The On-Going Conversation

A Simple Realization

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." - Albert Einstein

4-Legged Motivation

Ditch the Treadmill! Studies show that dogs provide motivation for a healthy lifestyle and dog owners more likely to take regular walks. Plus, dog owners are more likely to be active than in comparison to those who don't have a four-legged friend at home. 

One study even discovered that older individuals are more likely to take frequent walks if their companion is a canine, with 60 percent reaching federal criteria for moderate to vigorous exercise, according to a recent study. This leads one to question the benefits of having a dog as a pet, which may provide motivation to the humans that they live with. Forget starting a workout routine this summer and take a trip to your local animal shelter to commence the spring.

Read the full article via the New York Times

The Nature of Online Relations

Social networks are helping people stay in touch, but are Internet communities simply tangible cliques taking place online? Social platforms allow friends and family to stay in touch more frequently, although there may be detrimental elements to consider as well.

The ramifications of social media could include the destruction of interpersonal communication skills and the wasting of time throughout the day. I can only imagine how much time people use on a weekly basis to stay connected with their digital friends.

Read the full article and listen to the story via NPR

LinkedIn Wants Users to Visit Daily

LinkedIn launched LinkedIn Today, a social news tool for business users that encourages perpetual use, similar to Facebook and Twitter.

From a consistent use standpoint, LinkedIn has a hard time competing with Facebook and Twitter. Users seem to view LinkedIn as a professional portal that doesn't require continual monitoring. Facebook and Twitter on the other hand seem to have a connected mantra that requires daily attention, and users feel out of touch if they aren't constantly engaged and interconnected.

Obviously this isn't the case, but users feel a subconscious isolation if they aren't checking their digital lives on a daily basis. Most people view LinkedIn as an environment for career networking, which doesn't consist of frequent changes and status updates. Users even have their Twitter updates linked via an external platform that appears on the LinkedIn feed, which is included on the landing page.

As a result, LinkedIn is trying to capture a degree of success with this approach to social media. They want to encourage uses to visit on a daily basis, by providing more value and the ability to directly search news online. To a certain extent, they want to be a one-stop shop for online content absorption. This may be quite challenging, although it is a great place to commence in a difficult social space.

Read the full article via Fast Company

The Smart Cities in Transportation

2011 Smarter Cities for Transportation: Boston. Chicago. New York. Portland. Philadelphia and San Francisco.

See the complete list via Smarter Cities

The Mobile Business

Square, a plug-in works with iPhones, iPads and Android phones; it reads credit cards and allows merchants to accept mobile payments.

Read the full article on Mashable: 4 Small Business Mobile Predictions for 2011

Communication is the Only Way

Make a Quality First Impression

Communication is tool that each and every one of us is required to utilize on a daily basis. Without having the power to voice your opinion, it can be challenging to connect with people on a personal level. We not only need to connect with people on a personal plateau, but a majority of us are also responsible for establishing common ground in a professional manner. 

 

 

That is why it is crucial to create a degree of confidence with your communication skills. Like anything else in life, your communication skills can be honed and you can become proficient with perpetual use and practice. It is also applicable and arguably a requirement for business interactions.

Without communicating in a professional manner, businesses can fail to connect with prospective customers. You not only need to create an environment of trust and dependability, but you also need to assure the potential client that you will have their back throughout your relationship.

Moreover as a public relations and mass communications graduate, I feel as though I fully contemplate the importance of credibility, honesty and transparency, which can be facilitated and help establish relationships with the individuals you interact with.

Listed below are a few recommendations for creating a quality first impression that will hopefully enable sustained interaction in whatever capacity.  

1. Make eye contact and make sure they feel utterly comfortable. This will help convey a degree of confidence. It also helps assure that they feel as though you are fully engaged and respect the elements they are corresponding about. Especially with organizational interactions; because you want them to feel completely confident in your ability to aid them along the way. I would say that your initial reaction towards a person will create a lasting persona, which may be challenging to change once the thought has entered their mind.  

2. Stand up and shake their hand. This documents your willingness to truly connect with them and allows you to establish common ground from the commencement of your dialogue. You can even impress them with the hand shake alone, depending on the firmness of your shake. Practice with your close associates and make sure they would be willing to work with you, based on the demeanor and attitude that your represent. You may not think this can be illustrated with a mere hand shake, but you never know.

3. Ask them if they need anything and assure them that they are the focal point of all your energy. This will allow them to see your utilitarian nature and willingness to help. People want to feel as though your relationship or pending interaction is valuable from your perspective. The goal should be to convey a degree of professional and maturity, regardless of the avenue for connection. It could either be regarding personal matters or even a professional acquaintance; it really doesn’t matter and you should strive to remain affianced nonetheless.

4. Follow-up and make sure to thank them for their time. People love to hear that you fully appreciate their ability to meet and take time out of their busy day. We all more than likely have families and a collective of obligations, which can make it difficult to allocate time towards opposing individuals. This can be especially challenging in the digital world that we live in. Even if it is merely a phone call, it is better than nothing. Personally I would recommend a hand written note or email expressing your gratitude. They won’t necessarily expect it, but maybe you will make their day slightly more optimistic.

Just remember that communication can be a vehicle to success or even impediment. Remain confident and never doubt your ability to connect with people from varying perspectives. At the root of it all, we are all human beings and we require others to fully experience life.

Social Politics in the Modern Age

Web: 21% of online adults used social networking sites in the months prior to the November 2010 elections to connect with a campaign.

An Avenue of Violence

Approximately 43% believe the United States is losing ground on drug violence along the border, compared to 12% who #perceive progress.

* Source: Pew Research Center

The Business of Mobile Printing

With Google Cloud Print, Gmail users will soon be able to print via their iOS and Android devices, which is similar to Apple's AirPrint.

* Source: Mashable