As you can imagine, there was no shortage of responses from those gathered. I thought it would be interesting to ask everyone in the company the simple question “What’s your favorite app?” and then write about it. There are about 50 people who work at DefinedLogic, and we’re of varying ages and from different cultural backgrounds. Although we all work in the technology field, I was hoping for a diverse sampling of apps. The response was terrific, and you could tell by the quick turnaround and the colorful comments provided, that people are passionate about their apps.

My Plan

My plan was to review all the responses and analyze the data. I would separate the apps into different categories (social, music, games, time savers, work related, silly) and would somehow weigh the responses based on multiple people selecting the same app. In order to do this, I had to become familiar with what exactly each entry was. Although I could figure out “Flashlight” and there were some I recognized, I had no clue about most of the entries. So my research began.

I found the process of investigating the apps fascinating. The entries were diverse and interesting and surprising. Although I tried to guess what an app did based on the name, I was often pleasantly surprised. And despite being repeatedly told, I found out I really had no idea that “There IS an App for That!”

I also realized that this list is very dynamic and (as Angry Birds makes way for Temple Run) that the list would change dramatically if the poll was taken a few months later.

My New Plan

As I started to write my analysis, I realized that the fun was with the research and not with the results. I therefore decided to let everyone share in the fun I had and do your own research. I encourage everyone to take the time to look up the apps you are not familiar with and to ask your friends and co-workers the same question I asked. I promise the question will lead to an interesting conversation, expose you to new apps and possibly give you a new answer when someone asks you, “What’s your favorite app?”

DefinedLogic’s Favorite Apps (in random order)

So…. What’s your favorite app?

DefinedLogic started with three people ten years ago.  As a technology services company, we are selling the skills of our resources.  We do not have a product that we can have a potential client touch or try.  Our product is our people, so ensuring we have the best talent for each client is very important to our success.

We are now over 50 people, and have utilized several methods for finding and screening potential candidates.  We use standard recruitment practices, for example, outside recruitment firms.  However, one of the most effective ways of hiring talented people (that fit our culture) is to use our current staff to help recruit.  The larger our staff grew, the more we realized how effective our employees could be at recruiting friends, former co-workers, and even family to continue to grow our DefinedLogic family.

4 Reasons it works to have employees help you recruit

1. Employees have an intimate understanding of the skills required to be successful in the job.  They are doing the job; they know what it takes to be successful. This helps eliminate the candidates that might have some of the skills you are looking for on a resume, but may not have adequate depth of knowledge.  If an employee recommends someone for a job, they know that person possesses the skills required.
2. The more employees you have, the wider the network of possible candidates.  It becomes a numbers game.  As you grow and hire great talent, that talent can then recommend more talent.  This one is easy, but you have to give your employees the opportunity to help.
3. Failure is not an option.  When an employee helps recruit someone to your company, they have a vested interest in helping that person succeed.  This should not be underestimated.  New candidates can be overwhelmed in their first few weeks, and having someone to go to ask questions and receive guidance is very important.
4. Talent follows talent.  New candidates, if recruited by a current employee who they know, are able to quickly judge the type of company that wants them by the person reaching out to them.  If a trusted friend or former co-worker reaches out to you to consider a job opening at their company, you are going to listen a lot more intently than if a recruiter calls you on the phone.

Some large companies prohibit hiring of family. Right now, we have a pair of sisters, two married couples, an uncle and a niece, and a pair of in-laws working for us. Just like our employees that are friends, these people support each other on the job, and work hard to make sure each other succeeds in our company.

For smaller businesses to be nimble and grow, you need to leverage all of your assets.  Our employees are our largest assets, and they have helped us grow through recruiting assistance.

Give it a try and let me know how it works for you.

How to Edit App Settings on Facebook

In the upper right- hand corner, click the arrow next to Home. Then select Account Settings.

Under Account Settings, select Apps on the left- hand menu.

