Spotify- The Best Way to Listen

I have always heard great things about Spotify, a free online tool which allows users to listen to pretty much any song, album, or artist streamed for free to their computer.

Already using similar web services such as Pandora and Grooveshark I found little incentive to expand to an entire new tool and essentially disregarded its potential. After a few months of hearing how great it was, I broke down, and started up a free account.

So what do I have to say about it?Nothing but great things. Here's why:

1. Easy to Access- It took 10 minutes to download Spotify and setup before I was listening to the new                     Mumford and Sons Album.
2. Don't have to share- One of the largest turn offs for me initially was seeing what people were listening to on Facebook. Littering the news feed with songs beings listened to is not valuable to me. However, with the click of a check box this information share is prevented.
3. Extensive Music Library, Really- I could not believe the sheer amount of content available. Dr.Dre to the Beatles, Niki Minaj to the Temptations, it has it all.
4. Limited Ad Commercials-The advertisements are restricted to just Spotify promotions and barely intrusive at all. Aside from an occasional side banner and radio ad, they go unnoticed.
5. Free- As mentioned earlier, the site is free. Which is always a plus in my book.

So how can this be used by small business owners  Well the content is so vast there are hundreds of helpful libraries where one can access files on starting businesses, managing online presences, in addition to a variety of other tips.

So in case you haven't already, go online, set up an account, and get some free tunes going along with helpful business advice. Feel free to go ahead an thank Spotify for such a great gift to music.

Here is a link to some great headphones which will go along with your new found source of music, enjoy:
Klipsch S4

Say Hello to Online Price Customization, it's Here to Stay

In the Blog The Dilemma of Variable Pricing by author Marc Emmer, the fluctuations of demand and its effect on pricing in the contemporary markets is discussed. Marc explains how the way of the future lies in variable pricing in which services can be charged fluctuating prices based on quick changing demand.

Although Marc relates this to tangible services such as NBA games and Hotel services, a large industry which is going to be dominated by customized pricing is e-commerce.

In the article How deep are your pockets? found on the Economist's website, the matter software which can provide personalized online pricing is discussed. Here are some key points:

• Online retailers are able to determine which consumers are willing to pay higher prices

• In interpreting data purchased from firms and online cookies they can determine product tastes and preferences

• In using discount targeting firms can get 2 to 4x more money than assigning at random

• 6 out of the 10 largest online retailers use customized pricing software

So what does this mean?

Well, for a long time websites have been evolving to be more customer eccentric, product recommendations  customization abilities, and now price will be able to become more personalized as well. With all the data that is being collected, it is relatively easy to determine the price sensitivity of a customer towards specific goods, and now they are taking advantage of it. Meaning, two people can be purchasing the same good on an online store, but be charged two different prices because one receives a discount targeted to them to ensure a sale for the company,

Whether its fair or not is a different matter, whatever the case it is not price discrimination so it is here to stay.

Price Discrimination is nothing new, but regardless of the platform the effect can be seen as the same- see the book The Economics of Price Discrimmination

All the Things that I have Learned

11 Things Learned from ACC 255

In this blog I am going to list some valuable information which I learned in half a semester while taking the ACC 255 course.

• Blogging is Easy-The set up in creating a blog is free, straightforward, and in many ways just plain easy. The most diffcult aspect lies in the writing of the blogs themself, but after some practice even that is not bad.
• Creating a Website- Using webs.com we were guided on how to create a basic web presence whith an About Me, Contact Us, Pillar Article Pages, a Purpose and Privacy Policy Page.
• Privacy Policies can be Generated- The daunting task of creating a Privacy Policy is erased with the use of free online tools, making it easy to make a quick and legal website.
• Understanding CafePress- This course not only introduced me to the online startup retailer service, but it enhanced my understanding of it as well. As a result of this course I know how to create a customizable product which is open to be purchased by the public.
• The Workings of SEO- Not only did I learn the workings of Search Engine Optimaztion, but I learned how the spider, index, and query software work together to promote active sites.
• Keeping the Blog Active- As easy as it was to create a blog, finding topics to generate more topics could get tricky in starting out. As a result of ACC 255 I learned how to create product review, reccomendations, link posts, and list posts in order keep my blog active.
• The Importance of Linking- In learning all the creative ways in order to establish a web presence, one of the most beneficial bits of knowledge I recieved included linking these presences together. In doing so, all these different presences create a wealthy network.
• Creating a Company Online- Not only did ACC 255 introduce me to the tools, but it also exposed me to the factors required in order to create an online company. Now I am able to both establish a presence, but continually update it with relevant information.
• What's A Widget?- From this course I learned of the benefits of creating an online widget in order protect one's personal email account from hackers and spam.
• Sneeze Page- Less gross than it sounds, ACC 255 exposed me to the imortance of a sneeze page and creating a blog post which references all the past blogs created.

