ResidentialBusiness

We’re moving from chasing traffic, to competing for brand visibility. We’re thinking about how AI crawlers view our site–not just search engine bots. We’re trying to follow the breadcrumb trail through an entirely new kind of user journey. If you…Read more ›View the full article

An environment conference opened in Nepal on Friday to discuss global climate change, including the impact on the highest Himalayan peaks where snow and ice are melting. The three-day conference in Kathmandu titled, “Climate Change, Mountains and the Future of Humanity,” is expected to include discussions of critical climate issues. “From the lap of Sagarmatha (Everest), the world’s highest peak, we send this message loud and clear that to protect the mountains is to protect the planet. To protect the mountains is to protect our seas. To protect the mountains is to protect humanity itself,” Nepal Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli told participants at the opening meeting. Nepal is home to eight of the tallest mountains in the world including Mount Everest. A high level of glaciers melting in the Himalayan mountains because of global warming has raised signficant concerns. Melting snow and ice have exposed the mountains and increased the risk of rock slides, landslides and avalanches. Scientists have warned the Himalayan mountains could lose up to 80% of their glaciers if the Earth warms in coming decades or centuries. They say flash floods and avalanches also could become more likely in coming years, in part because of climate change. “The tragedy is that the Himalayas are facing an unprecedented stress test in real time today, exposing not only the fragile nature of our mountain ecosystems but also a glaring evidence of the lack of meaningful global climate action,” Nepal Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba said. “As a mountainous country with high disaster risk vulnerability, Nepal faces a stark predicament.” Nepal has experienced a series of severe weather events in the recent past with devastating impacts on people and their livelihoods, Deuba said. “Floods and glacial lake outbursts have caused large-scale destruction and damage, and droughts, water scarcity and forest fires have brought untold suffering to the people across the country,” she said. Ministers from neighboring India, Bhutan, and Maldives are attending the conference. Organizers have said they intend to publish a Kathmandu declaration after the discussions end Sunday. —Binaj Gurubacharya, Associated Press View the full article

It’s the Friday open thread! The comment section on this post is open for discussion with other readers on any work-related questions that you want to talk about (that includes school). If you want an answer from me, emailing me is still your best bet*, but this is a chance to take your questions to other readers. * If you submitted a question to me recently, please do not repost it here, as it may be in my queue to answer. The post open thread – May 16, 2025 appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. The reality of home gardening is that you rarely have as much space as you’d like. For many people, all they have is one raised 4x8 foot bed. While that doesn’t feel like a lot of space, you can fit a whole lot of plants into 32 square feet. With a smaller space, you just have to find new and inventive ways to get more variety in your beds. Around where I live, we call this "cramscaping. " Take advantage of plant timing and growth patternsEvery vegetable and fruit out there has recommended spacing (for instance, tomatoes should be 18 inches apart), and in an ideal world, you’d accommodate them perfectly. However, you can plant closer if needed, while understanding your plants might not be as productive as they’d be if they had more space to grow to their full potential. kohnrabi growing underneath beans, which are trellised up. Credit: Amanda Blum To get the most out of limited space, take advantage of space above and below the soil. For instance, radishes and carrots are mostly below ground, while tomatoes are above ground. Thus, they are great to grow next to one another. Grow beets alongside peas and large squash with climbing beans. Also consider that plants mature at different rates. Lettuce will grow quickly, and be ready for harvest in mere weeks, while eggplants take all summer. If you plant them at the same time when they’re both small, you’ll harvest your lettuce in time to free up space for your eggplants to spread out. Trellising is essential help plants grow upward using trellises, creating horizontal space Credit: Amanda Blum When you don’t have as much horizontal space, you have to take advantage of the vertical space. You’ll need to keep plants from sprawling on the ground, and the primary way to do that is by training them up. Choose indeterminate tomatoes (which are more vine-like) instead of determinate (or "bush" tomatoes) so they continue to grow upwards despite pruning. Then prune everything but a few stems and train them onto a tall trellis. Use an obelisk or netting to provide structure for climbing beans, peas, or cucumbers. IYellow squash and zucchini can also be trained to grow upwards along a trellis, as can pumpkins and melons. Remember, though, that items on trellises have to be within reach: If you plant a trellis of green beans in the dead center of your bed, you’re not going to be able to reach those beans without stepping on other plants. So trellised plants should be located close enough to the edge of the bed to be accessed. Corners and edges make the most sense. For low trellises such as for squash, you can place them closer to the middle, but test your reach before finalizing planting. Start with the largest plants Start with an empty 4x8 bed (I left last year's nasturtiums.) Credit: Amanda Blum Begin by sketching out a grid for your bed, foot by foot, and a list of everything you’d like to plant. Lay in the largest plants first: in this case, tomatoes. Since they’ll be the tallest, place them in the corners or close to the edge of the bed, so they’re not shading anything. Now consider anything that needs a wide trellis, like peas and cucumbers or beans. Those should live at the edge of the bed, but leave space on either side of the trellis so you can reach what’s on the other side. These trellises are good at the short ends of the bed, so they don’t prevent you from reaching in. Now, start working your way down the list of plants in descending size. I placed eggplants and peppers, which will all need a trellis, on either side. For the center, which is hard to reach, I chose plants that don’t need support and won’t get too tall, but are larger: kale, chard, and onions. What’s left to plan for are short crops that will grow quickly like lettuce, radishes, beets, and carrots. Lettuce is a great buffer between nightshades like eggplant and cruciferous plants like chard and kale, so you can add heads of various lettuces. I don’t worry about root vegetables yet. I then add some beneficial flowers like nasturtium, alyssum and marigolds throughout, particularly hanging over the edges of the bed. These flowers will trap aphids, keep pests at bay, and add color. Next, I lay in herbs like basil, dill, parsley, and cilantro. In addition to being great in the kitchen, these all help control pests. These herbs can be sprinkled throughout the bed, but basil and dill do best next to nightshades. Now, in all the spaces left, I backfill with root vegetables: rows of carrots, circles of radishes, and blocks of beets. Plant established seedlings first, then seeds Sketch of the finished garden. Credit: Amanda Blum When it comes time to plant, work from the inside out. Start with the plants in the dead center of the bed, and work towards the outside by putting your seedlings into the ground. Once your starts are planted, go back and work sector by sector, seeding things like beets and radishes. Working in this way allows you to see what you’ve already done, so you don’t accidentally overseed an area you’ve already worked on. Water everything well and then simply pay attention. Prune plants as soon as they need to be pruned. As plants need to be harvested, replace them or allow larger plants to infill the area. Keep your bed moist, but not wet, watering at the root —and use a fish fertilizer every other week, adding it to your water. Over the season, some plants might do better than others, and you may need to replace them. Because of the tight spacing, eggplants might not get enough sun where they are, or lettuce might get too much. You’ll learn over the season where each plant might succeed, and you should chart it for next year. Each season is another opportunity to learn about your yard, sun profile, and soil, and each season your vegetable garden—no matter how small—will get better. View the full article

CSBS hires veteran regulatory expert, Selene welcomes two new executives, Polly grows C-suite, Leaderone finds new president, plus more mortgage moves. View the full article

On Friday, cable companies Charter Communications and Cox Communications announced that they’ve agreed to merge. Charter will acquire Cox in a deal valued at $34.5 billion. This is one of the biggest deals of the year. Charter, known more widely by its brand Spectrum, is one of the largest television communications operators in the country. The proposed transaction will result in Charter acquiring Cox’s commercial fiber and managed IT and cloud businesses, and Cox will contribute its residential cable business to Charter. The joint press release noted that the merger will “create an industry leader in mobile and broadband communications services, seamless video entertainment, and high-quality customer service delivering powerful benefits for American employees, customers, communities, and shareholders.” Charter CEO Chris Winfrey said, “This combination will augment our ability to innovate and provide high-quality, competitively priced products, delivered with outstanding customer service, to millions of homes and businesses.” Cox will own around 23% of the combined entity’s fully diluted shares, the companies said. As part of the deal, the combined entity will assume Cox’s estimated $12 billion in outstanding debt. Charter (NYSE: CHTR) stock was up around 2.58% in early trading on Friday. Cox is a privately held company. Here’s what to expect from the merger The deal is expected to close at the same time as the previously announced Liberty Broadband merger. The combined company will change its name to Cox Communications within a year of the deal closing. Spectrum will become the consumer-facing brand. Winfrey will continue to serve as CEO. The combined company will remain headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, and plans to maintain a significant presence at Cox’s campus in Atlanta, Georgia. Cable companies struggle to retain pay-TV subscribers Why is this strategic merger being announced? Cable companies have experienced dwindling pay-TV subscriber rates as customers “cut the cord” by canceling cable subscriptions and switching to streaming services. As a result, the industry has invested heavily in broadband and mobile. According to the latest “cord-cutting monitor” report from analyst firm MoffettNathanson, Charter has continued to lose pay-TV customers along with the rest of the industry. In Q4 of 2024, the cable giant lost 123,000 cable subscribers. Collectively, the cable industry is expected to continue to shed pay-TV subscribers in the coming years, declining from 67.7 million subscribers at the end of last year to 51.5 million by 2028, according to MoffettNathanson’s projections. The firm says the growth of streaming services that replicate the cable bundle won’t be enough to offset the downward trend. Charter will acquire Cox’s existing 6 million subscribers if the deal closes as planned. The planned merger awaits approval from Charter shareholders and regulators. The proposed deal will further test regulators’ appetite for large mergers in the The President era. A decade ago, Comcast and Time Warner Cable (TWC) abandoned their proposed $45.2 billion combination amid concerns from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). View the full article

Use our free SEO audit template and follow our in-depth guide to get your site in shape. View the full article

