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virtualease · 2 months ago

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Essential Duties of an Administrative Virtual Assistant

In today's fast-paced digital business landscape, efficiency, time management, and cost-effectiveness are the cornerstones of successful operations. This has driven businesses of all sizes to embrace the support of an administrative virtual assistant—a remote professional skilled in handling a wide range of administrative tasks. From organizing schedules to managing email correspondence and documentation, administrative virtual assistants (AVAs) have become indispensable to modern organizations, especially local businesses striving to stay competitive while keeping overheads low.

This article delves into the key responsibilities of an administrative virtual assistant, highlighting how their duties not only support but also elevate the operational efficiency of companies. With a focus on localized relevance and unique insights, we’ll explore what truly makes AVAs the backbone of smooth business operations in both small and large enterprises.

Core Responsibilities of an Administrative Virtual Assistant

Task Management and Prioritization

One of the primary duties of an administrative virtual assistant is managing day-to-day tasks and ensuring that everything is aligned with the organization’s priorities. Whether it’s scheduling appointments, managing calendars, or keeping track of important meetings, AVAs keep operations on track. Especially for professionals working in bustling cities like New York or Los Angeles, where time is literally money, having a reliable virtual assistant can make a huge difference.

Daily Calendar Management

AVAs coordinate daily agendas, avoiding scheduling conflicts and maximizing productive hours. They often use tools like Google Calendar, Calendly, and Outlook.

Appointment Coordination

They handle internal and external meeting arrangements, sending reminders and follow-ups—key to smooth workflows, especially for real estate agencies or law firms in local markets like Chicago or Miami.

Email and Communication Handling

Communication is the lifeline of any business. An administrative virtual assistant takes charge of email management, filtering out the noise and ensuring only priority messages reach the business owner or team leader.

Inbox Organization

A cluttered inbox can be overwhelming. AVAs use strategies such as labeling, prioritizing, and archiving to ensure only essential messages demand attention.

Drafting Professional Correspondence

From local client interactions to vendor negotiations, AVAs draft and send professional emails that uphold the brand's tone and clarity.

Documentation and Record Keeping

No business can thrive without proper documentation. An administrative virtual assistant often serves as the go-to person for managing company files and records.

Cloud File Management

AVAs organize documents in cloud-based systems like Google Drive or Dropbox, accessible to teams in locations from San Francisco to Dallas.

Data Entry and Record Updating

They maintain up-to-date records—crucial for industries like healthcare or finance, where compliance is non-negotiable.

Local Market Research and Reporting

Especially for regionally operating companies in states like Florida or Texas, an administrative virtual assistant can conduct localized market research and present actionable reports.

Competitor Analysis

By studying local competitors, AVAs provide insights into pricing, marketing tactics, and customer feedback.

Industry Trends Monitoring

They also keep tabs on local industry shifts, helping businesses adapt and thrive.

Unique Insights: Going Beyond Basic Admin Tasks

Social Media Scheduling and Light Engagement

Many AVAs are now trained in light social media management, scheduling posts, and responding to basic inquiries on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. This helps local businesses maintain online presence without hiring a dedicated social media manager.

Light Bookkeeping

With tools like QuickBooks or Xero, an administrative virtual assistant may manage invoices, track expenses, and generate simple financial reports. This added skill is especially helpful to small businesses looking to streamline operations without hiring a full accounting team.

CRM Management

AVAs help update customer relationship management systems like HubSpot or Zoho, ensuring all local client interactions are properly recorded and followed up.

Local Relevance: Administrative Virtual Assistant by Region

California

With a thriving startup ecosystem in Silicon Valley and Hollywood's entertainment industry, businesses in California rely heavily on AVAs to coordinate cross-time-zone meetings, track pitches, and manage production schedules.

Florida

Tourism-heavy areas like Orlando and Miami benefit from AVAs who can manage booking systems, customer inquiries, and travel arrangements remotely.

Texas

With its booming real estate market, especially in Austin and Houston, AVAs are essential in managing listings, scheduling showings, and maintaining databases.

New York

From Wall Street firms to boutique consultancies, New York-based companies often delegate back-office operations to AVAs, ensuring uninterrupted focus on client-facing tasks.

Georgia & North Carolina

These growing tech and healthcare hubs see value in AVAs who understand HIPAA compliance and can handle patient scheduling or technical support ticketing remotely.

Conclusion

In an era where businesses must do more with less, the role of an administrative virtual assistant is not just supportive but strategic. From managing the inbox to handling local market research, AVAs enable businesses to focus on growth and client satisfaction. Their ability to work remotely while staying integrated with daily operations makes them a valuable asset, especially for locally-focused enterprises seeking a competitive edge.

If you're a business owner or executive looking to reclaim your time and sharpen your operational focus, hiring an administrative virtual assistant might just be your smartest next move.

FAQs

What does an administrative virtual assistant do on a daily basis?

An administrative virtual assistant handles scheduling, email management, document organization, and other routine office tasks. They ensure everything runs smoothly without the need for physical presence.

How do I hire a qualified administrative virtual assistant?

You can hire AVAs through agencies, freelancing platforms, or local job boards. Always conduct a thorough interview and check for task-specific experience.

Are administrative virtual assistants cost-effective?

Yes. Since they work remotely, you save on office space, equipment, and benefits, while gaining access to top-tier talent.

Do administrative virtual assistants work full-time?

Some work full-time, while others are available on a part-time or per-project basis. It depends on your business needs.

Can they handle confidential information?

Yes, but ensure they sign NDAs and use secure platforms for data handling.

How do I train an administrative virtual assistant?

Provide clear SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), access to tools, and regular check-ins to ensure they're aligned with your expectations.

What tools do administrative virtual assistants use?

Common tools include Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, Trello, Asana, Zoom, Slack, QuickBooks, and CRM platforms.

How do administrative virtual assistants benefit local businesses?

They understand the local market nuances and can manage region-specific tasks like scheduling local vendor meetings, researching local competitors, or handling timezone-specific communications.

What industries benefit the most from administrative virtual assistants?

Industries such as real estate, healthcare, legal, finance, and marketing benefit significantly due to the administrative-heavy nature of their operations.

Can administrative virtual assistants help with customer support?

Yes, many AVAs are trained to handle customer queries, manage support tickets, and respond to emails or social media messages.

Do I need to provide equipment to an administrative virtual assistant?

No. Most AVAs work from their own setup, though you may need to provide access to specific software or platforms.

How is the performance of an administrative virtual assistant evaluated?

Performance is typically tracked through KPIs such as task completion rate, communication quality, turnaround time, and feedback from internal teams or clients.

Are administrative virtual assistants good for startups?

Absolutely. Startups benefit immensely from AVAs due to budget constraints and the need for flexible support.

Can administrative virtual assistants work across different time zones?

Yes, many AVAs are flexible and can adapt their schedules to meet business requirements, making them ideal for global or distributed teams.

What makes a great administrative virtual assistant?

Attention to detail, strong communication, tech-savviness, discretion, and proactive problem-solving are key traits of an excellent AVA.

How do administrative virtual assistants handle multiple clients?

Experienced AVAs are skilled at time management and often use task-tracking tools to balance duties across clients efficiently.

#best virtual assistant #virtual assistant service #virtual assistance task #outsourcing #remote assistant

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officialotakudome · 4 years ago

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New Post has been published on Otaku Dome | The Latest News In Anime, Manga, Gaming, Tech, and Geek Culture

New Post has been published on https://otakudome.com/amazon-announces-new-fire-10-tablets/

Amazon Announces New Fire 10 Tablets

Amazon has announced new Fire 10 tablets:

SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Apr. 27, 2021– (NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon today announced the next generation of Fire HD 10 tablets—the all-new Fire HD 10 and first Fire HD 10 Plus offer powerful performance, a brighter full HD display, updated design, and features to help customers stay entertained, connected, and productive. Plus, with the Fire HD 10 Productivity Bundle, customers can get more done with a detachable keyboard case and a Microsoft 365 Personal subscription. Amazon also introduced an all-new Fire HD 10 Kids tablet for kids ages 3-7, and new Fire Kids Pro tablets built with 6-12 year-olds in mind—learn more here (www.amazon.com/pr).

“Our best tablets just keep getting better. The new Fire HD 10 is brighter, thinner, and lighter, with an octa-core processor for fast and responsive performance, 50% more RAM, and all-day battery life—and is still only $149.99,” said Kevin Keith, vice president, Amazon Devices. “Plus, we added new apps, features, and accessories, including a Productivity Bundle with the Fire HD 10, a Microsoft 365 Personal subscription, and a detachable keyboard case, to help you get more done.”

For just $149.99, the all-new Fire HD 10 features:

Fast and responsive—Powerful octa-core 2.0 GHz processor and 3GB RAM, with 50% more RAM than the previous generation for fast performance and app starts.

Stunning display—Vivid 10.1”, 1080p Full HD display is 10% brighter than the previous generation with more than two million pixels.

Updated design—Thinner and lighter design than the previous generation with uniform bezels, and a screen strengthened with aluminosilicate glass.

All-day battery life—Up to 12 hours of battery life for browsing the web, watching videos, listening to music, and more.

Plenty of storage—Available with 32GB or 64GB of internal storage, plus support for up to 1TB of expandable storage via a microSD card, there’s plenty of space for your photos, videos, and apps.

Stay entertained—Access millions of movies, TV shows, songs, books, apps, and games on your tablet.

Stay connected—2MP front-facing camera is landscape oriented to support widescreen video calls with friends and family—simply ask Alexa to make a call, or use apps like Zoom, Skype, and Microsoft Teams.

Stay productive—Check email, chat with a co-worker, easily view or download a file, update shopping lists, and set calendar reminders using apps like Office, Outlook, OneNote, Microsoft Teams, Notepad, and Dropbox.

Split screen—An all-new feature for Fire OS shows two compatible apps like Messenger from Facebook and Prime Video, side-by-side for easy multi-tasking. You can check your social media accounts while watching a movie, take a video call on Zoom while sending a message, or take notes in OneNote while reading a Kindle book.

Immersive Dolby Atmos audio—Videos, games, and web content sound amazing. Listen via built-in speakers, or connect speakers or headphones via Bluetooth or the headphone jack.

Alexa hands-free—With always-ready, hands-free access to Alexa, you can easily control video and music playback, launch apps, get news and sports scores, manage your smart home devices, make a video call, and even enable Show Mode to transform your tablet into an Echo Show experience. Fire HD 10 and Alexa are designed with privacy in mind. When you say, “Alexa,” a blue bar will appear on the screen to indicate that your device is processing your request and is streaming to the cloud. You can also turn the Alexa microphones off on your Fire HD 10 at any time by tapping the Alexa hands-free button in the Quick Settings menu.

World class parental controls—With Amazon Kids, parents can easily manage their kids’ screen time and set daily goals, age filters, and time limits for both weekdays and weekends. Parents can manage these settings on the device or through the Amazon Parent Dashboard.

Climate Pledge Friendly—The new Fire HD 10 tablets are certified by Carbon Trust’s ‘Reducing CO2’ Product Carbon Footprint Label, a certification that demonstrates a reduction in the carbon footprint of products, year-over-year.

For only $30 more, Fire HD 10 Plus adds:

Fast performance—With 4GB RAM, it offers even more memory for playing your favorite game or multi-tasking during the day.

Premium finish—Soft touch, slate colored finish for a high-quality feel.

Hassle-free wireless charging—Charge wirelessly with any compatible Qi certified charger, or pair with the Made for Amazon wireless charging dock from Anker (sold separately), and Fire HD 10 Plus transitions from a portable tablet to a countertop smart display with hands-free access to Alexa in Show Mode.

Starting at $219.99, Productivity Bundles include either a Fire HD 10 or Fire HD 10 Plus and:

Detachable keyboard case—Designed by Fintie to perfectly fit your Fire HD 10 and Fire HD 10 Plus, the all-new Bluetooth keyboard with detachable case lets you adjust screen-viewing angles for a comfortable typing experience. And if you want to unwind and read a book, the keyboard magnetically detaches and then simply snaps back on when you want to check email, take notes, or browse the internet. The case can also be purchased separately for $49.99.

Microsoft 365 Personal subscription—Includes a 12-month subscription to premium Office apps, 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage, and more, which you can use on up to five compatible devices at the same time. Your subscription auto-renews after one year at the regular rate (MSRP $69.99).

