National Emergency Mobile Phone Alert System to launch in NYC

The FCC and FEMA just anounced the launch of a new program that will send out a public mobile phone alert in an emergency to mobile phone userts in specific areas of the city or country.  So there is no need to hang by the radio in the case of a hurricane, tornado, tsunami, forest fire, earthquake, emergency evacuation, or bomb threat.  The alert will be automatically sent to your mobile phone, where you will receive the information and the updates that you need to survive.

This year, only higher-end mobile phones can participate, but next year all mobile phones are required to be equipped to receive these messages.  The program will be piloted first in NYC, and then later will be available across the United States.

Does it sound too intrusive?  Many others might agree at this point.  In a NY Daily News poll about this new service, 84% said No, at least not at this point.  Maybe they pictured a mobile message saying get to the auditorium where we would all become drones mindlessly watching that scary face in the famous "1984" Super Bowl commercial by Apple.

The good news is that you'll be able to opt out.  But I'll probably opt in.  If there's a weather or terrorism emergency, my mobile phone is the best way to alert me.

To read more, chck out this article and participate in the poll (shown above)

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/05/09/2011-05-09_new_yorkers_soon_to_get_emergency_cell_phone_alerts_in_what_bloomberg_calls_quan.html

Here's another article:
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/05/10/national-emergency-alert-system-set-to-launch-in-nyc/

Respectfully submitted
Jaclyn Kostner, Ph.D., Bridge the Distance, http://www.distance.com/
Training to improve human communication, collaboration, and community when people are virtual--and NOT face to face.

Four Success Secrets of LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google

What is it about the workplace culture at Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn that drives these young, entrepreneurial companies to rapid and remarkable success?  According to Kristin Burnham, they are different from traditonal companies in four key ways: 

1. Innovation --innovation is prized, both at work and after work.  Nothing is off-limits.
2. Failure.  Failure is tolerated, which encourages people to take greater risks.
3. Fun.  People that are happy at work are more productive, creative, and dedicated. 
4. Trust.  People that are happy at work don't steal supplies and secrets.

As technology companies, they create and leverage great technology.  But notice that it is the human factor that makes them successful--how to work together to do great things, support each other, have fun, and enjoy the process of collaborating together. 

To read more, go to  http://advice.cio.com/kristin_burnham/16045/workplace_culture_at_linkedin_facebook_and_google_4_lessons_for_you?source=CIONLE_nlt_leader_2011-05-09

Respectfully submitted

Jaclyn Kostner, Ph.D., Virtual Team Expert, Webinar Interaction Guru, http://www.distance.com/

We help people create the communication, collaboration, and connections they need to work successfully together--when people are NOT face-to-face

The most horrific webinar-- EVER!

There's an old expression, "You get one chance to make a first impression"  When you use webinars for your online presentation, meeting, or training session, a bad impression will last forever.  A bad impression breaks trust, loses opportunity, and hurts your business brand, big time.

Let me recap some highlights of the horrific webinar that I attended yesterday.

