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When considering Trump’s new aesthetic policy on federal buildings (the famously vague Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture executive order) there’s a line from The Princess Bride that immediately comes to mind. I’m of course referring Inigo Montoya’s iconic “I do not think it means what you think it means” response to Vizzini’s incessant “inconceivable!” declarations regarding the Dread Pirate Roberts. While Trump’s action has rightfully been decried by seemingly every legitimate design organization and authority in the country, I simply want to analyze the specific verbiage (and thus the actual meaning) of the order itself. Let’s break it down. Regional and traditional The first paragraph of the executive order directs the General Services Administration “…to advance the policy that Federal public buildings should be visually identifiable as civic buildings and respect regional, traditional, and classical architectural heritage in order to uplift and beautify public spaces…” Let’s focus on the “regional” and “traditional” verbiage. While these phrases are often thrown around in everyday vernacular, what do they actually mean? What regions and traditions do this policy refer to? American regions and traditions, no doubt. But which American regions or traditions? For that matter, what are American regional and traditional buildings? Surely this verbiage is not referring to grand plantations, churches, buildings of early colonial cities, or even the manufactured historicism of places like Washington, D.C.; none of those buildings are “regional” or “traditional” to these United States, or frankly anywhere in North America. Do we look instead to structures like Monticello or Mount Vernon? Unfortunately no. Sadly these, too, are just Americanized versions of European immigrant architecture. While made in America, they cannot be categorized as either regionally authentic or traditionally American. Besides these pesky technicalities, claiming any of these as our own would mean embracing a sort of stylistic “birthright citizenship” which I’m not sure this administration is keen to do. A style of shared ethos Defining authentic American regional and traditional architecture isn’t as simple as many would tend to believe. I’d argue that it’s defined more by a shared ethos and a way of living versus anything stylistic. We’re talking about living off the land, embracing hyper-local materials, an honesty of construction, and taking advantage of everything that nature provided (sightlines, elevation, solar orientation, prevailing winds, water collection, renewable resources, etc.) as it was quite simply a matter of life and death for early settlers and indigenous cultures. Ironically, following these principles would mandate that every new federal building be as low-impact and as hyper-sustainable as possible. While far from an exhaustive list, when looking for examples to draw upon we’re really talking about indigenous longhouses and makeshift settler cabins, cliff dwellings and mining camps, tobacco barns and slave quarters, cotton-gins and kivas, freedman’s villages and ancient pyramid mounds, and everything in between. It’s a mashup of cultures, methods, and experience and often more functional than pretty, but it’s also undeniably American. Classical terminology Now that we’ve broken down the beginning of the order, let’s dive into the “classical” terminology meaning. The Oxford Dictionary describes this term specifically as “Of, relating to, or characteristic of Greek or Roman antiquity.” Using this and every other definition of the term “classical,” we can easily determine that “classical architecture” = Greek/Roman architecture. For the reasons mentioned previously, including “classical” architecture in this order is more than a little confusing and seems wholly incongruent with the “American” spirit of the executive order and risks undermining the current administration’s stance on birthright citizenship (in regard to “immigrant” architecture at least). That said, since it’s specifically called out in the order by name, we’ll break this down as well. A burst of color So what is “Greek/Roman architecture?” While America has undeniably fetishized “classical” architecture from the beginning, we’ve never managed to get it quite right when building our own—even in our very best examples (Lincoln Memorial, other D.C. monuments and buildings). While we tend to get the proportions and scale spot on, we’re always missing one critical aspect: these buildings were rarely (if ever) white. They were nearly (if not) always painted with a rainbow array of vibrant polychrome colors (blues, purples, reds, golds, greens, etc.), therefore giving these ancient cities a much different look than what our collective societal imagination tends to illustrate. This not as a minor point. Should we truly want to embrace “classical” architecture, we must also fully embrace this polychrome version. To not do so simply perpetuates the modern “neo-classical” style which was never mentioned in this executive order. While it might be a shock to the system the next time I’m in D.C., I frankly look forward to seeing the rainbow parade of color that, according to the specific language of the executive order, should be coming soon to our nation’s capital. Considering this administration’s enthusiasm with the wholesale cutting of costs, maybe we can have a community paint party and save a little cash? God only knows this group doesn’t like to hire actual experts, so this seems like a great solution. If so just let me know where to grab my brush. The impact on others While this breakdown is certainly in the weeds, words matter—especially on legal documents impacting the lives and livelihoods of others. As silly as it sounds coming from an unabashed modernist, I look forward to this renewed focus on our truly “traditional” and “regional” designs—not the least of which being those incorporating the vernacular architecture of our First Nations peoples and those of the enslaved/formerly enslaved. I mean it seems only right considering that we stole their land and their freedom, eradicated much of their culture, and set them up generations of inequity… And here I thought this administration was calling for the disillusion of DEI…now I realize what they were doing. They just wanted to call even more attention to the many many atrocities of American history by putting them on full display within our most iconic federal buildings. An order is an order after all… William H. Dodge is founder and design principal at p-u-b-l-i-c and cofounder and artist at A Gang of Three. The Fast Company Impact Council is a private membership community of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual membership dues for access to peer learning and thought leadership opportunities, events and more. View the full article

