How to Efficiently Set Up Priorities

Image: Make priorities clear using colour-coding ideas

This article, authored by Cory Popescu was first published on the blog of the Society of Internet Professionals (SIP). SIP is a not-for-profit, Toronto (Canada) based International organization to connect, learn and share. Our Vision is to provide the opportunity to leverage technology to have an inclusive future for everyone.  Since 1997, SIP has spearheaded many initiatives, educational programs, and networking events.

Setting up priorities in a tasks list is crucial to organized work and to its completion in due time. Establishing correct priorities means that you are in control of your time and of the results of your projects. By organizing your plans and tasks lists appropriately, you gain more time and consequently can use it to grow your business, career or life.

In order to attain increased work efficiency, you would establish the priorities in the following way:

•    The action list for the next day is conceived and released the afternoon before you leave the office. This translates into an efficient start point for the next day.

•    Categorize your tasks by priorities, so you can act upon them accordingly:

     Priority #1: crucial and prompt, to be done immediately.
     Priority #2: to be done today, however not critical, may be delegated.
     Priority #3: important tasks, minor delays may be accepted.
     Priority #4: routine, not essential tasks which can be performed casually.

•    Respect firmly your action lists, their priorities and deadline. Defend them in front of your peers or bosses if necessary. The successful completion of your task lists lead to achieving your ultimate goals.

•    Be relentless about receiving un-planned extra tasks even for short term, as one day completion. Analyze thoroughly, communicate, if applicable with your co-workers, negotiate on deadlines and task approach before committing to additional work. If you think it is jeopardizing your current assignments and you do not get extended deadlines or more resources, just say nicely “it can wait” and recommend redirection to a less loaded team/person.

•    Watch you deadlines earnestly and observe them enthusiastically. Should you miss, use your failures to set up more realistic deadlines for new and urgent tasks. When you foresee that a deadline cannot be met, contact parties involved and explain the issues, attempt to establish together a new attainable deadline. Keep an electronic or any kind of agenda with you to monitor closely your tasks and especially your deadlines.

Keeping your tasks lists accurately and sharing them with your co-workers, managers and subordinates could also prepare you to prevent unexpected developments. When you are out of the office, things can still get accomplished due to your meticulous plan. Therefore, work stops chasing you, and you are in control of the events making stress a fact of the past.


Cory Popescu

Your comments are welcomed

Click on the links below to read the other articles by Cory Popescu:
What are the Industries that Most Use Internet of Things?
The New Thought Process of Machine Learning 
Can IT Professionals Become Savvy Networkers?

Efficient Action Lists: Your Effective Time Management Tool

Image: Make priorities clear using colour-coding ideas

This article, authored by Cory Popescu was first published on the blog of the Society of Internet Professionals (SIP). SIP is a not-for-profit, Toronto (Canada) based International organization to connect, learn and share. Our Vision is to provide the opportunity to leverage technology to have an inclusive future for everyone.  Since 1997, SIP has spearheaded many initiatives, educational programs, and networking events.

Every day we receive lots of tasks to do, and sometimes they have insane deadlines. Tasks stack up in plan lists, action lists in all our “extended” memory tools, such as computers, iPhones, electronic calendars and hard-copy agendas. In order to not get swamped by them, and to fulfill them successfully we need to organize them to bring us the most efficient results.

Structuring these lists in an organized way implies performing the following:

•    Synchronize all tasks lists. If you have several lists, and they are not synchronized, it means that you would find tasks in a master list that are also part of another master list for the same objectives.
•    Define the priority for each task and create four different action lists reflecting the priorities for each task category, as per below.

1. Priority #1 list contains tasks which are “important and urgent” and require immediate attention and completion.
2. Priority #2 list contains tasks which are “urgent and not important”. You are compelled to work on these because they bear the “urgent” flag, however, if applicable and possible, you can delegate them to someone else. Nevertheless, they must be performed and completed immediately. Complete these tasks based on the order of priority and urgency.
3. Priority #3 list contains tasks which are “important and not urgent”. These tasks can be postponed for a few days. Beware with this list because endless postponement leads to glitches in project development and completion and it may lead to failure of the entire project.
4. Priority #4 list contains tasks which are “not important and not urgent” and which may be resolved in between the timing of other tasks or when you have spare time. These are the fittest to delegate.

•    Write all the tasks in your agenda and do NOT perform any task if it is not part of the list.
•    Combine performing tasks you like with tasks that you do not like. Start with one which you do not like and keep intertwining with pleasant tasks to keep your productivity up.
•    Define the best time to perform the tasks. For example, given that the task of prioritization into the four categories already took place, and there are priority #4 tasks to be done, it might be the best to perform them at the end of the working day when your attention is not the sharpest.
•    Keep an eye on the status of each task. Some tasks may “transform” status from “not urgent” to “urgent”. So, keep doing the tasks from all categories diligently not to find yourself in a time crisis.
•    When a new task appears, write it in your agenda and prioritize it with a deadline.

Prioritizing your tasks well gives you a good idea to start your projects efficiently.  Setting-up priorities and knowing how to combine the performance of different tasks will considerably reduce your stress levels and give you more control on the projects and on the management of all your resources to produce the desired results.

Cory Popescu

Your comments are welcomed

Click on the links below to read the other articles by Cory Popescu:
What are the Industries that Most Use Internet of Things?
The New Thought Process of Machine Learning 
Can IT Professionals Become Savvy Networkers?
 

