We all network, every day. At its base level, networking is simply communicating with someone in an effective way. Whether it’s a conversation at the water cooler or at a business function, knowing how to effectively network is an important skill for anyone growing in his or her career. Here are some key tips and tricks to keep in mind whenever you find yourself in an important conversation. Remember, these tips may be relevant in all areas of life, but are especially helpful in developing a business personality.

You’re There to Give, not Get

    Giving an arduous monologue can easily get in the way of a meaningful conversation. Don’t let your portion of the conversation overrun that of the person with whom you are speaking. Remember, you should do your best to contribute to the conversation in a constructive way. This means allowing the conversation partner ample time to speak their mind and share their thoughts. Don’t forget to respect the speaking time of the other person in the conversation. You’re there to give a platform for the other person to speak.

Don’t Appear Desperate

    In this way, networking at a professional level is the same as dating. Being too needy is a major turn off. If you find yourself networking with someone in a higher position or someone who could offer you something professionally, do your best to avoid appearing needy. Instead, find confidence in what you’re offering them. Believe that what you have to offer is useful, because it most certainly is! If you don’t have confidence in what you can bring to the table skillfully, it may be a sign that you should peruse other endeavors. Bear in mind, when networking professionally, confidence is key.

Ask Open-Ended Questions

    Keeping the conversation alive is important. Be careful to steer clear of “yes” or “no” questions, because they generally deny the responder the chance to elaborate. If you do have a “yes” or “no” question, try rephrasing it to make it more open ended. For example, asking, “do you play any sports” is not as effective as asking “what sports do you play?” Sure, there is a chance that the responder doesn’t play any sports, but that’s an answer that they will be able to give as well as elaborate on. Allowing the chance for elaboration makes the responder feel appreciated.

Networking is all about staying comfortable and maintaining sincere conversations. For more tips, check out this article.

Sometimes companies must alter the way they do business and change their service plans. As these changes often revolve around a price increase, new limitations, or dismissal of services altogether, customers can have a negative reaction to the news. For some companies, breaking the news goes smoothly as they take steps to soften the blow, while others spring the news to the clients with very little warning or explanation.

The recent change Netflix has made is a perfect example of transition not going well. Netflix’s decision to separate their DVD and streaming services and raise the cost of both has affected most of us. The change happened so unexpectedly and with such little explanation that lots of people canceled their subscriptions, more than Netflix had anticipated, nearly half a million to be exact. To try to smooth this debacle over, on the 18th of this month, Reed Hastings, Netflix CEO, wrote an apology and posted it to the Netflix blog. In his statement, he acknowledged that he “… messed up. [And he owes] everyone an explanation.” While his intensions were good the impact was not what he expected. There was again a sizable backlash to something he said within the apology. He announced that the DVD-by-mail services and the streaming would be split into completely independent services. The DVD-by-mail service will now be called Qwikster while the streaming services will remain Netflix. Unfortunately, Netflix may be learning that sometimes an apology is not enough.

In late June, AT&T changed their service plan to a tiered pricing plan and eliminated their unlimited data plan. While this upset many people, AT&T chose to honor those who already had the unlimited data as part of their plan.  This allowance for a grandfathered plan could possibly have saved the company from  losing a lot of customers to other carriers.

When companies change their services plans, regardless of the reasons behind the decision, they inherently tread dangerous waters. Before alerting their customers and the world, they should develop a course of action that will minimize the backlash. If there is a drastic price increase or another product change equally undesirable from a customer’s viewpoint, here are a few strategies companies could consider to soften the effect:

• Notice, and Lots of It:  Give the public plenty of notice and utilize a forum where customers, particularly those directly affected, can express questions and concerns.
• Grandfathered Services:  Honor services and prices current clients have prior to the change.
• Details:  Explain the change in detail! The more transparent you are with your announcement, the more your clients will trust your decision.
• Discounts: Offer a free month of service or some other type of coupon if clients take advantage of multiple services

If you have any more ideas of ways companies could make the news of service plan changes easier, we’d love to hear from you!

Last week we talked about negative habits to avoid at work, including wasting time on the Internet. Though the Internet is one of the most useful advances in technology in the past 30 years, it’s also one of the largest sources of distraction. However, workplace distraction was a problem even before the Internet. Here are three of the most common ways workers can get distracted from their work without using the Web.

The Water Cooler

    Creating a vibrant work culture is crucial for most companies for many reasons. Workers who get along well with each other often perform at higher standards. However, there should always be a balance between work and socializing when at the office. It’s easy to fall into the habit of spending extended breaks conversing with a coworker about your personal life. To help combat this, try planning a weekly night out with your friends at work. This will keep you up to date on each other’s lives while minimizing the need to socialize during business hours.

