Category: Tools and Information

Snapchat Responds To Chatter About Privacy Policy Change | TechCrunch

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Social media rumors were taken far too seriously this weekend, as word spread around the globe that Snapchat’s recent privacy policy update gave the company ownership over user content, which includes photos, videos, and text messages. The rumors were picked up by publications that included The Telegraph and The Sydney Morning Herald. Snapchat addressed the rumors in fairly plain language this morning with a statement assuring that its users retained control over their content.

In the statement, Snapchat assured users that they were not storing user content indefinitely.

“The Snaps and Chats you send your friends remain as private today as they were before the update,” the statement read. The company further elaborated that while messages were deleted from Snapchat’s servers after viewing, the company had no control over screenshots or pictures taken by their recipients.

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Retailers join REI in closing for business on Black Friday | King 5

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SEATTLE — More retailers are joining R.E.I., deciding to close their doors on Black Friday.

The outdoor retailer made headlines earlier this week when they announced they would close their stores the day after Thanksgiving, and encouraged people to go outside instead, coining the hashtag #OptOutside.

Sewing machine operator Le Ping is helping her employer, Outdoor Research, fill a big order for the U.S. Marines.

“I sew here a long time,” she said. “I like it.”

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How Well are You Managing Your Cash Flow? | Small Biz Trends

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We’ve all heard the saying, “Cash is King.”

While the words may be cliché, they’re also true — particularly for the small business. Without a cushy safety net or direct line to a big bank’s lending department, survival often hinges on your ability to effectively manage the delicate balance of cash in and cash out.

When there’s no cash on hand, everything is tough. Paying salaries, paying bills, buying supplies, not to mention making the investments needed to grow to the next level. If you’re looking for tips on managing your business cash flow, below are seven to think about.

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5 Ways to Instantly Connect With Anyone You Meet | Entrepreneur

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How we communicate largely determines what we experience in life. It influences how much money we make, every relationship we have and where we go in our career.

Our income can be limited if we are unable to pitch our product to a client, ask for a desired salary in an interview or request a raise from management. On the other hand, the depth of our relationships will be constrained if we don’t have the confidence to approach new people or have the ability to resolve conflict and express ourselves.

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The Difference Between Being a Franchise Owner and an Entrepreneur | Getentrepreneurial

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franchseeeThere is a big difference between being an entrepreneur and owning a franchise. When considering purchasing or starting a small business it is wise to understand the differences so that you can make good choices for your situation. A franchise has much less control over product, strategy and marketing, but has less risk. An entrepreneur controls their fate but does not have the advantage of brand recognition and a ready-made market.

Leadership

An entrepreneur dreams and dream and creates a business from it. This includes feasibility studies, market studies, start-up strategy, funding, strategic planning and business planning. The entrepreneur has tremendous latitude to develop the business according to their own vision and subsequently to respond to the market for the product. The owner develops the leadership for the business and in the end controls the critical decisions.

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10 Twitter Marketing Mistakes You Need to Stop Making | Business News Daily

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Social media is a great free tool that businesses can — and should — take advantage of. Twitter, especially, is one of the best platforms for actively engaging with your brand’s audience, but if you make the wrong moves, you could find yourself tweeting into the void, or worse, offending potential customers.

Business News Daily asked social media experts about the 10 worst things brands and businesses can do on Twitter. Tweet your way to the top by avoiding these major mistakes.

1. Don’t oversell your brand.

“One of the biggest mistakes that brands can make on Twitter is being too brand-centric in their messaging, and forgetting what social media is about — community! Though it may seem counterintuitive to increasing brand awareness, the most successful social media marketing programs focus more on sharing third-party articles and building relationships within communities, rather than only sharing your brand’s messaging and driving [traffic] to your website. A good rule of thumb is to stick to 80 percent third-party content/community engagement, and 20 percent brand-related posts.” – Ginny Torok, social media consultant and digital marketing director, IDMD

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The Popular Over-The-Counter Cold Medicine That Science Says Doesn’t Work | Forbes

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The market for over-the-counter cold medicines is worth $8 billion annually, with a hefty portion of that amount spent on drugs marketed as decongestants. But according to new research, the cash many of us will spend on non-prescription decongestants this cold and flu season won’t help us breathe any easier.

According to University of Florida researchers, the oral decongestant phenylephrine simply doesn’t work at the FDA-approved amount found in popular non-prescription brands, and it may not even work at much higher doses. Their conclusions were presented in an editorial in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, referencing a study in the same edition of the journal conducted by researchers from the Allergy & Asthma Medical Group & Research Center in San Diego.

The study of 539 adults lasted one week and failed to find a dose of phenylephrine within the 10 mg to 40 mg range that was more effective than a placebo in relieving nasal congestion. The approved Food and Drug Administration (FDA) dose is 10 mg every four hours for “temporary relief of nasal congestion.”

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Why Is Water So Essential for Life? | Live Science

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Water. It’s found everywhere on Earth, from the polar ice caps to steamy geysers. And wherever water flows on this planet, you can be sure to find life.

“When we find water here on Earth — whether it be ice-covered lakes, whether it be deep-sea hydrothermal vents, whether it be arid deserts — if there’s any water, we’ve found microbes that have found a way to make a living there,” said Brian Glazer, an oceanographer at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, who has studied astrobiology.

That’s why NASA’s motto in the hunt for extraterrestrial life has been “follow the water.”

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10 Surprisingly Simple Strategies for Saving Money on Food – The Simple Dollar

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The big strategies are useful to think about, but it’s often the little specific tactics that you add to your routines that make a big difference. Whenever you find a little step you can take that just changes your normal routines a little bit to save you some cash while still giving you the non-financial results that you want, that’s a big victory. When that change also has a few additional side benefits, that’s an even bigger victory.

Here are 10 little tactics that Sarah and I use (or have used in the past) in our food routines at our house. These aren’t grand strategies – instead, they’re just little tactics that will save a dollar or two without changing the desired results, or tactics that cost the same but provide some other benefit that will save a few bucks down the road.

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