With the go-green phase upon us, everyone is looking to do their part. These 5 little changes will give your business an eco-friendly outlook and help decrease your carbon footprint.  While most small companies are environmentally aware, the following tips will surprise even the biggest of tree-huggers!

1. Nitro PDF: An alternative to Adobe PDF, Nitro PDF is about one-third of the cost. This program can easily create and send individual PDF files for clients, limiting the amount of paper used for traditional reports.

2. PDF995 Printer Driver: While the name might sound a little scary, the software is surprisingly simple. The PDF Printer Driver is an excellent way to digitally render invoices, graphic mock-ups, and long text documents, without touching a piece of paper or a scanner.

3. Fax to E-mail Services: While fax machines are becoming a thing of the past, this is a way you can jump ahead. Join a service such as “eFax“, “UnityFax“, or “jConnect” which allows you to set your incoming phone number to an e-mail address, so new faxes will go straight to your inbox.

4. EchoSign Online Contracts: The idea behind EchoSign is to elimminate the amount of paper used for contracts signed with clients, businesses, employees, etc. EchoSign has the same binding powers as a conventional contract while maintaining an ecological position. As with most internet-based programs, EchoSign speeds up the execution process up; an added perk for being nice and saving all those trees!

5. Online Backup and Record Keeping: Archiving your records and files can be a total pain in the bum, and even e-mail can get a little confusing at times. Online record keeping can be an extremely helpful option for businesses looking to save time and money. Here are a few services we recommend: Box.net, DropBox, Mozy, and Backblaze.

What else can you do to decrease your company’s carbon footprint? Have you made any successful ecological changes in your business?

See how one small business implemented some great workplace policies that are all about being green!

Yelp, as many of you know, is a user-generated website that allows people to write both negative or positive reviews for local restaurants, hotels, stores, nightlife scenes, and more. Users rate and leave comments about establishments for other consumers to review.

However, recent websites, like Yelp-Sucks and IHateYelp, have popped up in response to Yelp policies and reviews. These sites are used by angry business owners who have received negative feedback and complaints on Yelp, which has resulted in a loss of business. Many business owners have turned to Yelp for competitive reasons and are now frustrated with the site’s lax comment policies.

One major complaint is over the issue of negative reviews and how businesses can’t get rid of them. Another is that good reviews are often deleted from business pages by Yelp due to infrequent logging in by the owner. The site also allows users to review a business, even if they never used the service. Many business owners feel that they are not getting what they paid for, and that the site ultimately hurts their business.

Boris Levitt, owner of Renaissance Furniture Restoration, has actually sued Yelp for its “unfair and unethical conduct in promoting, marketing and advertising its website as maintaining unbiased reviews.” Levitt argues that the site is unlawful, and believes that Yelp has hurt his business. Yelp has had previous claims for similar issues in the past.

Do you think Yelp maintains its mission to promote companies in an unbiased fashion? How could Yelp change its policies to best serve business owners while providing consumers with truthful and relevant information?

When planning an event, last-minute purchases come up all the time. Well, Paypal and iPhone have teamed up the create a bump app that allows users to make purchases quickly and easily.  Over the past few years Paypal has made financial transactions via the internet a simple process. The recent bump iPhone app is just another way the company is creating a worry free shopping environment. The new bump app lets users literally bump their phones together and send money to each other.

Another cool feature of this app is that you can donate money to great causes and charitable organizations. Currently, PayPal has partnered with various organizations, including Save the Children and Autism Speaks, to make donating to charities an  easy process. The iPhone app will also allow users to deposit checks straight from their phone. Instead of going to an ATM or bank, just take a picture of both sides of the check and PayPal will deposit the money into your online account.

How do you think you will use this app? Can you see any potential problems with the technology?

Rumor has it that Apple has hired an expert to develop credit card payment technology as an app for the iPhone. This app would use near-field comms (NFC) implementations, like used in subway/bus ticket systems to process data transmitted from transportation cards. The simple technology recognizes the amount you’ve paid according to each journey you’ve taken, but the process for a  smartphone is far more complicated and has endless possibilities! This technology could add a whole new dimension to online shopping. All you have to do is set your iPhone onto a small pad and it will process your request the same way a machine in a grocery store works- simply confirm your PIN number or provide a signature.

Some might be skeptical of the new application, wondering if it’s necessary when one could simply shop online the old fashioned way, but the new iPhone app would allow users to input information faster, give access to stores where one can shop and receive free apps, discounts, loyalty card points, or games. For event planning, this is great news because you could buy all of your supplies quickly and easily from home, or on the go.

Do you think more people will prefer this method to regular in-store shopping? How do you think it will change the shopping experience in general?

We all know social media is fun and great for, well, socializing! But as an increasing number of event professionals are adapting marketing strategies to include social media, it is important to acknowledge why this is good for event planners.

There are a few concepts you need to know to understand the benefit of social media. The first describes social media success as measurable through determining what is working and what is not. Many social media sites create a forum for clients to offer feedback and provide helpful insights about the outcome of an event in order to choose future action. Client feedback, if positive, can also be used for promotion to demonstrate client satisfaction.

