Twitter – I don’t get it! Sound familiar?

Are you confused?
If this is your feeling you are not alone. Your feelings are shared among many who are new to Twitter so don't feel bad if you don't get it just now.

Twitter is micro-blog that allows 140-characters. It is a streaming program that sends your messages in real time out to those who follow you. Twitter is a fabulous tool for you to communicate your message to those who want to hear it, which would be those who sign up to follow you to hear what you have to say that may be of value to them or others they know. 

Twitter is really about building a network of people and building relationships with that network. It should be about helping others first and you second.

Your following
People can follow  you on Twitter using their mobile devices by using mobile applications such as TweetDeck or Twitterberry, among many others. You can also login to Twitter from your computer.

Use Twitter to post up to a 140-character message with whatever time frequency you wish, whether it be hourly, daily, weekly or monthly. However, if your goal is to become widely known then you might want to tweet more often than weekly or monthly. There are even applications that allow you to schedule your messages also known as tweets such as Hoot Suite found at http://www.hootsuite.com and Twuffer found at http://www.twuffer.com among many others.  I like a personal touch so I tweet my own messages. Although, I could schedule some of my technology tips and tricks and articles.

How do I find followers?
There are applications that you can use to find and follow people in your same field. For example, you might want to use http://www.Twellow.com to find people in your category of interest then choose among the list those whom you would like to follow. Following others often results in people following you back.

Make your friends, family and colleagues aware that you are on Twitter and to follow you there. You can even use your Facebook account to announce that you are on Twitter and provide your ID.

Twitter with Facebook
Save time posting your messages by connecting your Facebook account to Twitter and each time you post on Facebook it will automatically post to your Twitter acccount. Just remember your 140-character Twitter limitation.

People often use multiple social platforms to connect and socialize. Adding Twitter to your tools simply provides a larger opportunity for others to hear your message.

People generally follow people they find interesting, helpful, share the same interests and values, etc.

You can use Twitter to post messages and articles that you feel would be of interest and benefit to those that follow you.

Spreading the word                                                         
Your messages have an increased chance of spreading to others that do not directly follow you. This is done when someone who follows you sends your message to people that follow them through what is called a retweet abbreviated RT.

I am a professional speaker and trainer. Twitter is among the many topics that I teach. Perhaps I will see you in one of my online workshops.

Happy tweeting!

 

Blackberry Safety

There are many who do not have an IT department to manage issued devices. You may be "IT." Read on for this important information.

Setting ownership/password information
You just realized that you can't find your Blackberry. Maybe it dropped out of the car when you stepped out to fuel or maybe it was in the restaurant before that. You just hope someone will find it and call you. But they can't because you didn't set your ownership information and what's more they have access to your personal information because you did not set a password for your device.

Two Important Setups

1. set a password for your device
2. set up your ownership information

Your ownership information should include how you want to be contacted. Please be very safe at this point. Be careful about what phone number and name you provide for a contact.  
 
Read on for the details and instructions on setting a password and contact information.

Setting a password
When you set a password for your device you can specify the length of time that should expire before the device requires a password in order to access the device. It's called a Security Timeout.  I have mine set at one-hour but you may want less or more. If you have set your ownership information, when the password screen comes up it will also show your contact information.

The instructions that follow will guide you through the steps needed to set your password and ownership information. Two very important combinations.  

1. Roll to the Options icon (wrench icon on the Home screen)
2. Press the trackball (a list of options appears)
3. Press the letter S and then roll down to Security Options
4. Press the trackball
5. Select General Settings and press the trackball

You are now at the General Settings screen where you can enable a password. Remember, passwords are case sensitive. The password field is a text field, so if you want to combine numbers and letters, remember to use the ALT key to obtain numbers rather than letters. Use the left or right shift keys for capital letters.

Notice the Security Timeout field. This is the amount of time you want the system to wait before it requires you to enter a password to access your device.

The Number of Attempts is the number of times you are allowed to key in a wrong password before the system wipes your device. Very important!  

When you are ready to key in a password you can press the escape or the menu key at which time you will be prompted for a password.

Setting ownership information
If someone found your device they need to know how to contact you to return it. Please be very careful about the contact information you provide.

If you have set a password your contact information will automatically appear in one of two instances; 1) after the password timeout value has been reached; 2) when you turn on the phone. Read on for the instructions.

