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The single most important thing you need to focus on in 2013
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 09:05 PM PST
| The single most important thing you need to focus on in 2013 Posted: 30 Dec 2012 10:06 AM PST  What is going to matter most to all companies in 2013? Only one thing, whether you are a MomPopoly (great new term - thunk up by Carlos Dunlap et all at Colloquy) or a Fortune 50 corporation.
Not the news, the wars, the disasters. Not the constantly shifting regulations, the “cliffs,” or the larger trends. Nothing matters as much as your customers' experience, every time they interact with your product, people, or processes. read more |
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Goals 2013
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 09:02 PM PST
| Goals 2013 Posted: 30 Dec 2012 08:24 PM PST Happy New Year! Salesopedia thought Warren Cederberg hit the nail on the head with this week’s lead article “I Hate Setting Goals“. If you share this sentiment this read if for you! Kendra Lee contributes “Achieve Your "Unachievable" 2013 Sales Goals“. She offers up five points to help you pull your goals together. There is even a link to a bonus gap calculator – check it out. We loved Billy Cox‘s submission “Let Your Internal GPS Drive Your Goals“. You don’t need to be a technology geek to understand his GPS metaphor. You’ll also appreciate the explanation of how dreams and goals are related. Dave Kahle‘s article “Goals” answers the question “What do I do when my goals don't match the company's goals for me?” This week’s left column featured article by Jim Cathcart has received over 10,000 views. Find out why “15 Resolutions That Will Grow Your Business” has been such a popular read. Enjoy … and get those goals in writing! | You are subscribed to email updates from Salesopedia Blog
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Top Sales World 2013 – it just gets better and better
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 07:35 PM PST
| Top Sales World 2013 – it just gets better and better Posted: 30 Dec 2012 04:30 PM PST 
Whichever way we choose to benchmark our achievements in 2012, we are extremely proud – but never content! During the past twelve months we … - Re-launched the site, and consolidated all of our Top Sales initiatives under one roof. - Discovered who really were the Top 50 Sales & Marketing Influencers - Also announced the Top 50 Sales & Marketing Blogs - Continually improved our monthly magazine, which now boasts a readership of 130k - Delivered the third annual Top Sales & Marketing Awards How do we top that in 2013? Here is our timetable …. January: Top 10 Sales Articles becomes a weekly contest with the four winners vying for Top Sales Article of the Month. The twelve monthly winners will go forward to the Top Sales Article of the Year final in December. February: We launch Top Sales Radio – a short daily pre-recorded, down-loadable show, featuring all the latest news, tips, upcoming events from around the sales space, plus special guests. March: It is time to update the Top 50 Sales & Marketing Influencers list for 2013 – who will force their way in … and who will slip out? April/May: We reveal, launch and deliver the eagerly awaited Top Sales Academy – we are currently selecting and appointing the faculty, so more details in January, which you will not want to miss! June/July: The 2013 Top Sales Survey will, we hope, be the most comprehensive; most exhaustive; most revealing survey ever conducted within the global sales space. Our aim is to involve 20k front-line sales professionals and their managers – again, full details soon. August: We revisit the Top 50 Sales Blogs, in order to ensure our list is relevant, accurate and up to date. October/November: We provide a second opportunity to attend the online Top Sales Academy. December: We present the annual Top Sales & Marketing Awards. This year's online ceremony takes place on Tuesday December 17th, and we will be announcing the 2013 categories in March. In the meantime, please do remember that TSW is updated every day, and we offer … Daily tips, features and articles Weekly interviews, coaching sessions, "How to" guides, white-papers, and personal development sessions. Monthly magazine. Every person who sells something (that would be just about everyone) knows that their sales success depends upon their staying current and on top of their game. Every salesperson, no matter the amount of their experience, needs support, excellent resources, practical tips and information, and a professional, seasoned expert they can turn to. Top Sales World is THE most comprehensive online, worldwide sales community on the Internet. Period! If you are not already part of our World, do come and join us. Finally, a really big thank you to our wonderful sponsors and partners, whose continuing trust, faith and generosity makes it all possible. | You are subscribed to email updates from Jonathan Farrington's Blog
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Leadership is about conversations
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 07:22 PM PST
| Leadership is about conversations Posted: 30 Dec 2012 01:51 AM PST 
I came upon a blog post this weekend that addressed its subject matter in a way that I found breath-taking both in its simplicity and in its clarity. 5 Qualities that Make a Good Leader in the Social Media Age by Brian Verhoeven looks at leadership innovation as discussed in the book Humanize published last year that was the subject of dialogue among the authors Jamie Notter and Maddie Grant and others in a panel discussion a few months ago. What makes a good leader in your organization? was the panel’s focus. The simple answers: - They provide clear direction.
- They use positive language when things change. They embrace change.
- They are transparent and share information freely.
- They reinforce the value of experimentation – even failure.
- They talk aloud sharing their rationale and understanding with the team. They leverage the expertise of others to help them solve the tough problems.
Each of these five answers – the qualities from the blog post title – is expanded upon and discussed in some detail in the post, with Verhoeven adding commentary in reporting additional insights arising from the people involved in the panel discussion. All of these qualities won’t appear to be new or even revelatory to anyone involved in organizational communication or, indeed, organizational leadership. Yet, such fundamental behaviours too often are not practiced. And, too often, there’s no evidence that some leaders actually understand the significance of such qualities in their effectiveness as leaders and the consequent effects on the people within the organization. One of the qualities that Verhoeven adds insight to is number 5 – “They talk aloud sharing their rationale and understanding with the team. They leverage the expertise of others to help them solve the tough problems” – reporting this insightful comment: Leaders Leverage the Expertise of Others Nobody in your organization expects you to have all the answers; however, they do expect you to find someone [who] does have the answer. Reggie Henry from American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) shared a powerful tip to gain insight from his staff to solve problems creatively. He simply talks to his team aloud, face-to-face, a unique approach in today's age where email is king. For example, when ASAE was adopting a new technology platform, Reggie knew he was not an expert user, but he laid his assumptions out there for the team to hear. By talking aloud his team was able to hear his assumptions, correct them if required, or work collaboratively to solve the problem. I loved the idea of simply putting your assumptions rationale out there for your team. It reminds me of a core principle of Agile Software Development which states that the most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a team is conversation.
I don’t think many people will disagree with the view that face-to-face conversation is the most powerful communication channel in organizations. Reality bites, though, in the modern business world where it’s often a method we simply can’t use as often as we’d like with geographically-dispersed employees. Many social media tools and channels enable us to get pretty close to the power of face-to-face communication, where we can emulate the reality of it with the virtuality of the social, as it were. Think about video discussions with text chat, for example. I’m not talking about the starched and inauthentic formality of the kind of delivered webinar-type event I’m sure we all experience (far too often, I’d day) in our workplaces. This is much more about things like the spontaneous Skype videochat or private Google+ Hangout where the informality and spontaneity, not to mention obvious two-way-discussion approach, all scream “authenticity” and belief in the genuine desire of a leader to inspire and lead by inclusion. In any case, do read Verhoeven’s complete post for the detailed insights he shares, plus links to other related content. Related posts: | You are subscribed to email updates from NevilleHobson.com
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Why Being Generally Grateful is a Bad Idea
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 07:19 PM PST
| Why Being Generally Grateful is a Bad Idea Posted: 29 Dec 2012 09:05 PM PST 
Everybody knows that you should be grateful for what you've got. We have all heard that we should develop an 'attitude of gratitude' but the problem is that we aren't often told how to do that properly. Because we aren't told how to, we try to be generally happier with our lot in life, which gives us the tiniest spike of happiness, but it's often not enough to get us hooked on the gratitude habit. In light of this, I started to ask myself the questions, why should we feel gratitude? What benefits are there to having a feeling of appreciation for the things that are in our lives?
The simplest and most straight-forward answer to these questions is that being grateful in general provides no distinct or measurable benefit whatsoever, other than of course, the previously mentioned slightly increased feeling that life can't be so bad if you have something to be grateful for. So, if being grateful in general for your lot in life doesn't provide significant benefits, are there more effective ways of being grateful? The answer to that is a resounding 'yes' but you will have to read on to understand exactly how. According to the Roman philosopher Cicero, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of the virtues but the parent of all others.” If you believe some of the studies that have occurred in the past 15 years or so, then you may well begin to agree with him. An interesting side note to the reason that we don't have a lot more research into gratitude is that until in the late 1990's very little had been conducted into it with psychologists preferring to focus on 'troubled minds' up until then. That all changed when Dr Martin Seligman coined the phrases 'Positive Psychology' and 'Authentic Happiness'. So what does the research tell us? According to Robert Emmons (a world leader into research into gratitude) there are 5 key benefits to actively practicing gratitude: Increased Happiness: The active practice of gratitude can increase happiness levels by around 25%. Sustained Happiness: Actively practicing gratitude over 3 weeks can create an effect that lasts 6 months if not longer. Reduced Materialism: Grateful individuals place less importance on material goods; they are less likely to judge their own and the successes of others in terms of possessions accumulated and are less envious of other people. Increased Prosociality: Being pro-actively grateful increases the capacity to be empathic and to take the perspective of others. Grateful individuals are recognised as more generous and more helpful by people in their social networks. Other Benefits: Emmons' research showed that cultivating gratitude can bring other health benefits, such as longer and better quality sleep time which in turn leads to better concentration. When people realize these benefits are available, the natural next question is "So how do I actively practice gratitude?" One of the simplest ways of actively practicing gratitude is to keep a gratitude journal. As part of his research, Emmons asks people to write something they feel grateful for. He recommends that you make entries 4 times a week, for as little as 3 weeks. His research shows this is often enough to create a meaningful difference in one level of happiness. At first much of the research was reliant on self-measured and reported, feelings of well-being; if people felt better they told the researchers that they felt better. More recently Emmons focus has turned to measuring objective data such as cortisol and stress levels, as well as heart rate variability. Another researcher into the field of gratitude, Dr Richard Davidson has been spending his time monitoring brain activation patterns. His research backs up the claims of Seligman and Emmons showing how the active practice of gratitude can rewire activation patterns in the frontal lobes. I thought that it would be cool to conduct my own experiment. I have been keeping my own gratitude journal for the last three months and I can say categorically without doubt that I do feel happier because of it. I wouldn't go as far as to say that it has turned me into an ever smiling optimist. To be more accurate, I would say that rather than worrying if my glass is half empty or half full, I'm now just grateful to have a glass in the first place. Here are some specific tips for those of you who may be interested in keeping a gratitude journal for yourselves. - Go deep rather than wide. I feel happier when I nail the reason for my gratitude. So for example I feel better writing "I'm grateful for the way that the sunshine made me feel warm today I was expecting it to be cold", rather than "It was sunny today".
- People trump things. I find that when I am grateful towards people it has more of an impact than when I am grateful for a thing or situation. So for me "I am grateful for the way that my wife Lucy always seems to find a way of making things fun", beats "I'm grateful I have a car".
- Do it with purpose. I have kept a journal for many years but keeping a gratitude journal meant that I had to specifically look for things to be grateful for and I had to make sure I was clear about why I was grateful.
- If I'm stuck I take the double negative approach. So I look at an aspect of my life and ask myself "How much less happy would this area of my life be without this person in it?"
- Enjoy and remember surprises. Try to record events that were unexpected or surprising, as these tend to elicit stronger levels of gratitude due to the pleasant emotional attachment they generate.
- Avoid becoming a gratitude junkie.
That last one is really, really important. I found that when I started keeping the journal I quickly became obsessed with trying to find positives in EVERYTHING. So for example I even made one entry that said, "Hurt my ankle today, I am grateful that I can feel the pain and that it isn't paralysed". Another example of trying to find the positive in the trivial was, "Opened the refrigerator door and found I had enough milk to last the day without having to go to the store". Keep the journal for the things that you are genuinely grateful for. Emmons research shows, it is better to make 5 specific / detailed quality entries a week than 30 lesser more general ones. In my work as a professional speaker I conduct informal research into emotional intelligence and attitude I often create little formulas to help me remember key life lessons. With regards to gratitude I have created a lovely little formula that for me sums up the key. The formula is: e + f + g = H For me it means that when my (e)xperiences are (f)ocused on specific (g)ratitudes they make me (H)appiest. So have you got something to be grateful for? If you do, please feel free to share it in the comments box below Steve Houghton-Burnett is a professional speaker and entrepreneur. Through his work he gives people the courage and confidence to challenge and choose their own attitude and behaviours. He shares his informal research at SimpleLifeFormulas.com |
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Calling Snapchat “the sexting app” misses a huge shift in mobile, photos, and communication
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 07:15 PM PST
| Calling Snapchat “the sexting app” misses a huge shift in mobile, photos, and communication Posted: 30 Dec 2012 04:58 AM PST Somewhat lost in the whole Facebook Poke/Snapchat brewhaha is what people actually use the different services for. Many people characterize Snapchat as a “sexting app” simply because the pictures/videos you capture with it have a lifespan of a few seconds. And its true that there is some sexting going on. But as Sarah Lacy points out, there is a lot more usage going on than simply sexting. With 50 million photos sent per day (most of it in the daytime) its clear there is a bigger picture here. Evan Spiegel, one of the founders of Snapchat, has the money quote: “‘It's illegal to record phone calls and that's not because people are having phone sex all day,’ Spiegel says. ‘It's because it's a violation of what a conversation is. It's ephemeral. If you capture it, it loses the magic of what it is.’”
That is what’s really interesting about Snapchat and is actually a real differentiator between it and Facebook Poke. Facebook has established itself as wanting to archive your life, your graph, friends, and photos. Snapchat supports a fundamentally different activity…it never archives anything. It’s actually like a face-to-face conversation in which both parties know that nothing is being recorded. In a world in which everything is getting recorded when nothing used to…Snapchat is actually kind of old-school.
FYI: I’m writing a new book on how to communicate your product or service called Make them Care!. If you would like to be reminded when it comes out, sign up here. For an excerpt, check out Designing for the Next Step
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Some Thoughts on Negotiation (and Fiscal Cliffs)
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 07:11 PM PST
| Some Thoughts on Negotiation (and Fiscal Cliffs) Posted: 30 Dec 2012 05:01 PM PST Some Thoughts on Negotiation (and Fiscal Cliffs) is a post from: The Sales Blog | S. Anthony Iannarino I learned a lot about negotiation at Harvard Business School. I took classes from Max Bazerman (for my money, the best in the business) and John S. Hammond (no slouch either, one single insight he gave me has paid dividends for decades). We did a lot of work on taking some of the more emotional, lizard-brain elements out of negotiating. We did a lot of work on expanding the pie (creating of new value) before any divvying up (claiming of value). The more you learn about expanding the pie, the more you find that there is always a better deal to be had for both sides. I have yet to encounter a deal where more value can't be created. But in order for this approach to work, both sides need to be willing to try to create more value first. Sometimes, one or both sides let a scarcity mindset and fear overrule the better decision of first creating value. Here's what I notice, especially as this pertains to politics and very often sales. In order to be an effective negotiator, you must allow your partner to capture and claim some of the value that is being created and negotiated for. If you are the only one that can win, it's very difficult to come to a deal. That's because no one can accept a win-lose deal. You can't. They can't. The more you try ensure that your partner in a negotiation can capture some of the value being created, the easier you make it for them to say, "yes," because they have their win. If they can claim that they ended up with a good deal to their stakeholders, then you make it easier still. When grown ups sit down to negotiate, this is how both sides operate. When children sit down to negotiate, both sides are too busy trying to capture and claim value to ever come to an agreement. They quickly get to lose-win or win-lose, depending on which side of the table you're sitting on. If there is no way the person with whom you are negotiating is allowed to walk away with a win, then you are a poor negotiator. Questions Do your negotiations improve by you or your partner behaving as adversaries? How might your results be improved if you approached every negotiation as if it were a problem solving exercise instead of an adversarial interaction? How do you expand the pie in the deals that you create? Have you ever had to negotiate with a client that was only interested in capturing and claiming value? How'd you deal with that client?
