We are always on the look out for the most recent developments and NEWS. Surfing this on the internet is not an easy task, but services such as Google Alerts, Twitter etc keeps us updated. Theses two services are surely a reliable information source, but tracking them all the time is a tad inconvenient, especially when you have to switch tabs just to check if anything new has appeared or not.
To deal with this situation Chrome has a new extension named My Alerts, which enables you to access all your Twitter Alerts regarding a particular query, Google Alerts, as well as Backtweets. When installed, the extension adds an icon with the picture of a bell, next to the URL bar and lets the user know about the total number of alerts and opens them on a single click.
Simple click on the bell icon to know about a new alert and a frame would appear within the browser window giving you a list of the new alerts. Click on any one of the alerts in the given list, would open it up in a new tab and, you can follow it from there. You can also name the alerts whatever you want.
Sunday, 15 April 2012
Wednesday, 11 April 2012
5 Healthy Tips to Freelance from a Laptop
Yes, we all love the portability of a laptop. The fact that we can take it on the road with us, and work anywhere we go is a huge selling point to having one. However, if you are like me, you work on it all the time, even when not on the run.
So, I am all too familiar with the aches and pains that are associated with long term ‘lap-topping’, above and beyond that which comes from sitting at a traditional desktop computer. The good news is that I have decided to do something about it.
I have discovered ways to help relieve some of the pains and stresses that go along with using a laptop, as well as working on any computer all day long. Let’s face it, sitting at our computers all day can be great for business. Our bodies, not so much.
Typical Ailments we Battle
Among some of the worse ailments that come along with working at a computer all day are a sore back, hips, and neck. And, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to invest all my earnings into a back pain specialist, or a series of physical therapy sessions.
Other ailments include fatigue, poor posture, and weight gain. Ironically, all of these I just mentioned can intensify the other aches and pains if we don’t get them under control. It’s a Catch-22, so to speak, isn’t it?
So, read on to find out what you can do right now to counter it.
1. Ergonomics Tools and Ideas
One of the downfalls to working on a laptop, is that it doesn’t allow for ergonomics as easily as the traditional desktop computer, because it’s an all-in-one system, rather than separate components. However, Dr. Tamara James of Duke gives some valuable information for protecting our bodies while working on a laptop.
She recommends using a docking system, and work with an external monitor that can be adjusted in height. Also, an external keyboard allows you to use one that is ergonomic in helping to reduce strain on the wrists. If you can avoid Carpal Tunnel, do. It often requires surgery, with a recovery of about 6 weeks. And, there’s no guarantee that it will be successful.
If you see a Chiropractor, ask them to check your wrists if you are having some pain through them. I was amazed a few years ago when I thought for sure I was facing surgery, until my Chiropractor did just one adjustment on them.
Some people might not want to deal with all the extra external components mentioned above. So, an option would be to buy a device that elevates the laptop slightly, and on an angle. The angle creates the proper alignment so your neck and eyes are not strained, as well as the wrists.
2. Lumbar Chair
Talking about a good lumbar chair warrants its own section. The reason is because it’s really important to your overall well-being when sitting all day, including how you use it.
Having a good lumbar chair doesn’t automatically relieve you of all pain. In fact, it won’t help at all, if you aren’t sitting at it properly. Here is what you need to get the most out of your chair:
* Adjust the height so that your feet are resting comfortably on the ground. If this isn’t possible, place a box on the floor so your feet can rest on it. This will help take away some stress on your lower back.
* Roll the chair right up to your desk, so that your upper arms are resting by your side, and the monitor is an arm’s length away. Just like the dinner table, elbows should be off slightly.
* Adjust the monitor’s height so you are looking into the center of it, without bending your neck.
* Sit all the way back in the chair and that the lumbar curve fits right into the small of your back. Leaning forward puts a lot of stress on your lower back, hips, and even the neck.
All other options on the chair are purely personal, such as padding and ease of rolling. Sit in a few to try them out before buying one.
3. Drink Plenty of Water
I know, it seems odd that I am discussing water when talking about laptops. But, it makes sense, because I am talking about remaining our healthiest while working at a laptop.
First, drinking lots of water is healthy, period. Second, it will most likely encourage you to get up once in a while to take a break, which is great for your body. Getting up and walking around during the day will rejuvenate both your body and your mind.
4. Eat Light and Healthy Snacks
Again, it makes sense. By eating healthy and taking care of our bodies, it will take some pressure off our joints, literally. Our weight and strength both play a role in how much we hurt.
If we snack on light and healthy snacks, it will not only get us up for a break, but also will lead to more energy, both body and mind.
