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<link>http://www.baselinemag.com</link>
<description>Features news - RSS Feed</description>
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<lastBuildDate>Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:29:59 -0500</lastBuildDate>
<pubDate>Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:29:59 -0500</pubDate>
<item><title>10 Most Useful APIs For Business</title>
<pubDate>Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:43:28 -0400</pubDate>
<link>http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Features/10-Most-Useful-APIs-For-Business-658744/?kc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Getting applications to work with other programs adds value and power to your software, which makes Application Programming Interfaces (API) vital behind-the-scenes tools. Ranker.com put together a list of enterprise APIs to determine which ones work best for businesses, claiming it found “All major Web APIs and mobile API resources related to Enterprise, including those formatted in XML or JSON and those for use with iOS and the iPhone.” The roster includes APIs that cover basics such as travel-expense reporting and generating electronic business cards, and also ambitious APIs that elevate CRM performance and crunch Wall Street data. There are a whopping 135 products included on Rankers list, and weve included some of the top ones below. Ranker.com is a site dedicated to teasing out superlatives within the worlds of film, TV, music, games, sports, automobiles, books and technology. It claims to attract more than two million monthly unique users. To view the entire enterprise API list, click here.   -  ...]]></description>
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<item><title>10 Ways To Get More Done at Work </title>
<pubDate>Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:43:11 -0400</pubDate>
<link>http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Features/10-Ways-To-Get-More-Done-at-Work-816079/?kc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Productivity does not hinge on the number of hours you spend on the job, but on how well you use the time. The book, 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done (Business Plus/Available in September), looks at the challenges to productivity that many of us face every day – a lot of them, as author Peter Bregman points out, being burdens that we inflict upon ourselves. Bregmans prescription is to set aside moments in the day to plan for maximum output, and then incorporate a number of “achiever habits” throughout your regular routine. In the end, he says, its all about focusing, blocking and tackling. If that sounds like a game-plan from an NFL coach, well, there are similarities. Emerging as a high performer requires the same kind of concentration and determination that a quarterback needs on a last-minute, winning drive. Bregman is CEO of Bregman Partners, a global leadership/workplace consultancy. For more about the book,  click here.   -  ...]]></description>
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<item><title>10 Ways To Sell an Idea</title>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 Sep 2011 10:50:25 -0400</pubDate>
<link>http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Features/10-Ways-To-Sell-an-Idea-883040/?kc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Good employees have ideas; influential employees transform ideas into action by getting buy-in from top decision-makers. A new book, Advocacy: Championing Ideas and Influencing Others (Yale University Press/Available now), looks at ways of convincing the bosses through the use of data, presentations, and political savvy. In an uncertain economy, leadership is especially reluctant to take on significant risk, so you need to convince managers that failing to green-light your proposal presents them with negative consequences. “You do this by not only describing benefits, but also by telling people what theyll miss out on if they fail to adopt the idea,” says author John A. Daly. “People fear regret.” Daly is a professor of communications/management at the University of Texas. Hes also consulted on communications, influence, and customer loyalty with companies such as IBM, Marriott, Merck and Merrill Lynch, as well as the White House and Department of the Army. For more about the book, 
click here.   -   ...]]></description>
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<item><title>Tablets Will Replace PC, Say Users</title>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Aug 2011 13:09:07 -0400</pubDate>
<link>http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Features/Tablets-Will-Replace-PC-Say-Users-895994/?kc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[See also iPad is Just the Beginning.  Experts argue over the likelihood of tablet computers replacing desktops and laptops, but many tablet owners have no such doubts. A recent survey from Staples Advantage, the B2B division of the big office-supply retailer, shows that a clear majority of tablet users believe that tablets will end up replacing their more traditional machines. Sales of the slim computers are expected to soar from 55 million this year to more than 208 million in 2014, with users citing portability as a key benefit (many say they even take their machines into the bathroom). “Tablets make it easy for employees to keep information with them and utilize business apps, no matter where they go,” says Ed Ludwigson, vice president and general manager for Staples Technology Solutions. “For employers, the benefit is having a more productive workforce thats always connected to whats happening at the office.” More than 200 business users of tablet computers took part in the research. For more about the survey, 