Stay entertained with Prime

Watch thousands of movies and TV shows, including Amazon Originals like Coming 2 America, The Boys, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, and Sylvie’s Love, as well as Emmy and Golden Globe winners Fleabag and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Golden Globe winner Small Axe, Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Academy Award winner Sound of Metal, and Academy Award nominee Time and One Night in Miami….

With Amazon Music, Prime members have access to two million songs and thousands of playlists and stations.

Prime Reading has a rotating selection of more than 1,000 books, magazines, comics, and more. With Amazon First Reads, Prime members get early access to Kindle Books before they publish, based on a selection of titles curated by the Books Editorial team.

Get unlimited full-resolution photo storage and 5GB video storage with Amazon Photos.

With Prime Gaming, customers can enjoy free games, in-game content, a Twitch channel subscription each month, and more.

To sign up or start a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime, visit www.amazon.com/prime.

Pricing and availability

Starting at $149.99, Fire HD 10 is available for pre-order today with 32GB or 64GB of storage and is offered in Black, Denim, Lavender, and Olive colors. Fire HD 10 Plus is available with 32GB or 64GB of storage starting at $179.99. The Made for Amazon Wireless Charging Dock by Anker is available for $49.99 and can be purchased as a bundle with Fire HD 10 Plus. Both tablets can also be purchased as part of the new Fire HD 10 Productivity Bundle, which features a Made for Amazon keyboard case by Fintie and a 12-month Microsoft 365 Personal subscription, starting at $219.99.

Accessory cases are available for Fire HD 10 and Fire HD 10 Plus tablets in Black, Lavender Haze, Deep Sea Blue, and Olive Green.

All tablets and accessories will begin shipping on May 26. To learn more, visit: www.amazon.com/firetablets.

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Apr. 27, 2021– Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced the all-new Fire Kids Pro tablets for kids ages 6 to 12 and the next generation Fire HD 10 Kids tablet for kids ages 3 to 7. Now, grown-ups can choose a Fire Kids tablet experience that meets the changing needs of kids as they grow, while enjoying flexible parental controls that give adults peace of mind. Amazon also announced a new suite of Fire HD 10 tablets for entertainment and productivity, learn more here.

Fire Kids Pro

The all-new Fire Kids Pro reimagines the tablet experience for kids ages 6 to 12 with features that empower kids to independently explore and expanded, age-appropriate content. Fire Kids Pro is an affordable, kids tablet that includes everything a child needs to get started—a full-featured Fire tablet, a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+ with an expanded selection of content for older kids, a slim protective case, and a two-year worry-free guarantee. Fire Kids Pro is available in three sizes and four colors and prints. And, any customer with a Fire or Fire Kids tablet can enable the new Fire Kids Pro features on their existing device using the Amazon Parent Dashboard.

The all-new Fire Kids Pro includes:

Expanded Amazon Kids+ content: Fire Kids Pro comes with a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+, which includes a large selection of premium entertainment and educational content, now with even more of the content older kids love. Kids can choose from thousands of apps, songs, Audible books, games including Teen Titans Go and Asphalt 8, books like Keeper of the Lost Cities and Chronicles of Narnia, PG and PG-13 videos hand-selected by the Amazon Kids team, plus educational content from National Geographic, Rabbids Coding, LEGO, and more.

Digital store: In addition to Kids+ content, Kids Pro tablets include access to a digital store so kids can request apps like Disney+, Spotify, Minecraft, Zoom, and more. Kids can request apps, and parents approve purchases and downloads. The digital store includes a selection of apps designed for children, and parents can choose to allow expanded access to additional apps. Mature and adult content is always excluded.

Web browser: The Amazon Kids web browser now includes a setting that gives kids open but filtered access to the web for school projects and online curriculum. Built-in controls are designed to help filter out inappropriate sites. Parents can also allow and block specific sites.

Voice and video calling: Kids can make and receive voice and video calls over Wi-Fi with parent-approved contacts who have a Fire Kids tablet, Echo device or the Alexa app, letting them easily chat with friends to collaborate on homework or stay in touch with family. Kids can also make announcements like “I’m done with my homework” from the tablet to Alexa-enabled devices at home.

Music: A music row that includes stations from iHeartRadio Family makes kid-friendly music more easily accessible. Kids can choose from an array of curated playlists like Acoustic for Kids and Homework Inspiration, as well as live radio stations.

Flexible parental controls: Amazon Kids free parental controls make it easy for grown-ups to manage their kids’ screen time and digital content. Grown-ups can set daily goals, age filters, time limits for both weekdays and weekends, adjust the web browser experience, turn voice and video calling on or off, approve communications contacts, approve or deny purchases from the digital store, and more.

Grown-up look and feel: The home screen theme looks and feels more like a “grown-up” tablet. A new “For You” tab offers a personalized screen of content for easy discovery of new and recommended content, while the “Home” tab provides easy access to the child’s screen time rules and key features such as voice and video calling, the web browser, and the digital store.

Fun case and color options: Fire Kids Pro comes with a slim case in cool colors and fun prints that protects against drops and bumps. Parents can choose from Sky Blue, Black, Doodle, and Intergalactic. The case includes an adjustable stand that makes virtual learning, game play, and video watching easy and comfortable. All Fire Kids Pro tablets include a two-year worry-free guarantee—if it breaks, return it, and Amazon will replace it for free.

“Parents and kids love our Fire Kids tablets—they continue to be the best-selling kids tablets in the U.S. As kids’ interests expand, they naturally want to do more and need a tablet that grows with them,” said Kurt Beidler, general manager, Amazon Kids & Kids+. “The Fire Kids Pro offers everything parents already love from our Kids tablets with a new experience that gives kids ages 6 to 12 even more of what they want—more content, more freedom to safely explore with new features, and more social connection. And, Amazon Kids offers flexible parental controls that allow parents to tailor their children’s experience based on their family style—giving parents peace of mind as their kids get older.”

“Kids mature at different rates, and it’s up to parents to decide which types of content they’re comfortable with their kids engaging,” said Stephen Balkam, CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute. “The way these products are designed gives families the ability to maintain oversight while building a healthy relationship with technology. Establishing this kind of trust will help with creating positive habits for kids as they become more independent online.”

Fire HD 10 Kids

The next-generation Fire HD 10 Kids includes a Fire HD 10 tablet that offers up to 12 hours of battery life and USB-C for easy charging, especially for kids. The brilliant 10.1” HD display coupled with fast performance makes for a great video experience. Fire HD 10 Kids comes with a kid-proof case in Sky Blue, Aquamarine, or Lavender with a kickstand that doubles as a handle; a year of Amazon Kids+; and a two-year worry-free guarantee. It’s the perfect tablet for kids ages 3 to 7.

Amazon Kids+ provides kids unlimited access to over 20,000 books, movies, TV shows, Spanish-language content, Audible books, educational apps, and games—all curated by kids content experts. Amazon Kids free parental controls make it easy for grown-ups to manage their kids’ screen time and digital content. With the “Learn First” feature, grown-ups can block access to games and cartoons until after educational goals are met. These settings can be managed on the child’s device or through the Amazon Parent Dashboard.

Pricing and availability

The all-new Fire Kids Pro tablets start at $99.99 for the Fire 7 Kids Pro, $139.99 for the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro, and $199.99 for the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro. Families with an existing Fire Kids tablet can also upgrade to Fire Kids Pro through the Amazon Trade-In program with a 20 percent discount.

The next-generation Fire HD 10 Kids is $199.99. For a limited time, customers can get a 30 percent discount when they buy two Fire HD 10 Kids tablets.

Fire Kids Pro and Fire HD 10 Kids tablets are available for pre-order starting today and will begin shipping on May 26.

Amazon Kids is completely free to parents, and Amazon Kids+ subscriptions start at $2.99 per month for Prime members and $4.99 per month for customers who are not yet Prime members. Customers can use the same Amazon Kids+ subscription across any compatible device to access even more kid-friendly content, including Fire tablets, Fire TV, Kindle, Echo, iOS, Chromebook, or Android devices.

About Amazon

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pixelproductions · 5 years ago

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Top 15 Content Planning Tools for Content Marketing

Content marketing is one of the most effective marketing strategies for ROI on money spent, get the content planning tools the pros use to up your game.

Believe it or not, content marketing is still a pretty new form of marketing for many businesses. Research from the Content Marketing Institute indicated that having a content strategy is one of the most crucial factors in deciding whether your business will fail or succeed. And content strategy means content planning!

To start with, one might question what is content? In 1996, nearly two decades ago, Bill Gates declared the statement ��CONTENT IS KING” where he stated:

“Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting.”

Also, according to a survey from the Custom Content Council, 72% of marketers feel that content marketing offers a better ROI than other advertising, while 69% feel that it’s more powerful than direct mail and PR.

The facts say enough!

Creating a lasting content marketing strategy requires the use of the best content planning tools.

Are you spending your time and money on the best tools for content marketing?

Some marketers are still a bit skeptical about what are the best tools for content marketing. This article will give you a quick overview of the best tools for content planning to keep your business booming.

Let’s get started:

1. ProofHub

ProofHub has everything your marketing team will need in terms of content planning tools. The best friend to collaborate with the team and organize all your social media marketing data. It is a cloud-based tool with powerful features to plan, collaborate, organize, and deliver content much easier and faster.

ProofHub Gantt charts help to keep an eye on how the work is progressing

Track time with timesheets and add multiple timers to get things completed in the specified time frame

Break down content ideas into smaller milestones

Custom roles to work together with people

ProofHub helps marketing teams to drop a lot of weight off their shoulders by organizing tasks, posting, and sharing.

Integrations: ProofHub is integrated with many third-party apps like Freshbooks, Google calendar and iCal, Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, Onedrive, and Outlook.

Price: Essential plan $45 /month, billed annually and ultimate control plan $89 /month (SAVE 41%!). A discount of 20% on monthly billing and 20% + 10% on annual billing on ProofHub’s Essential Plan to nonprofit organizations.

Free trial: Start the free trial with all features. No contracts. No per-user fees. Unlimited users.

2. HubSpot

HubSpot marketing hub has a vast knowledge base around the best practices of content marketing strategy. HubSpot builds a foundation for content marketing plan to create a content strategy that works as per the modern search.

Create personalized landing pages, emails, web pages

Monitor and create effective blog posts

Distribute content via social media

Content creator and editor

Integrations: There are a number of integrations that work with the HubSpot software, typically Salesforce, GoToWebinar, SurveyMonkey, WordPress, Zapier, Eventbrite, G Suite, Shopify, and Slack.

Price: Starter plan at $35/month, Professional at $560/month, and Enterprise at $3,200/month.

Free trial: Start your free 30-day trial. There’s no risk, no obligation, and no credit card required.

3. Pocket

When you find something you want to read later, Pocket is for bookmarking your resources. Definitely, reading can make you a bright writer. With Pocket, you can spend most of your time on stories that matter to you. You find a really interesting piece – simply pop it in your pocket for later. What else?

Follow interesting people to see what they’re recommending

Highlight an excerpt and include that in your share

Options of keeping it public/private

Pocket lets you save interesting articles to view files later on iPhones, iPads, PCs and any mobile device. Available on iPhone, iPad, Android, and Kindle Fire.

Integrations: Pocket is integrated into over 500 applications across many platforms you may already use.

Pricing: Plans from $4.99/month or $44.99/year. Go premium at $44.99/yr.

Free trial: Free version is available.

4. Buzzsumo

Until you know what kind of content is trending in your industry, you cannot have the best results. Buzzsumo is a content performance analysis tool that identifies the influencers who are creating popular, newsworthy content. No tool is as close as Buzzsumo in providing the insights to quickly identify what content is working well in the industry. Also,

Know the influencers in your industry to market your content

Find what content was most shared across all social networks

Get content alerts to see content that mentions your keyword

Track how your competitor’s content is performing

All-in-all, this tool is perfect for editorial planning and scheduling.

Integrations: Content from BuzzSumo can be shared to a social network or via a social scheduling tool such as Hootsuite or Buffer. You may also connect your Twitter account to BuzzSumo.

Pricing: Pro plan at $79/month and plus plan at $139/month (Recommended).

Free trial: All plans include a free 7-day trial. No credit card needed.

