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IoT for Small Business: Effects, Opportunities & Platforms

Business Insiders premium research service, expects that there will be more than 24 billion connected devices on Earth by 2020 — approximately four devices for every human being on the planet.

And as the IoT expands, it will have a particularly profound effect on businesses, especially small businesses. Several IoT business opportunities will be created in the coming years as we head into an increasingly connected world.

complete article




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To Be Successful, Be Patient With Your Imperfections

Even though I’m learning and growing daily, life is still challenging. The more I learn, grow and become better, new challenges present themselves to me.

I am learning, over and over again, that being challenged, making mistakes and not knowing what I am doing is part of life. And there is nothing wrong with that.

To Be Successful, Be Patient With Your Imperfections




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5 Highly Effective Negotiation Tactics Anyone Can Use

Want to be a better negotiator? Here are some simple tips.

1. Listen more than you talk.
It is easy to go into a negotiation focused only on what you'll say, especially when you are nervous.

The goal of a negotiation is not just to get what you want, but also to help the other side get what they want. (Otherwise, how will you ever strike a deal?) To do that, you need to actually know what the other side wants -- which means you have to listen.

Finding common ground means knowing common ground exists.

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The top 10 tax changes affecting small business owners

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) included a bevy of changes that will affect the 2018 federal income tax returns of many small and medium-sized businesses and their owners. As tax return time approaches, here are the 10 changes that are most likely to affect your business or you as an owner.

1. New flat 21% tax rate for corporations
Before the TCJA, C corporations paid graduated federal income tax rates of 15%, 25%, 34%, and 35%. Personal service corporations (PSCs) paid a flat 35% rate. For tax years beginning in 2018 and beyond, the TCJA establishes a flat 21% corporate rate, and that beneficial rate applies to PSCs too. So the tax cost of doing business as a profitable C corporation is greatly reduced, and this favorable development will show up on 2018 corporate returns. Enjoy.

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How to Make Your Small Business Website Really, Really Effective

Most small business owners today know that they need a website. But what many fail to realize is that their websites need to be more effective.

A website is meant to attract consumers to your business. But what do those consumers do once they land on your website? Maybe they give you a call or pop into your bricks-and-mortar location some time. And, sure, that’s all fine and dandy. But even better than that, your website itself can actually generate leads and sales for you with just a few simple tweaks.

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More Than 150,000 U.S. Small-Business Websites Could Be Infected With Malware at Any Given Moment

Small-business owners were victims in 43 percent of data breaches tracked between Nov. 1, 2017, and Oct. 31, 2018, according to a 2019 Verizon report. The report tracked security incidents across all industries, but the most vulnerable sectors this year were retail, accommodation and healthcare.

What does the issue look like on a national scale? If we take the sample size of infected sites SiteLock said they found in 2018 -- approximately 47,244 out of 6,056,969 checked -- and apply that percentage to the country’s estimated 30.2 million small-businesses websites, minus the estimated 36 percent that do not have one, then we can loosely estimate the amount of infected small-business websites to be around 150,757.

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Five effective small-business trends every business leader needs to check out

Small businesses are often on the cutting edge because they have to be. With smaller foundations and limited budgets, small-business owners have to think on their feet every day, developing strategies that boost productivity and the bottom line. Because a small business can not afford to embrace strategies that do not provide quick, measurable results, the trends that spring up among them are likely to make a positive difference in any company.

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These Companies Found a New Niche in Coronavirus Disinfection

The pandemic is revealing to small businesses just how versatile they are. So: A home-decor company, a skirt designer, and a business that makes boots for horses all realize they can craft face masks. A manufacturer of pet supplements and a hot sauce company join myriad craft distilleries in production of hand sanitizers.

The task of disinfecting workplaces tainted by or vulnerable to coronavirus also has attracted a variety of unexpected entrants. At AK Wet Works, the partners set out at once to reengineer their dustless blasters to produce a cold vapor fog that can sterilize 20,000 square feet an hour. In 100 hours, they produced a working model and began converting all 10 of their machines.