| | 3 Ways B2B is Different from B2C Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:25 PM PST 3 Ways B2B is Different from B2C is a post from: The Sales Blog | S. Anthony Iannarino Business-to-business sales are different from business-to-consumer sales. First, the deal size in business-to-business opportunities tends to be much, much greater. That’s a pretty simple difference. Second, with the greater deal size comes greater complexity. When we sell to consumers there is typically a single decision-maker. Sometimes if it’s a major B2C sale, there may be multiple decision-makers. It may be a couple, and they may decide to make a purchase together. But in business-to-business sales, it can be much more complex. You often have to build consensus across a much greater number of stakeholders. Those stakeholders tend to have conflicting needs. And they tend to have different needs when it comes to the value that you create for them. The stages are longer. And sales processes is much more important. The biggest difference is probably the fact that a B2B sale is much more strategic. When you sell business-to-business you are becoming part of your client's value chain. Here’s an example: I shipped using UPS. Amazon.com ships using UPS. If I have a problem with UPS, I can easily switch to FedEx or the United States Postal Service. But that doesn’t work for Amazon.com. If they have a problem with UPS, they have a problem with their business model. The deal is much more strategic, and UPS is much more deeply ingrained in their value proposition. You can watch me riff on this with Gerhard from Selling Power at www.salesopshop.com. We're going to a series of videos like these, and like this one, we want to answer your questions and give you a place to add your contribution to the discussion. Join us over there and leave us your thoughts in the comments. Here’s a link to the video on YouTube. | You are subscribed to email updates from S. Anthony Iannarino
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Think Like Zuck
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 07:04 PM PST
| Think Like Zuck Posted: 30 Dec 2012 05:40 PM PST Ekaterina Walter's new book, Think Like Zuck, is a clarion call to all of us frogs in the soup pot. Not only is Zuckerberg at the nexus of the greatest changes in human communications for about 500 years, but he is there with intention – he is out to change the world.  | | Social Customer Service: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility (Now Who Wants It?) Posted: 30 Dec 2012 09:54 AM PST Like it or not, social media has become a mainstream communications channel.  | | Miracle on Social Media Street Posted: 30 Dec 2012 09:54 AM PST And there is your social media lesson from the 65-year-old movie: Dedicate your brand to doing what is right for the world and your customers notice, trust more and become loyal.  | | 12 Principles for Responding to Negative Online Comments Posted: 30 Dec 2012 04:47 AM PST A recent study shows that the top Singaporean telecoms operators together receive an average 1,700 negative customer comments a day via social media. Such volume requires dedicated teams to pick through the debris and assess which complaints should be answered and how.  | | Facebook’s Popularity And Privacy Policy During The Past Year Posted: 30 Dec 2012 04:16 AM PST The past year was a socially good year for Facebook but its business side now reflects the opposite: Mark Zuckerberg's brainchild continues to drop share prices since going public earlier this year, and criticisms over proposed updates to its privacy policies worsen Wall Street figures.  | | Content Brainstorming Tools for 2013 Posted: 30 Dec 2012 04:15 AM PST When it comes to content marketers, there is one question that always piques our interest – Where do others get their ideas? And with more brands creating content than ever before, it can be challenging to continually keep ahead of trends, churn out fresh concepts and repurpose ideas – let alone do so across multiple platforms.  | | We Should Stop Saying Influential When We Mean Popular Posted: 29 Dec 2012 04:13 AM PST No doubt Snooki is popular. But whether or not she's influential on these topics is arguable. People may look to Snooki for the latest in shoe styles since she's a pop icon… but it's doubtful she's going to help to influence your opinion on your next camera purchase, pizza purchase, armed force question, baking recipe or parenting question. I'm not knocking Snooki… just pointing out that Snooki is absolutely popular, but has questionable influence.  | | The Best Branded Content of the Year: 2012 Posted: 29 Dec 2012 04:00 AM PST Though the time has come to say goodbye to 2012, in the New Year we will find ourselves saying hello to a new era of advertising. 2012 will be remembered as the year that content became king. 2013 will be the year that marketers begin to perfect their branded content. Because learning from the past is always the best way to move forward in the future, let's take a moment to remember a few of the best branded content campaigns of the past year.  |
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Hugo Chavez Cancer Surgery: Venezuelan President Suffers 'New Complications' Following Procedure In Cuba, Vice President Says
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 07:02 PM PST
| Hugo Chavez Cancer Surgery: Venezuelan President Suffers 'New Complications' Following Procedure In Cuba, Vice President Says Posted: 30 Dec 2012 05:50 PM PST CARACAS, Venezuela — Hugo Chavez has suffered "new complications" following his cancer surgery in Cuba, his vice president said Sunday, describing the Venezuelan leader's condition as delicate. Vice President Nicolas Maduro spoke with a solemn expression in a televised address from Havana, saying he had spoken with Chavez and that the president sent greetings to his homeland. He did not give details about the complications, which he said came amid a respiratory infection. Read More... More on Cuba  | | Hillary Clinton Admitted To New York Hospital With Blood Clot Following Concussion Posted: 30 Dec 2012 05:54 PM PST WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was admitted to a New York hospital Sunday after the discovery of a blood clot stemming from the concussion she sustained earlier this month. Clinton's doctors discovered the clot Sunday while performing a follow-up exam, her spokesman, Philippe Reines, said. He would not elaborate on the location of the clot but said Clinton is being treated with anti-coagulants and would remain at New York-Presbyterian Hospital for at least the next 48 hours so doctors can monitor the medication. Read More... More on Hillary Clinton  | | Adrian Peterson Record Bid Comes Up Nine Yards Short Of Eric Dickerson's Single-Season Mark Posted: 30 Dec 2012 05:30 PM PST MINNEAPOLIS -- Adrian Peterson's remarkable comeback season now has a magic number to punctuate it. Peterson became the seventh player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season, plowing through the Green Bay Packers for a 20-yard gain that put him over the top in the third quarter Sunday. He finished with 199 yards and a touchdown in the 37-34 victory, leaving him nine yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season record. Read More... More on NFL  | | Vikings Reach NFL Playoffs: Adrian Peterson Powers Minnesota Past Packers Posted: 30 Dec 2012 05:50 PM PST MINNEAPOLIS — Adrian Peterson picked up the Minnesota Vikings and gave them a ride to the playoffs, where the first stop on this improbable journey is, yes, Green Bay. Peterson came up 9 yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season record, but he still powered the Vikings past the Packers 37-34 Sunday with 199 yards to set up a rematch next weekend in a first-round playoff game. Read More... More on Minnesota Vikings  | | Oklahoma State University Officials Worried About Media Coverage Of Sexual Assaults, Emails Show Posted: 30 Dec 2012 05:03 PM PST OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma State University officials fretted about the school's public image as details emerged about the sexual assaults of several male students on campus, and maintained throughout that it was appropriate to withhold details of the attacks from police, according to records obtained by The Associated Press. Even after an official from the U.S. Department of Education suggested the university had misinterpreted a portion of the Family and Education Rights Privacy Act, or FERPA, an OSU attorney insisted the federal law prevented them from disclosing details of an internal investigation to police. Read More...  | | Broncos Cinch Top AFC Playoffs Spot With 38-3 Win Over Chiefs Posted: 30 Dec 2012 04:55 PM PST DENVER -- If he wants, Peyton Manning can use all that time at home to crank up the DVD player and watch the highlights. What a set he put together for himself and his acrobatic receivers on Sunday. Read More... More on Denver Broncos  | | Andy Reid Fired As Eagles' Coach, Could Remain With Team In Some Capacity: REPORT Posted: 30 Dec 2012 04:59 PM PST EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Andy Reid is out after 14 years coaching the Philadelphia Eagles, three people familiar with the decision told The Associated Press following Sunday's 42-7 season-ending loss to the New York Giants. Reid is scheduled to meet with owner Jeffrey Lurie on Monday to discuss his future and an official announcement will come afterward, according to one person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because a final agreement hasn't been reached. That person says there's a chance Reid might remain with the team in some capacity. Read More... More on Philadelphia Eagles  | | Gene Robinson: First Gay Anglican Bishop Reflects On Tenure In New Hampshire Posted: 30 Dec 2012 04:10 PM PST CONCORD, N.H. -- New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson says he chafed for several years at being branded the first openly gay bishop of the Anglican Church until he realized that he was wasting a pulpit from which he could advocate for equality. "I'd been given this really remarkable opportunity and it would be selfish of me not to be the best steward of that opportunity," he recently told The Associated Press in an interview as he prepares to retire in January. "We went from my consecration, which set off this international controversy, to nine years later seeing gay, lesbian and transgender congregants welcome at all levels of the church, including bishop." Read More... More on Religion and Sexuality  | | Afghanistan Violence Falls In 2012, Insider Attacks Rise Dramatically Posted: 30 Dec 2012 04:01 PM PST KABUL, Afghanistan -- Violence in Afghanistan fell in 2012, but more Afghan troops and police who now shoulder most of the combat were killed, according to statistics compiled by The Associated Press. At the same time, insider killings by uniformed Afghans against their foreign allies rose dramatically, eroding confidence between the two sides at a crucial turning point in the war and when NATO troops and Afghan counterparts are in more intimate contact. Read More... More on Afghanistan  | | L.A.'s Net Set: Portraits Of Lakers And Clippers Superfans - Los Angeles - Slideshows Posted: 30 Dec 2012 03:46 PM PST Graphic designer - Charlie Edmiston has been a life long fan. He lived near Kobe Bryant as a child and remembers it well. He used to live 5 minutes from my house and would sometimes practice on the courts of my old high school. When asked about his favorite fan moment he quickly responds with being at game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against the Kings in 2002. 8th row with my dad, as Robert Horry hit a 3 to win. It was very epic. Read More...  | | Katt Williams Arrested In LA On Suspicion Of Child Endangerment Posted: 30 Dec 2012 04:04 PM PST LOS ANGELES — Katt Williams, the comedian who has repeatedly found himself on the wrong side of the law, is out on bail after being arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of child endangerment and possession of a stolen gun. Police Officer Norma Eisenman says Williams was taken into custody Friday after the LA County Department of Children and Family Services did a welfare check at his home. Authorities found more than one firearm, one of which had been reported stolen. Read More...  | | New Year's Style Resolutions For 2013 (PHOTOS) Posted: 30 Dec 2012 04:09 PM PST | | Kanye West's Grammys Rant: Singer Cites Snubs And Vows Not To Attend (VIDEO) Posted: 30 Dec 2012 04:05 PM PST Kanye West assured fans at his Saturday night concert that he wasn't "crazy" or "deranged" in an on-stage rant that ended up as an indictment of the media and the Grammy Awards. The rapper -- who donned a white hood and a crystal mask at various points of the show in Atlantic City, N.J. -- slammed the press for publishing "bullshit" that suggested he had lost his mind. He also pledged to keep creating art, telling fans, "I'm not crazy. I'm just not satisfied." He then turned his critical gaze to the Grammy awards: Read More... More on Kanye West  | | Howard Jordan Jr.: New Year, New York Posted: 30 Dec 2012 03:17 PM PST As we sing Auld Lang Syne and sway back and forth with champagne in hand and loved ones in arm, I'd like to propose a toast to the year that was and the year that will be. Here's to New York. Read More... More on new years 2013  | | Obama Signs FISA Warrantless Wiretapping Program Extension Into Law Posted: 30 Dec 2012 03:09 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has signed into law a five-year extension of the U.S. government's authority to monitor the overseas activity of suspected foreign spies and terrorists. The warrantless intercept program would have expired at the end of 2012 without the president's approval. The renewal bill won final passage in the Senate on Friday. Known as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the law allows the government to monitor overseas phone calls and emails without obtaining a court order for each intercept. Read More... More on AP  |
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Adios 2012
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 03:37 PM PST
| Adios 2012 Posted: 30 Dec 2012 03:31 PM PST 
Lessons
New Years isn’t until Tuesday, but being “the weekend guy” this will likely be my final post of 2012 here. And as in years past, I’d hoped to share a few thoughts on what was clearly not the best year in history (at least from a political perspective). Yeah… that whole election thing didn’t turn [...] Read this post » | | Video – The Oak Ridge Boys sing for George H.W. Bush Posted: 30 Dec 2012 02:01 PM PST 
How sweet the sound
As we inch our way toward closing out the year here at good ole’ Hot Gas, rather than yet another depressing tale of fiscal cliffs and gun grabbing, something a little nicer to hopefully brighten your day. As we’ve mentioned here before, former President George H.W. Bush has been under the weather, battling some health [...] View the video » | | Did the Obama admin sit on an FDA report for political reasons? Posted: 30 Dec 2012 12:31 PM PST 
Fishy
Second terms for US presidents tend to wind up being plagued with scandals of one sort or another, and you probably won’t be terribly surprised if the same thing comes to pass for Barack Obama. But what form will the scandal take? Benghazi? Fast and Furious? Something to do with the UN? All of those [...] Read this post » | | The Sandy Hook lawsuits begin Posted: 30 Dec 2012 11:01 AM PST 
Sad
While sad, I’ve no doubt that this was entirely predictable. In the wake of the shooting tragedy in Newtown, the first of the lawsuits has been filed and the plaintiffs are seeking a substantial payday. A $100 million claim on behalf of a 6-year-old survivor is the first legal action to come out of the [...] Read this post » | | Hot Air’s Top 40 for 2012: 21-30 Posted: 30 Dec 2012 09:31 AM PST 
The low-down, dirty shame.
Once again, we’re looking back at the Hot Air posts that garnered the most traffic in 2012. We had plenty of off-the-mark prognostication in this set, but a couple of surprises, too. Enjoy the trip down Memory Lane; we’ll be back with 11-20 tomorrow. #30 - Letterman: Say, Obama's kind of lying about this GM bankruptcy [...] Read this post » | | NFL Week 17 open thread Posted: 30 Dec 2012 08:01 AM PST 
Well...
Okay, so this wasn’t the year for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They lost their last-gasp shot at making the playoffs last week in a close game against the Cincinnati Bengals, who clinched a wild card nod. Today the Cleveland Browns come to town, and the Steelers have to break a three-game losing streak to keep from [...] Read this post » | | Poll: OOTY Semifinals #2 Posted: 30 Dec 2012 06:31 AM PST 
The build-up.
We have two more slots open for tomorrow’s OOTY finals — and the poll from yesterday is still open for those first two slots, too! Which of today’s selections will compete for the title of Obamateurism of the Year? Don’t think you can skip out on making a choice, because abstentions aren’t exactly optimal. You [...] Read this post » | | Open thread: Sunday morning talking heads Posted: 30 Dec 2012 05:01 AM PST 
Bully pulpit.
No question who the star guest is this morning or what the topic du jour will be. Mercifully, we’re almost at the end of this months-long Scooby Doo episode. O’s job spin-wise this morning is to peel back the villain’s mask to reveal — gasp — John Boehner. Hopefully he’ll also take the opportunity to [...] Read this post » | | Quotes of the day Posted: 29 Dec 2012 05:31 PM PST 
Cliffhanger.
New Yorkers of all income levels got a rude awakening yesterday when they saw in The Post how much more they will pay in taxes next year without a fiscal-cliff deal by Jan. 1. "It's that much higher?" asked IT worker Vikas Kataria, 34, who discovered that his combined household income of about $250,000 per [...] Read this post » | | Hot Air’s Top 40 for 2012: 31-40 Posted: 29 Dec 2012 04:01 PM PST 
Flukes and magic.
Every year at this time, we like to look back at our most-read posts and take a trip down Memory Lane. Which topics got the most traction? What really burned up the wires? As one might imagine, the top 40 posts in terms of traffic include a number of election topics, but it wasn’t just [...] Read this post » | You are subscribed to email updates from Hot Air » Top Picks
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Scripting News: Silicon Valley is wrong about college.
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 03:31 PM PST
| Scripting News: Silicon Valley is wrong about college. Posted: 30 Dec 2012 06:54 AM PST Lately I've been thinking a lot about startup culture, and am reminded of its nobility -- having started three companies in my career, and learned from each experience, and even occasionally made some money. I'm more positive on startups these days than I have been in a while.  I have experience as an entrepreneur, but I also have an education. For me, it was a rough path. I dropped out, briefly, in high school. Got a chance to reboot my education, which was something I really needed to do. I had a professor in my freshman year of college who showed me that my mind could do math. And from there, I took charge. With mixed results. But at the end of the mess, I was educated. Not just in science and technology, but also in art, music, history, economics and literature. There were a few things I wish they had required I learn: accounting and psychology, foremost, so I wouldn't have been so scared of taxes and sex. But on the whole I think I got a pretty good deal.
