It's Time To Read Faster

With more and more blogs out there, it’s tough to consume all the information you want to in a given day. You can’t log onto Facebook without a list of links to interesting information. A Twitter stream flies past you faster than a 95 mph fastball. 

Improving my reading speed is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I recently received the push I needed from Julien Smith, someone you should be reading if you aren’t already.

There’s a whole lot of business, technology, and news blogs on the Internet reaching for your attention. Sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get to all that is captivating. I recently found a tool that might help move through that information a little faster.

Accelareader pushes you to read faster by showing you one word at a time, at a speed that you are able to set. Most people read at about 200 wpm, but if you are able to keep up, you can set the speed for as fast as you need.

All you need to do is copy and paste the info on to the box on the home page of the website and set the speed. From there, your reading will be done in a form that looks closer to a rapidly moving Youtube video.

Hopefully Accelareader can help you get through your reading list a little faster than you otherwise would. The goal for me is, to use this program and some basic speed reading concepts to improve my overall reading speed over time.

Utilize Your G+ Profile

Earlier this week Google announced their plan to incorporate social search into their algorithms. The plan is called Social Plus Your World. What does this mean for businesses struggling to get their name out there?

Results from your social networks will also factor into your search.

You can’t ignore social. You need to be prominent on the social networks, and at least for right now, active on Google Plus. G+ profiles and pages are showing up high in the search rankings.

Photos, status updates, and other information from friends profiles will also be showing up in the results. While G+ may not have Facebook’s 700 million users, it offers a different advantage: the power to be found.

It will remain to be seen whether Facebook, Twitter or anyone else can prevent Google from tying their social media and search engine together. Until that’s stopped, you might want to beef up your G+ profile.

There’s some good visibility there.

Organize Your Brain

When inspiration strikes, are you prepared? Have you ever had a good idea and nowhere to file it away?

I recently discovered the benefits of the app, Evernote.

It is a good way to make sure there’s one central location for you to keep an electronic filing cabinet. You can create an unlimited amount of notes, and modify them as you see fit. You can use type, audio and photos. It’s an excellent way to keep track of the things you have going on.

There could be a little more functionality with this app, however. You can’t combine mediums in any one note. If it’s a written note, there’s no photos. If it’s a photo note, there’s no words, etc…

You can use this app to organize the random thoughts that pop into your head. You can use it to keep a grocery list. You can write blog notes. I just began using this app to keep me a little more sane. It’s a great tool for those who think about things at inopportune times.

For example, I’m at a bar with friends when the perfect phrasing for a writing project I’m working on comes into my brain. The next morning, I’m working on the writing project, and the perfect thing to say to my friends pops in. There are a lot of times I operate backwards like that. I use this app to help me keep track of things…

Have you found a good application for Evernote? I’d like to hear it.

Speak Your Searches With Google Voice On Chrome

Has anyone else noticed the Voice Search from Google? They began rolling it out over the summer, and it is on the Google search in the Chrome browser. It’s not quite the same level as Siri, but I’m sure Google will have enhancements in store.

Right now, it is simply for Google searches, and seems to be pretty accurate, if you give it keywords. It doesn’t have the knowledge base that Siri builds up, however. For example, I asked Siri “How do I get to Iowa?” and it gave me directions to Des Moines, from my current location. I asked Google voice, and I still get some irrelevant searches for Iowa.

It will happen soon for Google, I’m sure, but it hasn’t happened yet. The Android voice recognition still has problems understanding the question correctly. Once they build in a strong artificial intelligence system, they’ll be able to compete with Apple on that front.

My guess is we’ll see more of the personal assistant type apps in home computing as well. Can you imagine simply telling your computer to play a movie, or make a Facebook post? Have it answer a question, or play your favorite music.

This will also be an interesting progression in home and business automation. Tell your computer to turn the heat down, or bill a client. Apple was ahead of the curve again, and the possibilities with this one are endless.

Generating Business Leads

I was just going through LinkedIn questions, when I found one asking the best ways for a small business to generate leads. There are many ways to do this. First off, it’s important to understand that the internet has replaced the phone book.

I just watched the movie Searching For Bobbie Fischer again. You know that scene where the kid sits on some phone books to be able to see, when he plays chess with his dad? That’s about the best use for these massive books anymore.

With that in mind, I would direct the majority of your lead-generating effort online. Networking and cold calls are still important, but you want to make sure that what people see 24/7 is the best representation of your business.

Website—This is the best place to start any effort to gain more leads. Make sure you’ve got a current, competitive design. Make sure it looks right on a mobile device. Many designs look dated. Your customers can tell. Make sure it has a solid navigational structure. People should also be able to easily contact you. It should represent your business like an online salesperson.

SEO—Search Engine Optimization is also hugely important. This is the practice of making sure your web site and your business are represented well in the search engines. Quality content, the proper back end tags, strong social media, and link building all come into play here. You can have the most beautiful website in the world. If no one finds it, you won’t have any leads.

