September 8, 2011 – 10:25 am
Sometimes I like to reminisce about the good old days when I was young and had little to worry about. One of the things I miss the most from my childhood is receiving a hand-written letter in the mail. Whether it was from a pen pal, one of my grandparents, or a friend who had moved away, the days there was a letter addressed just to me sitting in the mailbox were so exciting I could hardly contain myself. I’d rip into the letter and wouldn’t take my eyes off the page until I had inhaled and digested every single word.
Occasionally it makes me sad to think that nowadays letters are considered obsolete and antiquated. But should they be? I’m starting to think letters need to make a resurgence and become part of the American way of communicating once again. In order to convince the rest of the world that letters need to come back with a vengeance, I listed 7 reasons why you should consider taking the time and effort to write a letter:
To be personal. You can spend all day long Skype-ing with your college roommate living in London, but while technology has the means to connect us [...]
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 [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Also posted in Creativity, Happiness, Innovation, Strategy
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Tagged fail, how to fail, how to succeed, Ja-Nae, janae, succeed in, succeeding, succeeds, to succeed
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August 17, 2011 – 9:18 am
Don’t laugh, but I dream about being a spy. Maybe it’s because of my love for travel, or maybe it’s because of all the James Bond movies my dad used to watch with me, but no matter what I achieve, I keep coming back to this fantasy. I have always dreamed of living an exotic life of travel and intrigue, and being a world-class spy is the epitome of this lifestyle. But while fictional characters like James Bond and Jason Bourne glamorize and dramatize the life of a real-world spy, the reality is that there truly are spies among us, working to collect information and fighting for national security. I recently had dinner with an old friend who–”in a previous life”, as she puts it–worked in the field. While she’s sworn to secrecy about specifics, we did have an good chat on the more interesting aspects of the life. So whether you are seriously considering this life path or just indulging in daydreams, here are the skills I learned are necessary to become an effective spy.
Learn Another Language – Although English is the universal language, being fluent in at least one other language is essential for any spy. Not only so [...]
August 9, 2011 – 10:15 am
It’s been way too long since I’ve been out of the country, but with the Artist Retreat around the corner, I’m really getting excited. A few of the attendees (Are you one of them? Would you like to be? Contact me for more information!) asked me how to learn a language and learn it quickly. It’s a great question. That’s why I rounded up some great language apps that will help you kick your second or third language into high gear:
Tweets: Twitter is understated as an educational tool. Twitter allows you to learn new languages and practice them a little bit. Click here a compilation of some “linguistic twitterers”.
LiveMocha.com – Livemocha divides a language into courses, units, and lessons. Lessons are divided into four types of activities: learn, review, write, and speak. What’s nice is that you can also make flashcards from the content in the lessons, or you can make your own flashcards. There is even a chat feature, so you can connect with people learning the same language you are.
Babbel — If you’re looking for something that you can use on both your computer and smart phone, Babbel fits the bill. It provides exercises and [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Also posted in Adventure, Arts, Creativity, Happiness, Language
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Tagged artist retreat, benefits of learning a foreign language, foreign language institute, foreign language standards, foreign language teacher, foreign languages, how to learn a language, language apps, learn a language
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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 Google. Check out TechnoBomb’s [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Also posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Strategy
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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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Summertime can only mean one thing for me, sitting with family and friends in the wonderful weather sipping on a beer. After several lively discussions about our favorite beers, my family deciding to start a little competition: to see who makes the best beer.
Of course, this is all in fun.
My favorite beer is St. Bernardus, a Belgian classic, while my dad can’t get enough of stouts.
During the course of this “competition”, I have discovered a few great apps that are centered around beer, and allow my family and me to learn about what we’re drinking. Here are my top five favorite beer apps:
iBrewMaster — As an artist, I love to create, and brewing my own beer allows me to indulge in the tasty side of creativity. This app makes home brewing easy for a novice like me. It comes with 50 pre-installed recipes and instructions to ensure you don’t make any mistakes along the way and end up with the perfect beer at the end.
onTap Beer App — After I drink a particularly tasty beer I’ll often want to make sure to write it down so that I can return to it again and again. This iPhone app makes recording [...]
In just a few short weeks I will be traveling to Italy for the Artists Retreat. I can’t wait to join together with artists to be inspired, and work with others like myself who are making their dreams and ideas come to life. Being in Italy for a week is a dream, but even though I’ll be in a beautiful foreign country, I know I still need to be productive. Here are some tools and gadgets I use to make sure travel doesn’t stop me from being industrious even while overseas.
Apple iPad — What a great way to have everything you need at your fingertips, while not straining your bicep muscles carrying all your luggage AND a heavy laptop. The iPad is incredibly versatile and will allow me to tweet, read, write, and stay in contact while I’m away.
Apple MacBook Pro 13” — I have nothing against PCs or netbooks, but my MacBook and I have taken many successful trips together, so why mess with a perfect partnership? It’s not as small as a netbook, but just as convenient and is perfect for those times when I need more than what my iPad can give me, such as when I [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Also posted in Adventure
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Tagged 10 best apps, android apps, app reviews, best apps, freelancer mods, gmail apps, list of apps, productivity, sluggy freelance, the traveler, travel app, travel apps
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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 had current or [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Also posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Marketing, Strategy
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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 [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Also posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Marketing, Strategy
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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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“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 business owner needs an arsenal of tools [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Also posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Strategy
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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
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