5. Get Up and Move During Your Breaks
If you want to eliminate some of the pain from sitting all day, don’t sit all day. Take a couple breaks, or as many as it takes… before you are too stiff to move at all. Movement will do your body a world of good, as well as your career.
In Closing
Hopefully I have shared some valuable information to help you remain healthy while working at a laptop all day. I know it has all helped me, and the result is more energy for my career, and my family.
So, I am all too familiar with the aches and pains that are associated with long term ‘lap-topping’, above and beyond that which comes from sitting at a traditional desktop computer. The good news is that I have decided to do something about it.
I have discovered ways to help relieve some of the pains and stresses that go along with using a laptop, as well as working on any computer all day long. Let’s face it, sitting at our computers all day can be great for business. Our bodies, not so much.
Typical Ailments we Battle
Among some of the worse ailments that come along with working at a computer all day are a sore back, hips, and neck. And, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to invest all my earnings into a back pain specialist, or a series of physical therapy sessions.
Other ailments include fatigue, poor posture, and weight gain. Ironically, all of these I just mentioned can intensify the other aches and pains if we don’t get them under control. It’s a Catch-22, so to speak, isn’t it?
So, read on to find out what you can do right now to counter it.
1. Ergonomics Tools and Ideas
One of the downfalls to working on a laptop, is that it doesn’t allow for ergonomics as easily as the traditional desktop computer, because it’s an all-in-one system, rather than separate components. However, Dr. Tamara James of Duke gives some valuable information for protecting our bodies while working on a laptop.
She recommends using a docking system, and work with an external monitor that can be adjusted in height. Also, an external keyboard allows you to use one that is ergonomic in helping to reduce strain on the wrists. If you can avoid Carpal Tunnel, do. It often requires surgery, with a recovery of about 6 weeks. And, there’s no guarantee that it will be successful.
If you see a Chiropractor, ask them to check your wrists if you are having some pain through them. I was amazed a few years ago when I thought for sure I was facing surgery, until my Chiropractor did just one adjustment on them.
Some people might not want to deal with all the extra external components mentioned above. So, an option would be to buy a device that elevates the laptop slightly, and on an angle. The angle creates the proper alignment so your neck and eyes are not strained, as well as the wrists.
2. Lumbar Chair
Talking about a good lumbar chair warrants its own section. The reason is because it’s really important to your overall well-being when sitting all day, including how you use it.
Having a good lumbar chair doesn’t automatically relieve you of all pain. In fact, it won’t help at all, if you aren’t sitting at it properly. Here is what you need to get the most out of your chair:
* Adjust the height so that your feet are resting comfortably on the ground. If this isn’t possible, place a box on the floor so your feet can rest on it. This will help take away some stress on your lower back.
* Roll the chair right up to your desk, so that your upper arms are resting by your side, and the monitor is an arm’s length away. Just like the dinner table, elbows should be off slightly.
* Adjust the monitor’s height so you are looking into the center of it, without bending your neck.
* Sit all the way back in the chair and that the lumbar curve fits right into the small of your back. Leaning forward puts a lot of stress on your lower back, hips, and even the neck.
All other options on the chair are purely personal, such as padding and ease of rolling. Sit in a few to try them out before buying one.
3. Drink Plenty of Water
I know, it seems odd that I am discussing water when talking about laptops. But, it makes sense, because I am talking about remaining our healthiest while working at a laptop.
First, drinking lots of water is healthy, period. Second, it will most likely encourage you to get up once in a while to take a break, which is great for your body. Getting up and walking around during the day will rejuvenate both your body and your mind.
4. Eat Light and Healthy Snacks
Again, it makes sense. By eating healthy and taking care of our bodies, it will take some pressure off our joints, literally. Our weight and strength both play a role in how much we hurt.
If we snack on light and healthy snacks, it will not only get us up for a break, but also will lead to more energy, both body and mind.
5. Get Up and Move During Your Breaks
If you want to eliminate some of the pain from sitting all day, don’t sit all day. Take a couple breaks, or as many as it takes… before you are too stiff to move at all. Movement will do your body a world of good, as well as your career.
In Closing
Hopefully I have shared some valuable information to help you remain healthy while working at a laptop all day. I know it has all helped me, and the result is more energy for my career, and my family.
Monday, 9 April 2012
Are Your Internet Marketing Tactics too Aggressive?
Internet marketing isn’t just about advertising to people to get them to buy from you. It’s also about building relationships with your audience so that they will want to do business with you and so that they will want to refer others to you, too. If your marketing tactics are more like pressure sales tactics, you probably won’t do very well. Most people prefer a soft sell to a hard one and it can take time to build trust, particularly online.