Netiquette for Writing Emails: The 7 Elements of a Good Email

Clip Art: Hotel Icon Email Access
Credit: clker.com: Hotel Icon Email Access Clip Art - Red/white clip art

Max Haroon, a social entrepreneur, a speaker and an author is a retired IT and e-Marketing specialist. He is the founder of the Society of Internet Professionals, established in 1997. He has hosted numerous events and conducted workshops in Entrepreneurship and Leveraging the Technology over the last twenty years. He can be reached at rsvp@sipgroup.org.

"There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these four contacts: what we do, how we look, what we say, and how we say it."
~  Dale Carnegie

Email is still the core of business communication. I spend a great deal of my day dealing with emails. I get tons of emails (one dozen of email addresses - I know, yikes). It is appalling for me to see some emails with typos, embarrassing errors and poorly formatted. Such emails have the potential to sabotage your reputation both personally and professionally. I am writing this article to help SIP members write “good” emails.

Just like any other task email communication has rules and etiquettes. By not following them you are risking your professionalism image and the reputation of organisation you representing.

Below are seven elements of email for each we discuss some issues and some pragmatic solutions you should be mindful in writing or replying to an email:

1. Read Mindfully before Replying
2. Typos and Grammatical Errors
3. Subject and Salutation
4. Closings
5. Signature
6. Down-Edited Reply
7. Formatting and Style

1. Read Mindfully before Replying:
Your inner impulse may make you respond to an email without reading or understanding the intent fully. I have seen three replies from someone in the space of 1 minute (written around the midnight) which demonstrates that the reader was reading it bit by bit and replying to it bit by bit or didn’t review it before hitting “SEND” and then realizing more to add on!

2. Typos and Grammatical Mistakes:
Spelling and Grammatical mistakes show that you are lazy, inconsiderate or uneducated. Would you like to read newspaper with typos and mistakes? An example of a real email received   “I am deleted to introduce our ...” I think the sender meant ”I am delighted to introduce our ... ".

Use the Word for Windows to compose your reply or draft a new email. This has the added advantage of backup copy of your communication. The Word also provides Spelling and Grammar checker.

3. Subject and Salutation:
Subject Line: Make it the indicative of the content or to raise curiosity. People are more interested in the subject if it relates to them, such as their personal or professional issues. A good size of the subject line is 8 words.

Salutation: A highly overlooked area, this is where you are going to hurt someone‘s ego or relationship if you misspell their name or have not addressed properly. Some salutations like “Hey you guys or Hi folk” are laid-back and no-no for business or professional emails. In order of formality use “Dear .... , Hello . ., and Hi . .

4. Closings:
This comes just before signature. You have many choices, such as complimentary close or call to action (CTA). If you want response then say so in the closing. Some examples are: I’m looking forward to hearing from you; Kind thoughts; With many thanks.

5. Signature:
A signature consists of your name (full name), contact info, phone, email address, and website with a link.
If you sending the email on behalf of the organisation then make sure that your signature reflects the contact info, email address and the website of the organisation. If you wish to add any personal touch you can draw line underneath the signature and write follow me with icon and link to a LinkedIn and Facebook account. Do not go beyond six lines, it may be egocentric.

6. Down-Edited Reply:
Generally, people hit the reply button to an email and start the response from the top of the page then the sender do the same thing. If this cycle gets repeated the conversation becomes very lengthy. This approach is called Top-Edited Reply.

Use a more efficient approach called “Down-Edited Reply", explained below:

• Begin on the top with a salutation and introduction, indicating the response is given below.
• Eliminate lines and paragraphs of the sender’s email which have nothing to do with your response.
• Write your response below the point you are responding.

7. Formatting and Style:
Presentation is equally, if not more, important then the content. Follow the rules of formatting and styles, such as:

• Do not mix multiple sizes and multiple font types, use one size and the font easy to read on the computer/mobile.
• Avoid multiple colours of text, one dark colour throughout is better.
• Avoid a lot of exclamation marks. You can be excited about something once and not throughout the email.
• All UPPER CASE means you are shouting and all lower case means you are too lazy.

In conclusion:
Please review and proof read your email; better still read it aloud to sense the tone of your message. That is why I have recommended earlier compose your email in Word document to give you extra time and space. If you are still composing your email in the email program then follow my safety point, write the email (new or reply) leaving the TO: temporarily blank, until you are ready to send. In this way you will not hit “SEND” without being mindful.

So, keep your email short, simple, clear, mind your manner, proof read it and check your tone.

Max Haroon | President
Society of Internet Professionals (SIP)

Your comments are welcomed

New Certificate Workshops "Leveraging Technology for Entrepreneurs" 
Max Haroon is planning to conduct three workshops on Writing Tools and Management of Emails. This is part of a series of Certificate Workshops “Leveraging Technology for Entrepreneurs” for members of the Society of Internet Professionals - one of many benefits of becoming a member of the SIP.

Please visit SIP’s Resources website page for the details.

What are the Industries that Most Use Internet of Things?

youtube video: Marco Annunziata at TED@BCG San Francisco: Welcome to the age of the industrial internet

This article, authored by Cory Popescu, SIP Writers Forum, is for the IT / Internet professional, but it is equally applicable to anyone, as we use computer and mobile devices in all aspects of our lives regardless of our profession. 

Internet of Things (IoT) using machine learning as a powerful tool has spread in various industries to observe and predict behaviour patterns. This helps organizations to increase their revenues, improve utilizing their resources including their workforce, help them become more proactive to market dynamism.