• Online Advertising- From this course I have learned all the metrics involved in determing the success of online advertising such as the click activity, ROI, and amount of impressions an online advertisement has.

In addition to all these cool things, most importantly I learned how to create a cool Flamingo Mug, check it out:
http://0bullbiz.webs.com/midtermskillsquiz

For a more traditional source of starting a blog, see the book:
ProBlogger





Highliting The Good Stuff

Taking an initial glance at all my blog posts you may start to feel the overwhelmed sensation of information overload. Ok, so your not that overwhelmed by my eight posts, however, in case your looking to get started and unsure of where to begin allow me to point you in the direction of the one's I would consider top dogs.

The Top Dogs

• In my most recent post, My Take on Gantter.com

I breakdown the pros and cons of a useful website (Gantter.com) which provides a free Gantt diagram tool. Generally the beggars can't be choosers term comes into play here, but I ignored that, and reviewed it anyway. If your looking for info on how to use it, or simply what a Gantt diagram is, check it out.

• The Importance of TED.com, Recommendation

What do the cause of hallucinations, the hierarchy of a crack dealer, and the power of limited options have in common? In this blog I overview TED.com and the great value it creates for the viewer. Just for the sake of creating a spark of interest check out the post and see why I am so avid about viewing the the presenters on TED.com. There's so much in this world you don't know, and its time you start finding that out.

• 6 Awesome (free) Tools to Manage a Project

Yes the title is straightforward, but maybe the content isn't...Well it is, but that doesn't mean it isn't valuable. In this post I dive into some of the best project management tools online which can help get you that grade, promotion, or scrap booking group together. All of the tools are free, accessible, and worth taking a look into. So go check it out.

Just because I view these as the 'Top Dogs' doesn't mean the other pups aren't worth your time. In addition to the above topics I cover how to conduct oneself during IT problems, how to properly think of purchases of technology, and other blogs I have found useful.

Need a solid device to take advantage of all these free sites? Look no further:
Kindle Fire HD

My Take on Gantter.com

Getting Organized Free and Easy

Recently, I made a post on my website, 0 Bull Biz, walking through the steps of using a cool tool I heard about online (follow link below to view). The article is dedicated as a walk through in describing how to use a Gantt chart via the free online tool on Gantter.com (see second link).

Links:

• Gantter Walk Through
• Gantter.com

Although I went through the steps as to how to use the tool, I did not cover my actual take on the free online service, so that is what I will do now.

The Good

Because I am a glass half full kind of guy I am going to focus on the good aspects of using a Gantt chart at Gantter.com. I bullet d the key points below, but feel its necessary to expand on some of these aspects. For one, it was very simple to register- took no longer than 3 minutes to create and account to get started. I was very pleased with the simple interface which was easy to navigate and be able to do the basics of creating a Gantt (making tasks, timelines, allocating resources, etc). Another large plus is the fact it is online accessible, anywhere I can get internet access I can view the Gantt chart, and this additionally opens up the doors for sharing the tool, making it that much better for group projects. And of course the biggest plus, it is free.

• Easy Registration
• Simple Interface
• Fundamental Capabilities
• Web accessible (obviously)
• Can share with other users
• Free

The Bad

At times the interface would simply be too finicky. For example, when typing in the unit for time it would not accept hours, hrs, etc- only h. However these issues were not overwhelming and could be adjusted to after further use. But when I did run into problems such as formatting, getting assistance via the troubleshooting proved time consuming and not very helpful. Just as being online-accessible can be a pro, there are certainly cons as well. Whenever there was a problem with my connection the tool would be unresponsive and prone to losing data, understandably so. Additionally, yes Gantter allowed me to do the fundamentals of creating a chart, however not much beyond that.

• Finicky at Times
• Difficult Troubleshooting
• Web accessible (saving issues)
• Limited Capabilities

Assessment

Overall, Gantter is a great free online tool. Although I would not recommend it for high level group projects due to its limited capabilities, its purpose is well served for everything else below that. For that next task you've been looking to accomplish, or that group project, I would highly recommend using Gantter.com for your Gantt diagram needs.

Need to develop quicker ways to solve inefficiencies? Check out the book below:
The Lean Six Sigma Pocketbook

0 Bull Bizz- The No-bull Way to Learn About Business & Technology

While I have your undivided attention....I would like to dedicate this post as a quick promo for my recently developed website.

Created for similar reasons as this blog, to increase awareness of business/IT related concepts and tools for students and small business owners alike- my website provides additional insight into valuable perspectives and concepts (says the author) untouched by this blog

Click on the below hyperlink to take a view:

A good site to check out.

Background on 0 Bull Bizz

0 Bull Biz's Mission is To feed the business minded members of society who are hungry for insight on business technologies, practices, and other related topics provided in a refreshingly straightforward manner.

On the website you can expect to find  recommendations of interesting articles I have found, walk through's of solutions to some business problems, in addition to step-by-step articles on accomplishing some valuable tasks. All of which is highly beneficial and worth a bit of your time.

