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	<title>Creately Blog | Diagramming Articles and How to Draw Diagram Tips</title>
	
	<link>http://creately.com/blog</link>
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		<title>Creately Now Supports SVG Import and Here’s How You’ll Benefit</title>
		<link>http://creately.com/blog/announcements/svg-support-creately/</link>
		<comments>http://creately.com/blog/announcements/svg-support-creately/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 May 2013 11:26:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Nishadha</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Announcements]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[scalable graphics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[scalable vector graphics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SVG]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://creately.com/blog/?p=10385</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>We&#8217;re thrilled to announce support for importing of SVG files and an improved framework to make your objects look smoother and sharper. The SVG import is huge because it paves they way for some awesome future developments. Lets take the popular complex tiger SVG as an example. See how it scales beautifully within the application? Similarly you can import thousands of SVG images found throughout the Internet by simply clicking the &#8220;Image&#8221; button and  scale [...]</p><p>This posts was originally published at Creately blog. Click <a href="http://creately.com/blog/announcements/svg-support-creately/">Creately Now Supports SVG Import and Here&#8217;s How You&#8217;ll Benefit</a> to visit the blog post. Visit the Creately website to learn more about <a href="http://creately.com/">Online Diagramming Tools</a>.</p>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We&#8217;re thrilled to announce support for importing of SVG files and an improved framework to make your objects look smoother and sharper. The SVG import is huge because it paves they way for some awesome future developments.</p>
<p>Lets take the popular complex tiger SVG as an example. See how it scales beautifully within the application? Similarly you can import thousands of SVG images found throughout the Internet by simply clicking the &#8220;Image&#8221; button and  scale them for the perfect fit.</p>
<div id="attachment_10417" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 590px"><a href="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Working-with-SVG.png" target="_blank"><img class=" wp-image-10417" title="Working with SVG files inside Creately" alt="Handling SVG files within the application" src="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Working-with-SVG.png" width="580" height="411" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Working with SVG files inside Creately</p></div>
<h3>Add Styles to Imported Images</h3>
<p>Below example further illustrates the power of the application. You can import images and add your own styling to them so they fit perfectly into your existing diagram. Imagine having the ability to import thousands of images and customize them to fit your existing diagrams, that is what you&#8217;ll get with this new feature.</p>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 514px"><a href="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Styling-SVG.png"><img alt="Imported SVG with styles" src="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Styling-SVG.png" width="504" height="249" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Easily add styles to your imported images</p></div>
<h3>Scale Images without Pixelation</h3>
<p>Ever tried to enlarge an imported image only to end up with some pixelated rubbish? Now you can import SVG images and never worry about pixelation. Below image better illustrated the value of importing SVG files rather than JPG, BMP files.</p>
<div id="attachment_10406" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 510px"><a href="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Bitmap_VS_SVG.svg_.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-10406" alt="Benefits of SVG" src="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Bitmap_VS_SVG.svg_.png" width="500" height="319" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Scaling is smoother with SVG</p></div>
<h3>Beautiful Diagrams / Prints</h3>
<p>We&#8217;ve enhanced how vector graphics are handled within the app as well. The underlying framework for handling objects is greatly improved to make your diagramming experience much smoother. If you&#8217;re working with things like CISCO objects you will immediately see a noticeable difference.</p>
<h3>Faster User Experience</h3>
<p>Objects are not the only thing enhanced by the improved framework. Application as a whole is greatly enhanced and you&#8217;ll enjoy a much faster application which will further improve your productivity.</p>
<h3>Next Step: SVG Export</h3>
<p>Now you can easily import diagrams you&#8217;ve created using other tools like InkScape, CorelDRAW and Adobe Illustrator into Creately. Even Visio diagrams can be  exported as SVG files, making Creately the <a title="Visio alternative" href="http://creately.com/visio-alternative-online" target="_blank">perfect Visio alternative</a>. The next step is to enable SVG export and make it even more easier to work with other tools.</p>
<p>We love to hear from you. Your feedback helps us make Creately better. You can reach us via our <a title="Creately on Facebook" href="http://www.facebook.com/creately" target="_blank">Facebook Page</a>, <a title="Creately on Google+" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/106966005756507189729/" target="_blank">Google+ page</a>, <a title="Creately on Twitter" href="https://twitter.com/creately" target="_blank">Twitter stream</a> or simply mailing to <a href="mailto:support@creately.com" target="_blank">support@creately.com</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>This posts was originally published at Creately blog. Click <a href="http://creately.com/blog/announcements/svg-support-creately/">Creately Now Supports SVG Import and Here&#8217;s How You&#8217;ll Benefit</a> to visit the blog post. Visit the Creately website to learn more about <a href="http://creately.com/">Online Diagramming Tools</a>.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CreatelyBlog/~4/NoSOxqKpqAY" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>What to Look for When Hiring Remote Employees</title>
		<link>http://creately.com/blog/experience/hiring-remote-employees/</link>
		<comments>http://creately.com/blog/experience/hiring-remote-employees/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:55:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest Author</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hiring remote employees]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[remote employee]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[remote working]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[visual collaboration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[work at home]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://creately.com/blog/?p=10313</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>NOTE &#8211; Visual collaboration is at the heard of everything we do at Creately. And remote employees can benefit a great deal from our visual collaboration platform which has real-time collaboration, easy sharing features and team management features. To collaborate you need to hire them first and following tips by Matt Boyd of Sqwiggle will surely help when hiring remote employees. Hiring is tough and extremely important. You&#8217;ve probably heard the old saying “good help is [...]</p><p>This posts was originally published at Creately blog. Click <a href="http://creately.com/blog/experience/hiring-remote-employees/">What to Look for When Hiring Remote Employees</a> to visit the blog post. Visit the Creately website to learn more about <a href="http://creately.com/">Online Diagramming Tools</a>.</p>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="background-color: #cef6f5;"><strong>NOTE</strong> &#8211; Visual collaboration is at the heard of everything we do at <a title="Visual Collaboration" href="http://creately.com" target="_blank">Creately</a>. And remote employees can benefit a great deal from our visual collaboration platform which has <a title="Real-Time Collaboration is Live !" href="http://creately.com/blog/announcements/real-time-collaboration-live/" target="_blank">real-time collaboration</a>, easy sharing features and team management features. To collaborate you need to hire them first and following tips by Matt Boyd of Sqwiggle will surely help when hiring remote employees.</p>
<p>Hiring is tough and extremely important. You&#8217;ve probably heard the old saying “good help is hard to find”. That definitely applies when hiring remote employees. When hiring anyone, it takes careful consideration of all the options to make sure you’re making the right decision.</p>
<p>As a person who’s hired remote workers, I&#8217;ve learned some great techniques to find the best employees, no matter where they’re located.</p>
<p><i>“It&#8217;s very important in a restaurant to really do the right hiring because there&#8217;s no restaurant that you have one cook and one chef and nobody else in the kitchen. Generally you have five, ten, 15 people with you. So that&#8217;s really important is to train them right, but first you have to hire the right people.” -Wolfgang Puck</i></p>
