Lunch & Learn: Online Advertising and Your Privacy
November 30, 2008
Reading time: 2 - 3 minutes
The Illinois Technology Partnership will be having a discussion entitled Lunch & Learn: Online and Your Privacy on December 11th. Aviva Gibbs the executive director of the ITP is personally inviting all of our Chicago Tech Cocktailers to this event. Here’s a note from Aviva:
Dear Tech Cocktailers,
It has been a pleasure to meet many of you at the last couple TechCocktail events, and hear how important the local tech community is to so many of us. As you may know, the Illinois Technology Partnership is the "high-impact advocate for high-tech." What does that mean? Basically, we are your eyes, ears, and voice for public policy issues that may affect tech business, enthusiasts, and consumers. We explore the intersection of technology and policy, and let you know when something relevant is "running in the background" so you can make your voice heard!
Our next event invitation is below. I hope you will be able to join us as we explore the world of online advertising, consumer privacy, behavioral targeting, and where government regulation does or doesn’t fit in. And best of all, Tech Cocktail co-founder, Eric Olson, is one of our featured panelists!
It’s going to be a great discussion, and I’m looking forward to seeing you there. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at aviva@iltechpartner.org .
Aviva Gibbs
TC Chicago 9 Demoer ArtistData.com looking for a V.P. Technology
November 24, 2008
Reading time: 2 - 2 minutes
SPARKt Real Estate Technology Conference
November 24, 2008
Reading time: < 1 minute
The inaugural SPARKt real estate technology conference at TechNexus on
Dec. 10th features notable national experts and change-agents leading
an afternoon of short-form talks that challenge real estate
professionals to expand our understanding of how technology is
changing our industry as we know it.
As a special benefit, TechCocktailers can save on their all-inclusive
SPARKt conf. passes by entering 'techcocktail08'. Visit
http://SPARKt.org for tix and info.
Technology Entrepreneurship in a Turbulent Economy:Survival Strategies + Smart Management = New Opportunities
November 24, 2008
Reading time: 4 - 6 minutes
Presented by the Illinois Technology Association (ITA) and the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center at DePaul University
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
8:00 - 11:30am
TechNexus
200 S. Wacker Drive, 15th Floor
$35 registration fee; $20 for ITA members
All Students, DePaul Faculty & Staff: $5 (Must present Student/DePaul ID at door)
Register at http://cec.depaul.edu/calendar/2008/12/topic-tbd.php
EVENT DESCRIPTION
How do you launch, grow, and run your company with so much uncertainty? If you’re an entrepreneur, you do it creatively but also strategically. You must make tough decisions and pull yourself up by your bootstraps. You must be reactive to what is happening around you but also proactive about potential opportunities.
In this panel discussion, you’ll hear experienced technology entrepreneurs and experts talk about what they’re doing with their firms during these difficult times, and what you can do with yours. What are they doing to protect and build their sales pipeline? How are they managing, and funding, research and development? How are they dealing with cash flow challenges? What about employee morale? These questions, and more, will be discussed in great detail. The panelists will not only share what they are doing, but also what you can do with your firm. Bring your questions and concerns (heck, even your insecurities) to what promises to be a spirited, engaging, and insightful discussion.
PANELISTS
Jim Jacoby, Founder of Manifest Digital. Jim Jacoby is a business strategist, seasoned user experience specialist, and entrepreneur. In the early 90’s, Jim identified that the organizations attempting to integrate business strategy, brand, and technology were onto something, but going about it in the wrong way. From early lessons as a regional Director of Account Management at one of the major “dot-bomb” integrators (marchFIRST), Jim distilled core processes that could actually integrate. Further, he discovered the starting points that would ensure that these divergent offerings not only coexisted, but delivered unique value when integrated. Jim started Manifest Digital in May of 2001 and it has grown from a small core of design-focused individuals into a 50-person industry leader with integrated technology, strategy, and marketing roles. The cross-functional teams in this thriving company are capable of delivering conceptual solutions and seeing those through to production with a wide range of clients.
Bret Johnson, Director of the Homeland Security Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (HSIEC) at Northwestern University. He joined Northwestern in 2000 and helped launch Illinois’ first Illinois Technology Enterprise Center (ITEC) and served as assistant director until 2005. Bret has also held engineering and management positions at GE Astrospace, Northrop-Grumman, 3COM and Grayhill Inc. His educational background includes a master’s in Science Technology and Public Policy from The George Washington University, a master’s in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University, and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Bret lives in Evanston with his wife, Kendra, two boys, Alex and Trevor.
