Are you gunning for a raise or a promotion? Maybe you simply want to stand out for job security. Regardless, this can be done by impressing your boss, but how?

Well, you could use Excel. Excel is a very robust program; there is a lot to master. We are not going to go over everything you can do with Excel here, but you will learn a few methods to boost your efficiency and maybe get some attention as well.

• Hiding Information: You might wonder why you would want to hide particular information in a spreadsheet. Well, imagine the spreadsheet containing all your data about the company also has everyone’s salary. That is private information that you don’t want to reveal at the meeting. Simple hide the column or row by clicking the related number or letter to highlight it, then right-click on that highlighted row or column and select the Hide option in the popup menu. Then you can Unhide the row or column in the same manner when the meeting has ended.
• Timestamping: You can attach a fixed date and time to your Excel spreadsheets using your computer’s “Ctrl” key. To do this, hold Ctrl while you press the semicolon key. For the current date and time just hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys while pressing the semicolon.
• A Better-Looking Spreadsheet: Perk up your spreadsheet by utilizing Excel’s Themes option. This is found at the top on the Excel Ribbon. This aspect gives you a large variety of color schemes and fonts, or you can create your own and apply it to your spreadsheet.
• Tracking Trends: The newest version of Excel includes a feature called Sparklines. By employing this feature, you can create small charts that show trends in information. For example, you could use Sparklines to instantly determine how many software bundles each of your company’s salespeople sold in the first half of 2011.
• Conditional Formatting: This feature allows formatting only in cells that meet the requirements that you choose. For instance you could decided to have any dollar amount over 1,000 be a particular color.

The Internet has changed the way we get our news, watch movies, and pay our bills. It’s not surprising, then, that it has also changed the way we listen to music. Today, the web is home to many top music-streaming services – online services that permit users to listen to their favorite music on their laptops, desktops, and mobile devices.

But which music-streaming services are the best? Below are a few suggestions:

Pandora: Pandora has been around awhile, and it is very widely used. It’s easy to see why: it is simple. After navigating to the website, type in the name of a song or artist you want and Pandora will create a radio station based on that information. It chooses songs by artists with a similar sound. As you listen to your station you can select the thumbs up or thumbs down symbol on the songs and Pandora will adjust your station based on this new information. Moreover, you can “seed” you station with different artists to further personalize it. You can tune in to Pandora without creating an account but in order to save your stations, you will need to create an account.

Grooveshark: Grooveshark is similar to Pandora. But you can also make your own playlists manually, all without creating an account. However, those who want to save their play lists will have to sign up for a free account. Like Pandora, Grooveshark also offers recommendations for songs that you might like based on your past musical choices. Grooveshark also has an intriguing feature: You can improve the service’s database of music by adding your own favorite songs and artists if you don’t find them in Grooveshark’s current collection.

Rhapsody: Rhapsody has stayed fairly popular due to its huge database of music. It has more then 14 million songs. Unfortunately, while many of the services we have discussed offer a free version, Rhapsody does not. It is $10 a month for unlimited music.

Spotify: Spotify was released in 2008, and since then it has exploded into one of the most widely known and used music-streaming services. Spotify is very user friendly and, like Grooveshark, users can listen to entire albums or decide to use the radio function.  One of the things that people love about Spotify is its integration with Facebook. If you use the Spotify app, it keeps a running list of the songs you have heard on Facebook. Furthermore, users can see what their Facebook friends are currently listening to on a real-time feed. This is great for those who are in search of new music if one of their friends has similar tastes.

Cloud computing is becoming more and more common. A very basic definition of the cloud is: a group of remote servers where people can store and access their data. One advantage of using the cloud is that powerful programs and files may be stored at a distant location so they don’t use up memory on personal computers and slow down operating systems.

Not All Clouds are the Same

However, that is not all that you should know about the cloud. You have the public cloud, which is the one most of us use, the private cloud, and the hybrid cloud. The hybrid cloud, as the name suggests, is a combination of using both the public and private cloud.

