Did you ever want to access your files and applications from your home PC while you were out? Well now you can with a great software called TeamViewer. This software is the All-In-One for Remote Support and Online Meetings. You can have remote access to your home PC from anywhere. There is a smartphone application which allows you to control your computer from your phone and access any files or application. Also if any friends have any computer problems you can easily help them by accessing their computer through TeamViewer with their permission.
This is a very powerful application in terms of business meetings and online presentations. Companies can take advantage of this and host online presentations to display products and services that they are offering. Designated people can be invited to join these meetings to discuss business plans and also collaborate on different projects.
In terms of a marketing there is a lot of potential for businesses to setup a meeting through TeamViewer to explain their service or products that they offer remotely. Instead of taking time to travel to a meeting people can now log on to this application and join a meeting/interview and have networking opportunities. Businesses can also cut costs by conducting training online.
TeamViewer can make your life easier by allowing 24/7 access to remote computers and servers and also being able to access your office computer from home or vice versa. Being able to access your information at any location is very important in this fast paced world this application will save time and headache.
Download here: http://www.teamviewer.com/en/download/windows.aspx
Available for Windows/Mac
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Google Glass: Good, bad, or ugly?
Hi All.
Today I found an article about VSP (a vision insurance provider) partnering with Google Glass to provide prescription Google Glasses for folks. (http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/insurance-companies-could-help-push-google-glass-mainstream-2D12006535) Google Glass has also been in the news recently when a woman was ticketing for driving while wearing a pair, but a judge determined there was no way to prove she was operating the device at the time. (http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/17/us-usa-googleglass-trial-dismissal-idUSBREA0F1XR20140117)
I think this new technology has interesting implications for the future of Web 2.0 technology by surpassing the availability of folks even via their smartphones into something that is within their vision range at all times. Since I am not a developer by a long shot, I didn’t even try to get approved for the pilot program, but I can see how many folks might find this convenient and/or “fun”.
Especially if an app is GPS enabled, a business could trigger an ad when you are nearby that you would instantly see. Today in a major communications meeting, we discussed that perhaps claims adjusters could wear these glasses while inspecting a damaged home or auto and feed the data from their vision into back end analytic engines and other apps that would then spit out the quote for repairs – greatly minimizing time spent on an individual claim while also improving accuracy.
On the other hand, especially with all the “big brother / big data” privacy concerns in the news lately, the thought of being *that* wired in and connected gets a little creepy. (Not that I am ever doing anything felonious or threatening national security, mind you!) I am also concerned about users of the device not attending to other tasks at hand – especially driving. Studies have show that drinking coffee, eating, or even changing a radio station contribute to distracted driving – and our society has still not overcome handling texting, phone calls, and other dangerous distracted driving that occurs with devices that aren’t attached to your head and in your line of vision! In some ways, technology advances remind me of issues in Biomedical Ethics – humanity and laws can’t keep up with technology advances leaving loop holes and conundrums abound.
What do you folks think? Do you think you would ever be interesting in wearing a Google Glass device? Do you imagine a way that these devices could be leveraged by your business?
-Wendy
Especially if an app is GPS enabled, a business could trigger an ad when you are nearby that you would instantly see. Today in a major communications meeting, we discussed that perhaps claims adjusters could wear these glasses while inspecting a damaged home or auto and feed the data from their vision into back end analytic engines and other apps that would then spit out the quote for repairs – greatly minimizing time spent on an individual claim while also improving accuracy.
On the other hand, especially with all the “big brother / big data” privacy concerns in the news lately, the thought of being *that* wired in and connected gets a little creepy. (Not that I am ever doing anything felonious or threatening national security, mind you!) I am also concerned about users of the device not attending to other tasks at hand – especially driving. Studies have show that drinking coffee, eating, or even changing a radio station contribute to distracted driving – and our society has still not overcome handling texting, phone calls, and other dangerous distracted driving that occurs with devices that aren’t attached to your head and in your line of vision! In some ways, technology advances remind me of issues in Biomedical Ethics – humanity and laws can’t keep up with technology advances leaving loop holes and conundrums abound.
