Ten Must-Have Gmail Filters Available for Download

 

Via Exclusive Download: Ten Must-Have Gmail Filters Available for Download

Don’t Make Me Think – Steve Krug

This book shows you how to conduct your own usability tests on the cheap. What follows is a summary of the book’s major rules and observations:

1. Don’t Make Me Think!

The number one usability rule, most often expresed by users. Web pages should be self-evident, obvious, and self-explanatory. Buttons should have short text and look clickable. The default search for your site should be simple.

2. Design for scanning not reading

By observing users Krug found that people glance, scan some text, and click on the first reasonable option (called "satisficing"). People scan Web pages, they don’t read them. We don’t make optimal choices, we satisfice. We don’t figure out, how things work, we muddle through because most of the time it is just not that important. If we find something that works, we stick to it.

Here are some things you can do to make sure users understand as much of your site as possible:

a. Create a clear visual hierarchy to show relative importance of content (H1/H2 etc.)
b. Take advantage of conventions
c. Break pages up into clearly defined areas
d. Make it obvious what’s clickable
e. Minimize noise

3. Users like mindless choices

Make each click an unambiguous orthogonal alternative.

4. Omit needless words

Get rid of half of the words on each page, then get rid of half of what’s left. This is especially important on home pages and
gateway pages.

5. Navigation: Use street signs and breadcrumbs

Typical Process: 1. You’re trying to find something 2. Decide to “Ask” or “Browse” first 3. If Ask, look for the search box 4. If Browser, you make your way through a visual hierarchy and using signs to guide you.

Factoid: The back button accounts for 30 to 40 percent of all Web clicks. Persistent navigation appears on every page of the site and should include the following five elements:

a. Site ID
b. A way home
c. Search
d. Sections – Sub-Sections
e. Utilities

Your navigation should answer these questions:

a. What site is this?
b. What page am I on? (page name)
c. What are the major sections of this site? (Menu, Tab)
d. What are my options at this level?
e. Where am my in the scheme of things? (use breadcrumbs)
f. How can I search?

6. Your home page should convey the big picture

What is the site about? Use a good short tag line and welcome blurb. Rotate site promotions. Remove everything nonessential.

Home page navigation can be unique. Since the Home page has to reveal as much as it of its site, you may want to add a descriptive phrase to each section name, or even list the subsections – something you don’t have the space to do on every page. Site ID is usually larger.

The trouble of rollovers. 1. You have to seek them out 2. You can only see one at a time

