by Tino on January 26, 2012
In this day and age it is more than necessary to be up to speed with the daily tools that surround us. We are constantly exposed to new versions of Outlook, Word, Powerpoint and many other applications we use at work or even at home. Many times we feel that new versions and updates slow us down instead of making us more efficient. There is a simple solution to improve our daily routine and become better and faster. Take a training class. One service that I have been using for over a year now is called Lynda.com and I have to say, it is impressive. The basic monthly subscription is $25.00 a month and worth every penny. The online classes range from Time Management to Photography and of course include all Microsoft products as well as online tools like Google, LinkedIn and so forth. You can enjoy these well designed classes on your computer as well as on your Mobile Phone, iPad and even TV.
Here are some examples of courses that can impact your work and/or business:

- Creating an HTML eMail Newsletter
- Online Marketing Fundamentals
- Microsoft Office 2011
- Google Analytics
There is no more reason for struggling with Outlook or not being able to design perfect Powerpoint presentations.
by Tino on January 25, 2012
“LinkedIn may sometimes pair an advertiser’s message with social content from LinkedIn’s network in order to make the ad more relevant. When LinkedIn members recommend people and services, follow companies, or take other actions, their name/photo may show up in related ads shown to you. Conversely, when you take these actions on LinkedIn, your name/photo may show up in related ads shown to LinkedIn members. By providing social context, we make it easy for our members to learn about products and services that the LinkedIn network is interacting with.”
This text, accompanied with a small checked box, that is turned on by default is LinkedIn’s “Social Advertising” policy.
How to turn it ON or OFF?
- Place the cursor on your name at the top right corner of the screen. From the small
- pull down menu that appears, select “settings”
- Then click “Account” on the left/bottom
- In the column next to Account, select the option “Manage Social Advertising”
- Finally un-tick the box “LinkedIn may use my name and photo in social advertising”
- Save

Pros
Ads can be targeted. This is great for marketing to put your face in front of people who are interested. This leads to more visibility. The end user profits from this in more precise marketing, as data about the end user is known as well. The end user can also decide what he/she is interested in.
The endorsement is good for the marketer and end-user. The reason having a built-in testimonial for a marketer is clear. But the reason it is good for the end-user is information. The fact that a certain number of my connections like (or clicked on an ad) helps me make a decision. Their opinion matters – isn’t that the whole idea of social networking? When I’m looking for something, and I see connections I trust giving it a thumbs up, like friends or colleagues I’m more inclined to trust the advertising.
Cons
Should users have to constantly monitor their privacy settings to make sure that the social networks they belong to don’t turn these settings ON or OFF? Yes, there has been communication, but in all honesty, who reads all of that every day?
Have I been under a rock or did I miss this announcement? Shouldn’t we have a say in this type of activity before they default it checked?
It might be better if it’s turned OFF by default.