If you’ve got a PC and a pulse, chances are pretty good that you’ve also befriended Facebook or MySpace, been Linked In, or been known to Flickr, perhaps even Twitter, from time to time.
Social networking may seem ubiquitous these days, but it hasn’t truly been everywhere. There’s always been a physical distance between you and your social networks. Until now.
Imagine if you took them wherever you went. Imagine if you knew when one of your “friends” was just around the corner. Imagine if you were given a heads up when one of your big clients was also at the airport waiting for a flight. Imagine if you were notified when you were passing one of your contacts favourite restaurants or coffee shops.
Sound futuristic? Well, it may be. But it’s also here now. Global communications leader and BSL client Alcatel-Lucent has already developed a solution to make all of this — and much more — possible. Geopepper is their location-based service (LBS), and it’s closing the gap, bringing you and your social networks together with new opportunities to connect like never before.
Let me give you a few examples of what this technology can do:
1) Location-based social networking. You can allow your friends and contacts from your existing social networking sites to ping your mobile device with geographically based messages. These can be personal (Since you’re in the area, check out this fantastic used book store!) or business related (Just arriving? Don’t forget we’re meeting the clients at 3:00).
2) Proximity marketing. Say someone has opted-in to receive marketing messages on their cell phone that fit their interests. When they come within a kilometre of your business, they could be sent a Geographic Messaging Service (GMS) message (Widgets 50% off at 123 Elm Street). Since they’re already in the neighbourhood and have indicated an affinity for widgets, they are much more likely to stop by. The same applies whether we’re talking about coffee or cars. The term “street level advertising” will soon take on a whole new meaning.
3) Travel info and guides. Imagine touring around London and having tourist and/or historical information pushed out to you as you approach points of interest. (Big Ben! Parliament!) It’s like having a tour guide in your pocket, without all the awkwardness that would probably entail.
The possibilities are exciting — and virtually endless. You can learn more in this Geopepper video.
27.11.08
Geopepper Ups the Ante: Social Networking Hits the Streets
14.11.08
Go Green: At the Office
From the caretaker to the CEO, every employee has a responsibility to work towards greener pastures. And there’s good news! Retrofitting your office helps more than just the environment. It can increase your bottom line and contribute to a healthy, low-impact workspace.
Here are a few tips for 'greening-up' the office:
1) Delete unnecessary text from emails before printing. A long email exchange can lead to several pages, which needlessly wastes paper when all you're trying to print the most recent message.
2) Instead of printing a web page, bookmark it or save the page.
3) Use the size-reduction feature offered on many photocopiers. Two pages of a book can often be copied onto one standard sheet.
4) Photocopy and print double-sided
5) Do less on paper, more online. The greenest paper is no paper at all, so keep things digital and dematerialized whenever possible:
- Keep files on computers
- View documents on-screen rather than printing them out
- Send emails instead of paper letters
6) Printouts destined for the trash (or recycling bin!) may have more life in them. Don’t throw out those messed-up print jobs or obsolete reports – reduce them in half (or quarters) and turn the blank reverse into notepaper.
7) Water is a precious resource. If you have extra drinking water after a meeting and before you go home, use it to water a plant.
8) Turn your computer off when you leave for the day. Otherwise, you're still burning energy even if you're not burning the midnight oil (Check with your IT department to make sure the computer doesn't need to be on to run backups or other maintenance).
9) Use 'screen sleep' or hard drive sleep modes that turn on automatically. Unless you have these energy-saving settings enabled, your computer is consuming higher-than-necessary quantities of electricity when it's not in use (and we're not referring to your screensaver, which protects your screen but does not reduce electricity usage).
10) Use paperclips instead of staples. Staples seem small and insignificant, but attached to discarded reports and printouts, they are ending up in landfills every year, refusing to biodegrade. Paperclips are eminently reusable, and using the dog-ear method may seem kind of juvenile, but it works in a pinch and creates zero waste.
11) Use recycled materials. When using paper is necessary, use recycled paper and envelopes that have been processed and colored using eco-friendly methods. Use pens and pencils made of recycled materials, and refillable pens and markers are preferable to disposable ones. Use biodegradable soaps and recycled paper or cloth towels in the bathroom and kitchen, and provide biodegradable cleaners for the custodial staff. Buy in bulk so that shipping and packaging waste are reduced, and reuse the shipping boxes. Recycling printer cartridges is often free, and recycled replacements are cheaper than new ones.
