Archive for the 'Business' Category
Using RSS for Business - Part I
To watch the news and stay up to date with what is going on in my professional and personal interest areas, I use Google Reader, where I can pick and choose what I want to track. My range of sites that I follow spans new media, journalism, psychology, fitness, economics, perezhilton.com and obviously a whole load more. This enables you to track a much greater number of sites and sources that is possible through an iGoogle page and is a great tool to use as well as these types of personalised page services.
RSS Readers
I have at present 308 sites and sources subscribed to in my Google Reader that I monitor through RSS feeds. View my shared items page here
What is RSS?
The driving purpose of RSS is to regularly update your own interests by receiving dynamic web feeds directly to your screen. It means that you do not have to bookmark a list (in my case of 308 sites) and visit them independently to get an update on any new content or developments. RSS is short for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary and has revolutionised the way we search for content.
Apparently the adoption of RSS technology is not yet mainstream despite the efficiencies it can deliver for work and home. If you want to learn more about why and how of RSS read this ReadWrite Web post, “An Ode to RSS, on RSS Awareness Day”
This video within the Readwrite Web post from Commoncraft, RSS in plain English, explains it quite well. Watch the video here
In a business setting, this Article below in IR Web Report asked, “What is fundamental on an IR website?”
- Point 1 - Identifying future fundamentals is a big part of our jobs as advisors. We help companies that are planning upgrades for their IR websites identify practices and technologies that are likely to have staying power and which should be incorporated into their sites. RSS feeds, for example, are still an emerging technology on IR websites and haven’t really taken off with investors. But it’s just a matter of time before they become fundamental components of any IR website and no company should upgrade without feed-enabling their sites.
- Point 2 - But just because so few companies implement these practices does not mean they are leading-edge or nice-to-have.
Extra Tools to complement your own RSS Reader
While the Google Reader shows what I am interested in, tools such as Pop url’s (http://popurls.com/) and Readburner (http://readburner.com/) can complement your own Reader and show what is currently being read by the masses, which is a good way to catch up on some really cool things you may have not come across.
So in summary, try RSS - you will be much more up to date and save a whole load of time on searching sites for content updates. RSS brings the content to you, in real-time as it is published.
If your in business and a content creator, provide RSS Feeds on your site, this is a fundamental. This way you can make it easy for your customers, shareholders or any other stakeholders that are interested in staying up to date with company developments and news.
This post is on WHY to use RSS for business. My next post, Using RSS for Business - Part II, will be on technically HOW to create an RSS Feed from your site.
BTW, You can sign up for Google Reader here
No commentsA must read - CIO Top 10 strategic technologies of 2008
If you don’t know what all ten things below are and whether or not they have a place in your business then read the Full article here
- Green IT
- Unified Communications
- Business Process Management
- Metadata Management
- Virtualisation 2.0
- Mash Ups and Composite Applications
- Web Platform & WOA
- Computing Fabrics
- Real world web
- Social software
Corporates watching wirelessly
Microsoft is developing Big-Brother style software capable of remotely monitoring a workers productivity, competence and physical wellbeing, The Times reports.
Read it on stuff.co.nz Here
“The prospect of AT&T, already accused of spying on our telephone calls, now scanning every e-mail and download for outlawed content is way too totalitarian for my tastes.”
Read it in Slate Here
The Dragons Elevator Pitch (Hopefully in custom made shoes)
I think of things all the time that I wish were invented to make my life easier. Gaps in the market or iterations on current things that I think lots of other people must be craving too!
Someone told me once that if you get a hot new idea in a market untapped there is simultaneously someone else somewhere around the globe on the same page. So if the idea is there it then becomes creativity, speed and dedication as your critical success factors. I came up with an especially good one on the way to lunch yesterday…
These two women had an idea and ran with it: “For women who are willing to spend a hefty sum, there is Tupli, started three years ago by two women who were leaving careers in banking.” If the shoe doesn’t fit, doesn’t one that does” - NY Times
Where to from here…? If the seed is planted, probably time to memorise these if your cash reserves aren’t quite there (too many shoes, is that the problem?)….
“How to position yourself and your business opportunity in the mind of a potential investor or facilitator within 30 seconds in a clear and concise fashion.” Elevator Pitch - Guidelines
Then JFDI!
If your lucky get some Press along the way
Ideas of the Future - Business Brains And Bytes
Was Reading the Australian Financial Review Boss Magazine at lunch, with feature on “50 business ideas to navigate the future” picked out a few related to my usual topics of interest, tech dev, psychology and business.
- The little guy - Mass scale doesn’t always mean market clout. “Long tail” effect helps explain shift from mass production to niche.
- Evangelist - Coolest new job is to be an evangelist. Love it.
- Web2.0 and 3.0 - Web3.0 will take it one step further - integrating your online personality (avatar) more closely with the real you.
- Neurons - Bring on the Darwinian Renaissance. These days the interest is all in the evolution of the mind, with the trend to use Evolutionary Psychology as a framework for unlocking the reasons we behave the way we do.
- Transparency - We like our companies to have a bit of a human side to them, just as we do out leaders.
- Digital Eye- Massachussets Institute of tech folk have reverse engineered human eyes and the part of the brain that recognises objects (ventral visual pathway). Applications for a pair of electronic eyes are limitless. The electronic eyes get in right 82% in the lab and human eyes 80%…
- Brain Control, No more mouse (or RSI)- Translates human brain waves into computerspeak- called electroencephalography (EEG). Player wears sensitised scalp cap..
- Happiness - People continue searching for ways to have a fit and toned mind as well as glutes and abs. Think Martin Seligman, Guru of the Positive Psychology movement (A young branch of Psychology)