Here are some things to remember when you do your internet marketing:
Check your bounce rate regularly. Is it climbing higher?
Watch subscriber numbers. Do people quickly unsubscribe or un-follow?
What’s your rate of repeat customers?
What’s your rate of referring customers?
What’s your online page rank? Who’s linking to you?
Bounce Rate: A bounce is a person who leaves the same page of your site they arrive on. Something about the page did not appeal to them or maybe it turned them off. Your website statistics will tell you what your bounce rate is. Take this seriously on a per page basis so you can tweak every single page that people land on to make sure nothing is off-putting or too aggressive.
Unsubscribers: If you’re building an internet marketing mailing list and trying to market via social sites, the numbers are very revealing. If, for instance, you lose a bunch of subscribers after a specific activity, this can tell you that the activity was either annoying, aggressive, or badly orchestrated. Learn from these mistakes. And conversely, if numbers surge after specific activities, this tells you that certain things are appealing to your audience. Watch your social media follower numbers as well. A big drop or a big jump warrants analysis on your part.
Repeats and Referrals: If people buy from you once and then never buy again, either they weren’t happy or you simply didn’t take advantage of the fact that they might be open to buying again. Make sure you strive to capitalise on new customer activities so that you don’t miss out on opportunities to engage them again. Test out some different techniques to find the right one for re-engaging past customers.
Initiating a referral process is smart, too. Reward people for referring others, if possible. And try to develop a method of finding out how people find you. People often refer business when they’re happy and getting a high number of referrals will tell you that you’re doing something right.
Measure your online reputation: Do you have a good Google page rank? The quantity and quality of sites that point to your website can be telling about your online reputation with people and with search engines. The first few pages of Google and Bing results are going to be telling, too. You want to know what people will find when they search for you. If your site is quite new it can take time to figure this out but keep it in mind when measuring your internet marketing campaigns so you’ll know if your reputation is helping you, hurting you, or if you need to do more to manage that reputation.
Internet marketing is a work in progress. It’s an ever changing climate in the world of online business. Finding the right approach to foster and nurture relationships can take time. Working continually at refining your processes will serve you well and help you maximise your return on investment in internet marketing techniques.
This post is brought to you by Chris Jenkinson who can help you with your internet marketing needs.
Here are some things to remember when you do your internet marketing:
Check your bounce rate regularly. Is it climbing higher?
Watch subscriber numbers. Do people quickly unsubscribe or un-follow?
What’s your rate of repeat customers?
What’s your rate of referring customers?
What’s your online page rank? Who’s linking to you?
Bounce Rate: A bounce is a person who leaves the same page of your site they arrive on. Something about the page did not appeal to them or maybe it turned them off. Your website statistics will tell you what your bounce rate is. Take this seriously on a per page basis so you can tweak every single page that people land on to make sure nothing is off-putting or too aggressive.
Unsubscribers: If you’re building an internet marketing mailing list and trying to market via social sites, the numbers are very revealing. If, for instance, you lose a bunch of subscribers after a specific activity, this can tell you that the activity was either annoying, aggressive, or badly orchestrated. Learn from these mistakes. And conversely, if numbers surge after specific activities, this tells you that certain things are appealing to your audience. Watch your social media follower numbers as well. A big drop or a big jump warrants analysis on your part.
Repeats and Referrals: If people buy from you once and then never buy again, either they weren’t happy or you simply didn’t take advantage of the fact that they might be open to buying again. Make sure you strive to capitalise on new customer activities so that you don’t miss out on opportunities to engage them again. Test out some different techniques to find the right one for re-engaging past customers.
Initiating a referral process is smart, too. Reward people for referring others, if possible. And try to develop a method of finding out how people find you. People often refer business when they’re happy and getting a high number of referrals will tell you that you’re doing something right.
Measure your online reputation: Do you have a good Google page rank? The quantity and quality of sites that point to your website can be telling about your online reputation with people and with search engines. The first few pages of Google and Bing results are going to be telling, too. You want to know what people will find when they search for you. If your site is quite new it can take time to figure this out but keep it in mind when measuring your internet marketing campaigns so you’ll know if your reputation is helping you, hurting you, or if you need to do more to manage that reputation.
Internet marketing is a work in progress. It’s an ever changing climate in the world of online business. Finding the right approach to foster and nurture relationships can take time. Working continually at refining your processes will serve you well and help you maximise your return on investment in internet marketing techniques.
This post is brought to you by Chris Jenkinson who can help you with your internet marketing needs.
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