Tools of the Trade: 12 Great Gifts to Give Your Website

Hi neighbors -

Hope everyone's been having a great holiday! It's definitely been a busy season. On top of all the great holiday events around town and family activities we're trying to wrap up the site development and launch our blog redesign and officially launch our website IEShineOn.com. I was perusing Mashable.com and came across this useful infographic. It illustrates 12 improvements site designers should consider when optimizing their site. IEShineOn.com hasn't launched yet but these strategies and tips are definitely things I'll be keeping in mind.

Anyone else building a site and planning on optimizing in 2012? Did you find these improvement tips useful? We'd love to hear about it - let us know.

Till next time...



Mintleaf Web Design Studio

Tools of the Trade: The 8 Habits of Highly Productive People

Hi friends -

So, I'm on this big kick about productivity lately, especially when it comes to tools of my trade. Time is of the essence and I'm on the look out for anything that increases my productivity and keeps my brain sharp. I stumbled upon this blog post from Celestine Chua called The Personal Excellence Blog. She's a productivity guru and her blog is super insightful. I've made a summary of the eight habits she describes in her article, but I highly recommend that you read the post to get the full effect.

The 8 Habits of Highly Productive People
1. Focus on the high value tasks
2. Allocate breaks strategically
3. Remove productivity pitstops (i.e. distractions)
4. Tap into your inspiration
5. Unplug! (Create barriers to entry)
6. Optimize time pockets
7. Set timelines
8. Automate everything possible

Do you follow any of these habits or have any additional recommendations? We'd love to hear! Give us give us a shout on FB or tweet us!

Till next time....

Tools of the Trade: On-the-go Tools

Hi again neighbors -

In a previous article I briefly talked about apps I use as an entrepreneur but didn't really go into that much detail about the hardware. One significant tool that unquestionably increases my productivity is my Verizon Motorola Droid X2.

I joke that my smart phone is my BFF but I told myself when I was thinking about purchasing a smart phone that I would only make the investment if it increased my productivity by 10%. I made the leap a couple years ago and totally worth it! My IT friend loves everything Google and I've been drinking the Kool-Aid ever since. Sure I miss out on some apps like Instagram for the iPhone but my phone syncs with all the Google applications I already use without skipping a beat: Gmail, Calendar, Documents, Picasa, and Reader, all while helping me with a load of other functions that keep me moving forward. Check out the list below for just a few reasons why I think my smart phone rocks!

- I can tweet and Twitpic while roaming around the IE.
- I jot down my brainstorming ideas with Evernote. Evernote is an app on your phone and all notes are uploaded to the web where I can access at a later time.
- Also, this may sound nerdy, but I also use the Google record app to record random ideas. I then review the saved recording to determine my next action items.
- I can also access Basecamp Mobile, the project management software that syncs with my online account.
- The Hootsuite app lets me make on the fly updates to any scheduled posts.
- Google's Blogger app allows me to start drafting my blog posts so that I can finish them up later.
- Audible.com mobile app allows me to add business books to my library so that I can listen to books while on the go. Very useful especially when you don't have a lot of time to read.

Do you have a gadget you can't live without? Share it with us on FB or tweet us.

Tools of the Trade: "The Start Up Daily"

Hi neighbor

Some of you might be aware from reading this blog, I am a web entrepreneur creating a destination site for the Inland Empire. But at the same time I'm a marketing executive for an entertainment company in Los Angeles. As some small business owners are aware, it is a constant struggle balancing both a career and launching a start up company during the off hours. I'm always on the look out for new ways to become more productive and efficient while making time to gain more knowledge about all aspects of my business.

Through the years I've come across lots of tools to help me stay productive and I want to share this with our community. I believe it's important to share our knowledge with one another so that we can all gain and therefore strengthen our community. Plus sharing is just good karma!

So I've decided to start another blog series in addition to "One of a kind IE" called "Tools of the Trade." I'll discuss different tools, applications, and resources I've used to help me start my company and launch my site (now set to launch in the Fall *sigh*). I've done similar things like this in the past but I couldn't really figure out what direction to take it. So here goes!

To kick off this series I want to introduce a helpful daily email I've been receiving called "The Start Up Daily." According to their website, the daily emails provide "the best tips, ideas, and advice from great books on entrepreneurship, business, marketing, management, etc." I'm lucky if I can finish a magazine from front to back let alone a book so I thought this was a brilliant idea!

Here are some of the benefits:
- Look and feel of the email is a simple graphic which makes it easier to take their bite size bits of knowledge and absorb.
- Copy is short and to the point - no fancy talk. It just provides the key lesson of a new book every day.
- Following the key lesson is a synopsis of the book and, of course, a few well placed links that will take you straight to Amazon where you can purchase said book.

If you're also a fan of "The Start Up Daily" or something similar I'd love to hear about it. Give us a shout on FB or Twitter with your thoughts, or leave a comment below.

Till next time...