Myspace Returns With New Design Focused on Creative Professionals

Myspace is back, and it actually might be worth the time and effort for certain types of small businesses.

Although the site never actually left, it's been steadily losing its user base to other social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. But now, the site has been completely revamped and it is more focused on new and emerging artists rather than trying to restore its place as the all-encompassing social networking site.

New MySpace

For small businesses in the entertainment or arts industry, including musicians, promoters, designers, photographers, filmmakers and other artists, this new Myspace could prove to be a useful promotion and networking tool.

After all, Myspace does have some high-profile investors such as Justin Timberlake, who is reportedly working on getting some celebrity friends to sign up and use the site, which is currently owned by brothers Tim and Chris Vanderhook.

The actual design of the site is quite different from the Myspace you might remember. It looks similar to a Pinterest-style collage, but everything scrolls horizontally rather than vertically. This feed layout gives users a platform to discover new musicians and artists, and easily save events and bookmark videos and other media.

But it's not without some of the old features. Users can still create profiles, add photos and other media like songs and mixes, post text updates, and talk to friends who are now called “connections.”

Even before Myspace lost many of its daily users and went through its redesign, it was more focused on music and artistic media more than sites like Facebook have been. And musicians and other artists were some of the last to remain on the old Myspace once other users began flocking to other sites. So the emphasis on art and media and its usefulness to those in the industry might not be such a stretch.

Aside from the potential promotional value of Myspace, artists can use it to see analytics about their fans, including demographics and geographical data, as well as which users are most influential in their network. They can also send out messages to their fans, updating them about new shows, products, or behind the scenes information.

Check out the preview video below:




Conference Calling Putting a Hole In Your Wallet? Here\'s A Solution To Make More Affordable Conference Calls

The laws of physics state that it's not probable that we'll invent a way for you to be in two places at the same time. However, they never mention anything about not being able to virtualize your presence in more than one place at the same time. We're in an era where mobile phones have become a powerful influencer of how people conduct businesses. Conference calling from a mobile phone is rather easy now, but the prices can get a bit exotic.

Scheduling a vacation is virtually impossible when you have a meeting to attend while you're out of town until you consider the possibility of conferencing with you and your employees without having to be in the premises. This is made possible with the advent of mobile conference calling. There's a simple app called CrowdCall that makes sure you can get this done right from any iOS or Android phone.

With CrowdCall, you don't have to jump through hoops to complete a full conference call. The app calls you from its own switch and the call starts. You also can call any phone, regardless of whether it has the app or not.

Randy Adams, CEO of SocialDial (the company that published CrowdCall), said, “Mobile devices are becoming the standard for business communication, and that means conference call hosts are increasingly initiating calls from mobile devices. Despite the fact that this is a multi-billion dollar market, nobody is innovating in the mobile conferencing space. We are excited that CrowdCall has reached the million call mark in just a few weeks and we look forward to continued growth with our new feature-rich updates.”

That's not the beautiful part of it, though. CrowdCall has a system that allows you to establish a plan that includes covered calls in 40 different countries. The plan costs $0.00 for 500 minutes! For more minutes, they have premium plans: $9.99 for 1000 minutes, $49.99 for 10,000 minutes, and $99 for unlimited monthly calling.

If you are a heavy-duty conference caller, this is the ideal app that allows you to include employees and freelancers around the world in your conversations. Collaboration has never been easier!



Hiring Temporary Employees: Read This First

When your small business needs extra hands on deck during busy times, are you relying more and more on temporary employees to fill the bill? You're not alone. NBCnews recently reported that the trend toward temporary employment is becoming a permanent feature of the U.S. economic landscape.

Temporary Employees

The number of temporary employees has increased by more than 40 percent since 2009, to about 2.53 million Americans, according to figures cited in the article, which focuses on bigger companies hiring temps, then letting them go when needed so they can operate “lean and mean.”