A bold blue train zooms by at more than 200 miles per hour. Passengers on board are typing away at their laptops or sitting down for a coffee in the cafe. The train is on its way from Paris to Madrid, or perhaps from Amsterdam to Warsaw, or maybe even on a long haul from Naples to Helsinki. As it zips through international borders and across cultures, the train doesn’t slow down, and the people aboard hardly notice. This is the vision for Starline, a proposal to reinvent the European high-speed rail network into a single seamless system. The idea comes from 21st Europe, a new think tank focused on large-scale ideas for the future of Europe. Founded by Kaave Pour, who previously ran Ikea’s global innovation lab Space10, this new venture is using design as the lens to view the biggest challenges and opportunities for the European continent in the 21st century. “If a continent like Europe should become stronger we need to be more connected,” says Pour. [Image: 21st Europe] “There’s a narrative to be changed with trains, that they are back and they are amazing and they can do quite remarkable things,” Pour adds. “But design has been missing from that equation.” The Starline concept is a comprehensive reimagining of a rail system that has linked the continent for centuries, complete with train and station design concepts, unified ticketing systems, cross-border security protocols, and a framework for EU-wide governance. Starline proposes five main routes, with 39 stations and at least one in every European country, and connecting hubs in major cities like Paris, Berlin, and Milan. [Image: 21st Europe] It’s long been possible to make the kinds of end-to-end journeys Starline maps out in this new European high-speed rail network, but as of now travelers have to complete their journey on a mix of regional and high-speed trains. The journey is slower than what the proposed Starline would offer, and is often bogged down in cross-border complications, including misaligned schedules, differing levels of rail infrastructure, and varying labor laws determining how long train conductors can work a shift. “Networks are good within nations. France has a great transportation network, and we do in Denmark as well,” says Pour, who’s based in Copenhagen. “But as soon as trains cross borders things start to crack.” “If we can’t travel freely from country to country, the whole idea of a single market and a more unified continent is impossible,” Pour says. [Image: 21st Europe] A unified Europe is suddenly a more pressing concern. Within the first few weeks of the second Trump administration, alliances between the U.S. and European countries have faltered to the point where many European leaders are looking inward for strength. The Starline project was in development before this geopolitical turmoil, but Pour says the idea for better connections between European nations and cities has been bubbling up in policy circles for years. With the rise of low-cost airlines, train travel has fallen out of favor with many European travelers. But the environmental toll of air travel is high, especially for short-haul flights, which have a much higher carbon footprint than high-speed rail. Some countries have explored banning flights for routes that can be traveled by train within a few hours. Starline’s proposed connections and speed suggest a more proactive effort, focused on improving rail service to the point where it outcompetes those short-haul flights. [Image: 21st Europe] Developed in partnership with design and technology studio Bakken & Bæck, and in consultation with experts in mobility, infrastructure, and European policy, the concept uses current transportation policy and planning as a springboard. The European Commission has developed a framework called the Trans-European Transport Network, or TEN-T, which envisions a continent-wide approach to transportation planning, from roads to rails to waterways. For the rail portions, it’s a more modest plan than Starline’s European high-speed rail network, with a goal of having trains in its core network traveling at 100 miles per hour or faster by 2040. [Image: 21st Europe] “The TEN-T network is already laying a foundation for policy and for which routes are essential for Europe’s connectivity. 21st Europe’s approach is that we build on existing studies and existing policy frameworks,” Pour says. “We have then expanded the ambition of that network.” [Image: 21st Europe] Starline’s approach combines Europe’s high-speed rail with an emphasis on logistics. It proposes building new transportation hubs just outside of crowded or historic city centers that can accommodate airport-scale passenger loads while also serving as processing points for freight. “I think it’s quite simple that if we’re able to move better we’re also able to trade better, and for Europe to have that ability is quite essential to our economies,” Pour says. These hubs also create the potential for ambitious design, which Pour says would be critical for ensuring the system becomes a new kind of essential infrastructure. “We do hope that these stations, when designed, are seen as an attempt for Europe to build new landmarks for the next century rather than always being teased as being the museum of the past,” Pour says. Part of that design-centric approach is the train itself. Pour says 21st Europe chose a bold blue for the train as a way of making it an iconic object, like New York’s yellow cabs or London’s red buses. “Europe has been bad at building the brand around transportation as much as the infrastructure itself,” Pour says. “This train needs to be a landmark for Europe’s next chapter.” View the full article

With the April 15 deadline right around the corner, you want to ensure you're taking advantage of all the deductions you can. Andy Phillips, Vice President of H&R Block’s Tax Institute, says his tax experts are getting plenty of questions from filers looking to maximize every deduction available to them. I wrote about some wacky and unexpected tax deductions last week, but what about the most common ones that filers just don't fully understand? From gig worker perks to retirement contributions, here are the tax deductions every filer needs to know. Retirement contributions and traditional IRA deductions Phillips says that if you contribute to a tax-advantaged traditional retirement account (IRA, 401(k), etc.), you may owe less tax than if you didn’t contribute. With a 401(k), you might not even realize you’re receiving an exclusion if you have your contribution automatically made in conjunction with your paycheck. The money comes out before the taxes do, resulting in a reduction of your taxable income. With a traditional IRA, you can still get a tax deduction without requiring access to an employer plan. However, your tax break may be limited if you also participate in an employer plan. For self-employed taxpayers, SEP IRA and SIMPLE (Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees) IRA contributions are “above the line” tax deductions. See the other self-employed deductions below. Self-employment expenses As side hustles become ever more popular, it’s no surprise that self-employment expenses are more common. For example, if you pay for your own qualified health insurance, that may count as an “above the line” deduction. Also, you can deduct half of your self-employment tax above-the-line. On top of that, Phillips reminds filers you can deduct business expenses like internet costs, office supplies, advertising, and business travel from your business income. And, for qualifying individuals, you can take the home office deduction. Student loan interestPhillips reminds filers with student loan debt that you can deduct some or all of the interest you paid that year for a qualified student loan. In fact, federal student loan borrowers could qualify to deduct up to $2,500 of student loan interest per tax return per tax year. You can claim the student loan interest tax deduction as an adjustment to income—you don’t need to itemize deductions to claim it. Charitable contributionsYou will need to itemize your deductions if you want to deduct your charitable donations. "Many people find it worth itemizing these deductions," says Phillips, "particularly if you give regularly to a church or other charity." It’s also possible to deduct the current fair market value of goods you donate to charity. Make sure you get a receipt for your donations, whether they are cash or goods. And don’t forget to keep track of your mileage if you drive on behalf of a charity; that’s tax-deductible, too. Your kids—even newborns?You can claim all qualifying children that were born or adopted within the tax year you are filing. Even if your child was born on Dec. 31, your child may be able to be claimed as a dependent on your taxes. However, Phillips clarifies that if your child is born after Dec. 31, even though your pregnancy lasted most of the tax year, you’ll have to wait until you file the next year’s return to claim them. To be your qualifying child, the child must: Be related to you as your child, foster child, sibling, half-sibling, step-sibling, or descendant of any of them; Be under age 19, a full-time student under age 24, or permanently and totally disabled; Not provide more than half of the child’s own total support; and Live with you for more than half of the year they were alive. Not be filing a joint return with a spouse unless it’s to claim a refund of income tax withheld or estimated payments If you are a dependent who’s earning income, good news—your parents can still claim you as a dependent so long as other dependent rules still apply. Your earned income doesn’t go on their return. Filing tax returns for children is easy in that respect. However, you may need to report it on your own tax return. What can't you deduct from your taxes?While you're searching for all the possible deductions out there, you're going to hit a few roadblocks. Commuting costsUnfortunately, commuting costs are not tax deductible. Commuting expenses incurred between your home and your main place of work, no matter how far, are not an allowable deduction. Costs of driving a car from home to work and back, again, are personal commuting expenses. This is also true for fares you pay to ride any sort of public transportation to and from work. Phillips points out, though, that if you are a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces and travel more than 100 miles away from home in connection with the performance of services as a member of the reserves, you can deduct your qualified travel expenses. Your cat's vet billsUnfortunately, deducting medical expenses for pets is not allowed as a medical expense on your tax return. Phillips says the only exception would be when an animal is a certified service animal, like a guide dog, to assist you. Service animals generally aren’t considered pets, though. If you have a physical disability or are hearing or visually impaired, you can deduct medical expenses for your pets if they are certified service animals. Expenses that may be covered include purchasing, training, and maintenance of the animal which includes food, grooming, and medical care. Remember to keep accurate records and consult with a tax professional if you have any questions or concerns. By taking advantage of these deductions, you can potentially lower your tax liability and keep more of your hard-earned money. View the full article

Technology workers in Kenya have held a vigil for a colleague who died in unclear circumstances after she was unable to travel to her home in Nigeria for two years. Ladi Anzaki Olubunmi, a content moderator for TikTok employed by the subcontractor Teleperformance Kenya, died last week and her decomposing body was discovered in her house after three days. It was unclear what caused her death, but colleagues say she had complained of fatigue and was “desperate to go back home.” Teleperformance Kenya told the Associated Press on Wednesday that they didn’t deny Olubunmi her leave to go home. Her family in Nigeria says she only traveled once since coming to Kenya three years ago. Content moderators working for subcontracted firms based in Kenya have in the past described working conditions that they say include lower than average pay, lack of mental health support, long working hours and intimidation. More than 100 former Facebook content moderators have sued the social media company over what they say is poor pay, horrible working conditions and unfair termination of employment by Facebook’s subcontracted Kenya-based firm, Samasource. Dozens of content moderators and data labelers working for various global tech companies met during Tuesday’s vigil and said that poor working conditions may have contributed to their colleague’s death. “There are more than 100 Nigerians working under Teleperformance company who haven’t had work permits for the last two years and so they have not been able to travel home despite having an annual return ticket benefit,” said Kauna Malgwi, a friend of the deceased. Olubunmi’s family was informed of her death a day after her body was discovered by a neighbor. Teleperformance emailed Olubunmi’s brother notifying him of her death and gave him contacts of Kenyan investigating officers who he could call for information, autopsy and burial arrangements. “The family cannot afford to take her body home, so they are considering asking her church in Nairobi to bury her,” Malgwi said. —Evelyne Musambi, Associated Press View the full article

