How Email's Can Cost Employees their Jobs

In order to appeal to the masses, I have come back to deliver one final business blog. In part because my computer hates me and I am too busy right now to do any more at this time (Be lucky I am doing this one!)

Today's blog is on how email's can cost employees their jobs. Here are some tips that were given....

NEVER use the "Bcc" unless you have to when sending an email. The Bcc (or Blind Carbon Copy) sends an email in carbon copy to someone who does not appear in the seen email list. In other words, if you accidentally send out a "CC" to someone who wasn't supposed to get that particular message, it could backfire severely! This is the only time a Bcc is used (when there is a reason someone has a message but others in the group aren't supposed to know- Like a boss for example!) So if you accidentally CC someone who wasn't supposed to get the message; that is an issue if others don't want that person to know the situation. However, if you leave someone out, it's also an issue. So emails are a very important tool in the workforce.

Secondly, you should never seem too arrogant in an email. Some workers have a feeling that since they are not seeing eye-to-eye with someone, that they can get away with more and ask for more in return. Your boss or co-worker may think otherwise. So always act as if you are talking to them in person when writing an email. 

A big thing with email writing is respect. If you do not respect your co-workers, they will not respect you. You are to treat your workers with the respect and dignity they deserve when you send out an email. DO NOT use slang terms, vulgar language, or anything pity just to tell them they are wrong. As adults, people have to professionally explain the situation, ask for some advice on how to work it out, and do so without having too many other people get involved.

Finally, never use an auto-response email unless it is the company's policy or you are on vacation. People can usually tell when a message is automated to signify the business of the worker. They feel that even if the message says " Thank you for your interest. We will respond soon," that well...you may NEVER respond because it will get lost and buried. People could also feel frustrated with these messages, lowering the work output levels. Always try to respond to each email you receive. It is work, but it is well worth the reward.

Also...make sure when sending out an email, you give people time to respond. Wait a day or so. Don't give them an hour!! Don't be an impatient brat!! We do have a lot to do people. Don't wait til the last minute to tell us an important issue, because even though email is fast and efficient, we don't check it every freakin minute of our lives! If there is an emergency email/attachment for someone, in actuality the best way to get that message to a person fastest is to call them. Telephones are noisy and if that person is at his office, at least he will hear it.

That it is for today. Hopefully I will have more time soon since I'll be looking for work. Enjoy! :)

7 Tips For Better Work Ethic & Motivation

This week’s blog is focused on the secrets of high motivation….something that I unfortunately lack sometimes. Granted, we all lack it on occasion. Hopefully though, these seven tips from Business Insider and Dumb Little Man will help get you back on trap. I’m sure they will bring you a great deal of higher enthusiasm, and be able you to get a whole lot of work completed in no time!

1. Understand your “Peak” time of the day

- People tend to work best during a certain time of day. It varies from person to person. My peak hours for example tend to be around the early evening hours (6-9PM).  Use your peak hours for things that you will need energy for! So if you need them, don’t waste them!

2. Focus on one task at a time

- Multitasking actually isn’t a good thing, who would have thought that? It can be useful when you are in a rush, but in terms of good productivity, you need to do one thing at a time in order do the work properly. This means putting away the iphone and logging off of Facebook if you have a paper due the next day. You can check your text messages later.

3. Eat healthy foods.

- Eating healthy food gives you energy bleh bleh bleh. Stay away from McDonald’s and all the greasy French Fries. But in all seriousness, an apple or a granola bar is good for you. Energy drinks are also good, provided you actually USE that stored energy.

4. Allow others to help you when needed.

- This one basically explains itself. In other words, if you are rich and you don’t have the time for all the housework, hire a maid!

5. Say “NO” to unwanted commitments.

- If you simply don’t have the time, prioritize your needs. It may hurt your friends and yourself sometimes (involving social life), but in order to get something important done, you might have to say no if you know you are not going to have the extra time to accomplish a more necessary task.

6. Exercise Regularly.

- Well what do ya know? Eating healthy + Exercise=energy!! I seriously don’t know how some people do it, but perhaps it is because they find the TIME in their busy lifestyles, then they create something meaningful out of it. And if you don't have time for a full workout, a ten minute walk doesn’t hurt either.

7. Invest in your time.

-  Finally, spend time on something important now, so that you will have the time for other great things in life….later. Not procrastinating or waiting till the last minute is easier said than done, but if you ever find you actually have a moment, try it! Look for other efficient methods of doing a repetitive task faster. In other words, try some maneuvers to see what works best in getting your work done fast, but effectively.

