Google has been striving to integrate its online services into one central platform based around their social network, Google+. To date it has been met with mixed reviews but has never really taken off since its launch in the summer of 2011. In mid April, Google launched a redesign of Google+ with the goal of making the network a little more user friendly.

When you first log into the updated Google+ the amount of white space will jump out at you. It’s a startling contrast to the other social networks. After you adjust to it, you’ll notice four main aspects of the new look:

1. To the left. On the left is a bar, or ribbon as Google calls it, with icons for the main features. This ribbon is reminiscent of the Windows Task Bar and works much the same way. Simply click on an icon to open the related function. If you have an icon you don’t use, simply click and drag it out of the bar and it will be moved to More.
2. In the center. In the center of the page you’ll see all your updates along with a bar above them with your top two circles. To the right of your updates you’ll see what’s trending on Google+, the Invite friends to Google+ button and a suggestions box.
3. To the right. On the far right is a very prominent chat bar with all your chat contacts. Above that is the Start a hangout button which allows you to quickly begin a hangout session.
4. Up top. At the top of the page you’ll see the search bar, from which you can search Google+ for posts, topics, friends, etc.

Are you in love with the cover photo on your Facebook profile? Do you like having a picture spread across top of your profile? If yes, Google+ now has the option to set a cover photo at the top of your profile. Not a fan of one picture across the top of your profile? You can also pick and choose multiple pictures. Your profile picture and information have been moved to the right side of the picture with your circles below.

New features There are three new useful features:

1. Explore. On the left ribbon is a compass icon. Clicking this will open Explore, a page that displays what’s currently trending on Google+. The content shown on this page is viewable by all users, and this gives businesses a great marketing opportunity if they can capitalize on current trends.
2. Block. On your social network profiles there may be a user who is leaving rude comments or spam messages on your posts. On Google+ you can block the user from posting. Simply go to their profile and select block under their profile picture.
3. New hangout page. If you click on the hangouts icon on the left hand ribbon, you’ll be taken to the hangouts page. On the page you’ll see current hangouts that you can join or you can start a new one based on any post. To start a public hangout click the camera icon at the bottom of the post.

It looks like Google has taken a big gamble with the new layout, and only time will tell if it will attract more users. If you would like know more about Google+ and how your business can capitalize on what it offers, we’re ready to talk.

One of the more common business buzzwords of the past decade is CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). Companies of all sizes have been taking steps to do their part, often by implementing an environmentally friendly initiative like recycling. While it certainly is a good idea to try and save the environment, many business owners have no idea where to start, or how to do more. Technology, more specifically mobile phone apps, may be able to help.

Here are four great apps that can help you and your employees make your company a little more green.

1. GoodGuide

GoodGuide is an app that can help you find out more about products. Utilizing a barcode scanner, it can provide you with information like where the product comes from, whether it's safe and if it's green.

With over 170,000 ranked products in the app's database, it's a great way to start learning about sustainable and environmentally friendly products. The only downside of this app is that it currently focuses on the US only, and there is no word as to when, or if, service will expand. You can download it to your Apple and Android device for free.

2. PaperKarma

While we are currently living in a digital age, we still get a lot of paper-based junk mail. This is incredibly wasteful, as most people just throw it away. PaperKarma is an app that aims to reduce or eliminate waste paper.

How it works is you take a picture of unwanted mail, the developers will then contact the distributor and ask that they stop sending mail to you. This app could go a long way in helping reduce the amount of paper your office uses, which will mean lower costs for you and less trees felled. It's really a win-win. You can download it to your iPhone or Android device for free.

3. iRecycle

An important part of any green initiative is recycling. The problem is, it can be hard to find out what, how and where to recycle. iRecycle is an app that aims to set this straight. It provides information on how to recycle almost everything and the nearest recycle points to you.

The app also provides you with recycling centric updates, news and tips to help encourage you to do more. It's available for Apple (iPhone and iPad) and Android devices for free.