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager. Here are four updates from past letter-writers. 1. An employee is out to get my star performer, and no one else cares (first update) I thought it could be good for the folks who were predicting catastrophe with Dave to hear what actually happened. Sometimes situations aren’t ideal but that doesn’t mean doom either. I respected Tina’s wishes and did not go to HR. Given some of the vehement responses, I did extra legwork with Maria and HR contacts at previous companies in the same industry before making my final decision. Quoting one HR professional when I asked about noting it in Dave’s record in case there is a pattern: “That is not a thing. We aren’t school admins keeping a permanent record in that way. We handle illegal behavior, or actionable behaviors against internal policies. […] That’s it!” Given that Maria and every professional I talked to agreed HR would not do anything with this information and Tina did not want it shared, I did not reach out to HR. I know some folks will probably still disagree, but I’m comfortable I did my due diligence. Dave is still here and has been a model employee. I had no authority to fire Dave and agree he should have been! Jen is improving all the time. I think today’s Jen would have fired Dave. Small consolation but I try to see the silver linings. I’m still cautious, but hopeful we can continue to work well together in the coming years. My team has grown and is doing well. There have been no issues with Dave or anyone else but I also make sure to ask if they are having any issues with staff in our one-on-ones. I’m also getting an award for an idea Tina gave me before this all went down. I offered to have her receive the award instead, but she understandably wanted nothing to do with this department. Tina is doing amazing! This year she got a max raise, max bonus, 5/5, and got a special bonus as well. Her manager is getting a prestigious global leadership award for the problem Tina solved as well. Sadly for the company but happily for Tina, she left and moved across the country to live closer to family. She was able to leverage her new salary and recent accomplishments to land a similar high level role at her new company. She seems excited about transitioning to that industry and I’ve let her know I’m happy to be a reference whenever she needs me. In the end, all the nasty stuff that Dave, Jen, and Sally pulled launched Tina into a higher paying career track. I’m grateful to have worked with her and hope for nothing but the best for her. She deserves to work at a good place with better people than our company offered her. 2. Returning to an office where an estranged friend works (#3 at the link) I wrote in last fall regarding my return to an office where a former friend, Ashley, with whom I had had a falling out, still worked. You suggested doing nothing and remaining pleasant and professional. I did follow that advice, although I’m not sure any course of action I took or didn’t take would have changed much. Unfortunately, it started off on the wrong foot from the very first day. I came into the office and started walking down the hallway. Ashley was walking down the hallway from the other end, towards me. She saw me, stopped, turned around, and walked back the way she came. Later that same day, we passed each other in the hall and she didn’t acknowledge me in any way. She just passed me by like she didn’t know me. I can’t really say that our interactions have been bad because there haven’t been any. We are in the office once per week and she ignores me. We have a Teams group chat and she never reacts to anything I say. I had hoped that things might change in the new year. But I was recently asked to give a presentation during an in-person meeting about my experience overseas. The meeting agenda was distributed in advance. She came to the meeting. When it was my turn to present, she left. So I’ve given up any chance of reviving the friendship. We are moving to two days per week in office in March and three days per week in September. Not sure what impact that will have. As for Stephanie, everything is good there. We talk every day and it’s like I never left. Thank you for giving me a chance to put some of my thoughts and feelings on paper and be heard. Even though this situation is my fault, it’s still incredibly frustrating. 3. Invited to be a guest speaker and then blown off (#4 at the link) I did somewhat take your advice (in combination with some advice from a friend of mine)! I ended up emailing that professor the next day to very politely share my feelings. I know you said I didn’t owe him anything, but I’m the kind of person that needs to speak up when I’ve been impacted by someone else. I basically told him that I was disappointed when the tech issue arose and no time was taken to try to resolve it as I had spent time preparing the dialogue and stepped away from work to be present (this event was in the middle of the workday). I informed him that alum do not have access to authorized school Zoom accounts and that it would be helpful to test out meeting connections to avoid this happening to guest speakers in the future. The prof was very apologetic in his response and explained that he hadn’t anticipated alum having trouble accessing the meeting. I got the impression he thought the tech issue was on my end and didn’t think my absence was a big deal until I had said something. He offered to have me speak at his next scheduled class, but I kindly declined. I knew that he had initially only scheduled one class for speakers and that he was accommodating me with a second class to make up for the inconvenience. I didn’t feel right taking away from the students’ regular scheduled content and thought it would be weird for me to show up as the only speaker for that second day. At that point, I had also lost the excitement I initially had about being a speaker. The email chain ended on a positive note and I said we could keep in touch, but I do think it has impacted my opinion of this professor a little bit. 4. HR hasn’t kept up with local employment regulations (#4 at the link) Thanks so much for answering my question! I read the comments with a great deal of interest — there were widely varying perspectives, and I was surprised to find some folks more concerned about making HR look bad (not my intention — they manage to do that all by themselves) than making sure my coworkers know about the new benefit to which they’re now legally entitled. An update: Once the employment policies intranet page had been updated by HR in early February, I did share the information with all of my New York colleagues and all of the early-career staff in my department (which is spread across the U.S.) via two Teams messages/posts. My intent in sharing it beyond the New York office is to see whether we can collectively encourage the company to match the benefit in all the locations where it operates. I kept an excited “how cool is this new benefit” tone throughout those Teams messages/posts. As some commenters rightly surmised, it’s very difficult to know that there are updates to our online employment policies page, since they’re neither announced nor tracked. I’m glad to know my instincts were closely aligned with your advice. View the full article

