Random Thoughts

The Art Of Effective Award design

2014-03-25T00:48:00.001-07:00

Designing an award is not a particularly easy process; there are a lot more things to take into consideration than you might first think. Awards aren’t all trophies; some are certificates or plaques, have you thought about what format your award will be in? The materials you use? Whether it will be re-used next year or whether you will simply make a new one each year? As with any design process there are questions you have to ask yourself and the answers will help you to formulate a plan for your design.

What is the achievement for which you are rewarding the recipient? The purpose of the award itself will often dictate a large part of the award’s design. Things like the trophies and medals often have an engraving or shape that reflects on the activity, which is most commonly sport related. In such instances it becomes fairly easy to select the primary features of the design; races use medals because it provides a cost effective way of providing an award to multiple people, often engraved with their position and some information about the race. While a football trophy is usually larger and more decorative as it will be used as a display for the winning team for the next year or season, rather than a reminder of their accomplishment the way a medal is.

Understanding the different ways in which the awards will be interpreted helps to understand which form of award and design for the award would be most beneficial and suitable to your needs. When it comes to corporate awards a plaque or certificate are the most popular options, but small trophies can also be an excellent way of marking a considerable achievement, particularly within a larger company. While your budget will dictate a certain amount of the design you should always be sure not to select awards based solely on finding the lowest price.

The material you select can be an important part, as well as impacting rather heavily on the cost. For example; if you’re a big company with a big budget gold and silver awards are always appreciated, staff members will feel particularly important having been given such a pricey award, but who really has the budget for that these days? I will always recommend glass when it comes to plaques and trophies; technology today means that there is an awful lot we can do with glass and it is a relatively low cost material. If done right however, it can be used to produce a very professional and attractive design.

Particularly when it comes to corporate awards there are things you may want to include, because it is likely to be something that your employee will value and display for the rest of their working life and even into retirement. The reason for the award or name of the award should be present, this might be something simple such as ‘employee of the year’ or it might be something much more in depth and meaningful such as ‘awarded for demonstration of excellence in management and outstanding integrity as a person’; providing a reason for the award where it can be a constant reminder to that person will make them feel more accomplished and motivated, as well as making your employee look better in the eyes of anyone who sees their desk decoration.

Other things to include in a corporate award could be; the name of the recipient, the company name and logo (after all you want the employee to associate their accomplishment, and anyone else who sees it, with your company) and of course any additional information that you may feel would be of benefit to the general design of the award, such as who nominated the recipient, what their position in the company is or even just a decorative design. Naturally anything you choose to include is entirely your own decision and something you should think about carefully according to your own needs.

About the Author;
Kate Critchlow is a passionate young writer with a keen interest in business and corporate awards.

Planning Your Award Ceremony

2014-03-25T00:41:00.000-07:00

When it comes to an award ceremony, regardless of the reason for it, you want to be sure that the purpose and meaning behind the occasion are demonstrated and fully celebrated. Awards are a popular way of boosting motivation, particularly within a professional environment, because (as we all know) the proper motivation can greatly boost performance. One of the most important factors is, as you would expect, the planning that goes into the ceremony.

Venue;

The first stage of proper awards ceremony planning is figuring out where to host it. There are a number of factors you will need to take into consideration, such as how important the event will be, how long it is likely to last, what the theme or level of professionalism there is likely to be and of course how many people you will have attending. Take into account the size of the venue, the proximity of the venue to your usual location (your business or organisation’s office) and what the venue actually offers. Popular venues such as hotels will often provide a selection of packages which will include catering and even some entertainment; these may be worth looking into if you want to save a little money.

Food & Drink;

Of course, if the venue you have selected do not have a catering option you’re going to have to arrange that. Take into account the number of options you’re going to have to provide and the number of people you’re going to be feeding; will there be served meals or an open access buffet? Will there be alcohol served or access to a bar on the venue property? Some venues prefer that you don’t provide alcohol with your catering so that they can make more money from selling drinks at their own bars, while others are happy enough for you to provide anything you like. Wine and champagne are often perfectly acceptable and set the theme very well for a mature, professional ceremony.

Staffing the Ceremony;

Who is dealing with the preparations? Have you decided on a host or will you be doing that yourself? Are there waiters on hand to serve food and drink or are you entrusting your staff not to turn it into a free-for-all? You’re going to need people who will greet your guests, people who will provide information and ensure that everything is running to schedule, people who will operate the bar or buffet if you have one, people who will serve the food and drink. You’re going to have to deal with just about everything if you aren’t using a venue that handle all of the work. From preparation to operating there will have to be people on hand to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Preparing the Materials;

Ceremonies these days usually come with presentations; photos, information, videos and so on. They provide a way of presenting the information in a way everyone can see and understand and offer a focal point for your ceremony. Who is going to prepare the PowerPoint presentation? What will be included in it? Where are they getting that information? Have you given them the pictures that you want included? Is someone going to manually change the slides during the presentation or are you just hoping you get your timing right? Have you run through it and checked that everything is there? Have you decided on seating arrangements during the ceremony? Do the people getting awards know they’re getting awards? Everything you need has to be prepared in advance and checked to ensure all of the materials are there.

Prepare the Awards;

Naturally, one of the most essential parts of your award ceremony, is ensuring that the awards are selected and prepared. Decide on the sorts of awards you’re going to give, take suggestions and ensure that the selection process for the winners is fair and carefully thought through. What are the qualifications for the awards? Why were the winners selected? What will you say about them once you have declared them the winner of the award? If you’ve ever watched any sort of awards ceremony you will understand what is expected; you name the award, you explain the characteristics of the winner and why they were selected for the award, then you call them up to collect it.

Acquire the Awards;

This is one of the most essential parts and should certainly not be forgotten. Buy the awards! You will have to decide whether the same award will be used each year, kept for a year and then returned to be awarded again (common with sports trophies), or whether it will be made specifically for that person to be kept and treasured by them forever (more common with things like retirement plaques) and of course deciding on this will impact on your decisions with regards to things like engraving the awards.

About the Author;

Kate Critchlow is a passionate young writer with a keen interest in business and corporate awards.

Strangers Kissing In 'First Kiss' Is A Beautiful Thing

2014-03-14T00:44:00.003-07:00

What Happen when two strangers Kiss, Nothing........

"First Kiss" directed by Tatia Pilieva

Students turning to prostitution to fund studies

2014-03-13T23:36:00.003-07:00

Greater numbers of students in England are turning to prostitution to fund their education, the National Union of Students (NUS) claims.

