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How To Hack Knowledge Through Online Resources

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A Guest Post by Lior Levin

The aim of going to college is to learn new things to further your education. Whichever class you take, it is supposed to help you to get further towards the career that you choose. Unfortunately there are some instances where the tutor isn’t as great at explaining things as they should be. If you end up stuck in a class that doesn’t seem to be teaching you anything then there are some options available to you. Maybe you are learning things but you would like to increase your knowledge even more quickly? If so then you should consider using online resources.

What Are Online Resources?

With the Internet you need to be careful which information you study. There is a lot of conflicting information online. Not all sources are credible. This means that you will need to really search the Internet until you find reliable sources.

Online resources basically comprise of websites, blogs and forums. There are several blogs for example, which are run by students just like you and by university professors. Some are even run by scientists. These types of online resources can be extremely useful and you could learn some really fascinating things.

The Benefits of Online Resources

There are numerous benefits of online resources. The main one is that you get to learn things at your own pace. Perhaps you struggle to ask questions about your course in the seminar? Maybe you find your lecturer too hard to understand? If so then online resources can help you to learn everything that you need to know, but in an easier to understand way. Many of these sites also have a community section where you can meet new college students.
The Best Online Resources

If you are struggling to find decent resources then a good site to try out would be Ted.com. There you are able to view talks on various subjects. If you are studying science then you could listen to Paul Root Wolpe talking about why it’s time to question bio-engineering. Or you could view demos about human exoskeletons. There are so many interesting and educational talks on the site. From science to technology and entertainment to business – no matter what you are studying you should find this resource really useful.

If you have any science related query then a good online resource to visit is Refdesk.com. It provides a large number of links to websites that will give you the answer to practically every science related question that you could have.

Another great online resource that you should check out is the Khan Academy site. It provides information on maths, chemistry, economics and history. The site is designed to try to change education. You will find more than 100 different self paced exercises that you can complete. From algebra to biology and brain teasers to currency – there is so much to learn in the form of videos and blogs on this site.

BetterGrads is helping current students connect with older ones to expand their knowledge base. You could take part in eMentoring and there are great college question and answer resources. It is actually a program that you join, and it is run by a non-profit organization.

Overall the above are just a few of the online resources that can help you with your education. Don’t forget to double check the credibility of each resource that you use. There is a lot of misguided information out there. If you do find a resource that you aren’t sure about then you can always ask your lecturer after class.

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This was a post by Lior Levin who works for a psd to css company that does psd conversions. Lior also advises to the MA in security program at the Tel Aviv university. You can find Lior on Twitter as Liors

Thank you, Lior. I love the way you approach ideas!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Please Don’t Ask Before You Say Hello and Another 9 Don’ts

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Lead with Relationships

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Again this week, I got an email from someone who doesn’t know me, who wanted to engage my network in her cause. This post is about that one email exchange that exemplified too many don’ts in my inbox.

I’m a person, not a network. And my network is made up friends and colleagues I respect. I value them. I treasure them. I trust them. I know I can’t replace them. I don’t give, share, or sell their attention to people I don’t know. So please …

1. Don’t Ask for Things Before We Know Each Other

Any person who takes the shortest while to follow me online knows that I’m a giver and I love to support my friends. Any person who takes a second longer also knows that

I want a relationship not a one-link stand.

What that means is that I want to get to know you before I recommend you or share what you do with my friends.

2. Don’t Ask for My Network

I’m writing because I’ve identified you as someone who is part of a networking empire that is basically unstoppable, and a major online influencer when it comes to what people are thinking and feeling and doing.

Translation: I want to use your network because my own isn’t big enough to reach my goal.

In itself that’s not a bad strategy to ask a friend to reach out to her network. But the relationship — the friendship and the trust — needs to be there first. This someone saw me as a channel of distribution, not a person. She wasn’t really looking at aligning our goals.