1. When I logged on to Live Meeting at the start time, I was greeted with a totally blank blue screen.  The presenter's slides were not loaded and ready.  In fact, the speaker couldn't figure out how to load the slides until 15 minutes after the hour! 
2. When each of the 100 people joined or left the audio bridge, a loud beep pierced our ears.  The highest audience count reached 65; so a lot of people came and went.  The speaker didn't disable the beep before the session was opened. 
3. People were still joining the session throughout the entire minutes of the presentation, interrupting the speaker's presentations with more loud beeps of people coming in and going out of the session.
4. The person that shared the slides used the Share Application view, and didn't know that when she had other applications open, the audience saw a great big gray block that hid the slide content.  The gray block came and went multiple times in the sesson, and was very irritating.
5. The person that shared the slides shared the slide with thumbnail view in PowerPoint (not in Live Meeting), in a different resolution than my computer, which disabled me from seeing the full slide without continuous scrolling.  She didn't know that there were other ways to share it so everyone saw the full slide.
6. The one main speaker used a mobile phone, which distorted his voice and caused unpleasant irritating fly-like buzzing sounds to intertwine constantly during his presentation.
7. The audience was not muted, nor was anyone asked to mute until much later.  By that time, she had lost control, the audience was probably multi-tasking, and people didn't hear or act on her request.  I was praying that she didn't use "Mute All Attendees" because her presenters would have been muted out, and there is no "undo" of that choice in Live Meeting.  I have to believe that she didn't even know the function existed.
8. In the middle of the second presenter's presentation, someone in the audience put their phone on hold, which caused music to interrupt the second presenter's presentation. 
9. Throughout the session, some other audience members were using unmuted speakerphones, which caused every word the speaker said to be immediately repeated in an echo chamber. 
10. Sone others audience members could be heard using keyboards, sneezing, eating, kids noises, laughing in the background, and other things that were audible to all of us.
11. The speaker said, "I don't know if you are ..., or ..."  Why didn't she use a poll to find out?  In fact, why weren't' there several relevant polls through the entire session.
12. One of the speakers talked about the conference website.  No one used Live Meeting to actually show it while talking about it.
13. The video window was activated, and one audience member shared her video and looked bored to death with her camera in "surveillance" view (the wrong camera angle)..
14. Neither of the two speakers ever used the live video.
15. The audience was never instructed in how to open the Live Meeting panes.  I am sure that some first-time users were totally baffled.
16. There was absolutely no effort to interact with the audience outside of the Q&A.
17. All of the Q&A questions were left to the end of the session, which disabled me from asking more than one question.
18. The speaker showed a total lack of understanding how to operate Live Meeting and what audience members see on their desktops.  It made her look unprepared and unprofessional, and those imprssions will never go away.
19. ...and more.

The content of the webinar was really important to me, but I know I was not the only one in the audience that clearly noticed how poorly it was delivered.  During the session, I received several emails from participants that knew me that said, "They really need your help."  Yes, they did.

For every business--large or small--when you deliver webinars like this, you look bad, your business looks bad, and you lose credibility.  It is frustrating to br in the audience and endure such a painful session.  Presenting to a remote audience is different than face-to-face and requires new skills for this new medium.  Presenting in a virtual setting requires planning, preparation, and training so the sesson is wonderful for everyone.  If you do it right, people will be actively engaged.  If you do it wrong, they won't be back again.

Respectfully submitted

Jaclyn Kostner, Ph.D., Webinar Interaction Guru, http://www.distance.com/
We help you make your webinars (for training, presentations, and meetings) engaging, interactive, and fun!

During a traffic stop, a new device can steal your cell phone information

Police in some cities have access to a new technology that lets them access and download cell phone information during a traffic stop. The device is a Cellebrite cell phone extraction device (UFED). If you get pulled over for a traffic violaton, this device lets them download data from your smartphone (without your knowledge or permission) that could potentially be used or abused. Now, I respect the police and I obey the law, but I have big concerns about the privacy of my private information on my mobile phone (which is everything on it).  What information is extracted from the smart phone with this device is not clear, but privacy issues have caused athe ACLU to be concerned about it, too.

You've been reading a lot lately about hidden date files in your iPhone or Adrroid phones that were a big secret until some savvy techhie users discovered their existence.  Some reports said that the phones automatically tracked the specific locations where you traveled, and other reports said that it only tracked the cell towers that were in the vicinity of where you traveled--even if you were not talking on your phone.  You know your phone tracks whom you call, and who calls you, what internet sites you visit on your phone, what texts are exchanged, and so much more. 

Users are understandably upset at this invasion of privacy, because no one has yet revealed what information is downloaded, what happens to it, what your rights are related to it, and how to eliminate those mysterious hidden files on the mobile phone.  In the interim, if you get stopped, pull the battery out of the phone. Off isn't enough.  

Respectfully submitted,

Jaclyn Kostner, Ph.D., http://www.distance.com/
Expert in virtual communication, collaboraton, and community when people are NOT face to face

Move over iPhone--the Paper Smartphone is coming.

