Jeff Cassman - General business related things Jeff Cassman cares about

InMotion Web Hosting Review (Updated for 2022)

Want to jump straight to the answer? InMotion is a great choice and one of the most underrated web hosts out there.

InMotion is one of the most reliable web hosting providers on the market today.

In fact, I ranked InMotion as one of the top contenders when creating my list of best web hosting providers.

Normally $7.49/month
Free domain and SSL certificate
Free and unlimited email
90-day money back guarantee

That’s because of their outstanding customer support and dedication to providing great hosting services.

But what exactly do they do well? And where could they improve?

This extensive guide covers all of InMotion’s hosting plans, the benefits of using InMotion, and some other considerations to keep in mind while making this decision.

The Benefits of Using InMotion Web Hosting

90-day guarantee

I won’t consider using any web hosting service that doesn’t offer a money-back guarantee.

Not because I plan to use it, but because I’m hesitant to pay for something that the company doesn’t stand behind.

In web hosting, 30 days is the industry standard. I’ve even seen a handful of providers that offer a 45-day or 60-day money-back promise.

InMotion blows the standard out of the water with their 90-day money-back guarantee.

InMotion Money Back Guarantee

That means they really believe in their product. So much so that they’re willing to lose money on it.

It’s worth noting that the money-back promise only applies to the business, VPS, and reseller plans. Plus, you need to sign up for a minimum of six months to get this benefit.

All month-to-month plans and dedicated servers have a 30-day guarantee, which…

How to Not Do Anything Stupid with Your New Team

A young manager with a new team is like an ant pushing an elephant. It’s smart to be concerned.

My friend Stan Endicott tells managers who ask for advice, “Don’t do anything stupid.”

Aspiration isn’t the problem. But persistent stupidity defeats the brightest among us. Sometimes the smarter we are, the stupider we get.

How to not do anything stupid:

Young managers succeed by aspiration, openness, and NOT doing anything stupid.

Make a list of 10 stupid things you don’t want to do in the first 90 days of leading your team. Share your list with a mentor or coach. Be sure they have lots of experience. Here are a few suggestions.

It’s stupid to:

Think the same way about yourself.
Keep doing your old job in the same way.
Expect that you’re going to do everything right.
Jump right in before building relationships.

How to be smart:

#1. Show up with confidence, not arrogance.

Spend some time acknowledging challenges, but don’t circle the blackhole. What words will you use that express heart and belief?

#2. Practice apologizing, not blaming. (Literally)

Imagine that you screwed up. What will you say? Work on taking responsibility.

Always turn toward the future after apologizing for the past.

Get with a coach or mentor and literally practice your apology. You’re going to need it.

#3. Show up with big ears and a small mouth.

Send the following questions to the team before your first meeting.

Imagine the best team ever. How does that team treat each other?
What do we expect from each other?
What will we do when someone drops the ball?
How do we want to feel about our team? What behaviors are likely to foster those feelings?
How will we make decisions?

Tip: Learn how to run meetings people love to attend.

How does an ant move an elephant? With lots of help.

What are some stupid things people do when managing a new team?

What suggestions do you have for a young manager taking on a new team?

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This Fruit Boosts Weight Loss 50%, Research Finds

People eating this fruit lost four pounds in 12 weeks without making other changes to diet or lifestyle.

Eating prunes could increase by 50 percent the amount that people lose off their waistline, research suggests.

People felt more full and lost one-third more weight when they ate prunes, compared with not eating them.

Study participants lost weight without making other changes to their diet or lifestyle.

Prunes probably help weight loss because of their fibre content and dried fruit is easy to add to the diet.

Fibre increases feelings of fullness and reduces calorie intake.

Researchers repeatedly find that increases in fibre intake can help with weight loss.

The study included 100 obese and overweight people who were tracked for 12 weeks.

All the people in the study initially ate less fibre than is recommended.

One half were just given general advice about the types of snacks that were most healthy.

The other half were told to eat 15 or more prunes each day.

The results showed that those eating prunes lost an average of 4.4 pounds, compared with 3.3 pounds in the group who were not eating prunes.

Dr Jo Harrold, who led the research, said:

“These are the first data to demonstrate both weight loss and no negative side effects when consuming prunes as part of a weight management diet.

Indeed in the long term they may be beneficial to dieters by tackling hunger and satisfying appetite; a major challenge when you are trying to maintain weight loss.”

Professor Jason Halford, an expert on eating behaviours, said:

“Maintaining a healthy diet is challenging.

Along with fresh fruit and vegetables, dried fruit can provide a useful and convenient addition to the diet, especially as controlling appetite during dieting can be tough.”

The research was presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Sofia, Bulgaria.

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Trending in Marketing: What Trends Are Coming in 2022

Trending in Marketing: What Trends Are Coming in 2022 – DigitalMarketer Trending in Marketing: What Trends Are Coming in 2022 – DigitalMarketer
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Top 8 Best Time and Attendance Systems – 2022 Review

Want to jump straight to the answer? The best time and attendance systems for most people are Rippling and OnTheClock.