<div id="attachment_10318" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 428px"><a href="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/hiring-remote-employees.jpeg"><img class="size-full wp-image-10318" alt="Hiring remote employees" src="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/hiring-remote-employees.jpeg" width="418" height="287" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">things to consider before hiring remote employees ( credit - <a href="http://under30ceo.com/">Under 30 CEO</a> )</p></div>
<p>When hiring anyone, regardless of location, it takes a certain level of trust that’s only developed over months of working together. Unfortunately, that’s rarely an option when you need someone quickly. This list contains a few simple tips that will help you qualify your applicants and narrow down the right person for the job.</p>
<p><b>1. Work Ethic and Past History</b></p>
<p>Work ethic is a big factor when considering applicants for your remote position. Working with someone over long distances requires major trust and a solid work ethic. This can easily be verified by paying attention to the details of their work history. If the applicant presents a work history that’s littered with instability, then they’re probably not a right fit for your remote position.</p>
<p><b>2. Ability To Communicate</b></p>
<p>Remote working requires an amazing skill to communicate ideas simply and effectively. When considering applicants for your position, it’s important to remember communication will be limited because of time zones  Take into consideration their ability to articulate ideas in a quick and effective manner. This ability goes a long way in a remote working environment.</p>
<p><b>3. Responsive When Needed</b></p>
<p>If you’re working in a business where emotions run high and things shift very quickly, it’s important to work with people who can shift with you and be there when you need them most. A solid level of responsiveness and quick action are great attributes to look for in a remote employee. In your applicant interviews, be very upfront about what you require and the level of responsiveness you need. Most applicants will be honest about their ability to perform under this kind of pressure.</p>
<p><b>4. Attention to Detail</b></p>
<p>This rule goes for any employee, but especially remote workers. Always be on the lookout for the applicant’s attention to detail. A detailed employee will make sure all the I’s are dotted and the T’s are crossed. Pay attention to typos in their writing and give them small tests with the sole purpose of determining their level of detail. The last thing you want is an employee that never achieves their maximum potential because they aren&#8217;t detail oriented.</p>
<p><b>5. Problem Solving Abilities</b></p>
<p>When working in a high pressure remote environment, hand holding is not an option. It’s important to find someone with the ability to solve difficult problems with little to no outside help. You can easily determine your applicant’s ability to solve problems by asking difficult questions and gauging their responsiveness. If they respond quickly with a detailed plan, then you’re certainly closer to finding the right person for the job.</p>
<p><b>6. Technical Qualifications</b></p>
<p>This probably goes without saying but is worth noting. It’s important to hire someone that’s very technically proficient in your particular category. You can easily determine their level of expertise by again, giving them a simple list of questions and asking them how they would solve the problem. If it’s a code based question, ask them to show how they found the solution on a sheet of paper via a video conference. This is a great way to test your applicants and understand their level of proficiency.</p>
<h3><b>The Amazing Advantage to Hiring Remote Employees</b></h3>
<p>As a person that’s relied heavily on remote employees in the past, I want to briefly mention the great advantage I’ve found in hiring from all over the world. When you ultimately decide to break through the barrier of your local talent pool and move toward a distributed workforce independent of physical location, you’ll understand the amazing power and strategic advantage you have over your competition. Talent is no longer limited by physical location and to me, that’s really exciting. It’s your responsibility to hire the right people for your organization that will help you become as productive as possible.</p>
<h3><b>Conclusion</b></h3>
<p>No matter where you are or what you’re working on, you can probably benefit from hiring remote employees. It takes patience, skill and a bit of luck to find and qualify the right people but when you do, the results are amazing!</p>
<p>Don’t give up and pay attention to the details. Hiring is an exciting opportunity to grow and improve your company’s skill-set and thrive in a remote world. Take advantage of this amazing opportunity and make sure you hire the right people. It’s a very important task so be responsible and make the right decision!</p>
<p>If you have any great tips on hiring remote employees, I’d love to see them in the comments!</p>
<p><em>Matt Boyd is co-founder of <a href="http://www.sqwiggle.com/" target="_blank">Sqwiggle</a>, an app designed to make remote working a more collaborative experience. Follow him and his journey as a remote worker and distributed team builder at <a href="http://blog.sqwiggle.com/" target="_blank">http://blog.sqwiggle.com</a> or <a href="http://www.twitter.com/mattboyd" target="_blank">http://www.twitter.com/<wbr />mattboyd</a></em></p>
<p>This posts was originally published at Creately blog. Click <a href="http://creately.com/blog/experience/hiring-remote-employees/">What to Look for When Hiring Remote Employees</a> to visit the blog post. Visit the Creately website to learn more about <a href="http://creately.com/">Online Diagramming Tools</a>.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CreatelyBlog/~4/hWGXTUfUjvw" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>4 Components in Effective Infographic</title>
		<link>http://creately.com/blog/diagrams/4-components-effective-infographics/</link>
		<comments>http://creately.com/blog/diagrams/4-components-effective-infographics/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:58:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest Author</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[diagrams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[info-graphics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[infographics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[visual stories]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://creately.com/blog/?p=10273</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>If you&#8217;ve been on Facebook, Twitter, or any number of blogs in the last year or so, you may have come across a trend of visual articles called infographics. Popular because they make a bigger, visual impact on readers, infographics are everywhere. Readers tend to pay more attention and hold information longer when you pair it with these eye catching graphics. But not all infographics are created equal. Effective infographics have many common characteristics. Here are four [...]</p><p>This posts was originally published at Creately blog. Click <a href="http://creately.com/blog/diagrams/4-components-effective-infographics/">4 Components in Effective Infographic</a> to visit the blog post. Visit the Creately website to learn more about <a href="http://creately.com/">Online Diagramming Tools</a>.</p>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If you&#8217;ve been on Facebook, Twitter, or any number of blogs in the last year or so, you may have come across a trend of visual articles called infographics. Popular because they make a bigger, visual impact on readers, infographics are everywhere. Readers tend to pay more attention and hold information longer when you pair it with these eye catching graphics.</p>
<p>But not all infographics are created equal. Effective infographics have many common characteristics. Here are four components that will increase the effectiveness of your future infographics.</p>
<h3>A Visual Story</h3>
<p>An infographic is a visual version of a blog post or article. Just as you’re telling a complete story with a article, your infographic has to have a start, middle, and finish. There also has to be a “so-what”&#8211;an overreaching point to the whole thing. Why should the reader care about what they just read?</p>
<p>One way to make sure your infographic accomplishes this is to start with a written outline before you even consider the graphics. Give it the same test you’d give a blog post or an article. Does it make a point? Does it include supporting facts? Does it follow a logical sequence of information? Remember that the graphics should enhance the story, not substitute for missing pieces of it.</p>
<h3>Maximum Shareability</h3>
<p>If you release an infographic into the world and no one shares it, does it make a sound? Of course not. The entire point of creating these visual articles is to have them shared via social media networks and blogs. You’re looking for your information to be shared with a link back to your website.</p>
<p>Provide readers with the tools they need to easily share your infographic. Give them the embed code for your image so they can post it on their blogs. Add social media sharing buttons to your page to make sharing to Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus a one click action. Finally, ask and you shall receive. Add a line to the end of the article asking your readers to share the image with anyone they feel would be interested. You can even email complementary websites and blogs with your infographic and ask them to share if they feel their audience would enjoy it.</p>