The NUS also says students are turning to gambling and taking part in medical experiments to fund their studies.
It says increased living costs and fees, and cuts to the education maintenance allowance, play a part.
But the government says it offers students a "generous package" of financial support.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live's Breakfast programme, Estelle Hart, the NUS's national women's officer, said government cuts had put more pressure on students.
"Students are taking more dangerous measures," said Ms Hart.
"In an economic climate where there are very few jobs, where student support has been massively cut, people are taking more work in the informal economy, such as sex work.
"It's all dangerous unregulated work, simply so people can stay in education."
Helpline calls The English Collective of Prostitutes, which runs a helpline from its base in London, said the number of calls it receives from students had at least doubled in the past year.
Sarah Walker from the organisation has seen a steady increase in calls from students over the past 10 years, but said her group had received an unprecedented number of calls since the government's announcement that universities in England could charge tuition fees of up to £9,000 a year from 2012.
"They [ministers] know that the cuts they're making are driving women into things like sex work. It's a survival strategy so we would hold the government responsible for that."
Escort work It is not just university students who are turning to the adult industry to pay for their education.
Eighteen-year-old Clare - not her real name - turned to escorting during her A-levels when she found out her education maintenance allowance (EMA) was in danger of being cut.

“Start Quote

I couldn't see any other option”

Clare Student

"I couldn't go to college without EMA. My travel costs are £70 a month, without it I don't know what I'd have done. I didn't know who I could go to in college, and I didn't want to rely on my family."

"I began looking for jobs, but the hours were unsociable. A lot of my friends have gone on to shop work, and have ended up leaving college. I didn't want that to be me."
"I had a friend who'd been trying to get me to join his escort agency since I was 16. He was telling me stories about how much I could earn, how the hours would fit around me, that I could control who I saw, when I saw them and how often.
"It just sounded more desirable. I couldn't see any other option."
Clare, who has now left the adult industry to continue her studies, warns against working in the sex industry.
"I did this so I could go to college, go to university, for it to have a positive effect on the rest of my life.
"But I'm a different person to how I was when I started out. I've lost a lot of my confidence and I've lost trust in a lot of people.
"There are people you can talk to about it, and bursaries you can get. Find out all you can before taking such a large step, because I didn't."
Financial support A spokesman for the Department for Education said: "We are targeting £180m a year financial support at the most vulnerable 16- to 19-year-olds to help them continue their studies - with transitional funding for the students who were getting the top rate of EMA and part way through their studies.
"It is down to schools and colleges themselves to award bursaries to young people who need the most help. If students are really struggling financially, they need to speak directly to their tutors."
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills says the new reforms in higher education funding will make the system fairer, and students will receive more financial support and have lower monthly repayments.
The NUS also told BBC 5 live Breakfast it estimated about 20% of women working in lap dancing clubs were students.
Research from the University of Kingston published last year found that the number of university students who knew someone who had worked in the sex industry to fund their studies had gone up from 3% to 25% in 10 years.
Dr Ron Roberts, senior lecturer in psychology, led the survey of several hundred university students, which also found that 16% would consider working in the sex industry.
He described the results as "worrying".

Copyright @BBC WORLD.
Reposted By Random Thoughts
Jennifer

Niagara Falls freezes again in sub-zero temperatures

2014-03-13T23:20:00.000-07:00

2014-03-13T23:14:00.001-07:00

US east coast wakes up to heavy snow as winter storm heads north

2014-03-13T22:38:00.000-07:00

More Than 8 Million Poor Americans Uninsured Under New Health Care Law

2013-10-09T02:22:00.004-07:00

The national health care law that went into effect yesterday will leave two-thirds of poor blacks and single mothers uninsured, as well as more than half of low-wage workers who do not have health coverage.

According to an analysis of census data by The New York Times, the law was originally intended to help such individuals, but they will be left out under the new program. More than eight million needy individuals will be left out because they live in Republican-controlled states that have declined to participate in an expansion of Medicaid, the medical insurance program to aid the poor. The federal government will pay for the expansion through 2016 and 90 percent of costs afterwards.

Such individuals are indigent but rendered ineligible for help. Many of those left uninsured are stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place; individuals with slightly lower incomes than those who quality for federal subsidies with the new health exchange cannot qualify, and those who are poor enough to quality for Medicaid in its current form are left out. In its current form, Medicaid has income ceilings as low as $11 per day in certain states.

Many people who are trying to participate in the health insurance exchanges that went live this week are discovering that they are ineligible.

By Jessica Michele Herring
Info : www.latinopost.com
copy
right @latinopost.com

Six Helpful Tips for Reducing College Debt

2013-06-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

Estimates put total U.S. student loan debt at around $1 trillion. With that kind of debt floating out there, it's important to figure out ways to try to reduce it. Here are six helpful tips for reducing college debt.

1)Don't borrow more than you need

Student lenders often offer you more than you need for tuition, and it's tempting to take the maximum amount, which you could use to cover living expenses or to have a little spending money. However, doing so increases your debt. If you stick to the minimum you need to cover tuition, it will reduce your debt.

2)Stick with a state school

Though you may have your heart set on a private school or a university in another state, you should stick with your in-state school unless you have a scholarship to reduce the cost or the private school offers a lucrative major that your in-state school doesn't.

3)Stick with federal loans

If you qualify for a federal student loan, you should take advantage. These loans typically have lower interest rates and more flexible repayment terms than private student loans. Federal loans also sometimes offer debt forgiveness if you go into certain jobs, such as teaching or medicine.

4)Make payments while in school

Though most student lenders defer repayment until you leave school, that doesn't mean the interest is deferred. If you can afford to make payments while you are in school, it will greatly reduce the amount of debt you have when you leave school.

5)Finish as quickly as possible

Very few students finish college in four years, but doing so can greatly reduce your student loan debt. One thing you definitely want to avoid is changing majors, which can easily add at least a year to your necessary schooling. Carefully select your major and use your adviser to make sure you don't take classes you don't need or that won't count toward your major.

6)Take advantage of consolidation

If you can get a lower interest rate on any of your loans, take advantage of it. For example, if you have both private and federal loans and you can consolidate the private loans into the federal ones to get a lower rate, you should do so.

Student loan debt is nearly possible to get rid of, even if you declare bankruptcy. If your student debt has damaged your credit score, you can use Lexington Law credit repair services to get it back in shape.

Guest Writer : Annabelle Smyth (Freelance Writer,International content writer)E-mail : annabellesmyth@gmail.com

5 ways to improve business effectiveness

2013-05-30T03:19:00.000-07:00

Today if you want to have your place in business world you have to be flexible and change the way you run your business to satisfy constantly changing market conditions, and following 5 tips will hopefully help you improve the way you manage your business and your time.

