Favorite Things: Skype

Two years ago, when my brother moved back to Bosnia to pursue an MBA degree, we lost our main form of communication — our cell phones. We resorted to e-mails and phone calls on Sundays.

About six months in, he told me about Skype and how we can use it to talk to each other for free.

For free!?!?

I obviously didn’t believe him, but soon joined and sure enough I was back to talking to my brother everyday.

Now, that I’m in Bosnia I use Skype  to stay in touch with my family and my friends. It has a chat feature and you can buy credit to call people’s landlines or cell phones. The best part for me is the video feature that allows you to see the person you’re talking to and vice versa. As far away as we all are, Skype makes the distance not seem as great.

-Aida

Favorite Things: Jango

When I was in college, I was introduced to the wonderful world of Pandora. Whether I was writing a paper or studying, Pandora was there playing my favorite tunes. But, when I moved to Bosnia my musical inspiration was gone.

Until I found Jango.

Jango offers, more or less, the same services as Pandora, except that it works outside the US. Jango allows you to search for artists or through other users’ stations for music you may like, add genre stations and make friends.

Thanks to Jango, my inspiration is back.

-Aida

Four Tips to Perfecting E-mail Etiquette

We Millennials bounded out of the womb with a laptop and IPod in each hand and a Bluetooth in our ear. We check our Gmail accounts religiously via our Blackberrys and frequently use the term “tweet” in everyday conversations.

We are synonymous with technology.

So it doesn’t surprise me that when it comes to etiquette a lot of us aren’t as responsible when using this technology as we should be and as newbies in the workplace that can be a big disadvantage.

The following is a list of suggestions to help you successfully navigate through a seemingly second-nature task while making the right impression on your new co-workers.

1. Frequency–even though sending an IM to your roommate who is five feet down the hall is normal communication behavior for most of us, it can hinder our ability to meet new colleagues and build bridges to effective work relationships. Make it a point to deliver at least one face-to-face message a day, or at the very least use the phone for quick notes or questions. Relying on e-mail for every little thing is annoying–don’t be that kid.

2. Content–learning the typical protocol for communication in your office is key. You have to learn what’s professional vs. what’s personal and tailor your notes accordingly. Also stray away from jargon unless absolutely neccessary to keep messages clear and clean in case anyone outside your immediate circle is copied.

3. Grammar and Spelling–two words: spell check. This is absolutely the easiest thing you can do. Make sure your messages are free of punctuation and grammar errors too. Nothing labels you faster in my mind than by misusing the word “their” for “there.” And please learn contractions–”your” does not mean “you are” or subsequently “you’re.” Seriously people.

4. Streamline–pleasantries are nice but don’t play them out. Keep subject lines to the point, for example I try to tag on a deadline after the question or project note. Typing in “answer needed by ___” with a specific date gives people a to-do item and not just another email to respond to. Simplifying word choice by using the most appropriate language keeps your email succinct and avoids annoyingly unnecessary and superfluous banter. Don’t use five words when two will do. 

These four points are my personal pet peeves but there are a ton more e-mail faux pas out there. What are your top e-mail blunders to avoid?

-Marilyn