January 8, 2013 – 8:44 pm
Adventure, baby! Bring it on! As many of you know, our last tour was life altering for me. It resulted in: 1. Meeting some amazing people who have become great friends. 2. The creation of the Our Revolution, a social good community. Which I am happy to say is a few thousand strong, as well as the How to Create a Revolution book (a guide to creating social change). 3. A chance meeting with a guy who reviewed my first book, How to Start Your Business with $100, that ended in a marriage proposal. Yeah, this awesome: And trust me, I could not have done that past tour without you guys. You are my backbone and the reason why I do these things. You show me that it is needed (and wanted). I cannot tell you what that means to me. So, I am excited to announce that we headed on the road again and embarking on The Agents of Change Tour! About the Tour Mission: To restore creativity to the soul of the world! The Agents of Change tour is a year-long tour exploring the impact of creativity and collaboration on local communities, artists, and entrepreneurs. The tour nurtures [...]
By Ja-Naé
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Also posted in Adventure, Creativity, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Strategy, Travel, Uncategorized
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Tagged a change agent, agent change, agent of change, agent of social change, Agents of change, an agent of change, change agent, change agents, change of agent, changing agents, changing angent, how to be a Change agent, restoring creativity, social change agent, the agents of change, the change agent, the role of a change agent, what is a change agent, who is a change agent
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November 30, 2012 – 12:30 pm
We all need help in some way or another. When that time comes, we go to the people who we think can help; those who have done it before, or have that specific skill that we are seeking out. And once we target the right person (or people), we reach out and ask. However, most of the time when we need help, we are thinking of just that. But there is an obvious flip side that within this social age that we take for granted. And that is: nothing is free. Nothing. Everything you do, read, create, share, love, hate, and breathe costs something. And the question at the end of the ask is who is paying? Many of us are asked to do things for free all the time. In response to a request, Erika Napoletano of Redhead Writing, posted this yesterday: Though I love this list and may take her up on a few of them, there are a few great lessons here: 1. The Ask Depends on The Relationship: If you want people to do things for you, then you need to do twice as much for them. The ask is built on the relationship that is created. [...]
By Ja-Naé
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Also posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship, Strategy, Uncategorized
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Tagged art of free, ask for advice, business advice, business development, business link, business resources, business strategy, entrepreneur businesses, Erika Napoletano, free advice, free business advice, how to freelance, how to live anywhere, how to start a startup, new business owners, Redhead Writing, running a business, where can i ask questions
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October 23, 2012 – 11:53 am
Small Businesses are constantly struggling with ways to scale and market. Near Field Communication (NFC) is bridging this gap with the help of Moo, making it this week’s Game Changer. Check it out: But what do you think? Do you think that devices like the IPhone will be more likely to adapt if companies like Moo are beginning to use the technology? Or do you think that NFC will be caught in the usual battles, that could take years to iron out? I would love to hear from you. Want Ja-Nae to review your product or service? Contact her. Related Posts A Game Changer: The Publishing Industry and How to Start Self-Publishing Game Changer: The Rise of the Hacker The Best of Hitchcock: Musings from the Game Changing Birthday Boy image credit: The Verge
Recommendations. We all make them, don’t we? To our friends, family, colleagues. We do the same with our online networks as well. We are constantly giving suggestions around our favorites from gadgets to restaurants we love. But what if you could get paid for making that online recommendation? Check out my latest Game Changer segment for the Pulse Network on Refer.ly and how it’s changing the game. Will Refer.ly allow for everyday people to use the most powerful form of marketing to make a little extra money or will it just open the flood gates for more and more “social spam”. I would love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to share them below. Related Posts Game Changer: How to Be a Data Journalist Game Changer: Transmedia Storytelling for the Little Guy Game Changer: Homeless Hotspots, Street Treat & Next Steps
Between revolutionary reenactments and the marathon, Boston is all abuzz today. I know several people that are running today and they have been training for several months just for this day. With all that goes into running a marathon, here are three life lessons we could all learn from today’s runners: Find Your Stride and Quickly: When beginning a race, it is very easy to start off so fast that you cannot keep up the pace. Throughout training, a runner explores where to find his or her stride. Finding your stride is not an easy thing. Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that sweet spot where you can keep momentum and continue to thrive. However, you won’t know until you experiment. Find your stride and keep it. There is no need to rush. Consistency is the key in any aspect of life, professional or personal. Overcoming “The Wall”: During a race, all runners will hit “the wall.” It could happen at mile 17 or 21, but it does happen. Well, the same goes for those times when you hit the proverbial “wall” within life. What happens when it does? Do you give up, even though you have come so far? No. [...]