Intensify your marketing efforts. Keep in mind that while online marketing, SEO and social media are no doubt important, if you are running local business it would be mistake not to use standard marketing techniques like coupons, ads on local radio and in newspapers, participation in local fares and so on.

Launch business website. It’s hardly news for anyone, but in today’s reality you must have online representation if you want to stay competitive. Nowadays when more and more people make their decisions on whether to use certain service or not based on the company’s website, informative and convenient to navigate website or blog is a must for modern-day business. Keep in mind that a website is not only a way for customers to find you on the Internet and learn more about your services, it can also be a great way of maintaining customer relationship and get valuable feedback on your services.

Change the way you manage your projects. If you still use whiteboards while explaining your team their tasks and write emails to remind that the deadline is coming – it’s time for you to move on to more advanced project management. Use workflow software that will not only let you build up workflows on your own, but will also enable you assign tasks and track activities using your smartphone or tablet. Choosing flexible management software you will get fully customizable tool that will help you managing multiple projects at once. If you go with web-based management solution you will get an opportunity to work with distant teams without resorting to phone calls and confusing email threads. Modern-day management solutions provide excellent collaborative features that allow sharing files, starting discussions, leaving comments and cooperating on the tasks.

Start tracking tasks. With all kinds of gadgets that surround us tracking tasks became as easy as ever. Use Cloud task management software for making to-do lists, prioritizing tasks, setting up deadlines and notifications that will alert you so you won’t forget to make an important call or to send urgent request.

Never stop learning. Modern business keeps evolving and so should you. If you want to keep your clients and win new ones you have to be the ahead of the curve and know all about new products, new techniques and new services in your field.

Hope that some of these tips will help bringing your business to a completely new level.

What you might need for organizing effective working process

2013-05-29T03:09:00.000-07:00

Whether you are working at the office or from home, there are certain things that have to be done so you could work productively without any distraction. Of course, everyone has their own requirements for a perfect working place, but today we are going to talk about the gadgets that might help you organize effective working process no matter whether you work at home or at a busy office.
With so many gadgets that surround us all these cords and cables on and behind our working desk can only be described as “unavoidable evil”. But man, when my phone’s battery is dying or I have to upload pictures from my camera and can’t find the right cord among a nest of wires of all kinds it’s driving me insane, proving the point that sometimes it’s the smallest things that are the most irritating. To be able to avoid cord chaos use cable organizers that keep all the cables in order, so you will easily find the one you need.

Charging your phone or Bluetooth headset in a big office can be quite a headache, because nowadays even children have multiple gadgets. But all the fights near available power outlets can be avoided with the help of USB charging stations with multiple outlets. These devices are not that expensive, and only several items per office can solve a problem of charging laptops, tablets and headphones.
Speaking of tablets. If you are one of those people who use them only when your desktop pc or laptop are unavailable, you clearly haven’t studied all the awesome management and task tracking opportunities tablets provide. With the help of specialized applications they can fully replace your organizers, so planning your days, meetings, phone calls and to-do lists will be so much easier. Plus, you will be able to set up notifications, so you definitely won’t forget about any important task.
In order to work efficiently you have to be able to call your clients and partners at any time, which can be problematic if you have issues with cell phone connection at your office. To deal with problem of dropped calls and weak signal you can install specialized mobile repeater that will amplify the signal and provide you with stable cell phone connection, which means you will always be available to your current and potential clients. If you are working in a big office the model that will suit you the best is AnyTone AT600. This particular amplifier covers up to 300 m2 and it is wireless, meaning that everyone who is in coverage zone can benefit from amplified signal.
Even if you are one of those people who think that working in chaos doesn’t distract you that much, make an experiment: try organizing your schedule, your working desk and make sure your internet is paid for and cell phone is fully charged. And you’ll see that working when everything’s at hand and easy to find is so much more productive and far less distracting.

When is it Time to Talk Rehab with a Family Member?

2013-05-28T00:15:00.000-07:00

You might have noticed a family member drinking more than usual or losing a lot of weight because they don't eat. You might even know of a relative who is using drugs or is taking prescription pain relievers a little too often. Talking to a loved one about going to a rehab center is a very touchy subject. Most people who are addicted to something or are leading an unhealthy lifestyle might even deny that they have a problem, which makes talking to them all the more difficult. Whether a person has a drinking problem, eating disorder or drug issue, speaking with them in a gentle manner can help urge them to seek help.

Knowing when to talk to a relative about going to rehab is really the big question. Just because someone was just prescribed pain relievers does not mean that they are addicted to them. The same theory can be applied to someone who goes out every once in a while to a bar to drink not having a drinking problem. The best way to know when to talk to a family member about getting help for an addiction is by knowing that relative very well. You need to know when something is becoming more than just a habit or hobby.

If you notice that your relative is starting to spend more time indulging in their addiction and that it is getting in the way of their normal functioning, this is a red flag for them to seek help. An addiction can be harmful to someone's health and to their emotional well-being, so it is essential that you do speak with them before their problem gets worse. Try not to talk with a relative about having a problem if you don't know them very well or what they do on a daily basis. Just because you see them going to a bar for a drink does not mean that they are an alcoholic.

Knowing your relative well and knowing the extent of their addiction is key when understanding how and when to talk to them about going to a rehabilitation center. Be as gentle and sympathetic about the issue as possible and expect the person to deny that they have a problem. Discussing rehab options with a family member is a lot more productive than just telling someone that they need to get help and check themselves into rehab right away. Your loved one deserves good health and positive emotional well-being, but you cannot provide this to them if you are too blunt about their problems.

Author Bio: Annette Hazard wrote this along with Stanley Martinson. Annette is currently promoting http://www.freedomdrugrehab.com/therapeutic-training-routines-course/. She often writes about family issues and is a mother of one.

When Is It The Right Time To File For Bankruptcy?

2013-05-27T23:41:00.005-07:00

Have you been dealing with financial issues over the past few years? If a job loss or an unexpected expense has drained your savings account and maxed out your credit cards, you may be wondering what you can do to deal with your debt. How do you know if now is the right time to file for bankruptcy?

Have You Tried Negotiating With Your Creditors?

The first thing that you do is attempt to negotiate a debt settlement. If approved, your debt will be slashed by as much as half. However, you will most likely need to pay the reduced balance when the settlement is approved. Therefore, it may not be a good option for you if you don't have any money in the bank.

