Popularity of e-readers increases

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The Pew Internet and American Life project reports that the number of U.S. adults with an e-book reader doubled from 6% to 12% between November 2010 and May 2011 (the report also notes that tablet ownership is growing much more slowly).  We wonder how much that figure might increase with the introduction of four new Amazon Kindle devices yesterday, including the Kindle Fire tablet.  

In a true sign of the times, IKEA is introducing a new, deeper version of its popular  “BILLY” bookcase  and offers glass doors for its bookshelves to cater to those customers who use these products to display more trinkets and fewer books. 

See also:

• Kindle vs. Nook vs. iPad: Which e-book reader should you buy? (there's a great video on how to set up a Nook to borrow books from your local public library)
• The transformation of the book industry: Disappearing ink
• E-readers and magazines: It's still good to have gatekeepers
• eBook Sales Up 167% in June
• Booktrack Create Soundtracks for eBooks
• Textbook Developer Adds YouTube Videos to E-Books
• As Textbook Formats Multiply, New Services Help Students Compare Options
• Amazon Working on a Netflix for Books

The resume - from da Vinci to digital

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Here's a great infographic we found that depicts the 500 year evolution of the resume from Leonardo da Vinci's first resume to the era of digital resumes, enjoy!  Click the image for a larger view.

September is International Update Your Resume Month

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We just learned that September is International Update Your Resume Month so we wanted to share some great links to help you revamp that resume and get that new job you want!

• Format a resume ... with a Word template

• Resume templates from Microsoft

• Give Yourself A Resume Makeover

• HOW TO: Spruce Up a Boring Resume [INFOGRAPHIC]

• 7 Ways Your Resume Dates You

• What’s YOUR story? Impress your interviewers with a PowerPoint resume

• Is your resume lost in cyberspace?

• 9 Dynamic Digital Resumes That Stand Out From the Crowd

• Job seekers, make your resume searchable online with keywords

 

More:

• How to use social media to find a job!

• Could your online activity be costing you a job? Learn how to manage your online identity!

• Use job aggregators to search for jobs online

• We like to read the PC's Professional Resumes page on Facebook for great resume writing, job search, interviweing and career tips.

• PRIVACY TIP:  When posting your resume online, NMC recommends removing your address to avoid identity theft!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Use your social media influence for good

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Social networkers, are you using you social media influence to get others to do good?  Starting today, Mashable is hosting the Social Good Summit in partnership with the UN Foundation in New York.  On Wednesday, September 21st, Mashable and (RED) present Social Good Day and invite us all to join the movement to use social media for social good. 

Here are some tips from Mashable on how you can share hare your ideas for social good:

• Sign up to attend or organize your own Social Good Day meetup on September 23 on Mashable’s Meetup Everywhere page.
• Tweet about what your solution is using the #socialgood hashtag. We’d love to hear your solutions @mashable & @joinred. (RED) will host a stream of tweets including the hashtag on its website.
• Share your solution in the comments on Mashable's blog.
• Write a blog post and share it.
• Post to Facebook about what you or your company is doing.
• Record a video about your solution and upload it to YouTube with the #socialgood tag
• Join (RED) on Facebook and Twitter to share your ideas on how to help fight AIDS in Africa using social media.
• Get inspired by watching the 30-minute Spike Jonze and Lance Bangs documentary The Lazarus Effect on YouTube. Presented by (RED) and HBO, the film follows the story of HIV-positive people in Africa who undergo a remarkable transformation in as few as 40 days thanks to access to treatment.

More on social good:

• Social Media's Power As A Tool For Good | Care2 Causes
• The Power of the Crowd - Social Good - The Chronicle of Philanthropy
• 70+ Essential Resources for Making a Difference on the Social Web
• M.B.A. Programs Invest in Social Good - MBA Admissions: Strictly Business (usnews.com)

More on digital philanthropy:

• Digital philanthropy: Study shows organizational websites trump social media & giving portals | Suzanne Hawkes  --- Go direct to study, here.
• How the UN Foundation Plans to Meet Its Goals With the Help of Social Media
• The Digital Future of Philanthropy: Engaging Your Donors with Online Video (PDF)
• Foundation communication goes digital | Philanthropy Journal
• Going digital: how donors are clicking and choosing new technology | Philanthropy UK

More on social media influence:

• The 6 Factors of Social Media Influence: Influence Analytics 1
• The Social Media 'Cool Club' - What's Your Online Influence? | Social Media Today
• Social Media Influence The AAA Rating | Career Management and Workplace Culture Blog | TalentCulture.com
• 5 Tools That Help Measure Your Social Media Influence | Social Media Examiner

Geo-location and real estate?

