Survive Daylight Savings With These Tech Tools

Daylight savings, why do we do daylight savings, technology, time saving apps, social media for business
Only 74 More Clocks to Change

Sometime long ago, a group of government officials decided they would mess with people’s natural sleeping patterns and throw them off for weeks by telling everyone in most of the United States (except for people who live in Arizona and Hawaii) that suddenly in the middle of fall (used to be the last week in October, but it’s now the first week in November), the overworked citizens would be given an extra hour to sleep, or use however they would like.   But it isn’t a real gift, it is more of a loaner, because five months later (used to be in March but is now in April), that hour will be taken back, and the fine citizens of 48 states and a few US Territories will once again be out of whack!  

Not only do we walk around for weeks completely off kilter, but the day after this magical time change takes place, people have to go around their homes searching for every clock they own to either make it fall back or spring forward, thus wasting the very hour they were just given.  

So as you begin to take inventory of all your time pieces this week, I decided I would share some fun apps and tips to either save you time, or fill the time you will have after missing your flights and appointments.  Perhaps you should just throw all clocks away and start your own time zone!  I’d love to hear about the apps and tools you are using to save (or make up lost) time.

  1. Glympse (available on Android, Blackberry, iOS, Windows7) This app is for those of us who will be at least an hour late for every appointment because we set our clocks back an hour after our spouses had already set them.  Open the app and send a link via email or text message to the person you are meeting with and let them track you on the map.  It’s like watching Santa fly over Kansas on his way to your house via NORAD tracking.  Very cool. 
  2.  GateGuru (available on both Android and iOS) This app will save you time while traveling especially when you have that one hour layover and need to find a quick bite to eat but you are hankerin’ for a Quizno’s sub.  Open up Gate Guru and the GPS will show you what exactly is available in that concourse and it includes reviews by other travelers!  
  3. AutoPark (on iOS only) This is the app that will save you time and money.  As you walk around for the next few weeks not paying attention to where you are parking your car, AutoPark will help you find your parked car, tell you how much time is left on your parking meter, and will show you nearby services such as banks, car-washes, parking lots and more! 
  4. Banking Apps (Wells Fargo; Chase; BofA and more) This is not our grandma’s Savings and Loan anymore!  We can save loads of time by taking our tasks on the road and it is safe.  Most banks today have mobile banking features that allow you to pay bills, transfer money and even find nearby ATMs all with your mobile device, and now we are seeing apps for many banks that are taking it further allowing you to even deposit your checks by taking a picture of the check with your phone!  WOW- you can get your banking done and go back to bed for another hour! 

So as you FALL BACK on November 6th, be aware that you will probably spend the next few weeks recovering from the confusion that comes from not knowing if you really gain an hour or if you have you spent more time telling yourself “It’s really 5 o’clock right now, not 6.”  Remember when people tell you that time is your enemy, you can tell them that fortunately technology is your friend and together you have made peace with daylight and night time.  They won’t understand what you are talking about and you can just walk away…saving MORE TIME! 

Gina Schreck, Shreck, Social Media for Business, Social marketing, technology

The Time Challenged, Gina Schreck

Gina Schreck is the President and Chief Hooligan at SynapseConnecting.  If you have time this week and need to chat with someone about your social marketing needs, give her a call…She’s got TIME!
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This blog post has been sponsored by CLEAR, the service that speeds you through airport security. CLEAR members save so much time at the airport, it’s like having Daylight Savings every time you travel! CLEAR, the (self-proclaimed) Official Sponsor of Daylight Saving Time, is celebrating the extra hour we get on Nov 6th with a series of travel and time-savings posts on their blog - and here, on my blog too. 
Time saving technology, Daylight savings, Clear, airport travel
To help you see what CLEAR is all about, they are offering my readers a special 3-month FREE trial! Don’t settle for just one extra hour this Daylight Savings. No need to deal with unpredictable security lines, the stress of rushing to your gate, or the time you waste getting to DEN extra early. Click here to get your pass and try CLEAR’s enhanced travel experience for yourself. Just enter my code (CMNDST09) in the promo code field on the payment page.
October 27, 2011 | Filed Under Android, Apps, iPad, iPhone, Mobile Technology, Technology | 2 Comments 

10 Tech Tools to Be More Productive (and Maintain Sanity)

Armed with laptops, tablets, smart phones and 5 hour energy drinks, we should be able to complete that 4 hour work week that Timothy Ferriss says is possible. With social sites to update, apps to learn how to use and our actual job duties to complete, we just need a few more of those 5 hour energy drinks and 10 times what Timmy estimates, to get it all done!