April 12, 2012 – 12:52 pm
Game Changers. They come in all shapes and sizes. Today on my Game Changer segment on The Pulse Network, I dug into the definition of transmedia and how brands are using it today. Check it out: But there is a major misconception when it comes to transmedia storytelling. Many believe that you have to be associated with a film or a large brand. That just isn’t the case. You can be a small business, an entrepreneur, a group, non-profit, volunteer organization…you name it. And for you “little guys” out there, here are three ways to get started: What is Your Story: Before you can do anything, you must decide what your story is about. What is the journey? What obstacle(s) do your “characters” face and how do they overcome them? Pick 3 Entry Points: Once you have your story in place, pick three entry points for into your story. These entries points can be a segment of time, a sub storyline that compliments the world you’re trying to create, or the introduction of a supplementary character. Pick 3 Channels: For each entry point, use a different channel to tell the story. Maybe a piece of the story is told through video, where [...]
October 25, 2011 – 9:38 am
On Saturday, I had the pleasure of giving a keynote speech at Tech Day Camp. What was great about the event was that most of the attendees were new to technology and were eager to have more information on how to use it in their daily lives. Here is my presentation from the keynote: How Technology Can Work for You View more presentations from Ja-Naé Duane What about you? How do you use technology? How has it made your life easier? I would love to hear your success stories. Send them my way! Related Posts The Power of Letter Writing 7 Ways to Help Women in Technology Social Media used for Classroom Learning
By Ja-Naé
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Also posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship, Strategy, Uncategorized
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Tagged duane, Ja-Nae, janae, keynote speech, new technology, speaking at an event, tech day camp, what is technology, women in technology
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Recently, I have been asked by my clients on how they can use Google Plus for their businesses while waiting for the business pages to be opened to the public. Here is my post for Overdrive Interactive giving my thoughts: In just one month Google+ has continued its exponential growth reaching 20 million users last week. A few days ago, Google removed several business accounts from Google plus (such as Ford and Sesame Street), but left other brands such as Mashable (because it transferred the brand to a person – Pete Cashmore) to play in beta. Though there has been an announcement that Google+ will be open to the public shortly, many businesses are wondering when they can create their own proper business page. Let’s explore the importance of preparing your brand for that eventuality and some things you can do in the mean time to prepare. The Importance of Google+ for Brands So why should your brand really care about being on another social platform anyway? Is this just another channel for engagement? Well, if you care about your company’s online reputation and its search ranking, consider these things: Google Plus VS. Facebook Facebook faces a major challenge from [...]
By Ja-Naé
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Also posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship, Strategy, Uncategorized
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Tagged google blogs, google chrome plus, google earth download, google plus 1, google plus one, google social, google social network, google tools, social network google
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This weekend, I came across two articles that made me step back for a moment. The first was the Wall Street Journal’s blog post, “Addressing The Lack of Women Leading Tech Start-ups.” In the post, WSJ tries to address the question of “Where are all the women in tech?” They mention that there is no shortage of opinions about the issue but the core of the article isn’t really being addressed. It must be noted overall that equality has come a long way even in the short time that I have been in the professional world. Where the disparity seems to be is why there are so few women in the technology industry. The next article I came across was a TechCrunch response by Michael Arrington entitled, “ Too Few Women In Tech? Stop Blaming The Men.” In the article, Arrington tries to sympathize with the issue but is fed up with the blame game. Can you blame him? I don’t. Below is an infograph compiled by Socialcast.com that looks at a number of dimensions in the technology industry comparing male vs female ratios. A few key insights: According to Dow Jones VentureSource, 11% of U.S. firms with venture-capital backing in 2009 [...]
By Ja-Naé
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Also posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Strategy, Uncategorized
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Tagged definition of technology, epic win, gaming offline, managing teams, new technology, online gaming, science and technology, social influence, transmedia, transmedia storytelling, what is technology, women in science, women of technology, women quotes, women technology, womens rights, working women
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It’s been several months since the Our Revolution road trip, but the experience has stayed with me and often finds its way into my conversations with others. Although Our Revolution is about promoting social change with revolutionary ideas and actions to change perceptions in lives in communities, my friend Lucas asked me an intriguing question – “How did the experience change you?” I have to say that in retrospect, one of the most important takeaways I have from the road trip was an improved technique for coming up with innovative solutions. The technique is similar to what Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, says, “We run the company by questions, not answers.” Innovation does not spring up out of nowhere. Innovative solutions and answers come first by asking the right questions. The Our Revolution road trip was full of questions that needed answers. How can we improve a situation? And when you ask a question, it stimulates conversation. It is out of these conversations that come innovation. To stimulate innovation within your team, you need to create a culture of questioning. Here’s how: 1. Set an Example – The behavior of team members always gravitates to the behavior of their leaders. [...]
By Ja-Naé
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Also posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Strategy, Uncategorized
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Tagged define innovation, definition of innovation, Innovation, innovation business, innovation technology, innovations, innovative solutions, innovator, new innovation, team building activities, technology and innovation, technology innovation, what is innovation
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