D-Wave is about to make waves. The quantum computing firm announced on Wednesday that, for the first time, it was able to “successfully simulate the properties of magnetic materials” using its Advantage2 annealing quantum computer, which “allows us to invent and evaluate new materials without needing to build them in the lab,” D-Wave CEO Dr. Alan Baratz tells Fast Company. In effect, this means that D-Wave has achieved “quantum supremacy” on a useful problem, something it says nobody else has yet been able to accomplish, and which is detailed in a paper published on Wednesday in the journal Science. “This is a really important moment in time for the entire quantum computing industry,” says Dr. Baratz. “For the first time ever, we’ve demonstrated a quantum computer being able to solve a difficult, real-world problem that classical computers can’t solve. It’s what everybody aspired to achieve, and we’re quite excited about it.” ’25 years of hardware development’ Quantum computing has largely remained theoretical until recently, but D-Wave’s achievement is a notable breakthrough as it’s demonstrated that its quantum computer can, in fact, outperform classical computers in materials simulations. To simulate the property of magnetic materials on a classical computer—as the D-Wave team recently did using its quantum computer—would require nearly one million years, and more energy than the entire world utilizes over the course of a year. D-Wave’s team did it in 20 minutes. But there was a lot of work that went into it. “These are results that could not be done in a couple of months or years,” says Mohammad Amin, chief scientist at D-Wave. He added, the results “are really the results of 25 years of hardware development,” and this specific achievement “also took two years of collaboration among 11 institutions worldwide.” What this means going forward Dr. Seth Lloyd, professor of quantum mechanical engineering at MIT, said in a statement with D-Wave’s announcement that large-scale, “fully error corrected” quantum computers are still years away. But quantum annealers, a type of quantum computer designed to efficiently solve optimization problems, are useful in the here and now. “The D-Wave result shows the promise of quantum annealers for exploring exotic quantum effects in a wide variety of systems,” Lloyd said. According to D-Wave, scientists could use quantum computing to test out and simulate new materials—specifically, those used in all sorts of technologies from pacemakers to cellphones. Many of these materials need to be synthesized in a lab, which takes considerable amounts of time and money. But the ability to simulate the materials before they’re actually created? That can allow for significant resource savings, and potentially speed up technology development and make numerous products more efficient. “There’s no shortage of potential applications,” says Amin. View the full article

Backups are always a smart move. If your data is only stored in one location, it's not safe, as it only takes one device failure to lose all that information for good. While there are plenty of ways to back up your data, companies like Google make it easy with built-in cloud backups. Once you set it up, all of the photos and videos you take are synced to the cloud, so you never need to worry about losing everything if your phone goes belly-up. While cloud backups are convenient, they're far from the only option you have, as you could routinely save copies of your photos and videos to an external drive. If you move platforms—say, from Android to iPhone—and you'd prefer to use Apple's services over Google's, it doesn't make much sense to keep all that data on Google's servers, either. Speaking of which: Perhaps you simply don't want to trust Google with all of the media you've taken over the years, and would like to take back the data you've already shared. The trouble is, it's been difficult to decouple photos and videos from a Google Photos backup without also deleting those items from the device you're using as well—defeating the purpose entirely. The "best" workaround has been to use a separate device or browser than the one you're using, which is more of a pain than it should be. That's what Google's "Undo device backup" feature is all about. The company first announced it back in December, as a way for users to remove any photos and videos from the cloud, if those photos and videos are already on the device in question. The feature has been available on iOS first (perhaps as a solution for iPhone users who inadvertently uploaded their media to Google Photos), but Google is now rolling out the feature to Android users too. Now, no matter which platform you use Google Photos on, you can undo your backup while keeping all your photos and videos safe. How to undo your Google Photos backupIf you want to delete your photos and videos from a Google Photos backup without deleting those photos and videos locally from your device, here's how: First, open Google Photos on your iPhone or Android. Next, tap your profile picture or initial, then head to Photos settings > Backup. Scroll down, then choose Undo backup for this device. Here, tap the box next to “I understand my photos and videos from this device will be deleted from Google Photos,” then tap Delete Google Photos backup. Google says that once you make this decision, Backup will automatically turn off for the device you're using. As such, make sure you have a plan for how to back up those items going forward. Let's say you have a Pixel phone, and you choose to undo your backup: Now, those photos and videos only exist on this Pixel. If you break your phone, or it simply spontaneously dies (which does happen), you'll lose those memories forever. View the full article

The ACT SmartWi-Fi service was rolled out to 250,000 homes in January. The post ACT Fibernet reports 3x Wi-Fi device speed improvement following Aprecomm AI platform deployment appeared first on Wi-Fi NOW Global. View the full article

Some of the fixes are simple. By CPA Trendlines Research Go PRO for members-only access to more CPA Trendlines Research. View the full article

Some of the fixes are simple. By CPA Trendlines Research Go PRO for members-only access to more CPA Trendlines Research. View the full article

Your clients will be happier ... and so will your staff. By Jody Padar Radical Pricing – By The Radical CPA Go PRO for members-only access to more Jody Padar. View the full article

Your clients will be happier ... and so will your staff. By Jody Padar Radical Pricing – By The Radical CPA Go PRO for members-only access to more Jody Padar. View the full article

Don’t take them for granted. By Ed Mendlowitz Tax Season Opportunity Guide We have many resources and need to recognize that. And we need to treat each with its own importance. Even if you did everything yourself, you’d still need … Continued Go PRO for members-only access to more Edward Mendlowitz. View the full article

Don’t take them for granted. By Ed Mendlowitz Tax Season Opportunity Guide We have many resources and need to recognize that. And we need to treat each with its own importance. Even if you did everything yourself, you’d still need … Continued Go PRO for members-only access to more Edward Mendlowitz. View the full article

Featuring Danielle Guizio, Owner and Designer, Guizio; Kat Hantas, Cofounder, 21Seeds Infused Tequila and Stacey Tank, CEO, Bespoke Beauty Brands (owner of KimChi Chic Beauty and Jason Wu Beauty). Moderated by Yasmin Gagne, Staff Editor, Fast Company What separates companies that scale from those that stall? These founders and CEOs may have the answer. In this panel, you’ll gain insight into the strategies, decisions, and challenges behind building high-growth businesses, from knowing when an acquisition or retail expansion is the right move to capitalizing on buzzy products. View the full article

The president is likely to nominate Federal Reserve Gov. Michelle Bowman to be the central bank's next vice chair for supervision, a post vacated by Michael Barr. View the full article

Google’s AI-powered match type Search Max is rolling out to more accounts, bringing automated ad optimization to Search campaigns. How it works: Expanded search term matching. Google extends beyond existing keywords and match types, using landing pages, headlines, and descriptions to surface new, relevant searches. Text & URL optimization. Google dynamically selects the most relevant landing pages and pairs them with optimized headlines and descriptions. Automatically created assets. Search Max now incorporates AI-generated ad components, further streamlining ad creation. Why we care. Search Max aims to increase conversions by dynamically tailoring ads based on user searches, ad assets, and landing pages – going beyond traditional keyword targeting. By expanding search term matching beyond traditional keywords, dynamically optimizing ad components, and leveraging AI-generated assets, it could help reach new audiences with minimal manual effort. However, with greater automation comes less control, meaning advertisers will need to closely monitor performance and adapt strategies as Google continues refining the feature. First seen. We discovered this update via PPC News Feed, citing search marketing consultant Jerome Fleck: View the full article

This is a sweeping generalisation, but it’s a useful one. You probably deserve a promotion, but on its own, that’s rarely enough to actually get you promoted. There are forces working against you: the cold, hard unit economics of your…Read more ›View the full article