That system may work for major corporations (if not for the temporary employees), but how do temporary workers work out for small businesses? If you're considering hiring temps, here are some factors to consider:

  • Cost. Carefully consider the cost of hiring temporary workers, keeping in mind that some of their wages go to the temp agency. Know the going rate for the jobs you are hiring for in your area, and consider whether bringing on a part-timer (with no benefits) might be cheaper than hiring a temp.
  • Convenience. Of course, sometimes (like when a sudden crunch hits your business) it may be worth spending extra money to have a temp agency find a qualified worker for you, handle payroll and paperwork and otherwise take hassles off your hands.
  • Training. Know how much training the position requires. Is it the type of job where a qualified temp can be shown their desk, given a computer and immediately get to work? Or will it require learning your specific systems and processes? Consider whether the time needed to get temps up to speed outweighs the convenience they offer.
  • Quality. Working with a temporary agency you trust is important. I've had situations where temps showed up one day and disappeared the next. When you've got deadlines to meet and your temps drop the ball, you may wish you had a regular employee to pick up the slack.
  • Your employees. Are your regular employees spending too much of their time training, initiating and helping struggling temps? Be careful bitterness doesn't build if employees feel they're putting in extra time but getting nothing in return. Relying too heavily on temps can also leave your team feeling like there's no room for advancement at the company.
  • Your customers. If your business is relationship-focused or your customers require lots of hand-holding, putting temps in customer-facing positions can send the wrong message. An inexperienced temp who handles one key client the wrong way can cost you far more than you saved by hiring him or her.

I may sound like I'm badmouthing the temporary employee concept. Far from it-I have relied on temps many times. And I understand small business owners' reluctance to hire full-time workers they might have to let go.

Temps can be a great way for a small business to staff up or down on an as-needed basis. But if you expect temps to be a panacea for your staffing and budget woes, you might need to look more closely at all your options.

Do you use temps in your business? How is it working out for you?

Temp Employees Photo via Shutterstock




Need a Website? VFlyer Offers Simple but Feature-Rich Website Builder

Anyone who's ever tried to build a website knows how complicated it can be. WordPress Themes can be great, but many of the themes emphasize a site's blog, when not all small businesses need a blog on the main page. Third-party WordPress themes can have bugs and be difficult to install and maintain. There has to be an easier way.

VFlyer says it has that solution. SmallBizTechnology's Ramon Ray recently gave VFlyer a try and found that he was able to create a nice-looking site in only a few minutes. He was even able to add modules and customize the site to make it look exactly the way he wanted.

“While my favorite tool is WordPress, WordPress is not for everyone as sometimes you don't want a BLOG formatted web site but you do want a true web site with a layout that does not look like a blog,” Ramon says.

VFlyer has been around since 2004, but recently it upgraded its free website builder tool. The company originally offered templates and tools for Craigslist listings and e-mail newsletters, but it recognized a need for customizable websites for small businesses.

“Until now, small businesses have faced a tough choice when it comes to building a website,” said vFlyer CEO Aaron Sperling. “They could opt for a free or low-cost website builder, which tend to be limited in what they offer, or choose a more sophisticated content management system (CMS), which are typically more powerful but also more complex and difficult to learn. We've identified the core capabilities of powerful CMS systems and simplified them to create an intuitive and cost-effective solution for small business owners.”

One of the main goals of this launch was to provide a site small business owners could continue to update after its launch. Whether a business owner uses a tool or hires a designer, often a site can't easily be updated once it's live. Some of the features of vFlyer's enhanced web development tool are:

  • Structured content templates: These ready-made templates allow users to easily add articles, client testimonials, team member lists, and more. Users can further customize these templates to fit the theme of their business.
  • Advanced page templates: Changes a business owner makes to one page will not impact the other pages of the site.
  • Safety net feature: vFlyer offers an undo/redo button that can keep a site manager from spending hours fixing the damage done by one mistake.
  • vFlyer Marketing integration: For users who take advantage of vFlyer Marketing, the site now allows easy integration with websites designed using the service. This can help keep your business's inventory updated.
  • Module copying: Site owners can save modules to copy for a separate page that can then be updated. This can save hours spent recreating the same design over multiple pages.
  • Preview environment: Site owners can now test a site before going live with it, thanks to vFlyer's preview environment.

With the free plan, small business owners get up to ten pages per site. For a more intensive site with  more storage and pages, subscriptions start at $12 per month. While free plans allow owners to create a personalized URL, paid plans let owners link a domain name to their site.