What do you folks think? Do you think you would ever be interesting in wearing a Google Glass device? Do you imagine a way that these devices could be leveraged by your business?
-Wendy
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Bing & Jay-Z Case Study
Microsoft search engine, Bing, was looking to introduce consumers to its map services and gain a younger audience. They were aware that Jay-Z's autobiography, Decode, was coming out soon. The two joined forces and created one of the most creative campaigns to date.
Marketers started out by posting every single page of Decode out in the world. They were on billboards, bus stations, even at the bottom of pools. They did this every day for the entire month prior to the release of the book. What made the campaign even more innovative was the places the pages were placed. Each chosen location was inspired by the words on the page. In a sense, fans could walk through Jay-Z's life, right where it happened.
As the pages were unveiled, Bing tied every piece of the campaign together. Through an online game, fans were able to read every page on the streets. Bing also released clues to the page locations daily through social media. Fans were able to get involved too, and post from their social media sites. They joined together to "decode" the clues to determine the locations. Bing was able to showcase their maps when this part of the campaign took place.
By the end of the month, when all pages had been posted and fans had pieced them together online, the book was on Bing before it even hit shelves.
What made the campaign so successful was that it gave millions of consumers a reason to use Bing. In just one month, Bing was able to join the list of the top 10 most visited sites for the first time.
This campaign was truly innovative. This is the kind of social media integration that should excite those of us who are looking to make a career in gaining business through social media and marketing.
If you would like to watch the campaign video, here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNic4wf8AYg
Enjoy!
Marketers started out by posting every single page of Decode out in the world. They were on billboards, bus stations, even at the bottom of pools. They did this every day for the entire month prior to the release of the book. What made the campaign even more innovative was the places the pages were placed. Each chosen location was inspired by the words on the page. In a sense, fans could walk through Jay-Z's life, right where it happened.
As the pages were unveiled, Bing tied every piece of the campaign together. Through an online game, fans were able to read every page on the streets. Bing also released clues to the page locations daily through social media. Fans were able to get involved too, and post from their social media sites. They joined together to "decode" the clues to determine the locations. Bing was able to showcase their maps when this part of the campaign took place.
By the end of the month, when all pages had been posted and fans had pieced them together online, the book was on Bing before it even hit shelves.
What made the campaign so successful was that it gave millions of consumers a reason to use Bing. In just one month, Bing was able to join the list of the top 10 most visited sites for the first time.
This campaign was truly innovative. This is the kind of social media integration that should excite those of us who are looking to make a career in gaining business through social media and marketing.
If you would like to watch the campaign video, here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNic4wf8AYg
Enjoy!
Sunday, January 26, 2014
EveryBlock
EveryBlock Chicago is hyperlocal website that had closed
down 2 years ago and has just relaunched on January 23, 2014. The have a blog,
as well as, Facebook and Twitter presence.
The term hyperlocal is online news or content services pertaining to a to a very small, geographically
defined community.
Their goal is to
provide a platform for specific neighborhoods and the people who live there to
share news specific to their neighborhood and to communicate with each other.
It can also be used to promote events in your neighborhood. They also provide
almost real-time information from local government such as crime reports, fire
reports, restaurant inspections, road work, sanitation, any news, basically
anything that the city government is doing to or for that particular
neighborhood.
Users can create
an account and follow their neighborhood and can also follow as many other
neighborhoods that they have interest in. Users can contribute by listing an
event or just giving a heads-up on something they think their neighbors should
know about.
EveryBlock is a combination of
many different types of local information — from public records to neighbor discussions, to photos people have taken in your
neighborhood. It also you send out messages every time your neighborhood is
mentioned in the media, whether its from the news or blogs. It also utilizes
Flickr, Yelp and Craigslist to alert to things that are relevant to that
neighborhood.
