Have you ever popped a Frito into your mouth and without realizing it, your hand is already back in the bag for another handful until the entire bag is gone? Does the corn chip’s crunch paired with just enough salt make your mouth water for more? If you’ve ever had a bag of chips before, you, probably like myself, don’t know when to stop until you are feverishly searching the bag for any traces of the last few crumbs. To some, Fritos is a treat to indulge in every so often. To others, they are necessary to complete a race or a competition. To the founder of TRA360, it’s like his Google Analytics.

Google Analytics?

Valentina Rosa, founder & CEO of TRA360, is an avid biker. He participates in bicycle fundraising events throughout the country. Like any racing sport, Tim needs that boost of energy to cross the finish line. For Tim, his kick is Fritos. The salty snack helps him power through the event and satisfies his craving at once. Google analytics is like the salt on a Frito. Without it, Fritos would just be a plain corn chip—nothing special. Similarly, without the qualitative numbers Google Analytics produces, businesses would be left in the dark without knowing how many hits their website is getting and what marketing efforts are working versus not working. Without being able to visually see these numbers, businesses may be spending valuable time on driving website traffic without producing numbers. Additionally, without numbers, we can’t determine progress and end up lost in our efforts and not being able to finish that bike race.

Everyone has their own go-to when it comes to both snack foods and marketing strategy. What’s your Fritos?

 

 

 In social settings, the lines between work and play often become blurred. If you’re not careful, a mistake at the company mixer could end up costing you an opportunity, or worse a job. There’s a proper strategy for networking with businesspeople and maintaining your profession identity, and luckily for you the top tips are right here.

 1)      Act like the camera is always rolling. In today’s digital world, embarrassment and shame can last much longer than the memories themselves. Act like you would if your life way being taped and you’ll be all set. Professionalism doesn’t end at 5pm and if you want that job or promotion, you better believe the bosses are watching your every move. How you act reflects on the company. As a rule of thumb, don’t do anything you wouldn’t want your mother to see. Privacy settings can’t prevent someone else from uploading uncanny pictures or videos of your actions. Think smart.

 

2)      Ask how can I help you? Would you loan a stranger $100? Probably not. The same goes for buying goods or hiring from a stranger. People don’t like to be bombared with sales pitches at social events, or ever for that matter. Instead, focus on building relationships first, and the fruits will come in time. By offering to help someone else on their endevours, you build trsut and friendship that can be utilized in the future.

 

3)      Have fun. People don’t become friends with wall-flowers, and the outgoing individual is the one who will be making new contacts. Though it’s important not to be obnoxious or the one people talk about the next day, there’s a strong benefit to being charismatic and enjoyable. Gaining someone’s confidence is a great start to a business relationship. People love to share stories with friends, and create new ones with better friends. By building a network of cohorts, the odds will begin to favor you professionally.

 

What are your top tips for networking in the 21^stcentury?

 

Google is safe. It’s reliable. Many of us use it everyday, and even on our cell phones to look up song lyrics, the answer to a question, or more about that awesome restaurant we went to the other week that we forgot the name of. But, what would you think if Google were to bypass your privacy settings on your mobile device to track your personal web browsing habits?

The reality is, Google is guilty for doing just that. The article, “Google’s iPhone Tracking” published in The Wall Street Journal, discusses the implications of Google using a computer code that essentially tricked Apple’s Safari Web-browsing software into monitoring iPhone users’ browsing behaviors for advertising purposes. After being contacted by The Wall Street Journal, Google deactivated their code.

In a statement released by Google, they rebutted: “The Journal mischaracterizes what happened and why. We used known Safari functionality to provide features that signed-in Google users had enabled. It’s important to stress that these advertising cookies do not collect personal information.”

Personal privacy is a hot topic that many Internet users struggle to grasp. The browsers and websites that we love and trust (like Google) are betraying its users and monitoring our iPhones. I strongly believe that our cell phones should be a safe zone and not secretly regulated to gather information. Will I stop using Google and my iPhone Safari browser all together? Probably not. But as a consumer, I am starting to lose trust in the brand. If Google users have similar feelings, Google’s overall credibility will decrease and they may even lose customers and business. What do you think about personal privacy? Google users, is it time to make the switch to Bing?

The Apple iPad 3 is one of the most anticipated devices from Apple this year. The device will be released on March 7, and will be the third of the Apple iPad series. Regarded as one of the best-selling computer tablets in the world, the iPad comes at a hefty price. A study from Slashgear shows that half of prospective iPad 3 buyers don’t care about the anticipated 20-30% increase in price of the new Apple tablet. The NPD Group reveals that over 40% of current iPad users have a household income of $100,000 or more in comparison to the 26% of non-iPad owners.

So what’s the big deal, anyway?

According to TheTechLabs.com, the new iPad will feature a sleeker design, rock a full HD display, have a lighter battery, and charge wirelessly. For many, the new iPad is regarded as a symbol of high-end status and “in” with new technology.

Personally, I question what these studies say about society if so many people are willing to shell out the big bucks for a product that hasn’t even been launched yet. To me, I view Apple not only as a brand, but also as a lifestyle. If a company can succeed in obtaining a vast number of loyal customers, who, without knowing the cost of their product before its launch, are willing to purchase the product, then success has been reached. More and more people are defining themselves through the “Apple lifestyle”; living as someone who is up with the latest technology and modern-day trends including owning the hottest new phone (iPhone4s), newest iPod, newest Mac computer, and finally the newest tablet, the iPad 3.

What do you think about the release of the iPad 3? Is there too much ado about nothing or will you be pre-ordering your new tablet in just a few weeks? Comment below and let us know your thoughts!