U.S. inflation slowed last month for the first time since September and a measure of underlying inflation fell to a four-year low, even as widespread tariffs threaten to send prices higher. The consumer price index increased 2.8% in February from a year ago, Wednesday’s report from the Labor Department showed, down from 3% the previous month. Core prices, which exclude the volatile food and energy categories, rose 3.1% from a year earlier, down from 3.3% in January. The core figure is the lowest since April 2021. The declines were larger than economists expected, according to a survey by data provider FactSet. Yet they remain higher than the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. And most economists still expect inflation will remain elevated this year as Trump’s tariffs kick in. “Today’s cooler-than-expected reading was a breath of fresh air,” Ellen Zentner, chief economic strategist at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, said. Yet she cautioned that the Fed is likely to keep its key rate unchanged for now until it sees further evidence of how the White House’s trade and immigration policies affect the economy. On a monthly basis, inflation also came in much lower than expected. Consumer prices rose 0.2% in February from the previous month, down from a big 0.5% jump in January. And core prices rose just 0.2%, below the 0.4% increase in January. Economists watch core prices because they are typically a better guide to inflation’s future path. A sharp drop in air fares, which fell 4% just in February from the previous month, helped bring down overall inflation. Rental price increases also slowed. And the price of new cars fell last month compared with January. Grocery prices were unchanged last month from January, bringing some relief to consumers grappling with a 25% jump in grocery prices from four years ago. The cost of eggs, however, jumped 10.4% in February from the previous month and are nearly 60% more expensive than a year ago. Avian flu has forced farmers to slaughter more than 160 million birds, including 30 million in January. Average egg prices hit $5.90 a dozen nationwide in February, a record high. The price had consistently been below $2 a dozen for decades before the disease struck. And with Trump imposing—or threatening to impose—a wide range of tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, China, Europe, and India, most economists forecast price growth will likely remain elevated this year. The duties have roiled financial markets and could sharply slow the economy, with some analysts raising the odds of a recession. Many economists expect inflation would fall this year without the import taxes, but with tariffs imposed, they forecast inflation will stay elevated through the end of this year. Trump has pledged to impose reciprocal tariffs on any country with duties on U.S. exports on April 2. Economists at the Yale Budget Lab calculate that those duties, by themselves, could boost the average U.S. tariff rate to its highest level since 1937, and cost the average household as much as $3,400. Wednesday’s update is likely to encourage the inflation-fighters at the Federal Reserve. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said in January that rate cuts were on hold and another reduction is highly unlikely at the Fed’s meeting next week. The biggest wild card for the Fed—and the economy as a whole—are the tariffs and Trump’s threats to impose more. Since his inauguration in January, Trump has imposed 20% taxes on all imports from China, and 25% duties on imports from Canada and Mexico, though most of those tariffs have been suspended for a month. On Wednesday, the administration increased tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25%, promising that the taxes would help create U.S. factory jobs at a time when Trump’s seesawing tariff threats are jolting the stock market and raising fears of an economic slowdown. The European Union responded in kind almost immediately announcing retaliatory trade action with new duties on U.S. industrial and farm products. Trump has promised reciprocal duties on countries that tariff exports from the United States, including Europe, India, and South Korea on April 2. AP Writers Josh Boak and Paul Wiseman in Washington, and Lorne Cook and David McHugh in Europe, contributed to this report. —Christopher Rugaber, AP Economics Writer View the full article

Study reveals top AI models for text, image, and video generation, highlighting adoption trends and emerging industry leaders. The post AI Model Showdown: Top Choices For Text, Image, & Video Generation appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

When Apple's AirTags first launched, I thought that the devices would prove to be useless once the novelty wore off, but after using them for about a year, my assumption has proved to be wrong. AirTags have quite a few useful hidden features that make the product worth checking out even if you're someone who doesn't lose things often. Here are the best hidden features of your Apple AirTags. Rename your AirTagsIt sounds obvious, but you really should rename your AirTags to make it easy to identify each item they're attached to. Instead of having them named "Pranay's AirTags #1," you can change it to something like "Pranay's Blue Backpack." To do this, go to the Find My app on your iPhone and navigate to Items > AirTag > Rename Item. Once you've chosen names that are specific and easy to pronounce, you can try the next tip. Use Siri to locate your AirTagsWhen you're looking for a lost item with an Airtag on it, the fastest way to find it is via Siri. You can ask Siri to locate the item by using a voice command like, "Hey Siri, find Pranay's Luggage." Just use whatever name you've given the AirTag and Siri will quickly locate the item and you'll hear a sound that will allow you to find it quickly. This is much faster than going to the Find My app on your iPhone and tapping through to Items > AirTags > Play Sound. Share your AirTag's location with a loved oneIf you trust your loved ones to keep an eye out for you, then consider sharing your AirTag's location with them. This can be useful for those who work night shifts or have long drives to work, as it allows loved ones to know where they are in case there's an emergency. As long as the AirTag is in your car or attached to an item you always carry (house keys, your phone, etc.), this feature will work just fine. Enable it by opening the Find My app on your iPhone and going to Items > AirTags > Share AirTag > Add Person. Put your AirTags in Lost ModeYour AirTags have two useful features that let others locate your lost items. One allows you to share contact information with anyone who finds your lost AirTag, and the other lets you share your AirTag's location with trusted people such as airline employees who are trying to locate your luggage. You can set both of these up by going to the Find My app on your iPhone and navigating to Items > AirTag > Lost AirTag. Tap Show Contact Info or Share Item Location and follow the on-screen instructions to set up these features. You can find the owner of lost AirTagsIn case you come across someone else's AirTags, you can use your iPhone to try to identify their owner and contact them. If someone has added their contact information to their AirTags, as described in the previous tip, you can locate it quickly via the Find My app on your iPhone. Go to the Items tab and select Identify Found Item. Follow the on-screen prompts to identify the lost AirTag and hopefully reunite it with its owner. Turn off left behind notifications for your homeIf your home is marked incorrectly in your AirTags, you'll get annoying "This item is left behind" alerts every time you step out. I ordered my AirTags right before a month-long stay at a friend's place, and their house was automatically marked as my "home." When I returned to my own house, three of my four AirTags would keep scaring me by telling me that I left behind my suitcase or other items. You can fix this by going to Find My > Items > AirTags > Notify When Left Behind. Tap New Location and mark your home as an exception. This should take care of unwanted alerts. Check your AirTag's battery levelYour AirTag's battery should last for a year, but there's no way to determine the current battery level. If the battery is really low, your iPhone will send you a notification. You can also see the AirTag in the Find My app, which will show a battery low indicator if your AirTag needs a new battery. Find your AirTag easilyThis is the most popular use for AirTags. Go to the Find My app and open the Items tab. Tap the name of your AirTag and select Find. The iPhone will take a few moments and direct you towards your AirTag. Look up an AirTag's serial numberYou can also view the serial number and the firmware version of your AirTag in your iPhone's Find My app. To do that, go to the Items tab in the app, select your AirTag, and tap the name of the AirTag. You'll now see its serial number and firmware version. This information can be useful if your AirTags are in warranty and to see if the latest software features are available for them. Creative uses for AirTagsWhile you'd think AirTags would be best for tracking luggage, keys, or other items that you might lose more often than most, there's much more that you can use AirTags for. My personal favorite is tracking pets. If you have a cat that often goes outdoors, putting an AirTag on their harness could save you a lot of trouble if the pet ever goes missing. Similarly, people on Reddit have highlighted many creative uses of the product. This includes training your dog to return to you when you play a sound on an AirTag attached to their collar, using it to track people who have dementia (and often get lost as a result), and even tracking a child's backpack. You should never use AirTags to stalk people, but the product can help you keep an eye on loved ones who can't protect themselves. View the full article