IoT applications are used in a variety of industries and they started being developed and implemented over 15 years ago and earlier. Some of these applications are mentioned below.

Healthcare
The power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning is harnessed in a field of paramount importance for humans: healthcare. Devices which incorporate new technology remind the patients to get important diagnostic tests to take their medication at prescribed time, to eat properly, and to keep them in reasonable health by not needing hospital services. Other devices can be used to predict infection and provide health analysis.  Predicting the probability of contracting a disease through sequencing of genomes and making comparisons with elements of large databases represent other important applications in medical services. This allows doctors to use optimum treatments for those diseases. 

Manufacturing
In the early days of AI, industrial robots have been introduced to assemble and ship products in manufacturing. Nowadays, new versions of robots perform more complex tasks in the electronics, automotive and home industry. Preventative maintenance in operations management is increasing the number devices which use machine learning. These devices are used to predict which parts become faulty so that they can be replaced with minimum downtime and costs.

Marketing
Customers are already used for quite some time to receiving reports and alerts about “what else” they might like after their online purchases. To understand customers better, organizations use IoT to scan customers preferences based on their transactions and offer them the “next best” product or service.  Monitoring the historical purchases for segments of customers, the machines learn how to respond to customers' demands in order to up-sell or cross-sell. Customers can make informed purchase decisions based on the IoT devices recommendations.

Customer Service
Developments in IoT devices help personalize machine and human interaction, making AI more efficient in customer service. Through digital devices, IoT applications generate questions and text response messages to accommodate chats with customers. The automation of the personalized interactions with customers and prospects significantly contributes to reducing administration costs and improves the net efficiency of the organizations.

Essential IoT machine learning developments manifest among others, in the fields of: transportation, network security, financials. Readers are welcome to provide comments of additional IoT applications that they know about, with proven capabilities as the industry of developing intelligent devices based on machine learning is continuously evolving.

References:
The FOW Community blog: Future Of Work: 5 Industries Being Most Affected By Artificial Intelligence by Connie Chan

Forbes: Tech: 3 Industries That Will Be Transformed By AI, Machine Learning And Big Data In The Next Decade by Bernard Marr

EngineersGarage: Top 10 Industrial Applications of Artificial Intelligence by Neha Rastogi

MIT Technology Review: Business Report: AI Hits the Mainstream by Nanette Byrnes

Cory Popescu

Your comments are welcomed

Click on the links below to read the other articles by Cory Popescu:
The New Thought Process of Machine Learning 
How Internet Helps Machine Learning
Can IT Professionals Become Savvy Networkers?
 

The New Thought Process of Machine Learning

Photo: @artjunctionto: What would you like to make?

This article, authored by Cory Popescu, SIP Writers Forum, is for the IT / Internet professional, but it is equally applicable to anyone, as we use computer and mobile devices in all aspects of our lives regardless of our profession. 

For some time, businesses have been looking to build tools to understand their customers better, to improve operational processes, to provide higher quality deliveries. To accomplish this, businesses start using the services of data scientists mining into large databases, and seek upgrades to insight analysts' skills.

The labour dedicated to building business intelligence (BI) mechanisms to incorporate in current businesses is involved at higher degree while creating those tools and to a much lower extent when these devices become functional as expected. When employing the newly built devices embedding machine learning, the organizations gain awareness and powerful observations while decreasing time to respond to change.

Developing intelligent devices require an unconventional thought process to obtain enhanced results since the outcomes of data processing are not known or may only be vaguely imagined at the time of starting the application software. Some of the thought process aspects described below show significant differences between approaching development for traditional versus predictive BI.

A crucial aspect of the thought processes used to create applications involving machine learning is represented by building models with a proactive mindset. The modeller asks questions based on predictive thinking which relate to various business facets, for instance: what benefits emerge from using this data, how to quantify them, how to resolve frequent business issues, such as manufacturing faulty parts.

A predictive approach to modelling also formulates questions regarding the requirement for and the degree of technical skills involved when using the applications based on machine learning, how to present outcome in clear format, how to create groups of users who participate in building the models and what flexibility the predictive models have to generate and validate new models on demand.

Another aspect related to the thought process involved in machine learning refers to calculating for example the number of product offerings versus deriving a solution which predicts the payback on each product offering. Supplying a better view of the customer base, the predicted dollar payback along with tracking key financial variables provide opportunity for increasing company's efficiency and improving their bottom line.

Predicting events and trends become a necessity of the economy with large, expanded datasets which contain relationships and patterns extremely difficult to categorize and make assumptions based on the data. The use of hypothesis and predefined routes represent the foundation of conventional application software development and requires excessive efforts to apply to existing elaborated and complex databases. Leaving this data untapped by the machine learning applications built on the new thought processes would be a total oversight. 

References:
University of California, Berkeley: Department of Statistics: Statistical Science: To Explain or to Predict? by Galit Shmueli

Smart Vision Europe: Top ten predictive analytics questions by Rachel Clinton


Cory Popescu

Your comments are welcomed

Click on the links below to read the other articles by Cory Popescu:
Health Concerns of IT Professionals
How Internet Helps Machine Learning
Can IT Professionals Become Savvy Networkers?

Can IT Professionals Become Savvy Networkers?

Photo: Society of Internet Professionals presents: eMarketing Optimization, March 2011

This article, authored by Cory Popescu, SIP Writers Forum, is for the IT / Internet Professional, but it is equally applicable to anyone, as we use computer and mobile devices in all aspects of our lives regardless of our profession.