5. Buffer

If you want to be a content marketing expert, use Buffer to plan your data on social media. Manage multiple accounts: Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn from your dashboard.

Schedule posts for your social media at once

Review analytics to see how your posts are performing

Add up to 25 members to give them the appropriate access level

Try Buffer and see how it makes a difference to your social media management.

Integrations: Integrate Buffer with your favorite apps: MailChimp, Pipedrive, Slack, Salesforce, SharePoint, and many more.

Pricing: Pro plan at $15/month billed monthly and Premium plan at $65/month billed monthly.

Free trial: Try the basic free plan: 3 social accounts, 10 scheduled posts, 1 user.

6. Parse.ly

Content analytics is one of the key ways to transform your content strategy into a dynamic business booster. The simple, aesthetically appealing, and informative platform of Parese.ly lets you track the performance of topics, capitalize on web trends, promote in-demand content, and many more.

Analyze data from both inbound and outbound collateral

In one dashboard connect your email marketing, social media, and blog content

Join in on conversations happening around your brand in real-time

Integrations: Integrates with best-in-class technologies: Cloudflare, Drupal, Looker, Facebook, Segment, and many more.

Pricing: Starter plan at $500 per month.

Free trial: Free 30-day trial. No credit card required.

7. GatherContent

It’s a huge relief to have all your information and ideas in one place to create great content. GatherContent is a tool that streamlines the way you gather and organize your content. Define the editorial schedule from within GatherContent.

One central location for everything

Create folders to hold all your information

Keep content up-to-date and consistent

Integrations: Build your own integrations with GatherContent fully documented API.

Pricing: Starter plan at $83/mo (Save $198!).

Free trial: All plans start with a 30-day free trial. You must try it!

8. Kred

After making enough content strategies, it is equally important to measure how your content marketing strategy actually moves the needle in your industry. Kred is the perfect resource for building credibility and trust that measures influence by the number of mentions, retweets, and replies you receive. Outreach measures the mentions, retweets and replies you send out.

Kred gives two different scores: influence and outreach

Analyze Facebook and Twitter activities

Build your own influencer status to enhance your online presence

You can connect with Facebook, Twitter or email to log in and start measuring your online influence.

Integrations: All you need is an API Key and you’re ready to integrate!

Pricing: Influencer plan at $10/month (100 +KRED), power user at $100/month (1,000 +KRED) and team plan at $1,000/month (20,000 +KRED).

Free trial: Free trial available. Create up to 10 actionable +Kred Coins.

9. Copyscape

As a content marketer, it’s best to use unique content. By using the best plagiarism checkers, your file will be authentically checked to keep you out of trouble with Google and publishers. The Copyscape is a famous plagiarism tool that shields your content from plagiarism.

Simply put the URL of your post in the URL segment and check

You can access it from any location

The procedure is straightforward and simple

Pricing: Starting from $4.95/month.

Free trial: Free, Subscription.

10. Coschedule Headline Analyser

Your headlines are crucial in content marketing! Headlines draw future prospects in. This tool is ideal for crafting the perfect headline bringing out the ability to result better in social shares, traffic, and SEO ranking. It checks your selected title for the following factors:

Word balance

Headline type

First Three, Last Three Words

Keywords

Google search preview

Email subject line preview

Integrations: Create content using Google Docs. Publish directly to WordPress. Sync your Evernote notes directly in CoSchedule, integrate with all your favorite social media networks, easily connect your MailChimp, Campaign Monitor, and Active Campaign.

Pricing: Starting at $80/month billed annually.

Free trial: 14-day free trial.

11. DivvyHQ

They promise to handle the most challenging part of the content process. DivvyHQ checks off an impressive amount of content strategy, content planning and production workflow for content marketers.

Get your team organized and aligned

Real-time dashboard to have visibility

Custom content workflows

Track content performance

This is one power planning tool available at an affordable rate.

Integrations: DivvyHQ supports integration with all leading social media platforms.

Pricing: DivvyHQ LITE plan at $25/user/month, DivvyHQ PRO plan at $95/user/month, DivvyHQ enterprise plan at $195/user/month.

Free trial: 14-day free trial. No credit card needed.

12. Content DJ

Content DJ is for content creators on each step of the process including finding, sharing and tracking engagement. It offers a visual calendar with color-coding capability so you can see your content in a single view.

Add keywords relevant to the content you want to share

A set of analytics tools to help you track followers, retweets and mentions

Pricing: Starter plan at $29.00 per user/month.

Free trial: Get started with a free 14-day trial.

13. Sniply

Well, social media is becoming the next big thing. Sniply is one of the successful ways to drive conversion through the content you share on social media. Whatever you share across, add a call-to-action so people can discover you while they read. It’s the best way to promote yourself or your brand while sharing content.

Embed your call-to-actions onto every piece of content

Add custom messages into articles from CNN, TechCrunch, Mashable, BBC, anywhere

Create shortened branded links to share on Twitter etc.

It is simple, easy to use and a very cost-effective way to drive traffic to your website or blog.

Integrations: Sniply integrates with 1,500+ apps to automate your work.

Pricing: Basic plan at $29 /month (5,000 clicks /mo, 2 brand profiles, 1 team member)

Free trial: All plans include unlimited links. Try any plan for 14 days free!

14. Hootsuite

A content calendar for social media works relatably with your social media content strategy to save you time and effort. You’ll get a good mix of content that supports social media goals and objectives.

Never miss any important dates

Stick to a consistent posting schedule

Share on a cloud platform like Google Sheets or Dropbox

Try Hootsuite to track the success of all your efforts.

Integrations: Connect with 20+ social networks.

Pricing: Professional plan at 18.15 USD/month (10 social profiles, unlimited scheduling, 1 user)

Free trial: Free 30-day trial: 3 social profiles | 30 Scheduled Messages | 1 user.

15. Outbrain.com

This content discovery tool helps connect marketers to their target audience through personalized recommendations. Outbrain.com offers a personalized reader experience and expose your content to engaged readers.

Get what you want to target

Learn your audience patterns

Set goals for your content

Set a content schedule

You can powerfully establish a creative, invaluable, and unique online presence.

Integrations: Outbrain integrates with the following business systems and applications: Shopify, eBay, Amazon, Magento, WooCommerce, Bigcommerce, QuickBooks, Xero, and Inventory Planner.

Pricing: Starting price at $20.00/one-time.

Free trial: You will be charged for the number of clicks you receive based on the CPC you set.

Each of the content planning tools mentioned above will take your content marketing efforts to the next level! You simply cannot ignore the power of content planning in content marketing to promote yourself/your brand online.

#content planning tools #content marketing tools

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enterinit · 6 years ago

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Microsoft Ignite 2019 OneDrive

Microsoft Ignite 2019 OneDrive. Main announces list: Experience easy file access Work and share with confidence Migrate efficiently

1. Experience easy file access

a. Upload and sync large files We are pleased to announce Microsoft 365 supports uploads of file sizes up to 100 GB – which includes uploads of files into SharePoint, Teams and OneDrive. To complement these large uploads, we announced availability of differential sync for PC and Mac, bringing the ability to sync only the parts of large files that have changed, not the entire file. For example, in the below illustration, you can see that after a simple edit, only 2 MB of a 100 MB file is being synced instead of the complete file. When you add any changes to a file Differential sync syncs part of the file instead of the entire file. This makes the file synchronization process faster for these files. It also reduces the time taken to upload and download a file as well as consumed bandwidth. Differential sync is already available for Office file types and is rolling out to most file types like JPEG, PDF, MOV, MP4 etc. b. Recommended view Finding content is one of the biggest inefficiencies we have daily and with OneDrive we want to help you quickly find the files that matter most. Leveraging the intelligence of the Microsoft Graph, OneDrive showcases relevant files based on how you work and collaborate with others. Recommended view surfaces files trending around you bringing attention to important files you may not want to miss, based on actions like a recent edit from a fellow collaborator, comments and @mentions, highlighting a file you recently opened, and general file activity trends. This view is consistent across OneDrive for web and Office. c. Intelligent file card updates Visibility of all file activities is key, and we are continuously working to make it as seamless as possible. Whenever you hover over a file in OneDrive and SharePoint you will be able to see a wealth of information about your files at a glance. Earlier this year we announced updates to File card introducing features like “Inside look” that will surface deeper information on a file like key points and time to read the file as well as “Activity highlights” that will show relevant activities related to the files you’re working on, like edits, comments, or @mentions. Today, we announced an additional update coming soon to the file card- “Conversations”. Now, when you hover over files that have been shared in email, meeting invitations, or private Teams chats, you will be able to see those conversations in the file card and allow users to jump back to them. Users' collaborate in many places and the file card will help you remember where that work took place.

d. Save for later With this feature you will be able to bookmark files and folders across OneDrive and SharePoint for later access. You will see an aggregate of everything you have saved in the “Saved for later “ section in your OneDrive making it easy for you to quickly get back to content from your OneDrive or a shared library.

2. Work and share with confidence

a. Coherent file sharing and collaboration across Office 365 Microsoft is bringing a consistent sharing experience wherever you share from. As much as we are rationalizing the files experience across Microsoft 365, we, too, are working to ensure the sharing experience and rich set of sharing options are consistent across devices and platforms. Today, this includes OneDrive, Office desktop and mobile apps, SharePoint document libraries, Windows Explorer and Mac Finder – and now, Teams. Most recently we announced ubiquitous sharing experience across Microsoft Teams and Outlook. Soon, you will be able to share files by easily adjusting the sharing and access controls (view, edit, expire, block download, etc.) directly in Microsoft Teams and Outlook web app. Links shared will intelligently reconcile to the name of the file. Coherent files sharing experience in Teams. You can copy address bar URLs and they to will reconcile into the file name. We are also heavily invested in making the collaboration experience reliable, intuitive and secure. Office is more than just a canvas for document creation- it supports native collaboration with real time coauthoring as well as helps you in staying up to date with your file activities with effective features like @mentions, comments and most recently announced- tasks. Coming soon, across Word, Excel and PowerPoint, is Tasks, that will help you assign responsibilities to your peers, which can be resolved once the job is complete. In addition to assigning the task you can also reassign it and track any changes made to the task within the comment thread via the inline history. But that’s not all! Soon with Outlook, you will be able to save time and collaborate faster with comment and context previews in @mention and comment emails. This implies, when using Outlook, you'll be able to reply to the comments without even needing to leave Outlook.

Reply to the comments within Outlook b. Block download for more file types Sharing sensitive data can be daunting, which is why we’ve made sure OneDrive is a great secure, private and compliant platform for sharing content, whether it’s with colleagues or external clients. Earlier this year, across the various options of sharing links, we introduced the capability of “block download” enabling you to keep your content in the cloud by not allowing users to download Office files. This capability helps you avoid out of date copies and maintain access control. Today, we are glad to announce that shortly, you will be able to apply the same functionality to images, 3D, PDF files and more. c. Expiring access for external users We realize strong teamwork requires you to share and collaborate with peers not only within your organization but even with folks outside your organization- be it your partners, customers, 3rd party vendors etc. In the near future, administrators will be able to set a mandatory expiration period to ensure that access doesn’t last forever and avoid leaking organization data by accident. This policy can be enabled in the SharePoint admin center (both modern and classic) and applies to both OneDrive and SharePoint. Once the policy is implemented, external users will automatically lose access to content on a site by site (or OneDrive by OneDrive) level. SharePoint site administrators and OneDrive owners will have the authority to extend or remove access for the selected users. OneDrive owners will have the authority to extend or remove access for the selected users. d. Request files With over 2,700 votes on UserVoice, this was our 3rd most voted for ask in “Sharing & Collaboration”. We realized that there was a strong need for people to collect files from others, often from collaborators outside of their organization, without letting them have the visibility to the content of the folder. Aligning to this requirement we are glad to announce rollout of the “Request Files” functionality where you can create special links to request files from others. Anyone with the file request link will be able to upload files without having to sign in, no OneDrive account required. Best of all, uploaders will only be able to upload files. They can't view, edit, or even see who else may have uploaded to the request. There are multiple use cases where this feature can be extremely valuable – consider "Request for Proposal" (RFP) scenario where you need to collect bids from others, or a marketing professional accumulating quotes from various vendors for a campaign, a teacher collecting assignments , a manager reaching out for feedback from his team members or a financial rep or recruiter gathering documents from their clients- just to name a few.

