Do you remember the PalmPilot?  It was one of the first handheld devices I bought for myself.  I remember looking at them several times in the store before I ever made my acquisition.  It was the same store where I purchased all my Franklin gear.  The search firm where I worked used the Palm calendaring system and while I had it on my office PC, I hadn’t quite converted it to home or hand.

My boss convinced me that I should purchase one and when I finally did, I LOVED it.  At $399, It set me back a bit but I was able to take my appointments with me when I left the office at night and I felt far more organized and hip with my stylus and touch pad device.  I had come from a very non-technical background and constantly felt like I was playing catch-up with computers and the internet.  But over the course of a year,  I had grown quite comfortable with and accustomed to using this new-fangled handheld.

It was right about this time, at the close of business one day, that my boss stuck his head into my office and nonchalantly stated, “We will be switching over from the Palm Calendar to Outlook for all our appointments and contact sharing. I want you to begin the process tomorrow.”  I looked at him, eyes concentrated and said, “No, I won’t be doing that.”  I was furious.  I didn’t want to change.  I had made a financial investment, but more importantly I had made a brain investment.  I had wrapped myself completely around this “technology”.  And again, I didn’t want to change.

My boss looked blankly at me, not knowing what to say, and turned and walked away.  But I knew exactly what that meant, it meant he was going to give me time to think about it and then I would do what he had asked.  Funny how that works.  I was still fuming as I drove home from work.  How dare he hook me on a technology and then pull it out from under me!  Of course, after I had slept on it, I felt a bit better and by the time I arrived at the office the next day, I began making the change.  That precious PalmPilot ended up in my desk drawer never to see the light of day again.  Years later, I donated it to the prop department at a local theater.

I love Outlook and all its bells and whistles.  I love that it easily – without any thought from me – transfers information back and forth between my desktop, laptop, and iPhone.  I love it now, but the initial thought of implementing it as my primary calendaring source was very painful.  It is quite astounding really when you think about the changes we have embraced and how quickly those changes become a part of our lives, our daily routine and then – poof! – obsolete.

Whether it is changing schools, making new friends, or learning a new technology, change should be expected.  I am learning to realize, instead of fearing or hating change, that it is just a continual evolution and it means I will learn more and my brain will get even bigger. <smile> Today, I cannot even fathom using a stylus to place an appointment in my calendar.  The good old days were just that, old.  And they are just part of life…

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for the online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.

You may remember that I had the opportunity to test drive a Chevy Malibu for 4 weeks as part of the Gotta Love Chevy OK Program.  It’s been an amazing experience and sadly late last week I had to say goodbye to the Chevy Malibu.

I enjoyed the experience and was more than satisfied with the Malibu and the way it drove.  It felt comfortable and worked well especially since I am always on the go as a mother and entrepreneur.  And last Wednesday I returned the car I was not able to record a video because of a nasty allergy attack that resulted in me loosing my voice.  While I’m happy to say I am fully functional and able to actually have real live conversation, I did decide to share with you my iTunes playlist, Life with Malibu.

One of the great features about the Malibu was the USB port built into the stereo.  I could easily charge of iPhone as well as play songs and playlists directly from my music listing.  In fact, Greg and I were able to charge both our iPhones at the same time–one with the USB outlet and the other with the cigarette outlet which worked great for us.

Goodbye Malibu. . . It’s been real.

Photo Credit Flickr.

From Calling Cards to  Virtual Business Cards; the Business Card Goes Techincal

Your business card is an important part of you and your online branding effort, an essential part of the business networking process and information sharing in the digital age. A good business card can say a great deal about you above and beyond the basic website and contact information. Done correctly a business card can to elevate your status and make you memorable with whomever you come into contact with.

The History of Business Cards: When Businessmen had  Calling Cards

The first recorded use of business cards dates back to the 15th century in China seen as a visiting card or calling card among business men.  While in Europe, this calling card was introduced in the 17th Century and was used as a form of advertising for trade merchants that often included a map and directions of where the vendor’s product or service cart was located.  As printing became more popular in the 1800′s the business card finally reached the United States, quickly becoming a popular form of advertising and networking among businessmen and the public.

And Calling Cards Were Social

As the business card gained in popularity, there became two distinct types of uses: visiting cards and business cards.  In the 19th Century in the United States, visiting cards were used primarily by individuals as a way to establish social obligations.  A stack of cards would be housed in the hallway and became a catalogue of visitors as an early form of “While You Were Out” phone messaging that we are familiar with today.  Business cards were widespread among men and women and across classes.  People were looked up on in poor taste if they visited or attended an event or made a social call without one.

