How BestBuy is preventing the sale of Google's Chromebooks
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Image by John Karakatsanis used under Creative Commons License. [/caption]
What is a Chromebook?
Google's Chromebook is a specially designed internet connected computing device that run the search giant's ChromeOS operating system. Gartner, an industry think tank, believes Chromebook sales will triple to 14.2M units by 2017 (link).
Chromebook were initially seen as the reincarnation of the dreadfully crappy netbooks so sales were slow but today many mainstream consumers see it as a viable alternative to expensive and difficult to maintain traditional desktops and laptops (running Windows or MacOS).
Manufacturers have really jumped on the Chromebook bandwagon by designing and selling well built, thoughtfully designed devices at very reasonable prices (HP, Dell, Acer, Asus, Samsung).
As consumers rely more and more on internet based services (instead of traditional PC installed fat applications) the transition to these types of internet terminal devices becomes a much easier proposition.
Microsoft is now seeing Chromebooks as a real threat to its long term profitability and is trying to fight back by offering $0 Windows licenses on certain lower spec small screen devices. We have seen a handful of OEMs jump on the small free windows license bandwagon but it still hasn't set the world on fire. Microsoft should be worried because not only as consumers starting to move to Chromebooks but many schools are choosing to equip their students with them. They are cheap, low maintenance and kids aren't walking around with $600 highly desirable iPad tablet in their backpacks (making them targets for theft).
What can BestBuy do?
I went to a local BestBuy on Friday to pickup a tablet and while I waited for a rep in blue to serve me, I listened in on an interesting conversation between a BestBuy Canada associate and a customer.
A mid 60's year old man had come into a local BestBuy store to look at the various Chromebooks. He explained to the rep that he had basic needs to browse the web and his son had recommended he get a Chromebook.
The rep started to explain how that was a bad idea. He explained that Chromebooks were underpowered glorified browsers. He then asked the customer if he would ever need to write documents using Microsoft Word and the customer said he does need need to write basic letters a couple of times a year. The rep then asked if the customer wanted to hookup an external display and the customer said yes. The rep then said for these reasons, he doesn't recommend a Chromebook and instead recommends he buy a $1000 Macbook Air.
Now I use a Macbook Pro at home and absolutely love it but man was this rep wrong. At some point the rep went to help a colleague find an item in the back store, at which time I interviewed. I explained how the Chromebook works, the fact that the device requires no maintenance. I explained that ChromeOS is much less susceptible to virus' and that in the event he "breaks" something, he could recover the machine to factory new in under a minute using PowerWash.
I explained that Google offers a free online Word processor and showed it to him on one of the demo machines. I then explained how all of Google's services (including Google Play Music) work perfectly and seamlessly on the Chromebook.
I explained how you could hook up an external screen using the Acer C720P's HDMI port (which was the device he was standing in front of). I the walked him through the process of sending content to his TV using the $30 Chromecast.
Finally I showed him the remaining ports, explained how he could use this device to backup his pictures to the Google Cloud, explained how to hookup a printer using Google Cloud Print and the guy was sold.
A couple of minutes before, the customer was about to walk out of the store empty handed ($1000 was more than he wanted to spend) and now he was asking the associate for 2 Acer C720Ps.
If Google wants the Chromebook to succeed, they need to work with their partner retailers to ensure all of the associates at least have a basic understanding of the technology. They should also offer free only courses on how to use a Chromebook and how to perform common important everyday tasks (setup a printer, connect a screen, stream content to a Chromecast, etc).
Quote about the possible
"Clear your mind of can't" #quote #selfimprovement #best #success #leadership
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Upcoming events in 2015
I will be a panelist at the CIO Summit in Montreal on Feb 9 talking about "Cyber Espionage and the Advanced Persistent Threat" (http://www.ciosummit.ca/agenda.php) .
I will be moderating the CIO Event security panel in San Francisco Feb 17-18 about Espionage and Cyber Security (http://sanfran.cioevent.com/site/HomePage/)
I love meeting all of you . If you are attending or will be in the area, pass by and say hi!
Canada's Anti Spam Law (CASL) and what it means and CASL 2.0
Over the last month, I received several emails asking me about CASL (the Canadian Anti Spam Law) which went into effect July 1 2014. The purpose of CASL is to protect consumers from unsolicited email messages.
“Nothing in this article should be construed as legal advice. Always check with a qualified legal professional.”
What is CASL
There are well written white papers by lawyers that provide the legal perspective on CASL and how it impacts business'. If that applies to you, you should go find and read some of those. The Canadian Anti-Spam Law was designed to protect canadian email addresses (.ca) from receiving unsolicited commercial messages. The main drivers are:
- Consent : the sender needs to secure and record detailed explicit consent from the recipient that they want to receive your marketing content
- Identification : The law required that you clearly identify who is sending the message and who it is being send on behalf of. The recipient must have a way to easily reach you.
- Unsubscribe : The recipient must have a simple and clear way to unsubscribe from your mailing list.