It seems that people have been spelling team with an “i” for a long time. We live in a culture that promotes the roughed individual, the self-made person, the entrepreneur and often overlooks teamwork examples. They did it all themselves, or so they say. But even the most charismatic and self-reliant people are not working in a vacuum. Team management is always instrumental in any major project. The truth is that teamwork is the shoulder on which all major successes rest. Whether that be the building of the pyramids in Egypt or the dominance of Apple in the marketplace. But don’t take our word for it. There are many teamwork examples throughout history. We cherry-picked 12 of our favorite inspirational examples of teamwork as it applies to a variety of circumstances. It won’t be long before you’re won over by the benefits of teamwork and collaboration. If you’re looking to level up your teamwork capabilities, see how ProjectManager’s award-winning software can assist you. Regardless of how your team prefers to work, ProjectManager can help facilitate real-time collaboration. From Gantt charts to kanban boards to task lists, we have a range of project management tools to keep you productive during all stages of your project. /wp-content/uploads/2021/05/event-plan-gantt-cta.jpgLearn more 1. The Beatles, Live in Hamburg Everyone knows the Beatles. They defined the 1960s, moving from the Mersey Beat that made them a boy band that the girls loved to folk and psychedelic rock, inventing new genres seemingly with ease. Their music is the soundtrack of an era and continues to influence musicians to this day. But those are the flowers that grew from the dirt. That fertile soil that nourished and sustained them was far from their Liverpool home. During the very early 1960s, before any radio play and Beatlemania wasn’t yet a word, they were the house band for a ruckus portside bar in Hamburg, Germany, called the Kaiserkeller. There they had to play for hours and hours, stretching three-minute pop songs into 20-minute jam sessions. It was in this crucible, that the four soon-to-be mop tops bonded musically. It was through live performances that they learned to put on a show, according to George Harrison on the Beatles Anthology DVD. This is clear evidence that the Beatles’ success can be attributed to such teamwork examles along their career. The magic of the Beatles is that four individuals learned through intense and extended live sessions to play as one, to anticipate each other and develop an almost intuitive communication. That set the stage which allowed their songwriting gifts to flourish. It was teamwork, plain and simple, that gave the Beatles the musical chops to develop their potential. 2. The Miracle on Ice The United States upset victory over the Russian hockey team in the 1980s Olympics was called the “Miracle on Ice” for good reason. The Russian team had dominated the sport for as long as anyone could remember, and in the United States, hockey has always been a second- or third-tier sport. How the 25-year-old team captain Mike Eruzione got his team to bring home the gold and beat the odds-on favorites, the seasoned Soviet team is a most inspirational teamwork example. Related: Teamwork Quotes: The 25 Best Quotes About Working Together As a child, Eruzione never thought of himself as a star player; he thought of himself as a team player. He believed success was due not to individuals excelling as much as everyone on the team carrying their own weight and having a strong work ethic. Although at Boston College he didn’t make the cut and was placed on the B team, he was told not to lose confidence. It was those early lessons in teamwork that helped him gain the respect and trust of the Olympic hockey team. He understood that there were a lot of egos on the team that had to be put aside for the good of the team. Everyone had to feel they were contributing. The backup goalie, Steve Janaszak, never played in the Olympics, but he was as important to the win as anyone. Do you believe in miracles? 3. Apollo 11 Moon Landing One of the most historic examples of teamwork is the Apollo 11 1969 mission. While the world focused on the three astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, the former two who walked on the moon, most remember only Armstrong and his famous line upon being the first human being to set foot on the satellite: “This is one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” However, behind that momentous moment are years of research and teams of people working diligently to do what no one had done before. Mission planners worked for two years prior to launch, studying the moon’s surface using satellite photographs in order to discern the best site for a lunar landing. Related: See how NASA Uses ProjectManager According to NASA, there were an estimated 400,000 people involved in making the moon landing possible. This included teams of scientists, engineers and technicians, many who had not worked in aerospace before. To make for a more cohesive team, the astronauts worked with many of these groups, making the human connection that is the blood of any team. So considering all of this, the Apollo 11 moon landing was one of the most massive teamwork examples of the 20th century. 4. Wikipedia The digital age is defined by teamwork, and one new media company illustrates that more than any other. Wikipedia is everyone’s go-to when they need a quick answer. It’s the library of the internet, a collaborative engine of knowledge that is constantly evolving. There were once encyclopedias that collected the world’s knowledge, but these are static volumes that are only updated every number of years. Also, what is printed between their covers is not up for debate. If you have a problem with what’s listed, you could write to the editors and maybe even get a response. But Wikipedia changed that whole paradigm by recruiting an army of volunteer writers and editors who put the facts into its website. This simple but effective and massive example of teamwork is almost incomprehensible in its scope and yet runs surprisingly well. There are mistakes, but the site is built in such a fashion that these anomalies are quickly discovered. Teamwork is essential for Wikipedia because, in a sense, everyone who has ever landed on the site is part of the team. Related: 30 Fun Team-Building Games for Work 5. The Starbucks Expansion It might be a joke now (how there’s a Starbucks on every block and soon occupying every storefront), but it wasn’t always like that. In fact, the dominance of Starbucks was never as sure a thing as it looks in retrospect or over its company timeline. Back in the early 1990s, Starbucks chairman and CEO Howard Schultz had opened a few hundred new stores across the United States, but the business was not successful. The ambitious expansion was hitting problems concerning customer service and a lack of communication between various levels of the company. The company might have brewed a winning cup of joe but their customer service and employee engagement were staler than a pot of yesterday’s coffee. In 1995, Howard Behar became the president of Starbucks and with him came advancements in company culture. He cultivated a work environment that met the employees’ needs, which in turn inspired them to better serve their customers. It was his belief that it was not the coffee they were selling but the customer experience, which gave Behar the mission statement to rally his teams to work together more effectively. 6. D-Day D-Day, or the invasion of Normandy, retaking Nazi-occupied France, was the turning point of World War II in Europe. Many things went into the success of D-Day. There’s the logistics management of aligning so many troops and equipment while keeping the whole operation a secret. Naturally, it was also a strategic win for the Allies. But all these parts worked together only because of teamwork. The beaches of Normandy, which was the spearhead of the invasion, were boobytrapped and obscured by wooden stakes, metal tripods and barbed wire. Casualties were high on that day June 6, but if it wasn’t for beach-cleaning teams they would be higher, according to D-Day: The Battle for Normandy by Antony Beevor. From the generals on down to the grunts, everyone who sacrificed their lives for the greater good did so because they worked together as a team for ideals that are more important than individuals, which led them to leave their imprint on history, making it one of the most significant teamwork examples on this list. It’s almost impossible to understand how people could place themselves in harm’s way like that, but teamwork makes us bigger in more ways that we can count. Related: 10 Strategies to Motivate Your Team 7. The Iliad This oral epic attributed to the Greek poet Homer, which was put down in writing sometime in the 8th century B.C., might be historical, or it might not. It’s hard to say. Historians have debated whether there was in fact a Trojan War or not. So, why include this? Because it might be the granddaddy of all inspirational tales of teamwork. For one thing, the Iliad shows how difficult teamwork can be and how essential to success it is. The epic underlines the many ways teams can fail and how important it is to steer them to those narrower avenues that lead victory. In the story, Agamemnon disrespects Achilles, his best warrior, taking his slave girl as his own. Needless to add, this creates a great deal of conflict between the two allies. The erosion of trust between the two leads to tragic ends. Related: The Dangers of Self-Serving Bias at the Workplace The Iliad is many things, and to simplify it as merely a parable about teamwork would be to do the classic a disservice. That doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be read and appreciated on many levels, including what it can tell us, in the most dramatic ways, about teamwork examples and the importance of not acting selfishly and risking the loyalty of the team. 8. The Growth of Marvel Comics We’re not talking about the teamwork of fictional Marvel comic creations, such as the Avengers, X-Men or the Fantastic Four, though we could. But more interesting than the superheroes are the super-talented teams that worked to create the comic books that have gone on to movie stardom. There were writers, like the famous Stan Lee, who often came up with an idea that the penciler, someone like Jack Kirby (Captain America, the Hulk, etc.) or Steve Ditko (Spider-Man and Doctor Strange) would then block out in pages of dramatic sequential drawings. Then the boards would go to a letterer and inker before a colorist would add the primary colors. These would then be sent to a printer, distributed and sold at the local drug store or comic book shop. Each step of this process had to be carefully planned among all parties, of course, but there would also be a collaboration between writers and artists as they developed characters and conflicts to add drama to the stories. Teamwork kept the gears well-greased and their work has since elevated “silly kids stuff” into the mythology of the future. 9. The Constitution of the United States The Constitution of the United States is a foundational document of our democracy. It is also a prime example of teamwork. The then 13 states, all of which would have to ratify the constitution to make it the law of the land, were not united. There was no central government and the risk of the new nation falling apart was even more of a concern than it is today! Debates raged over such things that we today take for granted like how long a president’s term should last. For four months delegates debated, until on September 17, 1787, the 39 delegates signed the historic document. Of course, that wasn’t the end of it. Now voters in each state had to approve. But the delegates did their job and the people ratified the Constitution in 1789. Because of its significance and the number of people involved, the creation and ratification of the Constitution is without a doubt one of the best teamwork examples in United States history. 10. The Wright Brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright’s journey to invent the first successful powered airplane is a classic teamwork example of overcoming daunting challenges. Rather than working in isolation, the brothers combined their unique strengths–Wilbur’s strategic vision and Orville’s practical engineering skills–to solve the complex problems of flight. Their partnership was characterized by constant communication, mutual respect and a willingness to learn from failure, allowing them to refine their designs rapidly and efficiently. Their collaborative approach extended beyond the workshop, as they studied the work of others, shared findings and supported each other through setbacks. In 1903, their teamwork culminated in the first controlled, powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, revolutionizing transportation and changing the course of history. The Wright brothers’ story is a testament to how trust, shared determination and complementary skills can turn an ambitious dream into reality. 11. The 2010 Chilean Miners Rescue In August 2010, 33 miners were trapped 2,300 feet underground after a catastrophic collapse at the San José mine in Chile. The situation was dire, with the world watching anxiously as the miners’ lives hung in the balance. Immediately, a massive collaborative effort began above ground, involving engineers, geologists, medical personnel, government officials and international experts. They formed a unified command center, pooling knowledge and resources to devise a rescue strategy that had never been attempted before. Each team brought its unique expertise and together, they brainstormed, problem-solved and made critical decisions under intense pressure and scrutiny. Below ground, the miners themselves demonstrated a remarkable teamwork example, rationing supplies, maintaining morale and supporting one another through the ordeal. After 69 days, all 33 miners were brought safely to the surface, an outcome made possible by extraordinary collaboration at every level. The Chilean miners’ rescue remains a testament to the power of teamwork in overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges, showing how unity, trust and shared purpose can save lives and inspire the world. 12. Charles Plumb and the Parachute Packer Charles Plumb, a U.S. Navy jet fighter pilot during the Vietnam War, completed 75 combat missions before being shot down and captured. Years after his release, Plumb was approached by a stranger who recognized him and revealed, “I packed your parachute.” Plumb realized that, while he was celebrated for his flying skills, his survival depended on the meticulous, unseen teamwork of others–like the sailor who packed his parachute with care and precision. This encounter profoundly impacted Plumb, reminding him that every achievement is built on the collective efforts of many, not just the visible few. It’s a teamwork example that highlights the importance of recognizing and valuing every team member’s contribution, no matter how behind-the-scenes. True teamwork means understanding that everyone’s role—big or small—is vital to the group’s ultimate success and survival. How ProjectManager Helps With Teamwork ProjectManager is award-winning project management software that prioritizes teamwork. Regardless of how your team prefers to work, from Gantt charts to dashboards, our software can do it all. The best part is that data automatically populates across the software across project views, making it easy to collaborate and stay connected with your team. /wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Construction-overlay-ZOOM-TAsk-collab-comment.jpg Teamwork is not having one person force their way on the others: it’s about being open to compromise. All parties involved must find common ground and work together because the end result is something all can benefit from. Just like the Constitution, which has been amended over the years as times and attitudes change, teamwork must be a fluid process, not etched in stone, but always open and willing to improve. Teamwork is inspiring! It exhibits our ability to overcome personal issues for a collective objective. ProjectManager is online project management software that fosters teamwork. From collaborative scheduling features like an online Gantt chart to Kanban boards to sharing workflow with teams, ProjectManager makes teamwork fun and easy. See what your team thinks by taking this free 30-day trial. The post 12 Inspirational Teamwork Examples appeared first on ProjectManager. View the full article

