LinkedIn seems to have gone too far in the wrong direction in trying to copy Facebook and become a social network for business users: a recent change that opted LinkedIn’s 100-million-plus users into a social-advertising campaign feels a lot like some of Facebook’s past privacy-related blunders. Read More »
Facebook Messenger arrived yesterday, bringing a cross-platform group messaging solution that leverages your Facebook network and SMS to reach a wide potential audience. I compared it to other messaging solutions, but let’s take a closer look at Facebook’s offering and what it can do. Read More »
Google+ users can under some circumstances access IM conversations of other Google users. The bug seems to be related to the way Google Talk is integrated within Google+. Google has said that it is addressing the issue, which only affects users of shared machines. Read More »
Now that Facebook has thrown its hat in the ring, there are quite a few choices for mobile messaging on the iPhone and other iOS devices. The three big ones are Facebook Messenger, Google+ and iMessage. Here’s a chart comparing their features and abilities. Read More »
Four out of five people are aware of the terms “personal cloud” or “digital locker” according to a new survey. But consumers want such services to be secure, convenient and they don’t want to pay a lot for them. Surprised? Read More »
As businesses rely more and more on analytics and data to make strategic decisions, they continue to struggle with some thorny issues, such as incorporating data into company culture and allowing employees to access the data they need, according to a recent study. Read More »
Skype just dropped an update for its Mac client. Version 5.3 includes support for HD video, so long as your Mac is equipped with one of the new FaceTime HD cameras introduced in MacBook Pros earlier this year, or a third-party camera that supports HD resolution. Read More »
The traditional office space is in the midst of its most dramatic shift since it was rocked by the creation of the cubicle more than 40 years ago. These new workspaces create fresh challenges for IT departments and technological demands from today’s workforce. Read More »
What lessons has Chuck Robbins, a senior VP running Cisco’s sales team for the Americas, learned from his experience at a company that was not only an early adopter of flexible working, but also builds a number of remote work solutions? Read More »
Having a healthy passion for work and life in balance can be a big productivity booster. But too often, that passion for work can veer too far into workaholic tendencies, especially for web workers. Here are a few tips to make sure your passion is productive. Read More »
Last week, Inmagic introduced IdeaNet, an innovation management platform. I spoke with Phillip Green, Inmagic’s CTO, about how the company approaches B2B collaboration and how its clients integrate innovation into customer interactions. I came away from the conversation with a new appreciation for keeping things simple. Read More »
What’s wrong with email today? That’s the question posed to me recently on Twitter, and considering that I use email as a primary method of communication, I was happy to think of a few ways to help tame the inbox. Read More »
More Must Reads
Obviously, the answer to the question posed in the headline is, ideally, no — we’d all like to keep our salary steady when we commence virtual work. But if you had to take a pay cut to get it, how much would it be worth to … Read More »
You’ve narrowed down the applicant pool for a role you’re hiring to two equally qualified candidates. One is a shy, diligent type with an impressively deep grasp of the relevant skills. The other is more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants type, extroverted and energetic. Whom do you hire? Read More »
Like a traditional first day on the job, your first few times at a coworking space can be stressful and full of questions. Who are these people? How am I supposed to act? How can you settle into a coworking space as easily as possible? Read More »
The iPad is leading the tablet charge in small and medium-sized businesses (SMB), resulting in a growth spurt that puts the Apple device out in front of nearly all other comers. I say nearly, because there’s still one device that sees even more activations: the iPhone. Read More »
quanp, an online file storage service from Japanese electronics giant Ricoh that we’ve covered previously, is being shut down in the U.S. In an email sent to customers, the company notes that the service, which was in beta, will be discontinued on September 30th. Read More »
Think coworking spaces, and most of us will populate our mental picture with freelance designers and developers. But with the idea of remote work gaining traction as a legitimate business strategy for those who favor suits over piercings, is this picture of coworking space regulars accurate? Read More »
What’s the fastest way to get collaborators to invest themselves, or their time, in a new project? Whether they’re colleagues within your organization, outsourced or remote talent, customers and clients, or subject experts you’re connecting with, the answer is the same: ownership. Read More »
Late Monday night, Skype for iPad finally went live in the U.S. App Store, but only temporarily. We managed to grab the app before it disappeared (you can still find it in some international stores), and here’s what you can expect now that it has returned. Read More »
ting, a web conferencing solution that we’ve written about previously, has unveiled the ability to create high-definition video conferences. The new service, dubbed HDFaces, allows users to create video conferences with up to six attendees at no additional cost. Read More »
There’s plenty wrong with the traditional office full of cubes, including terrible lighting, collaboration-killing isolation, an abundance of soul-crushing beige . But is the solution to slap some paint on the walls, cart in a couple of plants and reconfigure layouts to be more social? Read More »
GoFileDrop is an app that adds a public mailbox to your Google Docs account, enabling anyone with the appropriate link to upload files to your account. It was previously only available to Google Apps customers, but it can now be installed by regular Gmail users. Read More »