Credit Counseling Could Be Right For You

Credit counseling services will work with your creditors to negotiate lower monthly debt payments. They will also help you make a budget as well as teach you other financial skills that you will need to help you stay out of debt. Do you need do you need credit repair? If so, a credit counselor can help you with that as well. In some states, you are required to meet with a credit counselor before filing for bankruptcy. Learn more about it at this link here.

What Is Your Current Credit Situation?

What is your current credit score? If it is below 600, your score could go up if you file for bankruptcy. This is because accounts that are severely past due or in collections will be considered as settled when the bankruptcy is approved.

Consider The Aftermath Of A Bankruptcy

To a lender, there is a strong link between filing for bankruptcy and the inability to pay your debts in the future. Make sure that you ready to deal with the consequences of your decision after you make it. It could be a year or more before you are able to get a loan at a reasonable interest rate. If you are thinking about buying a home, you won't be able to get a mortgage for as many as two years after the bankruptcy.

You have to think carefully before filing for bankruptcy. In many cases, it is an opportunity only to reorganize your debt. Therefore, you cannot assume that your debts will vanish after you have your filing approved. If you have good credit, your first move should be to work with your creditors instead of going with the nuclear option first.

Guest writer : Annabelle smyth

email : Annabellesmyth@gmail.com

5 Healthy Habits that Can Transform into Addictions

2013-05-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

We all work to develop healthy eating and life habits. We want to be the best people we can be, so we strive to develop habits that will help us become who we want to be. However, sometimes too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. Becoming obsessed with a healthy habit can lead to an unhealthy obsession or addiction. Here are 5 healthy habits that can transform into addictions.

Exercise Addiction

Exercise addiction is the compulsive need to workout. When a person exercises, the brain releases endorphins for a feeling of pleasure. A healthy exercise program will keep your heart pumping and give you strong muscles. An unhealthy and excessive one leads to feelings of anxiety and lack of self worth – classic landmarks of addictive behavior. If you miss events, work, or family time to work out, you might be addicted.

The Internet

The Internet has changed life for the better. People go online to shop, work, attend class and even socialize. Internet addiction disorder is the pathological use of computers. When going online becomes the only thing you do each day, consider yourself an addict. If you choose the internet over friends, family, school, and work, you might need to reevaluate and get help.

Do-It-Yourself

Getting satisfaction from working with your hands and saving money does create a sense of pleasure and reward. When the need to do-it-yourself reaches the point where you are unable to call for service or to hire a contractor, that is a problem. You might end up trying to rewire your house or do something beyond your skill level just to feed the addiction.

Weight Management

It is hard to see counting calories as a bad thing unless it starts to take over your life. A person addicted to managing their weight gets a feeling of euphoria when they see an eighth of a pound drop in their weight since breakfast. That type of dedication to weight management becomes an obsession that can lead to eating disorders and addictive behavior.

Time Management

Creating to-do lists will keep you on schedule during the day. There is nothing wrong with relying on a list system to stay on tract. When time management becomes the only priority, a pattern develops. The need to make lists to account for every minute of your time gives one a feeling of accomplishment that may lead to compulsion.

The human body has a natural reward system meant to help one create good habits. It is a practical approach to controlling behavior. The problem is the mind doesn’t always know the difference between healthy and excessive. A pattern of abuse leads to addiction whether the problem is drugs, alcohol or obsessive behavior.

Author Bio

This article was written by Dixie Somers. If you have found yourself addicted to weight management, exercise, or anything else, find more help at delrayrecoverycenter.com/addiction-recovery-guide/.

Time management as the key to successful life and career

2013-04-28T00:15:00.000-07:00

Even though there are only 24 hours in a day and you will never be able to do every single one of your tasks no matter how hard you try, knowing some time management tips can really help if you want to learn how to use your time more efficiently. In the article we will talk about small time management secrets that will help you become more active and productive.

The first thing we are going to talk about is the importance of planning and prioritizing your tasks. Make a habit of planning tasks for the day beforehand and mark those that really are important. Don’t get distracted by the tasks that are easier, because in the end of the week you are going to have a bunch of important stuff that needs to be done no matter what and you are likely to spend your weekend trying desperately to complete them in time instead of having much needed with your family.

Benefit from time you have to spend waiting in line for an appointment or waiting for a client who is running late. Technologies have made it so much easier for us to work at any place any time, so instead of getting irritated over the time you have to sit and just wait you can go through reports, read something or make a plan for the next couple of days.

If you really want to become more productive you have to try to find out where you are wasting your time. For someone social media networks are like time sucking black holes, for others – long chats on the phone, and someone can’t imagine their evenings without an episode of a favorite series. Just pinpoint what exactly slows you down and try to move these activities to your weekends.

If it’s an option, always try to work in the least distracting location where you won’t be dragged into chitchats or gossips. Don’t check your email more often than once in a couple of hours, don’t check your Facebook or Twitter profiles and you’ll see that work is going so much faster.

For those who have a problem with getting started (and a lot of people do have this problem) there is one simple but effective trick – start your task and keep going for 20 minutes. Soon you’ll see that without “taking breaks” you can manage more tasks in a day.

While at work make sure you use every single opportunity to make your job as easy as possible. Use workflow management software for automating office processes and creating workflows without having to wait for the help from IT department. For managing and tracking your personal tasks and activities of your team you can use task management software that will help quickly create and assign tasks and control their execution without having to make phone calls or call in staff meetings.

Keeping to a plan for a day and applying time management tips to real life can be complicated at first, but if you follow this routine you are going to notice that you have started working more efficiently and have become more organized.

Tips for organizing your work at home

2013-02-25T14:50:00.002-08:00

Working as a freelancer gives you a lot of freedom, but it also requires a certain amount of self-discipline. Planning your day and organizing your schedule can be challenging without direct supervision, but it’s necessary nevertheless, and here are some tips on how you can make your working at home more organized and efficient:

First of all, planning is an absolute must even if you hate it with burning passion. With so many distraction that the coziness of your home provides, not having a plan for a day will make it so much more complicated to roll up your sleeves and start doing the job. Without proper plan you are most likely to get lost in your tasks and waste your time trying to do everything at once. Make a habit of putting up a plan for the following day every evening and soon you’ll see how easier it is to keep yourself organized when you have your day planned.

Even if you are a night owl, try waking up at the same time every day. It’s not only healthy for your body, but it also helps your self-discipline and keeps those late night “floods of inspiration” under control.
Keep in mind that this is important to have a rest and not miss lunch or coffee breaks even if you are close to missing the deadline. It’s been proven that after several hours of doing the same job we start losing concentration and focus and start making mistakes. So do yourself a favor and take a break from time to time, it will help you get to the job with a new found strength.