Time and attendance systems lets you track employee hours and manage pay—crucial tasks for every business with a workforce.

The best time and attendance systems are simple to implement and manage. Your employees will always be compensated appropriately for their work while eliminating bottlenecks in payroll.

The 8 Best Time and Attendance Systems of 2021

How to choose the best time and attendance system. Quicksprout.com's methodology for reviewing time and attendance systems.

That’s why good time and attendance systems integrate popular online payroll services.

If your current system is inaccurate or outdated, you could be costing your business tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

So if you need an updated time system, you’ve come to the right place.

No matter what type of business you have or what industry you’re in, this guide will help you find the best time tracking and attendance system for your company.

I’ll give you an in-depth review of each option below. We’ll discuss the top features, benefits, costs, and other considerations to give you the information needed to make a decision.

Best Time and Attendance Systems Reviews

Rippling — Best for Running Payroll in Two Minutes or Less

Built-in payroll solution
Create custom workflows
Potent automation features
Starts at $8/employee per month

Try Rippling for Free

If you already have payroll software in place that you love, you’re looking for a time and attendance solution that integrates with…

Taking Time Off isn’t the Answer

Taking time off isn’t the answer when you don’t know how to live. A four-day workweek is pointless for miserable people.

Do you live to work or work to live? The answer is YES.

Taking time off isn’t the answer if you’re frantic and distracted during time on. Living for the weekend is futility.

Unrelenting obligations seduce you into the false belief that life is meaningful.

Work is futility when your body shows up but your heart stays home.

Time off isn’t the answer:

Wherever you go, take yourself with you.

#1. Taking time to start slowly.

“Start the day slowly.” Ken Blanchard

Self-reflection is a lighthouse.

It doesn’t take long to start your day slowly, only 10 or 15 minutes.

Tell your task-list you’ll be right there. Engage in spiritual practice.

Read.
Pray.
Meditate.
Breathe
Write in a journal.
Set an intention for the day.
????

You already crashed if you leave home without yourself.

A short morning ritual is a point of stability in a turbulent world.

#2. Taking time for self-development.

Arrogant self-sufficiency destroys us and laughs when we crash.

The dumbest thing leaders say is, “I’m too busy to take time for self-development.”

Sharpen your ax or you will work yourself into oblivion.

#3. Taking time to practice gratitude.

Schedule gratitude walkabouts. (or zoom calls.)
Write down one point of gratitude before you go to bed. It’s OK if you want to write more.
Jot down three positive qualities of the people on your team.

#4. Taking time to lower your expectations.

There is a measure of futility in everyone’s life. Every pursuit or aspiration is a reminder that you aren’t there yet, and you never will be. Accept it.

What does living well look like in a turbulent world?

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This Fun Personality Trait Indicates High IQ

People with high intelligence tend to have this quality.

Extravert get higher scores on IQ tests, a study finds.

People who are outgoing, talkative and energetic perform better on tests of verbal and abstract reasoning, psychologists found.

Extraverts are generally self-confident and cheerful and can also be impulsive, sensation-seekers.

The conclusions come from a study that tested the effects of background music on how people perform on IQ tests.

The study also revealed that extraverts are better at dealing with noisy conditions when carrying out intellectual tasks.

Introverts find background noise and music much more distracting.

For the study, 118 people took IQ tests, sometimes in silence and other times with background noise.

The background noise was either music or simulated office noise.

The results showed that extraverts got higher scores on the IQ tests, whether it was noisy or not.

However, everyone tended to perform better on the test in silence.

So, background noise generally made everyone’s performance worse.

The worst type of noise for performance was the simulated office noise.

Still, extraverts coped much better on the tests in noisy conditions than introverts.

The study’s authors write:

“This study found a positive correlation between extraversion and IQ, suggesting the relationship between intelligence and extraversion may be a bit more complex than it appears at first sight.

[…]

…extraversion and introversion are intimately associated with different intellectual styles and intelligence profiles.

[…]

Introverts were found to perform relatively better on verbal tests, and extraverts on performance tests.”

The study was published in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology (Dobbs et al., 2011).

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The 8 Most Important Social Media Trends to Watch for in 2022

As a social media marketer, you have a lot to keep up with — the digital marketing landscape evolves so rapidly. To really excel at your job and blow your competitors out of the water, you need to stay up to date with all the latest social media trends.

The last couple of years have been particularly busy on social media. New platforms and features emerged, and both user and brand online behaviors shifted due to the pandemic.

Let’s take a look at the 8 social media trends that will be essential in 2022.

Social media trend #1: Working with creators

Creators are the people whose job (sometimes literally) is to focus on creating engaging social media content and build their online following. They’re also referred to as influencers.