All businesses want to improve, or at least they should do so constantly to be competitive. Complacency might feel good in the moment, but that moment quickly passes, especially in the business world. Don’t be left behind. The question is how can one improvethe operations of a business to make it more efficient and profitable? There are many answers, from educational and physical fitness to spirituality. But is there a unifying theory of process improvement, and if so, can it be sustained? Have you heard of the kaizen method? It’s a set of principles and techniques for continuous improvement that helps organizations across industries be more productive. But before we dive into it, let’s begin by defining the Japanese word “Kaizen.” /wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Gantt_Construction_Wide_Zoom-175-CTA.jpg What Is Kaizen? Kaizen means improvement, but more than just that, it means continual improvement for your business operations. Improvement that is not reaching beyond what it can currently do is static. Kaizen, more precisely, means change for the better (kai is change and zen is for the better). In terms of business, kaizen means that all activities must be continuously improving. That means everything in the organization, from employees to the CEO. But it’s not just applying to personnel, processes are also included. The idea was codified by Masaaki Imai, an organizational theorist and management consultant, over 30 years ago with the publication of this book, Kaizen: the Key to Japan’s Competitive Success. Since then, the implications have reached beyond industry and the kaizen principles have been used to help in healthcare, psychotherapy, government, banking and even life coaching. The kaizen methodology works at constant improvements through the elimination of waste. It’s been around in Japan since after World War II, though influenced by quality management ideas from the United States. It’s part of The Toyota Way, which is a set of principles that support the company’s management approach to production. What Is the Kaizen Method? Kaizen is a continuous improvement philosophy to increase the efficiency of business operations, rooted in Kaizen principles such as eliminating waste (muda, mura, muri), standardizing business processes through the 5S system, and using the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle to implement operational and organizational planning changes. Kaizen is a methodology that emphasizes bottom-up management, empowering employees at all levels to identify problems, offer their input and participate in solving them. Practices like Gemba Walks encourage firsthand observation of employee performance and operations, while focused Kaizen events target rapid process improvements. Together, these tools and mindsets foster a culture of efficiency, teamwork and long-term operational excellence through small, incremental changes that drive meaningful progress and lasting results over time. Let’s now define each of the elements that make up this continuous improvement method. Kaizen Principles A philosophy focused on continuous, incremental improvement in all areas of life, especially in the workplace. It emphasizes small, consistent improvements over time to achieve larger long-term gains. Kaizen Waste Types (Muda, Mura, Muri) Muda refers to waste in any form that does not add value, such as excess production or time spent on non-essential tasks. Mura is unevenness or inconsistency in processes, often leading to inefficiency or unnecessary stress. Muri refers to overburdening people, equipment or processes beyond their capacity, which can cause breakdowns or fatigue. Kaizen Gemba Walk A practice where managers and team members go to the “Gemba” (the actual place where work is done) to observe processes, understand challenges and gather insights directly from the people involved in the work. Kaizen 5S System A methodology for organizing the workplace to increase efficiency and reduce waste. The 5S principles are: Sort (seiri), the removal of unnecessary items; set in order (seiton), organize items for easy access; shine (seiso): clean the work area; standardize (seiketsu): establish consistent processes. sustain (shitsuke), maintain the improvements. Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) A continuous improvement cycle used to test and implement changes. It involves planning a change (plan), implementing it (do), checking the results (check), and taking action based on the results (act). Bottom-Up Management A management approach where decisions are made with input from lower-level employees, encouraging their involvement and fostering a sense of ownership in improvement initiatives. Kaizen Events Focused, short-term activities where a cross-functional team works intensively to make significant improvements to a specific area, often using the Kaizen principles. Kaizen Board A tool for visualizing and tracking the status of improvement initiatives. It typically displays a list of ongoing, planned and completed projects or ideas, helping teams stay aligned and transparent in their improvement efforts. Kaizen Principles The five principles of kaizen are fundamental to any application of kaizen. Know Your Customer: Knowledge of who your selling a product or service to is how one creates value. It is key that companies identify their customer’s interests to enhance their experience. Let It Flow: This applies to the target of achieving zero waste. It might be an impossible goal, but that’s kaizen for you: if you could achieve that objective improvement would stop. Therefore, everyone in the organization is working towards removing any waste from their corner of the business while also in the process creating value. Go to Gemba: The literal translation for gemba is “the real place.” In this context, it’s about leadership and knowing what is happening at every level of the organization. You can think of it as following the action, as value is created where something is actually happening. That’s where you want to be. Empower People: This one is directed towards teams and having them organized in such a way that it supports the kaizen principles. Therefore, leadership must set goals for their teams that are not contradictory. They should offer a system and tools to help the teams achieve these goals. Be Transparent: Data is the strongest determining factor. It’s the metric that measures success. Therefore, performance and improvements must be tracked with real data /wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Action-Plan-Template-Excel-image.png Get your free Action Plan Template Use this free Action Plan Template to manage your projects better. Get the Template Kaizen in Action: Practical Tips The principles are the guiding lights; the action plan is where kaizen hits the road running. It’s all about organizing, so that the focus is always on improvement and its targets are every part of the organization. Everyone is part of the process. A consistent application of the kaizen action plan leads to continuous improvement. First, take each corner of your organization and look at ways it can be improved. This will involve team collaboration and total involvement from everyone. Individuals need autonomy to take action on improvements themselves, which builds a culture of engagement. This is done with a continuing flow of suggestions and then implementing them to improve the organization. Each event is outlined by the acronym PDCA, which stands for plan, do, check, act. Begin by setting goals, with documentation and background. Then review what the current state is with that part of the business and plan towards improving it. Identify what improvements will be implemented and try and fix what isn’t working. Report the results, follow up and repeat. The idea of always making small improvements is not dissimilar to lean manufacturing, especially with the emphasis of eliminating waste. Kaizen, like a lean or agile approach, works with iterations. It keeps companies flexible. How Kaizen and ProjectManager Work Together Ideas are great and methodologies are fundamental to implementing those ideas. But the best plans of mice and men often go astray if they don’t have a project management tool to track their progress. ProjectManager is a dynamic and nimble software that cashes the check that kaizen writes. ProjectManager has Kanban Boards to Track Progress What ProjectManager.com provides is a way to monitor that improvement. Kanban is another Japanese work, which translates as signboard or billboard. It also grew from the Toyota Way of manufacturing, offering a visual workflow that increase efficiencies by making sure that the supplies you need now are always on hand, but not more than must be stored. It’s an elegant system of columns and cards. Each column can have a to do, doing and done heading. Under each of those column headings are cards, which capture the individual task. These cards are then moved from column to column as they’re identified, worked on and completed. These boards are a great way to track the progress of the improvements. With ProjectManager.com, the kanban boards are even more useful, as they can be assigned to specific team members or a whole group. Then, because the software is online, as teams update their status that information is instantly reflected across the software. /wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Kanban_Manufacturing_Wide_Zoom-175.jpg ProjectManager’s Real-time Dashboard Tracks Progress Kaizen encourages collaboration and ProjectManager supports teamwork by giving teams a platform to communicate at the task level. Documents and images can be attached to the card in the board view of our software, so these important files are easy to access. There is a conversation box to dialogue with other team members. When a comment is added, all those assigned the task are notified. It’s especially helpful if your teams are distributed on different sites. But teams aren’t the only ones who benefit from ProjectManager. Just as kaizen involves the whole organization in making continuous improvements, ProjectManager also gives managers the tools they need to assign easily and monitor the progress of the improvements as they’re implemented. While project managers can view the progress of the kaizen implementation on the kanban board, they probably are going to want more detailed information. ProjectManager has a real-time dashboard that collects all the data team members input and then crunches those numbers into a series of project metrics that are displayed all in one place. /wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Dashboard_Construction_Wide_Zoom-150.jpg The real-time dashboard has colorful and easy to read graphs and charts that track progress, workload, timelines and more. These can be shared or printed out for presentation. But in ProjectManager.com, the graphs and charts can be filtered to show just the amount of data you need. This means when a project manager is discussing items with the team, they can go deep into the data, but if the stakeholders need a more general overview, that can be displayed in a click. Kaizen and ProjectManager.com are a match made in project management heaven. But ProjectManager can do so much more than help you implement change. Our cloud-based project management software can plan, monitor and report on any kind of project. Online Gantt charts make scheduling collaborative and teams love our easy-to-use task lists and timesheets. See how ProjectManager can improve your project management today by taking this free 30-day trial. The post Kaizen Method: Definition, Principles and Implementation appeared first on ProjectManager. View the full article

Data breaches are most often the work of external bad actors, but sometimes the call comes from inside the house. Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has disclosed that hackers paid off support agents—both employees and contractors located outside the U.S.—who had access to company systems to provide customer data and then demanded a $20 million ransom not to leak the information. Coinbase was notified of the ransom demand on May 11, just a few days before reporting the incident to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The company has said the staff involved were fired and reported to law enforcement when their unauthorized access was detected, but they were still able to provide information to attackers. What happened with Coinbase?The threat actors, with the help of insiders with access to Coinbase systems, were able to collect personally identifiable information on roughly one million individuals (just 1% of Coinbase customers). According to a Coinbase blog post detailing the incident, the compromised data included the following: Names, addresses, phone numbers, and emails Last four digits of Social Security numbers Masked bank account numbers and identifiers Government ID images, such as driver's licenses and passports Account data, such as balance snapshots and transaction history Corporate data available to support agents The breach did not include login credentials, two-factor authentication (2FA) codes, or private keys, and hackers do not have access to customer funds, Coinbase Prime accounts, or customer hot or cold wallets. Coinbase has said they are not paying the $20 million ransom and instead are offering those funds as a reward for information about the attack. The company is also expanding its U.S.-based support to monitor and manage the impact on customer accounts. What Coinbase customers need to doCoinbase sent email notifications from the address no-reply@info.coinbase.com to all affected customers—these messages went out at 7:20 a.m. on May 15. Flagged accounts will have to go through several ID checks to make large withdrawals, so you may experience delays with transactions. If you were impacted by the breach, be on the lookout for impersonation scams. The aim of the attack, according to Coinbase, was to acquire customer information, reach out pretending to be from Coinbase, and use social engineering tactics to trick targets into transferring their money. Know that Coinbase will never ask for your credentials (including passwords and 2FA codes) or request that you transfer assets to another "safe" account, vault, or wallet, and they will never call or text you to give you a seed phrase or wallet address. They also will not ask you to contact an unknown number for customer support. You can also take steps to secure your account, like enabling 2FA using a hardware key and turning on withdrawal allow-listing, which limits transfers to accounts in your address book that you know and trust. If you believe your account has been compromised, lock it down and contact security@coinbase.com. Finally, Coinbase says they intend to reimburse customers who were tricked into sending funds to the attackers. You'll find more information in the notification email. View the full article