Nowadays Silicon Valley says that college education is a waste. This idea has spread to academia too. They're trying to make the experience more relevant to entrepreneurs and their investors. I've heard it said at Harvard that they want to participate in the success of the next Gates and Zuckerberg, both Harvard dropouts. I find this disturbing. I want them to educate better citizens, not richer business people. If they happen to be better citizens and rich, all the better. But first comes the person, not the bank account. I don't think Gates and Zuckerberg are good role models for young people. And not just because they dropped out. It's more subtle. Most kids who try to be the next billionaire entrepreneur will fail. There probably isn't even one such success in the class of 2013. So most will be disappointed. And if we push the kids toward that, we will lead them to believe, mistakenly, that it's enough to create a massive fortune. It is not enough. And if they fail to create the fortune, according to this standard, they will have failed in life. So, not only will we have set this generation up to fail, but we have just certified the mistake of past generations, that wealth itself has meaning. It has a lot less meaning, imho, than most people think. When you look at the problems our democracy has, probably the biggest one is the "low information voter." The ignorant electorate that says they want government out of our lives, but keep your hands off Medicare and Social Security, for example. We should strive not to create better billionaires, we should set our sights higher -- to create better voters. I'm not saying they should vote the way I want them to. I don't vote the same way I did 20 years ago. We should however vote with a purpose. Not for style or appearance. For what's good for ourselves and for the country. The education process could work better, so let's make it work better. But before you throw it out, think clearly and seriously about what we depend on it for. | You are subscribed to email updates from Dave Winer
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Paris Plages / Bringing the beach to Paris
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 03:26 PM PST
| Paris Plages / Bringing the beach to Paris Posted: 31 Dec 2012 12:00 AM PST 
August in Paris is traditionally the time when residents head off for their month-long annual vacations. However, the city is by no means empty. For millions of residents and tourists, life goes on as usual, but there’s still that seasonal urge to spread out a towel on the sand and soak up some sun. Paris is nearly 125 miles (200km) from the coast, but every summer since 2002, a full-blown beach has appeared right in the center of town, courtesy of the city government and corporate sponsors. Paris Plages is the collective name of a series of sites set up around the city for summertime activities; they’re in operation for roughly a month each year from late July to late August. The idea was the brainchild of Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoë, who has taken numerous steps to make the city more accessible to pedestrians and cyclists. The original and best-known Paris Plage is constructed along the right bank of the Seine River, running almost 2 miles (3km) from the Louvre to Pont Sully (the Sully Bridge). What is normally the Georges Pompidou Expressway is closed to traffic (much to the dismay of commuters) and turned into a pedestrian walkway. Along the side of the road farthest from the river the actual beaches are installed—3000 tons of sand trucked in and trucked back out every year. In between sections of faux beach are areas devoted to other activities for both adults and children, such as rock climbing, rollerblading, and even t’ai chi. There are also restrooms, showers, first aid and police stations, and several mist zones where people can stand in a constant fine spray of water to cool off. Summer Barbecue
Mostly, though, people do what they normally do on beaches: lie on the sand or in hammocks in their swimsuits and get sunburned. The crowds are often dense, and those who arrive late in the day, especially on weekends, may have trouble finding a spot. Unlike other crowded beaches, though, the one thing you will not see is people going in the water. Apart from the fact that the beach is separated from the river by a wall and a road, it’s not the sort of place you would want to swim, wade, or simply get your toes wet even if you could. It would be easier, safer, and probably more hygienic to take a dip directly in the sewers. However, if you go down the river a bit farther, you’ll find another Paris Plage location that features La Piscine Joséphine Baker, a huge swimming pool that actually floats in a barge on the river. So you can swim in the river, in a manner of speaking, without risking your health. At other spots in the city you can enjoy everything from beach volleyball or rugby (in front of the Hôtel de Ville, or City Hall, just steps from the central Paris Plage) to canoeing and kayaking (at the Bassin de la Villette). Surf’s Up
Another thing you can do at any of the Paris Plage locations is, appropriately enough, surf—on the internet, that is. That’s right: the whole area has free Wi-Fi service. Which, I’m sure, was a very thoughtful and modern and generous notion on behalf of the organizers, but…seriously? I walked the entire length of the Paris Plage along the Seine and didn’t see a single laptop in use. Apart from the obvious fact that electronics don’t tend to get along well with sand, water, and bright sunlight, people really do go to the beach to relax. I’m teasing a bit: Wi-Fi is useful for numerous gadgets that are more beach-friendly, and there are certainly some dry, shady, and sand-free spots near the beach that would make a lovely spot to sit and type for a while if that’s your thing. But I know I wouldn’t choose a beach based on its internet connectivity. Well, for that matter, I pretty much wouldn’t choose a beach at all. My personal preference is to enjoy those nice sunny days and the beautiful scenery from the comfort of a cool, dark, and uncrowded room somewhere. The Catacombs are lovely this time of year. —Joe Kissell Permalink • Email this Article • Categories: Clever Ideas, Interesting Places, Society & Culture More Information about Paris Plages... In case you missed the news, Joe Kissell and Morgen Jahnke are now living in Paris. You can read all about their adventures there in Truffles for Breakfast. To learn more about the Paris Plages, you can visit their official Web page (in French) on the Paris city government’s site. Other resources about Paris Plages include: The success of the Paris Plages has prompted numerous other European cities, including Brussels, Berlin, and Budapest, to begin similar programs. More cities are sure to follow. Related Articles from Interesting Thing of the Day ℗ & © 2007, alt concepts. All rights reserved.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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Google blocks TwitPic over alleged malware, causing Chrome to deny access to some Twitter pages
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 03:24 PM PST
| Google blocks TwitPic over alleged malware, causing Chrome to deny access to some Twitter pages Posted: 30 Dec 2012 12:17 PM PST  Google’s malware checker on Sunday has for some reason detected TwitPic.com as a threat. As a result, if you try to access the site from Google.com using any browser (link), you’ll get a malware warning. Furthermore, if you use Google Chrome, TwitPic.com pages as well as Twitter pages that rely on the service will result in a blocking prompt as well. To try this for yourself, head to Google.com, search for TwitPic, and click on any link on twitpic.com. If you’re using Google Chrome, just try to go to TwitPic.com or visit a Twitter page that relies on the service (many use TwitPic images in profile pages), such as Twitter.com/TwitPic. Direct inks to TwitPic images, however, appear to work fine, and embedded TwitPic images load on Twitter as well. Unfortunately, Google’s Safe Browsing Diagnostic page for twitpic.com isn’t particularly helpful; the last check was three hours ago, and it didn’t find any malware: What is the current listing status for twitpic.com?
Site is listed as suspicious – visiting this web site may harm your computer. What happened when Google visited this site?
Of the 12029 pages we tested on the site over the past 90 days, 0 page(s) resulted in malicious software being downloaded and installed without user consent. The last time Google visited this site was on 2012-12-30, and suspicious content was never found on this site within the past 90 days.
As such, we’re guessing this is a false positive, and a particularly nasty one at that. Here’s what happens when you try to get to TwitPic from Google: 
Since Google Chrome relies on the same malware checker, TwitPic.com results in warnings as well when you try to access it directly in the browser. Furthermore, here’s what happens when you try to access a Twitter page that relies on TwitPic using Chrome: 
Ignoring the warnings, we got to TwitPic’s Twitter page and found that the company is trying to get in touch with Google to figure out what is happening: Working to fix the google chrome malware notice when visiting Twitpic.com as this is not true or the case, trying to contact google — TwitPic (@TwitPic) December 30, 2012
We have also contacted Google about the issue. We will update this article if we hear back. Image credit: fcl1971  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | | 6 ways to monetize a user-based business model Posted: 30 Dec 2012 08:00 AM PST 
How do you monetize a unique business model based on users rather than selling an actual product? We asked members of the Young Entrepreneurs Council for their thoughts. Giving it away at Contently  "At Contently, our core monetization strategy is through marketplace transactions. We’ve built (and continue to grow) a network of journalists and a corresponding publisher network. When our users do business with each other, we take a fee as facilitator.
We’ve learned through experience that because web apps are becoming cheaper to build, tools will eventually become free if there are other ways to monetize them rather than charging directly for them. We cut to the chase by releasing our tools for free to attract users, and then we monetize with transaction fees. We also have advanced, paid tools for agencies who need enterprise features that are more technically difficult to build and therefore are not going to be given away by a competitor anytime soon." – Shane Snow, Contently
Simple and social at Mixbook  "We have a very simple business model. We create the best experience for creating personalized books, cards and calendars then our customers pay us for these products. We continually improve these experiences to build more value for our customers.
We started with Mixbook.com and our rich creation tool which allows folks to pull in photos from places like Flickr, Instagram and Facebook then add embellishments and their own text to create their completely customized products. Recently we unveiled our upcoming product, Mosaic. Mosaic is the fast and spontaneous photobook experience for iPhone. We believe that mobile devices provide a unique opportunity to create an experience that is deeply personal and will resonate with a whole new audience." – Andrew Laffoon, Mixbook
Diversifying revenue streams at Wave  "Wave is monetizing in a few different ways, but our core value proposition has always been based on a 100 percent free accounting application for small businesses with an offer-based revenue model. In other words, advertisers pay to present special offers to our customers. This is common in B2C apps (Facebook, for example), but it's still new in B2B apps like Wave Accounting. But it's not unprecedented: The model has proven to be incredibly successful in a variety of industries, and with almost 350,000 customers already signed up for Wave, we have no doubts that it'll prove to be equally successful for our small business accounting application. Our revenue model is also supplemented by add-on applications — the first of which is Wave Payroll, which is currently live in Canada and in beta in the U.S.
The biggest challenge I'd flag for other entrepreneurs is that offer-supported apps depend on scale. Not only is your revenue going to be negligible if the customer numbers aren't there, but it's hard to attract offers from tier-A advertisers. We knew that going in, so it was something we had planned for, but if you're not familiar with the online advertising world it's something you could overlook. Big international brands simply don't pay attention unless they can hit hundreds of thousands of qualified users at once — and sometimes more. But as you scale, the advertisers will come. Wave is proof of that." – Kirk Simpson, Wave Accounting
Embracing specialties at Yodle  "When Yodle was founded, the company's original plan was to generate revenue by offering small businesses every web service you can possibly imagine. We soon realized that we were trying to tackle too much at once. We had to focus on doing one thing well in order to succeed. We determined that we could best monetize the business by focusing on online marketing, particularly our pay-per-click services. We didn't throw away all of our business plan, but tabled some ideas with the mindset of re-introducing them when the company could support and scale them.
As we've grown, we've added a number of items to our marketing platform that includes mobile and desktop websites, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), paid search technology for optimizing online media buys across desktop and mobile devices, display advertising, local maps optimization and review management. Today, Yodle monetizes its online marketing solution as a one stop shop for small businesses. Instead of line-itemizing, Yodle's aim is to keep things simple and help small business acquire new customers." – Ben Rubenstein, Yodle
Out-caring competition at GiveForward  "The way we monetize is pretty straightforward. We provide people with online fundraising pages and then charge a fee on each transaction. The biggest challenge we’ve faced along the way has been determining how much to charge. Initially, we kept our fees extremely low, as we thought this would be a competitive advantage. But we quickly realized that competing on price is a losing proposition. So over time, we raised our fees and simply began out-caring our competition, which has turned out to be a much better strategy.
Our goal with GiveForward is to save millions of lives and, in doing so, create a brand that lasts for decades. But we’ll never achieve this by being the cheapest option possible. The only way for us to get there is to provide a remarkable service that people absolutely love, and then charge them appropriately for it. So that’s what we try to focus on." – Ethan Austin, GiveForward
Staying minimal at ReTargeter  "ReTargeter's revenue challenge is really very different than the challenge faced by the many startups that are looking to figure out how they'll monetize their user bases. We sell online advertising services, so where we would derive revenue was always clear. The how, however, was not always quite so obvious. We launched with a month-to-month payment model with no subscriptions required and super-low minimums (that's still how we price, though our minimums have increases).
Because we bootstrapped, the biggest challenge right out of the gate was getting customers on board fast. We focused on drumming up initial interest and building a lean, yet functional product. Our earliest iterations didn't have a lot of frills, but the products worked and we kept our customers happy. Building that initial user base was key; that's what enabled us to drive the revenue that later allowed us to invest in building the advanced product suite we have today." – Arjun Arora, ReTargeter The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only nonprofit organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons. Image Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | | Why we’ve decided to stop producing TNW Magazine for Android Posted: 30 Dec 2012 07:35 AM PST  For over a year now, every last Friday of the month, we’ve published a fresh issue of TNW Magazine, our tablet-only digital magazine. Our first issues were all iPad only. Then the Retina iPad was introduced so we optimized for that. It was a bit more work to optimize for two iPads, but not so much that we minded. And the magazine looked spectacular on the retina screen so it was worth the extra effort.  We use Mag+ software to produce our magazine, and at one point they announced support for the iPhone and asked us to become a launch partner. We jumped at the opportunity and produced a third format, for the iPhone.
With every issue we published we also received a lot of requests for an Android version of the magazine. We had bought a Kindle Fire and a Nexus 7 and Mag+ offered support for both platforms, so we played around with it a bit and ended up publishing a version for Android. To be honest; it wasn’t easy. In theory you simply adjust for a different format and platform and do a new export. But then trouble starts. As one developer put it to us: “You make a beautiful magazine for the iPad, and then you dumb it down for Android’. That meant removing movies, sound, interactivity and content. But even then we had to deal with frequent crashes, a less intuitive interface and a platform that is even more fragmented than iOS. Then there was the content. See, we pick movies from the iTunes store that people can download right to their iPads. We pick music the same way and books too. Producing for Android meant that we had to redo all that work because all our content was restricted to the iOS platform. That isn’t Android’s fault, of course, but because the platform is just less developed and robust we had started out with iOS and optimized for that. All of that wouldn’t have been a problem if we had seen a market for our magazine on Android. And we did believe there would be one. We had gotten enough requests for it and had gotten the impression there were thousands of anxious Android tablets owners holding their breath for an Android version of our magazine. Unfortunately we’ve found out that although Android users are very vocal they aren’t very active when it comes to downloading and reading magazines. Or maybe they just don’t like our magazine. You never know. To give you some insight in how little uptake we saw on Android here are some statistics: for every Android user that downloads an Android magazine we have 80 iOS downloads. Now if it would be as easy as just running an extra export for the other platform this wouldn’t be a problem. Turning an iPad retina magazine version into a iPad regular or iPhone version takes a few hours at the most. Turning an iPad magazine into an Android magazine takes 3 to 4 days. We would rather spend those extra 3 or 4 days on making the iPad version mores spectacular with more embedded music and more interactivity. When we started producing this magazine we figured it would be an experiment and we would take a year to build up an audience and find a format that would work for us. We’ve tried a lot, failed a lot and learned a lot. And sometimes we try something and find out it doesn’t work for us. We tried an Android magazine, and found out it just isn’t worth the effort. Does that mean that Android sucks? Ehm, no, and there is no reason to tell us how cool Android is in the comments, because we understand it is. It just means that with the current state of technology and the way the market is divided we can’t afford to invest in it anymore. This month’s magazine will be the last Android optimized issue. Starting 2013 we will only publish for iOS. ➤ Download TNW Magazine, for free, as always. P.S. I’ve talked to digital magazine blog ‘Talking New Media’ about our decision too. See their take on this.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | | Founders: Learning should be your top 2013 New Year’s resolution Posted: 30 Dec 2012 06:00 AM PST 
As we get closer to the New Year, the ritual of making resolutions begins and we all flock to the usual patterns: we want to to eat healthier, work out more, get promoted, or spend more time with our kids and family. These are with no doubt worthwhile goals, but I'd like to pose an important challenge for founders: Make learning and development your key resolution in 2013. If you're a startup, you are by definition competing with the smartest people in the world – either large companies with more resources than yours or fellow entrepreneurs who are hoping to disrupt large companies. Your knowledge can make the difference between failure and success. Learning a new skill can also increase the chance of serendipity, the "magic" moment when seemingly unrelated concepts form an orignal thought in your head. Considering picking up new skills? I’ve gathered a comprehensive list of resources for startup learning. Let's get started! Udacity Udacity offers a range of free online courses from top University professors. A few of the top courses include: - Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (CS271): Includes machine learning, probabilistic reasoning, robotics, and natural language processing.
- How to Build a Startup (EP245) by Steve Blank: You'll learn the key steps of the Customer Development process. How to identify and engage the first customers for your product, and how to gather, evaluate and use their feedback to make your product, marketing and business model far stronger.
- Also worth subscribing to is Venture Lab – a series of startup courses online from Stanford University, for free.
Udemy Startup courses from Udemy, a crowdsourced platform for learning: - Learn how to raise money for your startup: The most popular course on Udemy, gathering advice from 7 founder CEOs including Naval (founder of AngelList), Dave McLure (founder of 500 Startups) and others. Learn how to raise capital from angel investors and venture capitalists (and how to decide who you should target).
- Social media marketing for startups: How to use social to launch, position your messaging and get distribution.
- Startup Hiring: How to attract, hire and retain the best people.
- How to Bootstrap Your Startup: Everything you need to start your business – how to take an idea on paper and bring it to life.
- Strategy Mapping Selling: Business-to-business sales and marketing – advanced selling and marketing strategies for major and key account sales.
Technical courses from Udemy: Coursera Coursera also offers free online courses given by professors in top universities: - Programming Languages by Dan Grossman of University of Washington: Investigate the basic concepts behind programming languages, with a strong emphasis on the techniques and benefits of functional programming.
- Cryptography II by Dan Boneh, Stanford University Professor: Learn about the inner workings of cryptographic primitives and protocols and how to apply this knowledge in real-world applications.
Coursera is a social entrepreneurship company that partners with the top universities in the world to offer courses online for anyone to take, for free. edX Harvard and MIT created edX, an online learning platform with great content. edX currently offers HarvardX, MITx and BerkeleyX classes online for free. Skillshare Skillshare lets you learn skills from other people. Really interactive way of learning: Codecademy Pick up your programming skills from Codecademy. Interactive way to learn how to code : YouTube YouTube has its own channel dedicated to educational content at YouTube EDU. It contains a broad set of educational videos that range from academic lectures to inspirational speeches and everything in between.