Since you probably spend significant amount of your time behind the desk, make sure you keep it tidy and uncluttered to create some sort of professional atmosphere that will always remind you that even though you are at home, you still have some tasks to do.

As for organizing communication with your supervisors, you have to make sure that you are always in touch in your working hours. Most of people who work from home communicate with their supervisors via cell phone, Skype, IM and email, so having stable Internet and cell phone connection is a must. If, for some reason, you constantly struggle with weak signal, you can deal with this problem with the help of wireless 3G booster such as AnyTone AT4000. The device amplifies the signal for every single cell phone and laptop in its coverage zone, so your family members will also be able to enjoy stable and high signal. If you are living in a densely populated area or your building has thick walls you may also suffer from drop and missed calls, weak reception and pour audibility while talking on the cell phone. That problem is solved the same way as in case with weak 3G signal – by installing cell phone booster. If you live in a middle-sized house or apartment the perfect solution for you is AnyTone AT 500.

And one last thing: avoid social media websites like the plague while you are working. Those sites are time-sucking black holes and “five minutes” can easily turn into several hours. So leave that for your leisure time and try to keep your work related web browsing separated from those sites you browse for fun.

Author Byline
Hi, my name’s Jannet Sparts and I’m working as an editor of Online Issues. I write for several blogs sharing my experience and observations. For the moment I run several blogs that cover the latest trends in technology.

2013-02-18T04:39:00.000-08:00

How homes have changed, then and now

Over the years the real estate and more noticeably homes in general have changed dramatically. House builder, Miller Homes has taken a look at how the properties you can buy today differ to those that were lived in back in the 1950’s. Over the last sixty years, the world around us and the environment has changed drastically, now we take a look back at home the home related trends have changed and moved on since then.

Nationwide released data that has revealed that the average cost of a home in 1952 was £1,891. This is figure that many will find astounding given today’s average of UK homes said to be at £164,134. £1,891 today could possibly put two sofas into your living room. Back in 1952 an average of 4.2 lived in each property – 2.2 children and a husband and wife – and many couples began married life still within the home of their parents. Today however, is again different however, the number, very slightly. The family unit is not so typically defined and with the trends such as a big rise in the number of people living by themselves, sharing with friends and couples living together before they are married. Each property in the UK has moved up slightly to the average of 2.3 people living in each property.

Back then in 1952, only a small 33% of homes possessed a washing machine and a smaller 15% had a fridge or a freezer. This statistic is virtually unthinkable in today’s world and almost £5 million was spent on major household appliances throughout the United Kingdom in 2011 only a tiny 14% of households back then had a television which is even more unbelievable than the previous stats as today we are bombarded by technology within the home.

However, it is also particularly noticeable that some 1950’s house trends come back whilst incorporating newer trends such as enhanced home security and uPVC windows. Post-war era, life at home had the focus of the wife who generally assumed the role of ‘homemaker’. Front covers of magazines and adverts showed women smiling in pressed, clean linens ironing and baking and we are seeing some slight return to these very traditional values. Examples include the ‘Keep calm and carry on’ slogan which has reappeared. Cath Kidson-style home wares have become extremely popular again which are favoured by a new generation of females who wish to make their homes homely.

2013-02-18T04:06:00.000-08:00

Creatine or Protein Shakes?

Although this may seem like a pretty simple enough answer to those who are advanced level athletes however, those who have never used bodybuilding supplements such as these before may not know. In a quick explanation, both creatine supplements and why protein shakes will enable you to advance your physical ability and appearance quicker and to a higher level, this is why;

What Do Protein Shakes Do?

Protein shakes are often cheap and they are an easy way in which to get protein into your system for a diet or to gain muscle. Having protein shakes will work out cheaper than consuming tuna, chicken or any other normal food high in protein. They are made from milk, via complicated processes that retains the protein quality, whilst removing the sugars and fats. The fact that protein shakes are very low in carbs and fats means they are low calorie and you can therefore drink 3 or 4 them per day.

Your digestive systems digests up to a total of 40g of protein every 2-3 hours and small regular meals avoid you gaining fat, hence the 6 meals per day recommendation. 6 meals a day may sound like a lot of eating however all that is require dis breakfast, lunch, dinner and a protein shake 2-3 hours after each meal. When you consume protein every 2-3 hours, it keeps your body in an anabolic muscle building state, as opposed to a catabolic muscle losing state which occurs when your body hasn't been supplied with protein in the last few hours. This is why a high protein breakfast as soon as you wake up is vital; similar applies for a protein shake before bed.

For every second of the day, your body is either gaining or losing muscle, sometimes both. The overall gain or loss is important; your diet controls this more than any other factor. Additional factors include being well hydrated, performing regular intense exercise, avoiding stress, not over heating and also getting enough sleep.

What Do Creatine Supplements Do?

Creatine is used by the body muscles for intense exercising and lasting less than 60 seconds. Creatine can be found within beef and other natural foods and supplementing with additional creatine provides more energy that can be used resulting in greater performance and a longer performance. If, your diet is sufficient for muscle growth, you can literally gain 7 pounds in 7 days, but it will be mostly water, associated with the super hydration effect that creatine has on your muscles. When you stop using creatine you lose this water, but the net result is that you have trained heavier over the last 8 weeks or so than you would have normally and you should have therefore gained a lot more muscle than you would have done without using creatine.

So Creatine or Protein Shakes?

Protein shakes are the only realistic and doable way of consuming 6 high protein, low calorie meals daily and is essential for muscle growth. In conclusion, the simple short answer is protein shakes over Creatine. If you are still not contempt with results, use a creatine supplement at the same time, but not instead.

How to make online marketing work for you

2013-02-10T07:37:00.002-08:00

You have probably heard the phrase “If you're not online, you don't exist” so many times that you’ve lost count, but the truth is that this phrase pretty neatly describes current state of any business field. Long story short - if you want for your business to get noticed you are going to have to get online. For those who want to know about how to get into online marketing we will tell about some strategies that will fit your business goals and your marketing budget just right.

The first thing you should remember is that often the key is in diversity, so try using at least a couple of successful online marketing strategies.

Having a website or a blog is your number 1 online marketing strategy. Even if you don’t sell anything website is still a must for you. Why? Putting it simple, having website is like having web-based home address. With blog or website your current and potential clients will have a convenient way of referring to your business and they will be able to keep in touch with you. So having a website is something that can sufficiently boost your online marketing efforts. If you regularly post relevant news and have some interesting opinions sooner or later you will get followers who will help you spread the word about your products or services.

