Skype is a really cool utility that allows you to make voice and video calls over the internet … for FREE in most cases!  You can also make conference calls and IM, transfer files and share screens, among other things.  Skype also offers pay services like Skype to land line phones and mobiles for very low rates.  (You can, however, use the Skype app on your phone to take advantage of the free services!  I’ve tested it on the iPhone 4 and it works great!  So, in essence, you can make a Skype call from your phone to a PC or another mobile using the Skype app without using any minutes!).

All of this is to say that by using Skype, you can save money.  And saving money improves your company’s bottom line!  Getting started is easy – you simply download Skype to your computer, and follow the prompts to set up your account.  You can search for other people you know on Skype as well as encourage those that you call a great deal to also begin using Skype.

Skype is one of those tools that just makes sense for business owners.  Take a few minutes to explore the website, download the app, sign up and then save money!

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1. Blogs are dynamic in nature and are LOVED by search engines like Google and Yahoo!.  Assuming that you’re keeping to a regular editorial schedule, there will regularly be new content.  And the search engines love new content.  As a result, blogs tend to be indexed far more often than websites.  And when you depend on internet search results to fill part of your marketing pipeline, this is a very important reason!
2. Blogs enable “2 way communication” with your audience.  Unlike static websites and print media, as an example, blogs provide a platform for you to interact with your visitors through the comments feature that every blog contains (unless it’s been disabled!  Tip: Don’t disable comments!).
3. Blogs can help you to build your personal brand as well as the brand and culture of your company!  Unlike static websites that are often very “scripted” (you know what I mean … “About Us” … “Services” … “Portfolio” … etc.), blogs are much more free-flowing and give you the ability to wonder from topic to topic, expressing your views, offering how-to’s and advice and interacting with your readers.  Throughout the process, your personality and the culture of your company show through.  All good things!
4. Blogs are cheap and super easy to set up!  No joke – you can set up a blog for you or your company in about 5 minutes, totally for free!  A few platforms that you might review are Wordpress, Typepad and Blogger.  If you’re interested in having more control over the look and feel of your blog as well as getting access to “advanced” features, you might consider a paid subscription.  But that’s not really necessary!  Of course, you always have the option of hiring a professional designer like MDesign Media to create a custom blog for you.  We can even integrate your blog into your website in many cases, just like we did for one of our partners, Visual Alliance Media!

So those are some of the reasons that you should consider starting a blog for yourself or your company if you haven’t already.  And if we can do anything to help you with the process, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

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I narrowed down my shortlist to 3 of the top 5 accountants and began making phone calls.  I talked with one of them and left a message for the next.  Not wanting to bias myself any further, I saved the accountant with the great website for last.  Was I surprised at what happened next!  An auto-attendant answered.  No problem.  I listened to the directory choices and input the number for the person I was trying to reach.  After a long pause, the auto-attendant said “no one is answering at that extension.  Press 1 to leave a message in the general mailbox.”  So I pressed 1.  Then I heard “You cannot leave a message for this person.  The mailbox is full.”

Now keep in mind that I was calling around 11 AM on a weekday (not Monday!), so there should be no reason that the mailbox would be full if it were regularly tended to.  And what happened to the accountant that was not answering his/her extension and had no voicemail set up?

I walked away from that experience with a reaffirmed belief that having a great website is a “must” but is not the “only”!  Sure, the website caught my attention, but then it was downhill from there.  The best companies are those that have a strong brand, great customer service, broad and relevant experience and a flawless reputation.  Oh…AND a great website!

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Whether you are someone who is charge of a particular project or you are simply the person who is looking to make sure that things stay efficient and timely, you will find that you need to be wise to the ways that people pretend that they are working!  Check out this list of the top ways that people will waste their time while on the clock.

1.Checking their email
The problem with checking their email is that it can look a lot like checking up on work correspondence.  You will find, however, that even if your company doesn’t allow chat programs, that email can work in much the same way.  This is a hard one to catch, unless they are using an email client that is not the common one that is used by your company.

2.Writing and drawing
There are a lot of employees who will spend their time writing or drawing on the clock.  In many ways, this is just like pretending to take notes when in high school.  Unless you can specifically spot what they are working on, you will find that this is used by people who are looking to look busy.

3.Toys
There are plenty of toys that seem fairly innocuous until you realize how much time they are taking off.  When used properly, a few minutes playing with a toy can mean that your employee is getting a quick mental break while they are working on a problem, but in the wrong hands, it can be used by someone to slack off for literally hours!  Even paper clips and pens can become toys to someone who is avoiding work, so keep an eye out for odd office sculptures.

4.Lots of windows
If your office allows web surfing, watch out for the person who is always minimizing windows when you walk by.  With th advent of tabbed browsing, it has become even easier to hide pages of recreational material.  You will find that the titles of the tabs aren’t even necessarily accurate, as with the right downloads, the labels of the tabs can be changed to something much more work-oriented.

5.Constant trips to the water cooler/break room
One way that people will pretend that they are doing work is that they will take excessive quick breaks.  These breaks are not on the clock, and you will find that they can chew up a lot more time that you might think.  Knowing something about the traffic patterns of your employees can go a long way towards preventing this.

6.Chatting with other co-workers
Sometimes co-workers need to talk to figure out what is going with various projects and concerns, and other times it is just socializing or more organized work avoidance.  This can eat up a lot of the day, and you may even find that one employee is instigating the entire exchange and the other employee just can’t figure out how to tell them to leave!

7.Smoke breaks
These can actually be a lot more constant than you might think.  This can be time spent off the clock, and it is a privilege that can be abused quite heavily.
 

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