Lore Lore (Learn + More), formerly known as CourseKit, has some great courses on deck. It's also beautifully designed. Khan Academy Khan Academy has a huge range of free educational videos. A few selections: It is essential that you take steps like these in order to be prepared for the challenges and competition ahead. And there's no better time to get started than the coming year. As Steve Jobs said, "Stay hungry, stay foolish!” Image Credit: Frederick Florin/Getty Images  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | | New Year, new system: 20 things you can do to make this year your most productive Posted: 30 Dec 2012 04:00 AM PST 
Most people aren’t great with New Year resolutions, for good reason: nothing really changes on January 1 to magically enable them to stick to (or kick) a habit that they weren’t able to all of the previous year. Still, it’s a good idea to make use of the end-of-year holidays to do a bit of tidying up and start the next one afresh with improved systems for keeping your work and life streamlined. Today we’re taking a look at clearing out all the junk that has accumulated over the past year, from files on your computer to your to-do list, and finding ways to set ourselves up for a smoother 2013. The first step is understanding where all the clutter comes from, so you can tackle it at the root. You’ll then need to get rid of as much of it as possible with minimal effort. And finally, you’ll need to create a system so that you don’t accumulate as much garbage next year. Here are 20 ways to get organized and get on with your life.
Data Computers are hoarders of useless files and data, and require a review and cleaning every once in a while. The most common kinds of files that wear out their welcome are photos, videos, documents, and app installation packages. These are all easy enough to spot and remove. Delete large files  OmniDiskSweeper in action Windows: Free app SpaceSniffer can give you a visual representation of the contents of your hard drives, showing you which files and folders are taking up the most space so you can swoop in there and delete them. And if you recently upgraded to Windows 8, remove previous installations of Windows to get back oodles of space by following this tip from Brian Keller at Microsoft. Mac: Grab a free copy of OmniDiskSweeper to quickly find large files, review them and delete the ones you don’t need. Deep cleaning  CCleaner for Mac at work Windows: Pirform’s wonderful CCleaner (free for home users) will help you clean out all your browser cache and history, Recycle Bin, temporary files, memory dumps and more, and of course uninstall apps easily. Mac: CleanMyMac is a mighty housekeeping app that’ll do away with caches, universal binaries, localization files, extensions and more. If you’re looking for a free option, grab CCleaner for Mac. Backup For your precious personal files (audio, video, documents and such), consider backing them up to an external hard drive and into the cloud, and reclaim free space on your computer. CrashPlan offers great free apps to manage your backup activities to drives and other computers, is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux, and even offers paid plans (starting at $1.50/month for 10GB of space) for online storage. Clean out your computer and secure your data by following these tips once every quarter and you should be in good shape.
Debt Debt has this uncanny way of creeping into your life slowly and making a mess of it; we’ve all been there, and some of us still are. Thankfully, there are now plenty of resources available to help ease the process of repaying creditors. The folks at Lifehacker regularly offer tips and tricks on how to deal with debt , including coverage on a study that shows that paying off smaller debts first increases your odds of successfully eliminating personal debt. You can also set up ReadyForZero for free to link your debt accounts, put together a manageable plan based on your situation, make payments and stick to a schedule, and clear your debt optimally.  ReadyForZero For many, debt is inevitable; being aware of your spending and saving habits, making payments on time and generally staying on top of things is the key to successfully dealing with it.
Paper  Evernote Weren’t we promised paperless offices and homes by pundits and technophiles about now? That hasn’t yet become a complete reality, but we can get closer to it with a few neat gadgets and apps. For starters, get your hands on Evernote: it’s available on browsers and on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Windows Phone and Blackberry, and is a great place to put all your thoughts in text, scribbles, pictures or audio, and can even save your scans of receipts, documents and whatever else you have committed to paper. And speaking of scanning, now’s a great time to get a device for the task: Fujitsu’s ScanSnap range and Doxie’s line of portable scanners scan directly into Evernote, making your documents instantly searchable.  Doxie Go Scanner What’s great about Evernote is that the more you use it, the more useful it becomes. Having all the things you need to remember in one place makes it easy to stop worrying about misplacing notes and receipts, allows you to retrieve information when you need it and helps you stay productive. Scan with what’s close at hand If you want something even smaller, just grab an app for your smartphone to answer the call of duty: The Grizzly Labs’ Genius Scan (available for Android, iPhone and Windows Phone) lets you snap a picture of a document, find edges and fix perspective automatically, and allows you to export scans as JPG or PDF, and can even combine multiple pages into a single handy PDF to share or export into Evernote.  Genius Scan Email If messages have been clogging up your inbox all year, now’s a good time to take stock of the situation and clear out all the email you don’t need to ever see again. Spam itself generally averages about 68% of our inbox content. Begin by following these simple tips from Rebecca Thorman on achieving inbox zero (a state of calm brought on by a lack of emails that you need to deal with). Lose the attachment(s) Next, locate and get rid of large attachments in your email to free up some space. You can do this easily with your Gmail account for free using FindBigMail‘s service that labels your emails which are over 1MB, 5MB and 10MB in size for easy review and deletion. There’s a paid plan if you’d like to use it with your Google Apps addresses but you could alternatively use this simple search string: size:xMB (where x equals the number of MB). If you’d like to keep a copy of the attached files, simply apply the #googleDrive label to the message to save the files to Google Drive and then delete the emails.  Find Big Mail Bookmarks Bookmarks get out of hand really quickly, perhaps because they become hard to find when you need them. If you’re using Google Chrome, you can enlist the help of Bookmarks Tagger, a clever extension that lets you add tags to bookmarks whenever you find an interesting page, and search for them later by simply entering bt in the Omnibar, hitting Tab and then entering your query. It’s an elegant solution if you can get used to the extra step, and in my experience, totally worth the trouble.  Bookmarks Tagger Read it later — for real Another way to get through all the content you want to consume but don’t always immediately have the time for, is to use Pocket. This beautiful free read-later service (available as a web app and also on iOS and Android) lets you get through your saved pages in a clean article format, stripped of ads and layouts. You can add pages to Pocket using extensions for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Safari or with any other browser with a bookmarklet.  Pocket Contacts There’s nothing as bothersome as having a contact list that runs into the thousands when you clearly don’t remember ever getting in touch with that many people. Thankfully, there’s an app for that, and it’s called Scrubly. Available at a one-time fee of $19.95 or $39.95 a year (with a free plan for up to 250 contacts), this gem of an app works with Outlook, Mac Address Book, Gmail and Google Apps, and enhances your contact list with info from Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter contact info. It also helps you remove duplicate and junk contacts, and merge compatible (having at least two fields in common) contacts. And for those who’re concerned about making things worse, don’t worry — you can always revert your data to its original state.  Scrubly Twitter contacts If you’re serious about your Twitter usage, listen up: ManageFlitter is a free web app that allows you to sift through your Twitter contacts and unfollow those who don’t add value to your time on the 140 Express (yes, that’s what we’re calling it now — alright, fine, it’s just me). Sort users by how quiet or talkative they are, or by whether they follow you back, or are spam accounts. You can even add your favorite profiles to a whitelist so you don’t remove them by accident.  ManageFlitter Smartphones and tablets Keeping your mobile devices’ memory clear helps them run smoothly, even if that does mean removing that 3D MMORPG you haven’t played in a couple of months. With iOS devices, it’s a fairly simple task — simply uninstall the apps you don’t use. Android users will benefit greatly from the same process, but can get even deeper with something like All-In-One Toolbox that lets you batch uninstall apps, clear browsing history and app caches with just a few quick taps.  All-In-One Toolbox Get to grips with your apps If your home screen is riddled with icons and doesn’t help you find the app you need when you want to do something, consider grouping them by activity instead of category. For example, I have my currency converter and mobile banking app in an icon group labeled Pay, my simple games in another called Play Quick, and my more engaging games in another called Play Hard.  Grouping apps by activity App permissions If you use a number of apps that have your personal information and grant access to that information for registrations and access to features on other apps, you might end up giving away more details about yourself than you intend to. Head over to MyPermissions.org to review your permissions settings for a variety of services, clean them out with one click and set up alerts to be notified when a new app gains access to your information (using the free Google Chrome extension). It’s not going to take you completely off the grid, but it’s a good place to start.  MyPermissions Wallets If you’re still rocking a George Costanza wallet, you need to let the 90s out of your vice-like grip — you know, the one you make with your bear-sized paws to hold that wallet with. Get rid of all the clutter (using our paper digitizing tips above), and go out into the world with a slim, sophisticated wallet that’s more this millenium. Take your pick from the SlimFold wallet (made of waterproof rip-resistant Tyvek, $20), the RFID-blocking HuMn wallet ($75) and the upcoming Supr Slim wallet.  Supr Slim Wallet Stuff The first symptom of hoarding is hoarding itself; the second is denial. Come to terms with the fact that you really don’t need all the stuff you have, make a plan to get rid of the things you don’t use or need, and reconnect with friends, family and those you forgot while you were busy accumulating stuff. To get started sorting out items you don’t need, follow a simple rule of thumb for review: if you lost the item, would you buy another immediately to replace it? If the answer is no, you have in your hands a liquidatable asset. Get these items together, snap photos of them (using this handy guide, if you’re using a smartphone) and do what you think is best: sell, donate, swap, recycle or upcycle. Just get it out of your house and out of your mind. You can of course sell your wares on eBay and Craigslist; a number of retailers including Best Buy, Amazon and Tesco also have trade-in programs where you can get store credit for your old products. Kinder souls can donate everything from books to clothes to cellphones, to appropriate recipients found on this list compiled by Julia Brenner over at Apartment Therapy. And finally, Candace Fox has a huge Pinterest board filled with upcycling project ideas for you to get your craft on with.  Candace Fox’s upcycling projects board on Pinterest Appointments and meetings If you’re tired of traveling across borders to attend meetings, take some time during the holidays to get used to a better, smarter way of communicating with groups. UberConference allows you to start and join conference calls via web, iOS or Android apps for free on a beautiful interface, and throws in features like outbound calling and call recording for $10 a month.  UberConference If you need a visual aid for your meetings, try using ConceptBoard along with UberConference; it allows you to create instant whiteboards that you can paste images and text on, and have others comment right within the app. There really isn’t a need for trudging through snow to get to the airport for a meeting in 2013, is there?
Habits Whether you want to kick a bad habit or stay on track with a good one, apps can be of great help. Chains.cc offers a free web and iOS app that lets you visually keep a chain going for every day that you successfully stick to your goal; the reward is nothing more than a satisfying unbroken chain It’s hard to explain, but it works — it was, in fact, Jerry Seinfeld’s idea. If you’ve an Android device, you can try Florian, a visual diary that lets you fill a calendar with icons to mark completed workouts.  Chains.cc To-do items There are hundreds of different principles one can follow to get things done, but really the one that works is the most obvious — just do what you can do right away. Prioritizing, scheduling and planning are all well and good, but sometimes, getting things done just needs a little actual doing. Keep track of your tasks wherever you go with Wunderlist — it’s made by the happy Germans at 6Wunderkinder, is drop-dead gorgeous, and is available for free for desktop, web and mobile platforms. You can add notes to tasks, make lists of tasks, and even share them with collaborators, and look good while you’re at it. Once you get used to your own way of knocking items off your list, stick to it and you’ll be golden.  Wunderlist There you have it: 20 tips for paring down all the things that you can do without or with less of in the coming year. They’re really guidelines more than anything else; incorporate them into your life and workflow one at a time and adjust to them at your own pace. Happy super-productive 2013! Disclosure: This article contains an affiliate link. While we only ever write about products we think deserve to be on the pages of our site, The Next Web may earn a small commission if you click through and buy the product in question. For more information, please see our Terms of Service.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | | Foursquare updates privacy policy to show users’ full names publicly and share more data with venues Posted: 30 Dec 2012 03:06 AM PST  Foursquare has sent an email to its users detailing changes to its privacy policy that are due to come into effect late next month. The company says that the changes are aimed at making the way it displays users’ names less confusing and allowing businesses to see more visitors who have recently checked in at their venues. It has also published a new document called Privacy 101, which explains the principles of Foursquare’s approach to privacy in plain English. Until now, Foursquare has usually displayed users’ names as just a first name and surname initial (e.g., ‘Martin B.’), with the exception of search results when looking up friends on the service, when full names would be displayed. From 28 January 2013, full names will be displayed everywhere across the service. Foursquare explains this in its email by saying “In the original versions of Foursquare, these distinctions made sense. But we get emails every day saying that it’s now confusing. So, with this change, full names are going to be public.” Although location sharing has become more of a common online activity than it used to be when Foursquare launched in 2009, some users may still be uncomfortable with people they don’t know seeing their full name when they visit the page for a venue they’re currently checked in at. Foursquare does note, however, that you could change your full name in Foursquare’s settings. This may be a good idea if you prefer to maintain a degree of anonymity on the service. Meanwhile, Foursquare is also changing the amount of information available to venue owners. Currently, they can see check-ins at their locaitons from the past three hours, as well as location ‘mayors’. From 28 January, when the new policy comes into effect, Foursquare says that it will allow them to see “more of those recent check-ins, instead of just three hours worth.” Foursquare doesn’t say exactly how far back business will be able to see check-in details (we’re checking with the company for details), but the move makes sense for both Foursquare and businesses who use it. If your business’ venues get only a handful of check-ins a week, and you check your venue dashboard rarely, you’ll miss the customers who do actually check in, making Foursquare pretty much worthless. Foursquare points out in its email to users that it’s possible to block venue owners from seeing check-in details in the ‘Location information’ section of its privacy settings page. Both these changes can be seen in tandem as being helpful to businesses – being able to see both more check-ins and the real names behind them should increase Foursquare’s perceived value as a business tool for ‘mom and pop’ stores that don’t see hundreds or thousands of check-ins per day. Following Instagram’s recent Terms of Service debacle, privacy policy changes at a high-profile service like Foursquare will no doubt face higher levels of attention than usual. Emailing users to notify them of the specific changes and giving them a plain English ‘Privacy 101′ document should work well as both a PR move and to allay users’ fears. Image credit: AFP / Getty Images  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | | 10 Web design trends you can expect to see in 2013 Posted: 30 Dec 2012 12:00 AM PST 
Well, it is that time of year where we start to reflect on the past year and look forward to the new year. In 2012 we have seen several new trends appear in web design, one of the most notable being the rise of responsive design. With just days until we ring in the new year, let’s go out on a limb and make some predictions for 2013, shall we? In this article, I’m going to share with you ten predictions I have about web design trends that could make their way into 2013. 1. More responsive design, please.  Yes, this responsive design also works on the Newton. Duh. It should be no surprise that responsive web design is here to stay, so why do I predict it as a trend in 2013? Simple: the methodology behind responsive design is still changing and being established. For instance, the start of 2012 brought the idea of responsive design catering to breakpoints per device. When new devices hit the market such as the iPad mini, this idea was challenged, leaving us with the idea that the breakpoints should be made when the design falls apart instead. My prediction is more attention will be made earlier in a website design project to ensure that the responsiveness of the site is based on the design and not the vast variety of devices out there. The idea of forgetting about the size of devices will help drive better responsive design, so we will start seeing websites designed with breakpoints of all types.
2. Typography will take center stage. 
Web designers and developers are always focusing on the weight of things such as images and Javascript when they start building their websites. As the last couple of years have seen the first breakthroughs in web type in a very long time, this combination will inevitably drive the increased usage of typography as the central element in website design. While there are things such as @font-face to serve fonts from the server, some of which are heavily weighted — the weight of fonts used for website design are often lighter than their image and script counterparts. Also, typography and layouts that are based on content are inherently easier to make responsive than really complicated layouts with different types of images and JavaScripts. As an added bonus, don’t be surprised to see more inventive ways of typography being displayed on websites either.
3. Buh-bye Flash. Hello just about anything else. No surprise here as far as a trend that will carry over from 2012. It’s highly evident that Flash is on its last leg. It’s bad for the SEO of a site, many mobile devices don’t support it (I’m looking at you, Apple), and it is a pain to update (it crashes my browser all the time, what about you?). Plus, there are so many other technologies out there that can do what Flash does now (i.e. HTML5/CSS3, JavaScript, etc.). I predict that we could see the end of Flash in 2013. It’s already on life-support as companies who did support Flash before start to dump it. With so much negative attention surrounding Flash, fewer designers and developers are going to use it which will make those who want the technology less and less able to hire someone to do it.