click here.   -  ...]]></description>
<guid>http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Features/Tablets-Will-Replace-PC-Say-Users-895994/?kc=rss</guid>
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<item><title>Social Media Costs Companies Bigtime</title>
<pubDate>Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:31:51 -0400</pubDate>
<link>http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Features/Social-Media-Costs-Companies-Bigtime-224712/?kc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Social media content created by and for your business could expose you to litigation, trash your reputation, and hurt the bottom line. Symantec's 2011 Social Media Protection Flash Poll shows that in the past year, the typical enterprise had nine social-media related incidents, such as employees posting confidential information to Facebook profiles; nearly all of these companies suffered some consequences.  &quot;Businesses know how important it is to protect and preserve email, IM, spreadsheets and other unstructured information. Now they need to recognize that information flowing through social networks is equally important,&quot; says Greg Muscarella, senior director of product management for Symantec's Information Management Group. &quot;Employee education and training on the proper use of social media for business purposes is just as important as having the technology pieces in place.&quot; On behalf of Symantec, Applied Research surveyed 1,225 IT professionals in 33 countries during April 2011; for more about the survey, click here.   -  ...]]></description>
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<item><title>10 Tips For Effective Public Speaking</title>
<pubDate>Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:09:54 -0400</pubDate>
<link>http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Features/10-Tips-For-Effective-Public-Speaking-646243/?kc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[See also Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs. Fear of public speaking is routinely ranked up there with death, heights, and spiders among the things that really freak people out. We hate to add to the pressure, but speaking well to a group also can mean a lot to your career – and speaking poorly from the podium can hold you back. Preparation helps, says author Christine K. Jahnke, who discusses a wide range of strategies for better public speaking in her new book, The Well-Spoken Woman: Your Guide to Looking and Sounding Your Best (Prometheus Books/Available in September). Yes, men can learn from it, too. Subjects covered in the book include proper inflection, focus, and pace – even the food and beverages to avoid before a speaking engagement. The founder of a Washington-based speech-training firm called Positive Communications, Jahnke has advised or trained the likes of First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, along with numerous CEOs and other corporate senior execs. For more about the book, 
click here.   -  ...]]></description>
<guid>http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Features/10-Tips-For-Effective-Public-Speaking-646243/?kc=rss</guid>
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<item><title>Why Your Company Cares About The Housing Market</title>
<pubDate>Wed, 24 Aug 2011 10:20:29 -0400</pubDate>
<link>http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Features/Why-Your-Company-Cares-About-The-Housing-Market-538187/?kc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Housing woes continue to plague millions of Americans, and to threaten the larger economy – including the business sector. A new survey from Fannie Mae shows that many homeowners worry about losing their jobs, often admitting they havent saved enough to cushion such a financial blow. Meanwhile, renters feel stuck, unable to get loans due to ongoing economic uncertainty, and, often, to their own histories of credit problems. All of which is bad news for the economy at large, given the drag of a moribund housing sector, and a lack of confidence that could cripple hopes for an economic rebound in the near future. &quot;Consumers are more hesitant to take on additional financial commitments,&quot; says Doug Duncan, vice president and chief economist of Fannie Mae, &quot;and a setback to confidence means a setback to the recovery of the housing market.&quot; The research – compiled from interviews with more than 3,000 Americans   also tracks sentiments within both generational and ethnic categories. For more about the survey, 
 click here.   -  ...]]></description>
<guid>http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Features/Why-Your-Company-Cares-About-The-Housing-Market-538187/?kc=rss</guid>
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<item><title>Benefits Shrinking for U.S. Workers</title>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Jul 2011 09:28:18 -0400</pubDate>