Research firm discovers new Java sandbox vulnerability

A research firm has discovered what's being called a critical flaw in Java SE that could enable an attacker to bypass a key security safeguard, potentially putting as many as 1 billion Java installations at risk.

The vulnerability, found by security research consultancy Security Exploitations, was disclosed Tuesday via the Seclists.org Full Disclosure mailing list. The issue affects specific builds of Oracle Corp.'s Java SE, versions 5, 6, and 7.

Adam Gowdiak, Security Exploitations founder and CEO, wrote that his group was able to use the flaw to bypass the security measures of the Java sandbox, a special memory area that the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) sets aside for the execution of untrusted code. An attacker could use the flaw to execute malicious code and gain at least partial control over a target system.

Gowdiak told Computerworld that while Security Exploitations tested the flaw on a fully patched Windows 7 32-bit system using the Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Opera and Safari Web browsers, virtually any endpoint running Windows, Linux, Solaris or MacOS that has Java SE version 5, 6, or 7 installed is vulnerable.

In his Seclists post, Gowdiak said information on the vulnerability was provided to Oracle. As of Wednesday morning, Oracle has yet to respond. To secure endpoints in the meantime, told Computerworld that Java Web browser plugins should be disabled until Oracle issues patches.

Word of the new flaw comes just weeks after Oracle issued a rare emergency out-of-band patch for a Java zero-day flaw. That Java flaw enabled an attacker to install a dropper onto infected systems, which are then instructed to download additional malware from a remote server. However, researchers quickly discovered a flaw in Oracle's patch.

The new Java problem was announced on the eve of Oracle's annual JavaOne conference, likely as a dig to Oracle, a company whose approach to software security has come under heavy criticism in recent years.

"We hope that a news about 1 billion users of Oracle Java SE software being vulnerable to yet another security flaw is not gonna spoil the taste of Larry Ellison's morning…Java," Gowdiak wrote.




5 Tools To Help You Close Sales Deals

Making sales is difficult enough.  You've got competitors up to your ears, rapidly improving technology that continues to change your industry, and customers who will always shop based on price.

Who wouldn't take help if it was available?

The great thing about technology is that we're constantly seeing new products and services that help us as small business owners do more, and more efficiently.

closing the deal

Here are some of the latest and greatest sales tools and apps that can help you close more deals:

1. SalesTrakr

A sales tool worth checking out is SalesTrakr. It's especially useful if you need to limit access to data in your sales hierarchy. If you're a data junkie, SalesTrakr lets you create reports and lists to your heart's desire. You can also use Dropbox to keep all your client emails together.

Info: This platform appears to be Web only (no mobile app), and is $99 per user annually. The company blog says a mobile app is in the works.

2. Mothernode

If assigning leads to your salespeople gives you a headache, Mothernode may be able to help. The Web and mobile platform lets you assign leads and send all pertinent information about a lead to your sales rep easily. You can identify each lead as it progresses through your sales pipeline and assign action items so nothing falls through the cracks.

Info: Mothernode has monthly and yearly plans, starting at $39.99 per user per month. It's available as an app for both iPhones and Android phones.

3. DemandForce

Purchased by Intuit, DemandForce focuses on the communications side of sales. The software allows users to manage referrals and their online reputation, as well as create targeted offers. The platform has solutions catered to dozens of industries.

Info: Pricing isn't posted on the site, though visitors are invited to request a demo. It appears to have a mobile app for iPhone.

4. PipelineDeals

PipelineDeals helps simplify the sales pipeline by tracking progress of sales leads and standardizing common processes. Users can set sales goals to foster competition and get real-time status updates on deals.

Info: Plans start at $15 a month, and the site doesn't list a mobile version.

5. Do.com

Part productivity tool, part sales tool, Salesforce's Do.com boils down what can be a complex system for salespeople and makes it easy to collaborate on the sales process, as well as track deals and revenue. New features let you collaborate with contacts from Gmail, Facebook and other social channels.

Info: Currently available for the iPhone, Do.com expects to release its Android app soon as well. The platform is free, though there may be fees for using some features like Deals and Contacts beyond the free level.

Why Focus on Sales-Driving Tools?