4. Skeuomorphism will show its age. 
There has been some recent discussion about how Apple’s skeuomorphism is out the door, even as much as Apple questioning its own design decisions. Bringing in items from the past to provide cues in new technologies doesn’t help us advance in the way we think. For instance, we don’t need a visual of a bookshelf with books on it to know that we are about to read an ebook. We know they are ebooks, we put them on our devices. We are okay with looking at the cover and knowing what it is. Since Apple is looking toward other design aesthetics, wait for others to follow suit as well. We already see major companies creating their own design methodologies, such as Microsoft’s Metro, so I predict that companies will look toward the way they think for design inspiration and less toward what the big dogs are doing (i.e. Apple and skeuomorphism).
5. Large images used for large impact visuals. 
This goes against my prediction above about typography being used more than images due to the site weight. However, more websites are using large images on their home page to make an impact. These same websites are also keeping bandwidth and data usage in mind by only serving large images to those with large screens. We are seeing more and more websites using large images as visuals on their home pages, and I don’t see this slowing down any time soon. It’s true that these large images make an impact, and companies know this. So, I predict this trend will continue through at least the first half of 2013.
6. Give me (more) white space! 
Toward the end of 2012 websites were being designed with more white space. I predict this will continue as we move into 2013. Responsive web design and a clean design aesthetic (with the new Myspace leading the way) are both factors. These white space heavy designs lend an air of gravitas, and who doesn’t want their website to make them seem professional and knowledgeable?
7. More sharing on social networks. 
Look for more social media integration into your favorite websites and even new websites. While sharing buttons at the end of articles is very old news, I predict the use of deeper integration with social media networks on websites to explode in 2013. This includes further expansion of social single sign-on, “pay by tweet” or “pay by status” sharing, exploring other types of social media based on website content (such as Instagram for news sites or Pinterest for artists and designers), and even more advertising on social networks.
8. Calmer color schemes to reappear. 
Color trends come and go faster than anything, but look for the use of more subdued or calmer color schemes as new websites make their way to the Web. This is already evident in some websites launched in the last few months, such as PayPal’s home page redesign. You can also see this in Pantone’s color choice for 2013. It’s really hard to predict what colors are going to be the most common at any given time. However, desaturated and light colors will more than likely dominate the color palettes of new websites and mobile apps. Also, it is safe to add that the use of whites, grays, and blacks will be used more as the primary colors in a design than actual hues.
9. Mobile apps will start to replace mobile browsing. 
Even though there is a push to make websites work on all devices, including mobile ones, certain websites seem to work better when they are used through their own app. Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc are all examples of such websites where their apps are much better than their mobile browsing experience. The movement from mobile browsing on certain sites to apps that will serve the same content will become accelerated in 2013 as more and more people are using their phone for everything. Give Facebook’s mobile site a run and then compare it to the native iOS app — there’s just no comparison.
10. King content will keep its crown. 
Content will keep its rightful throne as we move into designing for the web in 2013. Without content, there is no website. What will keep content on top is the increasing need to be able to access any content anywhere you are. We can give responsive web design a big pat on the back for keeping content where it belongs: priority #1. Along with content staying on top, more focus will be made on creating high-quality content. Writing, designing, publishing and sharing will help content keep its crown, while responsive design will be responsible for the delivery. It’s all in the family when you think about responsive web design, content, and social media, a family which will dominate in 2013. Image Credits: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images, Antoine Lefeuvre/Flickr, Justin Sullivan/Getty Images, AFP/Getty Images  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | You are subscribed to email updates from The Next Web
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2013 Social Media Marketing Tips for the Introvert
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 03:24 PM PST
| 2013 Social Media Marketing Tips for the Introvert Posted: 30 Dec 2012 02:18 AM PST  If you're a natural introvert, there's no reason at all to stay away from social media. We're not necessarily shy, we just often need to wade into something with the word social. But don't let the word 'social' throw you off. Social media sites offer an introvert-friendly platform for introverts to be social on their own terms. You get to interact with others, but keep control at the same time. Many introverts find they get in touch with their extrovert side online. I've even been accused of being an extrovert! Imagine that.
As we go into a New Year, consider what social media marketing tips for the introvert will help you the most. Don't Be a Hermit If you're using social media for your marketing, consistency is important. But if you're a true introvert, it's easy to forget that there's a whole world of people out there to meet. All marketers need to schedule regular social media time and this is especially important for introverts. You can in to your social media accounts at least twice a day to see what's going on and interact with your friends and followers. Or you can use social meeting dashboards to give you easier control all in one glance. I like Hootsuite but there are others. Personal vs. Professional For introverts who are uncomfortable with sharing a great deal publicly, it helps to keep personal and professional life separated. I think this is something why some accuse me of being an extrovert, but I'm just not shy! I have learned that separating business and personal is actually a good idea for all marketers. Only reveal to your fans what you want them to know or what's relevant to your marketing (for example, your experience in your niche, etc.). This fits right into us being not so all revealing. While it helps to show a little bit of your personal side in order to connect with others online, you can decide to keep it to a minimum. How personal you need to get will also depend on the nature of your market and niche. Ease into It If the idea of interacting with people online is frightening to you, dip your toes in first rather than diving in head first. Like all uncomfortable tasks, it takes practice to get good at socializing online. The key is, you can get good at it. Practice commenting, asking questions, engaging in conversation, and so on. Set a goal for yourself to do X number of interactions each day. The more you socialize online on a regular schedule, the easier it will get. Don't Force It There's no reason to pretend you're an extrovert. And really why would you? You'll connect much better to your audience by being yourself. Some introverts feel pressured to be more extroverted online because that's how everyone else appears, but it's easier to build connections when you're being real. So be the authentic you. Find Your People Join groups that you're interested in and that are relevant to your niche. When you do this, you'll find that there are others online with similar interests and you'll make connections with them. One new place to consider is Google +, their Communities.This makes it much easier to relate to your audience. You'll also build important business relationships in a relaxed and casual way. Find the Best Fit Some things just don't feel right. There may be a social network that just doesn't fit with your introverted nature. For some people, Twitter, which is all about real-time updates, can push you too far out of your comfort zone. Again, if you find a dashboard to manage queuing of posts, you can better manage the direct conversations. But if you don't like Twitter, skip it and use a different site. If you are online for business, one must be on site is LinkedIn. It's also a quieter atmosphere for us introverts. While everyone needs to push beyond their comfort zone to grow, it doesn't mean you need to tackle all the boundaries of that zone at once! Be Interested and Interesting Will Follow Interactions on social media often don't feel 'real.' Even though you're interacting with people, the face-to-face element isn't there. Some people say that introverts can be easily "come out of their shell" to connect with social media friends and followers outside of the social media site. Once you've taken part in the small talk necessities online, you will find it easier to meet with some people in person or even talk to them on chat or Skype. Then, when you "see" them online, you'll find it easier to engage in conversation. It's actually got some positives for those of us who like to build close relationships. If you're still wary of getting involved in social media, here's a good confidence-booster. Whatever you're doing on the site, make sure that you're adding value. We like taking conversations deep or broad, it's in our nature. If you don't feel that you're adding enough value, find a way to give more. Comment on a blogpost if your new online connection is a blogger. Offer to make an introduction for them with someone they want to meet. Get creative. Be overly generous and you'll find it easy to make friends and gain followers. What is already or could be working for you? What suggestions would you add? 2013 Social Media Marketing Tips for the Introvert is a post from: Courage Coach for the Reluctant Marketer The post 2013 Social Media Marketing Tips for the Introvert appeared first on Courage Coach for The Reluctant Marketer. |
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This year in cloud: Amazon-almost-all-the-time and the other 5 top stories of 2012
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 03:23 PM PST
| This year in cloud: Amazon-almost-all-the-time and the other 5 top stories of 2012 Posted: 30 Dec 2012 09:48 AM PST Instead of the usual look back at the top cloud stories of the week, here’s my list of the top cloud computing-related threads of 2012, all of which will continue to play out over the next year. 1: One word: Amazon Make that three words: AmazonWeb Services. AWS dominated discussion around public cloud computing last year and spent it churning out more services from DynamoDB NoSQL database to Glacier data archiving. And it kept breaking its own record for number of objects stored in its bread-and-butter S3 storage service. But, with great power comes great responsibility and a huge amount of attention. So every time AWS stumbled, we heard about it. There were several issues at Amazon’s US-East data center over the year that brought down AWS clients including Netflix, Heroku, Reddit and others. So while CIOs love the idea of saving money by using inexpensive AWS services, none of them want to be “that CIO” who presided over a major outage becuase of an AWS problem. To be fair, company data centers have problems all the time — we just don’t hear about them much, if at all. That fear, uncertainty and doubt around whether AWS really is ready for mission critical work will give companies a reason to look at other cloud options — from Rackspace, from Verizon’s Terremark unit, CenturyLink-Savvis, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Joyent, SoftLayer or somebody else. The chart below shows Amazon Inc.’s “other” revenue — which includes AWS — since AWS launched in 2006. From this, you can extrapolate that AWS is now a $2.2 billion-a-year-business. How profitable it is remains an open question but it’s clear that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is always ready to sacrifice margin for volume business. And that has to worry the legacy IT incumbents.
 2: Location, location, location of data centers  Lobby at Verizon office at 140 West Street, New York post-Sandy After two 100-year storms in two years on the east coast, any company with data centers in Manhattan, coastal New Jersey, or any low-lying part of the tri-state area, must be wondering what they’ll do about future data centers. A New York-based banking exec told me after Superstorm Sandy said that his company’s post-9/11 decision to put data centers away from Manhattan but near a New Jersey swamp is looking sketchy now . He spoke on the condition of anonymity and hastened to add that neither data center failed during the storm. It’s true that New York’s financial services hub needs some data centers close to the action for latency reasons. But just what percentage of those workloads really demand millisecond or sub-millisecond response times? That’s a question data center expert Mark Thiele thinks people should ask. (Full disclosure: Thiele is executive VP of data center tech at Switch, which operates the SuperNAP data center in land-locked Las Vegas.) ”It might be interesting to determine what type of infrastructure is really needed for those really low-latency jobs and how much can be offloaded to ‘safe ground’ data centers,” he said. But just where is safe ground could be tough to determine, says Chris Perretta, CIO and EVP of State Street. ”In the midwest you get tornadoes, on the coast you get surge, in Florida you get hurricanes, in the west you get wild fires, in California you get earthquakes,” he said. Still, it’ll be interesting to watch new data center development in the financial services arena. In October, Fidelity Investments said it was putting a $200 million facility in Omaha, Nebraska citing tax breaks and other incentives. No mention was made of climate change worry, but IT execs at these companies have to be thinking long and hard about putting any new facility near a storm surge area in the wake of Irene and Sandy. 3: VMware in transition  VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger VMware, which is trying to parlay its server virtualization dominance to similar heft in the data centers powering cloud, has a tough road ahead. It’s still recovering from a licensing change announced in 2011 that raised prices — and ire — in many VMware shops. While Pat Gelsinger’s first official public act as VMware CEO last August was to repeal the reviled “memory tax,” customers are still talking about it. Give VMware credit for reversing itself but that decision caused many staunch VMware shops to take a look at Microsoft Hyper-V, Xen or KVM virtualization as alternatives to VMware’s ESX hypervisor. That was a dangerous door to open. VMware’s decision to spin off its Cloud Foundry PaaS, Springsource Java framework, and Gemstone data caching technology to a new entity — along with EMC’s Pivotal Labs’ agile development capability and Ceta analytics — was geared to help VMware focus on its new software-defined data center push.The company seems to get now that it has to work better with third-party virtualization technologies — as evidenced by its buy of DynamicOps. And its decision to join the OpenStack effort, signals that it wants to work with other cloud providers — or at least appear to do so. 4: Legacy IT players strive for continued relevance  Oracle CEO Larry Ellison All of the big boys of enterprise IT — IBM, Oracle, HP, Microsoft, et al.– are struggling to move from traditional software licensing and packaged software delivery to a cloud model of subscription software and services. Here, Amazon, Salesforce.com and –yes — Google have disrupted the traditional model of buying big expensive chunks of on-premises software up front and then re-newing those licenses every year or so. Salesforce.com forced all these companies to take stock of their model and sparked a buying spree by Oracle, SAP and IBM to snap up SaaS companies. Joe Coyle, CTO of Capgemini, the big systems integrator, said the reluctance of these big players tomake their licensing cloud friendly, is their single biggest challenge going forward.”If you look out over hte next year, if Oracle, SAP and these guys don’t get their licenses fixed, theyre in for a heap of trouble,” he said. right now if a customer wants to run an Oracle or SAP application on AWS public cloud, the licensing costs make those options uncompetitive with waht else is available, he said. Now, Google, which many had discounted as a force in enterprise software, is getting traction for Google Apps which more businesses see as a good-enough and cheaper alternative to Microsoft Office. And, Google appears serious about entering the Infrastructure-as-a-Service race against Amazon with Google Compute Engine, announced in June. 5: Building Europe’s cloud 
By most accounts, Europe has been slower to adopt cloud computing than North America. There are many reasons for this. First, the economy there is even more fragile than in US. And the market, is actually a set of set of markets is much more fragmented – by language, by culture, by currency — not all of europe is in the Euro Zone — than North America. But the European Commission is trying to push the cloud agenda, spur spending on cloud infrastructure to reap what it sees as a huge opportunity to save money and to build new businesses. A lot of eyes — on both sides of the Atlantic — will be trained on this developing situation in 2013. 6: Open-source cloud boom  OpenStack appeared to hit its stride this year with nearly every company — except Micrsooft and Amazon — clamoring aboard the open-source cloud effort incubated nearly four years ago by NASA and Rackspace. In 2012, Rackspace, HP, and others made their OpenStack-based clouds available. But OpenStack doesn’t have the open-source cloud mantra entirely to itself: Citrix turned over CloudStack to the Apache Foundation as an alternative to OpenStack. Eucalyptus and OpenNebula are already out there. So 2013 will be the year to start measuring momentum among these alternatives and to assess whether there’s room for all of them.
 
    | | How MiGym plans to quantify the health club workout Posted: 30 Dec 2012 08:00 AM PST The new year is just a few days away, which means New Year's resolutions are just about to kick in. A lot of people (myself included) have committed to getting in shape, but for many (again myself included) that resolution doesn't get much further than signing up for a gym membership and a few perfunctory workouts before those grand fitness plans fall to the wayside. A Chicago-based startup called MiGym, however, wants to weave a tighter-knit relationship between the gym and its customers, benefiting active exercisers and the less motivated alike. It's developed a smartphone app platform used by health clubs across the country. The app doesn't just create a smartphone presence for a gym, it seeks to engage its members more actively. It uses social networking to connect members with similar sporting interests and exercise regimes, and it allows them to view, book and manage classes.  George Monical, who heads up the MiGym division of Chicago app development shop Solstice Mobile, said he has even bigger ambitions for the app. Soon MiGym's dozens of national and regional health club chains will be able to start tracking workout data. MiGym is tapping into APIs offered by gym equipment makers like Life Fitness and exploring ways of quantifying the health benefits of more traditional workouts from aerobics classes to free weights — tying them all into a single unified workout tracking tool.