The other thing you should pay close attention to is online advertising. Some people neglect this specific strategy calling it “rather pricy” but nothing is free when it comes to business, because even when you use so called free marketing online strategies you put a lot of your time and effort into them. And while free methods are pretty time-consuming, traditional online advertising takes not so much time and is rather effective. You can use different strategies according to the needs of your company and your budget: CPM or CPC models, advertising your company with the help of online videos.

Directory listing is another way of online marketing that is both effective and not so expensive. A lot of local business groups allow posting ads on their website and you will definitely be able to post some information about your business there.

Once you choose appropriate marketing strategies you should find specialists who will bring them to life. If you don’t want to hire full-time marketer, you can always outsource your marketing tasks.
In case you decide to outsource your marketing to freelancers you should provide your hr team with appropriate software that would help them automate HR operations and deal with an increased number of tasks and requests.

General advice for those who want to cut down on the budget without damaging your marketing – use management software. It not only helps dealing more efficiently with daily routine tasks, it allows tracking the process of every single one of your projects from any place that has Internet connection. With web-based workflow software you’ll be able to create and assign tasks, make changes in already active workflows and communicate with your team within one system.

Author Byline
Hi, my name’s Jannet Sparts and I’m working as an editor of Online Issues. I write for several blogs sharing my experience and observations. I have worked as a project manager in several companies. So I have tried different PM tools, collaboration programs, including tracker and task management software solutions. For the moment PM software is my primary field of interest.

3 gadgets of today’s businessman

2013-02-07T01:36:00.002-08:00

Nowadays, it is hard to imagine any business company that would be able to get around the idea of presenting their services and products to the public or to the potential investors. In fact, these presentations are probably the most frustrating thing in the world, since the presenter does not have a chance for a mistake. In order to feel confident on the stage, it is important to make yourself confident about the technological gadgets that you will use and make sure you will get help in case something goes wrong. Here are 3 ways to make your presentation perfect.

Use your own media devices. Your confidence in the presentation has to do a lot with being sure that your multimedia devices will not fail in the middle of the presentation. That is exactly why you have to bring your own trusted devices. Since it would take a lot of space and effort to carry a full scale projector, the engineers invented a micro projector. This palm-size device is perfect to carry along for a business trip and is extremely easy to handle and set up. The gadget is also free of overheating problems due to the size of the lens and technology that is used to build them.

Use remote control. For the past years the high tech market developed a huge variety of different remote controls to suit anyone’s needs. Why use a remote control? For obvious reasons: the audience never liked people who stood near the computer and whispered something from the prepared speech sheet. A presenter that moves around is somewhat emotional about the topic and that uses body language will always be far more successful than the one that barely moves. For these purposes a remote control will help you get through the slides and control the presentation without the need to stay near the multimedia device.

Use GSM earpiece. If you did not have enough time to prepare the presentation and practice it, chances are you might forget something and run into an awkward pause. A solution to this problem is a covert earpiece. With this invisible earphone you can receive help from a co-worker, who will be able to communicate you the information that was forgotten or left out from the presentation. This is the most efficient and most invisible way to avoid pauses and keep your presentation going.

Now that you are set up with gadgets and confidence, you are ready to do what you have to do. Happy presenting!

Author Byline
Hi, my name’s Jannet Sparts. I write for several blogs sharing my experience and observations. My primary fields of interest for the moment are electronic devices like mobile repeater, spy wireless earpiece or flexible OLED smartphone.

Tips while you choose a payment protection insurance company to reclaim

2013-01-17T07:12:00.001-08:00

PPI or payment protection insurance, is planned to assist your loans and keep up payments on your credit cards or loans in case of accident, redundancy, illness or death and this has been mis-sold to millions of people. The good part about this is that you can now recover compensation, if you have been mis-sold. Statistics show that more than 85% of people who have applied for payment protection insurance have been successful. Here are a few tips on how to select Payment protection insurance company to reclaim.

ü Check the customer feedback and reviews of the company that you wish to reclaim. This will help you to know what the customers are actually saying about the company, for instances how they have handled situations, the claims, and customer concerns. Whether they are polite and spending time with the customers to answer their queries and explain the situations and other such things. Check with the customers who have negative impression, regarding such issues you have discussed with the company directly or through phone.

ü Many of the companies may not require a sum upfront, but some of them may charge fees which include VAT, of the granted claim. This is known as No Win No Fee. You need to be cautious if they are asking for payment up front.

ü Make sure the company that you have chosen for claiming payment protection insurance is registered and authorised to file your claim. The companies are required to have an authorisation number which permits them to lawfully handle loan claims.

ü If you have visited PPI claims company or called them through phone then you must ask you some question to know whether you are eligible for such claims or not. Even if they do not ask queries and still assures settlement without knowing whether you qualify or not, then you need to careful at such instances.

ü Be careful if you are going to use PPI claims companies if you are in debts. Frequently banks will use the money to reduce the debts or clear debts. If this happens then you will not see the cash, but then again company wants is to cut. So at such instances you need to spend from your pockets. This is very worst issue which generally happens.

ü Be careful if the companies are charging for future PPI savings as it will cost you much. This will be disgraceful and you may cancel the PPI claims.

ü Some of the administrative details that you need to know such as,

· Are they following any time frame for dealing with your situation

· How are they going to informing you about your claims

· What is their hour of action?

· What is the process for contacting and how they contact for data

· Do you have of the customer reference number

Author Bio: The guest post was contributed by Lucy, financial guest blogger from Manchester, UK. Find out more about her blogs @financeport

An introduction and a first look at Windows 8

2013-01-14T07:21:00.000-08:00

Windows 8 has now arrived, the latest to the Windows family. The software was released 30^th of October and has already sold 49 million licences. What was interesting leading up to the release on Windows 8 was that work began on the project even before the release of Windows 7, its predecessor. Windows 8 and Windows 7 differ hugely and the new software has been specially designed for quality use in tablets and Smart phones and to overpower rivals such as Android and iOS.

The first thing you realise about windows 8 is the sharpness and how quick it runs. The Modern UI-style apps such as Mail, Calendar and People which have previously been disappointing, run very smoothly and are slick. Windows 8 certainly holds a quicker start-up time. Despite this improvement, there are still more to make and this was know by Windows, they quickly released a large update on them on the 10^th of October as well as several other updates. The company has also just released a major 170MB Windows 8 update to improve performance, battery efficiency and power management.

