Geek Chic

Let's face it; we all have boyfriends, husbands or brothers that need a little help with fashion some times. While tech savvy women are fashionable and chic, not all of our male counterparts are as stylish. For the everyday guy, non-metrosexual type, a little constructive advice may be appreciated. When the time is appropriate, casually introduce some of the following fashion tips.

The general rule is to never mix the color of your leathers. Meaning... black shoes require a black belt, brown shoes demand and brown belt, and so on. With the exception of athletic shoes, the coordination between leathers creates a well put together and refined look.

Since we’re already talking about shoes, even if your man is wearing a pair of $100 jeans with a sharp-looking shirt, it’s still embarrassing if he has them on with old loafers that should have been pitched in the 1990s. Nothing says chic like a man in good quality shoes that look smart and stylish. Remember, people check out shoes. Potential employers even look at them to judge a candidate's attention to detail. Investment in a good pair of shoes is much wiser than an overpriced pair of designer jeans.

It is also flattering if a man has on clothes that actually fit properly. Shirts that are too small to show of nicely developed pecs are not attractive. Similarly, neither are oversized shirts to hide a beer belly. If clothing right off the rack does not fit well, suggest a tailor to either take in the seams or let them out.

Some additional notes related to size… if you're short and stocky man, don’t wear horizontal stripes. Vertical stripes may not cure a Napoleon complex, but they at least elongate the body and create somewhat of an allusion. Along the same lines, for the guy with a few extra pounds, you can’t go wrong with black. Black clothing is slimming, classy and conveys confidence.

I admire a man who smells good, but the cool points are immediately taken away when you can still smell him 10 minutes after his departure. Kindly hint that he just spray a small amount into the air and walk through it. Less is definitely more.

Lastly, if your man dares to wear open-toed sandals, demand quite emphatically that he keep his feet groomed. If this rule is broken and his feet are not exactly “sandal ready”, suggest shoes and socks until the repair work is done.

As fashionably dressed tech-savvy women, we deserve to be with a well-groomed almost as chic man. Gently suggest the aforementioned tips, and on your man’s next shopping excursion try to steer him in a more fashionable direction. All Geeks can go chic. Enjoy the transformation and stay connected!

Gold Medal Technolgy

For the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the digital revolution is poised to attract a younger, more tech-savvy audience. In the United States, NBC will offer 3,600 hours of coverage of the Games. This is triple the coverage that was provided in Athens (2004), and about one third of this additional coverage will be streamed over the Internet.

The Summer Olympic Games is one of the sporting and television highlights of the year. In addition, the average age of viewers for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens was over 40 and it shows no signs of falling. With the help of technology however, the Olympic experience now reaches a broader audience.

According to Shoba Purushothaman, CEO of Web-based video marketing platform, The NewsMarket, digital media will have a transforming impact on the Olympics at multiple levels. "It will change story-telling for the Games by making it more human and personal,” believes Purushothaman.

It has been said the he Summer Games in Beijing is the first digital Olympics and access to communities in the digital world are important in deciding if the Olympics will retain their high profile. With the increased fascination of social networking sites among young people, the Olympic Games are being played out on Facebook, YouTube and Flickr. 3G mobile phone technology also has a huge impact on the Olympics, allowing athletes and visitors in Beijing to share their experiences with those back home. People taking photos and video with their cell phones have changed the way we watch the Games.

Watching the Olympics is no longer limited to a viewer’s living room TV. The "digital marketplace has the potential to re-engage hundreds of millions of people. In every facet of sports and entertainment, technology wins a gold medal. Enjoy the Summer Games through a variety of mediums and stay connected!

eDegrees

• A college degree is becoming an even more critical component of success in most fields these days. Your degree represents the mastery of a body of knowledge and is a symbol of your level of dedication to your profession. Even in a profession where a degree is not necessary, earning a college degree supplies you with skills and a competitive advantage that will open doors to your future and expand your earning potential.
  
  Just recently a friend of mine decided to purse a degree from an online university. She is a single mother who works full-time and this was really her only option. Who would have thought 20 years ago, or even 10, that pursuing a degree online would become such a common convenience? Many of us with ambitious schedules, especially those of us who are already employed full time, cannot take the time off to pursue a full-time degree in school. Earning your degree online or through distance learning brings education into your office or home so you can learn at your own pace, at your own time and at your convenience.
  
  Top Reasons for Studying Online
  
• Learn on your own schedule
• No traveling to campus- Study at your own pace
• Courses are available 24/7
• Study at home, work, or on the road
• Wide range of online degrees to meet your needs
• Wide range of prices to fit your budget
• Demonstrates solid grasp of Internet skills and discipline to potential employers
  
  

If you’re interested in pursuing a technology degree, visit geteducated.com to view their list of the of the top 29 online graduate degrees in Computer Science and Information Technology. You can earn a recognized degree from a well-known university or college, even if that school is across town, across the nation or across the world. All you need is the desire to succeed. Get online, get educated and stay connected.

Think Small

Working for a small business can be substantially different from working for a medium sized or large business in ways that many people don’t realize. Personally, I have worked for mostly large and multinational enterprises throughout the majority of my career...at least up until now. You may recall an earlier blog entry where I stated that I was beginning a new position at a much smaller company. I have been there for a little over a month and thus far the change in environment has been refreshing! I am now an advocate of working for small businesses and think it’s an interesting and highly beneficial experience that everyone should have at least once.

Why do you ask? Here’s some food for thought…

In a large company you may never interact with the CEO or head honcho, but in a small business, you’re more likely to interact with them frequently or even work directly for them. If you have any interest in running your own business in the future, particularly in the same field, the things you can learn from C-level executives will be invaluable.

Depending on what you’re looking for in a job, when you work for a small company, there will be times when decision-making tasks will fall on your plate. There are fewer people to discuss issues with and many times critical decisions are left up to one individual. In this environment, you’ll quickly learn to handle the stress of decision-making. This level of responsibility looks good on resumes and also builds character.

Typically smaller companies offer a more relaxed and casual work environment. Small businesses are more likely to be located in less glamorous office spaces; therefore, the company doesn’t need to worry as much about projecting a certain image to neighboring businesses and probably won’t have clients visit that often. Dress codes tend to be very loose, you can take interim breaks and you may have the flexibility to listen to music.

Even if your boss is so busy that she doesn’t seem to be aware of your contributions to the company on a day-to-day basis, you’ll have a much better chance of getting credit for your work when you’re not competing with 100 other employees who also want the boss’s attention. When you are more closely involved with your boss, it can be easier to justify raises and promotions because the person who can give you these things will have plenty of firsthand knowledge of what you’ve done for the company.

There are some great pros to working at a small business and although this list is not exhaustive, also realize that there are a number of cons too. With that being said, you may find a list of negatives in a future blog entry. Moreover, when considering today’s economic downturn and speculative job market, to be working anywhere is a good thing. Whether you think big or small, think employed and stay connected.