1. Roll to Options on the Home screen (wrench icon)
2. Press the trackball
3. Press the letter O (for Owner)
4. Press the trackball (you are now at the Owner screen)
5. Type your name in the Name field
6. Roll to the Information field and fill out your contact information.
7. Press the menu key or the escape key to Save 

Now, you can rest a little easier in the event you lost your Blackberry.

It's an online world! And technology is changing how we conduct and market our businesses.

We are living in a mobile and online world. Technology is changing at a rapid pace, much quicker than any of us can possibly keep up with. Change usually presents a learning curve and that is exactly what many are experiencing.

What are the learning curves?
The focus of my blog post today is on the topic of presenting and training online. It is an economical way to deliver training, conduct meetings and presentations. However, it does present a learning curve for many. One of the initial stumbling blocks is learning how to use your chosen platform. The second learning curve is that of how to effectively present to an online audience rather than a face-to-face audience. Professional training can lessen your learning curve considerably. 

You know your topic but is that enough?
One of the hot topics today is social media training. It is certainly a topic that is worthy of receiving training on. Perhaps you possess a wealth of knowledge on the topic and you have decided that you will start teaching others what you know. However, this can be problematic if you are not a skilled professional speaker or trainer. It is certainly something that you can learn and it will benefit you to do so before you embark upon a new career like training on social media.

Many are expanding their reach by taking their presentations online. As you might imagine presenting and training face-to-face is quite different than training to an online audience you cannot see. Combine this with learning to use the technology to do so can be quite a task.

Quality content and engage
I am a technology training professional and speaker. I enjoy delivering both face-to-face and online training.  I also enjoy being on the receiving side of training through both methods of delivery. When I receive training, I want the speaker to have quality content, engage me in the training and help me leave the training with knowledge that will impact me positively in my business. 

The following are some suggestions for making your next online event a success:

• Learn your training platform well.
• Conduct a trial or practice run of your online event with colleagues and/or friends first.
• Make certain that your PowerPoint slides visually connect your audience with the key points of the topic.
• Remember, PowerPoint slides are not meant to deliver your presentation - that is your job!
• Consider professional training or coaching on how to deliver effective online presentations.

Online training can be wonderful. It is so convenient but it is only as good as the content within and the one who is presenting it!

Webinar Overview

A webinar is used to describe a conference and/or training venue that is held via the use of the Internet.  A Webinar can be one-way, from the speaker to the audience, or it can be a two-way, whereby the audience can participate.  Participants are connected through the Internet and can attend from the convenience of their personal location such as their office or home.

Cost Effective and Convenient

Time is money and training via a Webinar does save time, as attendees do not have to travel to receive training.  This is particularly helpful for companies who have employees geographically dispersed.  

Training can be designed to focus only on what the learner needs to know, in which case the need for training time could be as little as two to four hours rather than a full day. This results in less time for employees to be away from their work. The knowledge gained from training can result in greater job productivity, which results in saving time which is money.

Webinar Format: instructor-led or lecture

Instructor-led, hands-on training is quite often the best route for learning as it aids in greater retention of information. This is especially true when training in concepts that can be hard to grasp without hands-on activities to reinforce the concepts being taught. For example, if you were being taught how to write formulas in Excel, how effective do you think it would be if you could not participate by writing formulas during training? It would be a lot like being shown how to drive a car but you never get to go behind the wheel to try it out yourself.

In a two-way Webinar, attendees can participate using their own computer to perform tasks they are receiving instruction on. They have the ability to toggle back and forth between the instructor’s screen and their own during training, as well as have the convenience of asking questions during the training session. 

Conducting a One-Way Webinar

In a one-way Webinar, the audience may not be performing hands-on training via their computer. They may also be in listen mode only. In one-way formats it becomes even more crucial that the speaker make the presentation come alive for the audience in order to maintain interest and help the audience connect to the material being presented in a memorable way.

A one-way Webinar can be very effective for so many training topics where hands-on participation is not needed. For example, lecture format would be well suited to teaching topics such as “E-mail Etiquette”, “Effective Communication Skills”, “Tips and Tricks on Conducting Effective Webinars”, “Presentation Dos and Don’ts” and the list goes on.

Quick Tips on Lecture Format Delivery

If you are delivering training via lecture format where participants are not performing hands-on activities, consider keeping the presentation to a shorter period of time such as one hour. Keep the time interesting through good verbal and visual instruction.

