Things I Like

A place for Charlie's Inspiration

59 notes

The Surprising Secret To Getting Your Emails Read

fastcompany:

“Vagueness is the opposite of useful,” Geoffrey James writes for Inc. “The clearer the goal, the more convincing your e-mail will be.”

  1. Start by writing what you think you are trying to say
  2. Discover that the first few lines are wholehearted hogwash
  3. Rejoice in your determination to write something well
  4. Keep your hands on the keyboard, look for the conclusion when it appears
  5. THEN move that conclusion to the top of the message

Here are more tips. 

29 notes

murketing: Yesterday I tagged along with Lorna, from Knits For Life (my sister!) while she installed this super awesome iphone yarn bomb on this sad looking pay phone. As you can see in the before above, the receiver is gone so this is a definite upgrade. I wanted to ask her a few questions about the idea and her process Read it here: The Dapper Toad: iPayPhone Yarn Bomb) I really like this, and have just lately been thinking about abandoned pay phones and booths. Who owns them, exactly? Anyway this is a cool project. Via No Expectations.

murketing:

Yesterday I tagged along with Lorna, from Knits For Life (my sister!) while she installed this super awesome iphone yarn bomb on this sad looking pay phone. As you can see in the before above, the receiver is gone so this is a definite upgrade. I wanted to ask her a few questions about the idea and her process

Read it here: The Dapper Toad: iPayPhone Yarn Bomb)

I really like this, and have just lately been thinking about abandoned pay phones and booths. Who owns them, exactly?

Anyway this is a cool project. Via No Expectations.

106 notes

fastcompany:

How It Feels To Use Google Glass

Today, Google shared their first, practical vision for Glass’s HUD. If there’s one mantra, it’s transparency. Aside from videos and photos, every bit of the interface focuses on clarity, from the use of what must be the sveltest font possible, to contrasting that font against the lightest matte possible.

106 notes

fastcompany: Hate Small Talk? These 5 Questions Will Help You Work Any Room Do you love going to events, but find yourself stranded during happy hour, tongue-tied and tucked in a corner? Initiating and maintaining conversations while networking is a necessary skill, and one you can easily improve with these simple tips. When looking for a conversation partner, look for: —Fun, inviting groups —White-knuckled loners who look uncomfortable and will welcome your attempt to initiate dialogue —Familiar faces Questions to get the conversations flowing: “What’s your connection to the event?”This question can uncover mutual contacts and usually leads to a more robust answer than if you asked the typical “Have you been to this event before?” “What’s keeping you busy when you’re not at events like this or at work?” This question gives the encouragement necessary for the person to share his/her passions and outside interests. It is an excellent way to add some enthusiasm into a conversation that has hit a lull, especially if he/she would prefer to be doing that activity at that moment. “Are you getting away this summer?” This question can lead to conversations about family, reveal special interests and, if you like talking about travel, it’s a sure-fire way to keep a conversation interesting. “Are you working on any charity initiatives?” This question makes it easy to launch into a deeper connection. If they’re not involved with any projects, they often share reasons which is usually revealing, and if they are doing something of value they will be more than happy to share. “How did you come to be in your line of work?” For some, the path to where they are today can be quite an interesting ordeal. Having a chance to revisit their story to success can leave helpful clues along the way as to who they are and what makes them tick. Ideally small talk will uncover common interests, business alignments, the six degrees that separate you, potential need for your product or service, and basically whether or not you enjoy each other’s company.  The goal of conversation at functions is to establish enough common ground to determine a reason to connect again. [Image: Flickr user Aquila]

fastcompany:

Hate Small Talk? These 5 Questions Will Help You Work Any Room

Do you love going to events, but find yourself stranded during happy hour, tongue-tied and tucked in a corner? Initiating and maintaining conversations while networking is a necessary skill, and one you can easily improve with these simple tips.

When looking for a conversation partner, look for:

—Fun, inviting groups

—White-knuckled loners who look uncomfortable and will welcome your attempt to initiate dialogue

—Familiar faces

Questions to get the conversations flowing:

“What’s your connection to the event?”This question can uncover mutual contacts and usually leads to a more robust answer than if you asked the typical “Have you been to this event before?”

“What’s keeping you busy when you’re not at events like this or at work?” This question gives the encouragement necessary for the person to share his/her passions and outside interests. It is an excellent way to add some enthusiasm into a conversation that has hit a lull, especially if he/she would prefer to be doing that activity at that moment.

“Are you getting away this summer?” This question can lead to conversations about family, reveal special interests and, if you like talking about travel, it’s a sure-fire way to keep a conversation interesting.

“Are you working on any charity initiatives?” This question makes it easy to launch into a deeper connection. If they’re not involved with any projects, they often share reasons which is usually revealing, and if they are doing something of value they will be more than happy to share.

“How did you come to be in your line of work?” For some, the path to where they are today can be quite an interesting ordeal. Having a chance to revisit their story to success can leave helpful clues along the way as to who they are and what makes them tick.

Ideally small talk will uncover common interests, business alignments, the six degrees that separate you, potential need for your product or service, and basically whether or not you enjoy each other’s company. 

The goal of conversation at functions is to establish enough common ground to determine a reason to connect again.


[Image: Flickr user Aquila]