<div id="attachment_9823" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 607px"><a href="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/State-Death-Toll.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-9823 " title="Some components of an effective infographic" alt="Effective infographics require few components to come together" src="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/State-Death-Toll.png" width="597" height="568" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Few things must come together to make an effective infographic</p></div>
<h3>Verifiable Facts</h3>
<p>Early 2013 saw a rash of <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/12/ending-the-infographic-plague/250474/">infographics with facts that later turned out to be not true</a>. In their rush to create something that would go viral, some internet marketers put out infographics without fact checking the statements they were making. Minor <a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.treehugger.com%2Fcorporate-responsibility%2Fhave-infographics-jumped-shark-episode-3.html&amp;sa=D&amp;sntz=1&amp;usg=AFQjCNGtVqR_3_ICNsSRyYPWFNM9HqFA_w">backlash</a> ensued, making media outlets a little more critical of the infographics coming their way.</p>
<p>No matter how visually beautiful your infographic is, it must be supported by verifiable facts. In fact, it’s always a good idea to cite your sources. You can do so by putting an asterisk next to anything you have a citation for and adding the source at the bottom of the infographic. It will show your readers and publications that want to share your creation just how serious you are about presenting a truthful infographic.</p>
<h3>Solving a Problem</h3>
<p>Infographics for fun are nice. There are plenty of organizations that want to <a title="Create an infographic" href="http://creately.com/blog/announcements/create-infographics-online-creately/" target="_blank">create an infographic</a> because they are trendy. But if your infographic doesn’t solve a problem for the reader, its chances of being effective are low. Ask yourself what the reader gets out of the deal. Are you answering a question she might have? Did you bring to light an issue she might have overlooked? Are you helping her make a decision or showing her how to complete an action? If you can’t come up with anything, go back to the infographic drawing board.</p>
<p><em>Bio: Brian Lakeman is blogger and Brand Manager for <a href="http://www.activ8me.net.au/internet/nbn-fibre-plans">Activ8me fibre broadband</a>. He enjoys writing about technical topics that relate to internet users.</em></p>
<p>This posts was originally published at Creately blog. Click <a href="http://creately.com/blog/diagrams/4-components-effective-infographics/">4 Components in Effective Infographic</a> to visit the blog post. Visit the Creately website to learn more about <a href="http://creately.com/">Online Diagramming Tools</a>.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CreatelyBlog/~4/VbQCzvPFNKw" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>How Discovering the True Value of Your Time Will drastically</title>
		<link>http://creately.com/blog/experience/value-your-time/</link>
		<comments>http://creately.com/blog/experience/value-your-time/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 25 Mar 2013 12:41:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest Author</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[outsourcing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[time]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[time wasting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[value of time]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://creately.com/blog/?p=10260</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>As a serial entrepreneur once of the most important things I&#8217;ve had to learn the hard way is to value my time. When I launched my first online business in 2004, I literally did everything myself from creating a logo for a website, to writing content, to doing SEO, to handling email. I was literally working 14 hours a day and I was burnt out. Being Cheap Vs Being Smart But because I was so intent in [...]</p><p>This posts was originally published at Creately blog. Click <a href="http://creately.com/blog/experience/value-your-time/">How Discovering the True Value of Your Time Will drastically</a> to visit the blog post. Visit the Creately website to learn more about <a href="http://creately.com/">Online Diagramming Tools</a>.</p>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As a serial entrepreneur once of the most important things I&#8217;ve had to learn the hard way is to value my time. When I launched my first online business in 2004, I literally did everything myself from creating a logo for a website, to writing content, to doing SEO, to handling email. I was literally working 14 hours a day and I was burnt out.</p>
<h3>Being Cheap Vs Being Smart</h3>
<p>But because I was so intent in trying to keep costs down I thought I was being smart. I mean, that’s what they all try and teach you in the textbooks isn’t it? Keep costs low, don’t expand too quickly and with any luck you may be able to realize a profit in the second or third year. I don’t know about you, but when I start a business, I want to be making a profit in the second or third week! So I don’t have a lot of time for text books, especially the ones written by academics who&#8217;ve never left the comfort of academia. But I digress&#8230;</p>
<p>The real reason I was not being smart was because I was just being cheap. And by being cheap, I was actually hurting my business because I didn’t understand the true value of my time. I wasn&#8217;t prepared to leverage the time, effort and expertise of others because I thought I could save money by doing it myself. So when I thought I was being smart designing a $50 logo myself, which might take me 4 hours to do, I was in fact selling my time for $12.50 an hour!</p>
<h3>How Much Is your Time Worth?</h3>
<p>So let me ask you a question. How much is your time worth? It never ceases to amaze me that so many business owners have never sat down and calculated the true value of their time. You may be wondering what do I mean by true value? I mean the actions that you take on a consistent basis that directly increase your bottom line. I call these revenue producing activities. So in my online business, for example, if I know that spending an hour optimizing a PPC campaign could potentially increase by bottom line by 0.5%, then this would be a true revenue producing activity.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for most of us, the activities that we spend most of our time doing are not actually revenue producing activities at all. They are simply administrative tasks and whilst on the surface these tasks may seem important, the fact of the matter is they do not add one iota to the bottom line. Such tasks would include checking email, customer support, attending industry conferences etc.</p>
<p>I’m not saying these tasks shouldn&#8217;t be done. On the contrary, most of them are integral to the daily running of a successful business. What I’m saying is let’s get clear on the actions that actually produce revenue and those that don’t. Because I can guarantee you one thing. If you are not earning the sort of money you always dreamed of earning in your business, it’s because your time is not effectively being spent on the things that directly add to your bottom line.</p>
<p>So here is a quick and easy exercise that you can do. Keep a diary for a week of every single task you perform in your business and time how long each task takes to complete. If you&#8217;re tech savvy you can use a <a title="Mind mapping tool" href="http://creately.com/Create-Mindmaps-Online" target="_blank">mind mapping tool</a> to do the same task. When the week is up, mark any task that didn&#8217;t directly add to your bottom line as Non-Revenue Activities (NRAs) and any task which did as Revenue Producing Activities (RPAs). Now calculate the percentage of your total time for the week that was an RPA. I think you are going to be in for a shock and I would hazard a guess that in all actuality 20% or less of your time is currently spent on RPAs.</p>
<p>Now assuming I’m correct, that means currently 80% of your time is spent on NRAs. We now have a benchmark and something we can work on improving. Now, start going through the tasks and identify the ones that are one-off events and the ones that are performed on a recurring basis. Any recurring task that is performed in your business can be systemized and outsourced easily. And the reason it can be outsourced easily is that if you&#8217;ve done the task more than once yourself, you should have a pretty good idea of how to carry it out already.</p>
<h3>The True Value of Your Time</h3>
<p>Earlier, I was talking about not being cheap and working out the true value of your time. The reason why this is so fundamental is because your hourly rate just had potentially a 5 fold increase in value! If, for example, you earned $15,000 in the last 3 months and you work around 200 hours a month, you would think that your hourly rate would be $25 per hour ($15000/600 = $25) However, that assumes that 100% of your time is used to accomplish RPAs. However, if only 20% of your time was actually allotted to RPAs, this means that only 40 hours a month are used to directly add to your bottom line. And that, my friend, means that your true hourly rate is $125 per hour.</p>