3. Migrate efficiently

a. Leverage the power of M3: Microsoft | Mover |Migration Recently, Microsoft announced the acquisition of Mover, a leading provider of cloud file migration, including admin-led and self-service offerings. As customer demand to move content to the cloud continues to grow, Mover helps make it easier than ever for customers to migrate files to Microsoft 365. Mover supports migration from over a dozen cloud service providers – including Box, Dropbox, Egnyte, and Google Drive – into OneDrive and SharePoint, enabling seamless file collaboration across Microsoft 365 apps and services, including the Office apps and Microsoft Teams. The Mover team also brings deep expertise and migration technology, which advances Microsoft’s commitment to providing organizations of all sizes with the right tools, people and partners to successfully migrate to the Microsoft Cloud. Authorize the Mover Transfer Wizard as a co-administrator; above showing for a Box migration to OneDrive. The Mover migration manager is the dashboard which gives you a summary of your overall migration; here showing an active migration of content from Google Drive into OneDrive. Mover brings many new cloud migration scenarios alongside our existing SharePoint Migration Tool for on-premises moves, FastTrack planning, and onboarding, and a strong migration partner ecosystem – collectively the broadest set of offerings to assist your migration into Microsoft 365. Mover will enhance these offerings with proven tools, plus more self-service options over time. You can use this service for free. Note: Initially, the service is available to North American customers, and we plan to ramp up to all customers worldwide. We will share more soon. b. PC folder backup with OneNote and cross-volume support With OneDrive your content is always backed up and protected enabling you to have access to all your files and folders from anywhere. PC folder backup (formerly referred to as Known Folder Move) allows you to implement all the goodness of OneDrive to your important Windows folders- Desktop, Documents, Pictures- enriching end user productivity. Recently we announced support for cross-volume moves while backing up known Windows folders allowing people to back up their important folders even when they are on a different volume than the OneDrive folder. By the end of this year, users with local OneNote notebooks will now have their OneNote’s automatically backed up as a part of the PC Folder Backup move. You can continue saving files to the folders they are familiar with as well as have access to their files in these important Windows folders from anywhere. Read the full article

#MicrosoftOffice365 #MicrosoftOneDrive #OfficeProPlus

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shirlleycoyle · 5 years ago

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The Motherboard Guide to Getting Laid Off

Unemployment is at its highest point since the Great Depression. Every day, major companies are announcing layoffs or furloughs as the coronavirus-induced economic crash worsens. There is no end in sight. It's hard to even keep count of the number of layoffs in the tech industry, so much so that people are compiling their own lists of companies that have laid people off.

Being employed in media, a precarious industry during the best of times, means working under the near-constant possibility of today being The Day. I've been laid off twice in my nine years in journalism, but neither of those times was a surprise, and I was prepared with backups of my work and contacts to take with me on my way out the door, which helped me as I became a freelancer or moved on to a new job.

Hopefully, you will never get laid off or suddenly lose your job. But now that so many industries are in precarious situations, everyone should at least be prepared in case your Day comes. Not needing to begin again from scratch because you lost all your contacts and files as a freelancer, independent contractor, or at a new job can make getting back on your feet faster and less stressful—and that's why today, you're going to take 10 minutes to get your digital work affairs in order, with backups of everything you've worked hard to build.

Most employers aren't required to give workers any notice for when they're planning to lay people off, Edgar Ndjatou, Executive Director for Workplace Fairness, told me. It's a good idea to check your employment contract or any NDAs you signed before you do any of these steps, he said.

"When in doubt, if the information will help you land a new job, you should take it"

Proprietary information—data and documents pertaining to the operation of the business, and a slew of other items, outlined in detail here—should not be taken with you. This includes things like client or customer lists, budgets, traffic numbers, methodologies, business plans, basically anything you can foresee your workplace's lawyers being pissed that you took. Be careful about what you back up, lest you get smacked with a cease and desist or lawsuit for stealing the secret sauce recipe.

Lewis Maltby, head of the National Workrights Institute, told me that the general rule is that you own your skills and knowledge, and your employer owns the "trade secrets."

"This includes any information developed by the employer, which is not generally known to people in the industry, that gives it some competitive advantage over other companies," Maltby said. "Classic examples include the design of a device or the formula for a product. If you’re a design engineer for GM, your skill designing cars belongs to you; the design for the GM cars you worked on belongs to them."

Some contracts forbid employees from taking work contacts with them, and even if specifics about downloading data aren't mentioned, many include language about how you can use contacts built during the course of your employment after you've left. These stipulations in work contracts are overbearing; nothing in this article should be considered legal advice, but presuming you want to stay in the same industry you’re working in currently, you should at least consider keeping a list of emails, phone numbers, and business cards you’ve collected over the years.

This advice applies mainly to people working desk jobs, where data like emails, contacts, and files are stored in a company cloud server or client like Google or Outlook.

These tips are catered toward a workplace that runs primarily on Google's G Suite and/or Outlook, but the steps and planning around them apply to any workplace, even if the specific measures might look different. They also shouldn't be taken as legal advice—all workplaces are different, all employment contracts are different, and your tolerance for risk will differ, so use your own discretion and your best judgment.

Decide where you'll keep everything

By the time you're through this process, you might have a lot of data on your hands—and if you're working from home, not a lot of drive space to store it on a personal computer. Decide ahead of time whether you can save it all locally, and if not, whether you can back it up to a specific USB drive designated for work data, or download and upload to a personal cloud service such as Google Drive or Dropbox.

Back-up your contacts

"The information most employees want to take with them is their contact list," Maltby said. "Unless it’s a list of your employer’s customers, it belongs to you."

Email addresses and phone numbers of your professional contacts, such as people you met at a conference or sources you've built relationships with, are usually okay to take with you.

On Google, you can export all of your contacts at once, or pick and choose whose information you want to save. If you're concerned about your company tracking this, go to Google Contacts and hit "export," which downloads everything into a .CSV file and opens as an Excel sheet. The data is organized with a ton of useless columns, including a dozen versions of names and things like Hobby and Mileage, but you can delete all of those and keep just the contacts' names, addresses, and phone numbers. If you are extremely paranoid, you can login to your contacts list and take photos of them with your non-work cell phone and collate them later.

The process using Outlook is similar: The software has a built-in exporting function. The main difference is in where you save the .CSV file, which Microsoft recommends doing in the Contacts folder under your personal account on a PC.

Let contacts know you're leaving (if there's time)

If you set up automatic mail forwarding to your personal account from your work email, it’ll probably be turned off by your (now former) company very quickly. But if you want to go that route anyway, Google and Outlook each have instructions for this. Depending on your company's email client settings, it might not be possible to forward emails from your work account to another account—and trying to set it up could tip off the administrator that you're trying to leave with company information.

Ndjatou said a better alternative is to schedule an away message for your last day that contains your personal contact info and how best to reach you in the future. But again, this applies to people you've made professional and personal relationships with in your job, and not whole client lists or customers that you obtained through working there. And this might not work if your company shuts off your email address entirely and without warning. If you think your old email will be turned off, you can choose to selectively contact your most important connections to let them know you're likely facing a layoff or furlough, and how to reach you (this also works if you're leaving your job under happier circumstances, like if you're leaving for a new job).

If you decide to try to negotiate access to your email with the company, note that this step in particular benefits both you and the people left working there: If you include instructions for how to contact the company in your absence, it could save the survivors some work and help them retain the connections you worked for.

Grab everything else

Depending on what you feel comfortably able to download on your way out, Google's Takeout service can do the rest. You probably won't want to download everything included in your G Suite that's available at this stage—a lot of it could be proprietary information, and it's also just a ton of company-specific data, documents, and spreadsheets —and based on your administrator's settings, you might not be able to anyway. But items like Drive contents (including Docs and Sheets), Photos, Groups, and Hangouts messages could be valuable later. Depending on how much you're downloading, this could take hours or more than a day to compile and download—plan ahead.

If you don't want to wait for Takeout, or don't work in G Suite or use Drive, you can still comb through your documents from the last few years of employment and decide what's important enough to be saved. Maybe that list of important industry events should come with you, but the 2016 Q2 KPI metrics can go to hell. It's up to you what's worthy of copying over to your new life.

You should also check what's on your computer's hard drive—maybe you have notes or contacts or ideas saved there. Now would be a good time to organize things into folders, rename files to more helpful terms, and back up the backups on a USB or personal cloud service. Sorting through all of this later, once you've completely forgotten what all of it meant, would not be fun.

Do a clean sweep

So you know your layoff date, or you just got an email that your access will be revoked within the day, or hour, or next five minutes. Now that you have everything you needed backed up safely, it's time to calmly shut it down. Knowing exactly how to do that will make acting quickly that much less panic-inducing.

Go through your applications and log out of and delete any apps you used for personal reasons or that you wouldn't want people to snoop around in later (Google Hangouts, Slack, iMessage). Delete unsent drafts and notes you don't want. Log out of all of your applications. If you use a browser-based password manager like LastPass or a chat client like Hangouts, log out of that, too.

If you're using a company computer and have admin privileges, wipe it clean and get it ready to return to the IT department. Here's a good primer on how to get that done (except you're not recycling the device at the end, of course). If you don't have that kind of access, you can at least take steps to delete your internet history, locally-saved files, and all your browser's saved passwords and auto-fill forms. You don't have to, and probably shouldn't, delete company property like signed contracts, files, spreadsheets, etc. But you should get rid of any personal passwords and documents and other things from your personal life that may have ended up on your work computer over years of using a device. Almost every mainstream browser, such as Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, have this option in some version of "manage passwords" settings, where you can wipe them all.

Some final words of wisdom

Since many of us are working from home now, we're likely mixing work and personal devices more than ever. Avoid doing that as much as you can, Ndjatou said.

Especially if you're using a company-owned device, it's smart to behave as if everything you do is visible to a manager, because it might be. Don’t use personal iMessage on a work computer if you can avoid it, for example. It's easier to fly under the radar on some of these backups when you're working from home, away from the watchful eyes of a supervisor or on a shared internet connection. Spreading some of these tasks out across a week or two could raise fewer suspicions from your IT department, which usually can see what you're up to on company accounts if they happen to be watching.

"IT can check your email and see you've taken documents," Ndjatou said. "Most companies now have ways of going into their systems and seeing who took what." If you feel comfortable going to your manager or HR ahead of time, it's better to ask for permission to save things like files and correspondence.

And outside of your digital life, it's a good idea to document (or try to remember, if you haven't been in the office in a while) what's physically at your desk or workspace. Sometimes, you won't get the chance to pack up your belongings, and the company will say they'll arrange for it to be shipped. You'll want records of those items, to make sure they're all returned to you. Or, you can just avoid keeping personal valuables at your desk, altogether.

At the end of the day, workers don't have much power during a layoff—short of organizing and supporting your union, which you should absolutely do as a matter of necessity in these times. It's a bleak reality of many industries that either the economy, a global pandemic, some rich scumlord, or a combination of all these can come along and astroturf years of work. But whatever's to blame in the end, you're a little more ready now.

"When in doubt, if the information will help you land a new job, you should take it," Maltby said. "Unless it’s a secret formula, the harm of not getting a new job is worse that anything your employer is likely to do if you take the information."

When you're ready to start a new job or begin freelancing, the digital hygiene work you've done here will be invaluable. Some of it could even help you re-establish connections with people while you're in-between jobs, that could lead to new opportunities. Almost everyone is in the same boat now, and sending a message to that person you met in your past work-life, just to say 'I didn't forget about you,' can go a long way.

The Motherboard Guide to Getting Laid Off syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

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lesliepump · 6 years ago

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Best Laptops for Lawyers: A Computer Buying Guide

In general, lawyers in our Lawyerist Insider and Lawyerist Lab communities spend way too much time worrying about getting the best laptops for lawyers. You can run a law practice just fine on a $400 Dell desktop (but you shouldn’t).

Best Desktop Computer for Your Law Office

You don’t need to waste time and brainpower obsessively comparing specs or agonizing over whether to get a Mac or PC. You can just get something from Microsoft or Apple and it will do the job. (Lenovo and Dell are also good choices.)

Not satisfied?

Okay, here are a few things you could think about if you want to put more work than strictly necessary into buying a computer.