All the apps you have installed will be listed under App Settings. Find the app you wish to edit. To edit the app, select the Edit link. You can also choose to remove the application by clicking the x next to the Edit link.

Each application may have different settings you can manage. You will be able to remove the application, enable or disable the ability for the app to post to your Timeline, manage privacy settings on which people can see the app activity, and set notifications.

Once you have changed your desired settings, close out of the App Settings and you are done.  No more accidental shares

I had a chance to catch up with David Goldsmith recently and get the latest on Butterfile, a next-gen learning management system he founded for school administrators, teachers, students and parents to easily communicate, collaborate, access and share multimedia content.  In partnership with DefinedLogic, David’s vision for an educational platform in the cloud is now a reality after several months of interface design, software development and testing.  Here’s what David had to say over coffee last week.

So, what’s the latest with Butterfile?

David – “Lots of exciting news so far this year and we are less than 3 months into 2012!  We successfully deployed Butterfile in January and currently have 8 schools on the platform and over 3,500 users.  We are getting first hand insight into how schools are leveraging Butterfile’s capabilities and getting the feedback we need to enhance the user experience based on real use cases.  Overall, the feedback has been very positive.  Users are very excited about Butterfile, especially about how easy it is to learn and use.  Administrators like how simple it is to set up and customize the access and sharing permissions of their different user communities.”

What have you learned about how teachers use Butterfile?  Any real surprises?

David – “We are seeing that, in most cases, teachers begin by encouraging student and teacher collaboration through the creation of student and teacher profiles, blogs, podcasts and multimedia chat rooms.  After that, users begin to create and share video content with increasing frequency.  Butterfile’s intuitive user interface allows users to quickly learn how to navigate and collaborate.  Users tell us they like how they can personalize their Butterfile experience and quickly create and share content inside and outside the classroom.  As for surprises, they have all been good so far!  In one school, a high school freshman with a medical condition that prevents him from being in the classroom, is using Butterfile to access and complete his assignments while he interacts with his new classmates through its unique social networking features.  Another school is using Butterfile as a virtual classroom for teachers and administrators to complete mandatory staff training on their own time.

The latest news is our partnership with Spring Creek Community School, a new public school New York City that is opening in Fall 2012.  Butterfile will be the main platform for all curriculum design and delivery across all grades providing both teachers and students the ability to create individualized and project based learning experiences that fully engage them both in and outside the classroom.“

What’s ahead in both the short and longer term?

David - Our goal is to continue to add schools onto the Butterfile network while exploring new opportunities wherever there is a good fit.  Based on insights from the Gates Foundation, we are working on providing our users easy access to a rich array of online educational content libraries and to help educators securely “join” subject matter experts directly into their classroom learning environments.  In the shorter term we continue to release new features and functionality each month based on user feedback and requirements.  Our latest release supports the Apple iPad and iPhone, contains new chat session management features and a Parent View option for parents who want to be able to use Butterfile to access content and collaborate with their child and his/her teachers.”

“Like I said, it’s a very exciting time!  Gotta run!  And thanks for the coffee!”

For more information about Butterfile, contact David at info [at] butterfile.com

HR Wants To Know

A news report was released recently stating that your Facebook page is a better determinant than an IQ test of what kind of employee you would be.  According to a study to be published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, employers can determine personality traits such as openness to new experiences, emotional stability, and agreeableness, based on the content of your Facebook page.  These personality traits determine job performance, and your Facebook page is more genuine and telling than an answer you may give in an interview.

The study says that sharing a lot of personal information may indicate agreeableness.  Lots of Facebook “friends” can indicate an extroverted personality.  Posting links to varieties of books, activities, and quotations may tip off to a potential employer that you have intellectual curiosity and creativity.