The hybrid cloud typically works like this: A business provides some resources in-house. For example, it might store latest consumer data on its private in-house cloud. It might also store employee records, new marketing campaigns, and current proposals to new clients on its in-house storage. That same business, however, might store older, archived data on a public cloud service. This frees up space on the business’ servers, and allows its in-house computers to operate more efficiently.

The Hybrid Cloud Approach Makes Sense

This frees up space on the in-house servers while guaranteeing certain data is highly safeguarded. The hybrid cloud is a good method to provide businesses with high security cloud services while cutting costs and saving space.

It’s little wonder, then, that so many organizations today are moving toward a hybrid cloud approach. There is simply too much data floating around today for small enterprises to effectively store. At the same time, businesses in today’s competitive environment don’t want to reveal company secrets and sensitive consumer data to either their competition or hackers. The hybrid cloud could enable businesses to accomplish both feats.

Even though many prefer face-to-face meetings, virtual meetings are a common part of today’s business environment. It is critical, however, to consider certain things when you’re conducting these meetings.

Etiquette is important during virtual meetings and should be taken into consideration, as it would be in any face-to-face meeting. This may seem obvious, but many people think of virtual meetings as more informal and laid-back than face-to-face ones, which is not always the case.

Here are a few more tips that can help your virtual meetings to be more efficient and professional.

1. Be prepared

Preparedness is significant for any meeting, virtual or not. When you’re conducting a virtual meeting, it can be easy to forget who your audience is. You want to make sure that the information you’re presenting is appropriate for each participant.

Make certain that everyone will be able to easily access the meeting by providing them with the correct access codes, URLs and call-in numbers. After all, a meeting without attendees is really no meeting at all.

2. Engage participants

Many people are in the habit of leaping right into the meat of the presentation, which isn’t always best during virtual meetings. If you and your participants aren’t familiar with each other, building some sort of relationship is necessary. Try giving everybody the opportunity to introduce themselves.

Although it may feel like freshman orientation all over again, having everyone go around and share the highlight of his or her weekend or some other little tidbit, can serve as a huge icebreaker.

3. No side conversations

Although it may be tempting to hold side conversations when you’re not the one on screen, it can seem unprofessional and is often very distracting. Since virtual meetings often don’t hold people’s attention as well as face-to-face meetings, the last thing you want is to distract people from the task at hand.

There are many things you can do to produce a more effective and productive virtual meeting, and these are just a few of those. For more ideas, check out this Inc. article.

E-readers are an incredible convenience that plenty of people swear by. You can have all of your books in one place and they are extremely portable. Sometimes there’s nothing more painful than having to haul around a bunch of large books, however, they’re not ideal for everyone. Continue reading to learn about some of the pros and cons of e-readers.

What are the options?

The Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader and Barnes & Noble Nook are among the most popular of the e-readers. Although some e-readers have Internet capabilities, their main purpose is to display e-books.

Tablet owners frequently use their tablets to read e-books as well. Most tablets, however, do much more than just display e-books, so that is not their key purpose.

Pros

• E-readers are extremely portable, which is ideal for anybody who likes to read during vacation or a business trip
• Another travel perk – if you are in a foreign country, you may still download an e-book in the language you choose, instead of looking for an accommodating bookstore.
• Books are often more affordable than you will find in standard bookstores.
• Privacy – you almost certainly don’t want everyone to know if you’re reading a self-help book. If you’re using an e-reader, they won’t be able to tell.
• All of your books are in one place.

Cons

• Depending on the type of e-reader or tablet, you might not be able to read in direct sunlight because of screen glare.
• Cost – even though you might pay less for books than you normally would, e-readers typically cost more than $140.
• If you’re used to shopping in used bookstores, these books will cost a great deal more than you’re used to spending.
• Lending books isn’t always a possibility.
• All of your books are in one spot – if you lose your e-reader, you’re losing all of your books unless you buy a replacement.

As with any technology, the decision between an e-reader and a book comes down to personal preference. While some people want to be able to showcase their books on a bookshelf and share them with the world, others prefer the portable convenience that comes with an e-reader.

