File sync and backup service SugarSync (which we’ve blogged about before) just announced new small-business friendly features, including a central admin feature to manage from three to 100 users collaborating and sharing files using the app. The new package also includes flexible group pricing plans starting at $29.99 per month, with no setup fees and free phone support.
While speaking with the CEO of SugarSync, I quickly realized that my post about running a virtual team was missing a critical component: backup. As I listened to the company’s presentation of its product, my mind began working overtime. SugarSync isn’t just about backing up files securely in the cloud. It can also be used for secure file sharing, collaboration and file syncing with cross-platform and mobile device access and compatibility. Read the rest of this entry »
I’ve been a huge fan of Second Life since I first “rezzed” (logged into the virtual 3-D environment) in March 2007, and have previously blogged about my own Second Life. Despite all the limitations and downsides of Second Life (and there are many), it has been one of the most flexible and inspiring proving grounds for virtual worlds for business. Just like with Twitter, I try to cut through the hype and go straight to the core: Using this new platform can introduce you to new ways of thinking and help you hone valuable skills that will put you at a clear advantage as communications and workspace technologies continue to evolve. Read the rest of this entry »
How many times are you hearing the question, “Why should I engage in social media?” during your work week? I’m hearing it often, and it’s reminding me of 1995 and 1996, when clients — and colleagues — were asking “Why should I have a web site?” And who remembers when the question was “Why should I have email/a cellphone/a computer/a typewriter/a telephone?” OK, maybe none of you remember the old telephone question, but I heard that when the telephone was first introduced as a consumer product, most families were appalled with the concept of putting a phone into their homes and saw it as an invasion of their privacy. Yes, the telephone. Read the rest of this entry »
I’m not biased towards Toronto, despite calling it home, but it seems like a lot of good web things are brewing in this city. There’s FreshBooks, one of the leading online invoicing services for freelancers and businesses, and now there’s Sprouter, a new web app that’s still in private beta.
Sprouter, like many web apps these days, takes some significant cues from Twitter. In fact, at first glance, it appears to be pretty much Twitter designed for a specific target audience: entrepreneurs. Read the rest of this entry »
Thanks to the web, the old adage that there’s strength in numbers has never been more true than now. Increasingly, web workers are finding ways to establish powerful partnerships with vendors that offer products or services that compliment their own. They’re learning that while they might be good on their own, together with the right partners they can be great. Here are some ways to find what could be the missing ingredient in your formula for success.
PartnerUp
PartnerUp is like match.com, but for businesses. You list your skills and available projects (called opportunities) and can check out the assets of others to see if there’s a fit. There’s a directory in which you can list your business, and add promising-looking contacts to your address book. You can create or join groups that focus on particular topics of interests and different levels of expertise. There are also helpful forums where you can ask or answer questions about business, or anything else for that matter. The service has a free basic account, along with a premium plan. Read the rest of this entry »
Social networks aiming at different niches are springing up all over these days, which is why I wasn’t surprised to come across this little gem. It’s a site called traddr!, and it aims to do for the stock-obsessed what Twitter and Facebook are doing for everybody else.
At first glance, traddr! might not look that interesting for web workers — who needs to join another social network? — but traddr! can help you in ways that might not be immediately obvious. You can use it to keep informed about your clients’ business sectors, enabling you to identify opportunities. You could also use it as a networking and sales lead generation tool.
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It can be hard convincing anyone that Twitter is a worthwhile business tool, even yourself. This is especially true if you’re business-minded and like to attach numbers to something in order to ascertain its value. It’s hard to get solid figures on the value that Twitter provides, as it’s about hard-to-measure concepts like connections, reach and influence. There are some tools out there, though, that aim to provide figures to help you with some Twitter metrics.
Who
Knowing who to follow, and when to communicate with them can be instrumental in making your Twitter interactions more effective and meaningful. Effective management of these two things can massively increase the likelihood that you’ll generate professional opportunities with your tweeting.
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One of the trickiest things to pull off when you’re working online is producing an actual document. There are any number of distractions, it’s harder to provide proofs and get feedback than if you’re working face-to-face with a client or stakeholder, and you often get the run around in terms of who you should be working with.
I’ve done a lot of this type of work for a range of clients, and over the course of those efforts, I’ve arrived at a number of conclusions regarding how best to go about it. These tips won’t tell you exactly how you should manage your own workflow, but it will help you avoid some of the more common problems.
Determine Scope and Materials Up Front, in Detail
There’s nothing a client likes worse than switching horses halfway through the race. That means you should pick your applications, end products, etc. with them at the project outset. Make sure both of you know exactly what they want to get out of the project at the end. Details like whether or not they want the document to be editable, the expected shelf life of the document, whether it’s a living document or not will all be crucial in helping you decide not only what, but how you’ll be producing.
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Web Work 101: How To Escape The Cubicle