Virtual Business Cards in the Digital Age

As our lives have become more virtual and networked based, our vision and idea of the business card has continued to evolve.  The traditional paper business card still holds true but the rise in popularity of iPhones and mobile devices has changed the way in which we exchange our contact information.

Popular iPhone virtual business card applications like Hoccer, Bump, and others have begun to take the place of the traditional business card.

• Hoccer. A free downloadable iPhone application offers the ability to exchange your contact information with a simple throwing gesture.  The application must be opened by both parties who must complete a throwing motion to exchange their information. Bump. With over 10 million downloads, Bump is one of the most popular iPhone contact exchange applications. Two people open the application and bump their iPhones with their hands.  After only a short setup, all your contact information is easily transferred.
• LinkedIn. With their most recent iPhone upgrade, LinkedIn now offers a contact information transfer service.  Both parties must have their bluetooth activated on their iPhone in order to exchange their contact information.  While in London, I was able to quickly exchange contact information by just sitting next to someone during a conference or dinner.

 More Ways to Share Business Cards Information: Virtually

For non-iPhone users there are also alternatives to exchanging virtual contact information  without the card stock as well.

• Business Card Readers. Blackberry and iPhone users can use a data capture application that takes a picture or scans the business card right from your mobile device.  Another great application for this and other data capture purposes is Ever Note.
• SnapDat.  Create and exchange a virtual business card online with anyone.  In a matter of minutes, you can create a very professional business card to exchange on social media networks and other online communities.
• Pokens. Pokens are another virtual business card. Really they are the  social business card, and aren’t we all about social these days?  After selecting a poken and setting it up, you are able to quickly exchange contact information with other poken users quickly and are able to upload the contact information by inserting the USB from the poken into your computer.  These are great for large events and conferences where you can connect with a large number of people very quickly.

Bottom line, as everthing eveloves in the digital age, business cards have had to change as well.  Virtual cards, business card readers and skanners are only one step in the ever changing history of the business card.

Photo Credit Create It Displays and You Renew.

As businesses begin to integrate social media into their long term strategies, they are looking for ways to take collaboration, coordination, and networking to the next level.  And Carlin Wiegner, CEO and co-founder of Cube Tree believes his company has the answer.

Last May, Cube Tree quietly released their new internal social media software just out of beta.   But before that, Wiegner and his business partner Ross Fubini were working for Symantec, a leading internet security company and found a need for a better way for employees housed in multiple locations to communicate and interface with one another on multiple projects.  Both Wiegner and Fubini tried tools like video conferencing, wikis, microblogging, and others for the purposes of knowledge transfer and idea creation but nothing fit quite right.

Cube Tree uses a FaceBook style platform that allows for internal company communication that integrates with systems including Twitter, Google Docs, WebEx, Salesforce and more.  Additional, they provide the ability to edit and update wikis with ease while allowing users an option to test drive the platform offering a Freemium option versus a free trial.  Freemium allows users to test drive all the features without limitations.  Depending on your business need, Cube Tree offers Basic, Professional, and Enterprise editions ranging from no cost to $5 per user per month.

One feature that I was particularly impressed with was their mobile options for users who are on the go.  Cube Tree seamlessly works on your smart phone including Blackberries and iPhones and even allows for instant messaging.  Companies that are seeking to be transparent can benefit from Cube Tree and their use of blogs allowing for thought leaders to generate discussion and influence business strategies or company culture.  The software also allows for manager and peer recommendations or “kudos” feature that is viewable on employees individual profiles.

Internal social media tools like Cube Tree can be used for more than project coordination and as a form of talent management tool.  Recruiters and Human Resource professionals can keyword search allowing for access to internal passive candidate profiles while also posting open positions on threads within the network.  This also allows the recruiting model to become flipped where associates can aggressively search for talent managers allowing them immediate interaction with recruiters and improving the internal candidate experience.

Companies should consider Cube Tree when shopping for internal and collaborative communication tools.  Their seamless integration with most any social media platform and leading business communication tools provide companies a way to develop, attract, and retain a company’s most valuable asset, their people.

Photo Credit Cultivation Posterous

Honestly, I’m not sure if I remember what my life was like before my iPhone or if I even want to.  I have access to maps, internet search engines, social networks, and a variety of applications to fulfill almost every want, need, and desire.  A recent study by Ball State and the Institute for Mobile Media Research found that college students are the fasting growing smart phone market segment.  Not surprisingly students are using these powerful mini-computers for both their personal and academic needs.  While I’m far from being a college student, these smart phones like the iPhone have made connecting, managing work and family, and networking even easier.