If you've heard a lot about CRM (customer relationship management) tools, you may wonder why you should consider tools like the ones mentioned above. Brent Leary, owner of CRM Essentials, says you might not need so much power for your small business:

“CRM suites are broader in functionality and may be overkill for small organizations very focused on selling.”

Leary suggests looking for an app or platform that is nimble and easy to configure for your organization's needs. Here are the questions he recommends asking when choosing sales tools:

  • How easy is it to share information and collaborate with the sales team?
  • Does it integrate with popular data sources like InsideView, Data.com and Fliptop.com?  Social profiles from Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn?
  • Does it integrate with popular email services like Outlook and Gmail, as many sales pros still do most of their 1-on-1 interactions via email?
  • Does it work with the mobile devices your sales team is using?

Consider what your business' needs are, and where your focus is. If you want to manage your client relationships, CRM should work just fine. But if you're extremely sales-driven, a sales-focused tool might fit the bill better.

Closing The Deal Photo via Shutterstock




IEEE confirms 100,000 user credentials were stored unencrypted on a public FTP site

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has confirmed that it suffered a major data breach a week ago.

In a statement, posted here, it said that it had "become aware of an incident regarding inadvertent access to unencrypted log files containing user IDs and passwords". It confirmed that the matter had been addressed and resolved and confirmed that no financial information was made accessible.

The IEEE said: “However it was theoretically possible for an unauthorised party, using your ID and password, to have accessed your IEEE account. IEEE takes the protection of your privacy very seriously. Therefore, as a precautionary measure, IEEE has terminated access to your account under your current password. The next time you log in, you will be required to authenticate through the series of personal security questions you set up at the time you opened the account and to change your password.”

The statement, signed by IEEE chief marketing officer Patrick D. Mahoney, also said: “Please know that the IEEE takes the issue of safeguarding private information very seriously. We regret the occurrence of this incident and any inconvenience it may have caused you. We value our relationship with you and appreciate your understanding.”

The breach was originally discovered by Ragu Dragusin and is detailed here. He said that the credentials had been stored unencrypted for at least a month on the public FTP server. Dragusin reported the breach to the IEEE and said that among around 100,000 compromised users were Apple, Google, IBM, Oracle and Samsung employees, as well as researchers from NASA and Stanford University.

Dragusin said: “If leaving an FTP directory containing 100GB of logs publicly open could be a simple mistake in setting access permissions, keeping both usernames and passwords in plaintext is much more troublesome. Keeping a salted cryptographic hash of the password is considered best practice, since it would mitigate exactly such an access permission mistake.

“Also, keeping passwords in logs is inherently insecure, especially plaintext passwords, since any employee with access to logs (for the purpose of analysis, monitoring or intrusion detection) could pose a threat to the privacy of users.”

Brian Spector, CEO of CertiVox, said: “In hacker terms, if I knew how to access all your stuff, I knew what you were working on, I could grab it and sell it on and I could reuse your login details to potentially compromise any other sites or services you appear to subscribe to, I would have had a very good day at the office. Sadly, this is exactly what this breach potentially represents. Not only have usernames and passwords been made publicly visible, but so have all the actions users have performed on the IEEE website and the visitor activity on another IEEE sub-site.

“There is no reason whatsoever, in this day and age, and with the technology available, not to be using two-factor authentication, rather than vulnerable usernames and passwords, to authenticate access to websites - particularly when the kind of data that the IEEE is dealing with is not only commercially sensitive but economically and militarily sensitive too.”

Paul Ayers, VP EMEA of Vormetric, said: “In this particular incident, and with the information we know so far, the biggest mistakes appear to be twofold. First, a failure to take account of the nature of the data amassed and second, a subsequent failure to restrict access to the data. The IEEE files were chronicled when members entered their usernames and passwords on the IEEE site, thus logging personally identifiable credentials, IP addresses and HTTP requests of the visitors.

“This information was then stored unencrypted in a user accessible folder. Given the sensitivity of the information, this was not a best practice scenario.

“If this incident teaches us anything, it's that enterprises need to reconsider what is sensitive data, understand where that data resides, and take proactive measures to secure the sensitive data.”