<div id="attachment_10262" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 385px"><a href="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/7214503978_13aa4c41b6.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-10262" alt="Time is money, discover it's true value" src="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/7214503978_13aa4c41b6.jpg" width="375" height="500" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Discover the True Value of Your Time ( credit &#8211; <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/76657755@N04/7214503978/">Flickr</a> )</p></div>
<p>Once you realize your true hourly rate, there really is no excuse to be cheap anymore. It’s time to start outsourcing any task that costs less than $125 an hour. A few of the places where I have found great talented workers online are <a href="https://www.odesk.com/">ODesk</a>, <a href="https://www.elance.com/">Elance</a> and <a href="https://www.vworker.com/">vWorker</a> . Whilst these sites are great for one-off tasks, I have had my best success in finding full-time workers by finding them directly. And the country that I have had the most success in is without a shadow of doubt the Philippines.</p>
<h3>Why the Philippines is the #1 Outsourcing Hotspot</h3>
<p>There are number of reasons why the Philippines stands out above the rest, but the main reasons include their excellent communication skills, their high levels of literacy (all the workers that I have are college educated) and their work ethic. They really do take a pride in their work. The wages are also a lot less than here in the West. You can find a good full time Virtual Assistant for around 12000 PHP a month (approximately $300 USD). That’s 40 hours a week full-time. So let me ask you the question. If you could free up around 160 hours a month for you do dedicate to RPAs, what sort of impact would that have on your bottom line?</p>
<h3>Managing Your Workers</h3>
<p>Is it all plain sailing? No. They do require you to manage them. In my own business, what I started doing was using a free screen capturing video like Jing to record small 5 minute tutorials that I could then show my outsourced workers. I also started creating process maps of all the recurring tasks that occur in my business. The advantage of the process maps over the videos is that it is visual and you can see step-by-step the actions that need to be taken to accomplish the task. Because it’s visual, you can also step back from it and really analyse the whole process. Sometimes, just by doing this, you are able to find more efficient ways of completing the same task. I also encourage all my outsourced workers to give their input and to create a process map of every new task that they perform. This way, not only can I see how they are performing their tasks, they are also providing me training materials for future workers we take on.</p>
<p>So in conclusion, value your time. Find your hourly rate. Outsource the tasks that you don’t need to be doing yourself and focus on the tasks that really matter. By doing this, you will not only see your profits grow, you will also have more time to do the things that you actually want to do. After all, isn&#8217;t that why you started a business in the first place?</p>
<p>Simon Phillips is the CEO of <a href="http://www.touchlogic.co.uk/">Touch Logic</a> a mobile marketing company that specialize in <a href="http://www.touchlogic.co.uk/mobile-websites/">mobile website design</a> and app development for small businesses.</p>
<p>This posts was originally published at Creately blog. Click <a href="http://creately.com/blog/experience/value-your-time/">How Discovering the True Value of Your Time Will drastically</a> to visit the blog post. Visit the Creately website to learn more about <a href="http://creately.com/">Online Diagramming Tools</a>.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CreatelyBlog/~4/BcBkvbzfJlM" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Is Coworking Right for My Startup?</title>
		<link>http://creately.com/blog/experience/coworking-right-for-my-startup/</link>
		<comments>http://creately.com/blog/experience/coworking-right-for-my-startup/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 12 Mar 2013 07:36:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest Author</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coworking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[entrepreneurs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[startups]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[working together]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://creately.com/blog/?p=10233</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Are you trying to work out if Coworking is a good option for your start-up  Why not ask yourself a few of the following questions to see if it’s really right for you? Yes, if you want an easier life Coworking allows you to enjoy a potentially productive office environment without having to lose any productivity sorting things such as building maintenance and utilities; things you would have to consider if you rented your own space [...]</p><p>This posts was originally published at Creately blog. Click <a href="http://creately.com/blog/experience/coworking-right-for-my-startup/">Is Coworking Right for My Startup?</a> to visit the blog post. Visit the Creately website to learn more about <a href="http://creately.com/">Online Diagramming Tools</a>.</p>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Are you trying to work out if Coworking is a good option for your start-up  Why not ask yourself a few of the following questions to see if it’s really right for you?</p>
<h3>Yes, if you want an easier life</h3>
<p>Coworking allows you to enjoy a potentially productive office environment without having to lose any productivity sorting things such as building maintenance and utilities; things you would have to consider if you rented your own space from a landlord.</p>
<h3>No, if you have specific requirements</h3>
<p>Of course if you have any specific requirements, particularly regarding security matters, then coworking may not be your best option.</p>
<p>For example, will you be happy to send sensitive data through a shared network? Also do remember you may not get to lock the office (and all the valuables inside it) at night. So, if you are particularly security-conscious you may end up lumbering around with armfuls of tech.</p>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 560px"><img alt="Coworking space at Inspire 9" src="http://media-cache-ec2.pinterest.com/550x/32/2c/03/322c0327131a1df5c38c8f7fcf71036c.jpg" width="550" height="366" /><p class="wp-caption-text">A Coworking space (via <a href="http://pinterest.com/inspire9melb/" target="_blank">Inspire9</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>)</p></div>
<h3>Yes if you want a flexible experience</h3>
<p>With rolling month-to-month contracts and everything set up and ready for you to go, co-working offers a flexible alternative to traditional office space. If your company moves forward rapidly and you want a bigger space, then you can get out almost as quickly as you moved in.</p>
<p>If you are looking to expand, a further bonus is that you may be able to rent a few more desks in your current coworking space, so you don’t worry about having to source thousands of cardboard boxes to carry stuff to a new office (amongst other, more stressful problems you encounter when moving office).</p>
<h3>No, if you want to shape your own permanent home</h3>
<p>Of course, due to the flexible nature of coworking spaces there will be a certain amount of coming-and-going. A host of new faces can be a great way to keep things fresh, but if you want your own settled permanent home, this may not be ideal.</p>
<p>You also won’t get any real options to customize your space, so if you want an office to reside in long-term, that you can mold in your companies image, then co-working may not be for you. Of course this is always an option further down the line, but if you’re a start-up you often shouldn&#8217;t run before you can work.</p>
<h3>Yes, if you want to work somewhere that’s a little unusual</h3>
<p>Co-working spaces seem to bring out the creative best in office designers. They are rarely huge black, white and grey sprawling office blocs, and more often, small, independently run unique spaces.</p>
<p>You can find coworking spaces of all shapes and sizes clustered in creative hot spots across the world. You could end up working somewhere like the grand old Grain Exchange in Minneapolis. In London you can work in disused tube carriages that have been hoisted onto a rooftop or even on an old battleship on the Thames!</p>
<h3>No, if you&#8217;re concerned with security</h3>
<p>Again, with coworking spaces you will also have little control over the people you rent desks with. This means you could potentially be sharing a space with a competitor; it also may be a security concern for you. Although, thankfully such issues very rarely raise their heads. If this is a concern, then co-working may not be for you.</p>
<h3>Yes, if you want a buzzing working environment</h3>
<p>On the other hand, coworking spaces are some of the most dynamic, inspiring workplaces. They offer a whole host of potential contacts (and maybe even clients) amongst your coworkers and are generally filled with people in the same position as you. People who are usually more than willing to offer genuinely constructive feedback!</p>
