Wikipedia wants to charge Google, Amazon, and Apple for using its content | Mashable

March 17, 2021March 16, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Everybody uses Wikipedia.

It’s currently the 8th most visited website in the U.S. and the 13th most trafficked site in the world. The website bills itself as the “free encyclopedia,” providing knowledge free of charge to a global user base. However, the nonprofit which runs Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, hopes that it soon won’t be free for everybody.

Don’t worry, it’ll still likely be free for you, dear Mashable reader. But for companies like Google, Facebook, Apple, and Amazon, Wikipedia is hoping to charge them for publishing its content.

A new report by Wired looks into a brand new division under the Wikimedia umbrella called Wikimedia Enterprise. In a first for the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation, Wikimedia Enterprise will offer a paid service targeting Wikipedia’s biggest users: Big Tech companies.

What it’s like to live in the robocall capital of America | CNN

March 17, 2021March 16, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Melinda Walsh, a former marketing consultant, gets up to eight robocalls on her cell phone on any given day — not counting the few that come through on her landline.

The constant chorus of robocalls — “your account has been compromised” and “your car warranty has expired” — became a backdrop to her life. It’s a game of “whack-a-mole,” she said. “I have 54 blocked numbers in my phone … and it’s programmed to silence calls that aren’t in my contacts or that I have not called.” Yet the calls keep coming.

Walsh lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which receives the most robocalls per person in the United States, according to data from YouMail, a robocall-prevention service that tracks robocall traffic across the country. The city averaged 39 robocalls per resident in February, YouMail found. That’s more than two and a half times the national average, which is about 14 to 15 calls monthly for each person, according to YouMail. Baton Rouge consistently ranks in the top 5 US cities for this metric.

Scientists want to store DNA of 6.7 million species on the moon, just in case | Live Science

March 16, 2021March 14, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

A “lunar ark” hidden inside the moon’s lava tubes could preserve the sperm, eggs and seeds of millions of Earth’s species, a group of scientists has proposed.

The ark, or gene bank, would be safely hidden in these hollowed-out tunnels and caves sculpted by lava more than 3 billion years ago and would be powered by solar panels above. It would hold the cryogenically preserved genetic material of all 6.7 million known species of plants, animals and fungi on Earth, which would require at least 250 rocket launches to transport to the moon, according to the researchers.

Scientists believe the endeavor could safeguard our planet’s wildlife against both natural and human-caused apocalyptic scenarios, such as a supervolcano eruption or a nuclear war, and ensure the survival of their genes.

Conducting Customer Surveys for Your SMB | businessnewsdaily.com

March 16, 2021March 14, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Customer surveys have a high ROI and provide numerous advantages for businesses.

Incorporating customer feedback into your business is more important today than previously.
One of the biggest advantages of using customer surveys is that you can identify patterns and predict trends.
Identifying your goals is the first step to create a solid customer survey.
This article is for business leaders who want to improve their companies by conducting, analyzing and implementing customer surveys.

In an era where 93% of customers read online reviews before taking action, it’s never been more important than now to ask your customers how you can enhance their experience with your business.

Why You Need To Take A Break From Work For Good Productivity | Life Hack

March 15, 2021March 14, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Yesterday was one of those days. I sat at my laptop screen with a to-do list the size of a small country and I just typed. I typed for two or three hours and by the time I was done with all the typing, I had made literally no progress.

Between second-guessing myself, deciding I didn’t like what I’d done, changing my mind, and just losing focus, I essentially wasted a good couple of hours sitting at a computer and “working” but actually getting no work done.

I got up, turned the computer off, and went for a walk. It seems counterintuitive, doesn’t it? Walking away when you’ve got a long list of deadlines and time won’t do you the courtesy of just slowing down while you get back in the game. But I needed it. Then I came back to my computer a couple of hours later and ticked the two highest priority items off that list in less time than I’d spent to achieve nothing earlier on in the day.

The pros and cons of vaccine passports | Fast Company

March 15, 2021March 14, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

After a year of canceled concerts, closed-door sporting events, and restricted air travel, vaccine passports are being touted as a way to quicken the route back to normalcy.

The premise is straightforward: A digital or paper document will indicate whether individuals have received a COVID-19 vaccination or, in some cases, recently tested negative for the coronavirus. This could allow them to travel more freely within their communities, enter other countries, or engage in leisure activities that have largely been closed off during the pandemic.

Vaccine passports seem like a desirable alternative to continuing lockdowns until herd immunity—estimated to occur at about a 70%-85% vaccination rate—is achieved.

Six Ways To Go The Extra Mile For Your Customers | Forbes

March 12, 2021March 10, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Average brands deliver exactly what is asked of them. Exceptional brands deliver more. Finding novel and surprising ways to go the extra mile turns sceptics into fanatics and passive bystanders into loyal customers who tell their friends.

Without their clients, businesses wouldn’t exist. Safeguarding your future means putting energy into the extra mile until it’s second nature. Here are six ways to go the extra mile for your customers, with examples from business owners who put their customers first.

What It Takes to Be a Business Founder vs. CEO | AllBusiness.com

March 12, 2021March 10, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

A few years ago, I was in a meeting with my mentor and coach and he said to me, “Do you want to be a really good communication professional or a really good business grower?”

I was reminded of this conversation recently when a friend asked for my advice on growing his PR firm. He told me he spends the good majority of his days with clients, doing the work.

He said he loves it and it’s the reason he started the business, but he never has time to do any business development. I said, “Do you want to be a really good communication professional or a really good business grower?” It was very meta of me … and he chose the latter.

B2B Sellers Investing in Ecommerce in 2021 | Small Business Trends

March 11, 2021March 10, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

More business-to-business (B2B) sellers are shifting their focus online, investing in e-commerce lines. Sellers are directing inventory to online selling channels, in a bid to cater to increasing demand for online transactions.

This burgeoning B2B trend was unveiled in the Digital Commerce 360 Research & Data report. Digital Commerce 360 is a leading media and research organization delivering data and objective news to B2B eCommerce audiences. The report was the first of a series of annual surveys of 110 B2B sellers to be conducted over the course of 2021 by Digital Commerce 360.

5 Ways to Beat the Competition | business.com

March 11, 2021March 10, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

To become a successful business, you need to find ways to stay a step ahead of your competition. Doing so is often easier said than done, and there’s no simple answer to how to beat your competition.

Competition exists in every market. Smarter companies nullify the effect of competitors in order to increase market share.

How do they do that? Here are five simple, yet powerful ways to beat your competition.