A couple of weeks ago, I dropped my Android phone.  Even with insurance that I pay 7.50 a month for and a phone that is 18 months old (which is really old in technology years), T-Mobile wants to charge me $150 to replace because the glass on the screen is cracked (but still in place).  So for $150, I get the pleasure of purchasing really old technology (I can't apply the $150 to new technology unless I sign another 2-year contract).  Isn't that a nice way to treat customers--rip customers off when you can, however many ways that you can!  I can't wait to no longer be their customer.

The new paper smartphone will change this picture in the years ahead.  The paper smart phone is having its  big debut at the Associating of Computing Machinery's Computer Human Interaction 2011 conference in Vancouver, I relish at the idea that there is no glass to break on this phone!  Yes, I know the paper phone is not available yet, but it's good to know that there is a real working prototype and this technology will come to the market soon.

The paper phone is made out of a thin film which makes it very lightweight, like paper in a plastic wrapper.  It does everything a smart phone currently does-- make phone calls, send text messages, play music, and more. To operate it, users will "bend it" versus "touch it."

If you stick the paper phone in your pants pocket, it will bend with your clothing and not break.  And there are no worries at all if you drop it on the floor.  No broken glass!

Best of all, light, flexible computers like this are coming, too.  I can visualize all of the virtual teams, virtual leaders, and other road warriers that will celebrate no more broken back from carrying computers and other technologies through airports, trains, and other distant places.  I am already getting my checkbook out to pay for the paper mobile phone and the paper computer the day they are available for sale!

Read the article and watch two great videos (particularly Sony's) at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1383903/PaperPhone-The-smartphone-paper-shape-pocket.html

Respectfully submitted

Jaclyn Kostner, Ph.D., the Distance Doctor

Expert in communication, collaboration, and community when people are NOT face-to-face. 

Visit our website at http://www.distance.com/.

10 slick ways to drop-proof your iPAD

Whether you use your iPAD to communicate with your virtual team, or whether you use it entirely for entertainment, it's a great device!  The iPAD is easy to carry--and easy to drop.  One slip, and your iPAD screen can be shattered to pieces.  For some, the tragedy is akin to dropping a Ming vase.  For others, it's just another inconvenience.

The best defense in keeping your iPAD safe from harm is a good offense.  Some very creative entrepreneurs offer a whole new range of really cool products that will protect your iPAD from unexpected damage.  There's an iPad drop-proof solution to fit every personality, every age, and every profession.  Check them out in this quick, entertaining slide show presentation.

http://www.cio.com/article/680603/Drop_Proof_Your_iPad_2?page=1#slideshow

Respectfully

Jaclyn Kostner, Ph.D., The Distance Doctor, Bridge the Distance, http://www.distance.com/

We help people that work virtually to communicate, collaborate, and connect on a social level.

Four urgent steps to secure your WiFi network now!

Nearly 1/3 of people have tried to get on a Wi-Fi network that wasn't theirs (Wi-Fi Alliance survey).  Now if you're wondering "So, what's the problem?", the risk could be much greater than you think.  One person abusing your network can turn your life into chaos that can take months to undo.

Can you imagine a team of gun-toting law-enforcement agents invading your home, taking your computers and wireless devices, and accusing you of downloading massive amounts of child pornography!  That's exactly what happened to one innocent homeowner.  As it turns out, his 25-year old neighbor that had  tapped into his wireless network was the guilty party. 

The damage could have been equally as ugly if the neighbor had illegally downloaded music and movies and other copyrighted materials.  You've read the lawsuits about how horrific the legal pursuit and lawsuits are if anyone downloads copyrighted materials without paying.  And how awful would you life become if the neighbor could access files with names and passwords to get into your banking accounts, credit cards, and your retirement accounts.

The best defense is a good offense.  Here are four ways to secure your Wi-Fi network in your home:

1. Set Wi-Fi for the highest level of security--both on the PC and the router.
2. Create strong passwords--8 characters, mixing caps and lower case, numbers, and symbols
3. Don't send sensitive data (like your checking account information) on "Hot Spot" public networks.
4. Turn off the file sharing capability if you share private information between computers.