Writing on the website of The Atlantic recently, Alexis Madrigal compared telecommuting to the jetpack, describing it as a “a long-promised, much-anticipated technological system that’s never arrived.” He notes that uptake of the practice has stalled. So what’s Madrigal’s explanation for this plateauing? Read More »
Joe Solomon, founder of incentive travel company Iconic Adventures, is a dedicated outdoor enthusiast who realized that working the nine-to-five grind wasn’t for him, and set out to use remote collaboration tools to design a business that supported his lifestyle. How did he manage it? Read More »
An interesting example of the practice of open innovation is the SAP Co-Innovation Lab, as SAP and its partners have found a way to integrate hardware and software innovation in a way that is open, but also protective of intellectual property. Read More »
I think that many of us need to think differently about our work if we want to be productive over the long term. Here are a few things to think about if you want to be able to get more done by enjoying what you do. Read More »
The latest IBM CEO study reports, “More than 62% of development projects fail to meet the intended schedule and 30% of project costs are due to rework and poor execution of requirements.” IBM Jazz is working to address these problems through greater support of developer collaboration. … Read More »
Stephen Ruth, a professor of public policy at George Mason University, has argued that telecommuting cannot keep expanding without creating significant issues. We called him up and asked him why he is less optimistic than some about the expansion of telecommuting. Read More »
If you’re working remotely, finding ways to improve and streamline communications with your clients and team might seem like a never-ending chore, but with the right mix of tools, it’s possible to keep projects moving forward. Here are ten tools that will help improve your communication. Read More »
Cohuman, a web-based collaboration and project management app that we’ve written about previously, has been acquired and will be shutting down on August 31. Current Cohuman users should check out the company’s blog post, which contains instructions for exporting data from the service. Read More »
There’s a shift happening in the workplace. A significant and growing proportion of the workforce is now made up of “Millennials” But how can businesses support Millenials at work; how do they expect to communicate, collaborate and get things done? Read More »
With the arrival of summer weather, it’s natural for workers’ minds to turn to enjoying the sunshine and to drift a bit from spreadsheets, sales targets and the like. So what’s the cure for this summer slacking? The Chicago Tribune says an increase in web work. Read More »
By David Card
Jul. 27, 2011, 7:01am PT
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IT managers now face a new challenge in the enterprise: the significant presence of a new generation, the Millennials, in today’s digital workplace. These young employees were born in the 1980s or later; they were raised with ever-present mobile phones and ubiquitous online access and social …
Many have discussed email etiquette, but for the average web worker, the notion of politesse can seem counterproductive. Here, then, are five golden rules for respectful, productive digital communication, whether you’re using email, IM, video chat, phone, or other communications tools. Read More »
When it comes to attracting companies to lovely but not exactly low-cost Santa Cruz, the city just south of Silicon Valley has a problem: no airport. So what did the city’s creative mayor, Ryan Coonerty, decide to do? Start a coworking space. Read More »
Socialcast, a social business start-up that was recently acquired by VMWare, has announced an update to its product that will support what the company calls the “extended enterprise:” the external contractors, partners, suppliers, clients and customers that all businesses rely on to get their work done. Read More »
LogMeIn Ignition, which we’ve written about previously, gives users the ability to access their office or home computer from their smartphone or tablet. Now, the product has added features that allow IT managers to set security policies governing how employees’ iOS devices can access corporate assets. Read More »
As mobile devices become more prevalent at work, the need for security continues to rise. WatchDox provides document control, tracking and security features through a web app, apps for iPad and iPhone (we covered it late last year) and now for BlackBerry. Read More »
Popular cloud-based notes service Simplenote has many useful third-party add-ons. One such add-on is Syncpad Webnotes, a Chrome extension that enables you to attach virtual “sticky notes” to any web page that can be synchronized across different browsers through your Simplenote account. Read More »
When you work online, it’s easy to feel relaxed about legal issues, but there are many laws that can potentially impact you. Benjamin Wright is an attorney specializing in the issues surrounding working online. He points to six questions that web-based workers must keep in mind: Read More »
Simple drag-and-drop file sharing service Minus, which I wrote about a couple of months ago, has acquired the Minus.com domain name. Minus.com will be used as the service’s primary domain going forward, rather than min.us, which was used previously and was thought to be confusing. Read More »
RedCritter Tracker is a thoughtfully gamified project management tool for software development teams that’s set to launch later this month. Founder and CEO Mike Beatty walked me through the app’s key capabilities, including project management support, visibility into employee skill sets, customizable rewards, and badges. Read More »
As a manager or small business owner, you’ve seen the light and decided to expand your team by adding remote workers. Now all you need is a remote work policy that lays out everything your employees need to know. But why is this necessary? Read More »
Fresh off its $50 million in funding, note-taking and memory service Evernote is preparing for its first-ever developer conference next month, where it will outline its broader strategy and how it plans on becoming a 100-year company by building a productivity platform. Read More »
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