<h3>What&#8217;s Your Take on Coworking?</h3>
<p>What do you think of coworking? Think it&#8217;s<a title="Start-ups having enough of coworking" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/startups-are-getting-sick-of-nycs-dirty-overcrowded-coworking-spaces-2013-3" target="_blank"> not the best solution for your start-up</a>? Or is it the <a title="Coworking advantages for start-ups" href="http://www.inc.com/christina-desmarais/6-reasons-to-build-your-startup-in-coworking-space.html" target="_blank">perfect match for your start-up</a>? Maybe it depends on the coworking space and who manages it. Chip in with your opinion in the comments.</p>
<p><b>Peter Ames writes on behalf of </b><a href="http://www.officegenie.co.uk/"><b>www.officegenie.co.uk</b></a><b>, a marketplace for shared desk space in the UK.</b></p>
<p>This posts was originally published at Creately blog. Click <a href="http://creately.com/blog/experience/coworking-right-for-my-startup/">Is Coworking Right for My Startup?</a> to visit the blog post. Visit the Creately website to learn more about <a href="http://creately.com/">Online Diagramming Tools</a>.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CreatelyBlog/~4/WGMeiCYhgEg" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Improving Team Collaboration in the Office</title>
		<link>http://creately.com/blog/experience/improving-team-collaboration-office/</link>
		<comments>http://creately.com/blog/experience/improving-team-collaboration-office/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:14:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest Author</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[office collaboration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[productive offices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[real time collaboration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[team collaboration]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://creately.com/blog/?p=10220</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Imagine if you took the best parts of each team member and made one superstar. You might take Tom’s smarts, combine it with Renee’s empathy, add a dash of Joe’s writing skills and top it off with Tina’s sales ability. With a person like that working for you, your company would be unstoppable! Of course this person might come out a little funny looking… The truth is you don’t need some Weird Science experiment to [...]</p><p>This posts was originally published at Creately blog. Click <a href="http://creately.com/blog/experience/improving-team-collaboration-office/">Improving Team Collaboration in the Office</a> to visit the blog post. Visit the Creately website to learn more about <a href="http://creately.com/">Online Diagramming Tools</a>.</p>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Imagine if you took the best parts of each team member and made one superstar. You might take Tom’s smarts, combine it with Renee’s empathy, add a dash of Joe’s writing skills and top it off with Tina’s sales ability. With a person like that working for you, your company would be unstoppable! Of course this person might come out a little funny looking…</p>
<p>The truth is you don’t need some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weird_Science_(film)"><i>Weird Science</i></a> experiment to get more from your team. You can get more from your team when they work more together.When ideas, and communication crosses department and even business unit boundaries there are terrific opportunities for innovation.  Just imagine the impact that would have on your company!</p>
<div id="attachment_10225" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 540px"><a href="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Team-Collaboration.png" target="_blank"><img class="size-full wp-image-10225 " title="Good team collaboration increase the overall productivity of the company" alt="team collaboration" src="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Team-Collaboration.png" width="530" height="420" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Improving team collaboration can do wonders for your company</p></div>
<p>Team Collaboration can mean a lot of things – from overhearing a co-worker who’s struggling with a piece of software and walking over to show them an easier tool; to researchers sharing their best ideas to see if they can learn from each other’s discovery, and everything in between. But getting people to work together is more art than science.</p>
<h3>Five Steps for Greater Team Collaboration</h3>
<ol start="1">
<li><b>Set the stage.</b><br />
In order to get people working together, and more importantly sharing their best ideas and innovations, you have to have a culture that values the team above the individual, that respects ideas no matter where they come from, and where listening is valued. These are the baseline. Without respect, team orientation and listening it’s difficult to get anyone to share anything.</li>
<li><b>Create the space.</b><br />
Once we have the psychic space, we need to address the physical space.Collaboration happens best when it “just happens”. Chance encounters, overheard conversations, and hallway meetings produce more innovation and collaboration than 1000 “brainstorming sessions”. How can you locate your team in such a way to promote those chance encounters? Maybe it’s not the physical office; there are lots of online tools for knowledge sharing and collaboration that can facilitate it too.</li>
<li><b>Celebrate a good thing.</b><br />
When you start to see results from the collaboration, celebrate that by sending out a note recognizing the team members who took a risk, celebrating the results they achieved and holding them up as examples to follow. When you do this it gives you the opportunity to reinforce the values of respect, team orientation and listening too!</li>
<li><b>Stir the pot.</b><br />
Once you&#8217;ve got collaboration started, don’t let it grow stale. People tend to collaborate more with folks they know, like and trust. So mix up your teams a bit; invite marketing folks to your production meeting. Send the whole office out for drinks or to a bowling alley. Create some social or team building event that requires folks to work with teams that they wouldn&#8217;t ordinarily connect with. The more that people have positive experiences with one another, the more likely they are to collaborate.</li>
<li><strong>Provide the Tools</strong><br />
Encourage them even further by providing tools that are built for team collaboration. From <a title="diagram software" href="http://creately.com" target="_blank">diagram software</a> like Creately to task management tools like Asana there are hundreds of product that encourage collaboration. Features like <a title="Benefits of Real-Time Collaboration" href="http://creately.com/blog/features/benefits-real-time-collaboration/" target="_blank">real-time collaboration</a> makes working together fun and productive increasing the likely-hood of people working together.</li>
</ol>
<p><i>Now it’s your turn! What ideas do you have to improve team collaboration? Let me know in the comments below!</i></p>
<p>About The Author: Brad Farris works for <a href="http://www.enmast.com/">EnMast</a>. They help small businesses get on the right track with tools and processes that are built for success.</p>
<p>This posts was originally published at Creately blog. Click <a href="http://creately.com/blog/experience/improving-team-collaboration-office/">Improving Team Collaboration in the Office</a> to visit the blog post. Visit the Creately website to learn more about <a href="http://creately.com/">Online Diagramming Tools</a>.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CreatelyBlog/~4/mOf37pUqlHA" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Seven Ways to Work Smarter, Not Harder</title>
		<link>http://creately.com/blog/experience/work-smarter-not-harder-7-tips/</link>
		<comments>http://creately.com/blog/experience/work-smarter-not-harder-7-tips/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Jan 2013 12:36:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Guest Author</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[productivity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[productivity tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[time saving tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[work smarter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://creately.com/blog/?p=10153</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>We hear it all the time, one of the adages of entrepreneurship – work smarter, not harder. But what does that translate to, in our daily lives? Work less long, but get more out of it. But how do you accomplish that? Like many things, in abstract this idea seems difficult to achieve, but when broken down, it shows that there are many ways to improve your work style. Try putting at least one or [...]</p><p>This posts was originally published at Creately blog. Click <a href="http://creately.com/blog/experience/work-smarter-not-harder-7-tips/">Seven Ways to Work Smarter, Not Harder</a> to visit the blog post. Visit the Creately website to learn more about <a href="http://creately.com/">Online Diagramming Tools</a>.</p>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We hear it all the time, one of the adages of entrepreneurship – work smarter, not harder. But what does that translate to, in our daily lives? Work less long, but get more out of it. But how do you accomplish that? Like many things, in abstract this idea seems difficult to achieve, but when broken down, it shows that there are many ways to improve your work style. Try putting at least one or two of these ideas into practice each day, and eventually you’ll become the master of your quality of work.</p>