The ability of smartphones to link users to popular social networking sites may be another major reason college students are buying the devices in large numbers.   The survey found that about 65 percent of respondents use their smartphones to access social networking sites.  Oddly enough, the fastest growing age segment on FaceBook is not college students at all. InsideFaceBook.com reports that while FaceBook is still the fatest growing social media platform in the United States, almost half (50%) of US Facebook users are older than 35, and nearly one-fifth top 45.

So when and how are these experienced business professionals accessing these sites?  Well, it is certainly not from their work PC.  A recent survey commissioned by Robert Half found that over fifty percent of workplaces in the United States block these social networking websites while another 19% only permitted their employees to visit social networking sites like Twitter, FaceBook, Ning sites, and Myspace but only for business purposes.  And with more than 3 out of 4 people owning cell phones, chances are these experienced professionals are surfing their favorite social network and catching up but not from their work computer.  Your star professionals are accessing blocked websites from their smart phone computer without restriction or monitoring.

• Lost Productivity. Decision makers develop a social media and internet policy and disallow workers from viewing risky content and non-business related social media platforms.  Employees work hard to stay informed on the do’s and don’t around the office and use smart phones as a way to work around.  Nucleus Research reports that companies who ban FaceBook costs businesses 1.5% of lost productivity in the workplace.  Don’t even get me started on the number of hours wasted by decision makers and HR professionals who sit in committee meetings discussing what sites to include, not to include, and verbiage of their internet and social media policy.
• Proxies. These are sneaky little ways to get around blocked websites.  Google boasts almost 7 million websites that list the word proxy.  For as little as $9.95 a month (and sometimes even free), job seekers can purchase proxy access to access company restricted websites through a proxy website.  Don’t believe me, look at the Google search results for yourself.  Not sure if your IT guy is up to snuff?  Ask him his opinions about proxies.
• A Relevant Business Need. If more than half of the U.S. users on FaceBook are of the age 35 or older, chances are these professionals are using the site for legitimate business purposes.  I often use my FaceBook network as a way to give me a quick answer to a question almost like my online Phone-a-Friend option for everything from sales leads, to phone numbers, to the latest basketball scores because my morale is directly tied to my productivity in the office.
• Stay Current. With market trends, business news, and just information in general.  Several years ago I learned about a large layoff that was occurring later that morning via an email before the layoff was announced to the public.  This email was sent to my personal email account which I had access to on my smart phone.  My team and I were able to react quickly and before our competition.  Situations like these have happened more than once.  Do you want your team to miss out on a once in a lifetime opportunity for your business?

With mobile technology and online social networking platforms, the job search is a non-stop process, 365 days a year and 24 hours a day.  Smart phones like the Blackberry and iPhone have provided avenues for job seekers and recruiters to interact and engage day and night.  Serious job seekers can leverage tools like mobile technology to track job opportunities, network, and apply for job openings where ever they go.

One such tool is Job Frenzy.  Job Frenzy is an iPhone application that pulls jobs from job sites like Monster, Dice, CareerBuilder, niche job boards, and directly from company website listings.  Job Frenzy’s is now in it’s second version.  Users can search by job title keyword and location.  Job seekers can scan quickly and select the jobs listings you are most interested in.  The format is easy to view, font is easy to read, and intuitive.

Job Frenzy users can immediately save jobs and quickly email them to yourself or others allowing you to send resumes at a later time from your desktop.   Cost for the application is $2.99 but is more than worth it because of Job Frenzy’s ease of use.

While Job Frenzy makes searching career sites and online job boards easier, Resume PRO makes quickly uploading and submitting your resume a breeze.  Job seekers can create customized resumes in PDF format from their iPhone.  Quickly and easily upload text and keywords to create a truly tailor made resume.

Now in it’s third version, Resume PRO’s recent updates include spell check, the enabling the person use of gmail, and a password protect feature.  At $1.99, Resume PRO is a quick and easy option for job seekers who are on the go.

Manage your contact lists and online social network easily using a Twitter application called, Tweetbeep.  Tweetbeep.com allows users to receive keyword updates directly to your mobile email account.  I recommend setting up your keywords to include keywords like “jobs or engineers” depending on your industry with regard to your job search.  One of Tweetbeep’s advanced features allows you to select a zipcode radius as well as the frequency in which you receive the keyword email alerts.

Tweetbeep offers a free service that is limited to 10 updates per day as well as other budget friendly options with more frequent updates and domain alerts.

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