Resources are limited, but your ability to manage them to fulfill the needs of your project isn’t. One of the many challenges that face project managers is how to guide their project to a successful end without enough resources. The good news: there are ways you can take the resources you have and make them work in your project. The better news: we’ll tell you how to overcome a perceived lack of resources. Project Management Challenges: Lack of Project Resources The first thing to do when you notice your resources aren’t covering what you planned for in your project is to identify the context. Resources can be anything from materials to personnel, and the situation that brought you to stretch your resources to the breaking point can have many causes. New Technology: You might be working on a software program that is more advanced than your ability to support or your team hasn’t yet developed the skill set to use it properly. Higher Priority Projects: There might be another project that ends up combined with yours and some of your resources are pulled from your work to another. Unforeseen Events: You can prepare for risks and plan for uncertainty, but people get sick, take unplanned time off, and non-human resources can suddenly have supply issues. Poor Planning: Sometimes it’s as simple as a lack of planning, which is why planning thoroughly before executing a project is so important. When the issue is minor, you can apply a quick fix by looking at your project plan and task lists and seeing if there is any moving around that will open more time. But here we’re talking about more major shortages of resources. Related: Best Resource Management Software Assessing Your Resource Shortage What do you do to overcome a lack of project resources? We suggest a two-step process to help your resource management. 1. Identify the Situation and its Impact Some of the possible causes for the lack of resources. Once you’ve determined why then the next part is to figure out what the impact on the project is. Without that knowledge, it’s impossible to resolve the issue. 2. Leverage Your Change Control Board While it might seem like this is a problem you alone should address, it’s not. You want to employ the help of the change control board. First, relay the situation and the impact to your cost, time, scope and quality. Then provide several options you have to resolve it, and listen to their recommendations. After a course of action has been decided upon, help facilitate that decision, and over the course of resolving it adjust as needed. Even with the help of the change control board, you might not be able to adjust to meet the need for more resources. At that point, it’s their decision to allocate more resources and allow you to re-baseline the project. Resource Management Techniques to Combat a Lack of Resources One way to keep an eye on project resources when they are scarce is through effective resource management. There are several techniques to optimize resource allocation, utilization and tracking. Capacity Planning to Meet Changing Demands This is the process of determining the production capacity that an organization needs to meet changing demands for its products or services. It analyzes current and future workloads, assessing available resources and identifying any imbalances. It takes a proactive approach to resource management to ensure an organization can meet its obligations. Capacity planning is ideal to use when there’s a significant fluctuation in demand or when a company is introducing new products or services. It’s also commonly used during seasonal variations or when planning for long-term strategic goals. Resource Smoothing for Efficient Resource Usage Resource smoothing aims to optimize resource utilization within a project without changing the project’s critical path or overall completion date. It strives to create a more consistent and efficient workflow by evenly distributing resource demand over the project’s duration. It does this by adjusting the start and finish dates of non-critical tasks to level out resource demand. Use this resource management technique when resources are limited or there are significant fluctuations in resource demand. This is also an ideal way to reduce stress on the project team. Workload Reallocation to Keep Resources Balanced This is a way to manage project resources by redistributing tasks and responsibilities to team members to optimize resource utilization and balance workloads. Tasks are shifted from overworked individuals to those with the available capacity or relevant skills. This is the ideal technique to use when team members are experiencing uneven workloads or when facing resource constraints or skill imbalances. The result is increased productivity and a reduced risk of project delays. Resource Breakdown Structure (RBS) to Identify Resource Relationships The resource breakdown structure is a resource management technique that provides a hierarchical overview of the resources that will be needed in a project. The resources are organized by category to make it easy to spot inefficiencies. This can help prevent a lack of resources in the first place. Use this technique in situations where detailed resource planning, allocation and tracking are critical to project success. Large, complex projects often benefit from using an RBS in addition to projects where resources are limited. Resource Leveling to Address Overallocation The purpose of resource leveling is to prevent situations where resources are overbooked or unavailable. It’s a project resource technique that helps resolve overallocation or underallocation to create a smoother and more balanced distribution of resource demand over the project’s duration. This is ideal to use when resources are limited or if there are significant fluctuations in resource demand. It’s also used when cost control is a primary concern. Monitoring Project Resources When There Are Constraints In order to avoid a resource shortage, it’s essential that you monitor your project resources throughout the project. There are several ways to do this in your project management or resource tracking software. You can: Track resource availability Manage workload allocation to track hour-by-hour availability View project schedules to monitor task progress Monitor resource productivity on your project dashboards. You’ll be better off if your project management software has all these resource monitoring capabilities. That way, you’re not burdened by data transfers between two systems, and you can track availability and performance in real time. ProjectManager, for instance, has real-time dashboards that show you exactly how your resources are performing at a high level. Plus, you can track other key metrics at the same time. Want to dig deeper? Create one-click workload reports or check our workload chart. No project management software does more for resource management than ProjectManager. Try it free today. /wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Dashboard_Construction_Wide_Zoom-150-CTA.jpgTrack your resources, tasks, costs and more in real time with ProjectManager. Learn more Make a Good Resource Plan The best way to reduce the risk of not having enough resources to finish the project is by making sure your resource planning is as thorough as possible. To start, you want to thoroughly list the resources you’ll need, estimate how many of each you’ll need and schedule them to meet your deadline. That means all the people, equipment and materials that are necessary to complete the project. Related:Resource Planning Template Following that list is a schedule. This is the timeframe in which the resources are needed to get the project done. You’ll want to figure out the duration you’ll need each of your resources to understand their impact on the schedule. Your need for a particular resource can change dramatically from day to day; therefore, you want to address the quantity issue. For example, how many times a day or week or month do you need that resource? This will help you squeeze every bit of use out of those limited resources. Finally, you need to identify the assumptions and constraints related to your resources. An assumption if what you believe to be true, and constraints are the schedule, cost and cost of the project. A strong resource management plan won’t change the amount of your resources, but it will extend their use to fulfill the requirements of the project. How ProjectManager Helps with Resource Management Having a resource management plan is important, but so is having a project management software that has all the features you’ll need to implement it. You schedule is only as good as your ability to track it. ProjectManager is cloud-based project management software that gives you the real-time data to accurately track the progress of your project and resource use. For the resource of your team, you can track their hourly and daily availability. Holidays and vacation days are also noted, whether they’re local or international, which is a great feature for projects with distributed teams. You can use our resource management tool to monitor and manage your team’s workload as well. This way if one of your team is overtasked and others are not working, you can quickly adjust the workload. This not only is fair and prevents burnout, but it is a more efficient and effective way to manage your resources. /wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Workload_Wide_Zoom-175.jpgProjectManager’s resource management tool makes resource tracking simple Learn more Learn More About Overcoming a Lack of Project Resources You can never know enough about managing your resources. Good project managers don’t allow themselves to fall into complacency. Watch Jennifer Bridges, PMP, who taps her expertise in project management to guide you through a short training video that helps you extend your resources and meet project expectations. Here’s a shot of the whiteboard for your reference! Transcription: Welcome to the PM Challenges Series. Today, we’re specifically talking about overcoming a lack of project resources. But first of all, some people ask, or they wonder how did I even get here? What situation am I in that I am even have a lack of resources? Well, I think it’s really important to identify the situation you’re in, because there are different reasons of how you got there, and approaches of how you overcome it based on the situation. So first of all, let’s consider that with new, specifically, emerging technologies, sometimes it’s hard to find resources who know how to program, or support that technology. So sometimes it’s hard to find them, and even if you do, they come at a premium cost. Another situation could be that in your organization, a higher priority project comes on board, and then all of a sudden, some of your key resources are pulled off the project. Also, unforeseen events. So sometimes, we think of maybe natural disasters. Sometimes people have projects where maybe they have union labor, so if there’s a strike that may impact the resources. Also, I know one instance that I had once, there was a guy on my team who was an organ donor for his sister. So they had been waiting years for this to happen, and then all of a sudden in the middle and critical moment of a project, he was called up for the donor process. So he was pulled out for significant amount of time, so we had to fill his position. And then also, there’s just the flat out poor for lack of planning. So when these situations happen, of course, there’s an impact to the project. So you know, projects are, the components of the project are the cost, the time, the scope, and the quality. So you have to assess how this situation impacts your project. So let’s look at a few ways that you can overcome these situations. So first of all, if it’s a minor lack of resources, you can look at your project plan, and your task and see is there someone maybe who has some slight time that maybe could fill in for another? Or maybe, you know, there’s something that you can rearrange that’s minor. But these, I believe, are more specific lack of resources that we’re talking about here on this whiteboard session. So first of all, identify the situation you’re in, and the impact. And then, leverage your change control board. Sometimes, some project managers try to fix this problem on their own, and it’s really the decision of the change control board of how to handle. So how do we do this? You present your case. So once you find this situation and the impact, you wanna specifically identify the situation and how it impacts your cost, the time, the scope, and the quality of your project. And then identify our position several options for the change control board to consider. And then make your own recommendation, doesn’t mean that they have to take it, but it does let them know that you’ve done your homework, and your research of the situation so that you can give them an idea of which path that you recommend. And then facilitate the decision with the change control board. And when they get guidance, they may have you, for instance if it’s an emerging technology, they may have you go procure or find additional resources for the team that may add more cost so they can approve it. If not , they may decide, “Well, you know, we’re having a hard time finding those resources,” so they will be the ones to maybe approve an extension or delay in your timeline. Or maybe they may decide, well, they may take out some of the scope of the project. So they are the ones who can ultimately make those decisions and give you the approvals so that you can re-baseline your project. And then, so you go back, and once the decision has been made, you adjust accordingly. So for sure, if you need a tool that can help you overcome your lack of resources, then sign up for our software now at ProjectManager. The post Overcoming a Lack of Project Resources: Techniques and Tips appeared first on ProjectManager. View the full article