Housing starts increased in April as a pickup in multifamily home construction more than offset a decline in single-family dwellings caused by elevated inventory. View the full article

Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a central role in how Google determines which ads appear in response to a search and how they are ranked. The company uses a sophisticated machine learning (ML) infrastructure to handle almost every aspect of its Search Ads system — from understanding user queries to ranking ads based on value and engagement. Here’s what we learned from trial exhibits revealed in the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) antitrust case against Google. Two AI pillars: LLMs and LEMs Google’s system relies primarily on two types of AI models: LLMs (Large Language Models) – These are responsible for interpreting user intent and query context. They power the early stages of the ad process, including: Understanding user queries (NLU – Natural Language Understanding). Identifying relevant ads. Estimating ad relevance. LEMs (Learning-to-Earn Models) – These models dominate the later stages and are designed for optimization and prediction: Predicting click-through rates (pCTR), conversion rates (pCVR), and conversion values. Personalizing ad creatives. Determining bid values for advertisers using auto-bidding. How Google ranks ads using AI The ranking of ads is based on a calculation known as LTV (Lifetime Value), which combines three main factors: Revenue potential. What Google and the advertiser stand to earn. User impact. How likely the ad is to provide a good experience for the user. Advertiser value. The bid and expected return for the advertiser. Google’s AI models process the following stages to arrive at a final ranking: Interpret and retrieve: LLMs first understand the query and retrieve potentially relevant ads. Filter: Poor quality or irrelevant ads are filtered out, mainly for user benefit. Creative composition: AI customizes ad formats, especially for specific verticals like shopping or travel. Bidding: LEMs set bids automatically for advertisers based on predicted outcomes. Auction and ranking: Ads are ranked using the LTV metric, heavily influenced by AI-driven predictions. Why AI matters for Google Ads Google uses AI to dramatically improve its efficiency and effectiveness: Performance uplift: LEMs contribute 85–90% of the incremental long-term revenue per thousand impressions (LT-RPM), making them essential to Google’s advertising success. Spam and fraud prevention: AI detects unusual click patterns and prevents fraudulent conversions. User experience: By predicting whether users will stay on the landing page (Goodclick), AI helps ensure ads enhance rather than harm the search experience. Privacy-safe optimization: Google uses AI to generate anonymized behavioral signals (e.g., “X-MEN” embeddings) to personalize ads while maintaining user privacy. Ex-Googler comments: We approached ex-Google and Google Ads Coach Jyll Saskin Gales about this document. She clearly saw some new information about how Quality Score is derived: “Depending on who you ask, Quality Score is either an immensely important metric or completely irrelevant. My interpretation of this doc is that Ad Quality and the user experience is more important than ever. While the three components of Quality Score that we are told are not directly mentioned here, the Good Click signal clearly underlies what we know as landing page experience. The relevance filter clearly shows how AI now determines relevance and the engagement predictors are clearly spelt out too (pCTR = CTR).” Conclusion AI plays a significant role in how Google operates its search ads system. By integrating technologies like Large Language Models (LLMs) and Learning-to-Earn Models (LEMs), Google is able to process large volumes of search queries, identify potentially relevant ads, and rank them based on a range of predictive signals. These models help improve the relevance of ads shown to users, support automated bidding strategies for advertisers, and streamline decision-making across the advertising pipeline. While these systems can enhance efficiency and personalization, they also raise broader considerations — such as how ad rankings are determined, how user behavior is modeled, and what level of control advertisers and users have in the process. As AI continues to evolve, its role in shaping advertising will likely remain a focus of public, regulatory, and industry interest. View the full article

Midway while sailing across the Pacific with just his cat named Phoenix, Oliver Widger reflected on why he thinks his many followers—more than a million on TikTok and Instagram—are drawn to his story of quitting his 9-to-5 job and embarking on a journey from Oregon to Hawaii. “The world kind of sucks and, like, I don’t think I’m alone in how I felt with my work,” Widger, 29, told The Associated Press on Wednesday via Zoom. “You can be making $150,000 a year and you still feel like you’re just making ends meet, you know what I mean? And I think people are just tired of that and working really hard for nothing and want a way out.” People are inspired by someone who found a way out, said Widger, who is among a growing number of people who have undertaken such voyages in recent years. Being diagnosed four years ago with a syndrome that carried a risk of paralysis made him realize he hated his job as a manager at a tire company, a job requiring him to be clean-shaven and wear pressed shirts. He heard about people who sailed from California to Hawaii and decided that was the life for him. He abruptly quit his job with “no money, no plan” and $10,000 of debt. “I knew one thing: I’m buying a sailboat,” he recalled. “I’m sailing around the world.” He liquidated his retirement savings, taught himself to sail mostly via YouTube and moved from Portland to the Oregon coast, where he spent months refitting the $50,000 boat he bought. Now, Widger is harnessing the power of social media to fund his round-the-world sailing dream. Since he set sail in April, followers have been tuning into his “Sailing with Phoenix” social media posts to view videos of him and his feline first mate battling the waves and bouts of seasickness, enjoying dazzling sunsets, recounting tricky boat repairs or just reflecting on life at sea. As he discussed his journey with the AP, a netted bag carrying bottled water and snacks swung wildly over his head as the boat rocked. He recalled highlights of the voyage so far, including marveling at the speed dolphins cut through the water and finding flying fish on the deck. There have been stretches when there were no birds in sight for days. It can be a struggle to sleep when the boat is creaking while being buffeted by waves or to steady a boiling pot for the MREs he has been subsisting on. There have been harrowing moments like when a rudder failed and the boat tilted sideways in the surf for three hours as he made repairs, and the time he locked himself in the engine compartment and pried his way out with a wrench. Widger acknowledged he is relatively inexperienced as a sailor, but he has implemented safety measures and communication backup plans, including a satellite phone and an emergency beacon. Lt. Cmdr. Jesse Harms of the U.S. Coast Guard in Hawaii hasn’t been following the journey closely, but said he is relieved to hear Widger has the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, known as an EPIRB. It’s a critical tool for rescuers to locate a mariner’s position during an emergency, especially in the Pacific, the largest ocean, Harms said. Widger’s journey provides a good opportunity to educate the public about sailing safety, such as the importance of wearing a personal flotation device whenever topside on the boat, monitoring the weather closely and registering emergency tools like the EPIRB, Harms said. “That’s a really critical piece for anybody that’s getting motivated by his story to go set off on their own adventure,” Harms said. Until his arrival, likely in Honolulu, Widger is making sure everything is in place to avoid Phoenix having to undergo Hawaii’s animal quarantine. A mobile vet will sign off on Phoenix’s health when they arrive, he said. Widger wasn’t aware of the deadly danger of cat feces to the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, but he has been keeping all his trash, including kitty litter, on board. Even though he said he is legally allowed to throw it overboard, seeing so much plastic in the ocean motivates him not to. In addition to managing the practicalities of daily life on a boat, he is coping with going viral in the middle of the ocean by creating social media content and making decisions about merch his fans want to buy. He credits it all to his neck issue, which “shook up my world and it changed my perspective on everything.” He also hopes he can be an inspiration for anyone who’s in a rut. “Everything I’ve done I thought was impossible,” Widger said. “Sailing around the world is such a ridiculous dream. Whatever your dream is, just go, just do it.” —Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Associated Press View the full article

PE doesn't have to strip your culture. Gear Up for Growth With Jean Caragher Go PRO for members-only access to more Jean Marie Caragher. View the full article

PE doesn't have to strip your culture. Gear Up for Growth With Jean Caragher Go PRO for members-only access to more Jean Marie Caragher. View the full article