3. Don’t Assume Your Mission Is My Mission

The next five paragraphs were about her, her mission, and why her mission is important to her. Aside from describing their philosophy and stating that I lived it, the mission itself wasn’t very clear. Neither was why I should invest in it.

4. Don’t Lie by Omission

I got curious to find out more about the cause or the product that this mission was all about. It’s a retail and lifestyle brand of apparel. Funny how that never got mentioned in the first or the emails that followed.

5. Don’t Act Like I Work for You

Why have I gotten in touch with you today? Because I believe you embody my mission and can help others do the same.

Tweet the following message ….
Post the following message on Facebook …
Share the following message with your readers …

Again, I might do plenty for a friend, but without that relationship, calling me to action so directly was telling me to open my network to someone I’ve never met.

6. Don’t Ask Me to Cross the FTC

Doesn’t telling me what to tweet or post break the FTC rules?

7. Don’t Offer Me Favors

My lack of response might have signaled that I was busy or that I had a lack of interest. But apparently it did not. Soon I got a follow up repeating a shorter version of the same message above the original.

Did you get it? Do you have any questions for me?
I’m working to develop a huge wave of enthusiasm … hope I can count on your support. And since I know favors go both ways, in return for your support I’d like to offer you a limited edition … t-shirt…
or maybe something else? Networking or entrepreneurial support?

8. Don’t Assume I Have Nothing Better to Do

Let’s talk, and find out more about how we can help each other. Please let me know your thoughts ASAP …

Your urgency isn’t my urgency. I have my own work.

9. Don’t Shout Louder After a “No, Thank You.”

I replied as graciously as I might. My exact reply was …

I got your message. You have a lovely message that you want to share. Your energy is admirable. I can see your passion for what you’re doing. I wish you the best of luck with it.

Unfortunately, my family, my clients, and current projects are all I can keep up with. It wouldn’t be fair to them to take on another project.

Thanks for asking,
Liz

I might have expected that would be the end, but it wasn’t.

The reply read:

Hi Liz,

I understand and thank you for your reply.

The real reason I’m connecting with you is because YOU (as an individual), appear to fit [our] profile and seem like someone who’d want to be a part of something great, in its infancy stages – by doing something little to help spread the word and enthusiasm.

Even if just via your personal Facebook account or something – is there any way you’d be willing to help me out?

There’s a free [deleted description] T-shirt in it if you are… :o)

Best to you with your business endeavors as well…

Two more emails followed in which I was commended for my “due diligence” in having checked out the emailer and set straight in that she had built her huge network from being positive and sincere with people who showed immediate enthusiasm for her cause.

I didn’t know that I had done that.

It was never mentioned that the “cause” was the philosophy behind a retail apparel brand.

These are only the don’ts from one email exchange with one person.

Do you have other don’ts that belong on this list?

Be Irresistible.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

These are only the don’ts from one email exchange with one person.

Do you have other don’ts that belong on this list?

Be Irresistible.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

What Have You Done to Become a Leader?

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Following or Finding a Path 1

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Who are you? How do you make a difference? Sometimes it’s a natural talent. Sometimes it’s a skill. Sometimes it’s a core value or quality that speaks to our humanity. Always it’s a statement based in the strengths of uniqueness. Sharing that unique strength with purpose is what defines a leader’s path.

Are you an artist, great at details, exceptional math? Can you code like banshee or persuade others to do anything? Are you easier to work with or faster than almost anybody? Do you ever find yourself thinking that what you do well is something everyone can do?

Just because it’s easy for you, doesn’t mean that I can do it.

Leaders know their uniqueness and own it.

Sorting out and evaluating what we know about ourselves is a leadership task. As Warren Bennis said in his book, On Becoming a Leader … we become leaders the moment that we …

  • decide how we will be.
  • take blame and responsibility.
  • know that we can learn anything we want to learn.
  • reflect on our experience, because it is through reflection we understand what we’ve learned.

Becoming a leader is a decision and a strategy, not an accident.

Reflect a while on what Warren Bennis said ….