Now more than ever, I rely on my silly little podcasts to disassociate through my days, and yesterday, that got a little easier. Pocket Casts—Lifehacker's pick for the most full-featured and user-friendly podcast app on the scene, and my own auditory lifeline for the last half-decade or so—has made its web streaming and desktop apps free for all users. Previously, these were paid subscriber-only benefits that would cost you around $40/year to access. In a statement, the company said it made the change in support of "the open podcasting ecosystem," noting the audio format "was built on an open, decentralized standard, RSS, which means that anyone can create, share, and listen to content freely, without needing a specific platform’s approval. But today, major platforms are shifting away from open standards, moving creators into proprietary systems that limit distribution and control discovery through algorithms." This is a clear shot at competitors like Spotify that have invested big money into the medium while locking some of their shows (and app features) behind a paywall. In particular, Pocket Casts points out that its podcast discovery tools are not algorithmically driven, echoing the ethos of open-source social networks like Bluesky that stand in opposition to the engagement-at-any-cost likes of X and Meta. The David vs. Goliath stance is slightly disingenuous—though the indie-developed app celebrates the open source ethos and was previously owned by a group of nonprofit public radio stations, it was sold to WordPress owner Automattic in 2021. Still, it's nice to have an alternative web-based podcast platform that at least nods to an earlier, better era of the internet. Free access to the Pocket Casts app and web playerThe decision to remove the Pocket Casts web and desktop apps from behind the paywall gives users a lot more flexibility with how they listen. Anyone can use either without an account, but a free login will grant access to features like synching across devices. As long as you're logged in on both, you can start a podcast on your phone and seamlessly pick it up on desktop without a hitch. (It's worth noting that while Spotify offers similar functionality with Spotify Connect, it requires a Spotify Premium account to access.) In my testing (I was formerly a free member, despite loving the app), I found all of my subscriptions, listening history, and preferences matched up 1:1 across all my devices. The desktop app is available for both Mac and Windows. Pocket Casts Plus still offers paid featuresPocket Casts hasn't gone completely free—you can still pay for Pocket Casts Plus ($39.99/year) to gain access to features like folders, bookmarking, and smartwatch apps. You can also pay $99/year to become a Pocket Casts Patron, which also nets you more cloud storage, early access to new features, and "the undying gratitude of everyone at Pocket Casts." View the full article