Additionally, many social media sites, such as WordPress blogs, offer services that measure overall page effectiveness. Effectiveness can be determined by successful search engine optimization (SEO) which refers to the process of improving the quality and increasing the traffic of a website or page. Quality sites feature content and design to attract and retain viewers through original, creative and engaging subject matter. SEO also refers to how many search engines link to your website. Incorporating social media into company policy is an excellent tool to enhance event management and marketing strategies. Determining the outcome of an event influences the strategies used for future events and the ultimate success of event planners.

“A day to celebrate the revolution of media becoming social. Celebrate Social Media Day with Mashable by attending or organizing a meetup near you June 30th. Connect with your social media community!”

Mashable is hosting the first worldwide celebration for Social Media Day today, June 30th. As of now, Mashable has over 350+ social media day meetups planned around the world! Who doesn’t use social media these days??

Here are some social media facts that I discovered on Socialnomics:

1. 1 out of 8 couples married in the U.S. last year met via social media
2. Years to Reach 50 millions Users:  Radio (38 Years), TV (13 Years), Internet (4 Years), iPod (3 Years)…Facebook added 100 million users in less than 9 months…iPhone applications hit 1 billion in 9 months.
3. If Facebook were a country it would be the world’s 4th largest between the United States and Indonesia (note that Facebook is now creeping up – recently announced 300 million users)
4. comScore indicates that Russia has the most engage social media audience with visitors spending 6.6 hours and viewing 1,307 pages per visitor per month – Vkontakte.ru is the #1 social network
5. 2009 US Department of Education study revealed that on average, online students out performed those receiving face-to-face instruction
6. 1 in 6 higher education students are enrolled in online curriculum
7. % of companies using LinkedIn as a primary tool to find employees….80%
8. The fastest growing segment on Facebook is 55-65 year-old females
9. Ashton Kutcher and Ellen Degeneres (combined) have more Twitter followers than the  population of Ireland, Norway, or Panama.  Note I have adjusted the language here after someone pointed out the way it is phrased in the video was difficult to determine if it was combined.
10. What happens in Vegas stays on YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, Facebook…
11. The #2 largest search engine in the world is YouTube
12. Wikipedia has over 13 million articles…some studies show it’s more accurate than Encyclopedia Britannica…78% of these articles are non-English
13. There are over 200,000,000 Blogs
14. If you were paid a $1 for every time an article was posted on Wikipedia you would earn $156.23 per hour
15. Facebook USERS translated the site from English to Spanish via a Wiki in less than 4 weeks and cost Facebook $0
16. 34% of bloggers post opinions about products & brands
17. 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations
18. Only 14% trust advertisements
19. Hulu has grown from 63 million total streams in April 2008 to 373 million in April 2009
20. 25% of Americans in the past month said they watched a short video…on their phone

Clearly social media is becoming a huge part of all of our lives! I use Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, our blog and many other websites to help gain online visibility for my event planning company. Social media has become the best way to non-invasively spread the word about what you’re doing, so I will very happily celebrate this day. Afterall, It has saved me from dreadful sales calls.

Jed Singer, the coordinator of the Social Media Day celebration in Philadelphia said, “I just love how social media tethers everyone together, and brings people closer in the real world. It’s amazing how far we’ve come from forums and message boards, to blogging, uploading video, microblogging, geolocating,” he said. “The fact that anyone can instantly publish anything to the web has really changed the world.”

Want to participate??

• Meetup Everywhere Mashable: Sign up to attend or organize your own event on the Meetup Everywhere Mashable.
• RSVP to the Facebook Event: RSVP and upload photos from your meetup to Mashable’s Facebook event page.
• Upload to Flickr: Upload photos to Flickr and tag them with #smday.
• Follow @mashSMday: Follow @mashSMday on Twitter for updates and developments on the celebration.
• Tweet: Use the #smday hashtag on Twitter. With so many participating, it will be a trending topic on Twitter on June 30.

There will be prizes for those that tweet or post the event on FB! How has social media helped you??

Overview of Hulu TV: Hulu is a great website that allows networks such as NBC, FOX, ABC & others to broadcast movies and television shows after they have been broadcasted live. As of now, Hulu is only offered to users in the United States and they make sure that international users outside the US do not have access to the videos. Hulu blocks many anonymous proxies and virtual private networks. In addition to NBC, ABC and FOX programs and movies, Hulu carries shows from other networks such as  Current TV, PBS, USA Network, Bravo, FX, NFL Network, Sundance, E!, A&E, and Oxygen. Each supplier receives up to 50-70 percent of advertising revenue resulting from its content.

Now you can easily watch TV on the internet! You don’t have to download from iTunes or create a Netflix account because Hulu TV shows and movies are free and easy to watch.

• What Can I Watch on Hulu TV?: Hulu TV offers full-length movies and tv shows, sports events and short video clips.  You are able to watch current programs, like the latest episode of True Blood, or go back and find old classics.
• How Much Does Hulu Cost?: Hulu TV is free! Most programs begin with “limited commercial interruptions” meaing that every 10 minutes you’ll have to watch a 30 second commercial clip.