For years, search campaigns have been an imperative part of one’s PPC strategy. However, the landscape is shifting and Google is increasingly prioritizing shopping within the user experience, changing how users interact with the SERPs and how we as advertisers approach strategy for ecommerce clients. With continued investment in AI-powered tools like Performance Max, which has absorbed much of what traditional search once offered, recent betas such as AI Max, and now Google testing a massive new carousel format for Shopping ads, the platform is clearly moving toward a Shopping-first ecosystem. As these changes roll out, traditional search ads are getting less visibility, less control, and arguably, less relevance – especially for ecommerce brands. Google Ads in ecommerce: Then and now Shopping on Google all started with the launch of Froogle back in 2002. It was changed to Google Product Search in 2007, then moved to a paid-only experience in 2012 with the launch of product listing ads, or PLAs (now Shopping ads). Then, in a total 180, Google brought back free product listings and an organic shopping experience in 2020, which was a game changer. Since then, Google has been diligently working on the shopping experience and strengthening its search offering to become a one-stop shop for the widest array of products from all vendors. Search ads vs. Shopping ads Traditional search campaigns were the foundation of a solid ecommerce digital advertising strategy. Advertisers could bid on high-intent terms like “best-running shoes” or “warm winter jackets” and, before PLAs, search ads were there to capture buyers and send them right to their product pages. Marketers had granular control over bids, full visibility into the search terms, and the ability to fine-tune keyword lists, giving them a clear picture of performance and a direct line to optimizing their return on ad spend. Then with PLAs, product feeds were used to display product ads, showcasing a product image, price, brand name, and some additional attribute information, with no keywords required. Eventually, Google introduced more automation with Smart Shopping campaigns, which allowed advertisers to: Promote products across multiple networks, including Search, Display, YouTube, and Gmail. Simplify campaign management by combining these channels under one campaign type. Since then, Smart Shopping has evolved into the more advanced, AI-driven Performance Max campaign. And it hasn’t stopped there. In the last six months, Google has rolled out numerous changes promoting a shopping-first experience in the SERPs and additional AI enhancements, including: A complete overhaul of Google Shopping. Shopping comparisons in AI overviews. Vision Match. And more. Google is continuing to invest more resources in Shopping than ever before, and it doesn’t look like it will be taking its foot off the gas anytime soon. How Google is prioritizing Shopping over search campaigns Google’s SERPs look a lot different today than they did five years ago, or even a year ago. For example, when I search for “Men’s Bike Helmet” on Google in the U.S., the results look much more like a true shopping experience than a traditional SERP: At first glance, this looks like a shopping SERP, but it’s straight from Google.com! Everything above the fold is product-based, not text/traditional results-based, and it includes filters on both the left-hand rail and at the top. Five years ago or even a year ago, the majority of these results would have been Search Ads and organic listings. We can expect even more changes coming to the SERPs given Google’s announcement last week about a new Shopping Ads carousel format, allowing users to see multiple rows of PLAs. I spotted it myself in the wild when searching “soccer balls.” This would be a game-changer for PLAs. It would keep buyers browsing through the Shopping Ads results longer, possibly keeping them from ever scrolling down far enough to see a Search Ad. In this case, there wasn’t a Search Ad in sight. As a marketer, I see it in my own accounts. Below is a screenshot of one of my client’s non-brand Search and Shopping campaigns’ average conversion value/cost so far this year: In addition to Google refining the Google Shopping experience, we’ve seen several new AI campaign features introduced, such as the new beta AI Max. Google is also testing the waters with intent-based matching rather than keyword matching for Search campaigns. This is something we are somewhat familiar with if you’re using Performance Max, but testing this feature exclusively on Search campaigns is new. So, is there a future for keywordless match search campaigns? Why we still need traditional search Despite the rise of Shopping in the SERPs, Search campaigns can still play a key role in our account strategy while also covering areas Shopping can’t: Long-tail or complex queries (e.g., “organic dog food for large breeds with allergies”). Brand protection, ensuring competitors don’t steal your traffic. A/B testing different ad copy, landing pages, and assets. I’m not saying we shouldn’t run traditional Search Ads within our Google Ads accounts. Rather, we should continue to leverage a full mix of campaign types to prevent gaps in coverage while mitigating overlap. With the addition of Performance Max touching multiple networks, a thought-out approach to account structures is needed, with campaigns complementing each other rather than working in conjunction. What does this mean for ecommerce marketers? Search isn’t dead, but it’s lower down the ladder on driving ecommerce strategy in Google Ads accounts. As Google’s SERPs shift favorably toward feed-based and visually appealing Shopping results, traditional Search campaigns still hold value, but it is shrinking. Ecommerce brands need to be thinking about adapting and diversifying their strategies fast, or they risk falling behind. Shopping ads are here to stay, even with new technologies emerging. View the full article

You might be having a bad week, but AI is having a worse one. First there was the "racism glitch" that beset Grok, and now music platform SoundCloud is facing some serious criticism for a clause buried in its terms of service. The imbroglio began in February 2024, when SoundCloud quietly changed its TOS to include: In the absence of a separate agreement that states otherwise, You explicitly agree that your Content may be used to inform, train, develop or serve as input to artificial intelligence or machine intelligence technologies or services as part of and for providing the services. That quietly sat there in the TOS for more than a year, but this week, Ed Newton noticed the change and posted about it on his X account. The response was immediate and fiery, with many musicians and SoundCloud users decrying the use of their music to train AI. But some of that user ire seems misplaced; it's a more nuanced situation than it seems at first. What Soundcloud was planning to do with AIIt's easy to see why musicians wouldn't want their art used to train machines designed to replace them, but, according to SoundCloud, the TOS change was never about that. The company's president, Eliah Seton, issued an open letter on Wednesday explaining that they were using AI for "powering smarter recommendations, search, playlisting, content tagging, and tools that help prevent fraud" but the company has never "used artist content to train AI models. Not for music creation. Not for large language models. Not for anything that tries to mimic or replace your work." According Seton, it's basically been a misunderstanding. "The language in the Terms of Use was too broad and wasn’t clear enough. It created confusion, and that’s on us," Seton wrote. Opt-in or opt-out: The eternal questionSoundCloud may have cleared up how it has used AI in the past, but company reps waffled on what it plans to do with your music in the future. The initial response to the controversy, delivered in a statement to Verge from Marni Greenberg, SVP and head of communications at SoundCloud, explained, "Should we ever consider using user content to train generative AI models, we would introduce clear opt-out mechanisms in advance." The community responded with, "shouldn't that read 'opt-in?'" "Yeah, opt-in. Sounds great," SoundCloud responded, eventually. How SoundCloud is planning to change its terms of serviceIn his open letter, SoundCloud CEO Seton got specific about planned changes to the service's terms of service. The offensive AI section will be replaced with: We will not use Your Content to train generative AI models that aim to replicate or synthesize your voice, music, or likeness without your explicit consent, which must be affirmatively provided through an opt-in mechanism. So AI won't be used for replication or synthesis of users' music unless they opt in. Presumably, SoundCloud's will continue to use AI for recommendations, tagging, and play-listing, a much more benign, and generally accepted used of the technology. A couple of lessons from this flare-up: One, dealing with AI requires companies to be crystal clear with their users about how AI will be employed. Two, we should all read the TOS. View the full article