I can see this
for promoting very targeted audiences if you have a company that has an event
in a particular neighborhood. It is about relevance to where people are and its
new information which adds to the relevance.
Everyblock can be
found at: http://www.everyblock.com/
Thursday, January 23, 2014
SkyDrive
Our high-tech world is constantly reminding us that anything is possible. Gone are the days when you had to carry around flash drives containing important documents that you needed to work on later -- at home after work or perhaps to use for a presentation. We all know what it's like to be working on something at home only to discover that you forgot to copy a needed document to the flash drive or you forgot to e-mail it to yourself before leaving work and its due first thing in the morning.
SkyDrive, is a web-based file storage space product and Microsoft's answer to those dilemmas. With SkyDrive, you can save, share and later retrieve your Windows Office documents and pictures as long as you have an internet connection. Your files are stored in the 'clouds' and can be retrieved when you need them -- no matter where you are and no matter which of your devices you want to use.
You need a Microsoft account to use SkyDrive. I got mine when I purchased a new laptop about 6 months ago. You set up your SkyDrive account through your Microsoft account. Then, you can save directly from your PC to SkyDrive. You can install the SkyDrive app on your devices and also log in using your Microsoft account information.
SkyDrive saves a lot of time and money at work and improves efficiency because you only need to save documents once and you can access from any of your devices anywhere. It also eliminates the need to purchase more hard drive space. Since you can access files using your cell phone, it eliminates carrying bulky/heavy laptops and tablets. A wonderful product!
SkyDrive, is a web-based file storage space product and Microsoft's answer to those dilemmas. With SkyDrive, you can save, share and later retrieve your Windows Office documents and pictures as long as you have an internet connection. Your files are stored in the 'clouds' and can be retrieved when you need them -- no matter where you are and no matter which of your devices you want to use.
You need a Microsoft account to use SkyDrive. I got mine when I purchased a new laptop about 6 months ago. You set up your SkyDrive account through your Microsoft account. Then, you can save directly from your PC to SkyDrive. You can install the SkyDrive app on your devices and also log in using your Microsoft account information.
SkyDrive saves a lot of time and money at work and improves efficiency because you only need to save documents once and you can access from any of your devices anywhere. It also eliminates the need to purchase more hard drive space. Since you can access files using your cell phone, it eliminates carrying bulky/heavy laptops and tablets. A wonderful product!
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
GrubHub
GrubHub is not a new technology; it started in 2004, although I
was unaware of its existence until just a few years ago. For those of you who
do not know, GrubHub.com is a website that allows you to search for restaurants
that pick up and deliver in your area. You can search by type of food, Italian,
Indian, Mexican, or by food item. You also have the option to eliminate
restaurants based on if they are open now offer deliver, or pick up. You can
sort the restaurants by the distance, cost, or best reviewed.
Each restaurant has it’s menu listed online, which personally
has greatly improved the condition of my kitchen junk drawer. No need to keep
paper menus because everything is listed online. You can even place your order
online with most of the restaurants, although some do require phone orders. My
favorite part is that not only do the restaurants have grubhub users reviews, but
they also list the restaurant’s Yelp reviews and ratings.
GrubHub is completely free for the consumer and offers two
options of how to order food, besides phone orders of course. You can create an
account or you can order as a guest. However creating an account not only
allows you to view all of your previous orders but it also offers one click
repeat ordering, the ability to save your credit card, and allows you to save
different addresses under different names. Plus, every three or four times you
place an order there is a game called “Yummy Rummy” in which you are allowed to
choose one of four cards to win a prize. I have gotten a free drink (in which I
scored a free 6-pack of coke), free desert, and $10 off.) Grubhub also has an
app for iPhone and Android. And after you order you are prompted with a “share
with facebook” option.