Mac or Windows?

It doesn’t matter.

If you need to validate your decision to use one over the other, you’ll find plenty of proponents of both systems. But the bottom line is that you can practice law just fine on either. Use what you like.

However, it’s worth debunking a couple of common misconceptions.

Law Firm Computer Specs

First misconception: price. If you want a cheap computer, there are plenty of Windows hardware manufacturers that will be happy to sell you one. While Apple does not sell cheap computers, you should not buy a cheap Windows computer. Good-quality Windows PCs are usually priced in the same range as an equivalent Mac.

Second misconception: performance. People often switch to Mac because they are unhappy with their cheap Windows PCs. But if you buy good-quality Windows PCs, they won’t feel any slower than an equivalent Mac.

In short, you shouldn’t buy cheap computers. I’ll give you a ballpark budget below, but the point is that good computers aren’t cheap, and you should buy good computers.

Third misconception: compatibility. The days of worrying about incompatible software and hardware are mostly over, as well. Microsoft Office works perfectly well on both, and since a lot of the software you use is almost certainly in the cloud, you can use it on anything with a web browser.

However, sophisticated users of Microsoft Office will be quick to point out features that are not available in the Mac versions. And users of legacy practice management software may also find that a Mac is not an option. If those exceptions apply to you, then Windows will obviously be a better option.1 If not, then use what you want.

For the record, I don’t think it matters at all whether you buy a Mac or a Windows PC. Both will allow you to practice law just fine. And despite what some say, neither will make you a better lawyer.

That said, I usually recommend Macs because they generally result in fewer headaches for lawyers who do their own tech support. And if your Mac breaks down, the nearest Apple Store is a pretty friendly place to get help.

However, many complaints about Windows are overblown. Windows “just works” just fine if you set it up properly.

So let’s call it a wash. If you are a long-time Windows user and you are perfectly happy with Windows, stick with it. If you are in love with Apple’s smooth aluminum slabs, get one. There is no objectively compelling reason to use one or the other. Conversely, there is no compelling reason not to use one or the other. Use what you like. But whichever you choose, get decent hardware.

What About a Chromebook?

Chromebooks run Google’s Chrome OS instead of Windows or MacOS. Chrome OS is similar to using the Chrome Browser. Not exactly, but close.

For lawyers, there are basically two use cases for Chrome OS:

You use the web for everything. All your files are in the cloud (probably Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, or Box), and you use G Suite or the Office web apps for all your documents, email, calendar, etc.

You just need secure remote access to your computer, whether it is sitting in your office or in the cloud.

If either of those use cases describes your need, Chrome OS has some real advantages. The operating system is extremely lightweight, so Chromebooks don’t need to have high-end specs. As a result, Chromebooks tend to be thin and light with all-day battery life, but inexpensive.

Chrome OS is also very secure. Your data stored on a Chromebook is encrypted, and there are various safeguards against malware and other malicious hacking.

On the other hand, most lawyers need access to local software—Microsoft Office if nothing else—making a Chromebook an inexpensive option for a second computer at best.

Laptop, Desktop, or Tablet?

If you only want to have one computer, you should get a laptop or tablet (with keyboard). If you buy a desktop you will also need something portable that you can take home, to court, to board meetings, etc. You need to be able to get work done and access your client files no matter where you are.

Many lawyers use a laptop or full-featured Windows tablet like the Surface Pro as their primary computer. Others have a desktop at the office and an ultralight laptop, Surface, or iPad Pro for everywhere else. There are also a multitude of laptop variations such as the Lenovo Yoga line.

When deciding on your setup, consider where and how you need to be able to get work done. Here are a few common setups to consider:

MacBook Pro or ThinkPad T-series laptop, with a docking station at the office for connecting to a monitor, full keyboard, and trackpad or mouse.

iMac or Dell Inspiron desktop at the office, and an iPad or Chromebook for mobile computing.

Microsoft Surface Pro with Type Cover, for everything.

Whatever you do, avoid the temptation to get a big, heavy laptop. If you need desktop power, get a desktop computer. If you need portability, get a lightweight laptop. Don’t mix the two. You’ll regret it every time you hoist your briefcase or bag with your 7-pound laptop in it.

How Much Do I Need to Spend?

Instead of poring over spec sheets, you can use price as a rough proxy. Price is not perfect, but most computers have similar hardware at similar price points, so you should get what you need. And while specs change quickly, prices tend to stay fairly constant for a given tier (i.e., entry-level vs. graphics workstation).

Here—with a fair amount of arbitrariness, I admit—is what I think you should spend on a computer you intend to keep for 3–4 years before you upgrade. If you are buying a laptop, spend a minimum of $1,000. If you are buying a desktop, spend a minimum of $750, not counting the monitor.

Those really are minimums. I usually spend closer to $1,500 on laptops, and around $1,200 on desktops.

If price alone is not enough detail for you, consider using Apple’s base Mac configurations as a minimum-standards guide. Apple doesn’t sell a computer it doesn’t consider capable of giving a first-rate computing experience. That means the specs of its cheapest computers in each category are a good guide to the minimum you ought to get (although keep in mind that Windows, as a rule, will use a bit more disk space and memory than OS X).

So if you are shopping for a laptop, use the 13″ MacBook Pro specs as your baseline. If you are shopping for a desktop, use the base Mac mini as your reference point. Don’t get a Windows PC with a slower processor, less memory (RAM), or a smaller hard drive. And if your Apple reference point has a solid-state drive (SSD), don’t get a traditional hard drive on your Windows PC.

I think it’s a good idea to upgrade the processor and memory from the base configuration no matter what you get, but even if you don’t you will be in pretty good shape by following either my price guidelines or the Apple spec sheets.

Should You Get a Warranty?

For laptops and tablets, yes. For desktops, maybe.

I always buy a three- or four-year warranty on my laptops that includes accidental damage. Laptops are meant to be portable, and I take mine everywhere. They have the scratches and dents to prove it, and sometimes a hard-enough whack will put even a ThinkPad out of commission. I think a three- or four-year warranty that includes accidental damage is a must for any laptop you intend to carry around.

Desktops are a different story. Since all they do is sit in one place, the parts aren’t as likely to break, and the parts aren’t all that expensive to replace (on Windows PCs, anyway; Mac desktops can still be pricey to repair). I figure that by the time a hard drive fails or a graphics card burns out on a desktop, I’ll be just as happy to upgrade that part, anyway. Skip the parts warranty.

However, depending on how often you find yourself calling tech support now (whether that means Geek Squad or your niece), you might want a warranty that includes general support. For example, if you sometimes get hung up getting a printer or scanner to work properly, or you get lost when you accidentally hit a key combination that closes a panel in Outlook, you might want to get something like Dell’s Enhanced Support or Apple’s AppleCare. With these, you can just pick up the phone and call someone who can help you solve your problem.

I’m perfectly happy using Google to answer most of those kinds of questions. If you aren’t, it may be worth spending a couple hundred bucks to add a basic warranty.

Where Should You Buy Your Computer?

It depends. If you want a Mac, go to the Apple Store or shop Apple’s website online. The prices are the same, and the shipping is free. If you want a Windows PC, avoid Best Buy and shop on the manufacturer’s website, where you can customize your computer and get the best deal. If you want a fairly standard configuration, you may be able to find a better deal on Amazon or NewEgg. It doesn’t hurt to look, anyway.

The point is, make sure you get what you need, not just what happens to be on the big-box store’s shelves. Retailers generally carry only one or two configurations: the cheapest one and the most expensive one. If you want to max out the memory but you don’t care to pay for the top-of-the-line processor and a bunch of hard drive space you won’t use, you will probably need to order online, from the manufacturer.

If you feel like you need to try out the keyboard first, by all means visit a store that carries the brand you want. Before you do, though, use the manufacturers’ website to configure your computer the way you want it and to check the price. That way, if you find what you want at the store at a reasonable price, you can just get it there and take it home the same day.

Best Laptop Brands for Lawyers

The Microsoft Surface Pro is the best Windows tablet, hands-down, and it may be the best Windows hardware, period. In fact, if you are considering a Windows laptop, you should probably try the Surface Pro with a Type Cover, first.

If you want a Windows laptop and the Surface Pro isn’t for you, Lenovo makes the best Windows laptops: the ThinkPad T- and X-series. ThinkPads are fast, rock-solid, and have the best keyboards you can get on a laptop. The ThinkPad X1 may be the best ultrathin Windows laptop you can buy. Lenovo also has some of the best customer support you will find outside of an Apple Store.

If ThinkPads aren’t your thing, check out the Dell XPS laptops. The XPS 13 may be the best traditional laptop you can buy. It is thin, light, and well constructed (but not as thin and light as the ThinkPad X1). The hardware itself rivals the MacBook Pro for design and build quality.

For Windows desktops, Dell is usually the best value. There is nothing wrong with Lenovo desktops. They just tend to be more expensive. Dell makes solid, reliable desktops at good prices. Dell’s UltraSharp displays are also some of the best monitors you can find anywhere. Add one to your order and your eyes will thank you.

There are lots of other Windows computer manufacturers out there, but Microsoft, Lenovo, and Dell are the ones that have produced consistently high-quality machines for many years.

If you want a Mac, you should obviously get it from Apple.

Takeaways

It doesn’t matter if you want a Mac or a Windows PC. Get what you like.

Get a 13- or 14-inch laptop, or at least a 22-inch monitor for a desktop.

Get a warranty with accidental damage protection for a laptop or ultrabook; skip the warranty for a desktop.

Order online, or decide what you want before you go to a store.

Spend at least $1,000 on a laptop and at least $750 on a desktop.

Buy from Microsoft, Lenovo, Dell, or Apple.

Originally published 2012-11-12. Revised 2016-02-16. Republished 2019-11-06.

Mac diehards can certainly use Parallels or Fusion to run Windows apps on a Mac, but that is an imperfect solution, at best. ↩

The post Best Laptops for Lawyers: A Computer Buying Guide appeared first on Lawyerist.

from Law and Politics https://lawyerist.com/blog/faq-what-computer-should-i-buy/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

#Legal #law

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maxwellyjordan · 6 years ago

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Best Laptops for Lawyers: A Computer Buying Guide

Best Desktop Computer for Your Law Office

Not satisfied?

Okay, here are a few things you could think about if you want to put more work than strictly necessary into buying a computer.

Mac or Windows?

It doesn’t matter.

However, it’s worth debunking a couple of common misconceptions.

Law Firm Computer Specs

In short, you shouldn’t buy cheap computers. I’ll give you a ballpark budget below, but the point is that good computers aren’t cheap, and you should buy good computers.

However, many complaints about Windows are overblown. Windows “just works” just fine if you set it up properly.

What About a Chromebook?

Chromebooks run Google’s Chrome OS instead of Windows or MacOS. Chrome OS is similar to using the Chrome Browser. Not exactly, but close.

For lawyers, there are basically two use cases for Chrome OS:

You just need secure remote access to your computer, whether it is sitting in your office or in the cloud.

Chrome OS is also very secure. Your data stored on a Chromebook is encrypted, and there are various safeguards against malware and other malicious hacking.

On the other hand, most lawyers need access to local software—Microsoft Office if nothing else—making a Chromebook an inexpensive option for a second computer at best.

Laptop, Desktop, or Tablet?

When deciding on your setup, consider where and how you need to be able to get work done. Here are a few common setups to consider:

MacBook Pro or ThinkPad T-series laptop, with a docking station at the office for connecting to a monitor, full keyboard, and trackpad or mouse.

iMac or Dell Inspiron desktop at the office, and an iPad or Chromebook for mobile computing.

Microsoft Surface Pro with Type Cover, for everything.

How Much Do I Need to Spend?

Those really are minimums. I usually spend closer to $1,500 on laptops, and around $1,200 on desktops.

Should You Get a Warranty?

For laptops and tablets, yes. For desktops, maybe.

I’m perfectly happy using Google to answer most of those kinds of questions. If you aren’t, it may be worth spending a couple hundred bucks to add a basic warranty.

Where Should You Buy Your Computer?

Best Laptop Brands for Lawyers

There are lots of other Windows computer manufacturers out there, but Microsoft, Lenovo, and Dell are the ones that have produced consistently high-quality machines for many years.

If you want a Mac, you should obviously get it from Apple.