Key Takeaways Impact on Success: A well-planned startup office setup enhances productivity, fosters collaboration, and ultimately contributes to the success of your business. Optimal Layout: Design your office layout to encourage teamwork with communal areas while also incorporating quiet zones for focused work. Ergonomic Furniture: Invest in ergonomic furniture that ensures comfort and promotes employee well-being, which in turn boosts productivity. Technology Integration: Utilize reliable technology and high-speed internet to streamline operations and enhance communication among team members. Budgeting Wisely: Engage in careful budgeting by considering location, utilities, and furniture costs, while exploring flexible options like remote work and used furniture. Creating a Positive Environment: Enhance your office environment with appropriate lighting, acoustics, and color schemes to improve employee morale and stimulate creativity. Starting a new venture is thrilling, but setting up your startup office can feel overwhelming. The right environment can boost creativity, foster collaboration, and enhance productivity. You want a space that reflects your brand while meeting your team’s needs. From choosing the perfect location to selecting furniture and technology, every detail matters. Whether you’re working with a tight budget or have some flexibility, understanding the essentials of office setup can make a significant difference. Let’s dive into the key elements that will help you create an inspiring workspace tailored for success. Importance Of Startup Office Setup A well-planned startup office setup significantly impacts your small business’s success. Careful attention to your workspace enhances productivity and strengthens team dynamics, both critical for growth. Enhancing Productivity An effective office layout boosts productivity by providing employees with optimal working conditions. Proper desk arrangements, ergonomic furniture, and appropriate lighting can reduce fatigue and increase focus. Technology plays a vital role; investing in reliable hardware and software tools streamlines operations and minimizes downtime. Designate quiet areas for concentration and collaboration zones for teamwork, ensuring a balanced environment that encourages innovation. Fostering Collaboration Creating a collaborative workspace fosters teamwork and enhances communication among employees. Open floor plans and communal areas encourage informal interactions, sparking creativity. Incorporating meeting rooms with advanced technology aids in presentations and brainstorming sessions. Building a culture of collaboration reflects your business model—prioritizing team efforts over individual accomplishments. This collaborative spirit supports employee engagement, improves problem-solving, and ultimately drives customer acquisition. Key Elements Of A Startup Office Setup A startup office setup requires careful planning to enhance productivity and creativity. You must focus on layout and design, furniture and equipment, as well as technology and connectivity to create a functional workspace. Layout and Design Design the layout to meet your business needs, incorporating spaces for individual work, collaboration, and meetings. Open-plan offices foster teamwork, while designated quiet zones and private meeting rooms cater to focused tasks. Make the space flexible, allowing for changes as your business grows. Modular spaces and operable walls create adaptable environments for various activities, which is vital for innovation and team building. Furniture and Equipment Select ergonomic furniture that promotes comfort and well-being. Desks, chairs, and collaborative areas should align with your startup’s culture and branding. Equip your office with essential tools like printers, whiteboards, and storage solutions that streamline workflow and enhance efficiency. Utilizing quality furniture and equipment maximizes productivity, ensuring your team can focus on customer acquisition and growth strategies. Technology and Connectivity Incorporate reliable technology and connectivity to support your operations. Invest in high-speed internet, collaboration tools, and cloud-based software to streamline workflows and minimize downtime. Consider hardware that best suits your business model, whether it’s for a remote team or in-office employees. Effective technology enhances communication, supports digital marketing efforts, and drives overall business success. Budgeting For Your Startup Office Setup Budgeting plays a vital role in setting up your startup office efficiently. Considering expenses ensures you make informed decisions that align with your business goals. Cost Considerations The main costs include physical space, utilities, internet, and furniture. Physical Space: Your choice of office impacts costs significantly. The average office listing in the U.S. is about $32 per square foot. In high-demand cities, like San Francisco, this figure can rise to $61 per square foot, while cities like Detroit average $22 per square foot. Renting offers lower upfront costs, but purchasing property may provide long-term control. Utilities and Internet: Utilities average around $2.10 per square foot, translating to about $6,300 monthly for a 3,000 square foot space. Internet and network installation may add a one-time expense of approximately $4,000. Furniture and Decor: Setup costs can vary, with initial expenses typically around $25,000 for furniture. Prioritize ergonomic options to foster team productivity and comfort. Tips for Budget-Friendly Options Research Locations: Consider less expensive cities or suburbs to minimize rental costs while maintaining accessibility for employees and clients. Negotiate Leases: Try negotiating your lease terms to secure more favorable rates. Many landlords may offer incentives or reduced rates for longer commitments. Purchase Used Furniture: Explore options for buying used or refurbished furniture to cut costs without sacrificing quality. Evaluate Utility Packages: Look for bundled utility and internet packages that may lower overall expenses. Some providers offer business rates that could lead to savings. Consider Remote Work: If applicable, allow for remote work options. This approach can reduce physical space and associated costs while attracting talent. Balancing these elements effectively forms the foundation for a successful startup office setup while controlling expenses. Creating The Right Environment Creating a conducive environment in your startup office significantly impacts productivity and employee satisfaction. Consider the following key factors that enhance the workplace. Lighting and Acoustics Lighting plays a vital role in employee mood and productivity. Natural light boosts morale and minimizes reliance on artificial sources, reducing energy costs. Position desks near windows wherever possible to maximize this benefit. For areas requiring focused work, incorporate adjustable LED lighting, which offers brightness control and energy efficiency. Acoustics also affect concentration. Sound-absorbing materials such as carpets, curtains, and acoustical panels can mitigate distractions from bustling office dynamics. Provide quiet zones where team members can retreat for focused tasks. Balancing sound and light creates a comfortable workspace that enhances performance. Color Psychology Color choices in your office can influence emotions and productivity levels. Different colors provoke various responses among individuals. For instance, blue promotes calmness and focus, suitable for workspaces requiring concentration. Yellow encourages creativity, making it ideal for brainstorming areas. Use neutral colors like gray and white for a clean background, allowing vibrant accents in furniture or decorations to stimulate creativity. Careful selection of colors aligns the office environment with your branding while supporting your team’s emotional well-being, fostering innovation and collaboration. Consider these elements as you create the right environment, ensuring your startup thrives in a well-designed office space that reflects your values and supports your growth strategy. Conclusion Setting up your startup office is more than just a logistical task; it’s a strategic move that can shape your business’s future. By prioritizing an environment that fosters creativity and collaboration, you’re laying the groundwork for success. Consider every element from layout to technology as a building block for your team’s productivity and morale. A well-designed office not only reflects your brand but also creates a culture that attracts talent and drives innovation. As you navigate the challenges of budgeting and planning, remember that every decision impacts your team’s dynamics and overall performance. Invest wisely to create a space that inspires and supports your growth journey. Frequently Asked Questions What is the importance of office layout for a startup? A well-planned office layout enhances creativity, productivity, and collaboration among employees. It allows for individual work, teamwork, and meetings, adapting to the startup’s growth needs. A thoughtful setup can significantly impact a business’s success by strengthening team dynamics and supporting a positive work culture. How can ergonomic furniture affect productivity? Ergonomic furniture promotes comfort and reduces fatigue during long work hours. When employees feel comfortable, they can focus better, leading to increased productivity. Investing in ergonomic solutions helps align with the startup’s culture and keeps the workforce engaged and motivated. Why is technology important in a startup office? Reliable technology streamlines operations, minimizes downtime, and enhances workflow efficiency. Investing in high-speed internet and collaboration tools supports seamless communication and productivity, making it critical for startups to succeed in a competitive environment. What should I consider when budgeting for a startup office? Budgeting for a startup office involves evaluating costs for physical space, utilities, internet, furniture, and equipment. Researching locations, negotiating leases, and exploring budget-friendly options like buying used furniture can help control expenses while creating a conducive workspace. How does lighting impact employee performance? Proper lighting, especially natural light, boosts morale and productivity among employees. It creates a pleasant work environment, reducing fatigue and distractions. By incorporating effective lighting in the office design, startups can enhance employee satisfaction and overall performance. What role does color psychology play in office design? Color psychology can influence emotions and productivity. For example, blue promotes calmness and focus, while yellow encourages creativity. By carefully selecting colors for the office environment, startups can create a space that reflects their values and supports their growth strategies. Image Via Envato This article, "Essential Guide to Successful Startup Office Setup for Maximum Productivity" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Key Takeaways Impact on Success: A well-planned startup office setup enhances productivity, fosters collaboration, and ultimately contributes to the success of your business. Optimal Layout: Design your office layout to encourage teamwork with communal areas while also incorporating quiet zones for focused work. Ergonomic Furniture: Invest in ergonomic furniture that ensures comfort and promotes employee well-being, which in turn boosts productivity. Technology Integration: Utilize reliable technology and high-speed internet to streamline operations and enhance communication among team members. Budgeting Wisely: Engage in careful budgeting by considering location, utilities, and furniture costs, while exploring flexible options like remote work and used furniture. Creating a Positive Environment: Enhance your office environment with appropriate lighting, acoustics, and color schemes to improve employee morale and stimulate creativity. Starting a new venture is thrilling, but setting up your startup office can feel overwhelming. The right environment can boost creativity, foster collaboration, and enhance productivity. You want a space that reflects your brand while meeting your team’s needs. From choosing the perfect location to selecting furniture and technology, every detail matters. Whether you’re working with a tight budget or have some flexibility, understanding the essentials of office setup can make a significant difference. Let’s dive into the key elements that will help you create an inspiring workspace tailored for success. Importance Of Startup Office Setup A well-planned startup office setup significantly impacts your small business’s success. Careful attention to your workspace enhances productivity and strengthens team dynamics, both critical for growth. Enhancing Productivity An effective office layout boosts productivity by providing employees with optimal working conditions. Proper desk arrangements, ergonomic furniture, and appropriate lighting can reduce fatigue and increase focus. Technology plays a vital role; investing in reliable hardware and software tools streamlines operations and minimizes downtime. Designate quiet areas for concentration and collaboration zones for teamwork, ensuring a balanced environment that encourages innovation. Fostering Collaboration Creating a collaborative workspace fosters teamwork and enhances communication among employees. Open floor plans and communal areas encourage informal interactions, sparking creativity. Incorporating meeting rooms with advanced technology aids in presentations and brainstorming sessions. Building a culture of collaboration reflects your business model—prioritizing team efforts over individual accomplishments. This collaborative spirit supports employee engagement, improves problem-solving, and ultimately drives customer acquisition. Key Elements Of A Startup Office Setup A startup office setup requires careful planning to enhance productivity and creativity. You must focus on layout and design, furniture and equipment, as well as technology and connectivity to create a functional workspace. Layout and Design Design the layout to meet your business needs, incorporating spaces for individual work, collaboration, and meetings. Open-plan offices foster teamwork, while designated quiet zones and private meeting rooms cater to focused tasks. Make the space flexible, allowing for changes as your business grows. Modular spaces and operable walls create adaptable environments for various activities, which is vital for innovation and team building. Furniture and Equipment Select ergonomic furniture that promotes comfort and well-being. Desks, chairs, and collaborative areas should align with your startup’s culture and branding. Equip your office with essential tools like printers, whiteboards, and storage solutions that streamline workflow and enhance efficiency. Utilizing quality furniture and equipment maximizes productivity, ensuring your team can focus on customer acquisition and growth strategies. Technology and Connectivity Incorporate reliable technology and connectivity to support your operations. Invest in high-speed internet, collaboration tools, and cloud-based software to streamline workflows and minimize downtime. Consider hardware that best suits your business model, whether it’s for a remote team or in-office employees. Effective technology enhances communication, supports digital marketing efforts, and drives overall business success. Budgeting For Your Startup Office Setup Budgeting plays a vital role in setting up your startup office efficiently. Considering expenses ensures you make informed decisions that align with your business goals. Cost Considerations The main costs include physical space, utilities, internet, and furniture. Physical Space: Your choice of office impacts costs significantly. The average office listing in the U.S. is about $32 per square foot. In high-demand cities, like San Francisco, this figure can rise to $61 per square foot, while cities like Detroit average $22 per square foot. Renting offers lower upfront costs, but purchasing property may provide long-term control. Utilities and Internet: Utilities average around $2.10 per square foot, translating to about $6,300 monthly for a 3,000 square foot space. Internet and network installation may add a one-time expense of approximately $4,000. Furniture and Decor: Setup costs can vary, with initial expenses typically around $25,000 for furniture. Prioritize ergonomic options to foster team productivity and comfort. Tips for Budget-Friendly Options Research Locations: Consider less expensive cities or suburbs to minimize rental costs while maintaining accessibility for employees and clients. Negotiate Leases: Try negotiating your lease terms to secure more favorable rates. Many landlords may offer incentives or reduced rates for longer commitments. Purchase Used Furniture: Explore options for buying used or refurbished furniture to cut costs without sacrificing quality. Evaluate Utility Packages: Look for bundled utility and internet packages that may lower overall expenses. Some providers offer business rates that could lead to savings. Consider Remote Work: If applicable, allow for remote work options. This approach can reduce physical space and associated costs while attracting talent. Balancing these elements effectively forms the foundation for a successful startup office setup while controlling expenses. Creating The Right Environment Creating a conducive environment in your startup office significantly impacts productivity and employee satisfaction. Consider the following key factors that enhance the workplace. Lighting and Acoustics Lighting plays a vital role in employee mood and productivity. Natural light boosts morale and minimizes reliance on artificial sources, reducing energy costs. Position desks near windows wherever possible to maximize this benefit. For areas requiring focused work, incorporate adjustable LED lighting, which offers brightness control and energy efficiency. Acoustics also affect concentration. Sound-absorbing materials such as carpets, curtains, and acoustical panels can mitigate distractions from bustling office dynamics. Provide quiet zones where team members can retreat for focused tasks. Balancing sound and light creates a comfortable workspace that enhances performance. Color Psychology Color choices in your office can influence emotions and productivity levels. Different colors provoke various responses among individuals. For instance, blue promotes calmness and focus, suitable for workspaces requiring concentration. Yellow encourages creativity, making it ideal for brainstorming areas. Use neutral colors like gray and white for a clean background, allowing vibrant accents in furniture or decorations to stimulate creativity. Careful selection of colors aligns the office environment with your branding while supporting your team’s emotional well-being, fostering innovation and collaboration. Consider these elements as you create the right environment, ensuring your startup thrives in a well-designed office space that reflects your values and supports your growth strategy. Conclusion Setting up your startup office is more than just a logistical task; it’s a strategic move that can shape your business’s future. By prioritizing an environment that fosters creativity and collaboration, you’re laying the groundwork for success. Consider every element from layout to technology as a building block for your team’s productivity and morale. A well-designed office not only reflects your brand but also creates a culture that attracts talent and drives innovation. As you navigate the challenges of budgeting and planning, remember that every decision impacts your team’s dynamics and overall performance. Invest wisely to create a space that inspires and supports your growth journey. Frequently Asked Questions What is the importance of office layout for a startup? A well-planned office layout enhances creativity, productivity, and collaboration among employees. It allows for individual work, teamwork, and meetings, adapting to the startup’s growth needs. A thoughtful setup can significantly impact a business’s success by strengthening team dynamics and supporting a positive work culture. How can ergonomic furniture affect productivity? Ergonomic furniture promotes comfort and reduces fatigue during long work hours. When employees feel comfortable, they can focus better, leading to increased productivity. Investing in ergonomic solutions helps align with the startup’s culture and keeps the workforce engaged and motivated. Why is technology important in a startup office? Reliable technology streamlines operations, minimizes downtime, and enhances workflow efficiency. Investing in high-speed internet and collaboration tools supports seamless communication and productivity, making it critical for startups to succeed in a competitive environment. What should I consider when budgeting for a startup office? Budgeting for a startup office involves evaluating costs for physical space, utilities, internet, furniture, and equipment. Researching locations, negotiating leases, and exploring budget-friendly options like buying used furniture can help control expenses while creating a conducive workspace. How does lighting impact employee performance? Proper lighting, especially natural light, boosts morale and productivity among employees. It creates a pleasant work environment, reducing fatigue and distractions. By incorporating effective lighting in the office design, startups can enhance employee satisfaction and overall performance. What role does color psychology play in office design? Color psychology can influence emotions and productivity. For example, blue promotes calmness and focus, while yellow encourages creativity. By carefully selecting colors for the office environment, startups can create a space that reflects their values and supports their growth strategies. Image Via Envato This article, "Essential Guide to Successful Startup Office Setup for Maximum Productivity" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

