Following on from our top 5 business books of the year, I thought I would share the top 5 business internet-based (cloud) programs that have made my life easier or better this year.
As most of you know, I love social media and use it mainly as a way to share great things that I am reading or discovering. But who has the time to remember to manually load updates to Twitter or Facebook throughout the day? That's why I fell in love with Buffer. The free version allows you to put a link to the page you are reading into the Buffer, which is then posted to your Twitter or Facebook account at times you schedule throughout the day. You can schedule as many or as few updates as you like. This is a great way not to overwhelm your readers, and makes maximum use of your time.
And yes, I know other apps such as Hootsuite can do the same thing in terms of scheduling, but Buffer is simpler to use as it comes as an Add-on to Firefox. To add something to Buffer you just right click on the page you want to Buffer, choose whether you want to post to Twitter or Facebook, write what you want to say, and then click "Save". Simple, fast and you don't leave the page.
I am a big fan of many Google products. Google reader helps me keep on top of all the blogs I read, and Google News keeps me on top of all the news stories in topic areas I am interested in around the world.
With Google News, I can set up search topics and Google delivers me the latest news stories about those topics. So, my morning newspaper consists only of stories on local and Australian news, neuroeconomics, neuromarketing, neuroscience, science, mobile technology, computer security, social networking, business, science and entertainment (the odd bit of gossip is still fun to read). It saves time and keeps me current no matter where in the world the story breaks.
I have mentioned Dropbox before, but this is the hands-down most useful program I use. I use it to auto-backup all of my files in real time to the cloud and to 3 other computers. That means I can access my files from any of the 3 computers, public computers or my mobile phone – no juggling USBs or losing files. I also use it to upload photos and share folders with colleagues and friends so we can collaborate on documents. You only realise how useful Dropbox is when you have it!
2011 has been the year Facebook for business has taken off. Yes, it has been bumpy towards the end of the year with changes to the newsfeed, but it is still a great way to build relationships with clients.
And as for other social networks, I have personally started to downgrade my involvement with Twitter (I found 80% of my followers were marketers, internet marketers and SEO companies), and am still watching Google+ to see how it develops. LinkedIn is still useful, but attracts a different audience than Facebook Pages.
Scans your Facebook updates to highlight posts of yours that may create problems for your business reputation. Using Socioclean has been fascinating and has highlighted posts that I would not have considered as being "questionable".
Quietly makes sure all the links on your Facebook wall are safe and don't take people to sites full of malware or spyware. The App can be buggy at times, but works well the majority of the time.
Another thing to review ready for 2012 are your performance review processes. If you want to make them more productive, informative and positive, then our Employee Performance Reviews: Tips, Templates & Tacticswill help.
It deals with everything from performance reviews with new employees, through to the essentials of dealing with a poor performer, as well as how to deal with a host of challenging performance management issues including tears, anger and the "silent" treatment.
Each kit comes complete with 8 training sessions on MP3 for you to download, as well as a stack of templates, and process tips. And for only $24.97(AUD) it's a bargain!
This week I share some videos of 2 of the least-likely to be successful musicians - a cellist and a pianist. Together they have nearly 3 million views for just one video.
Legal stuff: This newsletter is intended as only a general guideline for Australian businesses. You should seek specific advice for your situation rather than relying only on this newsletter
Earnings disclaimer. Some of the content may include advertorial information, which means I may receive financial compensation for the products I recommend. But - unless I know and trust the product, I will not recommend it.
Thanks Ingrid, Issue appears to be great site to load your e-books, reports and audio. I've just signed in, uploaded a couple to test and now will spend time uploading the rest of my free email marketing reports and papers in one public library. Certainly a 'find' - THANK YOU. Kurt
I agree Kurt - Issue has been great for a few clients of mine. One of my colleagues produces stunning print quality magazines and uses Issuu as her way of sharing them. Beautiful, practical and simple to use. I look forward to seeing how you use it!
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9 December 2011
