Browsing articles from "September, 2011"

Spotted Online

Sep 29, 2011   //   by Tessa Greenleaf   //   Brands & Social Media, Featured Articles, People & Social Media  //  No Comments
Checking in on foursquare and Facebook is no longer good enough for social media fanatics.  We now have to keep friends and family updated on what we are listening to wherever we are.
Music is a huge part of most peoples’ lives, even if they fail to realize it.  When you get in the car do you turn on the radio?  When you go to the gym do you plug in your headphones?  Do you pause to listen to that song that is piping through the speakers at Starbucks?  Music is everywhere, and it has finally gone social.

 

Years ago Pandora linked Facebook users to their site so people could share what they were listening to, then iTunes attempted its own social network called Ping.  Neither really stuck around very long – but Spotify may have a different fate.

Spotify is the music junkie’s heroin.  It is a free service that allows users to sync the Spotify library with their iTunes account as soon as the interface has finished downloading.  Connecting an already popular music service with a free online application is the perfect match.  Now users can create playlists containing music they own from iTunes as well as free songs from Spotify – the perfect marriage of music libraries.

Most importantly: Spotify connects you to Twitter and Facebook.  It seems like every day there’s a new application that allows people to share more about their lives with their friends.  Now nearly every aspect of peoples’ lives can now be documented online.

People today are constantly connected to their friends.  Even when they are together they are tagging one another on Facebook and Twitter, so why not with music?  Spotify is not the first application to attempt to link music with social media, but it may be the first with staying power.  People want to share their lives online, that is not the challenge.  The challenge is finding an interface that seamlessly integrates social media with music.

Spotify doesn’t try to be anything it’s not: it is a music player, plain and simple… It just happens to be a music player that lets you connect with friends.

Social Telecommuting With Jelly

Sep 3, 2011   //   by Chris Califf   //   Blog  //  No Comments

TelecommuteTo Jelly or not to Jelly? That is the question. With a recent survey stating that “17 million Americans work from home or from a remote location,” many telecommuters are contemplating this fruitful question.

To “Jelly” is to participate in a casual work environment in which every worker shares a common trait: He or she works from home. It is a work-focused event made up not only of freelancers, writers, and entrepreneurs, but also larger corporate employees who are looking for an escape from the office. A Jelly is usually held in a coffee shop or in someone’s home.

The Jelly concept and name spawned in 2006 when two New York roommates, while enjoying jellybeans, realized that they treasured working from home but yearned for the creativity and sociability of a traditional workspace. Soon thereafter, the New Yorkers coordinated a weekly home-based work session with their friends. Jelly was born.

Unlike coworking, which is an expensive, country club-like membership-driven business model where people pay monthly dues (up to $425 per month) to gather in an office-like workspace, Jelly allows professionals to collaborate free of cost.

A life in a Jelly-day
A typical Jelly is held on the same day, or days, of each month, similar to the idea of a work-centric “Margarita Monday.” Work-at-homebodies agree on the time and the place, and provide the working essentials, such as wireless Internet, desks, chairs, couches, or, in the case of a coffee shop meeting, a virtual group chatroom so coffee patrons are not disturbed.

According to Wired, Jelly events are generally quiet in nature, with meetings and brainstorming sessions held in living rooms and private phone calls made in bedrooms.

Where can I find a Jelly?
Occurring in numerous cities and countries worldwide, Jellies are likely happening closeby. A wiki is set up on the “Work at Jelly” Website. From there, current and prospective Jelly-goers can synchronize schedules and suggest destinations.

Jelly brings back local and global community
The main goal of a Jelly is to help telecommuters feel less disconnected from the world, which can happen when working from home. In a 2009 NPR Talk of the Nation episode, Amit Gupta, co-founder of Jelly, said that Jellies make work “a little bit more tolerable…when you’re sitting at home, especially. It’s easy to feel isolated not only from humanity, but also from your professional community.”

Jellies also stream “Jelly Talks,” live teleconferences broadcast to Jelly meet-ups, in which business leaders from around the world share thoughts and advice. Streamers can ask questions and socialize with the speaker afterwards. Past speakers include former chief Apple evangelist Guy Kawasaki and Google’s Rajat Mukherjee.

So, should your workplace encourage Jelly?

Obviously, in organizations where telecommuting is rare, it is a complicated question. But if you already encourage telecommuting, you should embrace Jelly as a great way to boost employee morale, productivity, and innovation.