August 2014 Summaries

Spend some time with developers and you'll likely hear terms like "cloud" and "git" thrown around, but what do these acronyms actually mean? Learning the basics of common tech terms can greatly benefit marketers, sales teams, and small business owners. The cloud refers to a network of remote servers that store data, allowing for faster access and reduced costs. In contrast to traditional methods where servers were set up in an office, cloud computing enables developers to rent server space from companies like Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Azure, reducing the need for physical infrastructure. A text editor is a tool used to write code, with editors designed specifically for coding, such as Emacs, Vim, or Sublime Text, whereas Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) bundle multiple tools into one program. Version control systems like Git, Subversion, and Mercurial help developers track changes to their code, providing benefits such as history, collaboration, and bug tracking. A database is a program designed to store data in an organized manner, allowing developers to focus on app development rather than data storage concerns. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are the building blocks of websites, with HTML specifying content, CSS defining style, and JavaScript adding interactivity through programming languages. A typical day for a developer involves using these tools to develop, test, and deploy applications, often working with version control systems, databases, and cloud resources to streamline processes. By understanding these common tech terms, individuals can gain an edge in their marketing or sales roles or improve decision-making in small businesses.

The article highlights the diverse approaches to support teams in various companies, including Buffer, FreshBooks, Help Scout, Trello, and Zapier. Each company shares their tools, processes, and strategies for providing excellent customer support. The tone of the responses varies, with some companies emphasizing empathy, passion, and communication skills, while others focus on technical expertise and a strong work ethic. The article concludes that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to support teams, but rather a need for guiding tenets and flexibility to accommodate different business needs and user experiences.

Twitter Advanced Search can be a powerful tool for businesses to advance their marketing efforts, engage with customers, and validate new ideas. By using advanced search features such as monitoring brand mentions, saving tweets from events or promotions, gathering customer testimonials, and identifying influencers, businesses can gain valuable insights into what's working and what's not. Additionally, tools like Zapier can be used to automate tasks, filter results, and get real-time alerts sent to email or text apps. Other useful tools include Followerwonk, SocialBro, Tweriod, Topsy, Buffer, CoSchedule, HubSpot Social Inbox, Snap Bird, and Twitter Analytics, which can help businesses optimize their social media outreach, identify trends and topics, analyze performance, schedule tweets, and more.

This article discusses the benefits of using start dates in task management apps, particularly for avoiding stress and procrastination. It highlights how start dates can help users prioritize tasks, reduce unnecessary deferring of deadlines, and make task management more efficient. The author shares their own experience with 2Do's start date feature and compares it to other task management apps like Finish, Asana, Pagico, Omnifocus, and Wunderlist, which also offer similar features or workarounds for achieving the benefits of start dates.