Read more about securing your network at: http://www.cio.com/article/681170/Home_Wi_Fi_Network_Security_4_Ways_to_Avoid_Big_Trouble?source=CIONLE_nlt_insider_2011-05-03

Respectfully submitted
Jaclyn Kostner, Ph.D., the Distance Doctor at Bridge the Distance, http://www.distance.com/, 303.791.1515
Providing training to enrich human communication when people are NOT face to face

How to engage people in your far-flung global organization

According to multiple studies by Gartner, 7 out of 10 employees are not engaged or are actively disengged at work.  As we all strive for higher performance, these statistics not only must change, but they all CAN change when leaders and team members make the effort.

The Gartner studies did not differentiate between how many people in theiur research work onsite with their leader or team, vs. how many work from remote locations around the world.  But in my experience as a virtual team expert, people that work virtually can get very isolated, which exascerbates the lack of engagement at work. 

How can a remote leader engage people that work from distant locations?  Here are some best practices that work.

1. Be sure to talk with each person on your virtual team by phone at least once a week.
2. Make sure that some part of that phone call is about the person--his/her interests, family, vacation, career aspirations, and more.  Pay attention and remember the personal information that they share with you.
3. If you can't remember the personal details, use Outlook or a customer-relationship management software program like ACT to capture them.  Begin the new phone call personally, such as, "How did your son do at the soccer tournament last weekend?"  The personal touch makes people feel important and cared for.
4. Be accessible in a timely way to people near and far.  When remote people can't get in touch with you and other team members in a timely way, trust breaks down--and so does morale!
5. Leverage a social media bio (SharePoint or Linked-in) to have people share information about themsevles.
6. Leverage video--by mobile phone, web conference, tele-presence, etc., so you learn everyone's face and they learn yours.  If the quality isn't great, be happy to have so many choices, and find the one that works best for your virtual team.
7. Use a headset, not a speakerphone, when taking remotely.  People that sound close, feel close.

Respectfully submitted
Jaclyn Kostner, Ph.D., Bridge the Distance, Inc., http://www.distance.com/

Providing traing to help you make your webinar (for training, presentations, and meetings) engaging, interactive, and fun!

How Green is Your Webinar - Check iLink's Green Meter

If you have the choice between meeting virtually vs. traveling to be face-to-face, check out iLink's innovative Green Meter. 

When everyone logs on to an iLink web conference (training, presentations, or meetings), their system automatically identifies the locations that each person is calling from.  Then it calculates how many miles were saved, how many pounds of carbon emissions were avoided, and how much money you saved by meeting on iLink vs. traveling

Since the Green Meter was launched, iLink customers are on schedule to save two billion pounds of carbon emissions from harming the environment.  Nice work!  Rates are reasonable, the interaction capability is great, and you can save 20% by paying for a year in advance.   All this...and we can save the planet, too! 

To find out more, go to their website at http://www.ilinc.com/greenmeter

Respectfully submitted,

Jaclyn Kostner, Ph.D., Bridge the Distance, Inc., http://www.distance.com/
Experts in how to make webinars (for training, presentations, anfd meetings) engaging, interactive, and fun!

Best and Worst Cell Phones

If you select your mobile phone, not just by price, but also by that company's social consciousness, then you'll want to check out the 2011 best and worst mobile phone brands as rated by GoodGuide and Consumer Ally.