Takeaways

It doesn’t matter if you want a Mac or a Windows PC. Get what you like.

Get a 13- or 14-inch laptop, or at least a 22-inch monitor for a desktop.

Get a warranty with accidental damage protection for a laptop or ultrabook; skip the warranty for a desktop.

Order online, or decide what you want before you go to a store.

Spend at least $1,000 on a laptop and at least $750 on a desktop.

Buy from Microsoft, Lenovo, Dell, or Apple.

Originally published 2012-11-12. Revised 2016-02-16. Republished 2019-11-06.

Mac diehards can certainly use Parallels or Fusion to run Windows apps on a Mac, but that is an imperfect solution, at best. ↩

The post Best Laptops for Lawyers: A Computer Buying Guide appeared first on Lawyerist.

from Law http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/solosmalltech/~3/RE2lwNYOe4g/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

#law #justice

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ntrending · 7 years ago

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How to ditch your iPhone for Android—and take your files with you

New Post has been published on https://nexcraft.co/how-to-ditch-your-iphone-for-android-and-take-your-files-with-you/

How to ditch your iPhone for Android—and take your files with you

So you’ve decided to abandon your iPhone and jump into the welcoming arms of Android. Unfortunately, making this swap is not a simple question of popping your SIM card out of one device and inserting it into another.

First, you need to carefully extricate yourself from Apple’s iOS ecosystem, full of native apps like iMessage, iTunes, and others. In this guide, we’ll lay out some of the hoops you need to jump through to preserve your data, and explain what you can bring with you and what you can’t.

Do you already use Google or Microsoft apps?

Switching over will be a lot easier if you already use Google and Microsoft apps on your iPhone. In fact, the same goes for any cloud-based apps, including Netflix and Spotify. Because they store everything online, these apps make it very straightforward to jump between devices and across platforms.

If you lean on Google programs, then when you get your new Android device, it should come with these apps pre-installed. All you’ll have to do is log in, and your data—your archived Gmail emails, your Google Maps history, your Hangouts messages—will appear.

Even if you’re not all-in on Google, Microsoft makes top-quality apps for both iOS and Android. If you rely on Outlook and Office on your iPhone, then go ahead and install the same apps on your Android device, log in, and enjoy.

In general, if you plan to switch frequently between Android and iOS devices, stick to platform-agnostic apps that work similarly on both operating systems. They’ll make the process extremely easy. However, if your iPhone relies heavily on Apple’s own apps, then the swap will require a substantial amount of work, because Apple doesn’t make many of its programs available on Android. Read on for more information on dealing with this issue.

Move text messages and email

To keep track of your past chats, you’ll want to bring your iMessage and email conversations with you. That’s only partially possible.

The sad fact is, you cannot transfer your iMessage conversations from iOS over to Android. Apple doesn’t make an Android version of its app, nor does it allow any other developers to access it, so you’re out of luck. Mac users can check iMessage from their computers, but others won’t be able to access the app after jumping to Android.

So before you leave, make sure to de-link your mobile number from iMessage—assuming you’re taking it with you to your new phone. Go to Settings > Messages and toggle off the iMessage switch. Then visit Settings > FaceTime and turn off the FaceTime toggle switch as well. This removes the association between your phone number and Apple’s proprietary services, which will prevent you from having any problems receiving messages or calls on your new Android handset. If you forget to do this step before you get rid of your iPhone, don’t worry—perform the task remotely at this web page.

Luckily, you can bring the Apple emails stored in iCloud. You just need to import them into Android’s Gmail app: Open Gmail on your new phone, tap the Menu button on the top left, hit your Google account, and select Add account > Other. Now enter your iCloud username and password. (If your Apple account uses two-step authentication, you’ll first need to create a Gmail-specific password at this web page.) Now you can either keep using your iCloud email address within the Gmail app, or just treat those old messages as an archive and switch to a Gmail address.

Move contacts, calendars, photos, and home videos

It’s relatively easy to transfer some of the items you store in iCloud—such as your contacts, calendars, photos, and videos—to Google’s servers. But you need to start this process before you ditch your iPhone.

First, download the Google Drive for iOS app to your old device. Open it and sign in with your Google account credentials. Next, tap the Menu button on the top left, followed by the cog icon and then Backup. Now you’ll see a list of items, including Contacts, Calendar events and Photos & videos. Select all of the entries that you want to transfer to your new Android phone.

Now, tap Start Backup and copies of this iPhone data will move to Google Contacts, Google Calendar, and Google Photos. Now you’ll be able to access your files when you sign into your Google account on your new Android phone.

A quick note on photos and videos: These files will transfer to Google Photos, which gives you an unlimited amount of storage—as long as you agree to let it resize your photos down to 16 megapixels and your videos down to a 1080p resolution. If you opt to store this data at their original quality, they will count against your cloud storage quota. Google Drive gives you a total of 15GB of free storage space, shared across Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. The latter can really eat up your quota if you choose to store images at full resolution. But if you end up needing more room, you can pay to upgrade: Prices start at $2 a month for 100GB.

Move music, movies, and TV shows

Apple only makes one app that really works with Android: Apple Music. If you subscribe to the service, then you can take all your playlists and songs with you on your leap to Android, including files you’ve uploaded from your iTunes account. However, you do have to pay a subscription fee to keep using the app.

That said, not all of us choose Apple Music. If you prefer a different app, and you still want to transfer your MP3s to an Android device, you can do so using a computer with Google Play Music. Open your computer’s web browser, head to Google Play Music’s web portal, click the Menu button on the top left of the page, and choose Upload music. Now drag tracks from your local storage into your browser window. You can do this same thing through the program’s desktop uploader. Either way, your files will sync to the cloud, and you’ll be able to stream or download them through the Google Play Music app on your new Android device.

Movies and TV shows are more complicated, because Apple doesn’t make an iTunes video player for Android. You can watch your existing iTunes videos on other devices, such as a Mac, Apple TV, or iPad, but not on an Android phone or tablet. However, any videos you obtained from non-iTunes sources should be just fine. Streaming apps—like Plex, Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go, and of course Google Movies & TV—all work seamlessly across Android and iOS. Just log into your account on your new device and you’ll be good to go.

Move documents and other files

Now that you’ve tackled most of your files, all that’s left to move are documents and other strays. Your method for shifting them to Android will depend on the iOS app where you store them.

For example, cloud-storage programs Google Drive and Dropbox work seamlessly across Android and iOS. We’d recommend you download one of these options to your old phone, use it to save your iPhone files, and then log into the same app on your new device.

What about files saved to Apple’s office suite? You won’t find Pages, Numbers, or Keynote apps available for the Android platform. So, if you have files created in these apps, you’ll need to export them in a common format. Open a file with the app, tap the Menu button (three dots) on the top right of the screen, and pick Export. Choose either a PDF or Microsoft Office format (both will work fine with the Google Drive, Dropbox, and Microsoft Office apps for Android), then select a save location. If you’ve installed Google Drive or Dropbox on your iPhone, go ahead and save it there.

That’s just about all you need to transfer. After all, your cloud-based apps, including social media, will work exactly the same as soon as you log into them on your new device. Go forth and leave Apple behind!

Written By David Nield

#DIY

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angelaakers · 7 years ago

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RingCentral Review: Budget Friendly and Feature Heavy

In a world of an almost unlimited number of selections in the business-class VoIP market, only a few companies stand out from the crowd. RingCentral is one such company. With a huge number of features ranging from unlimited international calling to contract-free plans, this business VoIP solution is one to watch. So, what exactly makes RingCentral and its features such a great choice for small businesses? We reviewed the RingCentral service to understand why. Let’s take a look at the features it offers, along with some of the cons so you can make the best decision for your needs.

Easy Initial Configuration

Getting set up on a new VoIP business system is sometimes a headache-inducing process that’s more stress than it’s worth. RingCentral has dedicated time and resources to minimize the stress of setting up the Ring Central desktop app (or mobile app) through the use of a handful of configuration wizards (a great feature mind you), rather than rely on the availability and schedule of an employee. Upon testing these setup wizards, we found that they walk you step-by-step through the whole process of configuring this private branch exchange (PBX) system with clear explanations. For example, you can use one of these setup wizards to add a new user to the plan, assign a phone to the new user, and indicate which state and city they’re in. RingCentral also offers setup wizards for creating auto-attendant services, user extensions, and company information maintenance. Read Next: http://www.gadgetreview.com/benefits-voip-system

Cloud Connectivity

RingCentral offers a variety of cloud-based solutions for the administration of their Voice-over-IP system for small businesses. These solutions include mobiles apps for iOS and Android that allow you take your calls and texts on the go. RingCentral also helps business teams collaborate better with an in-depth messaging, file sharing, and conferencing system in the same package. If you’re looking for ways to keep your employees more connected, RingCentral’s PBX system can help.

Budget-Conscious Plans

Many VoIP provides offer services at exorbitant prices that also have constricting contracts tied to them. RingCentral is the opposite. They offer a wide variety of business plans to fit any budget, starting as low as $19.99 per month. This introductory pricing is a win for all the small businesses trying to build a more reliable communications system on a budget. The best part about RingCentral’s pricing structure and VoIP technology is that they don’t require you to purchase a brand-new, VoIP-only phone system when you sign up for a new plan, unlike other providers. If you want, you can use your old analog system with their services (to engage in any type of meeting), which ultimately saves you the heavy upfront cost of replacing your entire phone system. RingCentral is easily scalable. As you continue to grow or shrink, you can easily update the features you need. And since RingCentral doesn’t lock you into any kind of annual contract, you can do this whenever you want without the fear of getting hit with cancellation fees. Many services we reviewed require service contracts, making RingCentral stand out.

External Integrations

RingCentral understands that most businesses use a wide variety of different communications software to meet their customers’ needs. As such, this small business PBX can integrate with Microsoft Outlook, Google Apps, Box, and Dropbox. You can even integrate with enterprise solutions like Salesforce, Zendesk, and Desk.com with higher-priced plans. And the integrations don’t stop there. While these are some of the more common integrations, RingCentral doesn’t limit you on what software you can use with the VoIP system. The company also offers a developer platform that you can use to create custom integrations to fit your specific needs and software. For the most part, integrating to other products works just fine. However, during our review and testing, we found that the integrations weren’t always the most reliable.

Customer Support

While RingCentral tries to keep everything automated and self-contained in your own sphere, it recognizes that there are still times when live support for their VoIP solution is needed, as we experience during our review. As such, the company offers a number of different support options for their customers. For any plan with more than two users, RingCentral offers 24/7 live phone support in English. On their support website, you can find phone numbers for major regions around the world. If you need non-English phone support, you can reach RingCentral Monday-Friday, 9am-6pm Central European Time. RingCentral also offers 24/7 live chat support through their website. If your matter isn’t urgent, you can also elect to create a case through RingCentral’s support website. This allows the support team to create a more personalized solution to your needs. You can also use this section of the website to check on any cases you have previously opened. Finally, you can use the RingCentral community forums to find an answer to your problem. The forums feature thousands of questions and answers, which are all easily searchable. RingCentral staff frequents the forums and answers questions where they can, but many of the users are helpful enough to answer the questions quickly and correctly. After reviewing and testing this business VoIP provider, we’re giving it an exceptional score. It struggles at times staying fully connected and integrated to the third-party services you have linked, but still offers good stability most of the time. If you’re looking for a reliable, easy-to-use, and easy-to-set up VoIP service for business, RingCentral is a solid choice.