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Geo-location ("check-in") tools and apps enable us to learn what's nearby as we go about our daily lives.  More and more businesses are finding ways to tap into this by partnering with "check-in" sites like Foursquare to reach potential customers.

Read Smart Brief's review of New York City's Corcoran Group, a large real estate firm, use of geo-location tools like Foursquare and Gowalla, here.

 

See also:

• How Social Media Can Benefit Those in Real Estate
• Do your customers use geo-location tools to "check-in" when they visit your business?
• Top real estate apps for Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, iPad
• Social networking beyond Facebook and Twitter

Innovations in connectivity

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While we're on the topic of innovation, check out these articles on how innovations in technology are leading to greater connectivity

• Why Niche Social Networks Encourage More Meaningful Interaction

• Connected TV: The New Battle for Your Living Room

• Education Tech: Skype's Vision for a More Connected Classroom

• Connected Cars: The Fine Line Between Innovation & Distraction

• Ford Evos, the Social Networking Vehicle of the Future

 

 

See also: Are you a "connector?"

Today, we're talking about innovation!

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Merriam Webster defines innovation as

1. the introduction of something new
2. a new idea, method, or device : Novelty

We are all challenged everyday to develop or incorporate innovative ideas, prodcuts and methods to make our lives, homes and businesses run more smoothly and efficiently. 

Here are some recent news articles on technology and business innovation, read on:

• How the idea of ideas is killing innovation

• A need to upgrade Uncle Sam’s innovation skills

• Thomas Friedman To United States: Innovate Or Else

• 160-Year-Old American Express Out-Innovates Google and Groupon 

• Innovation and Google’s Attack on the Patent System

• RIM on the Edge: Without Innovation, BlackBerry Will Soon Be Irrelevant

• Innovation at the Enquirer

 

See also:  Wikipedia on innovation

Can a smartphone replace your other devices? or even your wallet?

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The Pew Internet Project recently reported that 35% of American adults own smartphones.  In another survey by Prosper Mobile Insights, the smartphone and tablet users surveyed reported that they used their smartphone or tablet to replace these devices/services:

• Alarm Clock: 61.1% 
• GPS: 52.3% 
• Digital camera: 44.3% 
• Personal planner: 41.6% 
• Landline phone: 40.3% 
• MP3 Player: 37.6% 
• Video Camera: 34.2% 
• Newspaper: 28.2% 
• Radio: 27.5% 
• Desktop/Laptop Computer: 24.2% 
• Gaming device: 20.8% 
• Books: 20.1% 
• Internet service at home: 19.5% 
• DVD Player: 14.1%

57.7% of respondents said they would be somewhat or very comfortable using their device to make a purchase in a store.  22.8% are unsure while 19.5% would be not at all or not very comfortable using this new “swipe technology.”  

See the summary of the survey findings here.  Download the full report of the mobile survey here.

Did your smartphone come in handy during your summer vacation?

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Did you find your that your smartphone came in handy during your summer vacation?  Any plans to have a last-minute vacation over the Labor Day weekend?  Of course, apps like Google Maps and mobile GPS are useful when navigating your way to/from and around a new city, but there are tons of other useful apps that we've been hearing about, check out the links below for app downloads for your next vacation (yes, we're already thinking that far ahead!):

 

• Break Down the Language Barrier Using A Mobile Phone

• Tech Talk Podcast: Vacation Apps

• 10 Best iPhone Apps For Vacationers

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  12 Terrific Tips for Taking Tech on Vacation  -  well 11 really, the starter pistol suggestion is a bit extreme!!

• The Best Summer Apps

 

Follow the links below to find apps to download for your kids during your next vacation:

 

• iPhone/iPad: The Best iPhone apps for kids, 25 iPhone apps for kids, PBS on iPhone/iPad
• Android
• Windowns Phone 7
• BlackBerry

Are you a "connector?"

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Are you a "connector?"  In his book, The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell defines "Connectors" as "people with a truly extraordinary knack of making friends and acquaintances."  With 65% of adult internet users using social networks, we have to wonder at the number of new connections being made on-line every day!


Read more about how Americas are connecting on the web:

• Social networking sites and our lives
• Neighbors online
• The Social Side of the Internet
• Connect with potential employers on-line