FX's highly acclaimed hit series The Bear returns to Hulu in June for its fourth season, picking up right after the events of season three, when Carmy received the Chicago Tribune's review of his fine-dining restaurant. The main cast—Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Ayo Edebiri, to name a few—are reprising their roles in pushing The Bear forward. All 10 episodes will drop on June 25. Call Her Alex (June 10) is a Hulu original docuseries following "Call Her Daddy" podcast host Alex Cooper in preparation for her first tour with a behind-the-scenes look at the events that shaped her journey. Similarly, Barbara Walters Tell Me Everything (June 23) uses archival footage to explore Walters' life and career as a journalist and host in a male-dominated industry. On the film side, The Actor (June 30) is a crime mystery based on Donald E. Westlake's novel "Memory," starring Andre Holland as an actor with memory loss and Gemma Chan as a costume designer in the small town he ends up in. Predator: Killer of Killers (June 6) is an animated action/adventure and Hulu original set in the Predator universe. Here’s everything else coming to (and leaving) Hulu in June. What’s coming to Hulu in June 2025Arriving June 1Adam (2019) Alien (1979) Alien 3 (1992) Alien Resurrection (1997) Alien vs. Predator (2004) Alien: Covenant (2017) Aliens (1986) Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) Beasts Of The Southern Wild (2012) Before Midnight (2013) Betsy's Wedding (1990) Beverly Hills Ninja (1997) Big Eden (2000) Big Fish (2003) The Big Hit (1998) Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011) Blue Jasmine (2013) Boy Meets Girl (2014) Breakin' All the Rules (2004) The Bronze (2016) Bubble Boy (2001) Bugsy (1991) Cedar Rapids (2011) The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader (2010) Cold Pursuit (2019) Cyrus (2010) Daddy Day Care (2003) Death on the Nile (2022) Deja Vu (2006) Delivery Man (2013) Dude, Where's My Car? (2000) Edge of Tomorrow (2014) Elena Undone (2010) Freddy Got Fingered (2001) The Girl Next Door (2004) Grown Ups (2010) Grown Ups 2 (2013) Happy Gilmore (1996) The Heat (2013) Hitchcock (2012) Hurricane Bianca (2016) Idiocracy (2006) Independence Day (1996) The Joy Luck Club (1993) Just Go With It (2011) Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) Let's Be Cops (2014) Loving Annabelle (2006) Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! (2018) Mamma Mia! (2008) The Mask (1994) Me And Earl And The Dying Girl (2015) Mirrors (2008) The Namesake (2007) A Perfect Ending (2012) Pineapple Express (2008) Predator (1987) The Predator (2018) Predator 2 (1990) Predators (2010) Pride + Prejudice + Zombies (2016) Prometheus (2012) Reno 911! Miami: The Movie (2007) Sordid Lives (2000) 28 Weeks Later (2007) The War of the Roses (1989) We're The Millers (2013) Working Girl (1988) You Don't Mess With The Zohan (2008) Arriving June 3I've Somehow Gotten Stronger When I Improved My Farm-Related Skills: Complete Season 1 (Dubbed & Subbed) Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: Complete Season 1 (Dubbed & Subbed) The Quiz With Balls: Season 2 Premiere So I'm a Spider, So What?: Complete Season 1 (Dubbed & Subbed) Wise Man's Grandchild: Complete Season 1 (Dubbed & Subbed) Yuri on Ice: Complete Season 1 (Dubbed & Subbed) Presence (2025) Arriving June 4The Great House Revival: Complete Season 5 Arriving June 5National Anthem (2023) Arriving June 6Not Her First Rodeo: Complete Season 1 Predator: Killer of Killers: Film Premiere Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation … (2006) Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999) Hot Shots! (1991) Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993) Shallow Hal (2001) The Ringer (2005) Arriving June 7Gypsy's Revenge: Complete Season 1 I (Almost) Got Away With It: Complete Season 3 Kids Baking Championship: Complete Season 12 Murder in the Heartland: Complete Season 1 Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing: Complete Season 1 Sister Wives: Complete Season 12 Arriving June 8Scream (2022) Arriving June 9Beyblade X: Season 1B Arriving June 10Call Her Alex: Complete Docuseries And Then We Danced (2019) Clifford the Big Red Dog (2021) Arriving June 11The Snake: Series Premiere Gran Turismo (2023) Arriving June 12The 1% Club: Season 2 Premiere Arriving June 13Atsuko Okatsuka: Father: Special Premiere Absolution (2024) Arriving June 1490 Day Fiance: Complete Season 5 90 Day Fiance UK: Complete Season 2 Guy's Grocery Games: Complete Seasons 32 & 33 I'd Kill For You: Complete Season 3 Joel McHale: Live from Pyongyang (2019) Arriving June 16My Happy Ending: Complete Season 1 (Sub) Black Christmas (2019) Arriving June 17SALLY (2025) Skincare (2024) Arriving June 19The Quiet Ones (2024) Arriving June 20The Bravest Knight: Season 2B Out Come the Wolves (2024) Arriving June 23Barbara Walters Tell Me Everything: Documentary Premiere Helck: Complete Season 1 (Dubbed & Subbed) My Instant Death Ability is Overpowered: Complete Season 1 (Dubbed & Subbed) My Isekai Life : Complete Season 1 (Dubbed & Subbed) Arriving June 24Survive (2024) Arriving June 25FX's The Bear: Complete Season 4 Arriving June 27F*ck Marry Kill (2024) Arriving June 29The Bachelor: Complete Seasons 27 & 28 Arriving June 30Boonie Bears: Time Twist (2024) Texas True Crime: Complete Season 5 The Actor (2025) What’s leaving Hulu in June 2025Leaving June 1Christmas with the Campbells (2022) Leaving June 2The Amazing Maurice (2022) Leaving June 4Intrigo: Dear Agnes (2019) Leaving June 8Indemnity (2021) Leaving June 10Here Before (2021) Warhunt (2022) Leaving June 11Intrigo: Samaria (2019) Leaving June 13The Worst Person in the World (2021) Leaving June 17Ted K (2021) The Ledge (2022) Leaving June 22The Burning Sea (2021) Leaving June 24Big Gold Brick (2022) Gasoline Alley (2022) Leaving June 25The Desperate Hour (2022) Leaving June 30Transfusion (2023) View the full article

Discover the competition and reveal strategies and tactics of any industry player with these top 14 competitive intelligence tools, including Semrush Market Explorer and Semrush Traffic Analytics. View the full article

The internet wouldn’t be the same without the Like button, the thumbs-up icon that Facebook and other online services turned into digital catnip. Like it or not, the button has served as a creative catalyst, a dopamine delivery system, and an emotional battering ram. It also became an international tourist attraction after Facebook plastered the symbol on a giant sign that stood outside its Silicon Valley headquarters until the company rebranded itself as Meta Platforms in 2021. A new book, Like: The Button That Changed The World, delves into the convoluted story behind a symbol that’s become both the manna and bane of a digitally driven society. It’s a tale that traces back to gladiator battles for survival during the Roman empire before fast-forwarding to the early 21st century when technology trailblazers such as Yelp cofounder Russ Simmons, Twitter cofounder Biz Stone, PayPal cofounder Max Levchin, YouTube cofounder Steve Chen, and Gmail inventor Paul Buchheit were experimenting with different ways using the currency of recognition to prod people to post compelling content online for free. As part of that noodling, a Yelp employee named Bob Goodson sat down on May 18, 2005, and drew a crude sketch of thumbs-up and thumbs-down gesture as a way for people to express their opinions about restaurant reviews posted on the site. Yelp passed on adopting Goodson’s suggested symbol and, instead, adopted the “useful,” “funny,” and “cool” buttons conceived by Simmons. But the discovery of that old sketch inspired Goodson to team up with Martin Reeves to explore how the Like button came to be in their new book. “It’s something simple and also elegant because the Like button says, ‘I like you, I like your content. And I am like you. I like you because I am like you, I am part of your tribe,’ ” Reeves said during an interview with the Associated Press. “But it’s very hard to answer the simple question, ‘Well, who invented the Like button?'” The social wellspring behind a social symbol Although Facebook is the main reason the Like button became so ubiquitous, the company didn’t invent it and almost discarded it as drivel. It took Facebook nearly two years to overcome the staunch resistance by CEO Mark Zuckerberg before finally introducing the symbol on its service on February 9, 2009—five years after the social network’s creation in a Harvard University dorm room. As happens with many innovations, the Like button was born out of necessity but it wasn’t the brainchild of a single person. The concept percolated for more than a decade in a Silicon Valley before Facebook finally embraced it. “Innovation is often social and Silicon Valley was the right place for all this happen because it has a culture of meet-ups, although it’s less so now,” Reeves said. “Everyone was getting together to talk about what they were working on at that time and it turned out a lot of them were working on the same stuff.” The effort to create a simple mechanism to digitally express approval or dismay sprouted from a wellspring of online services such as Yelp and YouTube whose success would hinge on their ability to post commentary or video that would help make their sites even more popular without forcing them to spend a lot of money for content. That effort required a feedback loop that wouldn’t require a lot of hoops to navigate. Hollywood’s role in the Like button’s saga And when Goodson was noodling around with his thumbs-up and thumbs-down gesture, it didn’t come out of a vacuum. Those techniques of signaling approval and disapproval had been ushered into the 21st century zeitgeist by the Academy Award-winning movie, “Gladiator,” where Emperor Commodus—portrayed by actor Joaquin Phoenix—used the gestures to either spare or slay combatants in the arena. But the positive feelings conjured by a thumbs up date even further back in popular culture, thanks to the 1950s-era character Fonzie played by Henry Winkler in the top-rated 1970s TV series, “Happy Days.” The gesture later became a way of expressing delight with a program via a remote control button for the digital video recorders made by TiVO during the early 2000s. Around the same time, Hot or Not—a site that solicited feedback on the looks of people who shared photos of themselves—began playing around with ideas that helped inspire the Like button, based on the book’s research. Others that contributed to the pool of helpful ideas included the pioneering news service Digg, the blogging platform Xanga, YouTube and another early video site, Vimeo. The button’s big breakthrough But Facebook unquestionably turned the Like button into a universally understood symbol, while also profiting the most from its entrance into the mainstream. And it almost didn’t happen. By 2007, Facebook engineers had been tinkering with a Like button, but Zuckerberg opposed it because he feared the social network was already getting too cluttered and, Reeves said, “is he didn’t actually want to do something that would be seen as trivial, that would cheapen the service.” But FriendFeed, a rival social network created by Buchheit and now OpenAI Chairman Bret Taylor, had no such qualms, and unveiled its own Like button in October 2007. But the button wasn’t successful enough to keep the lights on at FriendFeed, and the service ended up being acquired by Facebook. By the time that deal was completed, Facebook had already introduced a Like button—only after Zuckerberg rebuffed the original idea of calling it an Awesome button “because nothing is more awesome than awesome,” according to the book’s research. Once Zuckerberg relented, Facebook quickly saw that the Like button not only helped keep its audience engaged on its social network but also made it easier to divine people’s individual interests and gather the insights required to sell the targeted advertising that accounted for most of Meta Platform’s $165 billion in revenue last year. The button’s success encouraged Facebook to take things even further by allowing other digital services to ingrain it into their feedback loops and then, in 2016, added six more types of emotions—”love,” “care,” “haha,” “wow,” “sad,” and “angry.” Facebook hasn’t publicly disclosed how many responses it has accumulated from the Like button and its other related options, but Levchin told the book’s authors that he believes the company has probably logged trillions of them. “What content is liked by humans…is probably one of the singularly most valuable things on the internet,” Levchin said in the book. The Like button also has created an epidemic of emotional problems, especially among adolescents, who feel forlorn if their posts are ignored and narcissists whose egos feast on the positive feedback. Reeves views those issues as part of the unintentional consequences that inevitably happen because “if you can’t even predict the beneficial effects of a technological innovation how could you possibly forecast the side effects and the interventions?” Even so, Reeves believes the Like button and the forces that coalesced to create it tapped into something uniquely human. “We thought serendipity of the innovation was part of the point,” Reeves said. “And I don’t think we can get bored with liking or having our capacity to compliment taken away so easily because it’s the product of 100,000 years of evolution.” —Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer View the full article