It makes sense…

It should come as no surprise that HR departments and hiring managers check Facebook profiles.  According to Time magazine, “an estimated 70 percent of recruiters and HR staffs have turned down candidates after they’ve found negative information about them from sites like Facebook.”  Facebook is easily accessible, and much of our lives are on Facebook for those who post; like it or not, the facts are there for the world to see.  Even Judge Judy has said in her shows that if you want something private, don’t post it on the Internet, even if it’s just for your “friends.”  Employers would need to tread carefully though, for legal reasons.  Donald Kluemper, a management professor at Northern Illinois University, said, “Every question that you can’t ask in a job interview is on Facebook.”

I certainly can see how your Facebook page shows your interests; your posts show your sense of humor (or lack thereof); it also indicates how much time you spend on things like Facebook.  I can certainly imagine HR checking post times!

Or does it?

However, I’m not sure it’s as accurate as the study may suggest.  I have over 150 Facebook “friends.”  However, I interact with maybe 10 or 15 of them on a regular basis.  Am I an introvert or an extrovert?  (I think I’m more of an introvert.)  Also, how many times do you get requests by people you know to link to something or “like” it, so that they can win some sort of contest or prize?  You may not care one way or another about it, but the reader of your Facebook page wouldn’t necessarily know that.  Interests change, too, and we may be too busy or ignorant about Facebook to “unlike” the interest.

It does make you think twice about what you want to reveal on social media, and even the extent of your involvement in it.  I have a friend who closed her Facebook account because she felt like it was too intrusive and she didn’t want the world to know her business.

If you were hiring, would you think it’s a fair way to assess a candidate?  Would you be suspicious of someone who had a lack of presence in social media?

Learn more:

Study: Employers really can tell your future job performance based on your Facebook profile

How Facebook Profiles Can Predict Job Performance

Facebook and job performance: New study finds social networking site profile pages can be an indicator of future job success

How Companies Use Facebook To Hire And Fire Employees

Should you check Facebook before hiring?

This morning Facebook confirmed the rumors that have been circulating for the last few weeks, Timeline is coming for pages!

When we originally heard about Timeline we recognized the value it would bring for brands.  Think about all the history and exciting milestones your company can highlight with these new features. In addition users can see how many of their friends like the page and public statuses mentioning the brand is displayed on the Brand Timeline.

When you view your page in Facebook you will now see a message that reads “Coming Soon: New Facebook Pages – On March 30, 2012, all Facebook Pages will get a new design. Preview your page now to see what it looks like and try out the new features.”

You can check out Timeline for Pages in action here.

Are you excited for Timeline?  How do you plan to highlight your brand in this new format?

With the ever-changing economy over the past few decades, the need for families to produce two incomes in order to make ends meet is becoming more and more prevalent.  When raising children, this raises many issues.  The most pressing issue is figuring out how the home and children will be managed and cared for while both parents are at work.  For many families, the inability to juggle these roles can be a daily torment.  Thankfully, more and more employers are recognizing the benefits of allowing their employees to telecommute in order to help balance their work life with their home life.

Telecommuting Benefits Employers AND Employees

In the right setting, with the right employee, telecommuting can be the perfect arrangement for both employer and employee.  And with today’s technology, telecommuting is a breeze!  It brings many benefits such as:

1. Saves time. The average commute is 1 – 2 hours a day.  You just added a work out to your day or better yet, a little more quality time with your loved ones.
2. Saves money.  Whether by car or mass transit, getting to work adds up.
3. The “Green” way to work.  Less people on the road, less pollution in the air.
4. Fewer interruptions = Increased productivity.

Penn. State University researchers analyzed 46 studies on telecommuting that included more than 12,000 employees and found, “Telecommuters reported that they were more satisfied with their jobs, were motivated to stay with the employer, experienced less stress, were able to balance work and family time better and got higher ratings from their bosses.” (Reuters 2007)

In addition to the many employee benefits, the employer also has a major cost benefit.  American companies could add more than $260 billion annually to their bottom lines and consumers could save $228 billion if eligible employees worked from home. (Lister and Harnish)

Of course, telecommuting is not for everyone  

If you have small children at home all day or a strong need for daily social interaction, telecommuting may not be the right fit for you. It takes discipline and independence to make telecommuting work, but for many who struggle to get it all done, it is worth the effort.