Gina Schreck, Shreck, Social Media for Business, Social marketing, technology

Avoid Overload

I spend more time playing with and checking out apps than the average person and I’m sure I spend more time on social media sites than most as well, but that is our business. But if you have been feeling that technology, and especially social media sites, have invaded our lives like a swarm of locust coming in to eat our crops of time and productivity, you are not alone.  Even I get that urge to take out my bug spray and start crop dusting for locust.

Over the past few years, I have come to rely on a few tools that save me time and make packing a 60 hour work week into at least a 39 hour bag a little more doable. So here are the top 10 tools I feel will help you save time:

Smart Phone

This seems like a no-brainer, but there are still quite a few people who have not seen the value in switching to a smart phone. Having a phone that can access email, edit and send documents, take pictures, respond to questions on your social sites, post content as you see it to your social sites, and more, will save you from having to wait until you can get back to your computer to “get work done.”

iPad (or any other tablet for that matter)

We’ve heard the legends of the magical device that shoots out cotton candy rainbows (also known as the iPad), but once you start using it for more than a giant iPod to play music, you will discover that magic land for yourself.  Working mobile is now really possible when you have a device that allows you to check and respond to email, create and edit documents, including presentations and smart looking charts, make reservations for dinner without picking up a phone, join a Skype meeting with co-workers and update your social profiles with the touch of a screen….Can you say Magical Unicorns?  Now when you are sitting for 15 minutes waiting for your lunch appointment to arrive, you can be productive.  When you have that 30 minutes before your son gets out of football practice, you can get a chunk of work finished.  Slip it into your carry-on and pound out work on the plane, train or bus.  I believe these power tools are worth shelling out the $500-$600 

Zite for iPad (Flipboard is another similar app)

We used to sift through newspapers and trade journals to search for relevant information and even clip articles to send to clients, prospects and friends.  Today you can have better, more focused content sent to you daily (on your magical tablet) and even send articles to those clients and prospects with a touch of a screen.  Zite and Flipboard are two such apps that I can’t live without.  Each morning, I open to find custom information that is pulled from blogs, websites, social sites.  I can read it, share it, tell the app whether or not I want more of that same type of content or even more articles from that particular writer.  The app will update the content throughout the day so your virtual newspaper continues to feed you information as you desire.  

WordPress app

It took me awhile before I actually started using this app and now I am getting great value from it.  This app (available on Android, iPhone, iPad and even Blackberry) will allow you to blog on the go or even start a draft post when the idea strikes.  It’s wonderful!  

Instapaper

I am surprised how many people still have not heard of Instapaper, but this is like having a folder filled with clippings to read when you have those in-between moments.  Install this app on your PC, laptop, and mobile devices, and then when you find a blog post that you want to read later, you simply click “READ LATER” in your browser or SAVE TO INSTAPAPER on your mobile devices.  Now when you have that 10 minutes of waiting time, simply open up your Instapaper app and read your “clippings.”  

Dropbox

A favorite time saver for so many reasons. When you are working with several clients and want to simplify how you share and transport documents, graphics, and more, Dropbox is a must. We create a Dropbox folder for each client and then the community manager that works on that account has access to the folder as well as the client. Photos and articles can be dropped in the

Google Docs

Between Dropbox and Google Docs, the days of emailing “proposal version 1.7″ “proposal version 1.8″ back and forth are over. I have several people that I work with regularly but on different projects. Using Google Docs allows us to maintain one document that can be updated (even together at the same time seeing each other add or change information) and shared instantly. BIG time savings!

Hootsuite (or TweetDeck)

With content to post, read and respond to on LinkedIn, Twitter & Facebook, these tools are essential for saving time and staying on top of all of your social activities.  They both have similar features but Hootsuite allows teams that manage social media to collaborate and share duties.  Using the “schedule posts” features on either of these, you can plan ahead with many of your posts and then sprinkle in the spontaneous.  

Evernote

This time saving app is like carrying around a trunk to throw everything in for your business. Snap a photo of a sign that you want to incorporate into your blog and save it in your Evernote Blog Notebook. Have an idea hit you while your stuck behind the train? Record an audio message and save it to an Evernote notebook. Add documents, graphics and even the kitchen sink…or a picture of the one you like. Unpack WHAT you want WHEN you want it…WHEREVER you are. This amazing tool is available on your desktop, iPhone/iPad, Android and Blackberry!

ManyMoon

ManyMoon is a wonderful project management tool whether you work alone and need those daily reminders of what needs to be completed to stay on task with your projects, or you work on a team and need to keep tabs on who has finished what.  This was part of Google’s lab tools and integrates well with all Google tools, calendar, docs and more.  (Not just for Google calendar either).  The fact that it is free makes it even more desirable! 