Minesweeper

    Check your computer. No mater what model or make, you’ll most likely be able to find some kind of pre installed game. Even without the Internet, it’s easy to be distracted by computer games like Minesweeper, Solitaire or even Chess. We’ve all tried to slip in a few minutes of gameplay into our work day, but more often than not, those few minutes can add up to a few hours. The best thing to do? Delete these games from your computer outright. Be honest with yourself, you probably don’t even enjoy playing them that much.

Daydream

    It’s easy to get lost in your own thoughts, worried about bills or troubles at home. Being distracted by a daydream is difficult because we rarely daydream on purpose. If you find yourself daydreaming often, try a few things to help increase your focus like getting more sleep or eating a healthy snack while working on a given project. Make sure that you’re getting adequate vitamin B and avoid foods that are high in processed sugars. 

    Staying focused at work can be a challenge, and as we all know, we don’t need the Internet to get distracted. Bear in mind these tips throughout your workweek to help keep you on track. Don’t forget, 90% of productivity is focus!

Entertainment industries have had to evolve in the past few years as we have gained more access to music, movies and television from online sources. Physical stores are disappearing as these businesses open online stores. Examples of these are Blockbuster, Borders, and, the iconic Virgin Megastore in Times Square. Online storefronts have become a great option for consumers as well as business as there are fewer overhead costs, which give buyers more options for less. Here are some examples of ways that access to entertainment has changed.

Music sites and applications like iTunes or Amazon’s MP3 Store allow people to buy single songs rather then the whole album. Some musicians allow individuals to purchase songs directly from them on their websites and many basically give their songs away. This new structure for shopping for music has caused many independent and chain stores to close and the power of record companies to shrink. The price of full albums has gone down, but the price of concert tickets and merchandise has risen to compensate for lower album sales.

Online music streaming has also become very popular. Sites such as Pandora and Grooveshark  are free and let people customized their stations with less commercials than traditional radio stations. If you chose to upgrade, you can get your music with no commercial interruptions. Many people use these services to test out music prior to buying it and sometimes choose them in place of purchasing music. Most Internet connected gadgets can access these services anywhere at any time.

Another hot item that is changing the face of their industry is the eBook. Sites like Amazon sell eBooks for much cheaper than their paper counterparts. Another benefit is that they never sell out and they only weigh as much as the eBook reader they are stored on. We have seen many local and large chain bookstores close due to this competition.

Instead of paying for satellite or cable TV, many people choose the more cost effective route of streaming television on sites such as Netflix or Hulu. There is such competition in the TV industry lately that many network channels now upload their most recently aired episodes to their websites and make them available to Internet enabled devices like the iPad.

The way we access our entertainment has changed drastically thanks to the Internet. Television, books, and music found on the Internet are much more cost effective, but this may change. Recently Netflix altered its model of offering both online streaming and physical DVD rentals and also raised its prices. Many articles have been written speculating whether this will hurt or help their business plan. As we see physical stores disappear and online stores become our only option, we may see more sites follow in the model pioneered by Netflix. We will just have to wait and see.

Forming a habit can be a good or a bad thing, depending on the nature of the habit. For instance, paying close attention to detail and making sure your workspace is clean and tidy are good habits to form in the office. We are all also aware of some bad habits workers can form. Research shows that any habit requires a minimum of 21 days to change. That sounds like a lot of work to put into breaking a bad habit. Wouldn’t it be easier to avoid forming the bad habit in the first place?  Here are a few bad working habits, as well as some tips on how to avoid them proactively.

Working Through Lunch

    It’s not uncommon for your day to get out of hand before noon. The reality is, sometimes working through lunch is unavoidable. However, forming this habit can actually be detrimental to your productivity. We need to take breaks and give ourselves time to cool down and regroup. If you’re having a stressful day at the office, it’s best to take a full lunch rather than to try to power through. Try setting strict time boundaries on your lunchtime and start viewing it as its own work assignment.

Idealizing

    For most of us, the grass is always greener at another job. When we’ve had a bad day in the office, it’s easy to relive our childhood daydreams of exciting and dangerous professions such as being an astronaut or firefighter.. Unfortunately, idealizing another line of work makes it difficult to be happy in your current position. Instead, try making a list of all the good things your job provides for you. Documenting each small joy will help you appreciate the job you have.

Work Time Distractions

    Entertaining YouTube videos and entertaining flash games are added to the Internet every minute of every day. It’s easy to waste hours of work time on these simple distractions. This is a bad habit to form, and one that should definitely be avoided. To help, schedule “small breaks” throughout the day.  Reward yourself after finishing a large project or after working solidly for several hours. Creating these time boundaries will help prevent forming a habit of being distracted.