Seeking validation for their plan, the founders reached out to FQE, a local chemical company with an EPA-approved coronavirus disinfectant, to create a blend for them. Thinking their idea might have legs outside the Houston-area market, they next approached MMLJ, the original blaster manufacturer, which agreed to mass-produce the modified parts and market them to its large client base. MMLJ is paying a royalty to AK Wet Works, Bland says.




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Small Business Development Center breaks down how raising minimum wage may affect small businesses

Minimum wage is a complex issue for small businesses, says the Small Business Development Center in Binghamton.

The SBDC adds that, typically, small businesses have a close relationship with their employees and if they could pay them more originally, they would.

They add that they believe some business owners may have to pick up the slack in order to keep costs low.




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See How Your Life Affects Your Skin

Title: See How Your Life Affects Your Skin
Category: Slideshows
Created: 5/30/2012 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 7/13/2022 12:00:00 AM




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Prednisone Side Effects (Adverse Effects)

Title: Prednisone Side Effects (Adverse Effects)
Category: Medications
Created: 5/16/2017 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 7/29/2022 12:00:00 AM




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Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Market Expands as Need for Effective Infection Control Rises, as per Maximize Market Research

(EMAILWIRE.COM, November 03, 2024 ) The Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Market is experiencing growth due to rising concerns over antibiotic resistance and infection control. AST systems help healthcare providers determine the most effective treatments for infections, improving patient outcomes....




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Globalcaja Destina 250.000 Euros a Familias de Letur y Mira Afectadas por la DANA a través de Servicios Sociales

En un esfuerzo conjunto para mitigar los efectos devastadores de la reciente DANA que golpeó las localidades de Letur en Albacete y Mira en Cuenca, Globalcaja ha destinado un fondo de 250.000 euros que será gestionado por los Servicios Sociales de Atención Primaria de Castilla-La Mancha. Esta ayuda económica será repartida equitativamente entre ambas localidades […]

Artículo publicado en : Globalcaja Destina 250.000 Euros a Familias de Letur y Mira Afectadas por la DANA a través de Servicios Sociales




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Izquierda Unida C-LM Establece Abril de 2026 Como Fecha Límite para Definir su Estrategia Electoral para los Comicios Autonómicos y Municipales

Izquierda Unida de Castilla-La Mancha ha fijado abril de 2026 como la fecha límite para presentar sus candidaturas para las elecciones autonómicas y regionales de mayo de 2027. Así lo ha anunciado Pedro Mellado, el coordinador general de la formación, en una reciente entrevista. Mellado destacó el compromiso de IU de informar con un año […]

Artículo publicado en : Izquierda Unida C-LM Establece Abril de 2026 Como Fecha Límite para Definir su Estrategia Electoral para los Comicios Autonómicos y Municipales




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The Effects Of The Cuts - Why I Campaign

The Welfare Reform Bill was a disaster waiting to happen, we campaigned against it before it went through but it was forced. The country did not listen and now 73 people a week are dying after being declared fit for work by the deeply flawed Work Capability Assessment. Which is being administered by Atos, a French multinational IT company on behalf of the DWP. This is not a figure we just plucked out of the air like some the government are presenting as reality in relation to welfare, it was obtained from a freedom of information request to the DWP themselves. So it is their own statistic.

 They want people to believe that these measures are "tough love" and they are "helping people back to work" but in reality they are just cutting off peoples benefits and leaving them destitute. There is no support for people who are disabled to find work, in fact remploy factories that employ disabled people, and have since the end of WW2 are being closed. Making disabled people who did have jobs unemployed at a time when the fully able are struggling to find work. What chance do we have?

 The changing of DLA to PIP will mean many disabled people lose this benefit altogether, this benefit helps disabled people cope with the additional costs being disabled creates, Disabled people with jobs clim it to help them work. So disabled people who work will no longer be able to, as they will no longer be able to afford the adapted cars they rely on to get to work for example.

In short none of these cuts are designed to enable the disabled to get back to work, it's just a callous cost cutting measure effecting the most vulnerable in society, and thousands are suffering and even dying needlessly. 

