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Surprising new figures reveal only a small proportion of visitors to Web 2.0 sites such as YouTube and Wikipedia take the time to upload their own content, Time reports.
It turns out just 0.2% of visits to video sharing site YouTube involve the uploading of videos; only 0.16% of visitors to photo site Flickr take the time to post their images.
And despite its millions of readers, less than 5 per cent of visits to the user generated encyclopedia Wikipedia result in content editing.
A new study of employment patterns suggests companies can avoid the consequences of Australia's skill shortage by luring older workers and mothers back into the workforce.
The research found more than 70 per cent of businesses believe finding and retaining a skilled workforce is a serious barrier to SME competitiveness.
Experts say one way of tackling the shortage of quality workers is to employ older workers (i.e. those nearing retirement age) on a part time basis and offer more flexible working conditions to mothers.
Giving valued younger members of staff time off to study is highlighted as another approach that may successfully facilitate staff retention.
Both in an interview situation and when chatting around the water cooler, being able to hold a decent conversation can help advance your career.
To help you build this vital skill Yahoo's Money Matters blog offers the following tips on how to hold a good business conversation:
* Learn to listen – allowing conversation partners to talk about themselves makes them feel good and facilitates conversation flow
* Find common ground – for example, ask where people are from and respond with your experience or impression; this connection will help the conversation move forward
* Be generous – people like to be complimented
* Don't brag – you might inadvertently make other people feel small; when talking about your achievements modesty is the best policy
Economy class travel doesn't have to be a nightmare. In fact, if you do your homework you can secure a seat you're more than happy with, according to Fairfax's Executive Style section.
Here are a few tips:
* Reservations please – seats can often be reserved online when a ticket is purchased; if you don't do this you'll get the seats no-one else wants
* Know your planes – websites such as SeatGuru provide seating details, including leg room, row position and proximity to lavatories, for numerous airlines
* Know your preferences – if you're a light sleeper try to get a seat in the front of the plane where you'll hear less engine noise; seats near the front also receive food service first
An increasing number of businesses are seeking the assistance of public relations firms to communicate their green credentials, The Age reports.
With both the public and younger staff members questioning companies about their environmental stance, green PR is a major growth area within the communications field.
Consultants say green PR isn't just about dishing out feel good stories; they warn that companies must tackle harder issues like water use, agriculture and air traffic emissions.
Businesses are also advised to be transparent. If they are not making progress in a particular area they should tell consumers why not and what they are doing about it.
The love stories published by Mills & Boon might have an old fashion romantic flavour to them but the company's distribution methods are at the cutting edge of new media technology, The Times reports.
Mills & Boon is one of several major publishers that have signed up to a British service that enables novels to be delivered as mobile phone readable content.
Downloadable romance stories have proved particularly popular in Japan, which is apparently 18 months ahead of countries like the UK in terms of new technology adoption.
Mills & Boon believe their content is particularly well suited to mobile phone delivery as many of its readers are a touch embarrassed about being seen with a romantic novel.
Identifying talented employees early on and grooming them to be future leaders is the smart way to build your management team, a recent BusinessWeek story argues.
In summary, the article outlines five ways to cultivate talent:
1. Diversify job roles – rotate up-and-comers regularly (every three to five years) to keep them interested; but don't move them too quickly as they need to see project outcomes
2. Let them shadow – give talented staff members the opportunity to spend time with senior executives to learn management skills through observation
3. Speak out – to avoid creating a yes-men culture, make sure employees with potential know it is acceptable to offer constructive criticism
4. Get board – encourage your rising stars to present to the company board, a process that introduces new talent to the directors and vice versa
5. Returns policy – if a talented worker takes a job elsewhere but then returns to your company don't see them as a traitor, view the process as a learning experience
Under the impression that cyberspace is inhabited predominantly by young male geeks? New US research has found there are actually more women online than men.
It turns out over six million more females use the Internet than males in the States, a development that has been driven by women's ability to use the medium more effectively.
Internet marketing experts say females are more inclined to use the Internet to accomplish tasks rather than to have fun (which is what males prefer to use it for). Women are also less inclined to watch online video than men.
