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Caroline Beaton is an award-winning writer, millennial expert and brand consultant tackling the psychology of millennials at work.

It’s not easy being told you’ll never make it. Yet thousands of English, Philosophy, Sociology, Anthropology and History majors hear just that. … Read More

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We’ve made some updates to the seller profile to make it easier than ever before for you to show buyers your talent, skills and experience. The new profile showcases help the right buyers connect with you right away. Let’s walk … Read More

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(BPT) – Does your employer consider community service part of a job well done? If you’re wondering whether you should take advantage of your employer’s offer to pay you for volunteer time, keep in mind employee volunteerism benefits everyone involved — your company, the organization you’ll help and you!

Approximately 21 percent of employers now give workers paid time off for volunteering, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. Sponsoring volunteerism can help a company boost employee morale, enhance recruitment efforts and even improve the business’ standing in the community. Volunteering can also benefit you emotionally and in your career.

For example, through the Investing in America’s Health initiative, employees of Blue Cross Blue Shield’s 36 community-based and locally operated companies (BCBS) volunteered nearly 400,000 hours and provided more than $10 million in donations in 2015. BCBS workers volunteered and provided financial support to programs and organizations involved in improving public health.

Workers involved in the BCBS initiative reported experiencing many of the benefits commonly associated with volunteerism, including:

* Emotional rewards — Multiple studies have shown that volunteering makes people feel more socially connected and emotionally fulfilled, and can reduce feelings of loneliness and depression.

* Enhanced camaraderie with co-workers — Employees who volunteer together consistently report feeling more connected to their co-workers and their communities. Volunteering together can be a fulfilling and effective team-building activity.

* Improving their community — Because employer-sponsored volunteer programs take place at a local level, when you participate you’re directly improving your own community.

* Add depth to professional credentials — Current and future employers don’t just want people with job skills, they want to know they’re hiring compassionate, caring and well-rounded individuals. Participation in employee-sponsored volunteer programs enhances your overall appeal as a professional.

If you would like to become involved in volunteering through an employer-sponsored program, here are some ways to get started:

* Talk to your human resources department about your company’s program to better understand how it works. For example, does the company have an established volunteer relationship with a charitable or community organization? Or will your employer support your volunteerism with any qualifying organization? Will you receive paid-time-off for volunteering, and if so, how many hours per month? Does your employer also offer cash donations or a donation matching program to support charitable contributions?

* If your employer has a policy that allows you to volunteer anywhere, identify the group you want to volunteer with. Be aware of any standards your employer may have established for qualifying organizations. Look for a volunteer opportunity that allows you to do something you’re passionate about and that supports your local community.

* Gather information from the volunteer organization on what you need to do in order to take part as a volunteer. For example, will you need to participate in any specialized training? Will you need to agree to a background check if you’ll be working with children?

If your employer doesn’t yet have a program, take the initiative and suggest they start one. This can be as simple as identifying your worthy cause and asking your employer for support in volunteering.

To learn more about how BCBS companies are improving the health and wellness of members and their communities, view the report at www.bcbs.com.

 

(BPT) – Think sales numbers trump customer service? Think again. Research shows companies focused on providing a superior experience across the customer journey realized a 20 percent increase in customer satisfaction and 10-15 percent increase in revenue. Furthermore, 45 percent of people will abandon an online transaction if their questions or concerns are not addressed quickly. And perhaps the most shocking of all: It costs six to seven times more to attract a new customer than to retain an existing customer.

Given these factors many companies are taking a closer look at their customer retention rates and evaluating the customer experiences they provide. To meet customers on their terms and facilitate employee productivity, it’s critical to invest in new technology. However, not all businesses have the internal IT resources or expertise to efficiently implement technology and effectively manage it on a continuous basis.

For these businesses, working with a trusted technology partner provides an easier route to weather the changes and delight customers. Numerous companies have worked with Dell to ensure they don’t have to worry about downtime or system failure. Dell ProSupport Plus, for instance, provides these companies with the highest level of hardware and software support so they can deliver the best experience to their customers. Powered by Dell’s SupportAssist technology, this support program not only helps resolve issues quickly and proactively, but can also prevent issues before they happen through predictive capabilities. This means less effort by IT staff and more peace-of-mind for both the company and their customers. For example, Dell ProSupport Plus with SupportAssist users are able to spend up to 91 percent less time on resolution. Imagine what an IT staff could do when they’re able to shift that time away from maintenance.

Another time when a technology provider’s services become critical is when businesses implement new solutions. The continual evolution of technology such as cloud, converged datacenters and big data presents a world of new opportunities — and new challenges. Not only do businesses need to contemplate how to get their new technology up and running quickly, they also need to be able to maintain, refresh and address any issues that arise.