Each message you send must contain Identification and unsubscribe.
Not only email
Legislators made sure CASL protect canadians from multiple mediums of commercial message delivery including emails, instant messaging, social media, etc.
Assume this applies to all mechanisms you use to contact a customer for marketing purposes.
Does this CASL apply to me?
Let me keep this simple... CASL applies to any entity pushing a marketing message and you should plan on adhering to its standards.
Does CASL apply to not for profit organizations?
As currently worded, the law provides an exemption for government certified charities performing fund raising through emails. Conversely other revenue generating activities are not exempt.
The identification and unsubscribe requirements of the law apply to not for profits also.
If you want to add subscribers from one list to another, then you will need explicit consent.
Non commercial messages (aka regular business type emails) are not covered by CASL.
You can learn more on the government's website (link)
CASL and email address harvesting
A practice used by some email marketers or resellers of marketing lists is to harvest email addresses using electronic programs to collect email addresses from websites, mailing lists, forums, etc.
CASL amends PIPEDA to forbid the activity of email harvesting.
CASL 2.0
January 15 2015 an additional provision will go into effect called the Computer Program Rules. This new provision will require express consent before the installation of a computer program on someone's PC, smartphone or other electronic device.
This new wave of CASL comes with very stiff penalties that can reach $10,000,000 for companies. This new wave goes beyond Canadian borders. It applies to organizations (can be located anywhere) installing programs on a computer located in Canada or to Canadians installing program on computers outside of Canada (or under the direction on someone in Canada).
This section of CASL is fairly complicated so I will let you research the interwebs for additional information if you think it applies to you.
CASL Best practices
In addition to following the CASL requirements stated above, many organizations are also verifying receiver interest in their messages every 6 months.
Organizations that can prove that they have an existing business relationship will have 3 years to comply but industry best practice says you should plan to comply immediately.
Is someone stealing your credit card data?
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Image by Saiko Weiss used under Creative Commons License [/caption]
As you spend on CyberMonday and beyond, what happens when a retailer swipes your credit card? Brian Krebs, a trusted security researcher, provides his colorful insight about the subject.
The 2 line summary is that there are multiple failures in the chain that could lead to your financial data being compromised
9 ultimate job search tips and tricks
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Image by Alex France used under Creative Commons License [/caption]
Whether you have been laid of, abused at work or simply need something new, here are 10 tips to help you find your next perfect job.
Preparation is king
Before starting the job search process, make sure you have the required infrastructure in place to look professional. Make sure your primary voicemail (attached to the number on your CV) has a professional sounding message (no music, slang or clichés).
Make sure your email address looks professional and isn't something childish (e.g. [email protected], [email protected], etc). Ideally you should invest in your own domain name (which can be had with a hosted email service for about $20 a year). Some recruiters even recommend setting up a new email address to be use only for your job search but this isn't something I personally recommend.
Have a cell phone number that makes you immediately reachable and add that to your CV (instead of your home number). The worst thing that can happen is you are selected and the recruiter can't reach you.
Find contacts in the fields (jobs) you are looking for and ask them about their jobs. What is it like? What are the required skills? How did they find their job? Ask them for recommendations on getting a similar job.
Update the paperwork
You should be updating your CV a couple of times a year, even if you aren't looking for a job. During a job search, spend the time to critically evaluate your CV and ask trusted friends to also provide their honest feedback. You only have once chance to make a good first impression.
Use the PDCA continuous improvement approach : Plan, Do, Check Act. Plan what you want on your CV. Write it. See how recruiters react and then make changes as necessary to solicit the required response.
Google yourself
Most recruiters will search for you on the internet as part of their funnelling process. Google yourself and see what comes up. If you find embarrassing items, try to have them removed by the site hosting the content.
Make sure you have an up to date LinkedIn profile with some (select) information showing on your public LinkedIn profile page. Here are 7 LinkedIn tips to help you make a great first impression and to help with your job search:
- LinkedIn Tip #1 - Customize your public LinkedIn URL
- LinkedIn Tip #2 - Create a profile badge for your blog or website
- LinkedIn Tip #3 - Your profile should be keyword friendly
- LinkedIn Tip #4 - OpenLink allows you to message non connected members
- LinkedIn Tip #5 - Export your LinkedIn contacts
- LinkedIn Tip #6 - Convert your LinkedIn Profile to a professional resume
- LinkedIn Tip #7 - Don't spam your connections with every update
I recommend you start a personal about you page. You can start by using a site like About.Me or setup your own personal blog (like I have at [www.kiledjian.com](https://www.kiledjian.com)). These sites are an opportunity for you to put your best foot forward. If you don't know anything about websites or blogs, setup a site using one of the hosted services like SquareSpace , Tumblr, WithKnown or WordPress.
Reference List
Most companies will ask you to provide a list of 3 references. You should already plan on who you would use and contact them asking for their permission and contact information. Never use an existing colleague or boss. Never use a contact without first asking for their permission.
Ideally you brief your contacts on why you are looking, what you are looking for and what skills they may be asked to verify.