    Forming bad habits can be easier than you’d think and breaking a bad habit can be much more difficult than you’d imagine. The next time you notice yourself slipping into any of these bad habits, take some time to consider what good habits you could form to combat them.

The rapidly evolving world of technology has changed the way we do business. Not long ago we used to have to use a manual press to make an imprint of credit cards for you to purchase something? Now thank to wireless Internet and tablets, we are able to run a credit card purchase virtually anywhere in the world.

Tablets have changed a lot more than our purchasing ease and mobility. Many people have fundamentally changed their businesses as a result of tablets. The following companies use tablets in such intriguing and innovative ways it may surprise you.

New York City’s West Village is home to De Santos a high-end Italian restaurant where the wait staff uses iPad 2s. Orders are taken and credit cards are swiped all on the iPads. The owners hope that this will minimize human mistakes and streamline the ordering process.

Puma stores in Africa, Asia and Europe have installed iPad stations called The Creative Factory. At these stations customers can design sneakers and see other designs around from people around the globe and also learn about the other creators. Puma seeks to connect the world with active footwear.

At SHOPBOX, an addition to the DeKalb Market in Brooklyn, you won’t find a store or store clerks! What you will find is a shipping container with an iPad mounted on the side. Shoppers use the iPads to register then text the items they want to purchase to a number printed on the display glass. The items are then shipped to the shopper’s house. Talk about window-shopping!

People will continue to find innovative uses for tablets as technology improves. It may eventually become old fashioned to have a wait staff in restaurants and future generations may wonder what the purpose of a mall was. It is the nature of the world to change, and the more advanced technology gets the faster change happen. Maybe one day we’ll get teleportation devices after all.

An email symbolizes a very stripped down form of communication as physical cues and voice inflection are absent. Because of this, starting and ending an email in the right tone is key. If you open an email to a possible client with “Hey Joe,” it may come off as too informal, where as if you close an email to a close friend with “In highest regards,” they may think you’re being sarcastic. Here are some tips to consider in order to avoid giving the wrong impression. 

Opening an Email

Informal

 When composing an email to a close friend or friendly acquaintance, strongly considering propriety is not a necessity. This person knows you, so basically opening your message with their name or a short “Hi” followed by their name should do the trick. 

Formal

Composing an email to someone you don’t know well or who is above you in any social hierarchy can be more difficult. Opening the email with the classic “Dear” and then recipient’s name is always a sure shot. However, feel free to communicate subtle flair with a “Good Afternoon,” or “Good Evening,” depending on the time of day. This expresses respect without being overly ritualistic.

Respectful

When writing to an unknown institution of high importance, make sure and write in a respectful tone. Opening your letter with “To whom it may concern,” will let the audience know you hold them in high regard.

Closing an Email

Informal

As in the opening, if you are closing an email to close friend, merely signing your name or adding, “Love,” can be an acceptable ending. You can also add “Thanks,” depending on the context of the email.

Formal

In writing a closing to someone whom you wish to pay respect, signing off with “sincerely” or “yours truly” is a fine way of demonstrating regard. While these aren’t of the highest formality, they do communicate a certain level of propriety.

Respectful

Ending an email to a more respected recipient can be difficult, as it is the last impression of your communication that they receive. Depending on the source, using “sincerely” is still acceptable. However, a more formal ending such as “with warm regards” or even just “regards” may be the more professional route to take.

    Though most of these tips may appear as common knowledge, it’s crucial to determine the nature of your email, the relationship you share with the recipient and message you want to communicate when composing an email. Remembering to choose your words wisely will ensure that your boss has no fear of romantic inclinations while also confirming to your friends that you aren’t a robot.

Usually lawsuits are very serious news and not to be laughed at. The tech industry has had its fair share of these more serious suits. However, we sometimes read about ones that we can’t help but be amused by. This list of unbelievable tech lawsuits from the past 10 years is sure to tickle your funny bone.

Pentium Allergy? – In 2002, a Dutch woman filed a lawsuit against Intel because she said she got hives from her Pentium processor. However, the 486-base processor did not have a similar affect on her. The case never went to court. I assume no one was “itching” to take it.

Lead into Danger by Google? - In 2009, a woman attempted to sue Google for the poor walking directions she was given. She followed the directions onto a narrow dark highway that had no sidewalk or shoulder and was subsequently hit by a car. Google “dodged” the lawsuit and the case was dismissed.