If you are using PowerPoint to aid you in the delivery of your presentation, make certain that you have visually designed your slides in a way that will quickly connect your audience to the information you want them to leave remembering. Do not use the slides to write out your entire presentation – your job is to present and the job of the slides are to aid your audience to connect to your verbal presentation.

Getting the most out of attending a Webinar

Attending a webinar does require some basic computer skills of the one who is attending. This is especially true if the Webinar is going to be a hands-on training. The attendee must know computer basics such as how to minimize or maximize a window, how to move and/or resize a window and how to use the Windows task bar to quickly move back and forth between open programs. These are all Windows operating system basics that one must know.

When attending a Webinar, remember it is a class and your learning can only be, in part,  as effective as the time that you devote to it. Your attention cannot be interrupted by checking emails and allowing interruptions from others as you are training. Last but not least, join your Webinar on time.  You would be surprised to find the impact of how much missing even five minutes of opening training can do to prevent you from learning what you came to learn.

Closing comments

Webinars can be a wonderful way to attend training, deliver training and/or a presentation, so try it out sometime! 

I  hope to “see” you all online in a MOSTraining class in the future.

"Knowledge lights up our lives – light up your life and learn something new every day!" - MOSTraining, Incorporated

 

We are no doubt in hard economic times, which results in increased stress for many of us. So, what do you do when squeezing your stress ball no longer works? What are some simple things you can do to relieve the stress?

E-mail Balance

Are you an e-mail maniac? How often are you checking your e-mail? Are you one of those while out to eat with family and/or friends just have to pick up that Blackberry and find out whose e-mailing you, or who has left a voice mail? If you are, I am sure that goes over in a big way with the wife or husband – another created level of stress. Turn the phone off and de-stress by enjoying your meal with family and friends.

If at all possible, set aside reasonable time intervals throughout the day that you will devote solely to checking and responding to e-mails and voice mails. It is much more efficient.

Remember technology is meant to aid us in life, not chain us.

Take a break

It can be energizing and refreshing for the mind to take short breaks away from our work. Take small breaks while working and do something that you enjoy. Read a short article, preferably about something other than work or take a short walk outside, weather permitting, of course.  

Change the scenery

If you are a home-based business, try taking your work to another room, one you enjoy, as the change of scenery can de-stress and often inspire and motivate you. Try it sometime, you may be pleasantly surprised at what a simple change can do.

Learn to say “NO”

It’s a simple word, yet so hard for many of us to say.  There is that underlying fear that saying “No” may result in losing out on a promotion and/or not getting the raise we wanted.  Remember that quantity does not always result in quality. Learn what your limitations are and work within those boundaries.

Lunch anyone?

How often do you work through your lunch or sit at your desk and have a quick sandwich and just keep going? Take some time for lunch away from your office. This can also be a great opportunity to take time for a family member or friend. Join them for lunch. It will give you the opportunity to unwind and relax. You could actually increase your productivity while decreasing your stress.

Delegate

Are you one of those who feels you must do everything or it simply just cannot be done correctly? Well no wonder you are stressed! Learn to let go, and delegate tasks to those you know are capable. Even delegation of simple tasks such as going to the  post office, filing, answering the phones, responding to e-mails can save you time and lessen your stress level.

Try out some of these simple but effective suggestions and it’s just possible you may not need that stress ball.

 

Welcome to the MOSTraining blog.

The MOSTraining blog will contain timely articles on various topics to assist workforce development and even articles on how to handle technology stress. Some articles will be available as Podcasts. A sample title list of some of the upcoming articles will be "Is all training created equal"?, "What Makes a Good Facilitator"? "Presentation Tips and Tricks", "Running an Effective Mobile Office?", "What Does it All Mean - iPOD, Podcast, MP3, WIKI, Blog?

In light of the current state of the economy and the associated stress for many, it seems only fitting that the first Blog article be on ways to handle work stress, inclusive of technology stress. The first article is titled "Beyond the Stress Ball".

The navigation pane for the blog is located on the right side of the screen. There you will find a calendar, a Monthly Archives, which contains a list of all articles written in a given month, a Category Archives, where you will find articles archived by relative categories.

If you wish to be notified each time a new entry is posted to the MOSTraining blog please use the link Entries RSS 2.0 located in the Syndicate box on the right side of the screen.

Sincerely,

Donna Gilliland, President
MOSTraining, Incorporated