Use your network
Most jobs are found through contacts and not job sites. Use your network (friends, former colleagues, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc) to let everyone know you are looking. Tell them what kind of job you want and solicit their help in finding opportunities.
Most jobs are found this way.
Don't follow your passion
Cal Newport has written a book called "So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love" (link) and says the most common advice he sees is to "follow your passion". He says this is a fallacy and explains in his book how (through a study) people end up loving their work didn't follow a pre-existing passion and instead their passion developed as they got better at their jobs.
Be a good listener and journalist
My wife is was a journalist and her ability to extract information from people she meets is uncanny. A good journalist knows how to ask open ended questions that encourage the other person to talk and talk and talk.
Practice being a good journalist and asking potential interviewers open ended questions to get them talking about the job and company. Find out who is hiring? Why are they hiring? What are the skills they are looking for? What does the ideal candidate look like?
First you have to build rapport, then start your gentle interrogation. Once you start asking questions, become an active listener and pay attention to every nuance. Some of my best interviews were spend listening rather than pitching myself.
Be nice to everyone
I love talking to everyone from the administrative assistant to the janitor. Everyone has a story. Unfortunately I have seen too many candidates ignore these people when waiting for the main interviewer. My recommendation is to be nice and try to talk to everyone.
Talk to the receptionist. Talk to the administrative assistant. Talk to anyone from the company that may pass by and say hi. Just be a nice likeable guy or girl.
Learn to speak body language
Most candidates I have met don't spend too much time thinking about this but it is critically important. What are your non vocal cues saying? Take the time to read up on body language and then practice your's using a mirror.
Once you learn body language, you will also be able to interpret how the interview is going by reading the body language of the interviewer.
LinkedIn Tip #7 - Don't spam your connections with every update
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Image by Esther Vargas used under Creative Commons License [/caption]
In its default configuration, every time you make a change to your LinkedIn profile, it advertises this change to all of your contacts. This is a wonderful feature when you change jobs or companies but becomes annoying when you start cleaning your profile and send 30 updates to your network.
Here are the steps to change this setting:
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Go down to the Privacy controls section
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Then uncheck the box
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Quote about hope
We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
#quote #hope #belief
Quote about Friendship
“A best friend is the only one that walks into your life when the world has walked out.” ― Shannon L. Alder
LinkedIn Tip #6 - Convert your LinkedIn Profile to a professional resume
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Many LinkedIn users carefully update their profiles to ensure they portray themselves and their experience in the best possible light. If you are one of these users, why not use a little LinkedIn secret and convert your profile into a professional ready made CV.
Use the LinkedIn Resume Builder (link).
<img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/c914c1ff5b.jpg" alt="">
LinkedIn Tip #5 - Export your LinkedIn contacts
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Image by Esther Vargas used under Creative Commons License [/caption]
Did you know you can transfer your LinkedIn contacts to another contact management system? LinkedIn has a surprisingly easy feature to do this that most people aren't aware of. Follow this (Link) to the Contacts page
<img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/c2d3b44791.jpg" alt="">
Click on the Export LinkedIn Connections
<img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/f7c1eb3940.jpg" alt="">
Choose a format to export the contacts in and voila. You can now import them in your favorite contact manager.
LinkedIn Tip #4 - OpenLink allows you to message non connected members
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Image by Esther Vargas used under Creative Commons License [/caption]
The LinkedIn system only allows you to message other members you are directly connected with (first degree connections) There is a group of premium members that have configured their profiles as "Open Profiles" which allows anyone on LinkedIn to message them, even if they are not first degree connections.
Open Profile Video
Here is how you can message an Open Profile LinkedIn member without having InMail or any other premium membership (Link).
LinkedIn Tip #3 - Your profile should be keyword friendly
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Image by Esther Vargas used under Creative Commons License [/caption]
Recruiters are searching LinkedIn for potential candidates using keyword searches. Your job is to make it easier for these people to find you by adding the most relevant keywords for your industry to various sections of your LinkedIn profile.
First determine what the power keywords are for your industry then make sure you add them to your headline, in your summary, in your experience and maybe even in your skills section.
LinkedIn Tip #2 - Create a profile badge for your blog or website
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Kiledjian.com is my personal soapbox where I can talk about anything I want. Why not use it to generate more LinkedIn contacts. If you look to the right of this article, under my site's search box, you will see my own LinkedIn profile badge.
Creating one is extremely easy. Just go to this site (link) and configure it the way you want.
<img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/62ebbad101.jpg" alt="">
Related:
This is a great way to get grow your LinkedIn network and have access to more people in more companies.
LinkedIn Tip #1 - Customize your public LinkedIn URL
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Image by Esther Vargas used under Creative Commons License [/caption]
Vanity URLs are extremely popular and can help make your profile easier to find and maybe even a little more professional. As an example, my Linkedin vanity URL is https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekiledjian.
How can I select a custom vanity URL for my LinkedIn profile? Good question! Go to this (link) and choose Customize your public URL
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