Is Social Media and Social Networking Disruptive to a Productive Society? Yes, but Let Us Debate

Each night, I take my daily walk, and I have a list of topics that I discuss with my walking partner. Recently, we were discussing the challenges brought on by social networks, specifically how disruptive social-networking is to our normally very highly productive society, especially at work. You see, folks are so busy checking all the news, iPhone apps, text messaging their friends, and playing on Twitter and Facebook, that they are not getting a whole lot of work done. Personally, I feel this is somewhat unfair to those people that don't have a job but would really like one, those folks who would never in a million years play on Facebook while they were on the company clock.

Now then, there is another problem with social media and social networking, and that is it causes people to be somewhat scatterbrained. Almost as if everyone has turned into an ADHD case, where they can't concentrate for long periods of time on any given project. Obviously this is problematic if you are trying to get something done in your personal life, or at work. There are many things we have to do in our personal lives which takes time, effort, and absolute concentration, for instance doing your tax return.

Likewise, we all know the problems with text messaging, and people playing with their personal tech devices while driving, as these distractions are not only disruptive, but completely dangerous. Now then, on the other hand one can debate that with all the iPhone apps, and the improved communication, people are able to get more done in a day, and save time by using these social networking tools as business tools, therefore increasing productivity. Yes, in many regards that is also true.

If you are self-employed, you can use the increased productivity from your mobile tech devices, and still have the freedom without the leash, as you don't have to sit around by the phone and a computer all day. That's definitely nice, and no one can deny that. In fact, many entrepreneurs probably are already ADHD, and although these devices are making them worse on one hand, they are improving their productivity on another. Traveling sales and marketing teams are able to do more in a shorter amount of time, therefore saving fuel, increasing sales, and saving their company money.

It seems to me there is a trade-off going on, and companies are trying to use these technologies to get the most bang for their buck and the most productivity out of their workforce. If they refuse to allow workers to use social networking tools, and productivity applications, they may be missing the boat. Yet on the other hand if they do, they may be leaking sensitive company proprietary information, while wasting 20 to 30% of their payroll paying workers who are playing around on Facebook. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Top 10 Sign Design Tips

I am amazed every day I drive down the street and look at the same outdoor advertising graphic design mistakes repeated over and over. Business owners trying to make a living with a street-side presence that barley commands attention.

There are two scenarios that I see on a regular basis.

A potential customer walks into a custom sign shop and indicates their budget. The sign shop owner is weak, afraid of losing a potential sale, so he delivers a sign product designed to fit the proposed cost. With some simple education style selling the sign shop could have sold a product that would have made more money, for his shop, and the customer.
Another customer walks into the sign shop with a layout, or design concept that stinks. Again, fear of losing the customer causes the sign manufacturer to deliver the useless sign. Money down the drain.

Here are some key design elements that I have learned over 15 years in the outdoor advertising industry.
1. Remember that potential customers of all backgrounds and ages are looking at your business from a moving vehicle, in traffic, day and night. They must be able to see and read your outdoor advertising easily. Don't attempt to sell them with information on the sign - save that information until they are in your business.

2. The correct design and layout of your sign is critical to its effectiveness. Crowding the sign with too much text makes it impossible to read from a car, or at a distance. Therefore, the fewer words the better. Use the age-old adage - K.I.S.S. method - Keep It Simple, Son.

3. Understand the concept of "First Read." There should be a focal point located on the sign that will have impact and command attention. Ideally, the first read should incorporate Branding elements like a large graphic, or your company logo.

4. Your sign is your "first impression" with the mobile market, and first impressions are lasting impressions. Your outdoor advertising must project the positive image you want the public to have of your business. Potential customers will judge the inside of your business by how it looks on the outside.

5. Many owners mistakenly think of a sign as merely a device that identifies the business. What they fail to realize is that over half of all new retail sales are a result of impulse buys. People see, shop and buy. If your outdoor advertising is ineffective, it will cost much more in lost sales then the entire cost of a good sign.

6. Your outdoor advertising must have visual impact. It must make your products or services, and your location, easy to remember.

7. Make sure the colors are used in contrasting patterns. Green on blue is not readable, whereas black on white is extremely visible.

8. If you have several colors in a graphic, stay away from multi-colored lines of text or words (they will compete with the colors in your graphic). Black text is better.

9. Ideally, the design and the colors of your location or building should reinforce the design and colors of your sign (or vice versa). Color is probably the easiest and most cost-effective device for this coordination of design for business identification.

10. "White-space". This is the surface area of a sign's face that is left uncovered by either text or graphics. The proper amount of white-space is just as important for quick readability as are graphics, text and colors. In fact, 30% to 40% of the sign's face area should be left as white-space for optimal readability.