Where's the Value

• Gantt Chart Walk Through: On one post in particular, I start out explaining some useful project management tools, more specifically the Ganntt chart. In addition to an overview of the tool, I offer a walk through example on how to both create and analyze the chart providing some valuable knowledge for a little exchange of your time.

• Recommended Readings: What sort of blogger would I be if I didn't recommend some great readings? I agree with whatever you responded. In any case, my website also features an interesting article on some recommended readings I have found to value, and why they are worth your time. I can assure you they are more than the general how to lead books, so take a look.

In addition to all this useful information, most importantly you can find additional information on the creator, aka me, and other methods of contacting me (should you be so inclined).

The Importance of TED.com, Recommendation

Being a college student while paying outrageous sums of money for my degree, $12,000 per semester, at times I can get pretty damn cynical when discussing the value of education.

In combination with the expensive courses, outrageous text prices, and skyrocketing cost of living, it becomes increasingly evident that college students get taken advantage of-and we are naive enough to let it happen- but that's an article for a different day.

Point is, the true value of a college degree isn't showing when it comes to considering the costs of an undergraduate 'education', however, every once in a while there is a glimmer of hope shining bright from all this darkness. That shimmer of hope comes through the groups created by inspirational people using the right technology to educate the masses...one of those which is included in this shimmer is Ted.com

Why I recommend Ted.com:

With the slogan "Ideas Worth Spreading," Ted.com was created to make the valuable speeches of motivators, innovators, scientists, professors, economists, musicians, etc, public for all to view. Whether it is the discussion of the workings of the human brain, the demonstration of groundbreaking interactive technologies, or even Steve Jobs commencement speech at Harvard, Ted.com has it.

These speeches provide such valuable insight for no cost of all. In my mind that is what true education should be. Unfortunately, that is my mind and not the drivers of universities. In any case, Ted.com has salvaged my ability to be informed on topics I would never have considered and ultimately a greater appreciation of  the world, something my current class curriculum cannot do.

 So take the time to give Ted.com a chance. There is more value to find than you are aware of-so go realize it if you have not already.

Learning From the Greats, Engadget Blog

Initial Note
As a new blogger, at times it can be difficult knowing where to begin. With all the redundant topics and issues being thrown around social media, blogs, and the internet like a batch of hotcakes in a Swiss shop it is hard to be, well original.

Striving for my blog to become a unique snowflake one day, right now I am more like the cloud-collecting as much water vapor as possible-I know it is beautiful.(Que tear drop)

Recommendation
Point being, there are a lot of great sources online to gather cool stories and topics- such as the Engadget Blog I have come to appreciate. Labeled as the number one ranked technology blog by  Technorati’s top 100 blogs, Engadget accumulates interesting perspectives on companies and topics related to business and technology.

Why it is Swell
Additionally, the blog produces interesting reviews on products unrecognized by the general public such as the international WiFi adapter Tep (Click to see review). The pocket sized adapter enables users traveling across the Europe and UK to receive high speed internet access with a price ranging from $5-$10 per day. The blog is great at promoting nifty goods such as that.

Another nice feature of  Engadget is its graph located on the right side of the page showing blogs with the most activity, or comments.This allows the reader to glance over to see what topics are drawing a lot attention, for reasons good or bad.

Last Push
Well I’ll get off my blog recommendation soap box and just encourage you to check it out at this moment. Take a look around, enjoy, and remember it is never too early to start collecting vapor for your special snowflake.

Being Smart About Receiving Tech Help

Blast from the (near) past:
On my first blog post titled The Technology is Nice but What About the Business? I briefly discussed some of the problems which result in losing oneself in the impulsive appeal of technology, and how quickly taking in incompatible technologies can result in major issues down the line.

  These 'issues' can seem much more freak-out prone when applied to individuals who are less IT minded in general, let alone small business owners. In the article The Secret to Small Business Tech Support author Gene Marks puts in his two cents as to how to handle the IT support when problems (or disasters) strike.

Gene briefly touches on 5 main 'rules' to abide by in order maintain both the business owner (and the IT persons) tolerance for derangement. The quick recap:

Rule 1: Don't Get Angry
Rule 2: Be Nice to the Technician
Rule 3: Be Patient
Rule 4: Cede Control
Rule 5: Delegate!

As obvious as some of these 'rules' may seem, they are important considerations to take in when the times go bad. It is easy to say you will keep calm prior to the call, but after 6 minutes of being on hold and then explaining the problem multiple times can the same be said?

In essence it comes down to this, the IT technician is doing their job and just as much as you don't want to be treated poorly by a customer, the same goes to them. Be patient, open, and respectful of their time and if they don't give you the same in return, then scream at them.

Need to develop a better understanding of IT?
Check out the Book: It's Hidden Face on Amazon.com