Social Media—My first social media lead happened like this. I watched the fireworks for the town I lived in. I tweeted that I was doing so. Somebody else responded to me. A few months later that somebody else needed a web site redesign for their business. They called. Social media leads can take time to formulate. It is crucial for any business to have a network of customers and potential customers to engage with on a regular basis. This will only increase the strength of your brand. You never know who you will find, and where you will find them.

Press Releases—Make sure and try press releases and online press releases. Are you a new business? Are you celebrating an anniversary, or have a newsworthy product release? A press release can help. There are plenty of distribution sites out there that will help get the word out. Don’t forget about your local news agencies. They can still kick up some business for you.

Networking—Old fashioned networking groups still help. Go. Find people in other related businesses, and make connections. Again, they may not need your services for months. But it pays if you are the one they think of when they do need your services.

Cold Calls—I have to admit, not my favorite way to find leads, but it can be effective. If you call the right places, and enough of them, you may be able to find a job or two.

If you have a strong message, and use these strategies effectively, the leads should follow.

Go Mobile, Or Go Home

By 2013, mobile phones will overtake PCs as the most common Internet access device worldwide. Think about what that means for a minute.

More people will be accessing your web site through a screen that fits in your pocket than on a desktop or laptop. We are truly becoming a nation on the go.

Are you ready for this change? There are certain things that can be done to brace for this emerging trend.

First, is your web site optimized for it? Is it readable from an iPhone or Android device? It should be. People need to make sense of that information on the go.

Have you thought about an app for your business? If you are in retail or food, this is especially important. It means easier access to your products for consumers, and that is what will matter.

Do you use QR codes? Those little boxes that you see on promotional material allow for immediate access to your web site. If you’re not using them, you are missing a chance to drive traffic to your web site.

Have you thought about revising your web site content for this phenomenon? People are not going to want to read pages of content. Give them what they want quicker.

There’s a Mark Twain quote about how he would have written less if he had more time. This quote will have a lot of impact as attention spans shrink even further. As the real estate for web content shrinks, it becomes more valuable.

These are just a few things to consider as the market shifts. More and more people are buying smart phones and tablets. Make sure your marketing is tailored to them, or you will be left behind.

Siri Will Change the Game

It’s been less than 24 hours, but I can already tell that having the iPhone 4s is going to be great. The improved camera, 16G of hard drive space and Siri, all make for a fun and exciting experience.

If it wasn’t for Siri, I would have gladly kept the 4 that I bought a few days ago.
But I had to explore the opportunities that the new Siri offers. So as soon as the Apple store had a 4s available, I exchanged it.

First off it’s really helpful to just say “text Meg I’m running late,” and have it happen. Or to ask “What are some pizza restaurants near here?” and get a list. Siri is a good time saver that way.

It’s also like a more advanced magic 8 ball with a sense of humor. Ask it the meaning of life, and you may get the answer “42,” a reference to “Hitchhiker’s Guide To the Galaxy.” Or you may get a Wikipedia definition on the word “life.” Swear during your inquiry and it may respond, “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

Siri has the ability to find the data to settle a disagreement. “Who was the 13th president?” Unless you were a history teacher, you may not remember that it was Millard Fillmore.

If it can’t immediately call up the answer, it offers a quick web search, which is helpful. This tool has the ability to save a great amount of time.

It’s also a matter of time before social rankings factor in to the equation. Businesses will be doing all they can to rank high in the Siri search. We’ll be seeing the Android equivalent soon.

The next leap of social marketing is right in front of us. Enjoy.

New iPhone Sounds Plain Awesome

The recent Blackberry outage could not have happened at a worse time. The company is in imminent danger of being passed by. Only days before the iPhone 4s release, I’m sure there are customers prepared to head straight to the Apple store.

Yes, the outage is over now. No, it is not the sole reason I’m buying a new phone the day I become eligible. It sure made the decision easier, though.

Two years ago Blackberry seemed the perfect fit. It got me used to portable email, and updating Facebook and Twitter on the go. A lot has happened since then, however. iPhones. Droids. Touch phones. For me, I have to go with the newer, sexier and just plain better.

I’ve been counting down the days (19) until my contract runs out. I’ve had my eye on the iPhone 4s since Apple announced it. With Siri, it sounds just plain awesome.

You can give the phone a voice command, and the phone does the rest. Send a text. What’s the weather outside? Where’s the closest pizza restaurant? What’s the closest store that carries Advil? The phone handles the details and gives you the answer.

To me, it sounds like the game is changing again. It’s a matter of time before small businesses need to crack the algorithms for its search. Social will eventually play a heavy part in this. Pretty soon you’ll get your Pizza restaurants back not only in order of closest to you, but also in order of highest favorable Yelp reviews.

The possibilities are endless and the game is changing again. I’m excited to get my new phone. It won’t be Friday, but it will be soon.