And right now, you can find high-performing creators shaping trends and setting the tone of public conversations on all social media networks. For brands, they’re the key to building awareness and reaching niche interest groups on social media.

We’re not (just) talking about “Instagram models” with gazillions of followers. In many cases, it’s not the size of the audience that matters the most — true value lies in how engaged (and likely to take the creator’s recommendations) that audience is. You can find many high-quality, influential accounts with as little as 15,000 followers that cater to tight-knit niches. If you want to tap into an audience who is into creating recipes from Disney movies, tips for how to better deep clean your home, or utilizing force-free training methods for your pet, smaller creator accounts (a.k.a. micro-influencers) might be the best fit for you.

We predict that in 2022, more brands will work with niche creators to create strong partnerships and engaging content, and expand their reach significantly.

Takeaways

Reach out to relevant accounts to offer partnerships, and reserve a budget to have your brand featured in an authentic way in their content. Some creators may be happy to join an affiliate program, but accounts with high follower counts will likely request direct payment per post.

You can see an example of a brand partnership in the post below. A popular Instagram creator shows users how to create an elegant-but-easy hairstyle using a particular hairs product.

While having creator accounts create original content catered to their audiences is the best for reach, you can also collaborate with creators in other ways:

Social media trend #2: Customers will want to shop directly on social media

According to Hootsuite’s Digital Trends 2021 report, the social commerce industry is worth over half a trillion US dollars. And with the boost in online shopping that came as a side effect of the pandemic, the industry is likely to keep growing.

And as customers get more accustomed to shopping on social, they want to shop directly on social. Instead of seeing…

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Top 11 Best Network Monitoring Software and Tools – 2022 Review

Want to jump straight to the answer? The best network monitoring software and tool for most people is Auvik or PRTG Network Monitor.

Network monitoring is one of the most important components of a robust IT infrastructure.

As the name implies, network monitoring tools oversee network components like servers, routers, firewalls, switches, and more. They help organizations track performance like uptime and downtime while alerting admins if there’s a problem.

The Top 11 Best Network Monitoring Tools and Software

How to choose the best network monitoring software and tool. Quicksprout.com's methodology for reviewing network monitoring software and tools.

With new software, tools, and technology being launched on a daily basis, you need to find a network monitoring solution that can keep up with the ever-changing marketplace. These in-depth reviews contain the features, benefits, pricing, and potential use cases for each tool on our list.

Auvik – Best For Proactively Identifying Network Risks

Automated network discovery
Real-time alerts and troubleshooting
Automated security updates
Many API and tool integrations

Try A 14-day Free Trial

Auvik is a cloud-based network management software that helps prevent bottlenecks in any system, gives you real-time notifications of potential issues and errors with in-depth descriptions, and automates many network security tasks.

Auvik has a traffic analysis tool that looks for anomalies on your network and dynamic network maps show you exactly where all IT assets are located, who is on the network, what apps are being used, and where traffic is going. These network maps are updated in real-time and the detail…

Multitasking Makes you Stupid: Single-Tasking is Smarter

You can’t move forward when you’re running in circles.

You can’t efficiently do two complex tasks at the same time.

We’re addicted to constant distraction and repeated interruption. You feel insecure if your phone stops buzzing, for example.

Multitasking protects many of us from our insecurities.

Three versions of multitasking:

Perform two tasks simultaneously.
Perform tasks in rapid succession.
Switch between two tasks, multi-switching.

Five reasons we multi-switch:

Job requirements. Think of an emergency medical technician.
Disrespect. Colleagues and bosses don’t respect time.
Slow progress. “Let’s do something else. This isn’t working.”
Boredom. Sometimes switching improves attention.
Distraction. We’re addicted to distraction. If you don’t think so, sit quietly and calmly for 15 minutes.

Rapidly switching between tasks can cost as much as 40% of someone’s productivity time**. You also add switching-fatigue.

You expend energy doing tasks, but switching tasks also requires energy.

Multitasking makes you stupid:

Multitasking makes you stupid.

Some are better at multitasking than others, but some multitasking men had their IQ drop to the IQ of an 8-year-old*.

Single-tasking is smarter:

#1. Create time-chunks:

Suppose your average ability to focus is 20 minutes. Create several 20-minute chunks of time on your schedule to complete important tasks or reach milestones on large tasks.

Put your phone in the drawer for 20 minutes.

#2. Turn stuff off:

Open email. Use it. Turn it off.

Open the browser. Use it. Close it.

#3. Refresh frequently:

Stretch.
Close your eyes and breathe.
Walk around the block.
Get water instead of keeping it at your desk.

#4. Be present when you show up:

Noticing is being present.

You might notice what you see. Or you might set out to notice something specific like the energy level of your team members.

How might leaders move toward single-tasking?

*To Multitask or Not to Multitask | USC Online

**Multitasking: Switching costs (apa.org)

Multitasking, Productivity, and Brain Health (verywellmind.com)

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