It's a neat idea, but not one that's very useful if all of that info is trapped inside your gym app — it would become just one more disparate repository of health information. But Monical said MiGym believes strongly in the concept of the quantified self (subscription required), and it aims to incorporate its apps into the overall fitness data ecosystem, Monical said. In addition to working with Life Fitness, its tapping into the APIs of Fitbit (see disclosure) and Runkeeper as well as any source of open health data it can get its hands on. The idea is that MiGym will accept information for its own app and share it with other apps, Monical said. So if you take a three-mile run in the park tracked by an external app or device, those steps run and calories will be included in MiGym's meters. Conversely, any data taken from the gym, whether it's scooped directly out of an elliptical trainer or approximated from a kickboxing class, could be funneled into any outside fitness portal, Monical said. Eventually, MiGym wants to explore direct partnerships with the healthcare industry, transmitting information to your doctor or — with permission — to your insurer. If State Farm and Allstate can track use machine-to-machine technology to track your real driving behavior and consequently reward safe drivers with lower premiums, Monical asked, why can't health insurers do the same thing, granting lower rates to people who keep in shape? Disclosure: Fitbit is backed by True Ventures, a venture capital firm that is an investor in the parent company of this blog, Giga Omni Media. Om Malik, founder of Giga Omni Media, is also a venture partner at True. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock user Kzenon 
    | | The best of web video: 4 highlights from 2012 you should know Posted: 30 Dec 2012 12:58 AM PST For web original content, 2012 was a year of important growth, as more high-end shows found their way to audiences and the business of making web video grew closer and closer to sustainability. It was an exciting year in many respects, and here are a few of the notable stories and series that might have gone overlooked. Tabletop Part of the Geek and Sundry YouTube network (along with Felicia Day’s Flog and the whimsical Written by a Kid), Tabletop was one of this year’s case models for the concept that web video audiences are ready for longer content. The Wil Wheaton-hosted series sat geek celebs like Alex Albrecht, Morgan Webb, Jane Espenson, Amber Benson and Ryan Higa to play a wide range of dice, card and board games, consistently reaching six-figure viewcounts (impressive for a half-hour long show). But what I find especially cool abut Tabletop is the gaming community that’s come out of it, showcased primarily via the Tumblr blog Seen on Tabletop, where viewers are encouraged to submit their experiences playing the games featured on the show. The last new episode of Tabletop was posted November 1st, but “Seen on Tabletop” is still updating regularly: Right now, it’s flooded with posts featuring the post-Christmas gaming adventures of its fans. The Onion Digital Studios Some of the best unrecognized serial content this year came from an entity not necessarily known for narrative: The Onion turned out some original scripted shows this year, especially Sex House and Porkin’ Across America, that built on the brand’s reputation for comedy, but in a long-form format. Both shows begin as your standard reality TV show parody — Sex House riffing on The Real World, while Porkin’ Across America took on Guy Fieri-esque food travel series. But head writer Sam West and the creative team at the Onion take those premises down the darkest and strangest roads you can imagine, drawing funny out of the least-likely subjects, such as crack-addicted nieces, food poisoning and deadly mold. The tone is consistent with The Onion’s predilection towards pitch-black comedy, but while the sicker your sense of humor, the more rewarding these shows are, both shows proved to be smarter and more ambitious than what came before. The Onion has continued putting out more stand-alone content, such as its TED Talks parody series Onion Talks. But YouTube viewcounts for Sex House and Porkin’ Across America are on par or even better with those videos, so hopefully 2013 contains more of the same. YOMYOMF Founded by Fast and the Furious director Justin Lin, YOMYOMF (a very-fun-to-say acronym for You Offend Me, You Offend My Family, the pop culture blog from which the channel was born) used its YouTube funding for some impressively well-produced series, ranging from the very funny 21 Jump Street parody Squad 85 to the award-nominated sci-fi adventure DR0NE. This Slate piece goes into detail about the network’s approach to content creation with an emphasis on diversity — I also enjoy YOMYOMF’s epic introduction to its unique POV and impressive talent roster, which includes Ryan Higa, Kevjumba, Chester See, Jamie Chung, Rick Fox, Jessica Alba, Amy Okuda, Harry Shum Jr., Gillian Jacobs, Masi Oka and many many more. Daily Grace and My Drunk Kitchen “Daily” Grace Helbig and Hannah “My Drunk Kitchen” Hart aren’t just two of the funniest women on the web — they’re two of the funniest women in comedy, flat out. Both bring their unique voices to their individual shows (the Daily Grace vlog appears — surprise — daily on My Damn Channel, while Hart posts weekly on YouTube) while also spreading the love to numerous other series: Helbig co-stars in the Fine Brothers’s MyMusic, for example, while Hart was just interviewed by Rainn Wilson’s SoulPancake.
And when the two appear together, the results are almost painfully hilarious. As just one recent example, here are Helbig and Hart attempting to make egg nog live on What’s Trending‘s #Tubeathon. Note the word “attempt” in that sentence. Both Hart and Helbig broke onto the online scene prior to 2012, but it was this year that they became iconic members of the web video scene. What’s the lesson I take from all this? That this is an era that rewards collaboration and multiplatform engagement. And the people having success in the space right now are those who aren’t afraid to experiment, and perceive the brand as bigger than the individual show or shows that make it up. 
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The Most Comprehensive Index Of Free Icon Fonts #techticker
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 03:22 PM PST
| The Most Comprehensive Index Of Free Icon Fonts #techticker Posted: 29 Dec 2012 03:18 PM PST Index: BBC Global Experience Language (GEL), Brandico, Dingbests, Ding Dongs, Ding Maps, Dot Com, Elusive Icons**, Entypo*, Erler Dingbats, Evilz,Font Awesome*, Foundation Icon Fonts 2*, GeoBats, Glyphyx, Grands, Guifx v2 Transports, Handy Icons, Hazard, Heydings Icons, IcoMoon*, Iconic*, ikoo Typo, JustVector, Ligature Symbols*, Listicon, Meteocons, Modern Pictograms*, Mun, Notice, OpenWeb Icons, Peculiar, Pictogramz, Pictonic*,PulsarJS, Raphaël Icon Set, Santiago Icono, Signify Lite, Siruca Pictograms, Sosa, Socialico, StateFace, Symbly Lite, Symbol Signs, Symbolix, Travelcons,Typicons*, Web Symbols, Zocial CSS Social Buttons. via The Most Comprehensive Index Of Free Icon Fonts/Iconic Web Fonts – Functionn.  |
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Repurpose Food Tins Into Magnetic Storage Boxes
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 03:07 PM PST
| Repurpose Food Tins Into Magnetic Storage Boxes Posted: 29 Dec 2012 09:30 PM PST  Interesting food tins that once held spices, candies, or tea can be really interesting and useful storage boxes for your kitchen or workshop by adding a magnet and perhaps removing the lid. More » | | Best Of 2012: Food Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:30 PM PST  Eat, drink and be merry — and efficient. Our Best Of 2012 series continues with our most popular food and kitchen posts for the past year. One clear lesson: we like burgers and coffee. More » | | Podcastomatic Turns Blogs Into Podcasts Posted: 29 Dec 2012 07:30 PM PST  Finding the time to read everything you want to online is tough. Podcastomatic is a webapp that makes it a little easier by converting your favourite blogs into podcasts. More » | | Remotely Fetch Files From Your PC With SkyDrive (When It Isn’t On Your SkyDrive) Posted: 29 Dec 2012 06:30 PM PST  Windows: Like other online storage and syncing tools, SkyDrive is great for convenient access to the files you have in its sync folder(s). But it also has a killer feature: The ability to grab a file from a remote computer even if it hasn't been synced or is stored outside of the sync folder. More » | | Control VLC Remotely With Any Network-Enabled Device Posted: 29 Dec 2012 05:30 PM PST  Turns out you don't need a special app on your phone or tablet to control VLC remotely — it comes with a HTTP interface that's easy to set up and can be accessed from any device that can connect to your network. More » | | What They Don’t Tell You About Promotions Posted: 29 Dec 2012 04:30 PM PST  I always thought life was a game where for the most part, you have to figure out the rules to succeed. In school (aka pre-real-life), the rules are clearly explained for how to succeed. You know when you're taking a test and what the evaluation metric is. After that, it starts becoming harder to understand how to succeed. More » | | Cycloramic Captures Hands-Free 360-Degree Video On Your iPhone Posted: 29 Dec 2012 03:30 PM PST  iOS: Cycloramic is an iPhone app that automatically rotates your iPhone 5 to make a 360-degree video without you having to touch the phone at all. More » | | Top 10 Strategies For Making Your New Year’s Resolution Stick Posted: 29 Dec 2012 02:30 PM PST  2013 is on the horizon and most of us are scrambling to make up a few New Year's resolutions that, frankly, we'll probably forget about in February. Here's how to create a resolution that actually sticks so you can better yourself this year. More » | You are subscribed to email updates from Lifehacker Australia
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5 Must-Read Marketing Books
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 01:43 PM PST
| 5 Must-Read Marketing Books Posted: 29 Dec 2012 11:30 PM PST  If you’re a business owner or marketer who would like to pack something with a bit more substance into your suitcase or beach bag, consider these five must-read marketing books:
1. The NOW Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter and More Social by Jay Baer and Amber Naslund Instead of simply describing how to graft social media onto an existing marketing strategy, authors Baer and Naslund focus on changing organizations to respond more quickly to new developments. They argue that taking too much time to make informed business decisions about real-time crises can lead to extinction and provide seven shifts that can help a business move faster and smarter while becoming more social. The book’s format is highly interactive (especially its Kindle version) and provides real-life examples and advice. 2. Different: Escaping the Competitive Herd by Youngme Moon Described as a business book for people who don’t read business books, Different offers a unique combination of wit, insight, and compelling storytelling. Dr. Moon, a popular professor at Harvard Business School, looks at how some familiar brands like Apple, Ikea, and Harley Davidson have used product differentiation and unconventional marketing to break away from the competitive herd and transform their products into something new in the eyes of consumers. 3. Social Media and Public Relations: 8 New Practices for the PR Professional by Deirdre Breakenridge If you’re looking for a step-by-step guide to gaining the social media skills needed by PR professionals, this is a good place to start. Breakenridge, a PR veteran and author who has worked with Fortune 500 companies, describes eight social media skills and mindsets that are needed for various PR jobs. Useful tips and strategies that target both PR novices and pros are presented in a straightforward, textbook-like style. 4. Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith Every professional can benefit from a professional network. Trust Agents describes how businesses and individuals can use social media tools to enhance their online reputation, foster trust, and build a positive brand image. Brogan and Smith are social media experts who espouse the idea that being helpful, establishing relationships and building trust online is the best way to leverage social media. Case studies that show the power of trust are included and actionable steps for using social media to earn trust are described in detail. 5. Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn from the Most Iconic Band in History by David Meerman Scott and Brian Halligan Youthful marketers are probably not familiar with the impact of the Grateful Dead on the music industry. Originating in San Francisco in the psychedelic '60s, the Dead held the record as the top-grossing concert band for many years despite their lack of chart-topping hits. Scott and Halligan describe how these music pioneers used bootleg albums, direct mail, and the establishment of a Deadhead culture to build a dedicated community of fans. The authors then tie the Dead’s marketing strategy to today’s social media tools and describe how businesses can learn from the band’s success. This article was written by Social Media Outreach Coordinator Harrison Kratz on behalf of CAREEREALISM-Approved Partner, 2tor — an education technology company that partners with institutions of higher education such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to deliver a one of the top MBA programs online. Photo Credit: Shutterstock The post 5 Must-Read Marketing Books appeared first on CAREEREALISM. | | 4 Most Important Questions To Ask At An Interview Posted: 29 Dec 2012 11:00 PM PST  So, you've completed the process of searching for a job and sent out your cover letter and resume. Now, you're invited to come in for an interview.
An interview is a critical point in the job hunting process. It helps you and the potential employer get a sense of whether you are the right fit for the position and company culture. It also directs the next step – a second interview, an offer, or the need to go back to step one with a continued search. One of the things job candidates can do to make a good impression during the interview is to ask sensible questions. Posing appropriate questions related to your role and assignment conveys to the employer your interest and desire to work with the company. It also helps you gather the information you will need to formulate an impression of the position and whether the opportunity is a good fit for your personal goals. Lastly, and most important, the responses you receive from the interviewer provide critical information to help you focus on relevant points that may be considered most important by the employer during the discussion. For example, if you ask, "What are some important characteristic you're looking for out of a candidate for this position?" The employer may respond with a focus on leadership, project management skills, and experience with social media. In such an instance, during the interview, you can tailor your conversation and responses with information to demonstrate how you have the capabilities they're looking for versus focusing on points you think are important based simply on assumption. So, what questions do you need to ask during an interview so the employer develops a good impression of you and so that you gather critical information to determine if this is an appropriate next step for your career? 1. Ask why this position is open or if it is a newly created position. The response can tell you multiple things: - The company is growing
- The value of the position to the overall business or organization
- The turnover rate or stability of the position
2. Ask about the performance of the position in the past (if it existed) and what improvements or changes are desired from the new candidate. The response will tell you about: - Day-to-day or general expectations of the position
- Challenges with the position
- Characteristics desired in a candidate to meet and go beyond requirements to succeed
3. Ask about whom you will report to, who reports to you, and which contacts you have day-to-day contact with. The response tells you: - Structure of organization or direct team and who else will influence the decision
- Who you may potentially be interviewed by later in the process
- Insight to individuals' personalities or experience (for example, "You will report to Bob who has been with us for 10 years.")
4. Ask if they feel you are well-qualified for the position. This is very important and tells you: - Any objections they might have giving you the opportunity to respond and overcome them
- Clarification regarding whether you are really in the running for the job.
Every question you ask during an interview should give insight to help you better formulate an impression of the position and company, offer you information on what experience and skills you need to highlight, and what next steps you need to take to secure an offer. And a last word of advice, always have a question for an employer when they ask, "Do you have any questions for me?" Regardless of how thorough the interview discussion was, think hard about whether you have neglected to cover anything additional that would be important to leaving a positive impression with your interviewer as you leave their offices for the day. Photo Credit: Shutterstock The post 4 Most Important Questions To Ask At An Interview appeared first on CAREEREALISM. | | Why You Should Connect With Co-Workers On Social Media Posted: 29 Dec 2012 10:30 PM PST  Though many people elect to keep their professional and personal lives separate, the advent of social media is making this less and less common. As traditional notions of privacy are becoming somewhat antiquated or, at the very least, more fluid, the way people who work together connect online is also evolving.
There are many good reasons for developing personal relationships with your colleagues, and social networking has only made forming such bonds simpler. Naturally, some separation between work and home is still necessary, and not everyone can (or might want to) be your friend; regardless, forging strong relationships with the people you work with can be highly beneficial to both your professional and social life. One of the benefits of friendships at work is that you feel more invested in the people you work with, as well as your place of business. Social networking makes this investment easier because most people portray themselves honestly (even if they engage in some conscious editing), listing their likes, dislikes, and the sort of things they care about, like movies, music, video games, and political interests. Naturally, knowing this information could lead to some friction if you disagree or dislike things your co-workers like — however, this information could also provide the basis for developing a strong friendship if the information they list overlaps with yours. There should be a limit to how much you engage with your co-workers on this level, though what that limit is will depend on a variety of factors, such as the line of work you are in and what the policies are for out-of-office fraternizing. More conservative places of business, such as offices of law, medicine and politics, may require less sharing. One should always be mindful of their privacy settings and know how to use them. Each service, from Twitter to Facebook, has its own way of enabling you to edit the content you put out to the world and who gets to see that content. Learn how each works, and err on the side of caution. It's important to know what's appropriate to share. Innocuous items like you favorite song, a movie you're excited to see or even the birth of a child generally fall well within acceptable material. Anything having to do with sex, religion or politics, on the other hand, is likely to prove uncomfortable for some people in your workplace, if not downright divisive. Facebook allows you to set privacy settings for individual people on your friends list. Be sure to make use of that. Google+ uses a similar feature of friendship "circles"; when you post content on Google+, you can select which of your circles (such as "friends," "family" or, in this case, "co-workers") get to see the post. Friends in the office can be useful, whether you're having a good day or a bad one. They can and will support you if they feel invested in your output and general well-being, and will be there with added understanding when you're frustrated by something in the office. Engaging in social media networking to make friends is a good idea in virtually any workplace, so long as you're responsible about the way you interact and treat people, and as long as you don't allow your online social life to become a distraction at work or completely replace your in-person interactions with your colleagues. Logan Harper is the community manager for Online MPA Degrees – a great resource for information on online MPA programs. He also loves everything about television, travel, and technology. Follow him on Twitter @harperlogan. Photo Credit: Bigstock The post Why You Should Connect With Co-Workers On Social Media appeared first on CAREEREALISM. | | Should I Wait To Start My Job Search? Posted: 29 Dec 2012 10:29 PM PST  Dear J.T. & Dale: I recently resigned from my job due to the enormous amount of hours required of me. In addition, due to two separate family commitments/events, I would not be available to work for two weeks next month. My question is: Do you think a company would hire me knowing that I need two weeks off? Or do you think I should just wait to start my job search? - Julie
J.T.: Honestly, it all comes down to your specialty and whether or not it’s in high demand. If it is, you could get hired as a regular employee, or even as a contractor or consultant, and then when you worked would be a non-issue. However, if you are in a field where there’s plenty of full-time talent available, then I’d say you’d find it harder. It really comes down to whether you are a hot commodity – or at least whether you can sell yourself as one! DALE: Hot or not, this is a great time to look for work. A lot of job hunters take the holidays off, and thus you have fewer competitors. Plus, many managers get new budgets in January and, with them, new positions opening up. On top of all that, people are in the holiday spirit and might be psychologically open to being helpful. So, get out and work it. What’s the worst that can happen? You get an offer and they insist that you start immediately. Then you can decide if it’s worth missing the family event. On the other hand, I think many managers will be happy to wait for you till they’re well past the holidays, into the New Year, and they have more time for training. © 2012 by King Features Syndicate, Inc. Feel free to send questions to J.T. and Dale at adv...@jtanddale.com or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10019. Photo Credit: Shutterstock The post Should I Wait To Start My Job Search? appeared first on CAREEREALISM. | | 4 Rules For Every Resume Posted: 29 Dec 2012 10:00 PM PST  A graphic designer asked an online forum if she should highlight her skills by creating a unique design for her resume. Every hiring manager who responded answered, "No!"