 

Well these are my favorite apps and tools to stay organized and on task.  I’d love to know what your favorites are.

How to use Facebook for business, Social media for business, Gina Schreck, Gina shreck

App Fanatic

Gina Schreck
President & Chief Hooligan at Synapse 3Di

@GinaSchreck

July 7, 2011 | Filed Under Apps, Mobile Technology, Social Media for Business, Technology | 5 Comments 

Facebook Credit to Play Farmville & Rent Movies…What’s NEXT?

Warner FAcebook deal, Facebook credits, Facebook Warner partnership, Charlie Sheen

FaceBUCKS

That’s right.  This week there was a big hub-bub, or shall we just say people were going all “Charlie Sheen” about Warner announcing it would be testing the Facebook waters, allowing people to rent The Dark Knight for 30 Facebook Credits (that’s $3 in REAL HUMAN US DOLLARS!) you will want to know there is no Tiger Blood being given out with the rental.  Warner and Facebook have not “partnered” but it appears that Warner is just testing the waters like all of the other app developers, to see if people would part with their Farmville currency to watch scary clowns and men in tights.  Im guessing if they would spend $30 FB bucks for virtual cow feed and shoes on the Jersey Shore game, they will certainly shell it out for a movie. Check out all of the games and apps that Facebook Credits are being used for!

If Warner is successful and people start clicking on movies from their Facebook account, Netflix and others might just need to flash that bat signal looking for help.  What about you?  Are there ways you can see this affecting your business?  Is it possible that people might just be able to purchase your products or services soon using FaceBUCKS?  I wonder if Starbucks will honor my Facebook card.

So if you were like me the first time I saw the blue Facebook card, and you laughed, wondering WHO WOULD ACTUALLY BUY THESE, you may want to wipe that smirk off your face and stop by Target for one so you can watch a movie this weekend!

Gina Schreck, Technology Speaker, Social Media for Business, Tech enthusiast, social media management

Who is Behind That Mask?

Gina and her amazing team at Synapse would love to help you use social media and today’s technology tools to build your business.  Just give us a hollar –if we don’t answer, wait a couple hours…the movie should be over by then!

 

Gina Schreck
President & Chief Hooligan at Synapse 3Di

@GinaSchreck

March 9, 2011 | Filed Under Apps, Facebook, Social Media, SOCIAL SHARING, Technology | Leave a Comment 

Tech Trends for 2010: What Had Us All Talkin’?

In the world of social media and technology this year, there were many tools that stood out, or commanded lots of our attention, but we took on the top 5 that we felt really impacted business or had many of us trying to figure out how to be more strategic and effective with them.

Donna Gilliland, of MOST Training, and I managed to keep our chat under an hour.  (Hard to do if you know either one of us)  We broke it down into 5 segments with each under 10 minutes.

TREND 1: MOBILE FOR BUSINESS

Sometimes referred to as the THIRD SCREEN, our mobile phones, and now tablets and other mobile devices, have made it easier than ever to work from ANYWHERE.

 

TREND 2: FACEBOOK FOR BUSINESS

Facebook made headlines, it seems like, every day!  From ever-changing privacy settings, to the movie, The Social Network, Facebook became more than simply a virtual high-school reunion.  From the annoying Farmville gamers to every news station and retail store telling us to connect with them on Facebook.  We end the year with a move that just may be the end of email as we know it.

 

TREND 3: CLOUD COMPUTING FOR SMALL BIZ

While most people still do not know what this term actually means, cloud computing and the apps that many of us use without realizing they are cloud based, have begun to change the way we do business.  From storing our photos and slideshows, to sharing and collaborating on documents in the cloud, these tools are saving us time, money and lots of frustration.

 

TREND 4: VIDEO FOR BUSINESS

The pocket video camera and the 5-year-anniversary of the launch of YouTube have changed the way we search for and share information.  We no longer need expensive video production crews to create and share content.  This trend is great for business!

 

Trend 5: iPADS, READERS and TABLETS

2010 was truly the year of the iPad, but overall, the readers & tablets have changed the way, and the frequency in which we consume content.  Business is being done on the go and consumers want content they can take with them with ease.  We will continue to see these “Magical” devices appear in our work environments for years to come!

 

What do you think were the top tech trends of 2010?  What did we leave out or put in that you don’t agree with?  Share your thoughts and predictions with us!  Did you notice that the word “Twitter” was not mentioned?  It’s still going strong and growing faster than ever, but nothing of great note happened in Twitter Town in 2010 (In my not-so-humble-opinion!).

