was hacked, and 1 million of his followers were sent a link to a Trojan virus.

    While new technologies will de developed to help protect honest Internet users, the best protection is awareness. Be aware when following a link from an email, even if it comes from a trusted account. Being aware of suspicious messages and unusual links can help keep you safe from crafty spammers. For additional information and more detailed tips, take a look at this article.