Summer Fun!

Summer is officially here and it is the perfect time to take a long relaxing vacation. For those who are active and adventurous, there are vacations that involve hiking, cycling and climbing. If you’re like me, you prefer a poolside massage and manicure, with an umbrella drink vacation. Whatever your pleasure, it is always nice to take a break from the norm to do what you enjoy for at least a few days out of the year.

While browsing the internet in search of my vacation destination for 2007, I stumbled upon the ultimate high-tech vacation. For those of you that absolutely cannot break away from technology Geek Cruises is the ultimate getaway. While sipping on a frozen margarita, imagine relaxing on the deck with a boat full of techno-maniacs on a ship called Java Jam or Mac Mania. This cruise combines entertainment with education, and offers 40 hours of classes on topics such as Photoshop, Leopard Power User Tips and Extreme Googling. What a vacation!

Wherever you travel this year, don’t forget the handy She-Tech Kick-Around Town digital accessory bag. This little item is great for holding your sunglasses, mobile phone or digital camera. Also at She-Tech, we are having our designer closeout sale which means 40% off selected Arinna designs. Hurry while supplies last! These items make great gifts for holidays, birthdays and graduation.

From the Colorado Rockies to the white sands of the Caribbean, wherever you vacation this summer, have fun and stay connected!

WWWW (World Wide Web Women)

The World Wide Web has become a virtual meeting place, shopping mall, educational classroom and more. Whether you're in business, have a hobby or just an internet enthusiast, the chances are good you'll be involved in building a Web site in one way or another. For those of you that think HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is a termed used at Neiman Marcus that’s related to expensive shoes, there is no need to be intimidated. There are plenty of tutorials and reference guides out there to walk you through the process of developing a website. Web-source.net is a great place to start.

To get you started on the right foot, becoming knowledgeable about the web and how it works is important. Below are five steps that will enable you to build a simple Web site, from the ground up.

1. What is a Website? Before you jump in and start designing Web pages, first figure out where to put them. You can rent space at a commercial Web hosting service, and learn how to make changes to our Web site on our own. There are plenty of free web hosting services that are able to host a 50 MB site.
2. What is HTML? HTML is basically the language of the internet used to create web pages. For those of you who want to know exactly what HTML is and how it’s used, there are plenty of books that explain the concept for the layman or should I say laywoman.
3. The Domain Name Game. Finding a particular Web site is like finding someone's telephone number. Every Web server in the Universe has a unique number that identifies it, called an IP address. For obvious reasons, nobody wants to have to remember numbers like this, so early in the development of the Web, the system of domain names was devised. The web has been around for quite a while, so many domain names have already been reserved, but can typically be purchased for the right price.
4. How do I add pictures to my website? Surprisingly, it's not really that tough to add images to a website. If you've got a good quality picture, it can be uploaded easily in a reasonable time, that won’t reveal your inexperience to anyone. Visit Page Resource for some helpful hints.
5. Website Promotion. So now that your site is developed, how do you build awareness, which hopefully leads to traffic or new visitors to your site? Website promotion is an ongoing process. To maximize your site traffic, you need to monitor it constantly, and make judgments about what you can do to improve it. If you know at least the basics of how the process works, you'll be in a good shape. If you don’t have the time to dedicate to promotion, hire an outside consultant.
   

Developing a website can appear to be a daunting exercise, but with the wealth of resources and tools that are available, the process has become simplified over the years. To have strong business awareness in today’s world, it no longer requires the traditional storefront of brick and mortar. Leveraging the World Wide Web enables you to be globally accessible.

Best wishes on your business or personal website development. Women of the web…stay connected!

Leery About Love?

Love continues to be a many splendored thing at work, even though a sizable percentage of workers—especially women—think it could jeopardize their job security or put the brakes on their advancement, a recent survey found. The number of workers overall who have dated a co-worker edged up from 36 percent in 2005 to 39 percent in 2006, says a January 2007 Spherion Workplace Snapshot online survey.

Women are more reluctant than men, though, to get involved with a co-worker—30 percent of women and 47 percent of men would pursue a workplace romance. Unlike 36 percent of men, 47 percent of women worried a workplace romance would hurt them on the job. One key concern that women have is the ability to keep the relationship confidential. Blogs and online social networking sites are making it more difficult to keep a lid on the gossip about office romance. Online venues such as Match.com and eHarmony provide very public means for personal news to be shared.

Despite the stress and scrutiny inherent with interoffice romances, according to Spherion’s findings quite a few are finding true love. Nearly 30% of workers dated a colleague for several months and 15 percent for several years. Twenty-five percent said their workplace romance led to marriage. There’s always the inevitable chance that you will stumble upon love during your elevator ride to the executive tower, and if you do, you can certainly make it work if you follow these guidelines.

• No romantic displays at work, including holding hands or stealing a kiss. If you get caught your career may be in jeopardy.
• Don’t even think about e-mailing X-rated Valentine’s Day cards or sending an unsigned Valentine’s Day card to a co-worker. Also, rethink using cell phones for intimate conversations; your voice may be louder than you realize.
• Send flowers or gifts to your honey’s home. A well-intentioned gesture can embarrass the recipient when co-workers try to figure who the sender is.
• Business rules apply in business social situations—don’t dance too closely or drink too much, use seductive language or wear seductive clothing.
• If the relationship ends, behave professionally. It’s likely both people will have to continue working with or around each other.
• Your boss should never be your valentine. Have your reporting relationship changed if you are dating your supervisor.

For fast-paced She-Tech women, love can often be hard to find, and if you happen to find it on the job, be mindful. Love is in the air, over the internet and in the office. Open your heart and stay connected!

Four Corners of Communication

Although there is an art to developing effective communications, there is also a science behind it. Conveying your message correctly to your target audience so that it is remembered and not misconstrued takes skill. Whether you are developing communications for business, academia or your personal life, there are four fundamentals that should be applied.

1. Be aware of your audience. Before developing any communication, think about who you are trying to reach. Consider their demographic, psychographic and level of understanding about your topic.

2. Consider the various communication vehicles. The advent of technology has provided us with a variety of communication mediums. The key to effectively communicating; however, is to select the appropriate medium based on your audience and the message you are trying to convey.

3. Fine tune your message. It is critical that you tailor your message around the audience you are intending to reach. It is helpful to use the common jargon and terminology that is most prevalent in their arena, whether it be law, medicine, cooking etc. Also, be aware of language barriers. Perhaps your message needs to be translated to effectively reach your audience.

4. Be mindful of the frequency. Based on the complexity of your message, you want to be mindful of the frequency. With so many messages coming at us from so many angles, it is easy to dilute the value of your communication if you overload your audience. While repeat messaging strengthens concepts, there is a fine line between reinforcement and overkill.

I like to call these fundamentals the four corners of effective communication. When taking these concepts into consideration, you enhance your communication skills and your ability to always craft an effective message.

At She-Tech we strive to communicate positive information about women, technology and fashion. To help us better meet your needs please continue to provide us with feedback. Your comments are important to us, and wherever you are…stay connected!