GFI introduces new functions for patch management and scanning into 2013 anti-virus

GFI has introduced a patch management function into its anti-virus software to help further protect users.

The company announced the consumer product launches of Vipre Antivirus 2013 and Vipre Internet Security 2013 today and the business edition will be launched in early November. GFI has introduced three new features to remove old software, update third party patches and add improvements to its scanning capabilities.

Speaking to SC Magazine, Dodi Glenn, Vipre product manager at GFI, said that a scan is done of 18 third party applications that updates behind the scenes, including Adobe, Java and all browsers.

Mark Patton, general manager of the security business unit at GFI, said: “We know how to do this, we took the technology and built it in and the beta testers love this. We have not found a single machine that did not require an update. I would say two-thirds required several patches.

“The code looks at the browser plug-ins and scans them. It then downloads all the patches and applies them. The vulnerabilities are in the third party software.”

An 'easy install' feature will uninstall other anti-virus software at the point of installation. Glenn said: “You may need to run the tool to do a check-up, so we check before the installation to look for incompatible products, perform a reboot and they are uninstalled.

“Old software can lead to performance issues. This was in our business product and now it is in our consumer product.”

Also added is a 'rapid scan' feature that will scan a user's hard drive but having scanned documents once and confirmed that there is nothing malicious, it will not scan that every time, reducing deep scans that normally take an hour, according to the company.

Glenn said: “A two-three terabyte hard drive can be very cheap and it is full of photos and music, so we introduced a technology that will scan once and has no need to scan again. We wanted to make sure there was a good user experience. If anything is changed, it will monitor file changes and quarantines a file if it is malicious and inform the user. The first time any file enters the system it will scan it, there is no prompt behind the scan.”

GFI confirmed that it has added enhanced anti-rootkit technologies that find and disable malicious hidden processes, threats, modules, services and files on user systems, while removable device scanning scans USB sticks, CD/DVD-ROMS and external hard drives for threats automatically. GFI said that most of these features will be in the business edition.

Patton said: “The average internet user does not have the time or inclination to manage anti-virus software. They simply want a product they can easily install that protects against threats aimed at them, and one that doesn't interfere with their PC's performance.

“They don't have time to manage third-party software either, but they sure would like a simple and intuitive way to fix any weaknesses in their PC due to third-party applications. Vipre 2013 identifies these weaknesses and fixes them.”



Brucon: Challenges are not enjoyable if you already know the answers

Speaking at the opening keynote of the Brucon conference in Ghent, Microsoft senior security strategy lead Katie Moussouris said that attackers need defenders.

Talking about her childhood and her first Commodore 64, Moussouris said that her own curiosity led her to write 'choose your own adventure' games but said that "it was not so much fun when you know the answers to the challenges".

Moussouris said: “Attackers and defenders need each other as we do not know answers to the puzzles, it stops being fun when we know the answers. If we challenge each other we are playing in an incredible 'choose your own adventure' game. We are challenging each other and the status quo and sharing knowledge, these are my kind of people. With the internet and security, we have invited the world to play in their own 'choose your own adventure' game.

“Hackers follow curiosity and challenge the status quo, and without sharing knowledge things will not change. We have seen this in dark corners of our industry and defenders need to listen. The internet is profoundly different from a few years ago, computers now talk to each other without human intervention.

“I am not talking about tablets and smartphones, but social networking and cultural revolutions and the internet of things means appliances and your car are connected. This is the same as internet of PCs, it is wide open to abusers and you need to know what kind of adventure you have chosen.”

Moussouris likened the front line battles as defenders being like a mouse to the attackers cat, when in fact they need to be the mongoose to cobra and be a winner some of the time. “Computer security is still more mouse than mongoose and great attackers will be symbiotic sparring partners,” she said.

She concluded by challenging delegates to find the levers to move the world in the hacker space or in the meeting room or better yet, both.

“Make your voice heard and find your lever. The security sea cannot swell without a knowledge of offence and defence, you are the sea. Pirate a ship, ride the waves to leap forward, defenders cannot be decent defenders if they do not understand the attack,” she said.