For more insight into the debate between e-readers and traditional books check out this article.

It can often be difficult to inspire employees when you’re running a small business. Funds are limited, and time is extremely valuable. Incentives are necessary when it comes to motivation, however; finding cheap and easy incentives is imperative.

There are plenty of ways to motivate employees that don’t include things like big bonuses or costly benefits. A hand-written thank you letter can go a long way when it comes to showing employee appreciation. Here are a few other ideas:

1. Ask for input

By encouraging input from employees you are letting them know that their opinions are appreciated. This goes a long way in making them feel like a part of the team, which then inspires them to work hard for the good of the team.

2. Change it up

Sometimes repetition can lead to a lack of motivation. When this happens, it’s essential to remember the cause for the waning motivation and mix things up a little. If you know an employee is willing to exercise a certain skill, try giving him or her a project that allows for that.

3. Focus on a great company culture

People enjoy working for companies that they feel are different from the rest. Setting your company apart by integrating unique ideas into the company culture can help you find and retain great, motivated employees. Things like complimentary professional massages once a month can go a long way in developing a unique company culture.

4. Recognize people for a job well done

One of the biggest possible motivators is recognizing your employees for doing a good job. When you’re working away at something and feel like nobody appreciates it, it can make your effort seem entirely pointless – regardless of its effect on the company.

Something as simple as a company-wide email highlighting their accomplishments can re-ignite motivation and make employees want to continue working hard. Although the attention may embarrass some, most people like to know that others recognize their effort.

All of these ideas are great, affordable options for motivating employees when you don’t have a ton of resources. Trying out a few of these ideas could do wonders for employee motivation and keep morale high.

Check out this article to see a few more methods for motivating employees.

Smartpens are an awesome office trend whose possibilities are always growing.  They’re still pretty new to the scene, but so far, they are full of practical features to make office life a little more efficient.

Smartpens essentially keep track of what you’re writing and transfer those notes onto your computer. Each smartpen has different abilities, however, some of which are more useful than others.

IOGEAR Mobile Digital Scribe

This was the first smartpen on the market and, because of that, it comes without some of the bells and whistles that are available on newer pens.

It does, however, do plenty of interesting things that make it a fantastic business tool. The Mobile Digital Scribe captures and stores all of your notes for later review. It doesn’t require you to write on a certain surface – a simple piece of paper will do. Also, if you connect the smartpen to your computer, it can display your notes on the screen as you write them.

Logitech IO2 Digital Pen

The Logitech IO2 Digital Pen is also a more simple model, like the IOGEAR version. It lets you save your notes in a variety of different file types and formats.

You can then search for words and phrases by date, file type, or file name. You can add items to your calendar simply by writing them down. The Logitech IO2 Digital Pen doesn’t work on any surface like the IOGEAR pen, but it works with Post-It notes and Franklin Covey’s iScribe software and digital planning pages.

Livescribe Echo

The Livescribe Echo smartpen is by far the most technologically advanced of all the smartpens available. It not only transcribes everything you write down, it also records audio and converts the recording into a number of different audio file types.

The coolest feature that you’ll find on the Echo is the Pencast functionality. A Pencast lets you play back the audio and synchronize it with your notes, making it much less complicated to keep a detailed record of your thoughts without writing down everything. Apple has also built a free app that allows for easy sharing and replaying.

These pens are pretty interesting tools that can be helpful for just about anyone. They take a great deal of time out of transcription and make remembering details of a meeting or conversation much easier.

To check out a review of the Livescribe Echo, click here.

Everybody has been talking today about the newest feature to be revealed by Google. It is called Gmail Motion and it lets users perform standard email commands with simple gestures.

Standard actions such as reply all, search and archive can now be completed with simple gestures, instead of a keyboard and mouse. This advancement will most likely make users feel more in sync with their computers and enjoy their email experiences even more.

How does it work?

The technology works with your computer’s webcam – most of which are built in to your computer nowadays. Google’s patented spatial tracking technology detects your movements and translates them into Gmail-specific commands.