In many world economies, relationships are crucial to interact and to integrate in the society. One of the most used means to integrate in the society is by obtaining a position to contribute to the economic and social development as: employee, employer or investor in all their types and forms. Obtaining those positions may require networking with people.

Networking with different professionals for any purpose might seem difficult for Information Technology persons who by the nature of their work may generally appear reserved, quiet, reclusive.  However, solutions exist to provide the IT professionals with amazing tools to find their new work place.

Nowadays one of the most used equipment at least in the developed and emerging economies is represented by the devices which run a variety of software applications for different aspects of our lives. The existence of a plethora of social media sites benefit networking between people of all walks of life. For the IT and Internet professionals these ways of communication appeal because they offer the capability to:

• Reach others effortlessly and conveniently. Accessing computers, laptops, iPads, iPhones and other electronic devices becomes easier than ever and it can be done from anywhere worldwide.
• Use devices and tools that the IT professionals know the best.
• Do networking with a higher degree of comfort. The IT professionals hone their networking skills by accessing first what they are most familiar with: technical equipment and software.
• Do networking at their own pace. Especially when they become part of an event, depending on the person, the technical people think that they would have to keep up with the activities of those occasions which most of the time involve personal interaction. That might be an inconvenience for the IT professionals who might withdraw themselves in the middle of the networking opportunity or interact with only one or two participants. Conversely, while accessing the social media they might simultaneously get several new acquaintances involved to engaging conversations and to obtain a desired result.
• Higher degree of freedom during their networking conversations with other people over the Internet. Since the IT professionals feel highly comfortable accessing software, they could keep that level of self-assurance to communicate with new people through the very software that they have just connected to. Thus, they have the ability to develop challenging conversations, enhance the ideas expressed and comfortably influence the outcomes of those conversations.

While the IT professionals use the social media and the Internet to network for endless opportunities, they develop the skills to contact and maintain valuable new relationships. Consequently, and contrary to popular belief, using what they know the best the IT professionals can become proficient at networking and part of a new and lucrative opportunity exclusively through internet interaction.

Cory Popescu

Your comments are welcomed

Click on the links below to read the other articles by Cory Popescu:
Health Concerns of IT Professionals 
How Internet Helps Machine Learning

How Internet Helps Machine Learning

Collage: Vassily Kandinsky, Soft Hard /machine learning

Credit: wikipedia.org: Vassily Kandinsky, Soft Hard, 1927 - Molle rudesse

This article, authored by Cory Popescu, SIP Writers Forum, is for the IT / Internet professional, but it is equally applicable to anyone, as we use computer and mobile devices in all aspects of our lives regardless of our profession.

As humans delegate more tasks and responsibilities to machines, machine learning becomes integral part in structuring and remodelling daily business while combining both novel and traditional business approach. Generally, machine learning represents an application of rules and algorithms which delivers meaning to the analyzed data proposing a solution for the end user.

The Internet presents numerous and robust possibilities for the new programs, apps, devices that embed machine learning allowing the accessing of both data and the tools needed to generate the proper solutions to specific audiences.

Depending on the strategy selected, the machines with learning capability can employ unsupervised learning which allows the devices to use different types of algorithms and receive no feedback.  These algorithms can also be relatively easier to find on the Internet collections of algorithms and /or structures.

The Internet can help machine learning connect with the Internet data-sets in an effortless manner due to a variety of reasons, such as:

•  Direct communication through networks and not a central hub: as inherently known, communication across the networks and between two points becomes possible forthright and open using the internet. In some cases, web sites protection disallows contact. However the connection can be established through sets of privileges and permissions and the end result enables the findings of relevant and specific data.
•  Extensive volume of data and high amount of players on the internet who generate and create large databases. These data sets can be accessed either randomly or non-randomly through a variety of devices which include collections of complex algorithms. The algorithms applied in machine learning are data-driven. Through machine learning, the devices access and examine huge databases so that, for example, they can monitor and optimize the performance of industrial equipments.
•  Particular processes of machine learning, from non-random examples, based on cases exposed on the internet. The more cases, the better, therefore more adequate solutions appear. Since the processes include the use of algorithms, it implies operational accuracy to analyze and interpret the data. Being processed by machines, the huge batches of data do not represent an issue in part due to dramatically increased computational speeds and also due to the approach to data selection.
•  Complexity and diversity of internet searches and novel ways to find the appropriate tools required. Through the machine learning, series of algorithms and methods apply to representative data sets in order to derive relevant meaning for specific results. The internet searches have improved continuously and significantly. One criteria is represented by how fast Google indexes web site pages and updates the additional information found in these indexes. For the past several years this indicator has increased more than 50,000 times. Another criteria represents how fast the visitors can get their responses when accessing the web pages. Over the recent several years, this has increased at least seven times which implies that faster responses, more performant and more computers exist in the Internet's networks. 

The few features provided by the Internet and enumerated above enable the machines to employ the crucial task of learning to deliver reliable, accurate and rapid solutions within the Internet of Things. In many areas of the economy and in the society in general, combining machine learning, traditional business and data analysis techniques to provide such solutions unquestionably stand within reach.