Apps to Make Your Blogging Life Easier

As we've mentioned many times before, blogging is hard. It's hard to fit the habit into your day and to keep coming up with new and exciting things to talk about. So when inspiration strikes, you need to capture it. Regardless if that stroke of genius comes during your lunch break, when you're lying in bed, or when you're brushing your teeth in the morning. As busy business people and bloggers, we must record it!

using tablet

And that's where apps can come in handy, allowing you to take your genius with you, wherever you are. Below are some I rely on to make my blogging life easier:

Evernote

Evernote is everyone's favorite Web capture tool, as it lets us grab full Web pages, snippets of text, images, audio, whatever, and then quickly recall it later, when we need it.

For those of us constantly on the go, Evernote makes recalling information easier and seamless. In line somewhere and find something you want to write about later? Stumble across a neat visual you want to reference?

Clip it when you see it, and then save it so you can search for it when you're ready to use it. Evernote offers a lot of cool integrations that make it super valuable and easy to use.

Tape-A-Talk Recorder Dragon Dictation

If you prefer to speak than write, get yourself a voice recorder or dictation app to allow you to “talk out” your blog posts instead of writing them by keyboard. I find my voice recorder app particularly useful on my drive to and from work when my mind is already bursting with ideas and I just need an outlet to release and save them for later.

If you're someone who prefers to talk out problems or things you're dealing with, a voice recorder may be especially useful.

For Android phones, Tape-A-Recorder is my preferred app because it allows me to append the recording, and send it to email or Evernote with one touch.

iPhone users will want to check out Dragon Dictation, which allows you to speak and instantly see your message appear. This app includes Evernote integration, as well.

Google Drive

For me, the biggest blogging convenience is being able to take my content and post ideas anywhere I go. And that means using a Web-based word processor like Google Drive.

Because I'm often crafting documents on multiple computers or devices, and collaborating with different authors, storing documents in the cloud means I can always pick up where I left off or check in to see edits others have made to something we're working on.

Writing in the cloud and being able to access it via my phone means I'm never without the documents that I need. This saves me time by not forcing me to log into a specific device.

Google Reader

Blog reading is a writer's best friend and provides a constant source of new ideas. But it can be hard to make blog reading part of your day unless you're using an app to help you.

I use Google Reader both on desktop and mobile, but you'll want to get the mobile app for whichever feed reader you rely on for your news.

Luckily, most feed readers come with app integration.

White Noise â€" Rainy Day

The most difficult part of working and writing on the go is controlling your environment. Coffee shops are loud. So are buses and trains and other places that we're often forced to try and get work done.

White Noise â€" Rainy Day is a noise generator app intended to help you block out all other distractions. This is a staple for me anytime I'm working on the go (or even in my office) as I am very easily distracted.

By plugging my headphones into my phone and running this app I'm able to focus in on the task at hand and get writing done.

Above are some of the apps that help me write content wherever I am. What apps do you find yourself relying on?

Using Tablet Photo via Shutterstock




Apps to Make Your Blogging Life Easier

As we've mentioned many times before, blogging is hard. It's hard to fit the habit into your day and to keep coming up with new and exciting things to talk about. So when inspiration strikes, you need to capture it. Regardless if that stroke of genius comes during your lunch break, when you're lying in bed, or when you're brushing your teeth in the morning. As busy business people and bloggers, we must record it!

using tablet

And that's where apps can come in handy, allowing you to take your genius with you, wherever you are. Below are some I rely on to make my blogging life easier:

Evernote

Evernote is everyone's favorite Web capture tool, as it lets us grab full Web pages, snippets of text, images, audio, whatever, and then quickly recall it later, when we need it.

For those of us constantly on the go, Evernote makes recalling information easier and seamless. In line somewhere and find something you want to write about later? Stumble across a neat visual you want to reference?

Clip it when you see it, and then save it so you can search for it when you're ready to use it. Evernote offers a lot of cool integrations that make it super valuable and easy to use.

Tape-A-Talk Recorder Dragon Dictation

If you prefer to speak than write, get yourself a voice recorder or dictation app to allow you to “talk out” your blog posts instead of writing them by keyboard. I find my voice recorder app particularly useful on my drive to and from work when my mind is already bursting with ideas and I just need an outlet to release and save them for later.

If you're someone who prefers to talk out problems or things you're dealing with, a voice recorder may be especially useful.

