New media companies have better recognized the changing role of the homepage, which is reflected in what they are choosing to feature–or not feature–on their pages. Medium, for example, the new content site by Twitter cofounder Evan Williams, doesn’t display any of its stories on its homepage. Instead, it uses the space to recruit new writers, many of whom are amateurs. Its homepage is clean and simple. “Your audience awaits. Tell a story on Medium today,” it says, and then offers a green button that says “Start writing.”
8 Ways to Make Your Crowdfunding Campaign Pop | Entrepreneur.com
For Joanna Griffiths, launching a crowdfunding campaign was about more than raising capital for her startup. Griffiths turned to Indiegogo in 2013 to test the market for Knix Wear, a line of women’s underwear made from moisture-wicking, odor-absorbent fabrics. “It was the last test in a series of tests I conducted before launching the business,” explains the Toronto-based entrepreneur.
Even though Knix Wear garnered support from 518 backers who pledged more than $50,000 for the 2013 campaign–on a goal of less than $40,000–crowdfunding was a challenge. “I thought if I had a great idea and a strong platform, I would sell thousands of units,” Griffiths recalls. “But getting every single new backer was a struggle.”
As crowdfunding gains popularity as a financing model–Kickstarter, for example, has seen more than $1 billion pledged since its 2009 launch, and more than 19,000 successful campaigns last year alone–a growing number of startups are clamoring for support from backers, making it that much harder for ‘treps to stand out.
Before you sign on with one of the 200-plus U.S. crowdfunding platforms, master these tricks for launching a successful campaign.
Why Do Dogs Wag Their Tails? | LiveScience
It’s commonly believed that dogs wag their tails to convey that they are happy and friendly, but this isn’t exactly true.Dogs do use their tails to communicate, though a wagging tail doesn’t always mean, “Come pet me!”Dogs have a kind of language that’s based on the position and motion of their tails. The position of a dog’s tail reveals its emotional state.
As Norwegian Air Battles U.S. Airline Industry, Anthony Foxx Faces a Tough Choice | Forbs.com
It was easy for Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to fine GM $35 million, to declare that “silence can kill” and that “What GM did was break the law.”After all, it is clear that GM delayed a recall of 2.6 million cars after it knew ignition switches were defective, and that the delays caused deaths.Deciding whether to approve Norwegian Air Shuttle’s application to fly to the U.S., after the carrier filed for registration in Ireland, is far tougher.
How To Hack Into Your Flow State And Quintuple Your Productivity | Fast Company
If you want to do more, learn more, and gain more, you might want to think like surfer.
Surfing is a 1,000-year-old sport, and 20 years ago the biggest wave ever ridden was 25 feet. Today surfers push into waves 100 feet tall. Or consider snowboarding: In 1992, the biggest gap ever cleared was 40 feet; today that jump is 230 feet.
What’s behind the insane progress in adventure sports? Flow, says Steven Kotler, author of The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance.
“Flow is an optimal state of consciousness, when you feel and perform your best,” he says. “It’s the moment of total absorption. Time speeds up or slows down like a freeze-frame effect. Mental and physical ability go through roof, and the brain takes in more information per second, processing it more deeply.”
Sometimes called “being in the zone,” flow isn’t just an experience for record-breaking athletes. “It’s ubiquitous,” says Kotler. “Anybody anywhere can apply the triggers for any task. And the amount of time someone spends in flow has a massive and powerful correlation to life satisfaction.”
Corporate Social Responsibility Fails Without Trust | Businessnewsdaily.com
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is all the rage among brands today. “Giving back” and “doing good” have become the mantras of many companieshoping to appeal to the modern generation of consumers, who are increasingly concerned about global and social issues. But the motivation behind many companies’ CSR efforts actually provides the very reason that they shouldn’t take on socially responsible initiatives.
More Trouble Than They’re Worth? 6 Valid Reasons to Fire a Client | Allbusiness.com
You are probably willing to work with any and every client who comes your way when you are just starting out in business. However, not every client is a good one. The emotional, physical, and mental drain caused by a bad client relationship can keep you from enjoying your job and negatively impact the work you do for other clients. At times, the best way to grow your business is to let go of those clients who are holding you back.
How do you know when it’s time to move on? Here are six warning signs for clients who bring more trouble than they are worth:
LeVar Burton Raised $1,000,000 in One Day To Revive Reading Rainbow| trendhunters.com
Kickstarter projects and similar sites are amazing because they allow entrepreneurs, or enterprising helmsmen, to fund ventures with small amounts of money from a large number of people via the internet.
LeVar Burton recently took to Kickstarter, a crowdfunding website, to raise funds to revive a popular children’s television program he used to host called Reading Rainbow. The educational PBS series ran from 1983 until 2006 and Burton is looking to bring it back.
The former Star Trek actor is not the only one to benefit from this online fundraising platform. Kickstarter projects can relate to any kind of product or service, including clothing, inventions, apps and art. Whether you are interested in financing tech-integrated desks or affordable belonging tracking devices, there is no shortage of innovative ideas on the site
GM made $22.6 billion since bankruptcy. Taxpayers lost $10.6 billion on bailout | Money.cnn.com
GM has earned a stunning $22.6 billion since the dark days of the financial crisis, when the automaker was bailed out by the U.S. government. Taxpayers didn’t fare nearly as well. They’d lost $10.6 billion by the time the U.S. Treasury department closed the books on the $49.5 billion bailout in December.GM, which filed for bankruptcy five years ago this Sunday, has repaid everything it was obligated to pay Treasury. Taxpayers came up short because the U.S. decided to buy GM stock to keep the automaker alive instead of giving it a loan and saddling it with more debt.Although GM has been very profitable since 2009, its stock price never rose to a level that let Treasury to recoup that investment.
Why Millennials Are Immature, Entitled and the Best Hire | Entrepreneur.com
As it has been pointed out countless times in the media and through anecdotes, millennials in the workplace feel entitled to undeserved promotions and raises, are addicted to their smartphones and job hop every few years. The litany of complaints goes on, but of course no generation is as bad — or as good — as reported: Generation X was more than just a bunch of slackers and Baby Boomers’ strengths shook off their juvenile delinquent label.
In the case of Generation Y, twenty-somethings bring new perspectives and habits to the workplace that add value to their employers, even though those strengths also carry inherent weaknesses.
Whether you’re managing millennials or are a twenty-something yourself, here are the unique and creative talents Gen Y brings to the table, the lessons they still need to learn and the opportunities they have to establish themselves as the next generation of leaders.