Tips for Telecommuters

If you feel telecommuting is right for you, here are some tips to make your work day pleasant and productive:

Create a professional work space. Find a quiet workspace within your home that works for you– and no, this does not mean your bed or the couch.

Set limits for work. Just like going to the office, create a start and end time to your work day. The flexibility of work from home is great when you need to work after-hours, but do your best to maintain some separation between work and family time.

Log your time and work. This will keep your employer aware of your work ethic and accomplishments, as well as help to ensure that you are managing your time properly.

Have a plan. Part of your pre-work ritual should include a plan.  Any chores, family obligations, breaks, and meals need to be figured realistically into your schedule. This will help you to allot the proper amount of time to get it all done.

Minimize interruptions. If you can, turn off outside interruptions, and ask anyone else in the home not to interrupt you when you’re doing an important task. Interruptions can kill your productivity.

Don’t watch kids and work. Many people make the mistake of substituting telecommuting for child care. You can’t actually do both at the same time. Telecommuting is great for the flexibility you’ll need if you have kids, but when you need to work, you need to make other arrangements for your children.

Meet Up for Water Cooler Chat. If you end up telecommuting full-time, you won’t be stopping by your colleagues’ desks to talk about last night’s adventure. But those informal interactions help develop professional relationships.  So make time to go into the office on occasion and even schedule a monthly happy hour!

The flexibility, convenience and ecological and monetary benefits of working from home will lift the stress and increase the brainpower.  So break out your sweats, download that Skype, and enjoy a happier, more productive life!

Have you ever telecommuted? What did you like and dislike about it?

Learn more: Employers: Make Telecommuting Work for Your Company

One of my latest mobile app obsessions is Instagram. It is a free application for iPhone (coming soon to Android) that enables you to capture and share photos with others. Instagram has really blown up over the last year; since January 2011, the number of users has increased by over 14 million!

Instagram is easy to use and extremely addicting.

The Application:

Once you download and launch the Instagram app, you will see 5 tabs within the application.

• Feed – displays images the people you are following have shared
• Popular – the most popular photos, based on Instagram’s “special formula”
• Share – upload and enhance your photos
• News – summary of what photos your friends have liked and who they started following
• Profile – allows you to search names, users, and tags

How to Use Instagram:

1. Take a picture – Capture a photo within Instagram, or choose an image from your iPhone Photo Library

2. Enhance the photo – The following enhancements are all optional – but highly recommended to get the best Instagram experience.

• Filters – There are over 15 different filters that can be applied to your image.(including the ability to add the filter in real- time before you take the photo).
• Tilt shift Blur – You can add linear and radial tilt-shift blur effects for extra depth of field.
• Borders – Turn a border on or off while taking a picture, or add the border afterwards.
• Captions – Add a caption about your picture.
• Hashtags – Don’t forget to #hashtag your images, this will enable your photos to show up in searches.
• Geotag – Add a geological location to your photos.

3. Share – Besides sharing the photo in the Instagram feed, you have the ability to also post the image to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and more.

 Get Social:

To truly get the best experience from Instagram you need to be an active community member.

• Like Photos – See a photo you like? Double-click on the photo, or click the Like button.
•  Follow People – Use the Find Friends option within the Profile tab. You can add existing friends from your other social networks. Browse the Suggested Users section to see some of the most popular users.
• Leave Comments – Comment on other users’ images, after all it’s a social network so share!

What about you? Are you addicted to Instagram like me? If you still haven’t caught the Instagram bug – download the application now and try it out.

Facebook and Twitter have done it again. One more time, we’ve seen these tools used to cause real social change.

