Get a DropBox

I just got invited to the Dropbox Beta! For those of you who don’t know what Dropbox is, it’s basically file storage and sharing for dummies.

Dropbox is a web service that interacts with your computer(s). It’s compatible with Mac or PC. To say that it’s a file storage utility is an understatement. It’s more then that. One of the things that makes it especially cool is it’s version control management. Dropbox creates a folder on your computer, that when you put files in it, Dropbox automatically starts uploading them to the server. And when you modify a file or folder, it gets updated as well. And what’s cool is that when you update a file, it saves the previous versions of it, and only uploads the part that was changed. You can easily restore files to a earlier time.



Every account, at least in the beta version, get 2.0GB of storage space. I already have a lot of files on it, and it’s only taking 1.2% of my space! It’s very convenient and efficient so far. If you would like an invite, just post a comment with your email address, and I’ll send you one. I only think I have 10, so hurry up!

Get a Dropbox

Get Back Into Work Mode After Vacation

If you aren't lucky enough to have the entire world as your office, at some point in your career you've taken a vacation and had to experience re-entry into the real world. Many of us are just getting back from our summer getaways. In fact, I found myself struggling with my own return after a 2 week stint on the beaches and junlges of Colombia. Managing the 300+ emails received, 50+ voicemails and the stack of internal mail that awaited me on my keyboard was daunting - but I survived using some simple strategies.

Here is an article that may help your transition back into corporatehood. via Wired

Personal Outsourcing - Elance.com

Elance.com is a site that allows you to put up for bid projects you need done, like programming work, website development, graphic designs, writing sales copy for your site. You can specify how much your willing to pay and the timeframes you need to work with and any other important information about what you need done. Once you've filled in all your project info and submit it, Elance announces it to a huge list of prospective contractors who will begin placing bids to win the project. When I recently put some website needs up on Elance, I had ten bidders within two hours. Some of them had even put together mock ups based on the description I outlined. I ended up awarding the project to a design team in Argentina.

Elance facilitates the process of selecting a bid and setting up all project terms, including handling payments. You can view comments and recommendations of all the companies bidding before you select one. You can even ask questions of them before you decide. And Elance set up a project workspace for me and the contractor to share files, track changes and send messages back and forth. So within a week, I had gone through a few iterations and finally came up with an initial site design. Most importantly, the site will end up costing me about 20% of what I would pay locally,without comprimising on quality. Not good for the local economy - but I do my share of supporting local businesses so I dont feel too guilty about this.

Elance can be used for personal or business projects - almost anything - I even know some people that outsource parts of their 9-5 jobs to virtual assistants in India named Jonathan.

So if you are looking for web design work, coding projects, internet research or any other virtual work - to leverage time and to be done without having to break the bank, check out Elance.com.

How it Works

10-20-30 Rule for Presentations

I've been slaving over a PowerPoint presentation for a few days now at work. Needing some quick tips, I turned to Youtube and discovered the Guy Kawasaki 10-20-30 rule. Guy Kawasaki is a renowned key note speaker, entrepreneur, venture capitalist, author, blogger - business mentor.

Check out his tips for effective PowerPoint presentations and the 10-20-30 rule.

41 New Business Ideas/Trends That Inspire

If you ever considered starting your own business (online or offline), there are a few key resources that you must be aware of. Being aware of trends in the marketplace is a good first step to developing a bold new business idea. The top trend following site Trendwatching.com, a sister site of Springwise.com, has just released its top 41 business ideas based on the input of a global network of 8000 trendwatchers.

The Trend Briefing lists plenty of new and updated trends, including 41 related new business ideas, illustrating just how much is going on right now. Aimed squarely at encouraging entrepreneurs to execute even more of their ideas, small and big. Even if you aren't interested in starting a business, this list of ideas will definitely awaken your senses.

Experience the Innovation Avalanche via trendwatching.com

Think you've spotted a trend in your area - Become a SpringSpotter

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"How to" of the Day - Winning at Rock, Paper, Scissors

The next time you get caught in a two way battle over who's doing the dishes or over who's riding shotgun, turn to the science of psychology.

Check out these strategic steps to winning at RSP.

Learn More About the Art of Rochambeau Here

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Breaking Up with Slydial

The old song had it right: Breaking up is hard to do. But a free new phone service called Slydial might make it easier to get through that and other awkward moments -- without actually having to talk to anyone.

Slydial lets you connect directly with another person's cell phone voice mail, bypassing the traditional ringing process that often results -- sometimes disastrously -- with someone picking up on the other end.

Users call (267) SLY-DIAL from either a cell phone or a landline, and are prompted to enter another person's cell phone number.

After playing a short advertisement -- unless users pay a subscription fee or 15 cents per call to skip ads -- Slydial puts callers directly into their target's voice mail.

Recipients should then get a voice mail notification, and sometimes they will see a caller's number show up as a missed call, too.

via Technology Review

Sign up for Slydial