<h3>Avoid Distractions</h3>
<p>Think about your typical workday. Do you allow yourself long stretches of time in which you can truly sink your teeth into an assignment, or do you tend to only work in small snatches of time between interruption after interruption? Are you constantly flicking back and forth between projects and your email or social media sites? Do your employees pop in often to ask questions or for advice? Make it stop!</p>
<p>Did you know that it takes the average person <strong>15 minutes to recover from a distraction</strong>? That means that for a quarter of an hour you are floundering around, trying to put your mind back where it was before the interruption – and then you’re probably going to get interrupted again! Here are some ideas for minimizing distractions in the office:</p>
<ul>
<li>Let calls go to voicemail, and then answer them in one block.</li>
<li>Have one or two dedicated times to check and respond to emails during the day, instead of checking them as they come in.</li>
<li>Turn off alerts for incoming emails, messages, or notifications from social sites. Yes, this might mean turning off your phone, too.</li>
<li>If your office uses instant messenger, turn it off or set yourself to “away” while you are trying to focus.</li>
<li>Close your office door, hang a sign on your cubicle asking not to be interrupted, or if you’re really desperate, wear big headphones or pretend to be on the phone.</li>
</ul>
<div id="attachment_10158" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 481px"><a href="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Work-SmarterNot-Harder.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-10158" alt="Work Smarter, Not harder using these tips" src="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Work-SmarterNot-Harder.png" width="471" height="277" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">So many distractions that can harm our productivity</p></div>
<h3>Organize &amp; Prioritize</h3>
<p>Too many people rush into the day without a clear plan of action, and it leads to frustration and wasted time as you figure out where to focus your efforts first. What are your goals for the day? What absolutely must get done, what do you need to make progress with, and what can sit on the backburner for a lull? Set aside some time at the end of the workday to structure the coming day. For some people, this means implementing sophisticated <a href="http://www.maxwellsystems.com/">project management software</a>; for others this means writing out a long to do list and scattering post-it notes across their desk. Some may even prefer a <a title="Simple Gantt charts" href="http://creately.com/blog/announcements/draw-gantt-charts-online-using-creately/" target="_blank">simple Gantt chart</a> for some visual guidance. Whatever your preference, if you’re going to skip any part of your day, definitely <i>don’t</i> skip the ten or fifteen minutes you spend organizing and prioritizing your day.</p>
<h3>Don’t Multitask – Work in Parallel</h3>
<p>Despite what you may believe, just face it: <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/douglasmerrill/2012/08/17/why-multitasking-doesnt-work/">you can’t multitask</a>. Anyone who has ever tried to talk on the phone while responding to emails understands. What we call “multitasking” isn’t truly doing two (or more – shame on you!) things at once at all; it’s just your brain switching quickly between two things over and over. Not only is this bad for your focus – remember how it takes 15 minutes to recover from a distraction? – but it also wears down on your brain, making you tired more quickly.</p>
<p>So, what <i>can</i> you do if not multitask? Instead, try <a href="http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/5190.html">working in parallel</a>. This technique is already used heavily by teams of people working on the same material – think design teams or programmers – but you can take advantage of it, too. Do some of your projects get sent back and forth? Do those projects first, and while waiting for others to send them back, work on other things. This means less frustrated waiting time for you and your coworkers, and more time getting things done. Alternatively you can try <a title="Real-Time Collaboration is Live !" href="http://creately.com/blog/announcements/real-time-collaboration-live/" target="_blank">real-time collaboration</a> with your team or peers, another way to work smarter and save time.</p>
<h3>Learn How Long Tasks Take</h3>
<p>Once you eliminate or control your distractions, get to know your schedule and your way of working. Over time, you should see patterns emerging – it always takes you at least three hours to complete this kind of report, whereas another project you can whip out in thirty minutes. How would you know that if you hadn’t lassoed in those interruptions? This is useful not only for blocking out a schedule for yourself, but also for knowing when you have to say no to a job or a project.</p>
<h3>Delegate: A Must Have Skill to Work Smarter</h3>
<p>Everyone knows delegation is important, but for some reason too many people hang on to doing tasks that others could complete more efficiently or just plain better. Think about why you do certain tasks – if the answer is simply “because I always have,” you need to think hard about whether that task really ought to belong to you. Certain tasks – especially tedious ones, or those that someone else could easily be trained to take on – are no brainers.</p>
<h3>Constantly Improve Your Processes</h3>
<p>Change is good, especially when it translates to getting things done with more efficiency, more expediency, or less cost. The last company I worked for rewarded process improvements. Even if yours doesn’t, you should always be on the lookout for ways to do things better – it could mean you have an easier time managing your workday, or you might even get a raise.</p>
<h3>Acknowledge the Point of Diminishing Returns</h3>
<p>This is perhaps the biggest point behind the adage “work smarter, not harder” – there is a point at which working more does not mean you are getting more done. Productivity declines, and it can be more and more frustrating to reach the same goals you were hitting with ease before. This doesn&#8217;t mean you’re doing a bad job – it might just mean that you need to focus on a new strategy, or even take a break and return to the task fresh. If you acknowledge that such a point exists, you will face less frustration at work.</p>
<p>Listed above are some practical things you can do to work smarter instead of harder. Got more awesome tips? Do share them in the comments and if it&#8217;s a truly awesome one we&#8217;ll add it to the article.</p>
<p><i>Adrienne Erin is a blogger and writer. When she’s not blogging about tech and social media, you might find her practicing her French, whipping up some recipes she found on Pinterest, or obsessing over vintage postcards and stamps.</i></p>
<p>This posts was originally published at Creately blog. Click <a href="http://creately.com/blog/experience/work-smarter-not-harder-7-tips/">Seven Ways to Work Smarter, Not Harder</a> to visit the blog post. Visit the Creately website to learn more about <a href="http://creately.com/">Online Diagramming Tools</a>.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CreatelyBlog/~4/-OYebmnqudk" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Awesome  Enhancements and Tweaks for a Fresh Start</title>
		<link>http://creately.com/blog/announcements/enhancements-tweaks-creately/</link>
		<comments>http://creately.com/blog/announcements/enhancements-tweaks-creately/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Jan 2013 14:25:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Nishadha</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Announcements]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Creately]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[enhancements]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Features]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://creately.com/blog/?p=10144</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>The loftier the building, the deeper must the foundation be laid. We have some awesome features planned to be released this year and a more stable and robust Creately is the stepping stone to those new features. Listed below are some awesome enhancements we added to Creately so you can have a smoother diagramming experience. Enhancements to Smart Objects Objects getting re-sized and connectors getting messed up as a result was one of the main [...]</p><p>This posts was originally published at Creately blog. Click <a href="http://creately.com/blog/announcements/enhancements-tweaks-creately/">Awesome  Enhancements and Tweaks for a Fresh Start</a> to visit the blog post. Visit the Creately website to learn more about <a href="http://creately.com/">Online Diagramming Tools</a>.</p>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The loftier the building, the deeper must the foundation be laid. We have some awesome features planned to be released this year and a more stable and robust Creately is the stepping stone to those new features. Listed below are some awesome enhancements we added to Creately so you can have a smoother diagramming experience.</p>
<h3>Enhancements to Smart Objects</h3>