References:
UCLA: Center for Digital Humanities: Machine learning, stories and the Internet

KDnuggets: The 10 Algorithms Machine Learning Engineers Need to Know

Google: Search Console Help: Webmaster Guidelines

Cory Popescu

Your comments are welcomed

Health Concerns of IT Professionals

Screenshot: Google Search special featured snippet: Health Concerns of IT Professionals

This article, authored by Cory Popescu, SIP Writers Forum, is for the IT / Internet professional, but it is equally applicable to anyone, as we use computer and mobile devices in all aspects of our lives regardless of our profession.

IT people spend most of their lives at the office, sitting at the desk with the eyes on the pixeled screens. While IT work is only office work, many times stretching after regular business hours produces a significant number of health issues, whether related to physical or mental diseases. In essence, solutions to correct these health issues exist and this article presents some of the issues along with their possible remedies. The article is based on several actual cases from daily life and on the research described in the references of this article.

Some of the health concerns for people who spend long days, perhaps weekends and their entire working life in an office environment, could be related to physical and mental illnesses. In general certain areas of the body are affected and in particular it weakens the vital organs of the body.

Most common health issues, according to the research exposed in the references material below, seem to be the musculoskeletal disorders of wrists, arms, shoulders, neck, back, other ailments  such as cardiovascular disease related to vital organs, and others related to the mental state.

In the upper part of the body, eyes represent a crucial part to helping IT professionals succeed in their work. When eyesight gets weaker while intensively using the computer screens, the employees require eye protection and aids for reading earlier than workers in industries where the use of the computer screen is not so extensive. There are IT professionals undergoing vision improvement due to regular use of yoga exercises with a mix of mental alertness and relaxation techniques.

The vital organs that could be affected more refer to: liver, stomach, kidneys and heart. These ailments may be connected to eating significant amounts of junk food at irregular hours and to continuous loads of stress to meet the frequent deadlines. Due to longer hours at the office and sedentary lifestyle, healthy eating and healthy sleeping habits are often neglected. More so, in time, tight deadlines and constant top-down or sideways pressure to meet the requirements for customers, management, or other departments of the company  in the case of large corporations, lead to heart diseases found in a large percentage of IT professionals.

In order to heal the sickness, people visit the family doctors and/or the specialists in hope of a quick cure. Sometimes, it takes long before the body recovers, and sometimes it does not become completely healthy again. Some IT professionals have become acquainted with alternative ways to heal the body and keep it at a constant level of good health. These ways refer to easily accessible practices such as meditation and yoga which can even cure, if applied constantly and correctly under proper guidance, and they are favorably fit to prevent the ailments while developing your acute sense of awareness.

As we already know, it is far easier to prevent illnesses than to cure them. Therefore, the discipline to follow instructions to prevent musculoskeletal disorders and further on other illnesses is crucial to help your body cope with long hours at the desk using the computers. Some companies create special rooms for relaxation and exercise and some have included gym rooms in their buildings. Use these facilities at your will, consult with your management as a harmonious combination of physical workout and intellectual projects can only lead to effective results as concerns your health and work productivity.

References:
National Database of Indian Medical Journals: Prevalence  of  Occupational  Diseases  in Information  Technology  Industries  in  Goa

US National Library of Medicine. National Institutes of Health: Health problems and stress in Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing employees

Computerworld: Health hazards for IT workers -- how that desk job wears your body down

Cory Popescu

Your comments are welcomed

Why Join SIP?

Society of Internet Professionals: Transforming IT Sphere

Connect, Learn, and Share Knowledge with the Peers in Technology Sector

This article, authored by Cory Popescu, SIP Writers Forum, will provide a different perspective about joining the Society of Internet Professionals (SIP) as a Member/Volunteer.

SIP is the Society of Internet Professionals which since its beginnings has found many ways of attracting and retaining respected members. The group has a strong leadership by the president of the Society running its activities for over 20 years, since its creation. He, and many other SIP members who regularly get involved in its activities, welcome new members, keep constant relationships with all members and fully support and encourage experience and ideas exchange between all associates.

Besides the other benefits that most associations would offer, SIP is unique due to a few common traits that you would rarely find elsewhere. When you are a member, not necessarily implicated in running this organization, you would not feel the stumbling blocks that sometimes exist between the leaders and the rest elsewhere. The way the persons leading this organization communicates with other associates or those to become is direct, authentic, and done in the simplest manner. Therefore, people can ask different questions related to this association and its business without being ridiculed or feel obstructed. They truly understand that the other person is listening and showing them the way to an organization that presents abounding opportunities.

A powerful corollary to this distinctive strength: the cohesiveness that exists between all levels of this special organization means that the Founding president, Max Haroon and the SIP long time associates work together towards a smooth welcoming for all future associates. They are open to receive questions and comments, opinions and remarks from the would-be members sometimes turning into stimulating discussions. These provide challenging, constructive ways to enhance the SIP group in many subtle ways from its structure to its activities and to each person's achievements, thus contributing to a dynamic model of the SIP institution. One way of representing this model is through the members benefits which can be found at http://sipgroup.org/membership/.

Some of the SIP members' benefits include:

• Affinity programs for auto, home, liability insurance;
• Group health and dental plans;
• Help posting your brand;
• Help finding your professional match whether you are an employer or an employee;
• Free subscriptions to some trade magazines;
• Free passes to some expositions;
• Wonderful networking opportunities;
• Exclusive invitations to SIP lunch and dinner;
• Free / discounted admissions to SIP events.

Remember that a crucial element of members' benefits represents the invaluable networking meetings with professional experts from the industry to whom you connect, who help you participate in provocative discussions, exchange pertinent ideas, and grow to an accomplished professional.