Jawbone Up
It's a new year and with that comes new year's resolutions. One of the top new year's resolutions is to focus more on health, whether that means to lose weight, eat better, get more exercise, go to yoga, or get more sleep, most of you set a goal for the new year that you hope to reach. But, how do you know what you are doing is really work? How do you hold yourself accountable?
Last year, I purchased a Jawbone Up, which is a band you wear around your wrist that is used to track your steps. The Jawbone up links to an app or website that you can use to track your success. By wearing the band daily, you can see how many steps you walk per day. For me, this helped to push me to get up every hour and take a brief walk around the office and get moving a bit.
What's great about the Jawbone Up is that it does more than just track your steps. By utilizing the app on my smartphone, I can put in all my meals/snacks for the day and use this to track what I eat and how many calories or grams of fat I am eating each day. Let's be honest, I could run 3 miles a day, but if I come home and eat pizza and ice cream each day, I'm not sure that's the track I want to be on for 2014. In addition to tracking what you put in your body, the Jawbone up will also track your sleep cycle. I personally function much better on 8 hours of sleep than 6 and by using my Jawbone Up I was able to track how long it takes me to fall asleep (record time was 4 minutes) and when and how long I'm in a deep sleep for. I don't know what it is, but there's something about waking up to see you had a solid nights sleep that gets me excited and ready to go for the day.
Not only does the Jawbone just track everything you do, but you can also set goals for yourself and you can join with others to track each other's goals and motivate each other. My husband and two of my aunts each starting wearing the Jawbone Up around the same time and we would send messages to each other to "Get Moving!" if we weren't showing enough progress. I had a goal of 10k steps each day and I didn't realize how hard it was for me to get there each day, unless I ran my 3 miles.
What's great about the Jawbone Up is that it's simple to use and at the end of the day you know how successful you were with the goals you have set for yourself. The Jawbone Up helps you be accountable for each day and it makes eating healthy and working out fun when you are tracking your progress and setting goals.
Last year, I purchased a Jawbone Up, which is a band you wear around your wrist that is used to track your steps. The Jawbone up links to an app or website that you can use to track your success. By wearing the band daily, you can see how many steps you walk per day. For me, this helped to push me to get up every hour and take a brief walk around the office and get moving a bit.
What's great about the Jawbone Up is that it does more than just track your steps. By utilizing the app on my smartphone, I can put in all my meals/snacks for the day and use this to track what I eat and how many calories or grams of fat I am eating each day. Let's be honest, I could run 3 miles a day, but if I come home and eat pizza and ice cream each day, I'm not sure that's the track I want to be on for 2014. In addition to tracking what you put in your body, the Jawbone up will also track your sleep cycle. I personally function much better on 8 hours of sleep than 6 and by using my Jawbone Up I was able to track how long it takes me to fall asleep (record time was 4 minutes) and when and how long I'm in a deep sleep for. I don't know what it is, but there's something about waking up to see you had a solid nights sleep that gets me excited and ready to go for the day.
Not only does the Jawbone just track everything you do, but you can also set goals for yourself and you can join with others to track each other's goals and motivate each other. My husband and two of my aunts each starting wearing the Jawbone Up around the same time and we would send messages to each other to "Get Moving!" if we weren't showing enough progress. I had a goal of 10k steps each day and I didn't realize how hard it was for me to get there each day, unless I ran my 3 miles.
What's great about the Jawbone Up is that it's simple to use and at the end of the day you know how successful you were with the goals you have set for yourself. The Jawbone Up helps you be accountable for each day and it makes eating healthy and working out fun when you are tracking your progress and setting goals.
Website " Find the Best" makes a one stop shop for locating hotels, cars, etc.
This website ' Find the Best" is new to me and I found it while researching 2.0 web technologies. This website allows you find the best of the best in so many categories from cars to hospitals to banks and many more.
I used this website to make comparison of the some best hospitals that are out there. This reminded me a little bit of Angie's list in a way with a little different approach. I felt for a non technical user it was easy to understand and choose a category and Find the Best for your preference. It was interesting to learn about the non profit hospitals as well.