Up With Star Wars Galaxies, Down With Sony! - In 2010, distraught fans of the Star Wars Galaxies, a once highly popular MMORPG, tried to file a class-action lawsuit against Sony for shutting down the game. The case will in all probability never go to court. I guess the “force” was not strong with the litigious fans.

Failed Mafia Wars Romance Ends With a Lawsuit – A woman sued a man over for damages from their broken Mafia Wars romance. After meeting and falling in love over the Facebook game, Mafia Wars, the woman spent thousands of dollars on game credits and gifts for her new love interest. After the relationship ended, she sued him for the money spent. Both the relationship and the case are now “sleeping with the fishes.”

I hope these unbelievable tech lawsuits made you smile. If you have heard of any more, please share them with us by leaving a comment here or on one of our other social media accounts! 

As a species we are connected. Our access to information is growing exponentially. Many authorities and governments worldwide have fears about what this access could mean for the people in their countries. These concerns cause them to censor the amount of communication that individuals have or cut them off completely if they feel the risk is too great.

This dilemma is at the forefront of many world leader’s mind and many governments have different methods and levels of restriction for the Internet, cellular phones, and other types of communication via technology. Listed below are some examples of differing severity levels of censorship in various countries.

The United States – The US censors technology very little. In the US it is illegal to use cell phone jammers for private use. However, federal officials can use them in some instances. Recently, transit officials in San Francisco shut down power to cellular towers blocking all cell phone usage on the BART in an effort to prevent protesters from coordinating on stations and platforms to convene upon.   This censorship incited a public outrage and government investigation as to the legality of the shutdown.

China – It is common practice for Chinese officials to monitor chat rooms, private screen, and black list websites. Their censorship of the Internet is referred to as the “Great Firewall of China”. Go to this link to see if your site is blocked in China.

North Korea – The government of North Korea has total control over all computers with Internet access. Only three websites can be accessed in North Korea and they only contain academic information. There are some chat rooms allowed, but they are heavily monitored by the government. The high level of censorship has created a huge cell phone black market in North Korea.

As you can see, different governments approach the idea of technology censorship very differently throughout the world. And the socio-political reasons behind the amount of restrictions vary equally as much. Here are some common arguments for and against censorship:

Reasons why censorship is necessary

• Censorship can protect the safety of the public
• Censorship can prevent youths from being exposed to inappropriate content
• Censorship can protect social unity and national glory
• Censorship can prevent disturbing the social order
• Censorship can protect national security

Reasons why censorship can be dangerous

• Censorship violates the natural right of self-expression
• Censorship can prevent people who have an emergency from getting help
• Censorship can lead to ignorance of the world and other cultures
• Extreme censorship can lead to social upheaval
• Extreme censorship can lead to an oppressed and uneducated society

Barney Warf, a professor at the University of Kansas, published a definitive study of the geography of Internet censorship in the December issue of the academic journal, GeoJournal. He believes that, ultimately, the more globalized a country becomes, or strives to become, the trickier it is to manage the amount of information the public has access to. The answer to the question of whether technological censorship is appropriate, is situational. We will continue to see the issue come up as the world gets increasingly more connected and as the flow of information becomes harder to control.

You can read this article about Professor Barney Warf and his study.

Google is the newest heavy hitter in the social media world. One of the most notable differences between Google and other common social media sites like Facebook or Twitter is that account holders are restricted from using pseudonyms. Anonymity is commonplace on the Internet, which is most likely the reason why Google ’s decision to ban pseudonyms has made such a large impact. There are a few key pros and cons to complete anonymity on the Internet, here are a few to consider.

Pros

    The Internet almost never requires users to provide their real names or implements effective methods of verifying personal information. Consider all the fake celebrity Twitter accounts, the source behind Twitter’s “Verified” status. However, easy anonymity comes with a particular layer of safety that is a necessity in many cases. Think of someone who has been the victim of abuse or stalking. For these individuals, being able to use a name other than their own makes them harder to find and therefore safer. In these cases, the connectivity that comes with the Internet can still be enjoyed while remaining at a safe distance from those they wish to avoid.

Cons

    The majority of Internet annoyances, including crimes, begin with a fake persona on the Internet. Email scams, social media spam and profile hacks are all done by utilizing an anonymous account in one form or another. This makes anonymity on the Internet a complicated issue because it’s a difficult thing to adequately monitor. While there are methods, such as IP tracing, that can reveal the identity of most Internet users, generating a fake identity is still easy. In the same way that anonymity can grant freedom, it can also be a shield for criminals.

    Internet anonymity is a matter of personal responsibility. It is only as bad as the person taking advantage of it. When deciding your stance on the issue, first consider how you use it.