Evernote

The notepad app that comes with IOS devices isn’t accessible on the computer which makes it a little useless as a central information storage solution. Evernote has desktop apps and a website you log into as well as apps for the most popular devices so you can store text, photos, and small audio files in one place and access it anywhere.

AroundMe

Finds the nears atm, gas station, hotel, etc for you and links into the Maps app to give you directions.

Dictionary.com

gives you Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com on your iPad/iPhone.

Instapaper ($4.99)

Save web pages so you can easily read them offline later.

Dropbox

Online storage for files so you can access them anywhere or send other people links to download them. I use it as backup for presentations in case my flash drive doesn’t work for some reason.

Banking

Most banks have mobile apps that let you check your balance, transfer funds and pay bills. Just search for your bank’s name in the app store.

Newspapers

Most newspapers and magazines have apps or mobile websites. You can keep up with the world while waiting for the doctor, waiter, line…

• New York Times (Digital subscription required for full access)
• New Yorker
• Slate ($1.99)
• Wall Street Journal ($1.99 /week for full access)

Office

Work doesn’t stop just because you’re not in the office. These two let you view and edit Microsoft Office documents on IOS devices.

• Documents To Go ($9.99, Premium for $16.99)
• Quickoffice Pro ($19.99, currently on sale for $9.99)

Document Scanning

Keeping up with paper, business cards, receipts, whatever can be annoying on trips, just scan them into your phone and toss them.

Scanner Pro ($6.99)

Scan multipage documents and email or upload them to Dropbox or Evernote.

Shoeboxed

Shoeboxed scans and saves your receipts, so you can track business expenses quickly and easily.

TurboScan ($1.99)

A less expensive and less featured multi-page document scanning app.

Meetings

Skype (Free for Skype-to-Skype and one-to-one video calls, pay as you go and subscriptions for other services)

The Internet phone service has a video component that the newest iPhones and iPads can make use of letting you video-conference on the road.

WebEx

The widely-used video conferencing software has iPad and iPhone clients.

Utilities

Fax Print & Share for iPad ($5.99)

One of the easiest ways to send faxes and print documents from your iPad. A Pro version with additional features is available for $8.99.

Intuit GoPayment

Accept credit card payments via your iPad with a free card reader and affordable transaction fees.

First, from Google is Chrome Frame which … equips older versions of Internet Explorer with the speedy rendering and JavaScript engines at the heart of Chrome.

The second is the third-party IE Tab, which lets you use Chrome for most of your work and open a tab that runs IE for those webpages that won’t run on anything else.

• Google Wraps Internet Explorer in Chrome Clothing | Wired Enterprise | Wired.com.
• Google Chrome Frame 
• IE Tab

While the early adopters flock to Google+ and our kids and moms become power-users on Facebook, LinkedIn is where business gets done. Execs from all Fortune 500 companies are there, and 59 percent of those active on social networking sites say LinkedIn is their platform of choice over Facebook or Twitter, up from 41 percent who called LinkedIn their most important social account a year earlier, according to a June report by Performics and ROI Research.

There’s a brand new generation for online marketers to adapt to.

This time, however, the generation is not defined by date of birth. This generation is defined by repulsion at the corporate and political greed that has plummeted much of the world into economic doldrums.

In other words, Generation “G” is all about generosity and sickened by greed.

I don’t intend to make this a link blog but this particular article is particularly pertinent. I see this very attitude all around me at school and with my friends.