It was great that while doing research for the best car, the website is aiming for the user to think like an expert and locate the best vehicle for you. You start by selecting the type of car rather than just the Make of the car, this allowed for me to see all the car Makes that fell under my type of car , for example, an SUV. I was able to learn all of the details of the cars from price to gas mileage, and many more. Great site for a one stop shop and lots of really good results.
Cari
I used this website to make comparison of the some best hospitals that are out there. This reminded me a little bit of Angie's list in a way with a little different approach. I felt for a non technical user it was easy to understand and choose a category and Find the Best for your preference. It was interesting to learn about the non profit hospitals as well.
It was great that while doing research for the best car, the website is aiming for the user to think like an expert and locate the best vehicle for you. You start by selecting the type of car rather than just the Make of the car, this allowed for me to see all the car Makes that fell under my type of car , for example, an SUV. I was able to learn all of the details of the cars from price to gas mileage, and many more. Great site for a one stop shop and lots of really good results.
Cari
Friday, January 17, 2014
Exciting new technology may make the QR code obsolete
At the consumer electronics show this year (CES is held every January in LasVegas), a new mobile app called "Clickable Paper" was introduced to the American public. This technology has been available in Japan for a couple years and now it's making its debut in the United States. In reading more about how it works, I'm boggling at the magic of it all. As companies get on board with the technology, this app (free on the consumer side) is poised to make the QR code obsolete.
For those who don't know, QR stands for "Quick Response". The code is a white square full of little black squares arranged in a seemingly random pattern. The pattern of those squares is read by an app on your smartphone and is typically used to direct you to a webpage. I have set up QR codes for my small business and have different ones based on the type of interaction I'm seeking from my potential customers. It might be a link to my Facebook page or my web store or an info page on my products.
One exciting thing about the Clickable Paper application is that you aren't limited to a single link. I don't have to give my potential customers the option of going to my Facebook page, or my webstore or my info page. I can give them ALL of those options at the same time with a single snapshot. What I find more exciting is it can be used with ANY printed material, no matter WHEN it was printed. If you have old brochures in circulation and you still have one on hand, you can scan it in and make it clickable. Another related upside is you don't have to make space on your new printed materials for an unsightly code box or create a new QR code every time you have a new page you want to feature. The user can share the information on Facebook or Twitter from within the app - another feature not available with a static QR code.
This new imaging technology is offered by Ricoh, presumably with a cost to the companies who participate since Ricoh embeds the hotspots and hosts the images. If the cost for the service is reasonable (thereby enabling small businesses to compete along side the big boys) we could see widespread use of this technology over the next few years, ultimately replacing the ubiquitous and somewhat limited QR code.
~Louise
For those who don't know, QR stands for "Quick Response". The code is a white square full of little black squares arranged in a seemingly random pattern. The pattern of those squares is read by an app on your smartphone and is typically used to direct you to a webpage. I have set up QR codes for my small business and have different ones based on the type of interaction I'm seeking from my potential customers. It might be a link to my Facebook page or my web store or an info page on my products.
One exciting thing about the Clickable Paper application is that you aren't limited to a single link. I don't have to give my potential customers the option of going to my Facebook page, or my webstore or my info page. I can give them ALL of those options at the same time with a single snapshot. What I find more exciting is it can be used with ANY printed material, no matter WHEN it was printed. If you have old brochures in circulation and you still have one on hand, you can scan it in and make it clickable. Another related upside is you don't have to make space on your new printed materials for an unsightly code box or create a new QR code every time you have a new page you want to feature. The user can share the information on Facebook or Twitter from within the app - another feature not available with a static QR code.
This new imaging technology is offered by Ricoh, presumably with a cost to the companies who participate since Ricoh embeds the hotspots and hosts the images. If the cost for the service is reasonable (thereby enabling small businesses to compete along side the big boys) we could see widespread use of this technology over the next few years, ultimately replacing the ubiquitous and somewhat limited QR code.