When the proposed benefit changes take effect at the end of April it will effect not just the Disabled but working families who are already struggling to make ends meet. A new survey by shelter shows 1.4 million people in Britain are struggling to pay their rent or mortgage at the moment. People who have never suffered financially like this before are finding themselves facing unemployment and homelessness.  And the government are about to cut housing benefit and council tax benefit, pushing more people even further into rent arrears and poverty.

The government wants you to believe that these cuts are necessary and unavoidable but there are alternatives they could pursue. Tax avoidance costs the state an estimated £95 Billion a year, since the banking crisis the average pay of FTSE 100 directors has risen by 55%, corporation tax has been cut, and rather than clamping down on tax avoidance they have actually cut Staff at HMRC, and there has been no reform of banks.

They are selling off the NHS to private healthcare companies under our noses, when many of the very MP's who voted through the NHS bill have financial interests in private healthcare companies. Click here for a link to a list of Conservative MP's who have financial interests in private healthcare companies, no wonder they voted yes to the NHS Bill.

Social media means it's harder for the government than ever before to dupe the public into believing their lies, we know that what they are doing is wrong and we won't stand for it. It's time for us all to stand up and show them that we will not pay for a crisis crated by bankers who have gambled away billions, while awarding themselves massive bonuses on top of already huge yearly salaries. And millionaires are allowed to legally evade tax.

We will not allow them to make the poor pay for a crisis the rich created, we must campaign and peacefully protest to show them we not passively sit by and allow it to happen. They will drag Britain back to a system of Victorian values where the poor cannot access proper healthcare and are forced into workhouses. The welfare state and NHS are great things that show our compassion to those less fortunate and vulnerable in society, people fought protect and create these things,  over the years many people have campaigned and worked hard to keep them. Don't let this government dismantle them in flurry of propaganda about scroungers and dependency, we are not just statistics, we are human beings.

      




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L'arm�e chinoise effectue des patrouilles de pr�paration au combat � Huangyan Dao

L'arm�e chinoise a effectu� mercredi des patrouilles de pr�paration au combat dans les eaux territoriales et l'espace a�rien territorial de Huangyan Dao, �le chinoise en mer de Chine m�ridionale, ainsi que dans des zones avoisinantes. Le...




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FTC's Mortgage Relief Scams Ban Takes Effect

The advance fee ban under the FTC's Mortgage Assistance Relief Services (MARS) Rule is designed to protect financially distressed homeowners from mortgage relief scams that have sprung up during the mortgage crisis FTC's Mortgage Relief scams Ban Takes Effect




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Google Sandbox, Teoría y Efecto. Como salir de Google SandBox.

¿Qué es el efecto o teoría de Google Sandbox? Es un filtro que se supone que exista y que esta siendo aplicado a los nuevos sitios Webs publicados. Este filtro impide que ante determinadas búsquedas las páginas del sitio alcancen las primeras posiciones, en relación con lo competitivas que sean las palabras clave de la búsqueda. ¿Como salir del sandbox? Algunas alternativas...




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Crafting the Perfect Colour Palette for Your Electrician Website

In the digital age, your website serves as the storefront of your business, creating the first impression for potential clients. It’s crucial to design it thoughtfully, ensuring it reflects your brand identity and appeals to your target audience. One of the key elements of web design is choosing the right colour palette, and for an […]

The post Crafting the Perfect Colour Palette for Your Electrician Website appeared first on MonstersPost.




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perfect match

perfect match




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10 Tips for Effective Time Management

10 Tips for Effective Time Management
Does having "too much to do and not enough time to do it" sound familiar? If so, it's time to work smarter, not harder so you can increase productivity decrease stress and have more time for fun! Leading Brisbane recruitment-to-recruitment company, Galaxy Recruitment offers the following tips to help you get the most out of your time.

