As the popularity of online communities continues to spread, it's becoming big business - and not just for the 20-somethings selling their creations to the likes of Google for 10 figure sums. (Google bought YouTube for $1.65 billion in a stock for stock transaction.)
Now, as MySpace and Facebook continue to grow, a new community has emerged over the last two years as the leading online forum for business people: LinkedIn. With the basic account settings coming free, your LinkedIn profile is basically an online resume. What's more, is it shows your "connections" - that is, not just who you know, but who they know. Call it two degrees of separation.
What makes these connections that much more important to collect is that it's been proven that more job opportunities come from "soft" contacts (people you've only met once or twice) than "hard" ones - either friends or past colleagues. A recommendation from a past employer, also visible on your profile, will help you that much more.
Check out LinkedIn... because if you're not in touch, you're out of touch.
Jun 4, 2007
Jun 2, 2007
Canadian dollar hits 30-year record
While the Canadian dollar has been "strong" for some time now, it hasn't been this strong in nearly 30 years; the dollar yesterday topped 94 cents US. As reported by CBC News, CIBC Chief Economist Jeff Rubin projects parity with the American dollar by year-end.
Many fear manufacturing jobs will be hurt as exports are negatively impacted; evidence does not yet support this claim, though. Canada's economy continued to grow at an annual rate of 3.7% in the first quarter, and the unemployment rate fell to 6.1%, a decline of 0.3% from 12 months prior. The situation appears to have been well-managed by the Bank of Canada, and thus far, I see little cause for concern.
To the contrary, as Prime Minister Stephen Harper said yesterday to the CBC, the strong dollar "is a reflection of the underlying strength of the Canadian economy." He went even farther to say that to intervene to avoid potential job losses in the manufacturing sector would be a "huge mistake."
What do you think?
Many fear manufacturing jobs will be hurt as exports are negatively impacted; evidence does not yet support this claim, though. Canada's economy continued to grow at an annual rate of 3.7% in the first quarter, and the unemployment rate fell to 6.1%, a decline of 0.3% from 12 months prior. The situation appears to have been well-managed by the Bank of Canada, and thus far, I see little cause for concern.
To the contrary, as Prime Minister Stephen Harper said yesterday to the CBC, the strong dollar "is a reflection of the underlying strength of the Canadian economy." He went even farther to say that to intervene to avoid potential job losses in the manufacturing sector would be a "huge mistake."
What do you think?
Jun 1, 2007
HBS Working Knowledge
Wow, full day today... a few meetings and a seminar course in negotiations. Interesting stuff.
Don't have a ton of time to write tonight, so I've got a recommended read for you.
Harvard Business School has a great website called HBS Working Knowledge. Half blog, half website, it's full of great articles by their over 200 faculty and global business leaders. Be sure to sign-up for the weekly newsletter, too.
Speaking of Harvard, I'm off to go prep a Harvard case for one of my classes...
Don't have a ton of time to write tonight, so I've got a recommended read for you.
Harvard Business School has a great website called HBS Working Knowledge. Half blog, half website, it's full of great articles by their over 200 faculty and global business leaders. Be sure to sign-up for the weekly newsletter, too.
Speaking of Harvard, I'm off to go prep a Harvard case for one of my classes...
May 31, 2007
Equipment for Entrepreneurs
Today's web-based world has ample opportunity for you to get going on that business you've always dreamed of starting. But where to begin?
The good news: there's also a ton of information available to help you succeed.
Many are paid services, but two of the best offer some great free services and have plenty of information available on their websites.
Startupnation is the place to turn to get your company off the ground. By entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, the site features advice on creating your business plan and choosing a business model, along with articles, podcasts, a blog, and more. Perhaps most valuable is the community of users, providing you the opportunity to learn from other entrepreneurs.
Once your new money-printing machine is off the ground, turn to MyNewCompany.com for all kinds of goodies to help you take it to the next level. From managing your brand, to hiring employees, to balancing your books, this site has the (free!) resources to help you do it all.
Honourable mention goes to Entrepreneur.com, which has some great information but is a bit cluttered and full of ads. Still a good resource, though.
Good luck!
The good news: there's also a ton of information available to help you succeed.
Many are paid services, but two of the best offer some great free services and have plenty of information available on their websites.