The first changes that meet your eyes is the new lock screen, the lock screen offers a clock and also all your notifications for variousapplications. Windows 8 also can run apps at the site of the screen while another task or programme is still running and maximised at the same time. The new user interface is based on Microsoft's Metro design language, and features a new tile-based Start screen similar to that of Windows Phone, which has replaced the previous Start menu entirely. The Start screen displays a customizable array of tiles linking to different apps and desktop programs, some of which can display constantly updated information and content through "live tiles". A vertical toolbar known as the charms bar can be accessed by swiping from the right edge of a touch screen, or pointing the cursor at hotspots in the right corners of a screen. The charms bar provides access to system and app-related functions, such as search, sharing, device management, settings, and a Start button.

On November 27, 2012, Microsoft announced that it has sold 40 million licenses of Windows 8 in the first month, surpassing the pace of Windows 7.

Author Bio:

Katy works and writes for Synthesis IT, a company specialising in IT solutions such as network installation support and business computer hardware.

How to start time management

2013-01-12T08:37:00.000-08:00

Now I’d like to describe you the situation that, I guess, is typical not only for me but for most people, at least around me. We have some plans in mind, we make to-do-lists, we are eager to complete them within the agreed or appointed time, we need to do them, we know what to do and how to do – but suddenly we are distracted by some other (very often) minor points, lose track of the situation or our previously agreed plan and, as a result, we have only few points completed, if any at all. The whole plan is broken, the list is forgotten. And this can be applicable for all people, no matter whether they are businessmen, entrepreneurs or simple housewives. The day seems to lack hours, the week seems to lack days, etc.

I agree that there are people somewhere who never lose a minute, who are well-organized and concentrated and nothing can make them leave the agreed plan of actions. Let’s help those who are less fortunate. Some people complain that they have started many projects and completed none, which leads to stress, irritation and disappointment. That’s the result of poor time management. Let’s speak about time management and how to <a href="http://www.comindware.com/topics/">manage your time efficiently</a>.

What is time management in general? As I see it (and most people agree with me), time management is setting priorities on what has to be done. There are many things in my life that I am happy to do 24\7 but, unfortunately, sometimes they do not contribute to my goal or even are unnecessary. That’s why, setting priorities is a ‘must-do’. Nowadays there are many various iPhone and Android ‘Get Things Done’ applications. They will help you not to forget about things, avoid procrastination, and organize your day with maximum efficiency.

Every person, especially a housewife, has lots of tasks to perform and things to do before the holiday – shopping, cooking, inviting, celebrating, etc. I guess it’s an excellent opportunity to try time management.

Start with listing all the activities that have to be done within this period and insert them into your calendar. Don’t forget about various appointments and parties. If something is needed to be done before it, include it in the list. But don’t put it aside till the last minute - things may go wrong and time will be lost. If you can do something in advance, do it – do not procrastinate. I’m sure that at first you will have to re-write the list more than once. That’s great! By the way, don’t forget about some extra time between tasks in case of unexpected things or appointments. Look carefully at the list and mark (prioritize) the tasks that must be done in any case.

And finally, the most important thing – try to stick to this plan and allow deviations only within a short period of time (a day or two). Stay concentrated and go straight to your goal – the beginning of a new life with correct time management!

Author Byline

Hi, my name’s Jannet Sparts and I’m working as an editor of Online Issues. I have worked as a project manager in several companies. So I have tried different PM tools, collaboration programs, including <a href="http://www.comindware.com/tracker/">workflow software</a> and <a href="http://www.comindware.com/solutions/human-resources/">human resource software</a> solutions. For the moment PM software is my primary field of interest.

-->

The current best 15 apps for the iPhone

2013-01-06T00:10:00.000-08:00

15. Temple Run

The only two games on this list come in on 15^th and 14^th spot. Temple run manages to get onto the list after a huge addiction to the game which began early 2012 and is only now starting to fade. The aim of the game is to clear obstacle courses in a Mayan like theme while running from what appear to be monkey like ghost characters. The further you run without being caught or failing on an obstacle the greater your score. Coins can also be collected meaning speed and other attributes can be upgraded and new characters can be accessible.

Temple run was highly commonly used and print screens of high scores from footballers and celebrities covered Twitter at stages which prompt iPhone owners to test their score. The award winning best seller company Harbor Master released the game onto the app store for a free download and since then it has become extremely popular. Temple Run was also voted one of TouchArcade’s best games of the month last year.

14. Angry Birds

Possibly the most popular and most owned game of 2012 is Angry Birds. This annoyingly addictive game has recently celebrated its two year birthday and has become extremely successful since its birth. Angry Birds is a game where you use catapults to fire round shaped birds at pigs that have erected fortresses for protection. The aim of the game is to break the barriers and fortresses and hit the pigs. Since this game achieved great download figures, Angry Birds has went on to sell merchandise such as toys and clothing. The app has become so popular that there are rumours of an Angry Birds film in 2016!

13. Groupon

Groupon is the app to get for cheap and last minute deals from holidays to meals for over 500 cities all over the world. The app gives the user discounts from 50-90% off. Groupon was originally just a website however, now the app is becoming more popular than ever, the deals and discounts can be accessed and bought straight from the iPhone for the very same day. The offers on deals range a great deal from horse riding classes to pizza making courses, there will always be something for you. The app shot up in popularity throughout 2012 and still regularly features on the app store in the top charts section.

12. Google Earth/Google Maps

Two different apps with both similar and different features. Google Maps and Google Earth have helped many find their way over the internet for a few years now. Now that they both have free downloadable apps, destinations can be found easily wherever you are. Google maps can give you estimated walking, driving and public transport times and also of course directions and quick routes. Google earth gives you a brilliantly close look at anywhere you want across the globe. Google earth is also now accessible through an iPhone.

11.Ebay

Ebay has been known as one of the most successful and well know site over the whole internet and can now be accessed through the app store. The app gives you all the features that the site does and means that if you are in a frantic last-minute bidding war, wherever you have to be does not stop you from participating and items can be bought and sold wherever you are. This app is truly perfect for those on the move. The Ebay app can also give you notifications on items you are currently ‘watching’ and includes various other features.

10. Skype

Since Skype came along on our computers it has revolutionised communication and is used all over the world for speaking with family or even having work meetings. Skype amazingly gives the user the ability to video call anybody in the world with internet connection and a Skype account. Now Skype has came to the app store, the video calling phenomenon is accessible anywhere at any time and the best part to it is it is completely free when you have internet connection and doesn’t take up any of your minutes. Perfect for a phone contract with limited minutes however a lot of internet access.