  • Have you decided how you will be? Have you defined what the best version of you is? Have you chosen those values are most important to you? Do you choose the people you work with and the people you call friends by the values they share? Do you know what behaviors are your deal breakers? A leader is impatient to be the best and the most human now, not sometime in the future.
  • Do you take responsibility for yourself? Have you figured out it’s not the bad things other folks do, but how we hold on or respond that makes the difference? Are you still blaming someone for something that happened when you were a kid? A leader takes responsibility for building a life in which such things are history.
  • Are you the learning you could be? It’s true that we can learn anything we want to, but we’ll always be more inclined toward what we’re genetically programmed to do well. We can learn to move our fears and use them to fuel our learning. We can learn to change our minds about what we like doing. We can learn to find the best in any situation. Leaders are hungry to learn from everything and everyone around us. That’s what propels us forward.
  • Do you reflect on what your experience? Most of us spend time thinking hard about the negatives. We debrief our failures until we know them intimately. What about our successes? Do you reflect on what gives you energy? Do you think about why people listen to you? Leaders take time to reflect on the things that move them and engage the people around them.

Leadership is first about leading our own lives.

Learning to lead ourselves is how we understand what makes a leader. People see that in our demeanor and we see it in other people. They recognize the unique value and strength that’s individual in each person. It’s natural to reach out as leaders to align our goals and build something that none of us can build alone.

What have you done to become a leader in your own life?

Be irresistible.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

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The Only One

Beach Notes: Do Things Differently

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by Guest Writers Suzie Cheel and Des Walsh

You will never know what you might see!

We are normally at the beach early morning and often see stunning sunrises. On Friday we were shopping by the beach and we had loaded the car up and i was about to get in when Des said: “Look at the sky.” I looked up and saw this amazing sky.
Sometimes we are preoccupied with the task at had that we can miss the beauty around us. We almost missed this magnificent sunset.

Suzie Cheel & Des Walsh

Entrepreneur, Engineer, and Accountant All on Track?

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A Guest Post
by Bruno Deshayes

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Being your own boss is a great feeling. But there is one thing missing. There is no-one to tell you what to do. How can that be a drawback?

The Small Business Juggling Act

If you are on your own running an enterprise you have to be responsible for no less than 3 different functions: the entrepreneur, the engineer and the accountant.

The entrepreneur is the visionary. The one who dreams big plans. The one who has the ability to see beyond our mental horizon. The one who can sense what people really want as opposed to what they complain about.

The engineer is the one who comes up with the goods. The one who disappears in his attic to emerge two weeks later in an eureka moment shouting: “It works!” the geek who fumbles until it runs. The nerd who never sees disappointment as failure but as a learning experience.

The accountant is the conservative type. He has to tone down the other two above. He is risk-adverse and opposes change and innovation. His pride is a good cash flow and a nice steady increase in profits. His idea of the future? Superannuation. His favourite hobby? Cutting costs.

You can see from the start that these people are set for a conflict because their motivations are so different. That could be the reason why small business partnerships fail. Now consider the implications when those 3 roles are concentrated on the one and same person! To juggle those 3 hats you have strong personal discipline and use reporting tools to keep you on course.

Do you have any strategies for keeping all three roles — Entrepreneur, Engineer, and Accountant — on track?

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Bruno Deshayes is a writer, designer and developer who runs an online accounting system, at time-billing and invoicing system and a website to document and keep track of your goals. You can find him on Twitter as @brunodeshayes

Thanks, Bruno! Keeping all three functions going and balanced is important to every business large or small.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

The Polar Bears have had it…

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by Patty Azzarello

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Recently I was on the street in a downtown area, and I came across a group of young people with clipboards.

One of them engaged me to share the plight of the polar bears, and all the bad things that are happening to them because of global warming.

My policy on donating to charities is twofold:

1. I have a group of organizations that align closely with my values to which I donate the bulk of my charitable contributions, and

2.  If someone has a good pitch, I’ll usually give them something — 10 or 20 or 50 dollars, because I respect the work they are doing.

