GOOGLE FORMS!

Google forms is quite a discovery! I was not aware of the existence of Google forms and was quite surprised. I could, I suppose go into an extensive discussion of what is possible with such a tool, but honestly the possibilities are endless. I can think of a few nice things that maybe could be useful. How about a party invitation? You display what the other invited guests are bringing and rule out everyone showing up with desert! 

You could take a vote on where to have the family reunion. Coordinating any sort of meeting or event could be simplified with any Google form. 

If you are in a band, you could send out a survey to all the fans on your mailing list and ask them what they thought of you last performance. You could take requests (and give a discount for responding) and give a shout out at the next show. 

Getting opinion on anything is easy with a form. Reaching consensus that avoids the tendency of distracting arguments could be really helpful, especially with my family! I can’t imagine my mom using “forms” but she could have decided on the dinner menu with no resistance from her kids! 

You can keep track of your budget and passwords and many other things and have access from any computer! So many things you can do!

LINKEDIN connections

Linked in!

I have connected on Linkedin and it seems like a good think for professionals. It seems more formal than the Facebook or Google sites and thus maybe more geared to that audience. Maybe it will help me find work someday, but time will tell. I have connections with friends in rather high places, but I don't know if I can call on them to get me connected. Just not sure if I want to mix business with old friends. My other concerns are that, all of my personal data is up there on the web and this is just more of the same, but with information that is NOT, most definitely not intended for a broad audience. I don't want people knowing my work history any more than I want them seeing me get the morning newspaper off my front lawn in my bathrobe! I mean, it concerns me that at some point that there will be a breach and of course there will be and then my whole life will be public knowledge! Just think about that for a moment...that job that you had and lost, for what ever reason is now public. I don't mean to say that I'm a spy and that the security of the nation is at risk, but maybe we don't quite know the consequences of the whole thing just yet! I know, I know...we're all in this together and it will affect us all equally at some point, but I just don't want it to be ME first!

The mobile Executive.

The  effective use of mobile devices in business can possibly be best measured from the top down. For the average person, the need is mostly a convenience and not mission critical, but in the intensely busy and hurried existence of business executives, the need to communicate is magnified by the responsibility level.

Old Office Technology

 

Executives use both smart phones and Laptops, but they use laptops more, but only by a small percentage (%5) difference. Twenty-five percent of all executives use both devices. A large percentage of executives use more than 2 devices. The average is 3.46, while CEOs use 4.21 devices, while CFOs use about the same (4.22) devices each. That sounds like a too many!

  

Privacy!

Twelve percent of executives use their smart phone most often, but most consider the PC as the most important device at their disposal as it has features not available on a mobile device (Excel and Office programs). Younger execs see the smart phone as their most important communication tool, while older execs not so much.

 

 

Not so smart phone!

 

The younger the Exec the more likely they are to use the device to communicate via text or email rather than voice.  Almost half of these senior execs had a preference for making business purchases on the internet (mobile or otherwise) as opposed to the phone. The younger execs tend to be less concerned about the type of device used as the older(over 40) execs, who still prefer a laptop (PC) device, but the younger groups preference is clearly for mobile technologies and apps.

 

 

Complete "mobile" office!

Mobile Executive!

 

Their preferences lean towards the convenience of mobile access to boost productivity. In fact, almost 50% of all executives believe that within the next 3 years, their primary tool for business related tasks will be a mobile device such as a smart phone or tablet. As these devices become more powerful, with enhanced features, the popularity will likely also increase. Mostly these execs feel the need to be connected on a constant basis. The total amounts of communications they receive are astronomical and they need to be accountable 24 hours a day. The mobile device is the only thing that reasonably accommodates this need.

 

Forbes: The Untethered Executive
http://images.forbes.com/forbesinsights/StudyPDFs/The_Untethered_Executive.pdf

Symbaloo...

 

I have just begun to sort out my web links!

TWITTER me now!

I have my own Twitter account! I wonder why it took so long? I am sure the advantages will be clear once I get used to this platform. It is something that some have used to express their opinions on the important subjects matter to us. From politics to personal issues, you can speak your mind on Twitter, but do you dare? It takes courage to say what you feel and what you think. I suppose that the best policy is to be honest and admit that I’m not sure about speaking too much on any subject, but I suppose I could talk most extensively on subjects that I am familiar with. Some of my reservations are the backlash that one can experience on such social media sites. I have been on Facebook several times and I have managed to anger most of my family in some way or another. It is not the same as sitting across the table from someone and the message can be misunderstood quite easily. We can learn just how important, genuine human personal contact can be by having a bad experience on FB or Twitter. I have seen the headlines and seen the reactions of celebrity Tweets gone bad! No one is perfect, but the medium can be quite unforgiving and traumatic in the end. I can honestly say, yes I do have reservations, but I will not fear the cost of the truth when it comes down to it! With that being said, it is quite an interesting concept that the whole world can hear what you say from behind the cover of the internet. So I wonder if I have anything to say and anything really important to say. Well maybe, but if I think about that, it seems way to intimidating, so I will just take a chance and not take it all too seriously!

@EddieOnTheMoon

Google vs. Bing and Yahoo and...

 

There are different kinds of search tools available to us or the internet, including directories such as Yahoo!

 These are arranged in a particular hierarchical form of categories. Navigating through directories requires “drilling down” to a website of the internet. Search engines use web crawlers or spider bots to process a search. Each search engine has a unique algorithm that is key to the results presented. The information collected varies from site to site but may include the page title and URL. Searches like Google use what is called a “Natural Language Search” and there is no question as to why this is so popular. It more closely resembles the language we use. It uses Boolean techniques to allow for an infinite combination of variables to define the search criteria. The “and” operation can narrow the returns with only the inclusion of “A and B” results. While the “or” operation would allow a wider range for “A and B” and the “not” will limit the results to just “A” and not “B”.

            With a basic knowledge of set theory, one can comprehend the scope of these variables in a search operation. The full explanation can be found at the link below.

http://library.duke.edu/services/instruction/libraryguide/advsearch.html

 

            The competition between the search engine giants is fierce! It’s not surprising, considering the value of the player’s stock and reputation. Google stock is hovering near $1000 and the story about Bing copying Google was all over the news a few years ago.
 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/18/us-google-results-idUSBRE99G17Z20131018

 

 

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/web/02/02/google.bing.sting/

 

Bing is running behind the Google giant and that’s not so easy for a dominant force such as the Microsoft corporation, the wheels behind the Bing search engine.

Internet Search…an insight

 

Searching the internet is something that everyone does. Everyone who uses the internet anyway! Most of us have never pondered the finer points of this necessary process and indeed there are finer points. Has anyone ever asked you if you know how to formulate a “search query”? Sounds like a requirement for a coastguard captain’s job! This is simply a more defined search that contains certain “keywords,” that can narrow the results. It’s like asking for a specific flavor of ice cream as opposed to just “ice cream.” If you need parts for your car for example: you would not enter “car” into a search text box, you would enter “Chevy Impala” so as to get parts specific to your particular model. The search results list would give you some result that should contain a “hit”, or positive results.

If you need a fender that is a certain color and year then you might try a targeted search. That will give you more specific results based on keyword combinations. To evaluate the credibility of your search results you must judge the objectivity. The easiest route to this end is to discover the “primary source”, which is the origin or the information. The scope and quality of the information can be found in the details and the currency is an indication of relevance. The overall design and functionality of a website can indicate the quality of work offered and can be a clue as to the validity of the information found within.