Matt Moog, Founder of Viewpoints Network. Matt Moog founded Viewpoints Network, an exciting website that taps into the need for people to share their personal experiences, in August 2006. He spent the previous ten years at Q Interactive/CoolSavings where he joined the company as its fifth employee and ran the sales and marketing function. From 2001 to 2006 Matt served as President & CEO while CoolSavings was publicly traded, and then took the company private in a sale to Landmark Communications. Prior to CoolSavings he worked for Microsoft in a variety of business development and sales roles. Matt is a member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and a board member of Francis Parker School. He has three boys, Max, Charlie & Eli, a wonderful wife Lucy, and lives in Chicago.
Barbara Rapchak, Founder and CEO of Leap of Faith Technologies. Barbara invented a patented tele-health device that was selected as one of the “World’s Best Technologies”, and a pediatric oncology product that received the “World Wide Web Health Award”. Barbara was awarded the U.S. SBA Tibbetts Award for Leap of Faith Technologies for its innovations in e-health, led various research and development teams, and is a committed technology partner and collaborator. She has been the Principal Investigator on twelve Small Business Innovation Research Grants and Contracts from the National Institutes of Health, and serves on a Scientific Review Panel for the Institutes. Prior to founding Leap of Faith Technologies, she held research positions for Amoco and American Can Company, and an executive position at Bio-Imaging Research. Barbara has a bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences from the University of Notre Dame.
Register at http://cec.depaul.edu/calendar/2008/12/topic-tbd.php
Windy City Social - Social Media Networking Event
November 20, 2008
Reading time: 2 - 2 minutes
Windy City Social is a social networking business that’s connected hundreds of business professionals. We are proud to announce our next networking event which will be taking place on Wednesday, December 10th.
This event will feature the top-notch networking that Windy City Social networking events are known for and will also focus on teaching you how to use social media and search to improve your sales and marketing in 2009.
Celebrate
• Enjoy two Kilo Kai rum cocktails
• Nibble on appetizers
• Indulge on chocolate and cheese fondue from The Melting Pot
Promote Yourself
• Capture your “one minute of fame” on camera, thanks to Bruce Montgomery of Technology Access Television
• Learn how to maximize your Linkedin profile
• Have a professional profile picture taken by one of our photographers
• Kevin Ryan and Aaron Kalow will teach you practical, tactical social media and search tips you can use to improve your sales and marketing results in 2009!
• And more….
PLUS — As a big thank you for an amazing year of networking, the first 150 people who register will get a $15.00 AI Sushi gift certificate and other holiday surprises!!
Here are the details:
When: Wednesday, December 10th - 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. CST
Where: Mid-America Club, 80th floor of the AON building, 200 E. Randolph
What: Windy City Social and OMS Social Media Networking Event and Holiday Bash
Price: $25.00 in advance / $35.00 at the door. Save $5.00 off this price when you enter the discount code: TechCocktail (you must enter code before purchasing tickets)
You must be 21+ to attend.
Register at: http://wcsomsnetworking.eventbrite.com
2009 Small Business Week Awards Nomination
November 19, 2008
Reading time: < 1 minute
The Illinois District Office of The U.S. Small Business Administration is seeking nominations for for the 2009 Small Business Week Awards. Some of the categories include Small Business Person of the Year, SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year, and Entrepreneurial Success. Self nominations are welcome. But hurry, the deadline to submit your nominations is November 23, 2008.
Year End Bussines Tax Planning- A Couple of Things to Consider Befor The End of The Year
November 19, 2008
Reading time: 4 - 6 minutes
Year end tax planning for your business is kind of like computer maintenance in a couple of ways. The first is that most people fall into one of two groups, those that are religious about it and those that don’t worry about it until something breaks. The second way is that a failure to do it can be very expensive in the long run. Fortunately there are tax saving items that can be of help to anyone, but those that plan ahead are more likely to experience the full benefit of the effort.
Let’s define the term year end tax planning. Year end tax planning is any action taken to reduce the tax impact on a business in the current year. You might guess that there would be a lot of things that could fall inside such a broad definition and you would be correct. However an article that would cover all those possibilities would be immense and provide the perfect cure for insomnia, so I will focus on a few items that should be helpful to the greatest number of people.
I would like to point out the one cardinal rule to remember relating to tax planning “Never spend a dollar to save 35 cents”. In other words it is never a good idea to give up income to avoid the tax on that income.
For the “regularly scheduled maintenance” people the easiest way to reduce tax liability is to accelerate expenses. Prime examples are paying state tax estimates prior to year end or buying a needed piece of equipment this year instead of next year. Now is a good time to consider the fact that this strategy tends to be a “rob Peter to pay Paul” situation; you save taxes this year but next year there are reduced expenses and most likely increased tax liability. The cardinal rule applies here in that you should not purchase something you don’t really need just to get a tax deduction.