WhatSmartStudentsKnow

Notes from What Smart Students Know by Adam Robinson

Twelve Cyberlearning Questions

1. What’s my purpose for reading this?
   1. Be specific
   2. Not everything involved is equally important
2. What do I already know about this topic?
   1. Starts generating questions
   2. Finds holes in your knowledge
   3. Puts you on the lookout for new imformation
   4. Valuable for resourceful thinking
   5. Acts as a review
   6. Makes you an authority
3. What’s the big picture?‘
   1. Find
      1. Main ideas and themes
      2. Important terms and concepts
      3. Overall organization
4. What’s the author going to say next?
   1. Expect the author to answer your questions
   2. Helps you stay engaged
5. What are the Expert/Orientation Questions?
   1. Expert Questions
      1. What is this made of?
      2. How can this be identified?
      3. What process causes this?
      4. Where is this usually found?
      5. What can I tell about the history of this?
      6. What’s the definition of this?
      7. What’s an example of this?
      8. What are the different types of this?
      9. What is this related to?
      10. What can this be compared with?
   2. Orientation Questions
      1. What’s the Definition of this?
      2. What’s an Example of this?
      3. What are the different types of this?
      4. What is this related to?
      5. What can this be compared with?
6. What questions does this information raise for me?
   1. Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
      1. So what?
      2. Says who?
      3. What if. . . ?
      4. What does this remind me of?
   2. Don’t wait to read the answer – guess what it will be
7. What information is important here?
   1. 80-20 rule
   2. Clues
      1. In reading
         1. Beginning and end
         2. Anything emphasized graphically
         3. Gist of any chart or diagram
         4. Chapter summary
      2. In lecture
         1. beginning and end
         2. anything on the board
         3. anythign repeated, emphased, or stressed
         4. teacher’s use of language
         5. responses to questions/comments
         6. thoughts, reactions, and questions
         7. anything after long pauses, takes time to explain, or has difficulty expressing
         8. anything discussed, but not covered in textbook, especially disagreements with textbook
         9. details vs. big picture
         10. references to material covered previously
         11. raised, but unanswered questions
         12. handouts
   3. continue updating and condensing notes
8. How can I paraphrase and summarize this information?
   1. Use your words
   2. Use few words
   3. Reading notes
      1. Don’t take notes sentence by sentence
      2. Take notes from memory
      3. Organize notes into a clear structure
      4. Translate graphics into words
      5. Develop a personal shorthand
      6. Print (rather than cursive)
      7. Use loose paper
      8. Write on one side only
      9. Don’t just recopy notes
      10. Don’t use a computer to type notes
   4. Class notes
      1. Seek out buzz words and pet phrases
      2. Jot down questions to think about later
      3. Borrow notes if you miss a lecture
   5. Marking textbooks
      1. Avoid highlighters, pens that smudge, & using rulers
      2. Read entire paragraph before underlining anything
      3. Underline as little as possible
      4. Record thoughts and questions in the margin
9. How can I organize this information?
   1. Reorganize the information as many ways as possible
   2. What items are similar? Different?
   3. What items depend/build on each other?
   4. How do different items compare in terms of expert and orientation questions?
10. How can I picture this information?
    1. Have scratch paper
    2. Try different techniques; emphasize relationships and relative imortance
    3. Be creative
    4. Avoid outlines, they’re too linear
    5. Don’t rely on graphics from the teacher or textbook
    6. It may not be possible, but try making everything visual
11. What’s my hook for remembering this information?
    1. Hooks
       1. Pictures
       2. Patterns
       3. Rhymes
       4. Stories
    2. Keys
       1. Understand it
          1. you can reconstruct what you understand
          2. ask how you would reconstruct it
       2. Create a hook
          1. devise them yourself
          2. use more than one
          3. any hook works, it doesn’t have to make sense
       3. Link it
          1. make it crazy
       4. Think small and thorough
       5. Get emotionally involved
          1. personalize the info
       6. Engage multiple senses
          1. visual
          2. auditory
          3. kinsethetic
       7. Smell the roses
          1. take in the suroundings to help connect to the info later
       8. Sleep on it
          1. review before going to sleep
       9. Use it or lose it
       10. Quiz yourself periodically
           1. don’t confuse recognition with recall
12. How does this information fit with wahat I already know?
    1. Pare down the notes you study from (but don’t discard old ones)
    2. Get down to one sheet
       1. Write small, if necessary

Before class:

• Complete previous assignments
• Review notes from previous lecture and assigned reading
• Bring textbook, textbook notes, & notes from last class only
• be on time
• sit where you can concentrate
• Don’t suck up & don’t make a bad impression either
• Wait before asking a question
• If confused, ask for an example
• Think before raising your hand
• Voice objections cautiously
• Don’t use a tape recorder unless you absolutely must
• Quiz yourself

Choosing Supplementary Information

• Ask the teacher
• Look for examples, explanations, and questions
• Beware of outlines or study guides (short on examples and explanations)
• Different author and publisher
• Look for experts with field and teaching experience
• Look for something inviting to read
• New editions better

When confused

• Look it up
• Look at the big picture
• Jump to the end
• Find another information source
• Find an exmple
• Retrace steps
• Sleep on it
• Teach someone
• Ask for help

Subjects (Acquire and understand. . .)

• organized bodies of information: astronomy, history, psychology
• interpretation techniques: art history, English, philosophy
  • read source material several times rather than revising notes
• problem-solving techniques: accounting, computer sicence, logic
  • imitate first, understand later
  • work on solving lots of problems (one type at a time) rather than revising notes
    • do each step on paper
    • note and question solutions you don’t follow
  • getting the big picture is more difficult
  • you won’t need to paraphrase or summarize as often
  • less information to organize
  • supplementary information source is vital
• create, perform, or communicate: debate, foreign languages, theater

Test rehearsal

1. size up the exam
   1. what
      1. from lectures, textbook, or outside reading?
      2. cumulative?
      3. Main themes, details, or both?
      4. Factual or analytic answers?
      5. Choice of questions?
      6. What Information is provided?
      7. Level of expertise required?
      8. Essay, short-answer, multiple choice, combination?
      9. Take-home or open-bok?
      10. Who grades it?
      11. Grader bias?
   2. how
      1. ask “What are the most important concepts I need to review?”
      2. review previous exams
      3. ask someone who has already taken the exam
      4. look over notes for clues
      5. attend review session
      6. skim anything the teacher has written
2. get an overview of the course
   1. think 80-20 rule
3. review your previous exams
4. review original notes
5. answer expert and orientation questions
   1. acquire detailed expertise in one or two specific course areas
6. condense summary sheet one final time
7. reconstruct summary sheet from memory
   1. review original when stuck, picture it, then start reconstructing again from scratch
   2. when finished reconstructing, sleep immediately