12) Use dry noodle sticks (like spaghetti cut in half) to stir your coffee instead of using plastic spoons or sticks.
13) Switch your lights. Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are three to four-times more efficient than standard incandescent bulbs. Also, encourage employees to maximize natural lighting and to turn off lights when leaving a room.
14) Re-use supplies whenever possible. Don’t throw away that file folder if it is still usable!
15) Use an electronic agenda rather than a printed calendar.
These are many great ways for an office to 'Go Green', and we look forward to hearing about what energy-saving and earth-friendly practices your office uses!
Here are a few tips for 'greening-up' the office:
1) Delete unnecessary text from emails before printing. A long email exchange can lead to several pages, which needlessly wastes paper when all you're trying to print the most recent message.
2) Instead of printing a web page, bookmark it or save the page.
3) Use the size-reduction feature offered on many photocopiers. Two pages of a book can often be copied onto one standard sheet.
4) Photocopy and print double-sided
5) Do less on paper, more online. The greenest paper is no paper at all, so keep things digital and dematerialized whenever possible:
- Keep files on computers
- View documents on-screen rather than printing them out
- Send emails instead of paper letters
6) Printouts destined for the trash (or recycling bin!) may have more life in them. Don’t throw out those messed-up print jobs or obsolete reports – reduce them in half (or quarters) and turn the blank reverse into notepaper.
7) Water is a precious resource. If you have extra drinking water after a meeting and before you go home, use it to water a plant.
8) Turn your computer off when you leave for the day. Otherwise, you're still burning energy even if you're not burning the midnight oil (Check with your IT department to make sure the computer doesn't need to be on to run backups or other maintenance).
9) Use 'screen sleep' or hard drive sleep modes that turn on automatically. Unless you have these energy-saving settings enabled, your computer is consuming higher-than-necessary quantities of electricity when it's not in use (and we're not referring to your screensaver, which protects your screen but does not reduce electricity usage).
10) Use paperclips instead of staples. Staples seem small and insignificant, but attached to discarded reports and printouts, they are ending up in landfills every year, refusing to biodegrade. Paperclips are eminently reusable, and using the dog-ear method may seem kind of juvenile, but it works in a pinch and creates zero waste.
11) Use recycled materials. When using paper is necessary, use recycled paper and envelopes that have been processed and colored using eco-friendly methods. Use pens and pencils made of recycled materials, and refillable pens and markers are preferable to disposable ones. Use biodegradable soaps and recycled paper or cloth towels in the bathroom and kitchen, and provide biodegradable cleaners for the custodial staff. Buy in bulk so that shipping and packaging waste are reduced, and reuse the shipping boxes. Recycling printer cartridges is often free, and recycled replacements are cheaper than new ones.
12) Use dry noodle sticks (like spaghetti cut in half) to stir your coffee instead of using plastic spoons or sticks.
13) Switch your lights. Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are three to four-times more efficient than standard incandescent bulbs. Also, encourage employees to maximize natural lighting and to turn off lights when leaving a room.
14) Re-use supplies whenever possible. Don’t throw away that file folder if it is still usable!
15) Use an electronic agenda rather than a printed calendar.
These are many great ways for an office to 'Go Green', and we look forward to hearing about what energy-saving and earth-friendly practices your office uses!
7.11.08
Iridium is Officially Everywhere
From a brand perspective, Iridium is very well known all around the world, for two reasons. The first reason is a good one. They are the maker of superior satellite phones – ones featured in movies like James Bond, where our hero is magically connected from the middle of nowhere. The second reason is less complimentary. They have been previously recognized for their audacious vision of global connectivity sending them straight to the brink of financial disaster. But that was then. This is now. Their vision remains audacious. They own the only true global communications network, built from the top down. Their satellites and devices have succeeded brilliantly, serving solutions to maritime and land-based markets all over the world. This is where we come in. Iridium has initiated a strategy to revitalize its brand globally. From the launch of new products to corporate re-branding, Iridium wants the world to know that their highly successful company is poised to become the global leader in providing reliable, critical lifelines. Iridium is indeed everywhere.
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