Startupnation is the place to turn to get your company off the ground. By entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, the site features advice on creating your business plan and choosing a business model, along with articles, podcasts, a blog, and more. Perhaps most valuable is the community of users, providing you the opportunity to learn from other entrepreneurs.
Once your new money-printing machine is off the ground, turn to MyNewCompany.com for all kinds of goodies to help you take it to the next level. From managing your brand, to hiring employees, to balancing your books, this site has the (free!) resources to help you do it all.
Honourable mention goes to Entrepreneur.com, which has some great information but is a bit cluttered and full of ads. Still a good resource, though.
Good luck!
May 30, 2007
The One-Stop Shop...
...for all things business: CEOExpress.com. This site has links to everything a busy business executive (or student) could want and more. International news, business magazines, academic papers, market information, small business resources, company research tools, and government websites are all there at your finger tips.
There are even links for your business travel and for your "break time"... read: cars, sports, and online shopping. Very cool.
There are even links for your business travel and for your "break time"... read: cars, sports, and online shopping. Very cool.
A few cool tools for the tech-impaired
Never heard of Firefox? Confused about what the heck Skype is?
If so, you're not alone... but you also need to get with it.
Firefox is quickly becoming the most popular browser on the web, and it's pretty clear why. Not only does it provide faster surf speeds, but it's free, has a sleek user-friendly design, and can be customized with a variety of neat gadgets. Try it, then customize your Firefox experience with these "15 Coolest Firefox Tricks Ever," found on Lifehack.org.
As for Skype, it's a web-based calling service utilizing Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. It's like an instant messenger service (and actually includes instant messaging), but you call your contacts instead of messaging them. Totally free to download, your calls around the world won't cost you a cent, so long as you're calling computer-to-computer. Calling landlines is still dirt-cheap, though... costs vary depending on your location, but it's about 2 cents US per minute worldwide. Not too shabby.
One last freebie: Ever thought about designing your own website? Or, maybe you already do? If so, here's a great pool of resources for web design. Credit to the folks at Kayode Okeyode's Weblog for putting it together.
More neat tools to come in future posts...
If so, you're not alone... but you also need to get with it.
Firefox is quickly becoming the most popular browser on the web, and it's pretty clear why. Not only does it provide faster surf speeds, but it's free, has a sleek user-friendly design, and can be customized with a variety of neat gadgets. Try it, then customize your Firefox experience with these "15 Coolest Firefox Tricks Ever," found on Lifehack.org.
As for Skype, it's a web-based calling service utilizing Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. It's like an instant messenger service (and actually includes instant messaging), but you call your contacts instead of messaging them. Totally free to download, your calls around the world won't cost you a cent, so long as you're calling computer-to-computer. Calling landlines is still dirt-cheap, though... costs vary depending on your location, but it's about 2 cents US per minute worldwide. Not too shabby.
One last freebie: Ever thought about designing your own website? Or, maybe you already do? If so, here's a great pool of resources for web design. Credit to the folks at Kayode Okeyode's Weblog for putting it together.
More neat tools to come in future posts...
Free money
What business school student could argue with that, right? Sure, "There's no such thing as free money," you say. Perhaps, but a nifty new site called Agloco - short for A Global Community - provides the next best thing.
Almost everything you do on the Internet makes money for someone else. Nearly every time you view an ad, click an ad, search, buy something, download something, join a community, or post a story, picture, or video, some person or some company cashing in.
With Agloco, you download a small piece of software called a Viewbar which sits at the bottom of your desktop collecting information about the types of websites you visit. Then, it displays small advertisements related to what you're surfing. 90% of the ad revenue is then returned to Agloco Members.
I was very skeptical when I first read about this, but it's starting to generate a lot of buzz - and with good reason. It's a pretty neat concept. You win because you now get your share of cash for doing what you would normally do. Agloco wins by keeping a 10% cut of this revenue (like stars pay their agents). And the companies win, since they get your business. All you need to do is have the Viewbar up on your screen while browsing the Internet like normal.
Try it out. You have nothing to lose. The free service is brand new and pays its members based on their collective browsing activity, so the earlier you join the more money you can make.
Almost everything you do on the Internet makes money for someone else. Nearly every time you view an ad, click an ad, search, buy something, download something, join a community, or post a story, picture, or video, some person or some company cashing in.
