New Kid on the Block: 10 Tips for Settling In at a New Workplace

Fortune Cookie: A new job is in your future

Photo Credit: www.flazingo.com

Whether you’re joining a new company, or moving to a new position within your current organization, the change can be stressful and filled with unknowns. There are some simple actions you can take, however, to make the transition a smooth one and help put you on the path toward success.

1. Ask Questions

As a new hire, no one expects you to know everything your first day (or first month). At the same time, being the new kid means it is acceptable for you to ask lots of questions. Take advantage of your newbie status and ask as much as possible.

2. Listen and observe

Asking questions is only part of the equation for learning the ins and outs of your new place of work. Listen to what your coworkers say to each other and observe what they do and how they interact. Continue reading

Why Businesses Need Facebook

Businesses Need Facebook

Since my internship two years ago at a local organization in Green Bay doing social media content management and recently starting my job at Orion Group, I have explored why businesses need Facebook as a means of marketing. Facebook is a social platform where people share their personal feelings, beliefs, desires, and lives. Why then, do businesses need Facebook as a means of revenue growth or something that helps with exposure and profit? Continue reading

7 Tips on Getting Paid Faster

Many small businesses are faced with the challenge of collecting money owed.  This is one of the most important aspects of being in Final Noticebusiness as delayed payments can seriously disrupt cash flow that keeps the business afloat.  The amount of bill collectors advertising services on the web suggests that this is a big problem.  Here are a few suggestions that can result in getting paid faster and with less hassle: Continue reading

The Woes of Website Project Management

happy client website managementWebsite Project Management can have it’s “ups” and “downs”.

The “ups”, of course, are when everything goes smoothly.

  • The artwork phase starts and ends in a timely fashion.
  • Concepts are provided, the client steers the graphic designer to the next level of concept, tweaks are made and the design gracefully glides into production.
  • The design is reversed engineered into a navigable empty web site. Client is shown the development site and watches for progress.
  • Communication is maintained from both sides and all is going in the perfect direction.
  • The client has been collecting content during the art phase and during the site build out phase. How wonderful to have content ready, to be placed throughout the web site!
  • Photo galleries are installed and and the client has collected all photos to be dropped into the galleries.
  • An ecommerce package is installed and all product photos, descriptions and data have been provided by the client for ease of building the cart out. There are no snags in payment gateways and the SSL was issued without problems.
  • The site goes through final testing and the clients input for final tweaks have been made.
  • The site is ready for launch and on time.

Continue reading

Class: Learn Google Apps for Your Business

learn google apps milwaukeeThe topic for the Orion Web Exploration Lab next week is…

Google Apps for Business

This lab takes place on on Wednesday, June 18th at 8:30AM – 10:00AM!

Register Now »

Learn how to use Google’s suite of online tools to improve internal communication and collaboration through online document editing, calendar sharing, professional instant messaging and video conferencing and… of course, Google’s Business Gmail service.

These simple-to-use, yet powerful tools can greatly enhance your workflow and ultimately improve your productivity.

So, be sure to save your spot now, here:
Eventbrite.com

“Orion Web Exploration Lab” takes place at the Meetupery every month. It is for business owners, marketing managers and other professionals to learn and be informed about web technology, trends, tools and online marketing.

TIPS ON HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM IDENTITY THEFT

Last month, I discussed how everyone is affected by the different types of identity theft.  This month, I’m sharing tips from the stop identity theftexperts to help you reduce the risk of becoming another victim of identity theft.   Some of these items are not new, but they certainly bear repeating!

  1. Buy a shredder, preferably a cross-cut shredder, and shred papers containing any personal or medical information.  Do not just throw them in the trash.  Thieves are not afraid to dumpster dive to get your information.

  2. Keep financial records in a safe place in your home.  That includes your Social Security and Medicare cards.  Do not carry your Social Security or Medicare cards in your wallet or purse.   Continue reading

What You Should Know About Identity Theft

It could happen to youIt should come as no surprise that identify theft is out of control with more than 9 million Americans falling victim EACH YEAR.  If you carry your credit card and driver’s license, make purchases online, or simply buy lunch with a debit card, you are putting yourself at risk for identity theft.  Unfortunately, fewer than one in 700 identify crimes lead to an arrest.

No doubt you have heard about the theft of millions of credit and debit card numbers as well as personal information from the data bases of Target, Michaels, Neiman Marcus, Walgreens, Nordstrom, Zappos.com, Choicepoint, Lexis Nexis, DSW Show Warehouse, TJ Maxx, HSBC, and Bank of America.  Data hackers are operating more like a business with sophisticated networks of criminals who are hawking our identities.  Criminals are looking to get the maximum yield of monetizable data and the retail industry is an easy target.  Once the hackers have your information, they either use it themselves or sell to other thieves.  With your personal information, they have access to your credit history. If you have high credit scores, criminals will then use your information to open new bank accounts, take out mortgages and other large loans, as well as new credit cards.  Victims are unaware of these new accounts until the creditor seeks overdue payments. Continue reading