Top Questions about RingCentral Answered

RingCentral Review: Budget Friendly and Feature Heavy is courtesy of Blog of gadgetreview(Christen)

RingCentral Review: Budget Friendly and Feature Heavy published first on http://www.gadgetreview.com/ RingCentral Review: Budget Friendly and Feature Heavy posted first on http://www.gadgetreview.com/ RingCentral Review: Budget Friendly and Feature Heavy published first on http://www.gadgetreview.com/

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lindamarionn · 7 years ago

Text

RingCentral Review: Budget Friendly and Feature Heavy

Easy Initial Configuration

Cloud Connectivity

Budget-Conscious Plans

External Integrations

Customer Support

Top Questions about RingCentral Answered

RingCentral Review: Budget Friendly and Feature Heavy is courtesy of Blog of gadgetreview(Christen)

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coniecoleman · 7 years ago

Text

RingCentral Review: Budget Friendly and Feature Heavy

Easy Initial Configuration

Cloud Connectivity

Budget-Conscious Plans

External Integrations

Customer Support

Top Questions about RingCentral Answered

RingCentral Review: Budget Friendly and Feature Heavy is courtesy of Blog of gadgetreview(Christen)

RingCentral Review: Budget Friendly and Feature Heavy published first on http://www.gadgetreview.com/ RingCentral Review: Budget Friendly and Feature Heavy published first on http://www.gadgetreview.com/ RingCentral Review: Budget Friendly and Feature Heavy published first on http://www.gadgetreview.com/

0 notes

lonniemanning · 7 years ago

Text

RingCentral Review: Budget Friendly and Feature Heavy

Easy Initial Configuration

Cloud Connectivity

Budget-Conscious Plans

External Integrations

Customer Support

Top Questions about RingCentral Answered

RingCentral Review: Budget Friendly and Feature Heavy is courtesy of Blog of gadgetreview(Christen)

0 notes

dylan38sanders · 8 years ago

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Our Favorite Gifts for Event Professionals

Gifts for event professionals can be hard to choose. What to get the event prof in your life that has it all? Gifts for event professionals can be hard to choose. When picking gifts for event professionals keep in mind these individuals are busy, stressed, and usually have a higher taste for things. We’ve hand-selected our favorite gifts for event professionals so that you can ensure your gift to them something they will love to have! Better yet? All of these gifts for event professionals are available still in time for the holidays! Remember Amazon Prime’s last day for Christmas delivery is tomorrow, Friday for 2-day free prime shipping, and Saturday for 1-day shipping!

A Great Pair of Headphones

One of the best gifts for event profs is one they will use over and over! And what’s better than a fantastic pair of headphones? Event profs are constantly on the go traveling, at venues, and in hotels. Give them the gift of noise-canceling headphones with killer sound. This way they can zone out or work anywhere without the distraction of outside noises. We have two option depending on your preferences that will be an excellent fit. If they prefer in-ear headphones we recommend the Bose QuietControl 30 – in-ear noise canceling headphones. Or if they prefer over the ear style check out the Bose QuietComfort 35 which are so comfortable on your ears and can be worn hours on end! They will get so much use out of these!

Smart Notebook

What do you get when you take the joy of writing on paper and combine it with modern technology? The Rocketbook Wave Smart Notebook! This notebook is a must for any event prof on your list who still uses and loves notebooks but is tired of having to transfer their notebooks info to a computer or not have the notebooks info accessible if they leave it at home. This won’t be a problem anymore!

The Rocketbook Wave Smart Notebook will allow people to continue to write with pen and paper, but then immediately upload, organize and store in the cloud. I love that you don’t need to use a specific cloud storage from the Rocketbook. You can use the cloud service you already use such as Dropbox, Evernote, google drive, or even directly to your email. What’s even crazier? When the notebook is full, you simply microwave it to erase your notes for a clean slate, yes we said to microwave the notebook! Coming in at under $25 this is an affordable gift that will have quite an impact!

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Spa treatment

Event planners have one of the most stressful jobs on the planet, if you are curious you can read more about that here. What better gift for a stressed-out event prof than the gift of relaxation? This is one of our favorite gifts for event professionals. Treat them to a relaxing massage, facial or manicure! If you want to splurge gift them a day at the spa where they can unplug and focus on themselves for a change! Not sure where to go? Try your local Hand & Stone for a 1-hour massage as low as 59.95. An affordable gift any every professional would appreciate!

The Best Mouse Ever

The Master MX is the most comfortable and functional mouse on the market. This mouse allows you to connect it to multiple computers. It’s also insanely accurate making your work day even more efficient. The battery lasts forever giving your hours and hours of work time. There is a reason it’s called the best mouse ever.

BestSelf Co. The SELF Journal

This is not your grandma’s planner! The Self Journal is a simple journal that allows you to plan your day, reach your goals and find happiness, and it’s highly effective. The simple system consists of an undated daily planner, weekly and monthly planners. There are also sections for goal planning and a space to cultivate gratitude, creating a happier outlook on your day. This journal is great for any creative thinker, entrepreneur or event professional seeking success and meaning in their lives.

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Kate Spade Everpurse

This is one of my personal favorite gifts for event professionals. Event professionals are constantly on the go. Everpurse and Kate Spade have teamed up for a tote that makes life as an event prof a bit easier. The Kate Spade Everpurse is a tote that includes an iPhone charging pocket that you can simply slide your phone into for charging anywhere on the go without the hassle of an additional charger to lug around. This bag has room for everything you need and even fits up to a 13” Macbook. When you get home simply place the purse on its dock to recharge it for the next day! And of course, has the many style options like you would expect from the iconic Kate Spade.

Echo Dot

The Echo Dot has quickly become a cult favorite that is taking the world by storm. Use the Echo Dot for adding reminders to your list, calling and messaging, asking quick questions and hook it up to speakers through Bluetooth to play music from Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn. The Echo Dot now allows you to play your music on multiple speakers at the same time in multiple rooms.

Standing Desk

A standing desk is more than the gift of a desk. With a standing desk, you are gifting a chance at better health, more productivity. Standing desks are the best way to work, it’s been proven over and over again that sitting all day is terrible for your health. We chose Uplift because consistently it has been named one of the top sit/stand desks to have including an amazing review by my favorite review site, Wirecutter. Our CEO, Will Curran also swears by his uplift desk! For a stable, affordable standing desk this is the best around!

PopSocket

Need a stocking stuffer for your favorite event prof? A PopSocket is a great option. Directly from their website “PopSockets are fashionable accessories that help transform your mobile devices. PopSockets offer a secure grip for texting or snapping the perfect selfie, and propping your phone up for catching the latest video. Just “pop” & expand one whenever you need a grip or stand for those brilliant pix, videos, or posts.” We love having an extra grip when holding our phones, or using it as a stand to watch shows during long flights and breaks! They come in many styles so you will be sure to find one that works for just about anyone!

Subscription Based Gift

Give a gift that keeps on giving and leaves them feeling loved all year long! Their thousands of subscriptions you can give. Try to think about what your recipient really enjoys and tailor the subscription to that! Who doesn’t love a treat delivered right to their doorstep every month? It’s always fun to see what’s inside! Below are a few of our favorites.

ProfBoxes

Profboxes is a subscription box made for event professionals by event professionals. It is a monthly subscription ($44.95/month) that contains 4 to 6 high-quality products that are designed to help support event professionals careers, well-being, and busy travel schedules. The founder Brittany Ryan states it best “It’s high-time for event professionals in our community to take regular time out for ourselves – to better your well-being, reflect on your accomplishments, and celebrate the milestones (big and small) along the way!” Treat yourself and your favorite event planners to this one! It will certainly put a smile on their face!

audible

We love audible. Audible has the world’s largest selection of audiobook. There is something for everyone! It’s perfect for event profs on the go because you can listen to audiobooks anytime, anywhere. From fiction to help them escape and unwind, to business books which can help them grow their empire this is the perfect gift for just about anyone! Starting at $14.95/month it’s a inexpensive gift sure to be appreciated each time they use it and learn.

The Gift of Sleep

After a long day at an event or in the office, there is nothing better than jumping into your cozy bed for a good night’s rest! Getting a good night’s sleep is proven to increase your productivity and reduce stress. With a Tuft and Needle Mattress, you are basically guaranteed a good night sleep! This mattress is made of adaptive foam which is the perfect balance between soft and firm so you won’t sink in like memory foam. Unlike memory foam, it also stays cool so you don’t overheat during your sleep! It is also a significantly better value then shopping at a standard retail store for a mattress. If that doesn’t tell you enough there are over 10,000 reviews on Amazon with 90% 5-star ratings.

Now that we have shared our favorite gifts for event professionals, pick your favorite and treat the special event professionals in your life! Pair it with a nice handwritten card to really show your thoughtfulness! What is your favorite gift you have gotten as an event prof? Comment below and let us know!

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from Endless Events https://helloendless.com/last-minute-gifts-for-event-professionals/

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jpweb12 · 8 years ago

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20 Examples Of Amazing Web Design From Some Of The Best SaaS Companies

If there’s one thing I know about software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies, it’s that many of them know how to design a site with a great user experience. Of course, the most important element of a website is not just its beauty, but also is the site’s ability to convert visitors into leads.

We looked around and gathered the best SaaS websites that provide you a great user experience and have a mind blowing web design. Below are displayed top 20 of them:

Dropbox

Dropbox helps you to keep all files and documents at your fingertips across all your devices. Anything added to Dropbox storage automatically shows up on your desktop and all your mobile devices, enabling the professionals to access their work and share it. Dropbox is an example of simplicity at its finest. Because of its minimal clutter on the website layout, you have less information to sift through before taking action, offering you a great user experience.

Salesforce

Arguably, Salesforce – the quintessential SaaS application – remains at the vanguard of the cloud computing revolution it helped to be created. The CRM solutions enable businesses to collect all information about customers, prospects and leads using one single online platform. As a cloud-based software, Salesforce also allows the authorized employees to access critical data on any connected device at any time.

Kissmetrics

Kissmetrics offers marketing analytics software and provides a great place to learn new strategies and techniques. Their analytics and conversion optimization solutions help marketers to solve the most important measurement and optimization problems they face and improve their performance. The clean layout and simple navigation of Kissmetrics website constantly reflect their belief that the best approach is to keep things simple, offering a great user experience to their visitors.

MailChimp

MailChimp is the world’s largest marketing automation platform, helping more than 15 million customers – from startups and small companies to big online retailers – to reach their customers and grow their business. This email marketing software company takes the cake in design simplicity and headline writing. MailChimp integrates with hundreds of applications, allowing the companies to optimize their marketing efforts with integrations for platforms like WordPress, Drupal, Twitter, and many more.

Bannersnack

BannerSnack is a cloud-based solution that lets users design and creates customized banners, and users can run advertising campaigns across multiple channels. It is suitable for mid-sized and large enterprises. The app provides all that you need to build creative static, animated and/or interactive web banners, including high-quality web fonts, shapes, clip arts and professional stock photo library.

Hundred5

Hundred5 is a platform that helps HR professionals to spot the skills of the potential employees right away and engage a great number of candidates to pick from. Hundred5 allows you to start the recruiting process by checking the candidates’ skills from the beginning, with simple tests and without reading thousands of CVs. The system then evaluates each answer, sums up the score and picks out the best performers.

Concur

Concur is a platform that streamlines the process of booking travel plans, by its automating travel and expense management. Its web-based and mobile solution enable people to book their travel plans according to their needs and preferences, while making sure that all bookings fall within company’s spending limits. In addition, Concur reconciles expenses after travel is completed and also delivers electronic airline, hotel and auto rental receipts directly into digital expense reports.

Zendesk

Zendesk is a cloud-based customer service and support ticketing platform that enables representatives to more efficiently tackle inbound client requests across any communications channel — email, web, social media, phone or chat. Features include Automatic Answers (a machine learning-powered tool for interpreting and solving customer questions and requests), Zopim (a real-time chat service) and Zendesk Voice (a cloud-based, built-in phone support solution). According to Zendesk, its business users experience positive ratings for more than 86 percent of their customer interactions.

DocuSign

DocuSign is an electronic signature technology and transaction management services platform that supports the exchange of digital contracts and other e-signed documents. Users may access, sign and send business documents from their office, their hotel room or anywhere else their job leads, guaranteeing that approvals and agreements are executed in a matter of minutes, not hours or days. DocuSign e-signatures are legally binding for most business and personal transactions in virtually every nation across the globe.

Teamweek

Teamweek is a web-based solution for task scheduling, project management, and team planning. Users create and schedule tasks using the drag-and-drop interface, while can set different access rights for team members, determining whether they can edit or only view events and schedules. Team members can be sorted into groups, allowing the creation of separate timelines for each group. Based on user-entered estimated duration for each assigned task, Teamweek also displays if team members are overbooked.

GoToMeeting

GoToMeeting is a simple and very straightforward web conferencing system loaded with international features, making it an ideal option for business with multiple international locations and professionals with contracts and dealings with international clients and colleagues. It is compatible with PCs, Macbook Pro and iOS devices as well as mobile devices powered by Android, giving users a wide range of flexibility and allowing them to create or join online meetings from any device, anytime and anywhere. GoToMeeting is rated #1 in customer satisfaction and trusted by millions of businesses.