Do you watch TV shows or Movies on Hulu.com? If so, do you enjoy this website and find it to be better than NetFlix or iTunes? If you’ve never tried Hulu.com before, you’ll be pleasantly surprised on how many shows you’ll find!

Did you know that you can save money with calls to landlines and mobiles? By using the Skype application on your iPhone you are able to reach your contacts anywhere in the world at great rates when using Skype. You are able to text with “pay as you go credit” or with a subscription and receive unlimited calls to landlines and to even some mobiles in specific countries. Skype’s screens are able to sort contacts alphabetically and enables you to chat online with contacts as well. Skype-to-Skype calling on 3G is free until the end of 2010, after that there’ll be a small monthly free.

As an event planner, Skype can be especially useful for long distance meetings and interviews. It makes it much easier to keep in contact with event partners and those involved with the production of the event. Using video conferencing for meetings can not only be more cost effective than face to face meetings, but can make the brainstorming process move much quicker. This is much better than regular telephone conferencing where you can’t even see a person’s facial expressions. Video chatting makes the process much more personal.

Call and be called on Skype- wherever you go!

How amazing is it that you can make free Skype-to-Skype calls to phones abroad on Wifi or 3G? Skype for Iphone truly delivers Skype experience and now you can video chat from your phone from anywhere in the world which, makes conference calls easier too!

Top 4 Reasons to Love Skype for Iphone:

• Near CD-quality sound for Skype-to-Skype calls using wideband audio on iPhone 3GS or 2nd generation iPod touch and onwards.

• Enhanced call quality indicator, which will help customers choose the best moment to call.

• Improved start-up time

• Rapid access to the dial pad from the home screen

Have you ever used Skype for meetings? The bigger question on our minds, however, is just how big a blow FaceTime on the brand new Iphone 4G will deliver to Skype and other competing VoIP services.

“OpenTable is the leading supplier of reservation, table management and guest management software for restaurants. In addition, the company operates www.opentable.com, the world’s most popular website for making restaurant reservations online.” (opentable.com)

Open Table has been around for awhile now but it never seizes to amaze me how convenient this website is, especially when the application came to the Iphone. They have also just joined forces with Yelp to make reservations even easier. This will allow logged-in Yelp users to make a reservation at many restaurants without leaving the site. You won’t need an OpenTable account to take advantage of the system, but if you use the same e-mail address for both accounts, they’ll continue to earn dining reward points on OpenTable, which can add up to credit at certain restaurants.

The App: Being an event planner, this can be extremely useful at times when you need to scout available venues on the fly! This application/website not only finds nearby restaurants but can book your table as well. Calling restaurants and being put on hold is now a thing of the past. It will even give you directions to the restaurant from wherever you are. You are shown only nearby restaurants, and while it doesn’t filter by type of cuisine or refine your search as easily as you can on the website, it’s still very functional. They have also just created a new app for the iPad which will allow a lot more information on one single screen, and is more user friendly than the Iphone app.

For more info on the iPad app, check out OpenTable iPhone App Now Available For iPad [OpenTable Restaurant Reservation App Is Now Available For iPad] » TFTS – Technology, Gadgets & Curiosities

Dining Points: Every time you make a reservation and show up, you receive dining award points. The points can be anywhere from 100-1000 depending on the restaurant and time you chose, and are not awarded for cancellations/no-shows. They can later become a “dinning cheque” which can be used at any OpenTable restaurant world wide.

Have you used the OpenTable app yet?

Instead of waiting in lines outside of designer sample sales, you can now shop from home, work, or on your iphone! If you haven’t heard of Gilt, actually formed in 2007 and over 1.7 million members strong, it is a pioneer in the U.S. and one of the leaders in the very hot e-commerce “deal space” industry.Sample sales have often been defined by inconvenient times and locations, and only a small number of people actually had access to them. Now, this concept is alive online and can be brought to people all across the country.

Really loving the deals on this site so here’s some info we came across that we’d like to share:

Invitation Only Shopping
Gilt Groupe offers access, by invitation only, to Men’s, Women’s, Children’s and Home desired fashion and luxury brands at prices up to 70% off retail. The sales last for 36 hours and present hand selected styles from a single designer.

First Come, First Served
The sales take place on www.gilt.com and the full collection of merchandise will always be available at the start of the sale. It is important for members to log on early before everything is sold out!

Advance Preview
Each brand is introduced a few days before the sale begins. Gilt presents designer bios and show previews of upcoming sales.

Jetsetter:

Invitation-Only Travel Sales
Jetsetter gives members insider access, knowledge, and elite deals on the world’s best vacations. All the hotels featured are hand-selected by Jetsetter, and the sales last five to seven days.

Some Current sales:

Hotel Maya – Long Beach, CA
Hotel Teatro – Denver
Hotel Commonwealth – Boston
Alladale Wilderness Lodge – Scottland
The Pines Lodge – Beaver Creek
Tiamo Resort – The Bahamas
The beach House Inn – Maine