To sail over the many potential hurdles, the Dell ProDeploy Enterprise Suite is helping IT managers and business leaders navigate the growing complexity of multiple platforms and risk of transitioning to new technologies while minimizing any downtime, all within the confines of limited resources and budgets. Businesses can rely on Dell experts and partners to lead deployments from basic hardware installation through planning, configuration and complex integrations. Companies using Dell deployment services can reduce IT effort by 91 percent and deploy systems 39 percent faster.

With new technology solutions up and running, businesses should be positioned to provide the best customer service possible. However, without a properly trained crew there will be no one to sail the ship or right it when needed. In addition to investing in technology, organizations need to give their IT team the right training and tools to do their job well. Dell has addressed this critical need by introducing training and certification that gives a company’s IT staff access to the same resources as Dell engineers.

If the technology powering the business is running smoothly, it’s reflected in effortless and memorable interactions with customers that inspire loyalty and build revenue.

Customer service IT services and customer support will continue to evolve as new technologies are developed and customer expectations will continue to rise. By being proactive and partnering with a technology vendor who is intent on staying ahead of the curve, companies can gain an edge against the competition while building an unbreakable brand reputation.

So you’ve decided to start an online business. Doing this allows you all sorts of freedom that you don’t get in many jobs. When you start a business online, you’re your own boss, meaning you get to make the big … Read More

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(BPT) – K-12 education has evolved. What used to be a linear path to academic success has expanded to a variety of nontraditional options for families and students looking to chart their own course in and after school. Schools that leverage online learning, such as full-time virtual schools, make it possible for students to pursue a top-quality education with more flexibility than the traditional classroom experience.

Nationwide, more than 275,000 K-12 students in the U.S. attended online school full-time during the 2014–15 school year, according to the 2015 Keeping Pace with K-12 Digital Learning report. A new third-party public opinion poll commissioned by Connections Academy also reveals that 86 percent of parents think America’s K-12 public school students should be able to choose tuition-free online learning options.

Further evidence of this shift to digital can be found in the Class of 2016, with many top graduates arriving at this important milestone via a nontraditional path — online learning. Connections Academy online schools are expected to graduate more than 4,000 students this year across 24 states — and many of those students will have completed their entire high school educations online. In fact, students who are enrolled in Connections Academy schools for all four years of high school have a graduation rate of 84 percent.

Although they traveled a unique path to their high school graduation, students and alumni assert they are experiencing the same success as their traditional public school peers. Recent 2016 graduates from Connections Academy-supported online schools were accepted to more than 690 four-year colleges and universities in each U.S. state including the District of Columbia, and others have plans to continue their education at two-year colleges or vocational schools, start careers or enter the military.

Texas twins Kelley and Courtlyn Ranly chose to attend online public school Texas Connections Academy to pursue their passion for rodeo. During their high school careers the sisters have been active National Honor Society members, maintained honor roll with a 4.47 GPA (on a 4.0 weighted scale), and, recently, they celebrated their achievements alongside their peers as they served as co-valedictorians for the school’s class of 2016. Outside of school, the flexibility to schedule their classes around their extracurricular activities allowed these Texas 4-H Livestock Ambassadors to volunteer at a local veterinary clinic and raise livestock, which won them several awards at the state’s largest county fair.

Courtlyn and Kelley will continue to pave their own path this summer as they travel to Argentina and Uruguay to learn about the agricultural industry on a global scale, seeking a different type of pre-college summer break than many of their classmates. Come fall, the sisters will further pursue their passions at Texas A&M University as animal science majors, with the shared goal of one day opening a veterinary clinic together.

When traditional schools did not fit the needs of Jeffrey Crouch, who has a unique educational learning need as a visually impaired student, he joined Great Lakes Cyber Academy. Transitioning to online school made it possible for Jeffrey, working closely with his teachers, to pursue an individualized education. As the president of the Michigan Association of Blind Students and president of the Genesee County Chapter at the National Federation of the Blind in Michigan, Jeffrey is actively involved in advocating for equal treatment of people with disabilities, a role that’s taken him to Capitol Hill to discuss advocacy issues. Jeffrey will graduate from high school this year and intends to pursue criminal investigation as a career path.