9. Instagram

Instagram without a doubt it one of the most popular apps in the world at the moment and despite the recent controversial new terms and conditions stating that the company has ownership to any photo you upload, it is still on the top featured apps on the app store. Instagram is used to edit and enhance photos taken on your phone. Once a picture is taken you can edit or even place a border on the image before uploading to your online profile where other users can view, like or comment on it. Hash tagging, like twitter is used to find desired images using internet connection. The app is used by many celebrities and is often linked to social networking site Twitter.

8.Shazam

Shazam has been called one of the most handy inventions yet. If you hear a song on the radio and they don’t tell you or you miss the name of it, Simply hold your phone to the radio and Shazam will tell you what the song is, same goes for songs on television adverts. This popular feature has became very successful and is said to determine the song within one second of hearing it. This clever little device can be downloaded for free.

7. BBC Iplayer

The BBC iPlayer app has become heavily common on iPhones after being used as a website originally. The website and app allow the user to view programmes that have been missed on television and to catch up on series or even films. The iPhone allows the BBC iPlayer onto the app store which can be used very handily anywhere at any time

6. 4oD

4Od, Channel 4’s version of the iPlayer manages one spot above the BBC Iplayer as it offers a few extra features. 4oD is very similar to the BBC iPlayer and offers 30 day window to catch up on missed shows.

5.Spotify

Spotify is used online as well as an app and is often connected with Facebook accounts. Spotify allows the used to listen to any genre of music for a month free trial, a membership costs afterwards however is fully worth the payment. The Spotify app allows the user to listen to any song anywhere on their mobile which can come in handy for travelling or if you’ve forgotten your iPod.

4.Facebook

The most common and leading social networking site probably ever. Facebook has broken many records and has even had a film about it. The Facebook app despite being around for ages already is and probably will be for a long time amongst the highest downloaded apps in the app store because it will always be one of the first apps people download when they receive an iPhone or iPod touch. This social networking app comes with a few features that the site doesn’t actually offer including an indicator of how long since users have last been online.

3.ESPN Goals

If you are not a follower of football, this may not apply to you however, ESPN have released a brilliant app in which offers highlights and goals of all games as they’re being played. As soon as a goal has been scored by your favourite team, it is instantly watchable wherever you are on your iPhone and iPod. Because of the quickness of this app, it has become extremely popular.

2. Photosynth

There are many photo editing and enhancing apps out there and this particular one inspired many of them. Photosynth allows taking extra length photos with your iPod or iPhone. Simply by rotating 180 degrees for your phone to fit in wide shot photos. This app has been extremely popular sine the release and is a new technology in photography.

1. Find my Phone

Find my phone is another brilliant invention and one of the bets of its kind. When you lose your mobile phone it is often a long shot to hope you get it back, now this app will locate the exact whereabouts of your device to your computer and will even ring so you can find it at short distances. This app has been in the news on different occasions recently with various stories of how an iPhone has been stolen and not only has the phone been returned but the thief punished all from using this app. The app has been praised massively and makes my number one app.

Author Bio:

Jake writes for i-case.co.uk who sell a wide variety of phone cases and other accessories including iphone 5 skins.

15 cool things you can do with an IPhone

2013-01-04T07:32:00.005-08:00

15 cool things you can do with an IPhone

The IPhone currently seen as the best phone in the world in terms of its capability i will be taking a look at what cool things you can do using its software combined with its clever usability to make the next generation of mobile phones.

The iPhone do just about anything but make a cup of tea, it can make calls, access the internet, send and receive emails and even tell you what the weather is like in Mongolia, but thanks to the app store it can do even more than that.

An so follows a list highlighting the apps that can transform your IPhone into a television, a plumb line, an atomic clock and loads more ! Showing you the fun and unknown features and uses of this, the most highly advanced and capable phone in apples line up and even in the world.

Use it as a makeshift flashlight, the flashlight app available for free in the app store allows you to use your phones camera flash as a bright flashlight. If you have an older IPhone then you can still get it but it downloads as a white screen still uses the same effect.
Save you money at the supermarket. Apps like coupons.com and grocery IQ use your location to find coupons and deals at local stores.
It can also help you lose weight, there are hundreds of weight apps that can monitor your food intake and can gradually builds up your strength and stamina.
Control how apps access your private info, if you don’t want certain apps to access your location info hit ‘’settings’’ and click ‘’location services’’ to limit or grant access. You can also update your address book with facebook phone numbers so that you have everyone to contact that are your friends.
Another cool feature is the fact you can stream music thanks to the high capability of the A6 processor chip so that you don’t take up any space on your phone which is handy if you use it a lot.
Help you sleep better. Check out apps like white noise and sleep cycle to take advantage of your body’s natural rhythms so that you can get a deeper more fulfilling sleep.
Show more detailed battery info so that you know exactly what you can do to before the battery runs out in terms of music and apps. Together with this you can see your usage per day and how long your phone has been on standby since its last charge.
You can also scan documents, apps like genius scan allow you to scan documents easily with your IPhone camera.
Use your own custom ringtone. If you have a whole load of audio that lasts 30 seconds or less you can convert it to an ACC file in iTunes. Rename its file extension to .m4r and turn it into a ringtone. It can also act as a music studio, the iPhone app four track and square allow for you to use the iPhones quality microphone to capture and craft multi recorded demos and mix them together. On the subject of recording you can also tune your guitar for free which is handy if you don’t have a tuner at that vital point before a gig.
Another cool feature is you can take panoramic photos. This is a great built in feature with the iPhone 5 but if you have an older iPhone then you can download Panorama, Photosynth and TourWrist are all capable of taking stunning panoramic pictures.
Find directions by bus, train or walking. After you look up a location in the maps app, tap the bus icon before hitting route to get directions via the local bus routes and likewise with the other options.
Speed up text messaging with shortcuts, all you need to do is visit the settings menu tap general then keyboards to enable simple shortcuts for any phrase.
You can send voice memos to friends, if you’re on Wi-Fi connection you can send a memo directly to a friend. You can also share it on facebook, twitter and many others because the interface is linked in to be more socially productive and keep you up to date and connected with the outside world.
Run credit cards, free apps from services like PayPal and Square offer a service that allows you to change and charge credit cards at your business. Also you can download an app from 02 called the wallet so that you can send others money via the app which is much better than carrying around cash especially if you are going on holiday.
Finally you can sync your calendars to your computer through wifi without leads, just connect to the same wifi and open iTunes to automatically sync calendars music and more!

Author Bio:

Katy writes for i-case.co.uk who sell a wide variety of phone cases and accessories including iphone 5 skins.