1. Set Goals and Plan
As the old saying goes, "by failing to plan, you plan to fail". Set your goals and develop a realistic plan for your direction.
2. Prioritise and use a To-Do list
Differentiate between the urgent tasks that produce short-term outcomes, and the vital tasks that produce long-term outcomes. Rank your priorities by numbers, colours, or symbols - use a system that suits you.
3. Learn to say "no"
It's a small word, yet many people find it extremely difficult to say "no"! By saying "yes" to everyone just to please them, you may end up overcommitting and letting them down instead. If it helps, remember to phrase your response so that you are saying "no" to the project and not the person. e.g "No, I can't take this project on right now. I simply don't have the bandwidth to complete the task properly."
4. Delegate
If you can, delegate routine activities that aren't part of your core competency. Remember you are delegating, not abdicating!
5. Avoid procrastination
Procrastination usually sets in when a task is perceived to be difficult to achieve. Try breaking your task into smaller milestones that you can satisfy systematically. Crossing off these smaller tasks as you complete them helps you make track of your progress and keeps the end outcome within sight.
6. Be flexible
Be realistic about your goals and allow time for interruptions, distractions and the unplanned "emergency" - they are inevitable.
7. Plan around your "Prime Time"
If possible, plan your tasks in accordance with the the time of the day that you perform at your peak. If you're a "morning person" plot your work schedule around fulfilling the challenging tasks during the day, and the more routine aspects of your work such as data entry, responding to emails or making telephone calls during the afternoon. If you're more of an afternoon or "night owl" reverse the order.
8. Keep a journal with you at all times
Always be ready to write down your best ideas in an instant - you never know when a killer idea might strike! Your journal should also be used as a goal-tracker that you can go through weekly to make sure you are on track.
9. Reward yourself
When you meet your goals and objectives, be sure to celebrate your success and achievements. A bit of positive reinforcement now and then serves to remind you why you are doing what you do for a living.
10. Effectiveness over efficiency
Although you should aim for both outcomes, try not to bog yourself down in processes if they add no value to the outcome. In the scheme of things, completing tasks effectively is much more important than doing things quickly.
Source: Galaxy Recruitment




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Mar 9, Love has Unlimited Definition! It Is Natural Tender Affection! More...

Love is tender affection. But, it's broad, despite this definition. It's a natural feeling we born with it & it rises every time we connect with others.




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What to Do When Infected by Ransomware

Here's what you can do after a hacker strikes.




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Common yeast infection linked to mental illness

In a study published in online journal npj Schizophrenia, Johns Hopkins researchers found that a history of Candida yeast infections was more common in a group of subjects with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder than in those without these disorders...




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Texas AG Paxton says Pfizer might have lied about efficacy of COVID vaccine, could be 1% effective

Texas AG Paxton says Pfizer might have lied about efficacy of COVID vaccine, could be 1% effective | 6 Dec 2023 | GOP Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says that he believes that pharmaceutical company Pfizer may have lied about the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine and the effectiveness could be as low as one […]




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CDC issues health alert to U.S. doctors over subtype of monkeypox spreading in Congo that kills one in ten and is more infectious

CDC issues health alert to U.S. doctors over subtype of monkeypox spreading in Congo that kills one in ten and is more infectious –Alert warned clinicians to test patients traveling from the Congo for the virus | 7 Dec 2023 | Doctors in the US are being told to look out for a more deadly […]




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Lycopene Effective with Prostate Cancer Treatment

by: Darin IngelsMen with prostate cancer who take supplemental lycopene in addition to surgical removal of the testicles may experience less active disease, less bone pain, and live longer than those who only have surgical removal of the testicles, according to a new study in British Journal of Urology International (2003;92:375–8). This is exciting news for millions of men who have to undergo




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Rodolfo Ramirez Named VP Automotive Refinish at PPG Effective January 1

Tom Maziarz, current VP, will move to traffic solutions business effective December 1. PPG (NYSE:PPG) today announced Rodolfo Ramirez, currently PPG vice president, packaging coatings, will become PPG vice president, automotive refinish, Americas, effective January 1. Ramirez will report to Chancey Hagerty, PPG senior vice president, automotive refinish. Tom Maziarz, currently PPG vice president, automotive […]

The post Rodolfo Ramirez Named VP Automotive Refinish at PPG Effective January 1 appeared first on CollisionWeek.