They wanted a resume formatted for easy reading, scanning, and printing. If a professional graphic designer has to reign in her artistic talent, you should, too. That means: Using a standard font like Arial, Times New Roman or Helvetica. If you wander away from standard fonts, the computer that receives your resume may not have that font. Suddenly, your resume file is unreadable. Being careful with clip art, color, or other ornamentation. Black-and-white printers/copiers reduce every color scheme to grey. Some scanners turn ornate designs into a mess. Besides, you never know how a hiring manager will react to a resume bordered by flowers, in green ink, on baby blue paper. It is OK to be creative if you are in a creative field and using a paper resume to hand to a person you know; however, even then, you will need to also provide a standard resume which is able to be scanned. Avoiding templates. Some Word templates cause receiving computers and scanners to choke. In addition, if you use a Word template, your resume will look exactly like the hundreds of other applicants using the same template. Making the resume easy on the eyes. Somewhere along the line, a human being will read your resume. Save bolding, italics or capitalization for your most important points; use it consistently and sparingly. Chose a font size of at least 11 pt. for Times New Roman or 10 pt. for Arial or Helvetica. With resumes, content always counts more than style. Make sure your style lets your content stand out. Photo Credit: Shutterstock The post 4 Rules For Every Resume appeared first on CAREEREALISM. | You are subscribed to email updates from CAREEREALISM
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A year ago on Unclutterer
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 01:39 PM PST
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Take Your Mom (or Friend) to Make Day
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 01:34 PM PST
| Take Your Mom (or Friend) to Make Day Posted: 30 Dec 2012 12:52 PM PST As expected, I spent much of the holidays explaining our OpenROV project to my relatives. Much of that discussion involved detailing the maker movement, Maker Faire, Kickstarter, open source hardware, 3D printing. Almost all of the maker infrastructure we’ve utilized is completely new to them, not to mention the foreigness [...]  | | MAKE Flickr Pool Weekly Roundup Posted: 30 Dec 2012 11:51 AM PST | | The Chemistry of Snowflakes Posted: 29 Dec 2012 06:01 PM PST  The American Chemical Society has a great two-minute video explaining the basic chemistry behind snowflake formation, including how each degree of temperature difference adds to the branches of the flake. Are no two snowflakes really alike? It depends on if we’re talking about big snowflakes or little ones. On a [...] Read the full article on MAKE  | You are subscribed to email updates from MAKE
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FBI Docs Redact Threats to Assassinate OWS Leaders
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 01:19 PM PST
| FBI Docs Redact Threats to Assassinate OWS Leaders Posted: 30 Dec 2012 01:00 PM PST September 25, 2011, 12th St between University and 5th Ave, NYC. A journalist (Louis Jargow) is violently arrested for documenting police brutality against OWS protesters and a young woman is attacked by a police officer and dragged into the street by her hair. Moments later the young women from the opening shot of the video are pepper sprayed, point blank without warning or provocation. Naomi Wolf gives an excellent in-depth analysis of those newly released documents that reveal the FBI's counterterrorism monitoring of Occupy Wall Street, and points out the assassination by sniper fire threats against OWS leaders that the FBI never bothered to inform anyone in the movement about. Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, executive director of the PCJF points out the close partnering of banks, the New York Stock Exchange and at least one local Federal Reserve with the FBI and DHS, and calls it "police-statism," and believes these documents are only the "tip of the iceberg." The Guardian: The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, in a groundbreaking scoop that should once more shame major US media outlets (why are nonprofits now some of the only entities in America left breaking major civil liberties news?), filed this request. The document – reproduced here in an easily searchable format – shows a terrifying network of coordinated DHS, FBI, police, regional fusion center, and private-sector activity so completely merged into one another that the monstrous whole is, in fact, one entity: in some cases, bearing a single name, the Domestic Security Alliance Council. And it reveals this merged entity to have one centrally planned, locally executed mission. The documents, in short, show the cops and DHS working for and with banks to target, arrest, and politically disable peaceful American citizens. The documents, released after long delay in the week between Christmas and New Year, show a nationwide meta-plot unfolding in city after city in an Orwellian world: six American universities are sites where campus police funneled information about students involved with OWS to the FBI, with the administrations' knowledge (p51); banks sat down with FBI officials to pool information about OWS protesters harvested by private security; plans to crush Occupy events, planned for a month down the road, were made by the FBI – and offered to the representatives of the same organizations that the protests would target; and even threats of the assassination of OWS leaders by sniper fire – by whom? Where? – now remain redacted and undisclosed to those American citizens in danger, contrary to standard FBI practice to inform the person concerned when there is a threat against a political leader (p61).
Wolf mentions that Jason Leopold, at Truthout.org, has sought similar documents for more than a year, and reported that the FBI falsely asserted in response to his own FOIA requests that no documents related to its infiltration of Occupy Wall Street existed at all. So indeed, is the release strategic? Having your personal information harvested and sent to terrorism task forces and fusion centers, and the threat of an unknown entity's "longterm" plans to shoot you could easily frighten off even the most hard-core activists among us. Are we all Wikileaks? Wolf writes,"There is a new twist: the merger of the private sector, DHS and the FBI means that any of us can become WikiLeaks, a point that Julian Assange was trying to make in explaining the argument behind his recent book. The fusion of the tracking of money and the suppression of dissent means that a huge area of vulnerability in civil society – people's income streams and financial records – is now firmly in the hands of the banks, which are, in turn, now in the business of tracking your dissent." And of the push for counterterrorism fusion centers and the Department of Homeland Security militarization of police departments, she adds, "It was never really about "the terrorists". It was not even about civil unrest. It was always about this moment, when vast crimes might be uncovered by citizens – it was always, that is to say, meant to be about you." | | Americans For Job Security: Conduit For Right Wing Dark Money Posted: 30 Dec 2012 12:00 PM PST
Americans for Job Security Anti-Obama ad
After Citizens United, attention has been paid to the sheer amount of money the right wing poured into elections and how that money has influenced public opinion, debate, and outcomes. But for the most part, attention has been placed on the so-called SuperPACs and their participation. While American Crossroads and others were certainly big players on the national landscape, little attention has been paid to how they operate on a state by state basis, and how they are used to launder money across state lines in order to subvert even the mildest disclosure requirements. In this post and ones to follow, I'll be putting the spotlight on these organizations and how they operate together to subvert democracy. In California, Governor Jerry Brown put a measure on the November 2012 ballot to raise income and sales taxes in order to continue funding California schools and universities (Prop 30). Unlike most tax measures, Californians were in support of raising taxes in order to save our struggling school system. Another ballot measure would have stripped unions in California of their ability to participate in political speech while giving large corporations unlimited ability to spend on elections (Prop 32). Public opinion was mixed on that proposition. In October, 2012, $11 million came into the state to oppose Prop 30 and support Prop 32. The organization which received and spent the money was called Americans for Responsible Leadership, a group organized in Arizona in 2011. California authorities filed a lawsuit to force Americans for Responsible Leadership (ARL) to reveal their donors. Ultimately, they won the right to discover who gave ARL the funds, but they didn't discover the people behind the money. When ARL was forced to disclose, they revealed that the money had come from an organization in Phoenix called the Center to Protect Patients Rights. When the Center to Protect Patients Rights was asked for the source of the funds, they pointed to Americans for Job Security (AJS). (PDF - 111.5 KB) In summary, the money trail looked like this: Mystery donors give $11 million --> Americans for Job Security --> Center for Patients Rights --> Americans for Responsible Leadership --> Ad buys in California opposing Prop 30, supporting Prop 32 Americans for Job Security: Conduit for dark money Americans for Job Security has been on the landscape since 1997. According to their IRS filings, they are a trade association, exempt from taxes under 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code, established by business owners to convey a "pro-paycheck message." Established by Bush political director David Carney, its chief officer through 2008 was Michael Dubke. Michael Dubke is a founding partner in two critical Republican operations: Crossroads Media and the BlackRock Group. Crossroads Media is the primary media buyer for the Karl Rove organizations, Crossroads GPS and American Crossroads. The BlackRock group is the architect of the SwiftBoat Network structure, where supposedly a third party coordinates messaging between unrelated nonprofit groups. AJS is currently run by a 27-year old student at Johns Hopkins University by the name of Stephen DeMaura, whose primary claim to fame prior to this was creating an anti-Hillary Clinton Facebook page in 2008 and serving as director of the New Hampshire Republican Party. Other AJS directors include Art Hackney, partner in an Alaska-based Republican public relations firm, and Nicholas Terzulli, a New York attorney who currently serves as Nassau County's Director of Business Development. Although AJS' mailing address goes to a UPS store in Alexandria, Virginia, the New York Times uncovered the fact that DeMaura works out of the same offices where Crossroads Media and the BlackRock Group operate. DeMaura insisted that there was a firewall between the organizations, while also admitting that he works closely with them on a day to day basis. AJS Spending in 2010-2012 cycle - The $11 million drop into California notwithstanding, AJS also dropped $15 million into the national elections. All of their media buys went through Crossroads Media, and nearly all of the funds were spent in opposition to Barack Obama.
- In Arizona, Americans for Responsible Leadership dropped $1.1 million to oppose an open primary system in Arizona and an increase in their sales taxes. Because of differences in state campaign finance laws, it appears that ARL will not be compelled to disclose their donors. But based upon similarities, it's not a far leap to assume the money flow was similar to the one in California.
- In late 2011, AJS ran anti-union ads in New Hampshire tying to the Republican primary debate held there.
- AJS dropped $689,000 in Wisconsin to oppose Eric Hovde, the less conservative candidate running for the open Senate seat Tammy Baldwin eventually won.
Now what? By the time 2014 rolls around and midterms are on the landscape, it's my hope that these organizations and the people running them are disgraced enough that they get no traction for the midterms. It's not enough to sit back and claim victory over dark money in 2012 when state legislatures are dominated by Republicans bought with dark money. If you think 2010 was ugly, imagine what 2014 will be like with the infrastructure fully developed. We may not be able to fight such structures with money, but we certainly can shine light on them and fully expose the right wing funding machine for what it is. File this post in your bookmarks for dark money conduit and Karl Rove machine. It belongs in both places. Author's Note: This is Part I of a multi-part series to "Name and Shame" those who subvert our political system with massive amounts of money. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | | KT McFarland: The Middle East Was Stable, Secure and Pro-American Until Two Years Ago Posted: 30 Dec 2012 11:00 AM PST  Click here to view this media Last month, Fox's KT McFarland was attacking President Obama's policy in the Middle East and calling it a failure because he did the opposite of George Bush. This Saturday, she was back, going after Hillary Clinton and telling more lies about their drummed up fake scandal, Benghazi-gate and making the absurd claim that the Middle East was pro-American and stable until President Obama was elected and these uprising we've seen with the Arab Spring. I'm not sure just how much more revisionist history someone could manage to pack into a four or five minute interview as we had here, but McFarland was doing her best to set a record with the amount of b.s. she was shoveling. Never mind anything that happened under Republican presidents. Everything was perfect until the Kenyan usurper came along and got himself elected. JARRETT: What do we expect to hear from Secretary Clinton? Joining me now to talk about it KT McFarland, Fox News national security analysts. And, one takes her letter word when she and her spokespersons say she's been ill but she has certainly managed to dodge a lot of this event since September 11. MCFARLANE: Yeah, you know Gregg, she says she takes full responsibility, but so far she's managed to avoid taking any blame. One thing though I think with these hearings, this will probably be the last opportunity these lawmakers have to question Secretary Clinton as Secretary of State and I hope instead of looking back and saying well "What did you now when did you now it?" and "Why did you talk about the video?" I hope instead they focus forward. Which is "Why have you not responded?" Why has the American government not responded to these attacks? Why have we not gone after the people who killed our own? Because we know that ten years ago or in the late 1980's... '90's... 1998 East Africa bombings US embassies were bombed. 2000 and the USS Cole was bombed. We did not retaliate. We beefed up security. We changed the rules of engagement, but we never went after al-Qaeda and we knew al-Qaeda had done those attacks. What happened as a result? Bin Laden said, let's go get them again and my concern, and I hope these lawmakers ask Secretary Clinton why has the United States not gotten those people who killed ours? We know where those people are. We could do a drone strike against them. And then I think Gregg the second point they ought to ask her is why in two years have we gone from a Middle East which was stable and secure and pro-American to a Middle East which is in political and economic chaos, and and governments that are anti-American and increasingly turned over to Islamist radicals. JARRETT: Are you saying that President Obama's foreign policy is feckless and weak? MCFARLAND: Well, I'm saying... you know, you make your own decisions. Two years ago the Middle East was a stable place than it was and governments that were pro-American. They were not at war with Israel. And fast forward two years later. We have been very involved in toppling all of those dictators in the Middle East but we have stepped back as as those countries struggled to find new governments. And what have they done? They found Islamist governments. We did not help them towards a pro-democracy direction. Whether you are talking about Libya or Egypt or any of the countries in the Middle East, they were all a lot worse off than they were two years ago, and I think the Secretary of State has a lot to answer for and to explain why. What did we do? What are we doing wrong to have the policies that have allowed the United States essentially to be blamed for most of the problems in the Middle East today. GARRETT: Yeah. The Benghazi diplomatic mission was known to be a dangerous place. There had been previous attacks in and around it before the September 11 terror attack that killed four individuals. She'll be asked some pretty direct questions about why you weren't protecting those people. MCFARLAND: Yeah and what will she say? I think she'll probably say look, you know, it was the fog of war. We were unsure. We made some mistakes. The people who are responsible for making poor judgments have been disciplined. They've been given new responsibilities. And so I think she'll skate over that. I think she'll also probably skate over the fact that she herself didn't go out and talk to the American people about what happened. GARRETT: Yeah and then there's the question about why no assistance, no rescue when these folks were under attack for seven long hours and allegedly the State Department had real time observance of what was going on there. She'll be asked about that won't she. What what would have her involvement have been or would it have been strictly the Pentagon and the White House? MCFARLAND: No, no, no, no... there would have been, and as I understand it, and Fox News broke the story, that any classified computer was able to call up in real time the surveillance from drone and that would have been computers at the State Department, at the Defense Department, presumably the CIA, maybe even the White House situation room. So I think she should be asked those questions. Why was there are no relief? Why was there no rescue effort mounted? I think I suspect what she will say is "We couldn't get there in time" when in fact if you go back and look, there was the opportunity and they didn't know how long that attack was gonna' go on. They didn't know if it was going to be one hour, one day, two days. So why not at least try? I certainly know what I was in the Pentagon during the first marine barracks bombing in Beirut, we tried to rescue our own.
I was silly enough to think maybe they'd actually drop this once the election was over because it wasn't going to help them get Mitt Romney elected any more. I should have known they wouldn't let it go without going after Clinton as well, since they're all assuming she's going to run for President next time around. | | The Best and Worst Political Theater of 2012 Posted: 30 Dec 2012 10:00 AM PST As someone who wrote and opined on the year's events, I think it's safe to say that 2012 has been an incredibly colorful year, and one in which few could have imagined turning out quite as extreme, quite as absurd or quite as theatrical as it was. There were many times that Amato and I would exclaim that no one would believe the Republican primary race if it had been a screenplay. The suspension of belief required to accept Herman Cain, Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann and Newt Gingrich holding the frontrunner spot at various times is far too much to ask of the average viewer. For me, the Republican Primary, in all its tone-deaf glory--denying science, denying women the agency of their body, denying basic facts--was the ultimate in political theater. From "9-9-9" to the endless parade of Republican debates, they were the very worst of our political system. What were the standout moments of political theater for you? This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | | David Gregory to President Obama: You've Gotta' Talk Tough to Seniors, Don't You? Posted: 30 Dec 2012 09:00 AM PST  Click here to view this media I don't think David Gregory can make it through an interview without pushing the Villagers' favorite theme during these so-called "fiscal cliff" negotiations, which is that Democrats had better be willing to inflict some pain on the elderly and the working class, or they're just not being "serious." He was at it again this Sunday when he asked President Obama about whether he was going to just have to "talk tough" to seniors about Social Security and Medicare. Of course no such tough talk or pain is ever required of the rich or of our bloated military industrial complex. Gregory also did his best to try to place the blame for Republican obstruction during these negotiations on President Obama's back, asking him "What is it about you, Mr. President, that you think is so hard to say yes to?" About him... really David Gregory? We've got one party that's lost its mind and cares about obstruction above all else and is willing to take us down in flames to get what they want and another party that's willing to bend over backwards to try to negotiate with them, and you want to know why the side that's too willing to compromise hasn't done enough to make the Teahadist happy? Spare me. Obama: 'Pressure' on Congress, blames GOP as deadline nears: President Obama said Sunday that the "pressure is on Congress" to reach a compromise and resolve the so-called "fiscal cliff," sharply criticizing GOP leaders for the unresolved talks. In an exclusive interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, his first appearance since the healthcare debate in 2009, Obama seemed intent on putting the blame solely on Congressional Republicans, if lawmakers fail to reach the pivotal year-end deadline. "I offered not only a trillion dollars in -- over a trillion dollars in spending cuts over the next 10 years, but these changes would result in even more savings in the next 10 years, and would solve our deficit problem for a decade," Obama said, in the interview . "They say that their biggest priority is making sure that we deal with the deficit in a serious way, but the way they're behaving is that their only priority is making sure that tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans are protected. That seems to be their only overriding, unifying theme."