• rehearse conditions and tasks you’ll face on the exam
• study in a hard chair like the posture of actual test
• if one day is all you have, make it the day before the test
• jam formulas into short term memory at last minute, then write them down ASAP

Test taking

five steps

1. catch breath
2. read directions
3. skim test
4. budget time
   1. what’s the best use of my remaining time
5. attack

Put Up A Fight

1. ask teacher for help
2. rephrase question yourself
3. postpone question
4. try visualizing info in book or on summary sheet
5. start writing anything
6. think about a related question
7. examine precise wording of the question
8. if you don’t know, write down best approximation
9. if you don’t know some important fact, describe how you’d answer if you did
10. think!
11. replace the question with a related one you can answer
12. if you don’t know what something is, try answering what it isn’t
13. if you know nothing, admit it, and write an ansewr to your own question
14. if short on time, write “Short on time!” and answer in outline form
15. if not an essay test, consider leaving some questions blank
16. use time alloted (try not to finish early)

Essay Tests

1. don’t worry about how you’ll use the time
2. examine question and attack with dialoguing
3. spend at least a fourth of time generating ideas and organizing
4. opening paragraph is most important (get down to business)
5. final paragraph is second most important
6. the more distinct paragraphs you write, the better
7. if no time to organize, start somewhere
8. the more you write, the better
9. if a thought occurs about another question, jot it down (as not to forget it)
10. write on the right pages of test booklet only
11. make corrections as neatly as possible

Multiple-Choice And True/False

1. read carefully
2. take questions at face value
3. before reading choices, anticipate answer then look for it
4. use process of elimination
5. read each choice
6. if unsure, mark question for later review
7. always guess if you can eliminate one choice
8. if question is simple, as why anyone would ask
9. choose the answer the test writer thinks is right

Standardized Test

1. never take a standardized test just to see how you’ll do
2. use practice materials by the people who publish the tests
3. don’t rush to finish
4. if you have time, guessing rarely hurts
5. most tests present questions in order of difficulty
6. trust hunches on easy questions, not hard

Miscellaneous

1. print
2. don’t squeeze answers onto page
3. use blue or black ink
4. show all work
5. write your name on test booklet
6. if possible, keep questions for future review

Writing Papers (take expository writing early)

1. choose topic
   1. topic sources
      1. textbook
      2. lecture notes
      3. outside or suggested reading
      4. library, starting with encyclopedia and various indexes
      5. look for overlap with areas you know a lot about
      6. ask teacher
   2. good topics
      1. boring to you, boring to teacher
      2. don’t be too advernturous
      3. be original, but not too original
      4. keep it manageable
      5. choose a topic that will apply to more than one class
      6. a little controversy is good, too much is bad
   3. turn topic into a question
   4. you can change your mind
   5. run topic by teacher before starting
   6. don’t jump to conclusions (use reason, avoid emotional responses to topic)
2. explore the topic to generate ideas
   1. dialogue for ideas
   2. broaden perspective
      1. explore related topics and larger issues
   3. research for ideas
   4. dig deeper
3. organize and evaluate ideas
   1. group similar ideas under major headings
   2. search for more specific categories
   3. arrange the groups and the ideas within the groups
   4. evaluate ideas
4. take a position
   1. best opinions are interesting, precise, and supportable
5. support with specifics
   1. each point needs to be backed up with details, examples, and supporting evidence & don’t forget to provide evidence of opposing viewpoints you include
   2. acknowledge assertions and assumptions
   3. if unsure of a fact, don’t use absolute words
6. write first draft
   1. background/introduction
      1. forms the basis of the first impression
   2. thesis statement is a condensed version of the essay itself
   3. body
      1. develop the body by presenting the cons rather than the pros
   4. conclusion
      1. as important as the introduction
7. revise, edit, and polish
   1. get feedback
      1. what is my main point?
      2. where is the essay unclear?
      3. does it flow logically?
      4. where do you lose interest?
      5. what do you disagree with?
      6. does it omit anything interesting?
      7. do I present opposing views convincingly?
   2. Edit from big picture down
   3. Check structure and organization
   4. Check paragraphs (more paragraphs appear more organized)
   5. Check paragraph links
   6. Check transitions
   7. Check sentence links
   8. Check diction and style
   9. Use buzzwords (see list); Big words impress
   10. Check spelling
   11. Follow accepted style format
   12. Give it one final review
   13. Teachers examine
       1. Your ideas (more important than the facts)
       2. Ideas supported by facts
       3. Organization and style conform to accepted academic model
       4. Beginning and end are most important