4. greenMeter

If your company has a fleet of vehicles, you are probably always on the lookout for ways to make them more efficient. Whether it be switching tires used, driving at slower speeds to conserve gas or carpooling, finding a way to cut costs is important. greenMeter is an app that could help. What it does is use your iPhone's accelerometer and manually entered data to assess your vehicle's power and gas usage.

While driving, this app provides real-time feedback on how efficient your driving is and how much gas you are using. This will help you conserve fuel (as you can see when you are burning more than usual) which will reduce operating costs and negative environmental impact. It's available for the iPhone and costs USD$5.99.

These are just four apps that can help your company go green. What other CSR initiatives do you take in your company? Let us know! And if you would like more tips on how technology can help you reduce your environmental impact, let us know, we can help.

As technology progresses at an ever-increasing pace, many small businesses have been caught in a costly cycle of hardware and software upgrades that eat up a lot of a manager’s time. Why are they doing this? Mostly it’s to keep up with customer demand, or a reactionary reflex to finding out their business is under-productive because of outdated technology. In the late 2000’s, Cloud Computing was introduced as a way to store data online, while helping to lower maintenance costs and potentially increase productivity.

Many business owners have been caught up in getting their businesses “on the cloud” and are using apps such as those offered by Google to do so. When done correctly, this can bring about substantive cost savings to a business’s bottom line. When done incorrectly, however, there can be many problems. Here are some tips to ensure your company’s smooth migration to Google Apps.

Estimate Users’ Appetite for Cloud Take a poll of your company asking how many employees already use the consumer version of cloud services such as Gmail. This will help make migration easier, as employees will already be comfortable with the idea and using the apps. Also, it will allow you to identify which employees will need training on how to use the services.

Keep Tech Minimal It’s best that when presenting the migration information to employees to cater to their level. If your employees are tech-adverse, keep information, presentations, and demos as simple as possible, leaving out jargon and clearly defining acronyms. Doing this will help employees be more comfortable with the technology, and more responsive to change.

Partner Up Enlist the help of a technical advisory company that specializes in migration to Google Apps. The company will be able to help with issues not covered in the How-To material provided by Google.

Test First Create an environment in which your IT department and IT-savvy employees can test the Google Apps. This gives you the chance to determine the right fit, and which features work and don’t work for your company. The average testing period is around three months.

Revise and Review It’s important to revise any policies you may have regarding the use of technology. Employees will commonly want to access their accounts on their phones and other devices while away from the office, so be sure to have clear policies on the use of these devices. It is equally important to get feedback from your employees about what they think of the products, and ask whether they have any suggestions for improvement.

If you have any questions about migrating to Google Apps, please contact us.

Printing is one of the many seemingly mundane but essential parts of any business's day-to-day operations that are usually neglected by a lot of people. The thing is, improving the way you work with your printers can do a lot to boost productivity and efficiency – which is the goal of Google Cloud Print.

Trust Google to think of everything – this time it's easier and more flexible printer sharing through Google Cloud Print, a service that allows you to connect printers to the web via the cloud.

Since printing is an aspect of business operations that applies to almost any (if not all) organizations, the impact and application making printers and printing securely available to anyone of your choosing, anywhere is far-reaching. This can be especially useful to people on the go. Just imagine, for example, being able to turn in a printed report or presentation while you're away from the office. Or clients being able to submit hard-copy documents or forms by simply printing them straight to your office. As long as you have a web-connected device you can print from, you can use Google Cloud Print.

Another advantage of Google Cloud Print is that the constant connection to the web enables the service to keep printer software and drivers updated, which makes printing tasks more efficient and less prone to errors. Security is also not an issue, since documents printed through Google Cloud Print are transferred over a secure connection and are automatically deleted when the job is completed. Users may also customize security features and other aspects of their Google Cloud Print account to better fit their needs.

Google Cloud Print's flexibility allows it to completely replace or simply augment your existing printing system. If you want to know more about how Google Cloud Print will work for your business, please do not hesitate to contact us so we can sit down with you and discuss its finer details.