Cory Popescu

Your comments are welcomed

Join Summer Networking Bash at The Old Mill Toronto on August 16th

Turn the slowest month of the year into your busiest!

Summer Networking Bash at the Old Mill, Toronto; August 16, 2017 7am-9pm

Credit: SummerNetworkingBash.com

Turn the slowest month of the year into your busiest!

Summer Networking Bash
Produced by BizNetworkNews

When: Wednesday, August 16
Time: 7 am - 9 pm

Where: The Old Mill Toronto Hotel
Address: 21 Old Mill Rd, Toronto, ON M8X 1G5

Event Description
Connect with +1,000 business owners and professionals at the Summer’s LARGEST Networking Event.

Features sessions with expert speakers and business coaches as well as an evening networking reception & business trade show.

New this year is the Referral Breakfast featuring Dr. Ivan Misner (founder of BNI) and sessions in the morning featuring two Top Speakers on Business Growth!

The Afternoon is filled with Marketing & Sales workshops, 1-1 coaching with Experts, and time to network and meet with potential clients and partners..

The Evening Reception, features both Open and Structured Networking, as well as food, entertainment and a big Trade Show.

Event Details:  www.SummerNetworkingBash.com

Connect on Twitter @jenniferbeale and Facebook at @SummerNetworkingBash

Summer #Networking Bash @JenniferBeale Aug 16 @oldmilltoronto JENNIFER announced at @Portcreditbia #mississauga pic.twitter.com/5Tw3EzjC56

— Nurse Next Door (@nursenextdoorms) May 18, 2017

The BEST, The Biggest, BNI Breakfast You Will Attend This Year
Wednesday, August 16, 2017; start time 6:45 am at Old Mill Toronto
Business Starts Now!

If you WANT TO GET BUSINESS, attend #THEBASH and FIND LOTS OF POTENTIAL CLIENTS as well as PARTNERS and COLLABORATORS!

Join us at Boxcar Social Harbourfront's New Lakeside Patio: July 14

Meet us socially in the breezy winds of Lake Ontario

When: Friday, July 14, 2017
Time: 6:00 PM
Where: Harbourfront Centre at Boxcar Social (Lakeside Terrace)
Address: 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto, ON

Event description:
The Society of Internet Professionals (SIP) invites you to join us socially in the breezy winds of Lake Ontario at the terrace of the "BoxCar Social", a newly renovated lakeside café and bar.

You can tell us your aspirations and challenges or just chill out.

Grab some food from International vendors and attend some free music concerts.

Friday, July 14, 2017
7:00pm– 8:00pm

Charmie Deller
At twenty one years of age, Haitian born, emerging singer songwriter Charmie Deller warms the heart with her ecstatic performance.

Friday, July 14, 2017
8:00pm– 9:00pm

The Soul Motivators
Formed in 2012 and inspired by a multi-cultural urban lifestyle in downtown Toronto, The Soul Motivators' repertoire blends funk, soul, hip-hop breaks and psychedelic beat.

http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com

We look forward to meeting you.

meetup: Society of Internet Professionals

Meet us socially in the breezy winds of Lake Ontario

Please find more info:

meetup.com: SIP: Meet us socially in the breezy winds of Lake Ontario

Explore Benefits of Volunteering

Meetup: Explore Benefits of Volunteering and Learn Some New Skills

Society of Internet Professionals, June 1, 2017

You are invited to a special event focusing on networking and volunteering for SIP:

Explore Benefits of Volunteering and Learn Some New Skills

When: Thursday, June 1, 2017
Time: 6:30 PM

Where: North York Civic Centre
Address: 5100 Yonge St., North York, ON
TTC: North York Centre station

Volunteer organizations depend on the efforts of their volunteers. The Society of Internet Professionals needs volunteers to help plan and operate their initiatives and programs, currently our focus is to plan for our SIP 20th Anniversary Celebration Event, which incidentally will also celebrate Canada 150.

Some of the benefits of volunteering:

1. It is an excellent way to raise your profile.

2. You will be profiled on Volunteers Directories.

3. Hone your networking skills. Build personal network, and you never know if people in this group or their network can help you in many ways.

4. Participate in Entrepreneur Leadership Training.

5. Learn the art of Event Planning and Management, workshops will be offered.

6. Referral to our members and corporate members.

7. For a job well done, you will get a reference/testimonial/certificate of merit.

Everyone will get an opportunity to practice your personal elevator pitch (as taught by Jason Reid on May 18).

Come and explore the benefits of volunteering with SIP and learn some new skills!

Register at: meetup.com: Explore Benefits of Volunteering and learn some new skills

Learn the Art of Creating a Better Elevator Pitch and Event Planning: May 18

You are invited to join our two FREE workshops:

Date and Time:
Thursday, May 18, 2017 from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM

Location:
Toronto City Hall, Committee Room 3
100 Queen St West, Toronto, ON M5H 2N2

Creating a Better Elevator Pitch
Speaker: Jason Reid

All entrepreneurs know they need an elevator pitch – a 60-second message that explains what they do and the value that they offer to their clients. Creating that short and powerful message is challenging task. Many people don’t know what to say, while others find their pitches sound inauthentic or unnatural. In this interactive session, Jason Reid will demonstrate a better way to think about your elevator pitch, and work live with volunteers from the audience.