These two firms looked at mobile phones on three key social dimensions:

• concern for the environment
• care about the health impact of their product on consumers
• social responsibility (treatment of workers, diversity in the workplace, and involvement in the community)

The five best cell phone brands on their list are:

1. Nokia
2. Palm
3. Motorola
4. Sony Erickson
5. Pantech

The five worst cell phone brands on their list are:

1. Sharp
2. Casio
3. Garmin-Asus
4. LG
5. Blackberry (The big surprise!)

Check out the article to find out more.

http://www.walletpop.com/2011/02/14/best-and-worst-cell-phones-goodguides-exclusive-ratings/?icid=maing%7Cmain5%7Cdl4%7Csec1_lnk3%7C44536

Jaclyn Kostner, Ph.D., Bridge the Distance, http://www.distance.com/

Top Six Reasons Not to Get Verizon's iPhone 4 -- yet

For the last several momths, I have been eagerly waiting to purchase the new iPhone4 from Verizon.  I have an Android, and it's OK.  But I have lusted over the iPhone since I first saw it.  Like many of you, seeing the iPhone was love at first site!  iPhone is a really, really cool phone.  An avid WebEx user, I wanted to be able to join meetings on my iPhone, like many of the virtual teams that we interact with daily.  Really--this phone makes my heart beat a little faster every time I see it.

But an article I read today in CIO has put those plans on hold.  According to the author, Al Sacco, here are the top six reasons NOT to purchase Verizon's iPhone 4 yet.

1. The iPhone Verizon is offering is old technology - the same release that was first sold on June 2010. 
2. You can't be on a phone call and search for information on the web.  The next release may change that.
3. Verizon's iPhone is expensive--$199.99 for the 16GB model and $299.99 for the 32GB Model, plus a two-year service agagreement.  These are the same prices AT&T charged for it nine months ago!
4. The Verison iPhone is very fragile.  It has glass on the front and back, which may look great, but is not going to win any durability awards.
5. You can only load official mobile applications using iTunes.
6. The Verizon iPhone has antennae issues.  Don't grab the phone too hard in an area with weak signal, or the call will get dropped. 

So, I'm going to wait until Verizon's iPhone5 is released.

Read the whole article at

http://www.cio.com/article/663581/Verizon_iPhone_4_Six_Good_Reasons_Not_to_Buy?page=1&taxonomyId=3061

Photo from crunchgear.com

Jaclyn Kostner, Ph.D., Bridge the Distance  http://www.distance.com/
Virtual team expert
Webinar interaction guru

Generation Net - Young people that prefer their virtual lives to the real world

Forty-five percent of 2,300 11-18 year olds in the UK admitted that they were sometimes happier online than in their real lives.

When on the web, many young people revealed that they can be whatever they want to be when they communicate virtually with others that they have never met.  They can appear stronger, older, and more confident.  Photo image editing programs let them edit their images to look more appealing.  They can lie about their experiences and their friends.

The study suggested that children "see cyberspace as detachable from the real world."  The virtual world lets them explore parts of their behavior, personality, and imagination in ways that they wouldn't in real life. 

Despite Internet safety training in schools, about 10% of the youngsters still take serious risks with encounters that put themselves and their friends in danger.
They're still kids, but some day they will grow up and enter the workforce.  If they interact with the computer more than with each other, will they have the social skills to create real, lasting relationships with others at school, at work, and in business? 

I look in my neighborhood, and there are hundreds of school-age kids here.  But it is rare to see even a few children playing together in the park.  It's like the neighborhood has no kids at all.  They're all on their computers or sending text messages to each other. 

I am delighted that kids love the technology.  I also want them to love playing and creating and being with each other so they learn the social skills they will need when they grow up and take their leadership roles in business.  When they have a problem relationship at work later in life, they can't just click the "exit" button.  They have to want the relationship to continue, and then communicate in ways to resolve it. 

February 8, 2011, is Safer Internet Day in the EU.  Here are six tips they suggest to help your kids use the Internet safely.

1. Talk about the Internet.  Ask them to show you what they like to do online.
2. Stimulate your child's creativity by discovering new sites, playing games, and  using the web to stretch his/her imagination.
3. Set up "fair" rules and boundaries for using the phone or computer that you agree together about up front.
4. Protect personal data with highest levels of privacy on social networks.
5. Think about using parental control tools.
6. Avoid having a computer in your child's bedroom.  Put it in a more public place, like the kitchen or living room.