Both groups can avail themselves of the section 179 expensing election which allows a write off of the full purchase price of qualifying assets. Furniture, equipment and even most computer software qualify for section 179. Write that down, ask for it by name and impress your accountant. The expensing election is limited to $250,000 for 2008. Obviously this would compound the benefit of buying that equipment mentioned earlier. If filing an election seems like too much work, any new assets you purchase during 2008 also most likely qualify for “bonus” depreciation. This allows a current year deduction of fifty percent of the assets value.
Ok, so now you have dealt with all that taxable income and you are safe from the dreaded tax man, right? Maybe not. What about that check you wrote yourself to pay for that new super gaming rig or the money you took out of the company account to buy that big screen to watch the Cubs/Sox win the World Series? Those are distributions and may or may not be taxable income to you. It all comes down to what kind of company you own and whether or not you have basis in it. This is a tricky area that stumps even some professionals. The short story is that if your losses plus your distribution cumulatively exceed what you put in plus the earnings you have paid tax on the excess may be treated as income to you. If you even think this is an issue for you, consult your tax advisor prior to year end. Now may be a good time to consult a tax professional to try to prevent that tax return balance due that could crash your economic hard drive.
TECH cocktail Community Contributed Knowledge
Jerry Murdick, CPA is a tax manger at Frost, Ruttenberg & Rothblatt, P.C. of Chicago. Jerry specializes in tax consulting with closely held businesses and is the go to person for the tax department’s technology initiatives. Jerry can be reached at jmurdick@frronline.com
TECH cocktail Chicago 9 Thank You & Photos
November 10, 2008
Reading time: 2 - 2 minutes
Thank you to everyone who came out to help amplify the Chicago technology community at TECH cocktail Chicago 9 last week. We were excited to have our largest crowd to date. Thank you again to our sponsors which included Microsoft, firm58, ChicagoMicro, SaperLaw, Illinois Technology Partnership and OpenMake Software.
The following startups showed off: ArtistData.com, Callpod.com, CimpleCMS, CohesiveFT, Mocklinkr and The Next Big Sound.
We also announced that TECH cocktail is a network partner for the Microsoft BizSpark program. What does this mean? It means that if you are a startup that meets the BizSpark criteria you can get free Microsoft software. Just let us know if you are interested and we can get you in.
Check out the TECH cocktail Chicago 9 photos taken by Chicago’s Caroline Dixey Photography. Share your own videos and photos from TECH cocktail Chicago 9 by uploading them to the TECH cocktail Community at: http://iam.techcocktail.com.
TECH cocktail Chicago 9 Preview
November 5, 2008
Reading time: 3 - 4 minutes
We are excited to be give you a preview of our final TECH cocktail event of 2008 as we look to “amplify the technology signal” and have some fun doing it at TECH cocktail Chicago 9. We are extremely appreciative to the support of our sponsors which include:
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We also would like to preview our 6 fine demoers which will be showing off their stuff around the event. The 6 startups include:
Callpod.com – offers a number of unique consumer electronic products for your mobile device
CohesiveFT - provides customers with the ability to create custom-configured, container-hardened, subscription-supported application stacks
The Next Big Sound – offers streaming music from hundreds of up-and-coming bands on the verge of being discovered
Mocklinkr.com – a site for sharing mockups so that users can interact and offer feedback
ArtistData.com – a site for musicians that helps them syndicate their data across all music sites (watch a video demo)
CimpleCMS – a rapid application development framework in PHP for asynchronous communication
Don’t forget to connect with other TECH cocktailers online before and after the event at: http://iam.techcocktail.com.
We look forward to seeing you Thursday night!
Guide To Working Paperless
November 3, 2008
Reading time: 7 - 12 minutes
I think my simplest self-imposed challenge was to: go entirely paperless at the office this month. It was so simple it’s almost laughable. I’m so confident that I met my own goal I’ve posted this a week before the end of the month. So how did I do it and how did it spill over into my personal life?
I got the right (portable) tools in place
These days we all have laptops: they’re light, portable, and can go anywhere. I’m fortunate enough to have one for both work and play. My laptop (MacBook Air, my primary and only computer) goes with me everywhere (so all the tips will be for Mac users).
- Office to home office
- Conference room to conferences
- Couch to bed
- Bus and train
Not to mention the fact I carry a web-enabled device (iPhone) at all times (send tasks with an e-mail dropbox). In school, we took notes on paper because: it was portable. But now, the same can be said around the office with a laptop (and in school of course). I can plop down at someone else’s desk, I can get on a call, I can go in the hall, etc. I can conduct business anywhere. Sure, all you need is a computer, but a ’satellite’ is key.
The downside to technology
When you interact with humans, face-to-face, laptops and phones become a barrier. Its best to take notes on paper when sitting with co-workers or clients, but certainly not necessary. Being aware of the distraction and visible wall placed between you will help you navigate this problem.