For Android phones, Tape-A-Recorder is my preferred app because it allows me to append the recording, and send it to email or Evernote with one touch.

iPhone users will want to check out Dragon Dictation, which allows you to speak and instantly see your message appear. This app includes Evernote integration, as well.

Google Drive

For me, the biggest blogging convenience is being able to take my content and post ideas anywhere I go. And that means using a Web-based word processor like Google Drive.

Because I'm often crafting documents on multiple computers or devices, and collaborating with different authors, storing documents in the cloud means I can always pick up where I left off or check in to see edits others have made to something we're working on.

Writing in the cloud and being able to access it via my phone means I'm never without the documents that I need. This saves me time by not forcing me to log into a specific device.

Google Reader

Blog reading is a writer's best friend and provides a constant source of new ideas. But it can be hard to make blog reading part of your day unless you're using an app to help you.

I use Google Reader both on desktop and mobile, but you'll want to get the mobile app for whichever feed reader you rely on for your news.

Luckily, most feed readers come with app integration.

White Noise â€" Rainy Day

The most difficult part of working and writing on the go is controlling your environment. Coffee shops are loud. So are buses and trains and other places that we're often forced to try and get work done.

White Noise â€" Rainy Day is a noise generator app intended to help you block out all other distractions. This is a staple for me anytime I'm working on the go (or even in my office) as I am very easily distracted.

By plugging my headphones into my phone and running this app I'm able to focus in on the task at hand and get writing done.

Above are some of the apps that help me write content wherever I am. What apps do you find yourself relying on?

Using Tablet Photo via Shutterstock




Yahoo! CEO Reveals New Direction

Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer announced her plans to turn the iconic tech giant around on Tuesday. Some critics insist the new plan is big picture and short on specifics. Small businesses, too, must sometimes reinvent themselves. Here is a closer look at the new Yahoo! battle plan and some thoughts for how you can turn your small business around when necessary.

Project Personalization

A new direction. In an “act of radical transparency” Tuesday, new Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer introduced her plans for a new direction. Mayer sees the company's strength as its “personalization” in arenas ranging from e-mail to advertizing to content. Mayer's other thoughts were less specific, but seemed to rally the troops at the company-run URL's Café. The trick to turning your business around is to have a plan. All Things Digital

A new team. As part of her efforts to rejuvenate Yahoo!, Mayer has been recruiting a new team. The latest addition, also announced Tuesday, is Chief Financial Officer Ken Goldman. Assembling new talent or restructuring an existing team must be part of any business turnaround. What other steps are necessary to re-imagine your brand, product, or service? Read on! Yahoo! Inc.

Reinventing Your Brand

Keep it simple. Keep it safe. Another important step toward breathing new life into your business may be easier than you think. Instead of adding features to your products or services, making them more like your competitors, try focusing on one small feature that differentiates your product or service from all the rest, and simplify the buying decision for consumers by setting yourself apart. M4B Marketing

Perfect pitch. It's not just your product or service features, but how you pitch them to your customers that really matters. Here are two case studies shared by blogger Diana Pohly that may give you a better idea of how to effectively put your offers into words. Telling your customers what sets you apart is an important step toward distinguishing your brand in the marketplace. Step By Step Marketing

Unleash your marketing Ninja. In the second post of this series, guest blogger Nicolas Dalleva talks about the analytics that will help you know your customers as well as they know themselves. Segmenting your customers lets you learn more about their behavior and buying trends individually and as a group, while helping you to remember that the customers you serve are people, not just numbers. Keep Up With The Web

Watch your mouth. The way you talk about selling to your customers betrays how you think. While selling is all about you, blogger David Brock suggests we change things up a bit. Let's focus on the customer and fulfilling their needs instead of our desire to make a sale. Focusing on serving customers first by helping them make a decision about your product may seem obvious, but it may also be the key to transforming a business. Partners in Excellence

Make some measurements. Once you've got your team in place, measure their performance. Guest blogger Jessica Sanders makes this simple suggestion and then outlines some tools that will help you do it. Here are three creative ways to manage your team's performance and improve your company at the same time. Make sure the team you've got is accomplishing what is needed to set your brand apart. bizCompare