How to use Gmail Motion safely

As with any physical activity, it is important to take certain safety precautions in order to avoid injury. First, clear the area around you. It is easy to get excited about the technology, which can result in sudden movements. If the area is not clear, you could easily hit something and injure yourself or damage property.

It is also recommended that you take regular breaks, just as you would if you were doing any other sort of work on the computer. Intermittent stretching is ideal as well. It will prevent your muscles from cramping and feeling overworked.

If this technology interests you, try taking a look at the Gmail Motion website, which profiles how-to videos and a printable Motion Guide that contains all of the possible gestures. If you are a business user who is wondering when you will be able to take advantage of this technology, have no fear – you will soon be seeing Google Docs Motion.

This spatial tracking technology from Google is outstanding – it could potentially change the way we all work and interact with our computers on a regular basis. To some people, this announcement may seem kind of silly, and it is. Gmail Motion is just the latest of Google’s yearly April Fools’ jokes.

Happy April Fools’ Day!

Sometimes it can be hard to keep your belongings safe while you are on the go. Luckily, there are many tools that make it easier. Things like notebook locks and personal safes are incredibly handy and portable enough that you can take them with you wherever you go. These are some of the coolest tools that can help protect your things.

Laptop privacy screens

When you’re working in public, it can be rather easy for someone to take a peek at your screen and see everything you’re typing and doing. These privacy screens make that seemingly simple invasion of privacy much more difficult.

Laptop privacy screens get rid of the need to crouch over your screen and constantly minimize windows by obscuring any view from an angle. Looking at the screen from an angle results in a seriously darkened screen, which makes it challenging to really see anything.

Handheld paper shredder

We all know the benefits of shredding documents that have personal or business information on them. Sometimes, it’s not so convenient to do. With a handheld shredder, destroying sensitive documents is a simple task that can be a huge help in keeping your data secure.

Mandylion Password Manager

Strong passwords are essential to our security. They are one of the most effective ways to protect your sensitive information from hackers and evildoers. Strong passwords aren’t always so easy to create and keep track of, however, which is why we often need a little help.

The Mandylion Password Manager eliminates that problem and makes it easy to keep track of all of those strong passwords you create. With its “military-grade password protection,” this device is excellent for anyone who has trouble coming up with and remembering passwords – and you can even attach it to your keychain!

Anybody who ever does any work outside of the office knows that it can sometimes be a challenge to secure all of your data and belongings. These gadgets, and many others like them, can go a long way in the fight for on-the-go security.

If you’d like to check out even more gadgets that can help you stay secure, check out this Mashable article.

Managing your email inbox can be fairly stressful. The emails are coming in faster than you can read them, and it seems like there’s never enough time in the day to make it through them all. Fortunately, there are several tricks that make it easier to keep your inbox clean – here are just a couple of them:

1. Set up folders

   Setting up folders, tags or labels in your inbox allows your email client to sort out emails automatically. You can commonly set filters according to email address, so emails from your Aunt Hilda will go into their own folder and won’t clutter your inbox.

   With this feature, trivial emails are filtered out and don’t take up important space in your inbox. It’s pretty easy to set this up and since this feature is available in most email clients and services, it is probably available to you.

2. Enable conversation view

   Conversation (or “threaded”) view is available in most email clients and it does a fantastic job of making your inbox seem more manageable. Instead of seeing a large number of individual emails about a single topic, they will all be grouped together, taking up much less space in your inbox.

   So now, when you archive or delete an email that has a conversation attached to it, all of those emails will be archived along with it. This keeps your email appearing cleaner and makes your inbox less overwhelming.

3. If it will take less than 5 minutes to address, deal with it right away 

   Many emails take lots of time and energy to really tackle. For those emails that don’t require much time, it is typically best to deal with it right away. Putting it off will only make it seem bigger than it is and create more stress than is necessary. As you address these emails right away more often they will become easier to deal with.

These are just a few basic ways that can help make your inbox more manageable. There are many more tricks that are just as easy and can make a big difference in your everyday email habits.

For more tips on email management check out this Business Insider article.