November 8, 2011 – 9:38 am
Have you ever had a project or deadline in which you had to think of a creative idea to build around? My sister, Samantha, had that same exact problem this weekend. She had been pondering for hours what to do her class project on. When I finally talked to her, she was close to tears. This was a huge project that she had yet to begin or know what it might entail. Here are some resources, I share with her to get her out of a rut. Hope you find them useful: Spark Creativity There are times when we get stuck and have trouble coming up with new ideas. For those occasions, there are a few techniques you can use to trigger that creative impulse and get the creative juices flowing. Here are a few: Carry a Journal. How often do you come up with a great idea only to forget it later? Well, you can’t really know how often since you forget it. So get a small notepad and pen and carry them with you wherever you go. Whenever an interesting thought or idea hits you, write it down. Take a look at your journal later and you might [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
|
Also posted in Business Tools, Creativity, Innovation, Uncategorized
|
Tagged big ideas, Channeling Emotion into Creative Energy, create your own luck, creative juices, creative leaders, creative leadership, creative strategy, creative thinkers, innovation 101, Ja-Nae, ja-nae duane, janae, power of epic win, resources for creative thinkers, Resources for Creativity, spark creativity, spark your creativity, taking gaming offline
|
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 Duane
|
Also posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Uncategorized
|
Tagged duane, Ja-Nae, janae, keynote speech, new technology, speaking at an event, tech day camp, what is technology, women in technology
|
October 5, 2011 – 9:57 am
New adventures and opportunities do not always show up at your door step. Sometimes, you have to break the rules and get out of your comfort zone in order to find them. Here’s how.
September 14, 2011 – 8:32 am
Sometimes, it is not always easy to lead a team or turn the other cheek when someone does something to hurt or offend you. I don’t know about you, but my first instinct is to defend and protect myself. However, that does not always solve the issue. Instead, ask yourself the following questions: How can I best handle this situation? If I respond by doing X, what will the outcome be? How do I want this to be resolved? By taking the time and thinking it through, you may find a resolution that you were not expecting and one that opens up other opportunities. Related Posts How to Fail The Secret to Flexibility How Leaders Can Make the Best Decisions
August 23, 2011 – 12:42 pm
The English language has made us equate failing with being a failure, when in fact failing is necessary in order to succeed. If we never allow ourselves to fail, then, unless we are born perfect, we’ll never attempt to learn or do anything that risks failure. When I started my first business, I made many mistakes and “failures” before I got it right. I didn’t give up or get discouraged because I understood that failing was just a step towards success. And I was right. In order to succeed, you must allow yourself to fail. By embracing failure, you create an environment where mishaps invigorate rather than crush you. In fact, I would suggest you go so far as to aim to fail. If you haven’t failed, you haven’t been taking risks or learning anything. To me, that would be the biggest failure. You’ve probably heard Edison’s quote about failing 1,000 times while inventing the light bulb, “I have not failed 1,000 times. I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT make a light bulb.” Great minds like Einstein and Lincoln had the same attitude. How have you failed? What’s the most you’ve ever learned from a failure? How has [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
|
Also posted in Creativity, Happiness, Innovation, Uncategorized
|
Tagged fail, how to fail, how to succeed, Ja-Nae, janae, succeed in, succeeding, succeeds, to succeed
|
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 Duane
|
Also posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Uncategorized
|
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
|
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 Duane
|
Also posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Marketing, Uncategorized
|
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
|
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 Duane
|
Also posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Marketing, Uncategorized
|
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
|
“If I had seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” -Issac Newton I’ve been down in D.C. for the week and have met a ton of interesting people, many of which are freelancers who are trying to build their businesses. Each of them wanted to know how what secrets I had for them. I have no secrets (expect be prepare to work your butt off and love it), but I can share what I have learned. Here are some items on How to Freelance: I. Fuel : Why Drinking Coffee is Great for You Before you begin, make sure you are energize and ready to take on the world. Here is a few reasons why coffee is a great way to start you day and get you ready to build your business. To read the article, click here. II. The Idea: How to Start a Million Dollar Business Every business, even a freelance one starts with an idea. Here are a few ways to find that idea and start a million dollar business. To read the article, click here. III. Freelancer Toolkit: 201+ Amazing Tools and Resources for the Freelancer Every freelancer and small [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
|
Also posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Uncategorized
|
Tagged free lancer, freelance, freelance designer, freelance designers, freelance it, freelance writer, freelance writing, freelancer, freelancer jobs, freelancers, freelancers toolkit, freelancing, how to freelance, i freelance, it freelance, what is freelance, work free, workfree
|
“My idea is that every specific body strives to become master over all space and to extend its force (–its will to power:) and to thrust back all that resists its extension. “ -Nietzsche My mother has been trying to quit smoking for years. She wants to quit and has tried a number of things-cold turkey, gum, the patch, you name it. She just does not have the willpower to do it. Do you know someone like this? And how about you? Is there something that you wish you could train yourself to do? Maybe you want to exercise more, eat better, or control your alcohol intake. Having the willpower to do all or any of these things is achievable, if it’s done correctly. Here are a few simple steps to train your willpower: I. Set the Stage: In order to truly master your willpower, set limits and parameters for yourself. Be specific about what you want to accomplish and by when. Lay out the road map for yourself, so you know what you’re trying to tackle. II. Start Small: Instead of rushing into things, ask yourself, ” What are my milestone goals as I work towards my end goal?” [...]