 

 

Gina Schreck, Technology Speaker, Social Media for Business

Gina Schreck

 

 

Gina Schreck

Gina is a Social Media and Technology FREAK!  Her and the team at SynapseConnecting can help you make sense of today’s technology and use it to build your business and manage your brand!  Give us a hollar if we can help- 877-978-0887 or of course on Twitter @GinaSchreck

 

 

Gina Schreck
President & Chief Hooligan at Synapse 3Di

@GinaSchreck

December 14, 2010 | Filed Under Facebook, Gettin Geeky, Gettin Geeky Video, iPad, Mobile Technology, Social Media, Technology, YouTube | 2 Comments 

LEFT BEHIND: The Painful Price of Not Keeping Up With Technology

My 75-year-old in-laws came to visit for Thanksgiving and by the end of the weekend, I was feeling, both guilty for not helping them immigrate into the foreign land of technology earlier, and inspired to learn even more about technology trends and new tech tools as I…. get older.


Technology Social Media Expert, Gina Schreck, Technology Trends

Seniors and Technology

My mother-in-law was complaining about the fact her bank was starting to charge her $8 a month for not using their online banking features.  Online banking was both scary for her to consider doing and sad for her to think of not being able to go in and visit Kim and Diane, her favorite tellers.  She doesn’t like talking to the tellers through the drive through window and would never consider trusting the ATM to deposit checks or withdraw money.  How would she be sure it posted to her account correctly?  Who would answer her questions she might have on her statement?

She said the other day the clerk at the department store where she regularly shops, asked her if she downloaded the coupon that was offered on their Facebook Page.  I can just imagine the blank stare my mother-in-law gave that 16-year-old, who probably could not fathom anyone NOT being on Facebook.  My father-in-law chimed in with his disdain for the word “apps.”  ”I’m tired of hearing about this app and that app.  Everyone acts like we understand what that means!”

Imagine waking up one morning in a foreign country.  You do not speak the language and cannot read the signs posted around town.  You have currency that no one accepts and you own tools that don’t seem to work any longer.  This is the feeling many seniors have today.  They are digital immigrants.  They may have immigrated voluntarily or perhaps they were sent over kicking and screaming, but they are foreigners in a foreign land.  Although a Nielson study showed that those 65 years and older pick Facebook as one of their top internet destinations, I believe it is because they are trying desperately to access their family that left them in this foreign land so they can slap them!

With one boomer turning 65 every 8 seconds starting this January 2011, there are some things we can do to ensure we are not leaving anyone behind feeling isolated and lost.  As a business owner, I also want to make sure I am not throwing around lingo and techno-jargon that makes digital-immigrants more confused and isolated.

Here are 4 steps we can all take to help others and stay relevant ourselves so we are not LEFT BEHIND:

1. Commit to learning one new technology tool this month.  Whether it is sending text messages to your family or taking a class (even via YouTube) on a new video editing software or starting your own blog.

2. Commit to teaching someone one new technology tool this month.  Show your parents how to download a photo from an email or better yet how to sign onto FLICKR and browse your family albums.  Download a sudoku or crossword puzzle app on their phone or iPad (you might not want to call it an app!)

3. Browse through the TECHNOLOGY category in the iTunes library or on YouTube to find a podcast you enjoy that discusses technology trends, and subscribe to it.  Commit to listening to one podcast per week to stay up on the latest lingo and tech terms…like APP or CLOUD COMPUTING!  (Some of my favorites are from the TWIT Network-This Week In Technology- just search for TWIT in iTunes Podcasts)

4. Find and subscribe to one technology blog.  Go to Technorati and browse a category that interests you and then send that particular blog to your eReader or receive it as an email (if you wouldn’t get overwhelmed by one more email).  I like getting them sent to my Google Reader which ends up being a customized newspaper for me.  If you own an iPad, download the free and OH-SO-AMAZING app, FLIPBOARD and “flip” through the pages of your favorite blog posts and magazine sources each day.

Share some of your tips to stay relevant and keep that GREY MATTER  from getting too GRAY!

If you are working with seniors or want more resources, info, and products with senior-friendly features, check out this great site: ElderGadget

If your organization needs help bringing folks across that digital divide, give me a hollar, I am your Digital Immigration Officer! @GinaSchreck

Gina Schreck, Technology Speaker, Social Media for Business

Gina Schreck

Gina Schreck
President & Chief Hooligan at Synapse 3Di

@GinaSchreck

November 30, 2010 | Filed Under Education, Facebook, Future, Gettin Geeky, iPad, Technology | 4 Comments 

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