Steve Woda's blog

Digital Parenting: Engage

Digital parenting is one of the hardest parts about being a modern day parent; the possible dangers that come with digital interaction, especially when unmonitored, are well known thanks to news articles and TV specials.

To help parents raise their children, companies have produced plenty of products meant to keep children safe, from filters to site blockers to parental intelligence systems. Parents often develop their own systems to keep children safe online; they may put a limit of the amount of time a child spends online or prohibit the use of a computer in a child’s bedroom.

I believe that it is important for digital parents to avoid creating restriction upon restriction. According to Connectsafely.org, based on surveys of 25,142 families of 9-to-16-year-olds in 25 countries, researchers came to the conclusion that parents' active engagement with their kids' Internet activities works better than restricting them.

"For parents, talking to their child about the internet, encouraging them to explore alone but being nearby in case they are needed and talking to them about what they do online are all ways in which they can reduce online risks without reducing their child's opportunities," said EU Kids Online research director Sonia Livingstone in a press release.

This is not to say the resources available online should be ignored. However, perhaps before jumping to block every single site on the Internet, a quick conversation is all that is really needed. Calmly explain to your children that there are dangerous people online, and that nothing online is truly private. Motivate your children to think: Is this something I want people outside of my house to see? In short, teach them to use the Internet safely and responsibly.

Remember: giving children guidelines is more effective than enforcing restrictions; as tempting as it is to create rule upon rule for your children, encouraging open dialogue between you and your children will lead to a more trusting relationship for both parties, and as a result will let parents talk to and monitor their children with less resistance.

Related resources:
uKnowKids Parenting Blog & Resource Center

 

D.C.’s Newest Tech Accelerator “The Fort” Debuts Inaugural Batch | TechCrunch

Hot, new Washington D.C. tech accelerator known as The Fort is debuting its inaugural class of startups today. The organization grew out the efforts from early stage VC firm Fortify Ventures LLC, also known as Fortify.vc (that’s its URL, too), which had previously invested in nearly dozen D.C.-area tech companies.

Over the past 9 months, The Fort’s co-founders, Jonathon Perrelli and Carla Valdes, have been busy trying to spark innovation in the nation’s capital. They set up the fund, invested in group of startups, created the accelerator, hosted a pitch competition called “Distilled Intelligence” which handed out $25K to winners, and selected a dozen more startups for The Fort’s first program.

“D.C. is not a place where people are always working together,” says Perrelli of the group’s efforts, “but now there is this uprising. People are trying to build something here.”

via techcrunch.com

It is great to see the startup vibe growing in DC. Jonathon Perrelli and Carla Valdes are doing a nice of leading here. Well done everyone.

How to Throw a Paper Airplane 226 Feet

Check out this video of a guy throwing a paper airplane 226 feet 10 inches.  

He is using a plain piece of paper, but the airplane's design was quite sophisticated.  Amazing stuff!!

You can learn more about the designer's secrets in this article 

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/aviation/diy-flying/the-secrets-of-the-world-record-setting-paper-plane-7013184?click=pm_latest

Sh*t Entrepreneurs Say... Very funny video

If you are an entrepreneur, you will find this video to be pretty funny.  Have fun!

Why Being Sleepy and Drunk Are Great for Creativity | Wired Science | Wired.com

The stupor of alcohol, like the haze of the early morning, makes it harder for us to ignore those unlikely thoughts and remote associations that are such important elements of the imagination. So the next time you are in need of insight, avoid caffeine and concentration. Don’t chain yourself to your desk. Instead, set the alarm a few minutes early and wallow in your groggy thoughts. And if that doesn’t work, chug a beer.

via www.wired.com

This is an interesting article about how the brain works. Looking for inspiration? It can come at very unexpected times!

Technology Blurring the Line Between Right and Wrong | uKnowKids

Cell phones keep us connected. They’re convenient, save us time, and could even save our lives in a true emergency. But when used irresponsibly, mobile phones can wreak havoc. And it appears that technology is blurring the line between right and wrong – for our kids, anyway.

One study from Common Sense Media reports that 1 in 3 kids use their cell phones to cheat on tests, but that 1 in 4 kids surveyed didn’t think that accessing notes during a test, texting friends with answers during a test, or using their cell to search the Internet for answers is cheating.

via www.uknowkids.com

Check out this article at uKnowKids.com's blog. Very interesting commentary about how things are changing with the introduction of new technologies.

Managing The Startup-Big Company Relationship | AlwaysOn

Every entrepreneur has met them. Big company executives with big company swagger. They ignore you. They dismiss the business problem you spent your life solving. They think they can crush you.

Then the tables turn. They push for strategic relationships. They want to give you money, frequently at irrationally high valuations. Finally they shell out enough scratch to buy you.

It is no easy task turning big company hesitation into commitment. But several key steps will help you manage this potentially make-it-or-break-it relationship. Through it all, be sure to drill into their heads every step of company progress as sales begin to multiply.

via www.aonetwork.com

A great article that every entrepreneur should read. Good stuff.

How to hire like Warren Buffett - Sales Machine - CBS News

Warren Buffett has said that when he is looking at his leaders for companies, he evaluates three categories of characteristics:

-- Intelligence

-- Energy

-- Integrity

His fundamental belief is that if a person has 2 of these, the lack of the third can kill a business. Do the fast math on the negative side of the equation:

-- Low integrity, high energy and high intelligence and you have a smart, fast-moving thief

-- Low energy, high intelligence and integrity and you have a shop keeper, not an engine of growth

-- Low intelligence, high energy and integrity and you have strong functionary, but not a great problem solver or visionary

via www.cbsnews.com

I 100% agree!!!!

12 Business Blogging Shortcuts for Time-Crunched Marketers

After a very successful HubSpot Twitter chat on Tuesday (join us for the next one on January 24th at 3:30 PM EST!) about business blogging and content creation, one discussion point stood out among the rest: everyone we spoke with acknowledged the importance of business blogging for inbound marketing success, but many people said that, despite their best efforts, it's really hard to find enough time to do so on a regular basis.

It's a common refrain, and this wasn't the first time we'd heard the complaint. But over the years, we've figured out some creative ways to keep our blog fed with content even on days that are jam packed with meetings, weeks with days lost to vacations and holidays, and times when we're just plain not feelin' it.

Because we really want our readers to adopt business blogging as part of their daily (or weekly, depending on your competitive needs!) regiment, we'd like to share with you some of the tactics that can save you some significant time when creating blog content. We still recommend writing pieces that are further outside your comfort zone and really require that you set aside time for critical thinking. But for those days when you just don't have the time for it, these tactics will help you publish valuable content to your blog and keep your content creation machine chugging along at a consistent rate.

via blog.hubspot.com

Good advice here. A blog can be very valuable on the SEO front and in positioning your company as a subject matter expert. Every company should make it a part of their weekly routine to write at least one, simple blog post per week. Again, good advice.

INFOGRAPHIC: Kids & Online Safety - Internet Security

Let’s face it: The Internet is a staple in the lives of today’s kids—and as a result, stranger danger has taken on a whole new form. Mobile phones and social networks make it all too easy for kids to get online—and even easier for them to find themselves in unsafe situations. Cyberbullies, internet predators and viruses abound! Luckily, parents are making it their business to be in the know. Not only are they aware of their kids’ online activity, but many are even implementing rigid household rules when it comes to Internet usage.

But are these rules enough for parents to really know what kids are doing online? Find out more stats about kids and cybersafety in this infographic.

via www.onlineschools.com

A very interesting infographic about kids and their digital safety.