What’s #Trending Now

We have come a long way from prehistoric forms of communications like smoke signals and pigeons but the impetus remains the same today: people need to share their emotions and communicate – especially during big events. Today, we just choose to communicate more with our mobile devices. And, in the age of social media people are continuing to rely on text messages (SMS) to share their thoughts. It’s clear that there are events and moments in time driving people to communicate. And, the London 2012 Olympics sets a good example. Check out this infographic from Sybase 365*, the mobile services arm of SAP:

Click Here

What was your favorite Olympic moment and did you text anyone to share the joy or disappointment? For me it was the women’s soccer match between the U.S. and Canada. My dad and I exchanged text messages with our own analysis after each goal by both teams (there were a lot of goals to go around). They were that textworthy! You can relive the match here in case you missed it.

*NOTE: Sybase 365 is a Prosek Partners client.

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No Comments » Written on August 21st, 2012 by
Categories: What’s #Trending Now
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American workers are not taking all of their vacation time. And when they do, they are not 100% off-the-clock because they are distracted by the gadgets and gizmos that connect them to the world that they have planned to leave behind. But, there is a new trend emerging to truly disconnect us from our working world: the unplugged vacation.

Believe it or not, an unplugged vacation does exist. Many resorts offer activities to help vacationers unwind such as yoga classes, outdoor activities, etc., and some take a step further by offering rooms with no phones, TV, and Wi-Fi. In fact, Google “unplugged vacation” and you’ll find a sizable list of websites that offer suggestions for best unplugged destinations. Some of these suggestions include:

Weaning off the technology while you’re away from the office is challenging, but you’ll be a better thinker if you can go off the grid for a few days. For more recommended unplugged vacations, click here and here. CJP

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The 2008 recession impacted businesses in a variety of ways. It is responsible for the growing adoption of the four-day work week and telecommuting. It is also the mother of a whole new breed of workers: the super commuters. I recently came across a study done by Professor Mitchell Moss at New York University and was completely captivated by this new breed. According to Moss, super commuters are those who work in a city that is at least 100 miles away from the city where they reside. Often times these 1.15 million super commuters who live in 10 large U.S. metro areas leave home at the break of dawn on Monday to fly, take the train, drive, or a combination of all three to get to their offices, and return home on Friday. Why would anyone in their right mind do this you might ask? It can’t be about the money. Actually, it is.

Unemployment number is still high so many candidates are willing to take any job even if it requires them to be on the road for many hours. Additionally, these super commuters are not willing to uproot their family and move closer to the new job. The economy is still unstable so they are not willing to take that risk. Fortunately, many employers are accepting of this new breed so this trend is continuing to grow according to Moss. Based on his research, Texas has the highest concentration of super commuters – about 427,000 people (13 percent of the workforce) – with Houston leading all markets. Areas in the north of Manhattan saw a 60 percent growth of super commuters and Philadelphia experienced a 50 percent increase in workers who meet the criteria. Farther west, Seattle also saw a jump while 8.6 percent of the workforce in the areas surrounding Phoenix can give themselves that brand.

How long is your commute? I bet the time you spend on the train or in your car each day is not even a fraction of these super commuters’. So next time when you start to complain about your commute, think about these super commuters and be thankful that after this horrendous 45-minute commute, you will get to see your family while they have to wait until the end of the week. CJP

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Organizations are facing a unique challenge in managing today’s workforce. For the first time in history, the workplace demographic is made up of four different generations according to AARP. Millennials can find themselves working with colleagues who are more than 50 years their senior, while Baby Boomers finding themselves reporting to Gen Xers. What do companies have to do to effectively address and manage this unique intergenerational dynamics?

For starters, it’s important for organizations to have a full grasp on current generational trends. These trends include escalating competition for talent, different generations working side-by-side more so now than ever before, and the impact of the work environment has on productivity and business results. Organizations also need to understand what makes each generation unique and their characteristics at the workplace such as what motivates them and their preferred methods of communication.

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No Comments » Written on February 24th, 2012 by
Categories: What’s #Trending Now

Liu Jun, senior vice president and president of the Mobile Internet and Digital Home business group at Lenovo, introduces the first-ever Android-based Smart TV. Daniel Acker / Bloomberg

You might have driven or seen a smart car; your home might be connected to a smart grid, and you might be reading this blog on your smartphone. Soon, you’ll be watching your favorite TV shows/movies on a smart TV. No, it doesn’t make you smarter…in case you are wondering.

This week, Las Vegas has played host to the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) where geeks and gadgets collide. Each year a new consumer technology or gadget makes the biggest splash and generates the most buzz. Last year it was 3D TV. This year, smart TV is all the rage. Essentially, the fundamental idea is a TV set that can access the internet to provide the users more content than what is already been offered by the traditional broadcasting channels according to Wikipedia. But at this year’s CES, Samsung, LG and Lenovo revealed that they have plans to take smart TVs to a whole different level via voice control and motion sensor. With these smart TVs, couch potatoes can now turn on the set with their voice and command and/or gesture the TV to switch channel, adjust the volume, search for programs, and web applications.

Gone are the days when we reluctantly remove ourselves from the couch to change the channels, and days when we couldn’t find the remote control. But how will we fight over the “remote control” now? I can already picture a shouting match in my household.

If you’re interested in keeping up with the latest gadgets, CNET has the full coverage of CES. Follow @cnet or their reporters on Twitter, or visit the site for live updates from the show floor.

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No Comments » Written on January 13th, 2012 by
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