Explore Posterous

Real Incident....READ N PASS.

Five Incredibly Useful Things You Can Do Without Ever Leaving Facebook

I have been spending a fair amount of time on Facebook since they updated the news feed feature, mostly because I can get a quick read on what's new. I like how they show you "trends from friends." In the process, I am discovering that it's becoming a one-stop shop for many of my day-to-day activities. Here are five things that I recently found you can do right from within Facebook without having to leave...

         

Click here to download:

Five_Incredibly_Useful_Things_.zip (790 KB)

The Incredible Free Manual For Every Mac User

If you are a Mac user make sure you download 'The Mac Manual'. It's a free PDF that supplies you with numerous tips, tricks and free applications. Download the PDF here. More info here.

Vacation Planner

Click here to download:

VacationPlanner.pps (2620 KB)

Graduate fair fun

Yesterday we had a good time at the Newcastle IT Recruitment Fair, held at Newcastle University. I always really enjoy the chance to go to one of the fairs. It's a fantastic opportunity to meet students and other people looking for work in the IT sector. There's always fantastic turnout at these events, more so now than ever, and obviously it's a great chance for us to sell ourselves to the next great wave of students coming into the workplace.

The fair yesterday was no exception to this, and the turnout couldn't have been better. My thanks to Newcastle University and the School of Computing Science for organising and hosting the event. We met some fantastic people, with a real spread of skills and interests across the spectrum. Some people never fail to impress, clearly being well prepared and with lots of questions to ask. But there are also a large number of people who haven't managed to prepare quite as well.

While a graduate fair is by no means an interview, it's always useful to do some research upfront when coming to these events. Especially events such as the IT Recruitment Fair, where there is only a small number of companies exhibiting relate to the larger, summer events. First impressions are always important. We work hard to try and make a good impression. We want to attract the best and brightest people to come and work for us. That effort isn't always shown by some people attending these fairs.

We want to make sure as many people as possible stand the best possible chance of succeeding in this industry, especially within the North East. So, for those attending any graduate/job fairs over the next few months, try and remember a few simple tricks.

Do your research
Companies like to see people having made a little effort to know who it is they're engaging with. It only takes a few minutes to check out a companies website or online profile. It'll always make a better impression if you already know something about the company, and have some questions ready to ask about what they do, or the benefits available to employees.

Don't be afraid to talk to us
We're happy to hand out material and information about our company. But talk to us. We won't bite, honest! We love talking to you about our company, and finding out about you. Sometimes it's scary, I know some of our developers who come to these things don't get out much, but even they go all out and get in there, talking to anyone and everyone. You should too! You'll always find out more about a company, and what they are like by talking to a someone.

Come with a CV
If you're in the market for a job, now or in the future, come prepared with a CV. And, as you would if applying for a job normally, make sure the CV is well written and presented. Again, it's not an interview, but if we make a good impression on you, and vice versa, then the chances are we'll get in touch when you're ready, and we can talk some more. Having a CV to hand, even if you're not looking for a job right now, can never hurt!

It's not all about the freebies
On a lighter note, just remember, it's not always about who has the best freebies to hand out! We normally only have brochures, and our team to talk to. But every member of our team is fantastic to chat to, great fun, and much better than a cheap free pen!

I hope some of this helps, and maybe we'll see you soon!

Sarah

Tips to build a referral system

Any business owner will confirm that referrals are the best source for new business. Not only are referrals cost effective, but they often convert at the highest rate. So, why do so many business owners fail to implement or leverage this client acquisition tool?

While many of us like to help others, most of us don’t like to ask for it. Here lies the problem with referral marketing. Many business owners don’t leverage the opportunities present within their current client base as they hesitate to ask those that have done business with them for referrals.

Here are some ideas implemented by a financial advisor in Toronto for building a referral system:

1.       Build an Email Signature- As email is predominantly the form of communication used within most businesses, email signatures are seen by prospects and clients daily. Include a short tag line at the bottom of your email such as, “Thank you for the Continued Referrals.” You could even add a short referral incentive program for a given month.

2.       Send out Referral Letters- Sending out referral request letters twice per year will put the concept into the minds of your best clients. Include a self addressed stamped envelope, provide prompters for names and possibly offer an incentive for your clients for providing names.