<p>Objects getting re-sized and connectors getting messed up as a result was one of the main problems faced by our users. All smart objects are fixed now and you wont have any trouble with automatically re-sized diagrams in the future. If you&#8217;re using the <a title="Create Infographics Online With Creately" href="http://creately.com/blog/announcements/create-infographics-online-creately/" target="_blank">infographics library</a> we added last year you will find this particularly useful.</p>
<h3>Manipulating Text Just Got Easier</h3>
<p>Text boxes add clarity and information to a diagram and we greatly enhanced how they work. Some changes include</p>
<ul>
<li><span style="line-height: 13px;">Fixed some objects re-sizing when text is edited</span></li>
<li>Stopped long text boxes and empty text boxes from blocking other objects</li>
<li>Fixed text not getting wrapped/cut off issues in objects</li>
<li>Fixed deleted text appearing again when connector type changes</li>
<li>Fixed some text getting lost when adding multiple text areas in a connector</li>
<li>Cursor blinking issues when text is deleted</li>
</ul>
<h3>Save Time with 1-Click Access to Properties in Smart Objects</h3>
<p>As many of you know our smart objects are packed with different properties. With this enhancement you can access them via the contextual toolbar with one click. If it&#8217;s a smart object with quick access to properties you will see a different icon in the contextual toolbar. Other than giving quick access it notifies you about the possibilities of our smart objects.</p>
<div id="attachment_10145" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 180px"><a href="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Untitled.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-10145" alt="New icon for smart objects in Creately" src="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Untitled.png" width="170" height="86" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">New icon for smart objects</p></div>
<h3>Smoother and Tidier Connectors</h3>
<p>Connectors play an important role in many diagrams so we greatly enhanced how connectors work and react to changes. Flowchart connectors are fixed so you wont get untidy lines when you import and export a flowchart or when you have multiple flowchart diagrams opened.</p>
<p>Also the changes to line color, size or style is preserved even after you changed the connector type.</p>
<h3>More Collaboration and Sharing Goodness</h3>
<p>Introduction of real-time collaboration has increase the interaction of our users. We added some simple but important enhancements to further facilitate this. Some of them include</p>
<ul>
<li><span style="line-height: 13px;">A link to the diagram is included when you send the diagram as an email</span></li>
<li>Included all new comments in the notification emails about diagram changes</li>
</ul>
<p>Mentioned above are some of the important enhancements added to Creately to improve your productivity. Enjoy the enhancements and we love to hear your opinion about the changes. Just leave a comment or send a mail to <a href="mailto:support@creately.com" target="_blank">support@creately.com</a> and we&#8217;ll get back to you as soon as possible.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>This posts was originally published at Creately blog. Click <a href="http://creately.com/blog/announcements/enhancements-tweaks-creately/">Awesome  Enhancements and Tweaks for a Fresh Start</a> to visit the blog post. Visit the Creately website to learn more about <a href="http://creately.com/">Online Diagramming Tools</a>.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CreatelyBlog/~4/bHgQ6Z1rAR4" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Programming Quotes Based On Movies</title>
		<link>http://creately.com/blog/culture/programming-quotes-movies/</link>
		<comments>http://creately.com/blog/culture/programming-quotes-movies/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 Jan 2013 10:57:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Nishadha</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://creately.com/blog/?p=9685</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Love of movies is one of the things we have in common at Creately. Any group chat is bound to have one or two programming quotes based on movies, especially after a release. Ramishka&#8217;s the one who usually come up with them, although others do chip in from time to time. Below are some of the most creative and amusing quotes I could find by searching the chats. Obviously there are many more that could be [...]</p><p>This posts was originally published at Creately blog. Click <a href="http://creately.com/blog/culture/programming-quotes-movies/">Programming Quotes Based On Movies</a> to visit the blog post. Visit the Creately website to learn more about <a href="http://creately.com/">Online Diagramming Tools</a>.</p>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Love of movies is one of the things we have in common at Creately. Any group chat is bound to have one or two programming quotes based on movies, especially after a release. <a href="http://twitter.com/ramishkad" target="_blank">Ramishka&#8217;s</a> the one who usually come up with them, although others do chip in from time to time. Below are some of the most creative and amusing quotes I could find by searching the chats. Obviously there are many more that could be added to the list. If you have a creative quote of your own mention it in the comments and I&#8217;ll make sure to add it to the list.</p>
<h3>Aragorn from Lord of the Rings</h3>
<p><a href="http://creately.com/blog/culture/programming-quotes-movies/attachment/aragorn/" rel="attachment wp-att-10071"><img class="size-full wp-image-10071  alignleft" style="padding: 0px 30px 0px 0px;" alt="My favorite programming quote based on a movie" src="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Aragorn.jpg" width="200" height="198" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&#8220;A day may come when the courage of devs fail, when we forsake our QA friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of bugs and shattered features, when the age of devs comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we RELEASE!&#8221;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Commissioner Gordon from The Dark Knight</h3>
<p><a href="http://creately.com/blog/culture/programming-quotes-movies/attachment/commissioner-gordon/" rel="attachment wp-att-10082"><img class="size-full wp-image-10082  alignleft" style="padding: 0px 30px 0px 0px;" title="Commissioner Gordon from &quot;The Dark Knight&quot;" alt="Another quote based on a movie" src="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Commissioner-Gordon.png" width="200" height="200" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&#8220;Because it&#8217;s the bug desktop encountered, but not the one we can recreate right now. So we&#8217;ll hunt it. Because we can fix it. Because it&#8217;s not a bug. It&#8217;s a logging fault, a server setting, A heap error.&#8221;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>The President in Independence Day</h3>
<p><a href="http://creately.com/blog/culture/programming-quotes-movies/attachment/bill-pullman-in-independence-day/" rel="attachment wp-att-10083"><img class="size-full wp-image-10083  alignleft" style="padding: 0px 30px 0px 0px;" alt="A programming quote based on Independence day" src="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/bill-pullman-in-independence-day.jpg" width="200" height="200" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&#8220;And should we fix the bugs today, the Second of November will no longer be known as a regular Friday, but as the day the we declared in one voice: &#8220;We will not go quietly into the night!&#8221; We will not vanish without a fight! We&#8217;re going to live on! We&#8217;re going to survive! Tomorrow we celebrate our RELEASE DAY! &#8221;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Bane from The Dark Knight Rises</h3>
<p><a href="http://creately.com/blog/culture/programming-quotes-movies/attachment/bane/" rel="attachment wp-att-10086"><img class="size-full wp-image-10086  alignleft" style="padding: 0px 30px 0px 0px;" alt="A programming quote based on Bane's talk to Bat man" src="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Bane.jpg" width="199" height="200" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, you think debugging is your ally. But you merely adopted the debugger; I was born in traces, molded by traces. I didn&#8217;t see a break point until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but BLINDING! &#8220;<strong><br />
</strong></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Nada from They Live</h3>
<p><a href="http://creately.com/blog/culture/programming-quotes-movies/attachment/they-live-nada/" rel="attachment wp-att-10091"><img class="size-full wp-image-10091 alignleft" style="padding: 0px 30px 0px 0px;" alt="Nada from They Live comes up with a quote" src="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/they-live-nada.jpg" width="200" height="200" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&#8220;I came here to kick ass and fix bugs. And I&#8217;m all out of bugs.&#8221;<strong><strong><br />
</strong></strong></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>2001  A Space Odyssey</h3>