 Be back soon! :)

The Transformation of Intenet Servers

Today’s interesting blog deals with the evolution of the World Wide Web, which the interactive picture (below) was put together thanks in part to Hyperakt. We of course began our journey with the first “Server” which was Mosaic in 1993. The next one to form was “Netscape” in 1995. Both of these quickly became outdated however, and thus were soon replaced with the ever-timeless Internet Explorer around 1997 (Which people still use today…on occasion). Then the now dearly departed Steve Jobs came along from Apple, and wanted his own serving network… so he developed Safari in 2003. In the past few years, Mozilla Firefox in 2005, and Google Chrome (2010) were developed, and now have begun to take over our Internet servers and how we use the Internet today. The same is said for how the Internet has developed overtime, with the using of codings and encryptions. The Internet codes used to be primarily CSS. Then they became HTML’s. Now suddenly we are seen using a lot of JavaScript, interchangeable web fonts, and the soon to be more usable, thanks to an uptake technology and 3D devices, Web GL.

Unfortunately, the days of the Internet before circa 1998 are ahead of my time. And since I didn’t even start using the Internet regularly until around 2004, I’d say that the evolution of what servers and Internet providers we come across to gain access to the World Wide Web will continue to grow and industrialize/revolutionize our culture for years to come.

http://evolutionofweb.appspot.com/

7 Ways to Help Listening Techniques....So Listen up!! ;)

Since we reviewed the chapter in listening last week, I thought it would be the perfect time for us to look at 7 tips on how to become a better listener. Dumb Little Man gave us these simple tips to ensure that we can be able to communicate more clearly and productively.

1. Remove all Distractions: Basically focus JUST on the conversation. Remove the cell phone, iPod, or kindle. Give the person talking your full undivided attention, because it might be something very important that they just said.

2. Be Present in the conversation: This may be hard if you have ADD or something like I have (Aspergers),  because we allow our minds to sway away to dreamland once we see something interesting. Others however just show little or no interest in what that person is saying. You have to actually be within the conversation, not just nodding your head or repeating what the person just said. A clear focused mind is necessary.

3. Wait for the other person to finish speaking: Again, an issue with me. However, I know that it it’s disrespectful for someone to just talk over someone, just as it is to not be in a conversation. It makes them feel like what they said means nothing, and it also makes you feel like a total idiot who just wants to butt in and take over the conversation. Now, a proper person who listens will also give someone a few seconds to allow them to speak. Women...we guys would like to talk too at some point ;)

4. Don't assume anything: When you assume, you characterize your beliefs as to what the other person will say. That's not always the case. It can also cause anger/frustration with the other party. Ignoring what the person says and focusing your mind to what you THINK they meant to say can be extremely dangerous!

5. Look at the sub-Text: Words don't always represent what a person says. Tone of voice is a powerful tool that can be subjective to what we hear. Sometimes our words just like to flow out; as such that even an extra word or two can change the entire structure of what that sentence meant. Facial expressions and any body language are also helpful for people who know they are bad at tone distinctions. In other words...get into the mind of the other person to better the conversation.

6. Ask for Clarification: make sure you got the message right. It's okay to ask someone to repeat something or to explain what they meant. It tends to show that you meant well, even though you may have not gotten it wrong the first time, or had a question about its interpretation. A good way of doing this is repeating what you thought was said and hopefully you will get a yes or no response. This now allows for a perfect segment into the final tip....

7 Ask Questions!: Again, it is perfectly fine to ask questions. Sometimes a question will allow the conversation to deepen and allows people to explore a new way of looking at something. If you are unclear, it can help clarify the conversation at hand. Questions can also allow people to gather information of what is going on or happening (Communication majors follow the...who, what, when, where, why, and how technique). You can also ask questions about their viewpoints on that certain matter.

So there you have it. Listening is a very important tool. I hope that you all were also able to read this blog as if I was talking to you. Because words and the way we say them can be very important even in word text, or just on what we hear and see.

10 Worst Places to lose your Iphone/Smartphone

 So today’s blog is a bit more off topic than what my teacher is used to, but it is about losing things. Yes we all lose important things from time to time; our keys, our wallets, and of course our minds! But one thing that in today’s digital age that is becoming (or will soon become) more important than any of these three combined, is your Smartphone or Iphone. Trust me folks, we carry them everywhere now, and they are basically our lives! So here now is a list of the top 10 worst places people misplace their special devices, thanks to research done on Androids by Lookout Security Inc.

10. Inside your purse (if you’re a female, you’d understand.)

9.  At a Bar (Apple Employees should know a lot about this by now ^_^)

8. The roof of your car

7. In a Changing room

6. At an Airport… or on an Airplane

5. At School/College

4. On a Bus or Subway Car [ I lost a digital Camera on both….yes BOTH and I never saw either one of them again :( ]

3. In a Swimming Pool

2. Inside a Taxi

1. In the Toilet…YUCK!

Accidents do happen. My brother almost lost his wallet inside a Taxi. Thankfully the New York cabbist was honest enough to try to track him down and he was later able to retrieve it. I also forgot once that my IPod Touch was hidden inside my swimsuit while I was down in Virginia Beach. I did find it…destroyed :/

Chances are that if you do lose something like your Smartphone, it is probably around your house or apartment. Look inside the sofa, beds, drawers, even your Refrigerator (yes, the fridge…my mother serious left her cell phone there once for 2 days!) and chances are you will eventually find it. Another way to avoid this today…well, like everything else these days... there’s an app for that! If you use someone else’s Smartphone, they can now track yours with a required password, so you will *kinda* never lose it again.