Microsoft Office 365

Microsoft Office 365 is a complete office suite in the cloud. It provides all the standard office products like Excel, Outlook, Word, SharePoint and more, but available from any internet enabled computer! Users now may create, edit and share content from any PC, Mac, iOS, Android or Windows device in real-time. They can also connect with other people across a range of tools from email to video conferencing and leverage a range of collaborative technologies supporting secure interactions both inside and outside of any organization.

Toggl

Toggl is an online tracking tool for freelancers, consultants, project managers and small companies. It allows users to track the time spent on projects and analyze their productivity. Toggle has a browser extension, desktop app and mobile app that allow “real time” tracking. When you start the timer, it starts across all the apps. Thus, you interact with the timer wherever is easiest at the time, whether it is the mobile, browser, or desktop app! The interface and design are also great and easy for the eyes, giving the users a great experience.

Help Scout

Help Scout is a web-based help desk solution that helps small businesses or small teams within larger organizations to manage their customer relationships. Help Scout is designed to look like a personal email. The software allows users to create multiple mailboxes for each shared email address so that they can work seamlessly across departments, or manage several products/brands from a single account. The solution can be integrated with the customer conversation mobile application, so users can be in touch from anywhere at any time.

Litmus

Litmus is an email development tool for marketing teams that allows marketers from companies of all sizes to build, preview, test and track their email campaigns. With Litmus, teams can resell, markup & add value to all their client engagements. As web-based drag & drop email editor, Litmus enables teams to build their emails from scratch or select one from the gallery of fully customizable templates. Their website has a sleek design and “Send With Confidence” is a great example of a website header that speaks to a problem or concern the website visitor has.

Evernote

Evernote is a tool that allows you to capture a note or memo in any format and make it accessible on virtually any device and on the web. In addition, Evernote allows multiple people to collaborate on shared notebooks, which can be instantly updated as well as accessed from the desktop, web, or mobile device. From short notes to lengthy research, no matter your writing form, Evernote helps you focus on turning these ideas from inspiration to actual completion. Having a simple and dynamic layout, Evernote helps you to keep everything in sync.

Typeform

With a lively graphical home page and a clever tagline Typeform is a well-designed online survey software application that helps small business owners create and distribute surveys to key audiences. If you want to make forms that work great on any device, and let you make unique forms with images, large buttons and more, Typeform is a great option to consider. It’s a new way of presenting forms, and is one of the few ways to make your forms fun.

Hotjar

Hotjar is an analytics platform produces video recordings of users interacting with your website, and it also includes heat-map visualization, live chat, real-time visitor analysis, visitor polling, and additional features. What makes this tool great is its depth of data combined with the immediacy of tracking visitors. There are three elements that stand out instantly about Hotjar website design – functional minimalism, effective use of color and grabbing content.

Wistia

Wistia is an advanced online provider of professional video hosting services for businesses from various scales and industries. As a business-oriented service, it helps businesses grow their brand awareness, simplifies services and track marketing performance through its built-in analytics and video marketing tools. Wistia provides tools to: customize videos so it matches the overall web brand of the business, increase website traffic through video SEO, and generate new, engaged leads for growing your business, and many more.

HubSpot

HubSpot CRM is one of the leading CRM apps currently available on the market. Free and simple, HubSpot CRM is a platform that allows sales teams to get started quickly without making much of a change in their existing workflow. It is a solution ideal for companies that are still starting to recognize the value of CRM and want to try it out or for enterprises that are not using their existing CRM systems to their fullest potential. At the same time, HubSpot is one of the best-integrated CRM platforms on the market. Some of the popular apps it integrates with are Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce, Zapier, Shopify and many other tools.

Read More at 20 Examples Of Amazing Web Design From Some Of The Best SaaS Companies

from IT Feed https://webdesignledger.com/top-20-examples-of-amazing-uxui-to-inspire-you/

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regulardomainname · 8 years ago

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Top 20 Examples Of Amazing Web Design From Some Of The Best SaaS Companies

The world has evolved and with it, the way of how we do business has also changed. In order to do their tasks easier and more effective, people have replaced the old clunky desktop software with advanced technology. And cloud software-as-a-service is the name of the game. There is a whole lot of competition, and a great UI/UX is more important than ever. While you enter into the internet, you may see tons and tons of websites for your convenience. If there’s one thing I know about software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies, it’s that many of them know how to design a site with a great user experience. Of course, the most important element of a website is not just its beauty, but also is the site’s ability to convert visitors into leads. We looked around and gathered the best SaaS websites that provide you a great user experience and have a mind blowing web design. Below are displayed top 20 of them: Dropbox Dropbox helps you to keep all files and documents at your fingertips across all your devices. Anything added to Dropbox storage automatically shows up on your desktop and all your mobile devices, enabling the professionals to access their work and share it. Dropbox is an example of simplicity at its finest. Because of its minimal clutter on the website layout, you have less information to sift through before taking action, offering you a great user experience. Salesforce Arguably, Salesforce – the quintessential SaaS application – remains at the vanguard of the cloud computing revolution it helped to be created. The CRM solutions enable businesses to collect all information about customers, prospects and leads using one single online platform. As a cloud-based software, Salesforce also allows the authorized employees to access critical data on any connected device at any time. Kissmetrics Kissmetrics offers marketing analytics software and provides a great place to learn new strategies and techniques. Their analytics and conversion optimization solutions help marketers to solve the most important measurement and optimization problems they face and improve their performance. The clean layout and simple navigation of Kissmetrics website constantly reflect their belief that the best approach is to keep things simple, offering a great user experience to their visitors. MailChimp MailChimp is the world’s largest marketing automation platform, helping more than 15 million customers – from startups and small companies to big online retailers – to reach their customers and grow their business. This email marketing software company takes the cake in design simplicity and headline writing. MailChimp integrates with hundreds of applications, allowing the companies to optimize their marketing efforts with integrations for platforms like WordPress, Drupal, Twitter, and many more. Bannersnack BannerSnack is a cloud-based solution that lets users design and creates customized banners, and users can run advertising campaigns across multiple channels. It is suitable for mid-sized and large enterprises. The app provides all that you need to build creative static, animated and/or interactive web banners, including high-quality web fonts, shapes, clip arts and professional stock photo library. Hundred5 Hundred5 is a platform that helps HR professionals to spot the skills of the potential employees right away and engage a great number of candidates to pick from. Hundred5 allows you to start the recruiting process by checking the candidates’ skills from the beginning, with simple tests and without reading thousands of CVs. The system then evaluates each answer, sums up the score and picks out the best performers. Concur Concur is a platform that streamlines the process of booking travel plans, by its automating travel and expense management. Its web-based and mobile solution enable people to book their travel plans according to their needs and preferences, while making sure that all bookings fall within company’s spending limits. In addition, Concur reconciles expenses after travel is completed and also delivers electronic airline, hotel and auto rental receipts directly into digital expense reports. Zendesk Zendesk is a cloud-based customer service and support ticketing platform that enables representatives to more efficiently tackle inbound client requests across any communications channel — email, web, social media, phone or chat. Features include Automatic Answers (a machine learning-powered tool for interpreting and solving customer questions and requests), Zopim (a real-time chat service) and Zendesk Voice (a cloud-based, built-in phone support solution). According to Zendesk, its business users experience positive ratings for more than 86 percent of their customer interactions. DocuSign DocuSign is an electronic signature technology and transaction management services platform that supports the exchange of digital contracts and other e-signed documents. Users may access, sign and send business documents from their office, their hotel room or anywhere else their job leads, guaranteeing that approvals and agreements are executed in a matter of minutes, not hours or days. DocuSign e-signatures are legally binding for most business and personal transactions in virtually every nation across the globe. Teamweek Teamweek is a web-based solution for task scheduling, project management, and team planning. Users create and schedule tasks using the drag-and-drop interface, while can set different access rights for team members, determining whether they can edit or only view events and schedules. Team members can be sorted into groups, allowing the creation of separate timelines for each group. Based on user-entered estimated duration for each assigned task, Teamweek also displays if team members are overbooked. GoToMeeting GoToMeeting is a simple and very straightforward web conferencing system loaded with international features, making it an ideal option for business with multiple international locations and professionals with contracts and dealings with international clients and colleagues. It is compatible with PCs, Macbook Pro and iOS devices as well as mobile devices powered by Android, giving users a wide range of flexibility and allowing them to create or join online meetings from any device, anytime and anywhere. GoToMeeting is rated #1 in customer satisfaction and trusted by millions of businesses. Microsoft Office 365 Microsoft Office 365 is a complete office suite in the cloud. It provides all the standard office products like Excel, Outlook, Word, SharePoint and more, but available from any internet enabled computer! Users now may create, edit and share content from any PC, Mac, iOS, Android or Windows device in real-time. They can also connect with other people across a range of tools from email to video conferencing and leverage a range of collaborative technologies supporting secure interactions both inside and outside of any organization. Toggl Toggl is an online tracking tool for freelancers, consultants, project managers and small companies. It allows users to track the time spent on projects and analyze their productivity. Toggle has a browser extension, desktop app and mobile app that allow “real time” tracking. When you start the timer, it starts across all the apps. Thus, you interact with the timer wherever is easiest at the time, whether it is the mobile, browser, or desktop app! The interface and design are also great and easy for the eyes, giving the users a great experience. Help Scout Help Scout is a web-based help desk solution that helps small businesses or small teams within larger organizations to manage their customer relationships. Help Scout is designed to look like a personal email. The software allows users to create multiple mailboxes for each shared email address so that they can work seamlessly across departments, or manage several products/brands from a single account. The solution can be integrated with the customer conversation mobile application, so users can be in touch from anywhere at any time. Litmus Litmus is an email development tool for marketing teams that allows marketers from companies of all sizes to build, preview, test and track their email campaigns. With Litmus, teams can resell, markup & add value to all their client engagements. As web-based drag & drop email editor, Litmus enables teams to build their emails from scratch or select one from the gallery of fully customizable templates. Their website has a sleek design and “Send With Confidence” is a great example of a website header that speaks to a problem or concern the website visitor has. Evernote Evernote is a tool that allows you to capture a note or memo in any format and make it accessible on virtually any device and on the web. In addition, Evernote allows multiple people to collaborate on shared notebooks, which can be instantly updated as well as accessed from the desktop, web, or mobile device. From short notes to lengthy research, no matter your writing form, Evernote helps you focus on turning these ideas from inspiration to actual completion. Having a simple and dynamic layout, Evernote helps you to keep everything in sync. Typeform With a lively graphical home page and a clever tagline Typeform is a well-designed online survey software application that helps small business owners create and distribute surveys to key audiences. If you want to make forms that work great on any device, and let you make unique forms with images, large buttons and more, Typeform is a great option to consider. It’s a new way of presenting forms, and is one of the few ways to make your forms fun. Hotjar Hotjar is an analytics platform produces video recordings of users interacting with your website, and it also includes heat-map visualization, live chat, real-time visitor analysis, visitor polling, and additional features. What makes this tool great is its depth of data combined with the immediacy of tracking visitors. There are three elements that stand out instantly about Hotjar website design – functional minimalism, effective use of color and grabbing content. Wistia Wistia is an advanced online provider of professional video hosting services for businesses from various scales and industries. As a business-oriented service, it helps businesses grow their brand awareness, simplifies services and track marketing performance through its built-in analytics and video marketing tools. Wistia provides tools to: customize videos so it matches the overall web brand of the business, increase website traffic through video SEO, and generate new, engaged leads for growing your business, and many more. HubSpot HubSpot CRM is one of the leading CRM apps currently available on the market. Free and simple, HubSpot CRM is a platform that allows sales teams to get started quickly without making much of a change in their existing workflow. It is a solution ideal for companies that are still starting to recognize the value of CRM and want to try it out or for enterprises that are not using their existing CRM systems to their fullest potential. At the same time, HubSpot is one of the best-integrated CRM platforms on the market. Some of the popular apps it integrates with are Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce, Zapier, Shopify and many other tools. Read More at Top 20 Examples Of Amazing Web Design From Some Of The Best SaaS Companies http://dlvr.it/P5NMf4 www.regulardomainname.com

#Editors Pick #Featured #Inspiration #UI #Web Design

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