<link>http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Features/Benefits-Shrinking-for-US-Workers-539830/?kc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Employee benefits continue to take a hit as the economy languishes. A survey from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), sponsored by Colonial Life, says the vast majority of HR professionals report that employees are seeing notable cuts in programs related to health, retirement and quality of life. And you can say goodbye to some of the compensation bonuses that grew popular in better times, along with perks like tuition reimbursement. Even benefits that essentially cost nothing are on the decline&amp; some employers are giving those popular Friday casual-dress days the heave-ho. On a positive note, some benefits are on the rise, such as on-site company fitness centers (theyre a way for employers to maintain a healthier, more productive workforce that is less of a drain on health-care coverage budgets.) The survey covers a range of years, but we focused on the differences in benefits provided between 2008 and today. About 600 HR executives took part in the research. To read the survey, click here.   -  ...]]></description>
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<item><title>Mobile Phones Ruin Love Lives</title>
<pubDate>Thu, 07 Jul 2011 12:30:39 -0400</pubDate>
<link>http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Features/Mobile-Phones-Ruin-Love-Lives-767472/?kc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[We all know (or should know) that certain mobile phone behaviors are considered obnoxious. But did you realize these faux pas can crush your love life? While certain instances of phone usage may be inevitable&amp; or even desirable&amp; during a date, many lapses of etiquette are major turn-offs, according to a recent survey from Zoosk, a social-dating site. Hint: If you spend more time staring at your phone screen than gazing into your dates eyes, you could be in trouble. In many cases, survey respondents say theyll walk out on a date if the phone behavior is too intrusive. Unfortunately, too many single folks are clueless about how offensive such displays can be. “The unwritten rules of mobile-phone use are clearly being abused,&quot; says Alex Mehr, co-founder and co-CEO of Zoosk. &quot;It's our hope that singles follow proper cell phone etiquette.” Oh, another thing guys: Ditch the headset and phone-belt clip before the date, OK? It is so not sexy. More than 3,240 single people took part in the research.   -  ...]]></description>
<guid>http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Features/Mobile-Phones-Ruin-Love-Lives-767472/?kc=rss</guid>
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<item><title>10 Reasons Women Make Strong Leaders</title>
<pubDate>Wed, 23 Mar 2011 09:37:29 -0400</pubDate>
<link>http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Features/10-Reasons-Women-Make-Strong-Leaders-563020/?kc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Sun Tzu was the Chuck Norris of deep thinkers. His biography is sketchy, but its believed that he was a general in China around 400 B.C. Whats certain is his influence, which stems from The Art of War, a slim book that includes famous quotes such as, &quot;All war is based on deception.&quot; Sun Tzus observations are applied incessantly to business strategy. Whats left to say? Becky Sheetz-Runkles take is that the ancient sage was in touch with his feminine side&amp; or at least that his work is highly relevant to professional women, and in fact speaks to several traits traditionally seen as female strengths. Her book, Sun Tzu for Women: The Art of War for Winning in Business (Adams Media/available now), should offer insights to men as well. (According to one legend, Sun Tzu transformed a harem of hundreds of concubines into soldiers.) Becky Sheetz-Runkle is co-founder and vice president of client services at Q2 Marketing, and holds black-belt ranks in four different schools of martial arts. For more about the book, click here.   -  ...]]></description>
<guid>http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Features/10-Reasons-Women-Make-Strong-Leaders-563020/?kc=rss</guid>
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<item><title>Seven Human Weaknesses That Cyber Criminals Exploit </title>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Mar 2011 10:09:27 -0500</pubDate>
<link>http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Features/Seven-Human-Weaknesses-That-Cyber-Criminals-Exploit-876389/?kc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Successful cybercrime often depends on the kindness of others – trusting souls who believe that Facebook message , LinkedIn request or Tweet they received is on the up-and-up. Understanding this vulnerability to social networking platforms is an IT imperative; nice people like your colleagues are easy pickings for cybercriminals operating in venues associated with friends and acquaintances  -- especially if the bad guys are asking for help. “Compassion and urgency are common social engineering hooks for criminals,” said Christopher Burgess, senior security advisor to Cisco. “The individual seeking information will attempt to trigger the targets basic human need to be helpful. The individual will also infuse a sense of urgency in their quest for information or specific action, with the expectation that you wont have sufficient time to verify their credentials,” In the Cisco 2010 Annual Security Report, the company reveals the seven very human weaknesses that make employees vulnerable to malicious attacks.   -  ...]]></description>
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<item><title>Nine Ways to Inspire Your Team</title>