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The Blind – Effective Room Darkening

Blackout as a professional solar darkening systems professional solar shading are everywhere, where you don’t want to miss out on daylight, but regularly need the complete darkening of spaces; for example, during the demonstration of photo lectures, in surgical and X-ray rooms, or when developing photographs. There are many types and options to darken a […]




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Effective Ways On How To Easily Deal With Arthritis

TIP! Be sure to use good posture and work on keeping your joints strong. Your pain could be greatly minimized. Arthritis is a medical condition that afflicts millions of people. You can diminish the pain and make your arthritis better if you know more about this condition. The many tips assembled in this article included […]

The post Effective Ways On How To Easily Deal With Arthritis appeared first on Complements For Health.




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[Vaccine] Side Effects That Were Unavoidable

The meaning of the title of this post is up for grabs in the Supreme Court in a vaccine case against drug company Wyeth, now owned by drug giant Pfizer. It's a complicated case in legalities, and which court should be hearing the arguments, and more jargon and nonsense.

What it's really about, is that a little girl was severely harmed by a vaccine years ago, and several years later that vaccine was removed from the market because it was so dangerous. Yet the courts say the proof is not there that the vaccine was at fault.

"...case turns on the text of the federal law, which bars ordinary lawsuits “if the injury or death resulted from side effects that were unavoidable even though the vaccine was properly prepared and was accompanied by proper directions and warnings.”

Much of the argument concerned the meaning of the word “unavoidable.”
“The language that they used is certainly, to say the least, confusing,” Justice
Ruth Bader Ginsburg said." [NY TIMES]

The Obama administration sides with Wyeth. The record of the FDA in coming to the aid of US public health is so abominable, it makes the reference to it in the following quote worse than any Comedy Central punch line:

"The U.S. government filed a brief and argued on behalf of Wyeth, with assistant to the solicitor general Benjamin J. Horwich telling the court that the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control make determinations about which vaccines are safe and effective, and it should stay that way.

'It would be extraordinary to institute a system where juries would be second guessing a decision' by federal experts, he said." [Post-Gazette]

As they say in the movie business, "What a throw-away line!" Any jury would have the benefit of input from various experts from all sides--and in this age of skepticism of government oversight, from Katrina on down to the recent multi-million-egg recall, who wants to have the sole last word on vaccine safety be the FDA and CDC? Hands please?

"Justice Sonia Sotomayor, meanwhile, seemed to sympathize with the argument that manufacturers could keep less safe vaccines on the market without a legal incentive.

'What is the motivation for manufacturers to continue testing [vaccines] and voluntarily stopping [sales] if a better design is found somewhere else?' she asked. 'I don't see why they should stop before they cause as many injuries as they need to before the FDA tells them to stop.' " [Post-Gazette]

--A voice of clarity amidst the dense fog.




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Effective and Permanent Weight Loss

My 4 ways for you to lose weight effectively and permanently.




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5 Effective Tips for a Weekly Workout Routine

Tips for getting the most out of your weekly exercise workouts to reach your health and fitness goals.




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Perfect Beach Body

Simple exercises to get your body toned, ready for the summer and feel confident about the way you look.




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Perfect Whey - Pineapple Mango Flavor

Review of Perfect Whey protein supplement that is high in protein, natural and great tasting.




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How Exercise Can Affect Oral Health

Why exercise can improve your oral health.




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Does Colour Affect Athletic Performance?

The effects of the colour of a uniform on the success of an athlete or a sports team in winning.




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Smoking The Real Effects on the Body and Mind

How smoking can affect your entire body as well as your state of mind




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A Perfect Condo Gym

What really makes up a perfect, great gym at your condominium building or your home.




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How Your Diet Can Affect Your Skin Health

Here is how the food you eat can affect your skin health.




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Nielsen releases podcast ad effectiveness tool as UK audiences expected to swell

Reflecting the fact that 75% of UK advertisers are upping spend in podcasts, Nielsen has unveiled a measurement tool to gauge effectiveness in this growing ad space.

Nielsen believes that the UK’s 6 million weekly podcast listeners will double in the next three years. It is putting the tools in place for brands to “quantify the impact and effectiveness of their podcast ads” with the Nielsen Podcast Brand Effect.

The tool has already been running in the US and so far the results have found that 57% of podcast ads tested outperformed pre-roll video in driving purchase intent and 70% of respondents agreed that the podcast ads increased their awareness of products and services.