Luckily I deal with most people online (phone or internet) and this makes it easy for me.
Technologies I work with
On day one I removed all paper and writing utensils from my work area to prevent any temptation. Sure, I still have a stack of business cards on my desk but I’ll tackle that later. These are the four simple technologies I require to go completely paperless:
- Plain text editor: Anything from TextMate to Coda will suffice. You simply need a tool to take notes. When you talk to someone, take notes. When you have a meeting, take notes. When you draft a proposal or write a report write everything in markdown so you can convert it (PDF, HTML), keep track of revisions (subversion, git), and edit it with any other text editor. That’s right Microsoft Word, I’m looking at you. Bonus: a tool like SubEthaEdit allows collaborative editing which means you can take notes with everyone else on the call in the same room.
- Web-based calendaring: I use Google Calendar so I can access my calendar anywhere. Plus, there are tools like BusySync and SpanningSync that allow me to go from Google Calendar to iCal to iPhone and back. Adding events from my phone or computer mean one less thing I need to scribble down.
- Web-based tasks: Again, having my tasks accessible from any computer, anywhere is key. Since we eat our own dogfood at Crowd Favorite I use our tasks suite for both a work and personal to-do list. E-mail dropboxes (I always have my iPhone) allow a quick thought to turn into an actionable item and I never need to jot anything down.
- Communication tools: My RescueTime dashboard says I spend nearly 70% of my time in applications and on websites I’ve tagged ‘communication’. It’s important to my job and so I’m glad I have reliable e-mail at GMail, cheap calls on Skype, instant messages with Adium (Google Talk, AIM) and a phone on my desk. When’s the last time you used paper to communicate in a day-to-day setting?
- Paperless faxes: Most people have a scanner/printer (it’s hard to find the two separated these days) so they don’t need to fax anything. Just e-mail me the high-quality image. But, some things never change. Go spend the $9.99 and buy an e-fax number for the rest of the John McCain’s out there.
- Digital Signatures: I say nay to faxes in the first place, you don’t need them to sign a document. Adobe has come out with perfectly acceptable digital signature technology. It’s really straight forward and allows for near-instant turn-around on contracts, NDAs, etc. Plus, hand-written signatures can be forged, right?
We’re all familiar with the 80/20 concept, right? These simple technologies catch far more than the majority (probably 90%) of paper that could possibly enter my work life.
But, some things cant be avoided
Little things come up every day and we pay little attention to them. Business cards are handed out at dinners, conferences and other events. Going to lunch or drinks after work mean you’ll be handed a receipt. So what do you do with the unavoidable?
- Receipts: If I can see that the credit card printer has already spit out a second customer receipt I’ll be sure to ask for it. Why? So I can make sure I take it back and recycle it. Odds are when you decline it’s tossed straight into the trash.
- Business Cards: I will gladly accept a card from someone if its seems appropriate (and offer them mine). Like receipts I will always put them in my phone and recycle the card. But, if the situation is right, I will then offer them to use my contxts account (simply SMS ‘devin’ to 50500). There are plenty of other services out there: TextMarks, MyDropCard.
- Shipping Labels: Welp, some things can’t be avoided. I had to ship a book to a friend the other day and realized it was one of my few ‘non-digital’ exchanges this month.
- Checks: Cash is king and if you want to do business you’ll accept checks. Online services are becoming more popular but there are things like fees involved. Free checking is far too easy right now.
- Account Statements: If you can, obviously have them sent to you online (banking, bills, etc.). I have a few accounts that still don’t offer it and that kills me. Again, I have to suck it up, shred, and recycle, that’s the best I can do.
- Periodicals: They’re mostly there, newspapers, magazines*, etc. They all syndicate online. The hardest part is when you’re faced with ‘offline’ time. NetNewsWire is my app of choice but that still leaves me high and dry with partial feeds and those that don’t push to RSS.
- Books: With services like Audible and Audio-Tech business book summaries I haven’t read from a tangible book in a while. I have plenty that I will read (on planes, on the bus, etc.) because, well, they’re books. But taking steps like re-selling them on Amazon (reduce, reuse, recycle?) and subscribing to podcasts will certainly help you become paperless.
As you can see, there are some things that are hard to avoid. But you’re certainly not helpless.
So how did I do?
I feel pretty good about my new habits and I’m sure I’m not alone in my quest to work and live paperless. Is there something I’ve missed? Or is there something you’ve found that works better? Share your thoughts in the comments.
* I’ve collected nearly ten years of WIRED magazines and use them as a night stand. I love that magazine.
TECH cocktail Community Contributed Knowledge
Devin manages cool projects at Crowd Favorite, skis for Colorado Snow, and writes about business and technology at Mind Averse.
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