If you’re spending time and money adding keyword-rich content to your website, hoping to improve your Google Maps rankings, you’re wasting resources. Website content does not influence your visibility in Google Maps – but there are proven strategies that do. The SEO myth: Blogging and Google Maps rankings When Google Maps first launched, it appeared to pull keywords from local business websites to help match businesses with local searches. Because of this perceived influence, local SEO experts have long advocated for blogging and content marketing. However, this belief is based on incorrect correlations. Adding content to your website – if it is not part of your Google Business Profile (GBP) – does not impact Google Maps rankings. This misconception is significant because it has led to widespread misinformation about local SEO. As a result, businesses may invest resources in efforts that will not produce the expected results. Testing the theory: A keyword experiment To test this idea, I conducted an experiment over the past year. I created a page optimized for a completely fabricated keyword phrase, “hypnerotomachia enhancement.” “Hypnerotomachia” comes from Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, a book published in 1499 by early printer Aldus Manutius. The phrase itself sounds like a niche service a marketing agency might offer, but in reality, no business or website has ever used it before. By selecting a phrase that did not exist on any business profile or website, the experiment aimed to determine whether Google Maps absorbs new content added to a website and associates its keywords with the corresponding business profile. To test this, we: Created a dedicated page for “hypnerotomachia enhancement” on my agency’s website. Linked it in the sitewide top navigation. Submitted it to Google Search Console for indexing. Given that Google Maps may take time to process content from business websites, we left the page live for several months. The results: Organic search vs. Google Maps Despite all this, our business listing never appeared in Google Maps searches for “hypnerotomachia enhancement.” In contrast, the page ranked at the top of Google’s organic search results for the exact phrase. This demonstrates that while the content was recognized in organic search rankings, it had no influence on Google Maps results. The takeaway: Your keyword-rich website content has little impact on Google Maps visibility Although this may seem like a minor distinction, local SEO experts have long advised that optimizing website content with keywords could improve Google Maps rankings. This claim may have been true before Google introduced GBP listings. However, over time, this guidance has evolved from “could affect rankings” to the widely accepted but incorrect belief that it “definitely does affect rankings.” As a result, this misunderstanding continues to spread through blog posts, social media discussions, and industry conversations. In reality, website content now appears to have little to no direct impact on keyword relevance in Google Maps. If you are investing significant resources into blogging and creating new pages with the expectation that this will help your business rank in Google Maps – or improve your visibility for keyword phrases beyond those in your Google Business Profile – you are wasting your budget. This also applies to another common misconception. Creating location-based pages (often called “city pages,” “city area pages,” or “geo pages”) will not help your Google Business Profile appear more frequently in searches from those locations. Website content does not influence keyword relevance in Google Maps or Google Local searches. Additionally, these types of pages may violate Google’s spam policies, as they can be considered doorway pages, which have long been against the rules. Dig deeper: How to use location-specific authority content for SEO But keywords still matter for local search Adding keyword-rich content to your website does not create keyword relevance for your Google Business Profile or improve Google Maps rankings. That said, it can help your pages appear in regular search results outside the map pack. Depending on the query, these listings can drive traffic to your business, particularly for unique or low-competition keyword combinations. However, creating geographic pages is unlikely to make your Google Business Profile appear in search results for users searching from local areas – unless your business is physically near them or your profile settings include that location. Many users do not include a geographic name in their searches, as they expect Google to automatically provide locally relevant results. For some local search queries, appearing in Google Maps is crucial, especially as mobile searches continue to outpace desktop searches. Consumers often rely on Google Maps more than standard search results when looking for local businesses. This is why some businesses prioritize Google Maps optimization – and why it’s important to understand the differences between ranking in regular search results and ranking in Google Maps. Dig deeper: Top SEO tips for location-specific websites Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. Business email address Sign me up! Processing... See terms. Where should I focus efforts to rank for keywords in Maps? What should you do if optimizing website content does not help your keyword relevancy? Google’s guidance is not vague about this, as it turns out. You need to optimize your Google Business Profile. On its help page for “How to improve your local ranking on Google,” Google states: “Relevance refers to how well a local Business Profile matches what someone is searching for. Add complete and detailed business information to help Google better understand your business and match your profile to relevant searches.” Nearly 20 years ago, I wrote “Anatomy & Optimization of a Local Business Profile,” which is still worth reading – though some aspects are outdated. For example: GBP business names must now strictly follow Google’s guidelines. DMOZ is no longer relevant. Mail store addresses should be avoided. Some rating sites prohibit soliciting reviews. However, most core principles remain applicable and provide a strong foundation for optimizing your GBP. Write a strong business description Your description should clearly highlight your main products, services, and unique differentiators. Keep it concise and compelling – avoid AI-generated text, as it often lacks the nuance and authenticity needed for effective local SEO. Maximize your business categories Each category you add increases your potential visibility. While Google’s official guidance suggests using only your primary business category, this approach can be limiting. Businesses often operate in multiple relevant categories, and Google’s category list is not always comprehensive. For example, some niche specializations may not have a perfect category match. To maximize exposure, add all directly relevant and valid business categories to your profile. Dig deeper: How to pick the right Google Business Profile categories List your products and services This is one of the best ways to incorporate specialized keywords that don’t fit within Google’s predefined business categories. Google offers a set of standard service names based on your category, but you can also add custom services to target more specific searches. For example, if Google doesn’t include a precise service your business offers, you can manually enter it here – which is more effective than trying to influence Maps rankings through website content. When and how Google uses website content for Maps visibility Google Maps does use website content for certain aspects of search, such as: Link value (PageRank): Used as part of the prominence signal in rankings. NAP (name, address, phone number) consistency: Helps verify business details. Business hours: Cross-referenced with the GBP. Local business structured data: Used for verification and consistency. Product inventory content: Can be associated with GBP, though not directly tied to product pages. This is why there has been confusion about how website content factors into local search and the display of map pack results. As SEO myths go, the idea that adding keyword content to a local business website improves Google Maps rankings is relatively harmless since those pages can still appear in organic search results. However, this demonstrates why it’s important to reassess longstanding assumptions to better understand how everything fits together. View the full article

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager. A reader writes: I recently started a new job where I manage two employees. One of them, “Carol,” is challenging to work with. I’ve learned that some candidates even withdrew from the role I now hold because they couldn’t see themselves working with her. While I generally get along with Carol, managing her is difficult. She can be loud, boastful (sometimes claiming credit for others’ work), and occasionally rude, making snarky comments to colleagues. She admits she’s not a morning person, but on some mornings, her mood is so sour I feel I need to walk on eggshells. She doesn’t hesitate to interrupt others with her own questions, which I appreciate in terms of initiative, but she often responds curtly to volunteers or colleagues who interrupt her. A manager training session shed more light on her personality. Her Emotional Control score on a personality assessment was zero, which the facilitator described as indicative of deep self-esteem issues. I was advised to praise her as much as possible, though it may never feel like enough. I’ve been trying, but it’s exhausting — it doesn’t come naturally to me, and I worry about sounding insincere. Carol has mentioned attending therapy for job-related stress and anxiety, which I’m glad she’s addressing. I agree that her struggles seem rooted in low self-esteem. Do you have any additional advice for managing someone like Carol? I want to support her growth, but being direct with her is tough due to how sensitive she is. I’d caution you against putting too much weight on personality assessments (which are generally pseudoscience, although they might be helping in giving you the words to articulate patterns you had already noticed on your own) and instead urge you to focus on giving Carol clear and concrete info about what you need her to do differently. Given the problems with Carol’s conduct, focusing on building up her self-esteem is not the right strategy, and it will steer you away from the type of feedback Carol urgently needs. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t make sure you’re giving sincere praise to employees. Of course you should — with all of them, and it’s worth being extra intentional about it when you know someone thrives on that form of recognition in particular. So when you write that praising Carol’s work doesn’t come naturally to you and feels insincere, I want to know more about that. Does it feel insincere because she’s not actually doing a good job, or because you’re uncomfortable praising employees in general? If it’s the former, that’s a sign that you really, really need to be tackling the performance issues … whereas if it’s an across-the-board issue you have with other employees too, that’s something you’ve got to work on to be a better manager (more on that here). But regardless of the answer to that, it definitely sounds like you’re not giving enough feedback in the other direction, because these issues with Carol are persisting and you said it’s tough to be direct with her because of how sensitive she is. As a manager, you cannot allow the fear of an employee’s reaction to get in the way of you delivering important feedback about their work (or conduct); that would be neglecting your own job in a pretty fundamental way, and it’s unfair to to the other people who have to work with Carol. Frankly, it’s also unfair to Carol herself, since it means that she won’t have the opportunity to hear what she’s doing that’s alienating people and harming her reputation and which could even get her fired someday. (You might not fire her over what you’ve seen, but that doesn’t mean her next manager won’t. It’s a kindness to be direct with her.) Moreover, being able to take work-related feedback is a job competency like any other. You (hopefully) wouldn’t throw up your hands about someone who was, say, bad at meeting deadlines or produced work littered with serious errors. You’d address those problems head-on, because they’re clearly connected to the person’s ability to perform the role you’ve hired them for. You can — and should — have the same sorts of expectations around taking work-related feedback professionally. You can’t not give it just because Carol is sensitive. So: it’s time to tell Carol very clearly that she cannot be rude or snarky, her mood cannot be so disruptive that people feel they need to walk on eggshells around her, and she cannot respond curly to people who interrupt her. If she responds poorly to hearing that, address it head-on, right then in the moment: “What’s happening right now is part of what concerns me. I need to be able to give you feedback without you becoming upset. Being able to take feedback professionally is part of everyone’s job here, and being able to do it is crucial to your success in your role.” From there, you need to manage her much more closely. If she’s rude or making people feel they need to walk on eggshells around her, pull her in for a conversation right then and there (“This is what we were talking about — what’s going on?”) and hold her accountable to behaving appropriately. Don’t excuse it just because it’s apparently been excused in the past, or because you worry about how she’s react if you call her on it. You’re her manager, which means you’ve got to manage her. If you’re not praising her for things she genuinely does well, that’s something you’ve got to change on your side too. But it sounds like there are much more pressing issues to deal with first. View the full article