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Podcasting for New Business Owners. How It Affects Your SEO

Starting a new business can be exhausting. From crafting an effective content marketing strategy to making sure the whole SEO is perfect, if you do it all yourself without some guidance you will soon find taking the marketers role full time, and doing no actual work.

There is no denying that creating adding-value content like blog posts, videos, e-books, webinars, or anything that allows you to share your experience and knowledge, can surely help you jump-start your business. The options are seemingly endless, and there are thousands of pieces on the kind of content that works best for your specific niche.

However, there is one solid format that’s been proven to increase conversion, boost sales, and drive more qualified leads to almost any kind of website.

I am talking about podcasts.




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Videogame Based Training: Effective or Just a Joke?

For several years, employers have tried to develop "relevant" and creative ways to successfully train new employees. After all, employees are more likely to pay attention to training videos and seminars if they can actually relate to the content. While there have been some pretty outrageous attempts over the years—just take a look at the 1989 Wendy's training (music) video designed to instruct new hires how to properly pour coffee—some of the methods do work.

More recently, the use of videogames has been growing in popularity in the hopes of captivating "millennial" employees—those who fall between 18 and 29 years of age.

For example, Hilton's Garden Inn, which is one of the first companies to implement videogame-based training, uses a PlayStation game called the "Ultimate Team Play" in order to teach new hires about customer service and loyalty. Players are immersed in a virtual 3-D Garden Inn where they must pass a series of customer-related scenarios in order to "win" the game.

Johnson & Johnson and Volvo use videogame-based training as well.

While videogame-based training is certainly innovative, it does come with some challenges. For starters, it's hard to determine whether employees will actually internalize the lessons, or if they will just have "fun" while playing. Thus, the game has to be carefully tailored to help employees actually learn valuable lessons at the end. It's also undetermined whether videogame-based training downplays the seriousness of the company culture, which may worry some larger (and more serious) corporations.

Beyond that, however, videogame-based training can be a cost effective way to train people and encourage their continuing education. Companies can save money by not sending employees to expensive conferences or off-site courses. Information can be learned at the office or at home with the help of a PlayStation, Xbox, or Wii. Videogame-based training is also extremely eco-friendly as it omits the need for hardcopy materials (paper and ink) and reduces the release of gas emissions as a result of car and plane travel. 

So what do you think? Are videogame-based training programs ingenious or ridiculous? Would you use them?

Guest Blog Contributor By-line:
Pepper Givens is a freelance writer whose foremost passion is writing for her blog about education.  While her primary writing focus is trends in higher ed, Pepper also enjoys writing about personal finance, parenting, sustainable living, small business strategies, and more. She can be reached for questions or comments at pepper.givens@gmail.com.




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Effective E-Learning Techniques for Business Training

Business training programs constantly need to be updated in order to keep employees up-to-date on the latest techniques and research in their field. The right training program can quickly teach current employees and new hires the skills they need to know in a short period of time. Additionally, they should be easily accessible and offer detailed explanations that can allow employees to retain the information they learn. Currently, e-learning programs are becoming one of the most frequently used training programs in businesses as they offer a convenient way to teach a wide variety of information to employees in a way that is innovative and fun. Therefore, the following techniques should be used by any company that wants to offer the most effective e-learning programs to their employees.

1.  Easy Access – Employee training programs should always be easy for them to access in order to participate in the program. Most programs require a log-in ID as well as a password. Because these are usually generated by the company, they should be simple enough for an employee to remember while also protecting their security. 

2.  Ability to Track Progress – E-learning programs are most effective when employees are able to document their progress through the program. Therefore, each component of the training should include some form of quiz or test in order to make sure that the information has been mastered. 

3.  Sensory Experiences – Many e-learning programs offer the opportunity for lessons to be viewed in a variety of formats. This can help to enable people with different learning styles to be able to use the same courses in different ways. Additionally, most people learn best when a variety of senses are used. Therefore, e-learning courses that offer videos, voice chats and other interactive methods are best for teaching new concepts. 