And in case you were wondering… Miami, New York City and Los Angeles were the three worst cities to lose your phone in.

10 Stupidest Resume Responses!

Resumes are very important tools in which companies are able to review applications of qualified employers looking in that specific job field. But mistakes can easily be made, either by accident or by stupidity. Careerbuilder.com made a list of the top 10 biggest blunders and most outlandish statements people have put on resumes. Even out of nearly 2,500 reviewed resumes, some are pretty hard to believe.

10. Reference listed: GOD (no phone number)

9. Hobby listed: Alligator watching.

8. Candidate claimed to be a direct descendant of the ‘Vikings’.

7. Email Address: jakelovesbeer82@yahoo.com (ok I made that up... but NEVER put an email address with “loves beer”).

6. Previous Experiences: Master of Time and Universe

5. Candidate began Resume by asking if “you wanted a Tiger?”

4. Candidate only willing to accept position if he could bring his pet monkey to work with him O_O

3. Candidate predicted that he would have boss’ job in five years.

2. Candidate sent out a twenty-four page resume.

1. Candidate put a picture of her cat at top of resume.

Honorable mentions:

Question: What is your best characteristic?

Answer: “My Hair”.

Job Skills: Anything, I just want a job….

Now, unless the job you were applying for actually had an open position for lifeguarding an alligator swamp down in Florida, I don’t think any of these people will find jobs anytime soon. Religion should never be part of a resume because it will only cause uproar over people who are agnostic. Irrelevant information should always be left off. Keep resumes to the point and within boundaries of what the company might be interested in knowing, in regards to previous work and experiences.

 I do find the monkey one cute, but again, this is something that you should discuss AFTER and only if you receive the job. Resumes should never be more than 2 pages, and even that is long (most want you to fit it on one single page). Never show a blatant or aggressive attitude that makes you seem like you are better than everyone else. Tell the employers what you want to learn from the experience, not how you are going to take over their job. Finally, just leave stupidity out. I love cats. I love comedy. However, it doesn’t belong here. This is a serious paper, and it must be taken seriously, not like one’s Facebook account (Or should that be serious too??).

In conclusion: If you are stupid, smarten up! Or else you better get used to flipping those burgers and living in square boxes.

Top 17 Internet Sites...According to Google!

Google has announced the top 17 ‘most hit’ websites of 2011. No surprise on some of these (Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, Google, YouTube, Wikipedia etc). To be honest….there’s a trend here. But some of these I must question. You will notice that some of these are websites in China.  Others well…. let's just say that nobody uses too much anymore. Why and how they are still around is beyond the time I have here to explain. The other things I noticed, um…well, this is a Google website, and Google I believe purposely left out companies like…idk GOOGLE and APPLE (Others left off would include but not limited to…. Skype, EBay, and Amazon.com)! So take it or leave it with this list. Also…take a wild guess who is number one -_-

17. Youku (The Chinese’s YouTube)

16. Twitter

15. Word Press

14. Adobe Downloads (now…that is only there because you have to constantly update the damn thing!)

13. Taoabo (China’s version of Wal-Mart and Amazon.com)

12. Ask.com (Really!?! People still use ask ?!?)

11. QQ (Chinese Animae)

10. Microsoft

9. Bing

8. Biadu (Chinese Search Engine)

7. BlogSpot == if you’re reading this, you already knew that as well ;)

6. MSN

5. Wikipedia

4. Windows Live

3. Yahoo!

2. YouTube

1. Facebook == if you thought it was Google, congratulations….Google would have pushed Yahoo! down to #3 but due to not standing up and being honest about their own work, the company purposely left themselves off this list.

Again, I am not surprised at some. But what lacks on me is the notion that Google would purposely leave certain sites out. Now, leaving out “Adult Sites” like YouPorn I can understand….. (If you don’t know what that is, Cover your ears now!) But leaving off Apple, EBay and Amazon is puzzling. Now Google also insists in regards to the latter two that it doesn’t allow in this list sites that ask you to “Buy” something. But again, some sites like Adobe and Taobao want that anyways and they made the list. To wrap this all up, this weirdly numbered entire list of seventeen websites is full of Chinese wannabes, Technological things that don’t work (My Windows Live is down so yes… and you Microsoft, and you Adobe!!) Snotty Search engines, and our loveable social network sites that we will surely forget about in ten years.

Oh, and MySpace is off the list.  However, it hasn’t made it since 2009. Oh, how times have changed.

We interrupt your regular blogging with this special...

As I was saying....

Beginning Next week, I will be blogging on an important business topic for one of my classes, as I am a graduating Senior and this is a requirement for one of my final classes. Do not be alarmed!! I didn't ask for this, I am just doing what I've been told. So enjoy the business newsworthy stories that you will see. Hopefully, I can still be opinionated as I want to be with this. If you have any questions, Contact Western New England University ;)