Top 10 Sign Design Tips

I am amazed every day I drive down the street and look at the same outdoor advertising graphic design mistakes repeated over and over. Business owners trying to make a living with a street-side presence that barley commands attention.

There are two scenarios that I see on a regular basis.

• A potential customer walks into a custom sign shop and indicates their budget. The sign shop owner is weak, afraid of losing a potential sale, so he delivers a sign product designed to fit the proposed cost. With some simple education style selling the sign shop could have sold a product that would have made more money, for his shop, and the customer.
• Another customer walks into the sign shop with a layout, or design concept that stinks. Again, fear of losing the customer causes the sign manufacturer to deliver the useless sign. Money down the drain.

Here are some key design elements that I have learned over 15 years in the outdoor advertising industry.

1. Remember that potential customers of all backgrounds and ages are looking at your business from a moving vehicle, in traffic, day and night. They must be able to see and read your outdoor advertising easily. Don't attempt to sell them with information on the sign - save that information until they are in your business. 

2. The correct design and layout of your sign is critical to its effectiveness. Crowding the sign with too much text makes it impossible to read from a car, or at a distance. Therefore, the fewer words the better. Use the age-old adage - K.I.S.S. method - Keep It Simple, Son. 

3. Understand the concept of "First Read." There should be a focal point located on the sign that will have impact and command attention. Ideally, the first read should incorporate Branding elements like a large graphic, or your company logo. 

4. Your sign is your "first impression" with the mobile market, and first impressions are lasting impressions. Your outdoor advertising must project the positive image you want the public to have of your business. Potential customers will judge the inside of your business by how it looks on the outside. 

5. Many owners mistakenly think of a sign as merely a device that identifies the business. What they fail to realize is that over half of all new retail sales are a result of impulse buys. People see, shop and buy. If your outdoor advertising is ineffective, it will cost much more in lost sales then the entire cost of a good sign. 

6. Your outdoor advertising must have visual impact. It must make your products or services, and your location, easy to remember. 

7. Make sure the colors are used in contrasting patterns. Green on blue is not readable, whereas black on white is extremely visible. 

8. If you have several colors in a graphic, stay away from multi-colored lines of text or words (they will compete with the colors in your graphic). Black text is better. 

9. Ideally, the design and the colors of your location or building should reinforce the design and colors of your sign (or vice versa). Color is probably the easiest and most cost-effective device for this coordination of design for business identification. 

10. "White-space". This is the surface area of a sign's face that is left uncovered by either text or graphics. The proper amount of white-space is just as important for quick readability as are graphics, text and colors. In fact, 30% to 40% of the sign's face area should be left as white-space for optimal readability.

Let's Save And Preserve Indonesian Musical Heritage

Watch this video and decide what you can do to save and preserve Indonesian musical heritage

Also visit Paduan Suara Anak Indonesia on Facebook here http://www.facebook.com/PaduanSuaraAnakIndonesia

Save Indie Band by Downloading Legal MP3

Piracy is always an enemy to many people in the world. Because of the piracy, there would be too many losses that anyone should deal with. Some musicians have already felt how bitter it might be to deal with the piracy. Their songs have been sold in the entire world without their permits. They might not know that somehow their songs have been sold in some countries. This is truly ridiculous and amazing. Those singers didn’t know that they could sell the records that much because the fact is, the numbers of royalties that they have received wasn’t show that much of cash. It means, the piracy did take so much from them and it’s terrible. Well, if it happened to the senior singers, they might have no many problems with it. 

It would be extremely terrible when it happen to the newbie. It would even more terrible if it was happening to some indie bands. Those indie bands have decided to use the online media to promote their indie album in the hope that they wouldn’t have to spend too much cash for the publicities. However, after some times, they might not know that their songs have been sold because the fact that they didn’t receive so much from the recording company. The recording company also didn’t receive anything and the only side that took advantages would be the pirates. So, it would be our responsibilities, all of us without exceptions to take care of this condition. It all starts from us. We should prohibit ourselves from downloading some illegal materials from the internet. 

If we could start it from ourselves, it would help us to save indie band. It would be excellent if we could save indie band by downloading legal MP3. The legal MP3 would give some earnings for the artists. It means, their creativities would be paid. It would be the best way to show our appreciations to those indie bands. We got to make sure that we would prefer the legal mp3 than the other kinds of it. Illegal one might be cheaper, or it might be free but somehow, it would be the same as supporting the piracy and on the other side, we are killing the indie band. We should realize that indie band doesn’t have much power to compete. They didn’t have much power to make some massive promotion actions. So, act against piracy would be helpful.