With Agloco, you download a small piece of software called a Viewbar which sits at the bottom of your desktop collecting information about the types of websites you visit. Then, it displays small advertisements related to what you're surfing. 90% of the ad revenue is then returned to Agloco Members.
I was very skeptical when I first read about this, but it's starting to generate a lot of buzz - and with good reason. It's a pretty neat concept. You win because you now get your share of cash for doing what you would normally do. Agloco wins by keeping a 10% cut of this revenue (like stars pay their agents). And the companies win, since they get your business. All you need to do is have the Viewbar up on your screen while browsing the Internet like normal.
Try it out. You have nothing to lose. The free service is brand new and pays its members based on their collective browsing activity, so the earlier you join the more money you can make.
May 29, 2007
The B-School Balance
By our very nature, students are known to live their lives in a convoluted sort of punctuated equilibrium. It's not unusual for students to go on three-to-four hours of sleep per night... and then cozy-up in bed for an entire weekend to catch up. We party until 3:00 in the morning... and then drag ourselves to the gym the next day. We flood ourselves with friends (some real, some otherwise)... and yet yearn for time alone to think and be one with ourselves.
This is the life of a student. It's works, but it's far from sustainable.
That's why I recently decided to start getting up earlier. I've always been a morning person, but frequent late nights throughout university (either at my desk or at a bar) have started to eat (err, drink?) into my mornings. And, for me at least, less morning means less productive.
No more. Two years ago, fellow blogger Steve Pavlina wrote an article on how to become an early riser. It has since become the most turned to article on the topic. He suggests going to sleep "only when too sleepy to stay up" and getting up at the same time every day. I'm giving it a try, and so far it's working.
Different things work for different people, though. What's important is that you find what works for you. It's easy to fall into the same patterns as our friends - but are those patterns best for our own health? ...productivity? ...social well-being? Probably not.
Alas, my point: to be most effective as students - as professionals - we must start thinking for ourselves. Gone are the high school days where you go to a party because your friends are going, or where you pull all-nighters because that's what it takes. No, it just takes a little time management and the ability to think for yourself.
Start setting goals, and figure out what you value. I'm not advocating leaving friends behind; they matter - a lot. But by reminding yourself of what's most important to you, you'll not only get more done, but - more importantly - you'll be a happier person.
And when you're a happier person, everybody wins.
This is the life of a student. It's works, but it's far from sustainable.
That's why I recently decided to start getting up earlier. I've always been a morning person, but frequent late nights throughout university (either at my desk or at a bar) have started to eat (err, drink?) into my mornings. And, for me at least, less morning means less productive.
No more. Two years ago, fellow blogger Steve Pavlina wrote an article on how to become an early riser. It has since become the most turned to article on the topic. He suggests going to sleep "only when too sleepy to stay up" and getting up at the same time every day. I'm giving it a try, and so far it's working.
Different things work for different people, though. What's important is that you find what works for you. It's easy to fall into the same patterns as our friends - but are those patterns best for our own health? ...productivity? ...social well-being? Probably not.
Alas, my point: to be most effective as students - as professionals - we must start thinking for ourselves. Gone are the high school days where you go to a party because your friends are going, or where you pull all-nighters because that's what it takes. No, it just takes a little time management and the ability to think for yourself.
Start setting goals, and figure out what you value. I'm not advocating leaving friends behind; they matter - a lot. But by reminding yourself of what's most important to you, you'll not only get more done, but - more importantly - you'll be a happier person.
And when you're a happier person, everybody wins.
We're live!
I have now joined the real world... err, the virtual world. After three years of post-secondary education in business, I've finally realized the power inherent in blogs. And I don't mean "power" to market oneself or one's business... more than anything - for me, at least - the power comes through the virtual network of life lessons available within this, the "blogosphere."
It's my aim to help spread this knowledge. My writings will seek to share news and views on current events and topics both interesting and relevant to my peers, business school students. There is a seemingly endless collection of resources available to us online; however, a pooling of these resources in one central place is lacking. I hope to provide this link.
So, let this journey of mine - nay, ours - begin. We're in for quite a ride.
It's my aim to help spread this knowledge. My writings will seek to share news and views on current events and topics both interesting and relevant to my peers, business school students. There is a seemingly endless collection of resources available to us online; however, a pooling of these resources in one central place is lacking. I hope to provide this link.
So, let this journey of mine - nay, ours - begin. We're in for quite a ride.
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