4.  Computer Training – When first introducing e-learning programs into a company, it is important to make sure that everyone knows how to use a computer and the related software. Therefore, a brief training on how to access course materials, store work and send information online is important for making sure that every employee will be capable of using the training program. 

5.  Plan Meetings – E-learning programs work best when they are completed in conjunction with public meetings that review the information that the employees have learned. These can be informal meetings held throughout the training program at certain progress markers. This way, the information can be reviewed to make sure that everyone is benefiting from their training. 

E-learning offers many powerful benefits for companies who would like to find an innovative technique for training. However, it is important that online learning is backed by the support of company meetings and hands-on training. In order to make the most of e-learning within a company, it is important to make sure that employees are able to access their materials while keeping track of the new skills that they have learned.
 
Guest Blog Contributor By-line:
Heather Smith is an ex-nanny. Passionate about thought leadership and writing, Heather regularly contributes to various career, social media, public relations, branding, and parenting blogs/websites. She also provides value to www.nanny.net/ service by giving advice on site design as well as the features and functionality to provide more and more value to nannies and families across the U.S. and Canada. She can be reached at H.smith7295 [at] gmail.com.




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6 Tips for Designing Effective M-Learning Apps for Your Corporate Training

Mobile learning makes everything a little easier. Schedules are more navigable, and you don’t have to plan for an instructor to deliver real-life training. This new standard changes the playing field. With the advent of mobile training, employees are able to learn from anywhere, and have easy access to information if they need to look something up. As long as the app is designed properly, you’ll get more from mobile learning than you ever could from traditional training.

1. Know what you want to cover
It’s useless to have a corporate training app just for the sake of having one. If the information is too general, no one is gaining anything. If it’s too specific, employees may lose sight of the big picture. Break down the elements of your training into blocks. Each block should have a main point that shows its relationship with smaller points. Breaking things into thorough but bite sized pieces is the best way to go.

2. Figure out how you’re making it available
What platforms do you need to reach with your app? If everyone has a company phone, you’ll want to design your training app specifically for that platform. If your employees use their personal phones, you’ll have to adapt your app for a variety of platforms. The content should read the same on every app. While there may be some aesthetic differences, the key is to make everything cohesive across the board. Everyone should have access to the same info.

3. Add some social elements
The only downside to m-learning is that users typically work within the apps independently. You’re losing the element of discussion you could get at a face-to-face training table. Discussions promote knowledge and are necessary for exchanging ideas. People may have questions and no one to answer them. Work social elements into your app to build a sense of community among employees and instructors.

4. Create video content
There’s more to mobile learning apps than fun graphics and comical sound effects. Working video content into your training app can help people understand complex processes, such as how to work certain pieces of equipment or software that may be pertinent to their jobs. Whether you want to utilize videos of real people or cartoon animation, having a moving representation of what you’re trying to explain will help visual learners perfect their knowledge.

5. Let the learner become the instructor
Role playing exercises are common in corporate training, especially when it comes to customer service situations. We use these techniques because they work by giving everyone a chance to showcase and strengthen what they’re best at. Utilizing features such as user submitted quizzes and polls in your app is great for engagement, and it allows everyone to showcase just how much they know.

6. Encourage feedback
If your app isn’t working for someone, they may not speak up – and that’s especially true if they believe everyone else understands it just fine. Always seek feedback from your employees about how your mobile learning programs are working for them. If you find people are having difficulty, it may be time to redesign the interface or simplify the information. People are willing to tell you how they want to learn, as long as you’re willing to listen.

It can seem overwhelming and confusing at first to throw away a traditional method in favor of an innovation, but the results are worth it. Once you implement mobile learning in your workplace, you’ll never want to go back to training the old way. 


Guest Blog Contributor By-line:
Monique Craig is interested in digital marketing and branding. She’s part of the team at Oneflare [https://www.oneflare.com.au/], Australia’s online marketplace for local service providers.




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7 Steps to an Effective E-Learning Training Strategy

E-learning creates endless possibilities for new ways to help our team to upskill. In a world where business practice constantly evolves all of us need to be on our toes and up to date with the latest trends and technology relevant to our industry. It’s no use management being on trend if our staff are left behind.