•  Discover the two types of elevator pitches most business people use and why they don’t work.
•  Learn a point-form structure to that will allow them to expand or contract their message quickly and easily.
•  Understand how to add value to their message and engage their audience

Screenshot: Power Story Master

Creating Powerful Presentations and Purposeful Stories to Influence and Sell.

Let Jason Reid, Power Story Master, show you how to: FIND, CRAFT and DELIVER your strongest message, HARNESS your personal story to CAPTIVATE your audience, and SELL your business straight from the stage.

About  Jason Reid:
Jason Reid is a professional speaker and award-winning story-editor. Through his company, Power Story Master, Jason helps entrepreneurs get more clients by showing them how to speak more powerfully about their business. Prior to being an entrepreneur Jason was a professional comedy writer, journalist, TV producer, and news director. He has mentored many Canadian broadcasters in the art of engaging an audience and telling effective stories.

Learn the Art of Event Planning
Speaker: Max Haroon

Planning an event needs a mixture of abilities and skills but most important is project planing skills. Just like any project, break it down onto various phases. After hosting over 100 events for various organizations, Max Haroon has created a methodology consisting of seven phases. He will share tasks required for the seven well defined passes.

The Society of Internet Professionals (SIP) will also provide you with an opportunity to practice the Event Planning and Management by become part of SIP Event Team.

There is no Registration fee. Few selected will also be part of mentor ship. After the completion of the SIP Gala Event in November you will get free membership of SIP and a Reference letter.

Please note the Workshop is limited to 30 and mentorship is available for only 10 committed volunteers.

Come for Event Management and stay for another networking seminar, Articulate Your Profile, starting at 7 pm.

Attend a FREE Workshop on "How to Plan An Event in 7 Steps",
from Max Haroon, who has organized over 100 events.
May 18 at 5:30 pm at the City Hall

Limited Registration on the Meetup: Learn the Art of Event Planning

Learn How to Create a Better Elevator Pitch.
A free workshop by Jason Reid
May 18, 2017 at 6:45 pm at the City Hall

Limited Registration on the Meetup: Creating a Better Elevator Pitch

For more information, please contact:

Vikas Ramrakha, Event Director  
events at sipgroup.org
or phone: 416-558-3061

Kashif Iqbal, Content Director
SIPpost at sipgroup.org
or phone: 647-618-3625

Screenshot: Society of Internet Professionals' meetup

Creating a Better Elevator Pitch

Thank You for Attending our Branding Presentations

SIP Event: Branding on Mar 20, 2017
Keynote by Peter de Jager and Max Haroon · 

Updated on Sunday · Taken at Toronto City Hall

Thank You for Attending our Branding Event
on Mar 20, 2017 — at Toronto City Hall

All attendees had ample opportunity and training to mingle and network with SIP executives and fellow attendees with a dash of fun and food.

Memorable photos are posted soon our Facebook page of SIP at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SIProfessionals/

Selected photos are posted on the meetup page at:
https://www.meetup.com/SIPmeetup/photos/27739128/

We have more photos (courtesy of our blogger, Olga Goubar) let me know if you want me to send you the photos with you in the picture.

If you liked what we did then keep yourself updated with future events by joining our SIPpost, our newsletter, subscription list at:
http://sipgroup.org/SIPpost-signup.html

As presented SIP a case study in rebranding, we wish to continue with the process and you can join us. We are still establishing new committees, please let me know if you will be interested to volunteer for SIP. You will benefit from free membership of SIP when you become a committed volunteer.
Email rsvp@sipgroup.org to get the details.

Max Haroon, President
Society of Internet Professionals (SIP)
web: http://sipgroup.org/
e-mail: rsvp@sipgroup.org
tel: 416-891-4937

More Photos from the Branding event

meetup: Significance of Branding in Marketing
Society of Internet Professionals (SIP)
More than 30 Associates of SIP attended the event.

Will You Consider Volunteering?

We hope you enjoyed attending our event on Branding by Peter de Jager on March 20 at the City Hall.

Will You Consider Volunteering for a not-for-profit?

Date: Thursday, March 30 at 4 pm to 6 pm
 
Location: North York Civic Centre, Committee Room #4
Address: 5100 Yonge Street   Toronto ON M2N 5V7
(North York Centre subway station on Yonge line)

The Society of Internet Professionals (SIP) is a member based not-for-profit association. It is in the process of putting together various volunteer positions for 2017-2018.

So, SIP is interested in YOU.

Volunteering has many perks, such as raising your profile while building community.

All volunteers will receive free membership of the Society of Internet Professionals (SIP) and an opportunity to learn new skills with technology gurus and social entrepreneurs. Membership has many affinity programs which you can join too.

Come to our Orientation meeting and meet other volunteers in a friendly atmosphere. Also, be prepared to introduce yourself and share your elevator speech.

Register: There is no charge but you must register at
https://www.meetup.com/SIPmeetup/events/238706230/

Read SIP Profile and watch a video at:

YouTube: Society of Internet Professionals Annual Dinner : June 24, 2009, Toronto, ON 

Posted by Subversive Ideas

Check out our photos from the latest volunteers meeting:

Photos: SIP Relaunch Volunteers' Meeting at Metro Hall

Leveraging the Technology for Branding: Presentation March 20

You are invited to join our Pre-launch event

Leveraging Technology for Branding

Date and Time:
Monday, March 20, 2017 from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM

Location:
Toronto City Hall, Committee Room 3
100 Queen St West, Toronto, ON M5H 2N2

This event will interest entrepreneurs, IT firms and consultants
Registration is required as seats are limited

A keynote address the why and how of rebranding, applicable both for new branding or re-branding of your entrepreneurship. The talk will explore various strategies.