• Use pen
• If using 3×5s, write general subject on top for later sorting
• Write first draft only on one side of paper
• Learn to type
• Use computers w/surge protector & save frequently
• Start early

Manage time

1. must have
   1. daily to-do list
   2. clean weekly class schedule
   3. general wall calendar
   4. clean calendar reserved for major tests and papers
2. carry a pen & something to work on
3. remember 80-20 rule
4. each week
   1. before class review notes
   2. after class combine class and reading notes
   3. once a week, consolidate notes & update summary sheet
5. before term
   1. scout out courses
6. first weeks
   1. work out expert questions
   2. fine supplementary info source
   3. create initial summary sheet
   4. seek out teacher’s previous exams
   5. get an overview of course
   6. sign up for backup “add/drop” classes
   7. decide on final schedule
7. last weeks
   1. reduce summary sheet to one page
   2. begin finals prep
   3. decide on next classes

"All thinking is the process of making successively better guesses."

---

See Also:

• Six steps for learning difficult subjects quickly

Buy low, Sell high – Warren Buffett does, you can too

 

Buy low, Sell high is the oldest investment cliche. Sounds simple, but it is very hard to do. Why? Psychology. Two things drive the stock market; fear and greed. Fear is a powerful emotion that causes people to sell investments and seek comfort and safety in cash or gold. There is a lot of fear around today.

Greed is an even more powerful emotion than fear. Fear is temporary, greed is permanent. Greed always overtakes fear. Greed also lulls us into a false sense of security. For most people logic and reason go out the window at both ends of the spectrum.

Warren Buffett says “Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful.”

For more goto Buy low, Sell high – Warren Buffett does, you can too

Inside AdSense: Engaging users with policy-compliant images and video

 

Engaging users with policy-compliant images and video

As it’s becoming easier and easier to embed videos and pictures on websites, many publishers are now enhancing their current text content with relevant videos and photos. We wholeheartedly support adding these different forms of content to improve the user experience on your site — hey, we like watching entertaining YouTube videos too! But here’s a friendly reminder about keeping our program policies in mind when you choose video and image content for your site.
Before posting videos or pictures on a page with Google ads, put yourself in an advertiser’s position and consider whether you would want to have your ad displayed on the page. If your content might potentially be seen as offensive or disturbing, an advertiser may not be comfortable running their ads on that page. Here are a few specific types of content that you can check for:

• Adult or mature: Includes, but is not limited to, images and videos containing sexual activity, full nudity, and lewd poses. Please review this recent post to determine whether your content might fall into this category.
• Violent or gory: Can include images and videos of street-fighting, people hurting each other, or gruesome accidents and their victims.
• Culturally insensitive or hate speech: Includes content promoting racial intolerance or advocating against a specific individual, group, or organization.

Also, keep in mind that publishers may not place AdSense ads on pages involved in the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials. Unauthorized copyrighted materials include music, movies, images, or any other copyrighted material that the publisher does not own or license from the copyright owner.
The list above is by no means exhaustive, since there are always some borderline cases which will feature content that may be tame to one person but offensive to another. If you’re uncertain about specific pictures or videos, we recommend that you err on the side of caution and refrain from placing this content on pages containing Google ads. In addition, if you host a site with user-generated content, we ask that you continually monitor your network to ensure that ads don’t appear alongside the types of content described here.

Inside AdSense: Engaging users with policy-compliant images and video

Don Dodge on The Next Big Thing: How to make your startup successful

 

There are some common success factors like;

1. Build a product or service people want
2. Customers are willing to pay for it
3. Competitors can’t easily replicate it
4. Assemble the best management team
5. Hire only the best people

Don Dodge on The Next Big Thing: How to make your startup successful

Startups Must Hire The Right People And Watch Every Penny. Or Fail.

 

Startups Must Hire The Right People And Watch Every Penny. Or Fail.

How to save money running a startup (17 really good tips)

 

How to save money running a startup (17 really good tips)

How to save money running a startup (17 really good tips)

Wii Game List

• The Definitive Wii Game List

• 
  

  Must have Wii Games

35 Ways to Stream Your Life – ReadWriteWeb

 

It’s a pretty good bet that if you’re not making a Twitter or Facebook application, you’re probably making a lifestreaming application. Okay, so not everyone is into lifestreaming, but it is one of the hottest areas for development out there, and there are an overwhelming amount of services offering a way to aggregate all the little bits of your online life (which, for the purpose of this post, is the definition of lifestreaming that we’ll use). Richard MacManus wrote an excellent primer on lifestreaming in January

Via 35 Ways to Stream Your Life – ReadWriteWeb