• http://istockphoto.com
• http://www.sxc.hu/
• http://www.stockxpert.com/
• http://www.bigstockphoto.com/
• http://www.imagecatalog.com/
• http://www.photostockplus.com/
• http://us.fotolia.com/
• http://www.openphoto.net/
• http://powstock.com/
• http://www.freerangestock.com/
• http://www.unprofound.com
• http://www.freemediagoo.com/
• http://www.stockvault.net/
• http://www.everystockphoto.com/
• http://www.burningwell.org/
• http://yotophoto.com/
• http://canstockphoto.com/
• http://www.pixelperfectdigital.com/free_stock_photos/
• http://dreamstime.com/
• http://bluevertigo.com.ar
• http://www.imageafter.com/
• http://www.cwd.dk
• http://www.linkdup.com
• http://freefoto.com
• http://www.freephotosbank.com/
• http://www.photocase.com/en/
• http://majesticimagery.com/
• http://www.fromoldbooks.org/
• http://davidniblack.com/imagebase/
• http://www.nationsillustrated.com/
• http://freelargephotos.com
• http://www.creatingonline.com/stock_photos/
• http://free-stockphotos.com/
• http://aarinfreephoto.com/
• http://www.freephotos.com/
• http://www.freeimages.co.uk/
• http://freestockphotos.com/
• http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/index.cfm

Because of the ease of entry (software-Gimp is free, upload fees-10L each, 400L for $1, and time), Second Life has a thriving home-grown fashion market. There are people making a living just making virtual doll-clothes and accessories.

Real world fashion businesses are taking notice of the money and interest being spent by this circle of fans and are coming into Second Life to create a presence for advertising purposes- and are not doing well.

The most memorable of these is none other than Armani. When Armani announced that they were building an in world store there was great deal of anticipation. They hired a good, experienced builder and got a nice store but apparently left the creation of their items (only 10) to their regular designers who presumably didn’t have the time to really learn the built-in Second Life tools. The result is a too small collection that the very people Armani was hoping to attract took one look at and said I can get twice the quality at a third of the price.

They aren’t the only ones though. A famous athletic shoe retailer created a “build your own” factory that doesn’t see much use because the resulting shoes take up too much computer and server resources to render.

American Apparel has a store as well. They at least have more than 10 items and what they have is ok but when you’re options include a leather trench coat and being a dalek, very plain colored t-shirts and khakis don’t have much appeal. It’s also a well-documented effect that you have to release new items regularly to keep traffic (and sales) up, which American Apparel has never done.

Doing it Right

There have been successful transitions. Most notable is a canadian couture designer named Nyla who has a set of shops where she has taken her real creations and remade them in Second Life. Because she took the time to learn the tools and the customer base her products are excellent quality and well-priced while still remaining in her style.

The japanese also have good ideas about in-world advertising. Treasure hunts for freebies are always popular and the word of mouth affect is very strong in Second Life.

Now that IBM has given a demonstration at the National Retail Federation on using Second Life for prototyping, there may be more mainstream fashion companies coming into Second Life but independents who can devote the time to learning the environment will still have the advantage for quite a while.

Help on learning to use the Second Life templates, scripting language and building blocks can be found on the forums. Marketing guidance can be found here.

There is plenty online for free though.

• For instance many government departments have websites ending in the .gov domain. Useful at this time of year is IRS.gov where you can download the forms or fill out a free electronic submission form (you can’t have made more than $54,000 to use Free File though). They also have information meant to make filing your taxes easier and a “Where’s my Refund?” system.
• The first and fastest growing area of free information is medical. Pubmed.gov is the government’s free portal to its database of medical journal articles (Medline). Medline is the foremost database of medical citations in the world. These are the articles written by scientists and doctors for other scientists and doctors, where they publish drug trial data you hear about in commercials. Doctors like PubMed because they can get into it anywhere. It can be difficult to understand for those without a medical degree though. MedlinePlus.gov is produced by the National Institutes of Health and the National Library of Medicine. Searching it gives results in journals, medical dictionaries, encyclopedias and selected websites.
• The New York Public Library has posted an extensive Digital Gallery of scanned images that are free for noncommercial use.
• The American Kennel Club (AKC)’s website is a font of information for prospective and current dog owners including a directory of breeds and a list of registered breeders.
• Open Vault: WGBH Media Library and Archives (MLA) provides online access to materials produced by WGBH public television station. The database currently houses more than 50,000 audio, video, and film masters.
• TRIS (Transportation Research Information Services) is a comprehensive source for published transportation research on the Web from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and the Transportation Research Board.
• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) covers free, full text, quality controlled scientific and scholarly journals.
• Open J-Gate is an electronic gateway to global journal literature in open access domain. Launched in 2006, Open J-Gate is the contribution of Informatics (India) Ltd to promote OAI. Open J-Gate provides seamless access to millions of journal articles available online.
• In 2003, PLoS (Public Library of Science) launched a nonprofit scientific and medical publishing venture that provides scientists and physicians with high-quality, high-profile journals in which to publish their most important work, while making the full contents freely available for anyone to read, distribute, or use for their own research. The PLoS journals are run by professional editors, trained scientists, and physicians, in close collaboration with editorial boards. Papers published in these journals are peer reviewed using a uniquely consultative process between editors and experts in their field, and are produced to the highest editorial and production standards. Under the open access model, PLoS makes all published works immediately available online, with no charges for access and no restrictions on subsequent redistribution or use, as long as the author(s) and source are cited.
• AGRICOLA is like Medline but for all aspects of agriculture, including nutrition and veterinary science. Unfortunately, it’s also the National Agriculture Library’s catalog so you have to be aware of whether you’re searching the books or the journal articles.