Obama said GOP negotiators have "had trouble saying 'yes' to a number of repeated offers." "If we're serious about deficit reduction we should make sure that the wealthier are paying a little bit more and combine that with spending cuts to reduce our deficit and put our economy on a long-term trajectory of growth," Obama said, sitting in the White House's Blue Room in the interview which was taped on Saturday. [...] But in the interview, time and again, Obama put the blame on Republicans for the inaction on the fiscal crisis. "So far, at least, Congress has not been able to get this stuff done," Obama said. "Not because Democrats in Congress don't want to go ahead and cooperate, but because I think it's been very hard for Speaker Boehner [R-Ohio] and Republican Leader McConnell to accept the fact that taxes on the wealthiest Americans should go up a little bit, as part of an overall deficit reduction package." Obama would not accept some of the responsibility for the stalemate, saying he has a track record of cutting spending by over a trillion dollars in 2011. "I campaigned on the promise of being willing to reduce the deficit in a serious way, in a balanced approach of spending cuts and tax increases on the wealthy while keeping middle class taxes low," he said. "I put forward a very specific proposal to do that. I negotiated with Speaker Boehner in good faith and moved more than halfway in order to achieve a grand bargain. I offered over a trillion dollars in additional spending cuts so that we would have $2 of spending cuts for every $1 of increased revenue. "I think anybody objectively who's looked at this would say that we have put forward not only a sensible deal but one that has the support of the majority of the American people, including close to half of Republicans," said Obama.
There's nothing "balanced" about balancing the budget on the backs of those that can least afford it when we've got record income disparity in the United States right now. Social Security does not contribute to our deficit and if we want to solve our deficit problems, we need to be getting people back to work and near full employment again. | | Weekly Address: Congress Must Protect the Middle Class from Income Tax Hike Posted: 30 Dec 2012 08:00 AM PST President Obama urges Congress to meet its deadlines and responsibilities, protect the middle class from an income tax hike, and lay the groundwork for future progress on more economic growth and deficit reduction. Obama explains where we're at with the fiscal cliff negotiations debacle, but stops short of coming right out and placing blame on the GOP for holding things up, or naming specific names. Hello Everybody. For the past couple months, I've been working with people in both parties – with the help of business leaders and ordinary Americans – to come together around a plan to grow the economy and shrink our deficits. It's a balanced plan – one that would protect the middle class, cut spending in a responsible way, and ask the wealthiest Americans to pay a little more. And I'll keep working with anybody who's serious about getting a comprehensive plan like this done – because it's the right thing to do for our economic growth. But we're now at the point where, in just a couple days, the law says that every American's tax rates are going up. Every American's paycheck will get a lot smaller. And that would be the wrong thing to do for our economy. It would hurt middle-class families, and it would hurt the businesses that depend on your spending. And Congress can prevent it from happening, if they act now. Leaders in Congress are working on a way to prevent this tax hike on the middle class, and I believe we may be able to reach an agreement that can pass both houses in time. But if an agreement isn't reached in time, then I'll urge the Senate to hold an up-or-down vote on a basic package that protects the middle class from an income tax hike, extends vital unemployment insurance for Americans looking for a job, and lays the groundwork for future progress on more economic growth and deficit reduction. I believe such a proposal could pass both houses with bipartisan majorities – as long as these leaders allow it to come to a vote. If they still want to vote no, and let this tax hike hit the middle class, that's their prerogative – but they should let everyone vote. That's the way this is supposed to work. We just can't afford a politically self-inflicted wound to our economy. The economy is growing, but keeping it that way means that the folks you sent to Washington have to do their jobs. The housing market is healing, but that could stall if folks are seeing smaller paychecks. The unemployment rate is the lowest it's been since 2008, but already, families and businesses are starting to hold back because of the dysfunction they see in Washington. You meet your deadlines and your responsibilities every day. The folks you sent here to serve should do the same. We cannot let Washington politics get in the way of America's progress. We've got to do what it takes to protect the middle class, grow this economy, and move our country forward. Thanks, everybody.
Obama will appear Sunday for an exclusive interview on "Meet the Press," as fiscal cliff negotiations come down to the wire before the Dec. 31 deadline. "Meet the Press" host David Gregory, who sparked controversy and prompted a D.C. police investigation after holding up an empty gun magazine during last Sunday's interview with National Rifle Association executive Wayne LaPierre, will return from vacation to conduct the interview with the president. This will be the President's 11th appearance on "Meet the Press" and his second time as the Commander-in-Chief. His most recent appearance was on September 20, 2009, during the health care reform fight. | | Plea From Chinese Worker Found In Kmart Halloween Decoration Posted: 30 Dec 2012 07:00 AM PST We tend not to see the connection between our consumption of cheap Chinese crap and human rights abuses, but after reading this story, I guarantee you: It's going to be a lot harder to maintain that state of denial. Julie Keith was unpacking some of last year's Halloween decorations when she stumbled upon an upsetting letter wedged into the packaging. Tucked in between two novelty headstones that she had purchased at Kmart, she found what appeared to be a letter from the Chinese laborer, who had made the decoration, pleading for help. The letter reads: "Sir, if you occasionally buy this product, please kindly resend this letter to the World Human Right Organization. Thousands people here who are under the persecution of the Chinese Communist Party Government will thank and remember you forever." "I was so frustrated that this letter had been sitting in storage for over a year, that this person had written this plea for help and nothing had come of it." Julie Keith told Yahoo! Shine. "Then I was shocked. This person had probably risked their life to get this letter in this package." The letter describes the conditions at the factory: "People who work here have to work 15 hours a day without Saturday, Sunday break and any holidays. Otherwise, they will suffer torturement, beat and rude remark. Nearly no payment (10 yuan/1 month)." That translates to about $1.61 a month. Keith, a mom who works at the Goodwill in Portland, Oregon, did some research into the letter. "I looked up this labor camp on the internet. Some horrific images popped up, and there were also testimonials about people who had lived through this camp. It was just awful." Horrified, Keith took to Facebook. She posted an image of the letter to ask friends for advice. One responded with a contact at Amnesty International. Keith made several attempts to alert them about the letter, but the organization never responded. With no response from various human rights organizations, Keith took her story to The Oregonian. "The reporter, Rachel Stark, got through to Human Rights Watch, but I had no luck." This is not the first time a letter like this has turned up. Just this week, another plea was found written in Chinese on a toilet seat and posted on Reddit. Commenters on the website have questioned the letters' authenticity. Though the letter lists the address of the specific camp, officials at Human Rights Watch were unable to verify the authenticity of the letter. However, Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, told The Oregonian that the description was consistent with their research.
 | | Mike's Blog Round Up Posted: 30 Dec 2012 06:00 AM PST Pay homage to the late, great Al Weisel and check out the best posts from a wide variety of bloggers at the Jon Swift Memorial Roundup 2012 Paul Bibeau: And now, a message to the GOP from an Inflamed Appendix. Back2Stonewall: Ex-Gay group Exodus International shows off their bloopers. And they are just fabulous. Raw Story: In Kentucky, free speech has racist tendencies. Oliver Willis: Gun magazines and gun owner psychology. Thanks for a great week, everyone. A happy and safe New Year to you all. Round-up by Bill Wolfrum of William K. Wolfrum Chronicles. Send tips to mbru AT crooksandliars DOT com. | | Sunday Morning Bobblehead Thread Posted: 30 Dec 2012 05:00 AM PST
Straight No Chaser -- Auld Lang Syne
Here it is, our final Sunday together for 2012. It's been quite the rollercoaster, as I look over the breadth and scale of the posts we have offered for this year. What began for me seven years ago as a favor to an ailing friend has turned into an avocation, a personal crusade and an opportunity to get to know some of the greatest liberal hearts and minds in the blogosphere. It has been an honor and a pleasure to be with you C&Lers every Sunday and I thank each and every one of you for challenging me on occasion, for educating and enlightening me on occasion and for being here with me every weekend. Thank you. I wish you and yours a wonderful and progressive 2013. NBC's "Meet the Press" - President Barack Obama. Round table: NBC's Tom Brokaw; historians Jon Meacham and Doris Kearns Goodwin; the New York Times' David Brooks; and NBC's Chuck Todd. ABC's "This Week" - Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.; Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho. Round table: ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl, former Vermont governor and founder of Democracy for America, Howard Dean; former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty; Politico senior political reporter Maggie Haberman; and Vanity Fair national editor Todd Purdum. ABC News' Bianna Golodryga and Leigh Gallagher of Fortune Magazine. "Fox News Sunday" - Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. Panel: Bill Kristol, The Weekly Standard/Fox News Contributor; Evan Bayh, Fox News Contributor//Former Democratic Senator from Indiana; Byron York, Washington Examiner, Fox News Contributor; Kirsten Powers, Daily Beast Columnist, Fox News Contributor. CBS' "Face the Nation" - Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla. Round table: The Wall Street Journal's Peggy Noonan, Vanity Fair's Dee Dee Myers, and TIME Magazine's Michael Duffy and Joe Klein. CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Major Garrett and CBS News Congressional Correspondent Nancy Cordes. MSNBC's "UP with Chris Hayes" - guest host Steve Kornacki. Sen. Jeff Merkley, Democrat of Oregon and leading advocate of filibuster reform, Rep. Keith Ellison, Democrat of Minnesota and co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Jamelle Bouie, staff writer at The American Prospect, fellow at The Nation Institute, Suzy Khimm, reporter for the Washington Post, Maya Wiley, founder and president of the Center for Social Inclusion, Kevin Williamson, deputy managing editor at The National Review and author of "The Dependency Agenda." Amy Kremer, chairman of the Tea Party Express, Fergus Cullen, former chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party. MSNBC's "Melissa Harris-Perry" -- Guest list not released. CNN's "State of the Union" - Chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee, John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), Rep. Darrell Issa (R-California), Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan), and Congresswoman Donna Edwards (D-Maryland). Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Panel: CNN Chief White House Correspondent Jessica Yellin, Karen Tumulty of The Washington Post, Gerry Seib of The Wall Street Journal, and Matt Bai of The New York Times Magazine. Noon showing will be live with Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) and Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) and the very latest reporting from Capitol Hill on the fiscal cliff negotiations. CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" -- National Security Advisor Tom Donilon. CNN's "Reliable Sources" -- Lynn Sweet, of The Chicago Sun-Times, and Erik Wemple of The Washington Post; Bob Cusack of The Hill; Former correspondent for NBC News Fred Francis, Editor-in-chief of Daily-Download.com Lauren Ashburn and George Washington University's Professor of Media and Public Affairs Steve Roberts; Politico's Jonathan Martin and Glenn Thrush; Best of 2012 RS interviews.
So what's catching your eye this morning? | | Open Thread Posted: 29 Dec 2012 08:30 PM PST Open Thread (with or without new year's resolutions) below.... | You are subscribed to email updates from Crooks and Liars
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[2b2k] My world leader can beat up your world leader
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 01:12 PM PST
| [2b2k] My world leader can beat up your world leader Posted: 30 Dec 2012 09:38 AM PST There’s a knowingly ridiculous thread at Reddit at the moment: Which world leader would win if pitted against other leaders in a fight to the death. The title is a straightline begging for punchlines. And it is a funny thread. Yet, I found it shockingly informative. The shock comes from realizing just how poorly informed I am. My first reaction to the title was “Putin, duh!” That just shows you what I know. From the thread I learned that Joseph Kabila (Congo) and Boyko Borisov (Bulgaria) would kick Putin’s ass. Not to mention that Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (Bhutan), who would win on good looks. Now, when I say that this thread is “shockingly informative,” I don’t mean that it gives sufficient or even relevant information about the leaders it discusses. After all, it focuses on their personal combat skills. Rather, it is an interesting example of the haphazard way information spreads when that spreading is participatory. So, we are unlikely to have sent around the Wikipedia article on Kabila or Borisov simply because we all should know about the people leading the nations of the world. Further, while there is more information about world leaders available than ever in human history, it is distributed across a huge mass of content from which we are free to pick and choose. That’s disappointing at the least and disastrous at its worst. On the other hand, information is now passed around if it is made interesting, sometimes in jokey, demeaning ways, like an article that steers us toward beefcake (although the president of Ireland does make it up quite high in the Reddit thread). The information that gets propagated through this system is thus spotty and incomplete. It only becomes an occasion for serendipity if it is interesting, not simply because it’s worthwhile. But even jokey, demeaning posts can and should have links for those whose interest is piqued. So, two unspectacular conclusions. First, in our despair over the diminishing of a shared knowledge-base of important information, we should not ignore the off-kilter ways in which some worthwhile information does actually propagate through the system. Indeed, it is a system designed to propagate that which is off-kilter enough to be interesting. Not all of that “news,” however, is about water-skiing cats. Just most. Second, we need to continue to have the discussion about whether there is in fact a shared news/knowledge-base that can be gathered and disseminated, whether there ever was, whether our populations ever actually came close to living up to that ideal, the price we paid for having a canon of news and knowledge, and whether the networking of knowledge opens up any positive possibilities for dealing with news and knowledge at scale. For example, perhaps a network is well-informed if it has experts on hand who can explain events at depth (and in interesting ways) on demand, rather than assuming that everyone has to be a little bit expert at everything. | | Excellent PSA. Bad Algorithm. Posted: 29 Dec 2012 05:29 PM PST This is a terrific public service announcement about the Special Olympics. 
Unfortunately, take a look at the upper right at what YouTube thinks is a related video you might enjoy: 
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“Not Deliberate” Says Google, On Google Finance Showing Apple Stock Chart For “Sell”
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 01:04 PM PST
| “Not Deliberate” Says Google, On Google Finance Showing Apple Stock Chart For “Sell” Posted: 29 Dec 2012 02:02 PM PST Do a search on Google Finance for the word “sell,” and Google returns the stock chart for Apple. Why? Some thought Google had rigged this as an “Easter Egg” or joke. However, Google says this isn’t so. In the first edition of this story, I could see no good reason why... Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.  |
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Another great Bill Murray story
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 01:03 PM PST
| Another great Bill Murray story Posted: 30 Dec 2012 12:40 PM PST The internet is awash in great Bill Murray stories, but this one might be one of the very best. From the middle of an AV Club interview with Kelly Lynch in October: AVC: It seems like your sex scene in [Road House] must be one of the most uncomfortable in cinematic history, being up against a rock wall and all. KL: Oh, I know, but I was padded. [Laughs.] No one knows, so it looks more painful that it was. They really liked everything about the way that scene looked, with the blonde hair against the rocks behind me, but I was like, "Isn't this kind of... mean?" So they put a thin padding under my dress, so you can't see it. But he's still slamming me against the rocks, so I had to be careful not to hit my head. Thank God Patrick was so strong. He could've carried me around that room forever. By the way, speaking of Bill Murray, every time Road House is on and he or one of his idiot brothers are watching TV -- and they're always watching TV -- one of them calls my husband and says [In a reasonable approximation of Carl Spackler], "Kelly's having sex with Patrick Swayze right now. They're doing it. He's throwing her against the rocks." [Away from the receiver.] What? Oh, my God. Mitch was just walking out the door to the set, and he said that Bill once called him from Russia. AVC: Sorry, not to dwell on this, but you said that Bill Murray "or one of his idiot brothers" will call. Which brothers are we talking about? KL: All of them! Joel has called; Brian Doyle has called. They will all call! Any and all of them! AVC: This was already an awesome story, but now it's even better. KL: I know, right? I dread it. If I know it's coming on -- and I can tell when it's coming on, because it blows up on Twitter when it is -- I'm just like, "Oh, my God..." And God help me when AMC's doing their Road House marathon, because I know the phone is just going to keep ringing. It doesn't matter if it's 2 or 3 in morning. "Hi, Kelly's having sex with Patrick Swayze right now..."
(via @mathowie) Tags: Bill Murray interviews Kelly Lynch Patrick Swayze | | Plane crash recorded on Russian dash cam Posted: 30 Dec 2012 09:14 AM PST | You are subscribed to email updates from kottke.org
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How to become an author, publisher, and entrepreneur
Posted: 30 Dec 2012 11:37 AM PST
| How to become an author, publisher, and entrepreneur Posted: 30 Dec 2012 07:00 AM PST My friend Guy Kawasaki has this great new book called APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur – How to Publish Your Book. This is close to my heart because we self-published our Word of Mouth Marketing comic book and audiobook. 
But what’s more remarkable is all of the ways he’s helping me share his stuff via word of mouth. Just telling someone “blog about me” doesn’t work anymore. If you want people to talk about you, you need to give them real content that makes their blog more interesting. Give them enough substance to write a post that gives value to their readers (and makes the blogger look great). Guy gave us: And he even send a t-shirt, so the blog would have a more interesting visual than just a book cover. (That’s Bridgette, our editor, who keeps this blog awesome.) The Lesson: If you want people to share your stuff, give them stuff to share. |
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Feed the authors who feed your mind. 