This talk will be followed by a case study of SIP and the process it is going through a rebranding after a good run of over 20 years. An opportunity will be given to some people to be part of this process to re-brand SIP, they will be provided free SIP membership too.

Speaker: Peter de Jager, a keynote speaker/writer/consultant relating to the issue of managing change of all types within our organizations. He has published hundreds of articles on topics ranging from problem solving, creativity and change to the impact of technology on areas such as privacy, security and business. He’s spoken in 37 countries and is recognized worldwide as an exciting, humorous, provocative and engaging speaker.

Presenter: Max Haroon, a social entrepreneur and an author is a retired entrepreneur in the IT and the Internet enterprises. He has worked in three continents in various capacities. He is the founder of the Society of Internet Professionals (SIP) and the Life Transformation Institute. Max has authored seven books in the Life Learning Series, in conjunction with subject matter experts. He has architected many websites and digital publications.

Please find more details:
http://sipgroup.org/events/SIPrebranding/

Registration Information:
Free Pass: Register at https://www.meetup.com/SIPmeetup/
or email rsvp@sipgroup.org

For more information, please contact:
Vikas Ramrakha, Event Director   
events@sipgroup.org
or phone: 416-558-3061 
Max Haroon, President
rsvp@sipgroup.org
or phone: 416-891-4937

Poster: Society of Internet Professionals

Role of Branding in Marketing

Toronto City Hall, Comm. Room 3; March 20, 2017 at 5pm

Do not forget bring lots of business cards, one for the door prizes raffle and to “Brand” yourself.

Meetup Comment:

Significance of Branding in Marketing
with Society of Internet Professionals (SIP)

SIP has the foundation to build on.
There is no question that a serious re-branding is necessary before moving forward

~ Michael Morris

Are You Joining Us at the Winterlicious Lunch?

Meetup Invitation to SIP Winterlicious Lunch

Trio Restaurant, January 31, 2017

Are you joining us at the Winterlicious Lunch?

When: Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Time: 12:00 PM

Where: Novotel Hotel North York - Trio Restaurant
Address: 3 Park Home Avenue, Toronto, ON

Every winter, we have been participating in the Toronto Winterlicious program, which makes reputable restaurants to open their door for a affordable fixed price lunch.

We have been to dozen restaurants in the past. This year too, I have made a small reservation at TRIO Restaurant, Novotel North York on Tuesday January 31 at noon. Please budget for 25 cash (lunch is $18).

Details of the Restaurant:
Restaurants by ACCOR HOTELS: NOVOTEL TRIO

Lunch Menu:
Open Table: Trio Restaurant and Bar – Novotel Toronto North York

We will have a SIP volunteers meeting after the lunch from 2:30 to 4:00 pm.

It is a good opportunity to meet me and your co-host Vikas and other volunteers.

Max Haroon | Founder
Society of Internet Professionals (SIP)
http://sipgroup.org/

Capture: sipgroup.org: Past Events: Winterlicious Lunch - Biannual get together of SIP

Please, check out some photos from our Winterlicious lunch - Biannual get together of SIP

Re-Launching Society of Internet Professionals

Poster: Re-Launching - Society of Internet Professionals

Help us to Relaunch SIP by becoming a Board Member or Founding Sponsor

The Society of Internet Professionals (SIP) is a not-for-profit organization was established in 1997 with a mandate to uphold professional standards of internet professionals.
Since 1997, SIP has spearheaded a professional code of ethics and many initiatives, educational programs, and networking events.
Review our resource-intensive website sipgroup.org and past events at sipgroup.org/photographs

SIP Achievements
We are proud of multiple initiatives we have taken; some of them are listed below:

• Over one-hundred Networking events with Business and the Internet experts
• Educational Workshop by leading technology leaders
• Resource Intensive Website
• Speakers Bureau
• Publishing SIPpost, a weekly tech briefs
• Job Board
• Participating at trade shows in Canada and USA
• Accreditation of Internet Professionals
• Professional Code of Ethics

After a good run coming to 20 years, we would like to move with the times and reinvent the organization with a new mandate and a new structure.
One of the initiatives we are planning is creation of TEDxSIP (TED-like event for the Internet community).
We are looking for some selected and committed Internet professionals, entrepreneurs and organizations, who would support us by becoming a Founding Sponsor, be part of the Board/Committee to make it happen.

We envisage your contribution and involvement will help us in:

• Drafting a new Charter and Mandate
• Forming a new Board
• Establishing Fund for Operation
• Organizing events and other initiatives

As a Founding sponsor, you will get the following Benefits

• Part of our Speakers Bureau http://sipgroup.org/membership/speakers.htm
• Speak at our events
• Share our booth at Trade Shows
• Promote your product/services at our events
• Part of Board

We sincerely hope that you consider this proposal to be a Founding Sponsor of SIP and share our vision and your passions to help others.

Strategy Meeting
ReLaunch meeting is planned for January 12, 2017 at 4 pm in Toronto, please send an email to receive the details.

Max Haroon
rsvp@sipgroup.org
or phone: 416-891-4937
Vikas Ramrakha   
events@sipgroup.org
or phone: 416-558-3061

Society of Internet Professionals (SIP)                                                           
120 Carlton, Suite 305, Toronto, Ontario  M5A 4K2, CANADA 

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