This week brought us a controversy about the pulling of financial support for Planned Parenthood by the Susan B. Komen for the Cure Foundation.  On Jan. 31, the fight was on when Planned Parenthood used Twitter to announce that they felt they had been wronged. Three days later, news sources reported that Facebook was recording 20 negative posts per minute about the Komen controversy. The next day, on Feb. 3, the Komen Foundation reversed its decision and reinstated their funding for Planned Parenthood.

Similar results occurred last month with the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) controversy. On January 18^th, thousands of web sites went dark in what was reported to be the largest online protest in history. Two days later, on January 20^th, Congress shelved the proposed acts.

It’s a whole new world when it comes to public protest. No longer do you need to spend hours painting signs and chanting slogans out in the cold. Not that that doesn’t work too. But we all now have access to a virtual Town Square that is immediate and worldwide.  And since it’s so easy to participate, more people than ever are out there fighting the good fight.

It’s exciting to think about where this is going to take us. Social media tools are still new to many users. Businesses, civic groups, and advocacy organizations are only starting to think of them as part of their marketing and communications strategy.

Maybe someday, bills in Congress will be voted on by all of us using Twitter. Who knows? Instead of taking back Washington, we can just take it over!

Which online protests have been most interesting to you?

Learn more about the Komen and SOPA online protests:

How the Internet Changed Komen’s Mind

The Best SOPA Protests Online – in Pictures

Web Sites Go Dark in SOPA Protest Against Plans to Ban Online Piracy

It seems to me that my guidelines are mostly common sense.  But judging by more than a handful of my “friends,” and many “friends of friends,” these guidelines are NOT common sense, and need to be spelled out.  So here goes:

Leanna’s Facebook Guidelines

1. Do not update your status with a rundown of your daily activities.  For example, “woke up at 6am, smoothie for breakfast, work, then worked out hard at the gym!” is not a status that your friends want to read, especially not 3 days in a row.  This type of information is REALLY not interesting to 99% of your Facebook friends.  For the 1% that is interested (maybe your significant other or diet buddy), text them directly. When updating your Facebook status with what happened during your day, only do so when something funny or interesting happens.
2. Let’s talk photos.  Use discretion when posting photos.  Good rule of thumb:  if you don’t want your mom (or boss) to see you doing it, don’t post it on Facebook.  If you insist on posting indiscrete photos, use the many different controls available to limit who can see your posted photos.  Your boss does not want to see you funneling beer, and neither does your child. Along the same lines, be kind when tagging friends in photos. We all go through our photos when posting, and only post the most flattering pics of ourselves.  Do the same for your friends!  They will be grateful, and hopefully, will pay you back with the same kindness.
3. Choose your check-ins wisely. If you are at a new, chic restaurant with great friends, by all means, check in!  Let everyone know about the delicious short ribs and tasty wine!  If you are mailing a package, checking in at the post office is not that interesting. And again, discretion is needed. If you told your sister you couldn’t visit her because you don’t feel well, checking in at the movie theater that night is not a good idea.
4. Avoid extremes.  People on Facebook have good days and bad days just like everyone else.  If you need to vent about your bad day in a clever, lighthearted way, feel free.  Your friends can usually relate, and their comments will cheer you up.  If you want to boast about your sister’s wedding or finishing a marathon, go for it!  That is great news!  HOWEVER, please do not use Facebook to air your dirty laundry and your darkest days. That information is best kept for your closest one or two friends – not 200.  In the same regard, positivity is a good thing – in moderation.  Posting that your life is rainbows and sunshine everyday is a surefire way to get hidden from a newsfeed.  We all have good days and bad days, and we know you do too, no matter how happy your Facebook posts are.
5. Don’t  ”overshare” about anything.  This is the most general, and probably most important rule of them all.  First day of school photos of your children – great! First month of school daily photo shoot of your children – too much.  Best movie you’ve seen all year – let us know!  Nightly run down of your television choices – no thank you.

Always remember that there can be too much of a good thing when posting on Facebook.  Mix it up and make it count.  Variety (and not oversharing!) is the spice of Facebook life!

What types of Facebook posts could you live without?