The SEO industry has evolved dramatically over the past decade, but the pace of change is about to accelerate even faster as we approach 2026. With the rise of AI-generated search, multimodal experiences, privacy-first regulations, and the blending of SEO with user experience and brand, the skillset required of an SEO professional is transforming radically. Today’s best practices won’t be enough tomorrow. This article explores the core SEO skills you must master by 2026 to stay competitive, drive results, and prepare your career for the future. 1. Strategic thinking: Moving beyond tactics SEO is no longer a series of isolated tactics like link building or on-page optimization. It’s a holistic discipline that demands strategic thinking. By 2026, SEO specialists must: Understand how SEO supports broader business goals (lead generation, brand awareness, customer loyalty). Prioritize initiatives based on ROI, not just traffic potential. Develop search strategies that integrate content marketing, user experience (UX), CRO, and brand storytelling. Tip: Start thinking like a CMO, not just a technician. Your ability to tie SEO efforts to revenue and brand equity will be your greatest asset. 2. AI and machine learning literacy AI is already reshaping how search engines like Google and Microsoft Bing interpret queries and rank content. With AI Overviews becoming a core part of search, SEO specialists must understand how AI impacts both the back-end (algorithms) and front-end (user experience) of search. You don’t need to be a data scientist, but you must: Understand the basics of machine learning models (like BERT, MUM, Gemini). Know how AI summarizes, ranks, and clusters information. Leverage AI tools for SEO (e.g., content ideation, trend prediction, SERP analysis). By 2026, AI will be your co-pilot. Knowing how to prompt, supervise, and collaborate with it will separate leaders from laggards. Dig deeper: Advanced AI prompt engineering strategies for SEO 3. Content design and storytelling Gone are the days of SEO content being mere “keyword holders.” By 2026, SEO content must be: Experience-driven (designed around user journeys). Storytelling-powered (engaging, narrative-rich). Multiformat-ready (optimized for text, video, images, voice). SEO specialists must master content design, including: Creating topic clusters and content hubs. Structuring information hierarchies that align with user intent. Crafting narratives that foster trust, clarity, and emotional resonance. Storytelling will become an SEO ranking factor by proxy. 4. UX and CRO fundamentals SEO ≠ just rankings anymore. SEO = satisfying user intent. That’s why understanding user experience and conversion rate optimization (CRO) will be non-negotiable. Core UX/CRO skills SEO specialists need: Optimizing page layouts for readability and flow. Designing intuitive site architectures. A/B testing headlines, CTAs, and content structures. Mapping emotional drivers across the funnel (fear, desire, trust). Page experience metrics – specifically, Core Web Vitals – will continue to evolve. Mastering UX will be essential to achieving and maintaining high organic visibility. 5. Data interpretation and analytics mastery Raw data is useless without insightful interpretation. By 2026, SEO professionals must evolve from data collectors to data storytellers. Must-have analytics skills: Deep knowledge of Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and future iterations. Mastery of Google Search Console and other online visibility tools. Ability to build custom dashboards (using Looker Studio). Skills in behavioral analysis (e.g., heatmaps, session recordings). More importantly, SEO specialists must translate numbers into narratives: Why is traffic dropping? Why is bounce rate rising? Why is this content winning while another fails? Tip: Always connect data insights to business KPIs when presenting SEO reports. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. Business email address Sign me up! Processing... See terms. 6. Technical SEO 2.0 Technical SEO has always been foundational. But by 2026, basic crawlability and indexing will be entry-level. Advanced technical skills needed: Knowledge of server-side rendering (SSR) vs. client-side rendering (CSR). Mastery of structured data, schema markup, and entity-based SEO. Familiarity with API-driven architectures (headless CMS, JAMstack). Ability to work with AI-driven search technologies (e.g., understanding vector databases). Also, with the proliferation of edge SEO (optimizations performed at the CDN level), having some programming literacy (HTML, CSS, JavaScript basics) will no longer be optional. 7. Multimodal and visual search optimization By 2026, search won’t be just about text. Users will search through images, videos, audio, and hybrid media. SEO specialists must learn to optimize: YouTube videos (SEO, thumbnails, metadata). Visual assets (product images, infographics, carousels). Audio content (podcast SEO, audio snippets). Visual search platforms (Google Lens, Pinterest Lens). Tip: Start thinking visually. Every webpage, blog post, and landing page must be designed not just for readers but for search engines that “see.” 8. Expertise in brand SEO and reputation management Your brand presence on search engines is your new homepage. Skills in brand and reputation SEO will include: Managing branded SERPs (controlling what shows for brand queries). Building and protecting knowledge panels. Optimizing reviews and third-party mentions. Proactively addressing negative content or press. With generative search summaries pulling information from multiple sources, controlling brand narrative in search will be a key leadership role for SEO pros. Dig deeper: Your 2025 playbook for AI-powered cross-channel brand visibility 9. Privacy-first SEO The death of third-party cookies, rising GDPR-style regulations worldwide, and growing user demand for privacy-first experiences will reshape SEO. By 2026, SEO specialists must: Understand first-party data strategies. Optimize experiences without relying on invasive tracking. Align SEO practices with privacy laws and ethical standards. Trust = currency. SEOs must balance personalization with respect for user autonomy. 10. Agile project management SEO is increasingly becoming agile and iterative, not “set and forget.” Agile SEO skills will include: Sprint planning for SEO initiatives. Rapid prototyping and testing of ideas. Collaborative workflow management (using tools like Jira, Trello, Asana). Clear stakeholder communication and documentation. In 2026, SEO projects will evolve faster than ever. Specialists who master agile methods will thrive. 11. AI prompt engineering As SEO blends with AI content creation, being a skilled prompt engineer will be crucial. SEO-specific prompt engineering skills: Designing prompts for AI-driven content ideation. Creating factually accurate and brand-consistent AI outputs. Using large language models (LLMs) to simulate user intent clusters. Mastering how to communicate with AI tools will multiply your productivity – and protect your role as a strategist, not just an executor. 12. Emotional intelligence and empathy Finally, perhaps the most underrated skill: empathy. Understanding what users feel, fear, aspire to, and value will be the foundation of every successful SEO strategy. Empathy in keyword research (beyond words to user mindset). Empathy in content creation (addressing real needs). Empathy in UX design (reducing anxiety, building confidence). SEO isn’t just about traffic. It’s about connecting with human beings at scale. The future belongs to the adaptable By 2026, SEO specialists will optimize webpages and design, orchestrate, and defend search-driven brand experiences. To succeed, you’ll need a multidisciplinary skillset: Analytical yet creative. Technical yet empathetic. Strategic yet agile. SEO is no longer a single role. It’s an orchestra of skills. If you embrace continuous learning and stay relentlessly human-centered, the future of SEO won’t just belong to you – you’ll help define it. View the full article

Disney isn't bringing a lot of new content to its streaming platform in June, but there a few original and exclusive titles on the lineup. Season five of Disney Channel's animated comedy series Phineas and Ferb (June 6) will premiere with 10 episodes, returning for the first time since 2015. The show follows two stepbrothers trying to fill their time during the 104 days of summer vacation. Disney+ Original Ironheart will launch with a three-episode premiere at 6 p.m. PT on June 24. The Marvel Television miniseries is set after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and tells the origin story of Ironheart—MIT student and inventor Riri Williams (played by Dominique Thorne). Also premiering on the platform this month are documentaries Sally (June 17), about the first American woman astronaut, and Ocean with David Attenborough (June 8) as well as Disney's Frozen: The Hit Broadway Musical (June 20). Finally, female-led sports show Vibe Check will land exclusively on Disney+ sometime during the month. Here's everything coming to Disney+ in June. Movies and complete series/seasons coming to Disney Plus in June 2025Arriving in JuneUnderdogs (Season 1) Vibe Check Arriving June 4Pupstruction (S2, 6 episodes) Arriving June 6Phineas and Ferb (Season 5) Arriving June 8Ocean with David Attenborough Arriving June 17SALLY Arriving June 20Frozen: The Hit Broadway Musical Arriving June 24Ironheart Hulu + ESPN content coming to Disney+ in June 2025As in previous months, Disney+ subscribers will also have access to select content from Hulu and ESPN. This includes live events like Day 1 of all PGA TOUR LIVE events, Day 1 of Wimbledon, and the Dallas Wings vs. Seattle Storm WNBA match-up. Here's a sampling of what else is coming to Disney+: Snowfall 9-1-1: Lone Star Station 19 Class of ‘09 Cruel Summer Death and Other Details High Fidelity Alien: Resurrection A Real Pain Predators Prom Dates ESPNFC Pardon the Interruption The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny Full Court Press Vince's Places P.K.'s Places 30 for 30 View the full article

Google's CEO, Sundar Pichai, said that search ads with AI Overviews are at a baseline, at the same level as search ads without AI Overviews, in terms of ad revenue per query. He added, and now it is just about going up from there, and with AI, he doesn't see it to a problem.View the full article