~Louise
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Wendy's Week 2 Post
I am choosing to write about the announcement by Google last week that they will be allowing anyone to email a Google+ members or gmail account holder, even if they don’t know the email address. I think this is already an established Web 2.0 technology and that Google is trying to introduce an innovative technique. (Here is a link to the NY Times blog posting on the subject: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/09/gmail-plans-to-allow-google-plus-users-to-send-anyone-an-email/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0.) Google has stated that this feature allows you to email someone you know, without first having to ask them what their email address is. It seems the general populace and media, however, has had a knee jerk reaction of “spam alert”!
I personally believe that Google is grasping at straws to build up it’s social network. A quick survey around the office this morning showed that while many of us have Google+ accounts, we don’t use them. We all said that we really only have time and inclination for just one site (the consensus was Facebook). I think that for a business to have access to all those valid email addresses without having to purchase them from a list could be a large boom for them – but it could also be a double edged sword if they choose to send messages that are just more ads as well as messages that smell “spammy”. They could send out emails to join conversations existing on Google+ or other social media sites. They could also email out mass marketing notices. However, since the future of the Internet has always been difficult if not impossible to see, it is entirely feasible that this feature could generate an idea for use that would spur great interactive communication between a business and it’s consumers. I think a business would be wise to offer freebies and coupons along with an “opt-out” if they were going to attempt to leverage this new feature, rather than run the risk of everyone and his cousin quickly disabling the feature. The NY Times blog post I read also mentioned that Google has had issues similar to this in the past (Buzz was mentioned) and was fined by the FCC.
That all said, I (along with many others) have concerns regarding privacy. I don’t like the idea of anyone and everyone being able to have access to my email address. I get enough spam as it is. If it’s someone that actually does know me, they can already find me on Facebook or LinkedIn, frankly. Google has addressed this by saying that gmail account holders can turn the feature off in their settings – although I have yet to see when that feature will appear in order for me to do so. I also wonder how many users won’t be aware of the change, or will not understand or be able to change their settings so that strangers cannot email them. -
Wendy
I personally believe that Google is grasping at straws to build up it’s social network. A quick survey around the office this morning showed that while many of us have Google+ accounts, we don’t use them. We all said that we really only have time and inclination for just one site (the consensus was Facebook). I think that for a business to have access to all those valid email addresses without having to purchase them from a list could be a large boom for them – but it could also be a double edged sword if they choose to send messages that are just more ads as well as messages that smell “spammy”. They could send out emails to join conversations existing on Google+ or other social media sites. They could also email out mass marketing notices. However, since the future of the Internet has always been difficult if not impossible to see, it is entirely feasible that this feature could generate an idea for use that would spur great interactive communication between a business and it’s consumers. I think a business would be wise to offer freebies and coupons along with an “opt-out” if they were going to attempt to leverage this new feature, rather than run the risk of everyone and his cousin quickly disabling the feature. The NY Times blog post I read also mentioned that Google has had issues similar to this in the past (Buzz was mentioned) and was fined by the FCC.
That all said, I (along with many others) have concerns regarding privacy. I don’t like the idea of anyone and everyone being able to have access to my email address. I get enough spam as it is. If it’s someone that actually does know me, they can already find me on Facebook or LinkedIn, frankly. Google has addressed this by saying that gmail account holders can turn the feature off in their settings – although I have yet to see when that feature will appear in order for me to do so. I also wonder how many users won’t be aware of the change, or will not understand or be able to change their settings so that strangers cannot email them. -
Wendy
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
The Assignment...
The Assignment
Your post should introduce the class to a new technology as well as its potential business application OR summarize and reflect upon an innovative technique using an already established Web 2.0 technology (like the Wheat Thins campaign.)
Be sure to read your classmates blog posts and comment as well!
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