The Difference Between Marketing and Advertising | Small Biz Trends

March 10, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If you ask the person next to you about the difference between marketing and advertising, there’s a strong possibility you won’t get a clear answer. That’s because for many people, there’s only a subtle difference between marketing and advertising that’s often difficult to explain.

To be honest, advertising and marketing are closely related disciplines that have much in common. Yet they differ in many ways too. To see the differences and how each can benefit you as a small business owner, you must first understand the basics of both.

Should You Start a Business with your Friend? | Getentrepreneurial

March 9, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Starting a business is an exciting, yet stressful, experience. Businesses are formed in many ways, some of which are joint ventures. These business partnerships can occur for a number of reasons, including a lack of skill sets, poor connections within the industry or not enough financial resources. Many times, the people who form a business partnerships already have a personal relationship, such as a friendship. Although this can be rewarding, it can also be challenging at times. Businesses built between friends are most successful when emotions do not get in the way, which is done by keeping business practices as impersonal as possible.

This article will explain some of those challenges and how to avoid many of them by planning ahead through successful business practices and reasoning. First and foremost, it is essential to make all decisions with the company’s best interests in mind. This can be done by establishing ground rules so that when a problem arises, common issues and negative outcomes can be avoided.

Warning: Why Businesses Need to Be Careful on Twitter | All Business

March 8, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Too many businesses make the mistake of ignoring Twitter. There are some people who look at it, but don’t understand it, and there are massive numbers of dormant accounts.

The point isn’t that everyone is on Twitter; the key is understanding what you can do with it and why you need to be there.

Twitter is still the most efficient network for reaching out to busy people who have gatekeepers on their phones and email, but you need to be careful on Twitter to make sure you are getting the most out of it and don’t end up “ghost banned,” also known as “shadow banned.” (More on that near the end of this post.)

Forget Your Keys? Your Next Car May Be Unlocked With Your Smartphone | NBC News

March 7, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

You might notice something missing if you buy the new 2017 Volvo S90. The car key.

Starting with the launch of the new sedan later this year, the Swedish automaker plans to abandon the car key, except as a special option.

And Volvo isn’t alone. Traditional metal car keys have almost vanished entirely. Ford, for example, offers standard keys on only two new truck models. And they could vanish entirely in the next few years. But Volvo and others may also abandon the smart, wireless keyfobs that have come to take the place of standard keys, as well.

“Mobility needs are evolving, and so are our customers’ expectation to access cars in an uncomplicated way,” said Henrik Green, vice president at Volvo.

URBAN PLANT Tower Would Allow Tenants To Grow Food Year-Round In A Flourishing Winter Garden | UPRISER

March 7, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Hydroponic technology has come a long way in a short time, so it’s no surprise to see architects integrating growing systems into new projects. D+DS architecture is taking this idea to the green extreme with their new residential concept called URBAN PLANT. Designed to be a fully sustainable housing complex, the project envisions a living solution where tenants would be able to grow their own food year-round in a flourishing winter garden.

Instagram starts blocking ‘add me’ deeplinking for Snapchat, Telegram | TechCrunch

March 3, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Facebook-owned photo-sharing platform Instagram is flexing its platform muscle by shutting down ‘add me’ deeplinking for some other social media services within its apps.

Previously Instagram users were able to include ‘add me’/’follow me’ links in a website section on their profile page, directly linking out to any other profiles they had on third party social services’ apps. Now attempting to type one of these links to a Snapchat or Telegram profile, within the Instagram app’s website field on a user’s profile, results in the following message…

Five Signs You Work For A Weak Manager | Forbes

March 3, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

We are learning more and more about leadership all the time. One of the biggest “Ahas!” new and experienced managers (and the people who work for them) have experienced over the past few years is the realization that being a strong manager doesn’t mean being forceful or domineering.

It’s just the opposite — strong managers are strong enough to lead through trust, whereas weak managers have to use the force of their job titles to make people listen to them.

When we talk about fear-based management, it’s the weak managers we are referring to! You can spot a weak manager at a hundred paces or more, because weak managers are the ones who raise their voices, make threats and generally keep their teammates off-balance and worried about pleasing the manager when our customers need them to be happily focused on their work.

Complaining Rewires Your Brain for Negativity, Science Says | Inc.com

March 2, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Why do people complain? Not to torture others with their negativity, surely. When most of us indulge in a bit of a moan, the idea is to “vent.” By getting our emotions out, we reason, we’ll feel better.

But science suggests there are a few serious flaws in that reasoning. One, not only does expressing negativity tend not to make us feel better, it’s also catching, making listeners feel worse. “People don’t break wind in elevators more than they have to. Venting anger is…similar to emotional farting in a closed area. It sounds like a good idea, but it’s dead wrong,” psychologist Jeffrey Lohr, who has studied venting, memorably explained.

Leap Day: The Story Behind This Quirky Calendar Event | Live Science

February 29, 2016February 29, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Monday is Feb. 29 — the bissextle or “leap day,” an artifact that dates back to the year 46 B.C.

Back then, Julius Caesar took the advice of the learned astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria, who knew from Egyptian experience that the tropical year (also known as the solar year) was about 365.25 days in length. So to account for that residual quarter of a day, an extra day — a leap day — was added to the calendarevery four years.

5 Important Lessons New Female Leaders Need to Learn | Business News Daily

February 26, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Women have long been told that thinking and acting “like a man” in the workplace is the only way to get ahead and to be taken seriously. This mentality may have prevailed decades ago when women were just gaining a foothold in the professional world, but modern women have learned that career success is not about adjusting to the male-dominated status quo. It’s about changing that status quo by embracing what makes the female perspective unique, and overcoming the doubts that keep women from reaching their full potential.

This is especially true of young female professionals who are just beginning their careers and have aspirations of rising through the ranks in their industry. Women who want to lead may find themselves up against superiors who question their priorities or blame disagreements on them being too “emotional” or “aggressive.” Worse yet, these women may have trouble find the leadership opportunities they’re looking for in the first place.