Below we will set out 7 steps which will help guide you towards creating an effective e-learning training strategy to ensure that your staff are getting the most out of their training and development program at work.

1.  Decide On Your Objectives & Plan Accordingly
Planning is essential in ensuring that the resources you put into e-learning are well spent. Identify what type of training is most needed within your organization at this time. Is the training required uniform across the board, or do you have a need for various types of training?

Take into consideration what skills the course will develop, how it will do this and what theoretical frameworks it will be based upon. Next, you need to consider the learners themselves, what are their requirements? We all learn in different ways and to ensure that your staff get the most value out of the e-learning training, you should aim to personalize the training insofar as possible.

By setting out your objectives in advance, it will be easy to measure the success of the program at the end.
       
2.  Make It User-Friendly
Above all else an e-learning environment must be user-friendly. If the learner has difficulty in navigating around the website or accessing the webinar then everything else becomes secondary. Pay close attention to making the material accessible to all staff and giving an introductory tutorial to make sure that everyone knows how to access their course.

The language used should be clear and concise, learners want and need to be able to extract the relevant information without having to wade through extra academic style details which do not pertain to how they will use the skills they are developing.

3.  Give Students a Plan
Many learners feel more secure when they are given a clear overview of the course syllabus. Knowing what material they will cover in the coming weeks allows them to do preparatory work if they wish and relieves stress that may arise out of the unknown. This course overview should also outline what is expected of the students, and how they can expect to be assessed.

4.  Get Them Talking
Group interaction and collaborative learning is sometimes seen as not particularly relevant to an e-learning syllabus. However, overlooking this aspect of training may leave students feeling isolated leading to a lack of interest in the training. Not everyone enjoys group work, but it is a feature of most workplaces and even those who don’t enjoy it will probably expect some degree of collaboration during their training. Collaborative activities where students work together to solve a problem create a wonderful learning opportunity for everybody involved. Each learner can contribute the skills that they have been developing, contributing to the good of the whole, and students can identify different ways of approaching tasks.

Social media is useful for collaborating, as are forums where ideas can be exchanged.

5.  Set Up an Assessment Strategy
Any training program requires an element of assessment to ensure that the learners are processing and retaining the relevant information. It also allows the students to put what they have learned in the e-classroom to practical use. Some people will prefer to assess the students at the end of each module with a simple multiple choice quiz, while others opt for a collaborative group project at the end of a unit.

How the learners will be assessed should be agreed upon before they begin their course, and outlined to them so that they can prepare for it as they progress. Assessment not only gives you as the e-learning coordinator the chance to see how staff are progressing with their training, but it also gives the learners a sense of achievement which will drive them forward and keep them motivated.

6.  Solicit Feedback
It is important to ask for feedback to check that your e-learning program is actually delivering what you hoped it would. Be sure to discuss the learning outcomes with both the learners themselves and their team leaders, this will allow you to see if the both parties have derived benefit from the training. Where the learner feels that they have, but their team leader is not seeing it, then perhaps the training needs to be tweaked to ensure that it is more relevant to the worker’s daily workload.

You can solicit feedback using online surveys, face to face chats or online chats where the learners come together for a session.

7.  Keep the Learning Going
Many learners, and indeed, instructors can tend to see training and development as having a set start and finish date. While this may be strictly true, training within an organization should be approached as ongoing. Life itself is a constant journey on the path of learning, why should work be any different. Encourage your staff to engage with their career development in this light. Set up structures by which they can approach you with regard to continuing their learning once they have completed one e-learning course. Perhaps there is an advanced course you could run or a course of study which will complement the first one. Every time your staff upskill in a way that improves their productivity and sense of purpose at work you will see the return in spades.

I hope that this overview has given you a few ideas on how to get started implementing your own corporate e-learning training strategy. With adequate planning and a positive approach, you may find that e-learning can make a huge difference to staff morale in your workplace.


Guest Blog Contributor By-line:

David Grover is a Communications Manager at Timeo, a useful tool for businesses in the UK. He’s also a freelance career coach, who’s always eager to share his experience. In his free time, he enjoys traveling.




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