OK.  So I want to help the Polar Bears…

I didn’t need to hear a long story about the Polar Bears. I understood the issue. I cared.

This young woman was selling her heart out so I said, I’ll give you $50. 

She said, “I can’t take cash”, what you need to do is sign up here for an ongoing monthly contribution.  Your credit card will be billed each month for the amount you choose. (The lowest monthly contribution on the form was $20.)

I understand you can’t take cash, I said, but I am not going to sign up for a monthly donation.  Can’t you check off somewhere on your form that this donation is a 1-time payment?  NO.  And then she proceeded to tell me why I was wrong to ask.

How to prevent your customers from giving you money

So let me get this straight.  Here is a chance to get my name, my email, and my credit card information – and $50.  And the opportunity to remind me forever after about the polar bears, or other related causes, and ask me for additional contributions forever after.  And the answer is “NO, we can’t do that…”

So I started thinking about all the things businesses do to prevent their customers from giving them money.

The root of it is that buying is an emotional decision for any product or service.

In the mood…

I thought it was very well put by a shop owner I know in a town that is fairly wealthy, during the early days of the economic downturn. He was telling me, “It’s really hard.  Clearly, my customers have money, that’s not the issue.  The issue is that they are not in the mood to spend it right now”.

Think about that.  The opportunity of having a customer who is in the mood to buy.  Wouldn’t you want to do everything possible to tip them over the edge to buy from you, right now, while they are in the mood?

I was in the mood to help the polar bears.  I was turned away.

If you have a customer who is in the mood to give you money right now.  Take it!

More income-prevention techniques

Here are some additional things I have seen businesses do to “break the mood”, and fail to close the deal.

1. We don’t offer this as a product, only as a service.  Or, we don’t offer this as a service, only as a product.  Know how your customers want to buy what you offer, and offer it their way.  Yes, it’s harder for you, but that’s why you get the profits — from dealing with the hard parts and making it easy for the customers to get what they want.

2. No online purchase option. Or the order and payment process is so difficult or confusing that people have to call you anyway. (strike 1) Then staff the phone with incompetent, annoying people, (strike 2) who can’t help, or answer questions, let alone sell (strike 3).

3. We don’t’ take American Express. Get over it.  It’s a little more expensive to you as a merchant.  But people like using their Amex card, and often have business reasons to do so.  You are just demonstrating that you are not a real business.

4. This product isn’t available yet – That may be true, but sell something that IS available now, and include an upgrade to the thing they want later.

5. Continuing to sell after the person is ready to buy.  There’s almost nothing more annoying.  Once the customer wants to buy – STOP selling!!

Dear Charity Organizations,
In my humble opinion, you should give this army of enthusiastic young people (not to mention the polar bears) a chance. Let them close the deal on one-time contributions and get email addresses of actual donors that you can upsell later.  They are working their hearts out for you,  and you have tied their hands. 

I’ve since, been similarly approached in two more cities, and my one-time donation refused. 

PS. Because I wrote the blog post and used the polar bears for an example, I have made a donation to help the endangered polar bears.  But in general, by the time I get back to my computer and have the chance to go to your website, find the program I was interested in, to make a one-time donation, I am no longer in the mood.

Remember, Your product and your value proposition are only part of the reason people buy. If all of that is great, getting them to part with their money is still a personal, human, emotional action.

Whether you are selling shoes, subscriptions, or enterprise technology, make sure you don’t miss the mood.

By the way, I later realized that online their online donation process didn’t work! I was never charged. I went through their whole payment process, but they again failed to take my money.

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Patty Azzarello is an executive, author, speaker and CEO-advisor. She works with executives where leadership and business challenges meet. Patty has held leadership roles in General Management, Marketing, Software Product Development and Sales, and has been successful in running large and small businesses. She writes at Patty Azzarello’s Business Leadership Blog. You’ll find her on Twitter as @PattyAzzarello. Also, check out her new book Rise…

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