There are free sources for pretty much any subject, you just have to be careful that they are reliable sources. .edu and .gov domains tend to be good indicators

In casual situations, this doesn’t matter much but in business it can make or break the deal. Before the potential client or employer has even seen your portfolio or heard your pitch, he or she already thinks of you as professional, crisp, modern, sloppy, late, dim, or bland.

Plus, a well-dressed appearance pays other financial benefits as well by creating a more positive general impression of yourself in the community. Others will have a higher opinion of you and you’ll subtly find yourself in better situations.

Trent Hamm

Obviously, being on time, alert and prepared is a start. But you have to prepare your presentation of yourself as carefully as the you prepare to present your work.

Mentally

• you can research the company and/or the industry.
• Try to figure out what kinds of questions you will be asked and prepare answers or ideas for answers ahead of time.
• Think of questions you can ask. Even if you already know the answer, it makes you look more interested and involved with the process.
• Remember to always present yourself in a positive light. I was involved in a hiring process where one very qualified candidate ended up looking terrible because in response to questions he would say “No.” instead of “No, but…”

Physically

• Get a haircut if you need it.
• Make sure your clothing is appropriate, in good condition, clean and pressed.
• Gentlemen, shave or trim your beards.
• Ladies, yes I know it’s un-pc, but this is reality and we’re still years away from being able to go to a job interview or meeting without makeup. Even a little bit makes a difference.

Beyond that, if you like you can use your wardrobe to express your personal art or design style. As long as the clothing is in good repair and is flattering as well as professional, it should give you confidence along with giving prospective employers confidence in you.

It was nice inside, obviously a new family-run place, busy with what looked like a mix of people dropping in like myself and regulars. A very family-like atmosphere.

After my meal I had the opportunity to talk with the owner when she wasn’t overwhelmed with work (It was extremely busy when I first came in). We chatted about how she was redoing the place and building up slowly and I mentioned that I was starting my own small business in web design specializing in small businesses. It flowed from there and I left her with my contact information.

The important points to take from this are:

1. Local: I was a customer first so it wasn’t a cold call. We have to do those too but this way there was an established relationship that made both of us more comfortable.
2. Timing: She approached me when she had time to talk. Earlier she had been juggling a dozen things at once and trying to break in then would have made a bad impression.
3. Backup: I was able to describe in detail, off the cuff a situation where a basic website might get her more business immediately.
4. Relaxed: No pressure sale. It turns out she relies on someone else’s advice on computer and Internet matters so trying hard when she was already stressed (Who isn’t at the end of a work day?) would have just turned her off.
5. Follow-up: The information I gave her was put down somewhere and floated right out of her overcrowded mind. Which is why I have to wait a week and call her back. Remind her of our conversation and ask if she’s thought about whether she wants me to do her website or not. She won’t have thought at all of course, but the phone call will jog her memory gently enough that she’ll get her IT person on it.