<p><a href="http://creately.com/blog/culture/programming-quotes-movies/attachment/2001/" rel="attachment wp-att-10090"><img class="size-full wp-image-10090 alignleft" style="padding: 0px 30px 0px 0px;" alt="A quote based on movie a space odyssey" src="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/2001.png" width="200" height="190" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&#8220;This method&#8217;s long—it goes on forever—and—oh my God—it&#8217;s full of local variables&#8221;<strong><strong><br />
</strong></strong></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Transformers</h3>
<p><a href="http://creately.com/blog/culture/programming-quotes-movies/attachment/optimus-prime-transformers-movie/" rel="attachment wp-att-10087"><img class="size-full wp-image-10087  alignleft" style="padding: 0px 30px 0px 0px;" alt="There are many programming quotes based on Transformers" src="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/optimus-prime-transformers-movie.jpg" width="200" height="200" /></a></p>
<p>&#8220;Debugging is the right of all sentient beings.&#8221;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&#8220;The bug lives among our code now, hiding in plain sight, but causing memory leaks in secret, waiting. I have witnessed its capacity for destruction, and though we are worlds apart, like us, there&#8217;s more to this bug than meets the eye.&#8221;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&#8220;Sometimes even the wisest of men and machines can be in error.&#8221; <strong><strong><br />
</strong></strong></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>More Programming Quotes</h3>
<p>I hope you enjoyed the programming quotes based on movies. But if you want more, check out the below links for more programming quotes including funny ones, quotes by famous people etc.</p>
<ul>
<li><a title="Programming Quotes from Famous People" href="http://www.javacodegeeks.com/2012/11/20-kick-ass-programming-quotes.html">Quotes from the famous</a></li>
<li><a title="Funny programming quotes" href="http://www.citehr.com/38778-funny-quotes-about-programmers-programming.html" target="_blank">Funny Quotes</a></li>
<li><a title="A collection of programming quotes" href="http://www.junauza.com/2010/12/top-50-programming-quotes-of-all-time.html" target="_blank">A mixed collection of 50</a></li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>This posts was originally published at Creately blog. Click <a href="http://creately.com/blog/culture/programming-quotes-movies/">Programming Quotes Based On Movies</a> to visit the blog post. Visit the Creately website to learn more about <a href="http://creately.com/">Online Diagramming Tools</a>.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CreatelyBlog/~4/e1bmbjCRM_A" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Seasons Greeting Cards by Creately</title>
		<link>http://creately.com/blog/examples/seasons-greeting-cards/</link>
		<comments>http://creately.com/blog/examples/seasons-greeting-cards/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 21 Dec 2012 11:36:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Nishadha</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[examples]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas cards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Year cards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seasons greeting cards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[X'Mas cards]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://creately.com/blog/?p=10054</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Hey everyone, Christmas is just around the corner and I&#8217;m personally looking forward to the secret Santa event as I&#8217;m typing this article. In the spirit of giving we have added some beautiful seasons greeting cards to our diagramming community. All these are added as templates so just click on any card to tweak it to your liking. Christmas Greeting Card with Snowflakes A Christmas greeting card with snowflakes and an adorable teddy bear in [...]</p><p>This posts was originally published at Creately blog. Click <a href="http://creately.com/blog/examples/seasons-greeting-cards/">Seasons Greeting Cards by Creately</a> to visit the blog post. Visit the Creately website to learn more about <a href="http://creately.com/">Online Diagramming Tools</a>.</p>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hey everyone, Christmas is just around the corner and I&#8217;m personally looking forward to the secret Santa event as I&#8217;m typing this article. In the spirit of giving we have added some beautiful seasons greeting cards to our diagramming community. All these are added as templates so just click on any card to tweak it to your liking.</p>
<h3>Christmas Greeting Card with Snowflakes</h3>
<p>A Christmas greeting card with snowflakes and an adorable teddy bear in a gift pack. Click, modify and share. It&#8217;s that easy.</p>
<div id="attachment_10056" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 610px"><a href="https://creately.com/creately-start?tempID=hawa6vom1" target="_blank"><img class="size-full wp-image-10056 " title="Christmas greeting card with snowflakes" alt="Christmas greeting card with snowflakes" src="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Christmas-Greeting-01.png" width="600" height="466" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Christmas greeting card with snowflakes</p></div>
<h3>Christmas Greeting Card with Christmas Tree</h3>
<p>Want a X&#8217;mas tree in the card? we got you covered. Remember you can import images and personalize your greeting card.</p>
<div id="attachment_10057" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 610px"><a href="https://creately.com/creately-start?tempID=hawiotau" target="_blank"><img class="size-full wp-image-10057 " title="Christmas greeting card with a Christmas tree" alt="Christmas greeting card with a Christmas tree" src="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Christmas-Greeting-02.png" width="600" height="467" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Christmas greeting card with a Christmas tree</p></div>
<h3>Seasons Greeting Cards with Snowmen, Christmas trees and Santa</h3>
<p>If you can&#8217;t make up your mind whether to have a Santa or a Christmas tree we have a card that includes all of them and much more.</p>
<div id="attachment_10058" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 567px"><a href="https://creately.com/creately-start?tempID=h9v13mh83" target="_blank"><img class="size-full wp-image-10058   " title="Seasons Greetings card with Santa, Christmas trees and Snowmen" alt="Seasons Greeting cards with Santa, Christmas trees and Snowmen" src="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Seasons-Greetings-2-with-custom-images-.png" width="557" height="621" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Santa, Christmas trees and the lot</p></div>
<h3>Happy New Year Cards Created Using Creately Objects</h3>
<p>With a bit of creativity you can do wonders with the Creately objects. Here&#8217;s one done using just circles and connectors.</p>
<div id="attachment_10059" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 610px"><a href="https://creately.com/creately-start?tempID=haxhwaka" target="_blank"><img class="size-full wp-image-10059  " title="New year greeting card created using circles and connectors" alt="New year greeting card" src="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/New-Year-Greeting-01.png" width="600" height="467" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">New year greeting card created using circles and connectors</p></div>
<h3>Happy New Year Card Using Firewall Object</h3>
<p>Now here&#8217;s a way to use the firewall object in an awesome manner. We do love the simplicity of this.</p>
<div id="attachment_10060" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 610px"><a href="https://creately.com/creately-start?tempID=haxjg4dz" target="_blank"><img class="size-full wp-image-10060 " title="New year greeting card done using firewall object" alt="New Year greeting card with firewall" src="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/New-Year-Greeting-02.png" width="600" height="467" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">A creative way to use a firewall object in the greeting card</p></div>
<h3>Seasons Greeting Cards with Reindeer</h3>
<p>We didn&#8217;t forget our reindeer lovers as well. A simple card filled with Reindeer.</p>
<div id="attachment_10061" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 560px"><a href="https://creately.com/creately-start?tempID=h9v13mh82" target="_blank"><img class=" wp-image-10061   " title="Seasons Greetings Cards With Reindeer" alt="Seasons Greeting Cards With Reindeer" src="http://creately.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Seasons-Greetings-Card-With-Reindeer.png" width="550" height="355" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Seasons Greetings Card With Reindeer</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>We hope you enjoy these lovely seasons greeting cards we created just for you. And of course you are more than welcome to create your own cards and share with the community. Await for a blog post featuring our Christmas celebrations and secret Santa.</p>
<p>This posts was originally published at Creately blog. Click <a href="http://creately.com/blog/examples/seasons-greeting-cards/">Seasons Greeting Cards by Creately</a> to visit the blog post. Visit the Creately website to learn more about <a href="http://creately.com/">Online Diagramming Tools</a>.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CreatelyBlog/~4/zkl6B0EnrGw" height="1" width="1"/>]]></content:encoded>
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