Across the globe, international students such as Aayah Nuriddin are also turning to online schools. Aayah began attending International Connections Academy in 10^th grade, after several years at an international school following her family’s move from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia. Though her parents wanted to raise the family in their home country, Aayah and her parents agreed it would benefit her long-term education goals to study an American curriculum. Online school has given her the flexibility to blend what she and her family agree are the best of both worlds for her education and growth, allowing her to become a global citizen now graduating from a U.S.-based school. She has participated in International Connections Academy’s honor societies, taken advantage of college and career guidance, and says she’s benefited from learning and working with teachers with different cultural backgrounds. Locally, Aayah works with younger students through her involvement with the English Honors Society of Shangri-La. Aayah has plans to study architectural engineering at Prince Sultan University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

While quality and flexibility are popular drivers, many types of students are opting for online school for all sorts of reasons: there are students who simply thrive better outside the traditional classroom, others are ahead or behind their peers academically, still more benefit from greater personalization. Educators agree that online school isn’t for every student and families interested should take the time to learn about their options. Information sessions are currently taking place in many states for parents and students interested in learning more about Connections Academy-supported online public school options. A full-time online private school is also available for families who live in states where a tuition-free public online option is not available.

Entrepreneurship is not just something you do; it becomes part of who you are. Your skills, your home, the way you spend your time – all of it begins to reflect both the reality and the aspirations of your business … Read More

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Meggan, Meggananderson on Fiverr, is a full-time professional actress and commercial print model based in Los Angeles. A Top Rated Seller on Fiverr, she creates amazing product demos, voiceovers, and more. She’ll also shoot professional product and fashion photos. Our … Read More

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(BPT) – Every decade gets two moments in the sun it seems — when the years actually occur, and when they’re fashionably retro. In the twenty-teens, it looks like everything 90s is hot again.

The influence of the 90s is showing up virtually everywhere in pop culture in 2016, from reboots of movies and TV series that were hugely popular 20 years ago, to fashions that evoke the grunge era. The trend isn’t just popular among older millennials who remember the decade. Nineties style is being embraced by 20-somethings, teens and even children who are too young to recall the 90s or weren’t even born until after 1999.

Nostalgia can be a great way to bridge the gaps between generations, especially as kids discover updated versions of pop culture elements their parents who lived through the 90s loved. If you’re a child of the 90s, here are some retro experiences you can share with your kids this summer:

Video games

While some video game characters that have been around since the earliest days of console games are familiar to kids of all ages, others are just being rediscovered by today’s young gamers. Crash Bandicoot ruled the 90s gaming scene as one of the coolest, most fun platform games of the decade.

First introduced to the gaming public in 1996, Crash jumped, ran and spun his way through more than a dozen games that sold millions of copies worldwide. Now, he’s back in the newest game in the Skylanders franchise, Skylanders Imaginators. Skylanders Imaginators gives players the freedom to unleash their imagination and create their own Skylander using immense possibilities available in the game, including appearance, powers, abilities, names, catchphrases, musical themes and much more.

No Crash game would be complete without the ability to jump on TNT Crates to blow them up or collect the Bazooka Crate to get a rocket launcher. Crash is back in ways that will appeal to hardcore fans as well as introduce him to a new generation of gamer. Parents and kids alike will enjoy experiencing his unique and quirky personality both as a fully playable Skylander Sensei character and brand new toy. In Skylanders Imaginators, every Sensei has a devastating Sky-Chi attack, their most powerful move. Crash’s Sky-Chi attack is the ability to use a yo-yo to yank his enemies into a spin attack!

The Skylanders Imaginators Starter Pack Featuring Crash Bandicoot will be available exclusively for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 at launch this October. The Crash toy will be playable across platforms.

Screen reboots

Some of the hottest movies of the 90s are rebooting. Last year’s successful “Jurassic World” continued the dinosaur-cloning-gone-wrong cautionary tale and demonstrated the movie-going public has an appetite for 90s entertaining.

This summer, the “Independence Day” sequel is hoping to cash in on the popularity of the original that first premiered in 1996. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who first made it to the big screen in 1990, are back this summer, too. Their rebooted look and approach aims to appeal to both parents who grew up watching the original TV series and their kids who are discovering the heroes on a half shell for the first time.

Other 90s screen hits that are in the works for reboots include “Lethal Weapon” and Stephen King’s “It.”

Fashion backward

There’s something about retro fashions that makes people willing to wear attire they wouldn’t have dreamed of trying on the first time it was popular. Older millennials who lived through the years when acid wash jeans, chunky-soled shoes and oversized shirts were the height of fashion may now wonder if their own kids raided their old closets!

With the arrival of summer, you’re sure to see more crop tops — a signature look of the 90s — paired with shorts and combat boots. When the weather cools, denim overalls, nylon bomber jackets and bucket hats will reappear.

Whether you lived through the 90s, or you’re discovering the era’s entertainment and fashions for the first time, there’s no denying the decade is experiencing a retro renaissance in modern pop culture.

Yoav Vilner is Co-Founder at Ranky and a regular blogger whose articles have been published on Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc, VentureBeat and TheNextWeb.

Whether you’re double tapping Instagram pics, commenting on Facebook statuses or tweeting 142 characters or less, we’re all … Read More

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