Safer Internet Day 2011
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/sip/index_en.htm

Article: 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1354702/Children-happier-virtual-lives-real-world.html


Submitted by Jaclyn Kostner, Ph.D., Bridge the Distance.  http://www.distance.com/  303.791.1515

Can't find a job? Consider Microwork - Virtual work from home

I know three people that are not only out of work, but have been so for over two years.  I sense their anxiety and desperation as their skills become less and less current.

Consider microwork.  If you have a computer, the internet, and great skills, Bloomberg Businessweek lists twelve companies are engaging contractors that have skills, can work from home, and have Internet access. 

Some general skills jobs pay only a few dollars per hour and will not be worth your while.  If you have specialized skills and industry-specific knowledge, however some offering microwork will pay $250-500/hour.  These aren't full-time assignments, but they certainly could help pay some of the bills if you have the credentials, experience, and expertise that these companies are looking for.  Check out the opportunities carefully to see if it is a good fit for you.

Working virtually offers a world of opportunity for everyone.  The article gives a pictoral slide show of the twelve companies profiled in the article and podcast.  If you know someone that is seeking work, pass it on...

http://images.businessweek.com/slideshows/20110128/twelve-sites-that-will-put-you-to-work-now/?chan=technology_special+report+--+ceo+guide+to+the+micro+workforce_special+report%3A+ceo+guide+to+the+micro+workforce

Jaclyn Kostner, Ph.D., Bridge the Distance.  http://www.distance.com/

Cultural issues: 3/4 of knowledge workers don't want desktop video

According to a survey of 5,498 knowledge workers by Forrester Research, a whopping 72% don't want desktop video at work.  With the cutbacks in travel budgets, this study caught my eye because virtual teams are feeling the pain of little to no face-to-face team time.

According to research by Kate Listler, approximately 63-88 million people work remotely some or all of the time. (http://undress4success.com/research/telecommuting-statistics/)  One would think that they would eagerly embrace desktop video from their remote locations.

Most people would credit the resistance to privacy issues.  People want to keep their private space at home out of the view of others at work.  These same poeple, however, eagerly use video with distant friends and family.

I believe that the main reason that resist desktop video at work is also to control their virtual presence--the image they convey to others in the business remotely.  Take Margie who said that she runs for an hour at lunch.  When the 1 pm meeting comes around, she doesn't want anyone to see her in her running clothes, without makeup, and with hair that is not groomed for a business meeting with others on the team that she doesn't know well.

When I work from my home office and have a web conference meeting with clients, I do project a very professional image.  I make sure that my image is 100% professional.  My hair and makeup are just right.  I'm wearing a suitcoat and jewelery appropriate for business.  But if the camera were to pan out more (which it doesn't), one might also find that I am wearing shorts or jeans because I am working from home.

Let's face it.  The business office in general has become much more casual.  Compared to how many people groom at home, however, the home office is substantially less casual--at a level that some want to shield.  Virtual teams need to decide how they want to handle desktop video.  With severe cutbacks in travel, the video is an important way that many virtual teams create their working bond with one another.

To read more about the Forester study, go to http://www.conferencingnews.com/news/34862

Posted by Jaclyn Kostner, Ph.D., Bridge the Distance.  http://www.distance.com/

Desktop Video at work evolves again--with High Definition!

Recently, WebEx Meeting Center got a makeover, including addition of High Definition Video Conferencing.  From a communication point of view, it's a very high-value improvement.

1. The image size is larger.  In the standard screen view, the image of the leader is about twice the size of the others that are shown just below it.  If someone else talks, their image is switched to the larger view while they speak. 
2. The video image of the leader or speaker is also visible when people share the desktop or share the application. 
3. If a team wants to just talk, the screen can quickly be changed to show video images only--all in larger sizes that are easy to see.

With severe cutbacks in travel, virtual teams can now enjoy a more fluid and natural video conference with one another from the desktop.   Nice work, WebEx!

Posted by Jaclyn Kostner, the Distance Doctor.   http://www.distance.com/