<pubDate>Tue, 22 Feb 2011 13:28:59 -0500</pubDate>
<link>http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Features/Nine-Ways-to-Inspire-Your-Team-850386/?kc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[The pressurized, fast-paced environment around many IT projects can lead to burnout and disengagement among team-members and even managers. But this doesn't have to be the case. In the book, Shine: Using Brain Science to Get the Best from Your People (Harvard Business Review Press/Available now), author Edward M. Hallowell contends that workers tend to excel for the long-haul when they feel a sense of liberating, creative energy within their own teams. Cultivating this enlightened environment primarily falls within the oversight of the project manager, but team members can also help create the healthy vibe. Key components of a high-performing team include roles that are thoughtfully assigned to members, strong interpersonal bonds, and inventive, task-related activities that light up personal brain power. Dr. Hallowell is a psychiatrist, an instructor at Harvard Medical School, and the director of the Hallowell Center for Cognitive and Emotional Health. For more about the book,click here.   -  ...]]></description>
<guid>http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Features/Nine-Ways-to-Inspire-Your-Team-850386/?kc=rss</guid>
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<item><title>10 Tips for Mobile Security </title>
<pubDate>Fri, 04 Feb 2011 10:05:08 -0500</pubDate>
<link>http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Features/10-Tips-for-Mobile-Security-265454/?kc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[As tablets and smartphones make their way from the consumer world into the IT ecosystem, keeping those devices – and the corporate networks and data they access – secure is a growing challenge. Employees want to access work e-mail or other sensitive corporate data with personal mobile devices like iPads or Android phones, so companies need to make sure their data remains secure. But mobile security doesnt require reinventing the wheel. “The key thing is that the platforms themselves are pretty secure, “said Nick Arvanitis, principal security consultant at Dimension Data. “Theyre a different point of end-point computing like a laptop or a workstation would be. But one of the big questions that a lot of people have at the moment is how to integrate these devices into existing support and management systems – there arent necessarily the tools in the enterprise today to address mobile devices.” Arvanitis recommends IT departments consider the following areas when creating a mobile security plan.   -   ...]]></description>
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<item><title>12 Soul-Killing Work Habits</title>
<pubDate>Thu, 03 Feb 2011 11:10:56 -0500</pubDate>
<link>http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Features/12-SoulKilling-Work-Habits-310267/?kc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Work is hard enough without the energy-sapping, morale-killing behavior of the people around you. And the long recession has made the problem even worse. “Most people wrongly assume that their tasks and responsibilities are whats grinding them down,” says Jon Gordon, author of the book Soup: A Recipe to Nourish Your Team and Culture (Wiley). “However, while ‘work is a convenient scapegoat, the real culprit is often the negativity of the people you work with and for, their constant complaining, and the pessimistic culture that is now the norm in a lot of workplaces.” He uses the term “drainer” for colleagues who suck the life out of a team.  If you see these any of these draining behaviors in your co-workers – or recognize them in yourself – it is time for an attitude adjustment. Gordon, a consultant who also authored The No Complaining Rule, says the right environment can make the job easier and workers more productive, and he provides quick suggestions on turning around some familiar bad habits, too.   -  ...]]></description>
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<item><title>How to Build Better Software</title>
<pubDate>Fri, 28 Jan 2011 11:41:53 -0500</pubDate>
<link>http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Features/How-to-Build-Better-Software-640703/?kc=rss</link>
<description><![CDATA[Writing good, reliable software is hard work. That was true when Frederick Brooks published his seminal book, The Mythical Man-Month, in 1975, and it was still the case by the time Scott Rosenbergs Dreaming In Code: Two Dozen Programmers, Three Years, 4,732 Bugs, and One Quest for Transcendent Software, was released in 2007. In fact, many aspects of the coding and design process had stayed the same from one generation to the next (my conversation with Rosenberg can be found here. But progress is being made, says Mukesh Sharma, CEO of QA InfoTech Worldwide, a quality assurance firm. “Companies have had to dramatically change their approach to quality to create the more usable and higher quality products that consumers are now demanding,” says Sharma. Hes got an obvious interest in talking up the value of quality assurance, but we think his point is unassailable, as weve mentioned a few times before (see also: Glitch-Free Software, Better Software Development). As the old saying goes, Measure twice and cut once.  Here is QAs list of trends in software quality.   -  ...]]></description>
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