3.       Office Signage- If you want to receive regular referrals, you must build a referral culture. Place signage in your front office and in your meeting areas thanking your clients for referrals, or “The best complement you can pay me is to refer your friends and family.”

By using these simple techniques, the Toronto financial advisor was able to move from 4-6 referral clients per year to 12 within 12 months. All it takes is focus, simple steps implemented with your business and a focus on building the proper culture to gain qualified referrals regularly from your valuable client base.

Spread it Around (The Web) : Small Business Marketing Tip #1

…and by “it” I mean your web presence.

As an inbound marketing* tool, the web is the great equalizer where well crafted content and solid effort can put a savvy SMB on nearly equal footing with the bigger players. I say nearly because deep pockets—and the advertising and personnel that they can buy—still count for something; even in the new social media reality. 

That caveat aside, for an SMB inbound marketing via the web will be one of the most cost effective and successful marketing routes that you can take. In fact for many SMBs this may be the only feasible or affordable way to get your marketing plan/program off the ground. With the profusion of social networks and media tools, you have a much better chance of sharing your story or ideas—and being found—than ever before.

In fact, social networks have been so successful and promise such a comparatively high ROI that I suggest that you initially focus you web efforts on building your online presence via social nets such as Facebook and Twitter. I’ll take this a step further; if your budget is tight, forgo creating a business website for the time being and focus on engaging with your customers via social media—spread it around. 

The list of sites and services you should investigate (today!) include:

·         Facebook

·         Twitter

·         Flickr

·         Posterous

·      Tumblr

·         Blogger

·         YouTube

·         Vimeo

·         Ning

·         Etc…

These sites have large audiences that would take an SMB far too much time, money, and effort to build. Best of all they are free. Set up shop across the web, create useful content, participate in the discussion, and—most importantly—listen. Eventually, you can get that awesome company website up and running; hopefully by then you’ll have enough fans and followers (who you’ve been listening to) to be able to make you website a useful destination for your target customers.

*I’m using the contemporary definition here—getting discovered or found by customers.

Se upp för tidsfällorna

via metro.se

5 TIPS PÅ HUR DU UNDVIKER TIDSFÄLLORNA:
1. Koppla bort allt brus runt om kring dig som mejl, telefoner och internet. Stäng gärna in dig i en lugn vrå där du inte kan bli störd. På så sätt kan du fokusera och effektivt arbeta med uppgiften.
2. Allt du gör behöver inte vara perfekt och felfritt. Prestationsångest kan vara ett hinder att komma igång eller avsluta en uppgift. Lek i gång din uppgift och minska kraven.
3. Spring inte på för många bollar samtidigt. Lär dig att säga nej och gör färdigt en sak i taget innan du börjar med en ny uppgift.
4. Fundera på hur många möten du verkligen behöver delta i. Kan du undvika några möten frigör du tid.
5. Hitta egen modell att jobba utifrån. Fundera när på dygnet du arbetar mest effektivt - lägg de tyngre arbetsuppgifterna där. Andra tider på dygnet kan du göra uppgifter som inte kräver större ansträngning.

Todo アプリをアイデアノートに。

Todo アプリをアイデアノートに。

こんなことしょうかな。
こういうの欲しいけどお金のある時で良いか。
この店良さそう。
この映画は面白そう。

ということを、今までは日記やメモアプリで記録したりしなかったり。
他の記録に埋もれていたり忘れたり。

簡単でスマートに記録できないかな？と、ここでTodoアプリで良いんじゃないか。と思いつきました。

今のTodoアプリで上記のものまで入力してしまうと、タスクの数ばかり増えて、タスクの実行よりタスク管理に手間がかかるんですね。それでTodoアプリそのものは考えていませんでした。
でも、アプリを二つ使えば良いんです。タスク管理が必要なものとそうでないもの用に。

必要な条件は、日付、タグ絞込み、ソート、分類。そして、なにより簡単に操作出来ること。

ぴったりのアプリがありました。
"eTodo" です。
とにかく入力して、たまに見返せば良いのです。

見た目も良いし、少し操作すれば使い方はすぐわかります。なにせ機能が少ないですから。（笑）
そうそう、アイコンバッジの表示もしてくれます。でも、これは数が増えても気にならない。タスクじゃなくてアイデアだから。（ふたたび笑）

Why One is 1 and Two is 2..?

                           

Click here to download:

Why_One_is_1_and_Two_is_2...zip (291 KB)