1. Make Sure You Introduce Yourself

It’s best to avoid assuming that the person on the receiving end of an email is going to automatically know who the sender is. To prevent awkward email exchanges it is best to always introduce oneself at the beginning of an email exchange so that the person receiving the email understands who they are communicating with.

2. Avoid Netspeak and Emoticons

Though abbreviations like “ty” and “ttyl’ might seem appropriate in emails with friends or family, they have no place in a professional email exchange. Always be sure to use proper grammar and spelling in all email exchanges. The person on the other end of the email has nothing to judge the sender on but what they write and there is no need to give them a bad impression.

3. Be Timely In Responses

The appropriate time frame to respond to a non-urgent email is 24-48 hours, a rule which should always be adhered to. Most people wouldn’t want to wait a week for an email about a professional matter, so it is best to be empathetic and assume that the person taking the time to send an email wants a timely response. This being said, there is no need to respond to an email a minute after it has been sent and doing so actually makes the sender appear to be careless.

4. Never Send Anything In A Professional Email That You Wouldn’t Be Comfortable Sharing With A Wider Audience

Even though an email is only being sent to one person, the sender has no control over what is done with that email after it is received. For that reason, people sending professional emails should never include content that they would not be comfortable with their boss, their contact’s boss and every last one of their coworkers seeing. Though that description might sound extreme, the aforementioned criteria is the best way guide oneself in determining if an email is appropriate to send or not.

5. A Good Template Goes A Long Way

Even though letterhead is near extinct, it is being replaced by well-designed email templates. Such templates, regardless of the content, always appear the same and add an extra professional touch to email communications; they are also a great way of integrating contact information into every email. There are many email services that can provide customers with template design, so no one has to worry about creating a template themselves if they aren’t interested in doing so.

The Cyber Intelligence Security and Protection Act (CISPA) still faces substantial opposition in the Senate and the White House, even after passing the House of Representatives April 13th with a solid majority. Regardless of whether CISPA – in its current form or a modified one – ever becomes law, there are some important implications of this legislation for the whole tech industry.

Those implications are unique for hosting companies. While CISPA provides hefty intellectual property protections for software and hardware developers – a fact that has garnered the bill the support of tech giants like Microsoft – it leaves hosting companies with the primary burden of compliance. That means that hosting companies have to start working now to address key implications of the Act.

Inevitability

Given the opposition in the Senate and the White House, as well as the fact that this is the second time CISPA has been passed by the house, it’s anybody’s guess whether it will pass. However, coming as it does on the heels of SOPA and PIPA one has to assume that legislation establishing security measures over free-flowing information will eventually become law. Hosting companies need to understand what their role will be when it does and begin preparing for that role.

Culpability

Today, the law and legal precedent absolve Internet hosting companies from liability or culpability for the behavior of their clients. If I sell a computer and the buyer uses it to commit a crime, I’m not a conspirator; the same is true of a VPS hosting company whose client uses a leased server illegally. However, as laws are written that allow (or encourage or compel) hosting companies to share information with the government, those laws and their interpretations will erode providers’ immunity. Ultimately, hosting companies will have to develop ways to police their users while also preserving privacy. Hopefully.

Competitiveness

The universality of the Internet creates regulatory challenges; it also creates competitive challenges when regulations impede the free flow of information. Sometime soon hosting companies in the US are going to face CISPA-type rules, but how those rules will affect the international tech community remain unclear. Most likely, American Web hosts will find themselves at a competitive disadvantage against hosting companies that headquarter their operations in anti-regulatory islands.

However, the fact that these regulations are inevitable, will require adjustment, and may impact Internet hosting companies’ competitiveness isn’t necessarily bad news. Environmental change is always the greatest catalyst of evolution, and hosting companies that direct their innovative genius toward solving the security problem without sacrificing user privacy will have the opportunity to grow when the landscape shifts.

Solar energy has long been a feature on some of the greener buildings in America and across the world. Photovoltaic solar panels, commonly referred to simply as “solar panels,” have been in use in some form or another since the late 1800s. Some of the largest, most famous buildings in the world on the cutting edge of technology use solar panels, such as Dunster Castle in England, Dusseldorf International Airport in Germany, and even The White House.

Some businesses, however, are turning to solar energy in the most unlikely of places. Warehouses typically use very little energy, if any at all, beyond the minimal cost of electricity, and would seem to be strange candidates for cutting edge green technology. However, there are a few facts that make warehouses on the newest edge of solar energy technology.

Shape and Structure

Even if warehouses aren’t traditionally high in energy consumption, they are ideally suited to play host to solar panels in a plethora of ways. First, the basic shape of most warehouses is build with a large, flat roof. This aspect of warehouse structure, coupled with the typically low energy output, results in a single large-area warehouse possessing the capability to power dozens of surrounding homes at almost no cost.

New Jersey

In New Jersey, the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 caused governmental authorities to re-think many traditional approaches to energy efficiency. If more warehouses and personal residences had been equipped for solar energy after the hurricane, it would have been much easier for infrastructure to recover at the statewide and local levels. After the tragedy, as part of New Jersey’s recovery program, the government established New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program.

The NJ Clean Energy Program offers tremendous incentives to switch to clean energy, especially for homes, businesses, and government buildings that were damaged by Hurricane Sandy. The program offers incentives in the hundreds of dollars to homeowners and business owners that opt to install cleaner, more efficient energy technologies in the rebuilding process. Installation of solar panels on warehouses have been subsidized by the government by 50% of the original cost.

California 

The company of Southern California Edison is one of the largest electricity providers in the most energy-efficient state in the United States. Currently, this utility company plans to install over 3.5 million solar panels on the tops of warehouses and buildings in Southern California. From just one warehouse, the company intends to be able to supply energy to over 1,300 households, according to NBC News

The most revolutionary aspect of this incentive is that new homeowners and business owners will not have to pay for new transmission lines in order to take advantage of incentives that reward businesses and individuals for going green. The warehouse initiative has provided an opportunity for Southern California Edison to connect the solar energy provided by millions of solar panels to the traditional power grid of already-established utilities. This reduces the cost and difficulty that has prevented many business owners from establishing solar energy to offset energy costs and carbon footprints in the past.

Empty Warehouses

Not every warehouse is useful for the solar energy movement because of the roof. According to AreaDevelopment.com, a site and planning committee website, in Oregon and Colorado, solar manufacturers are moving in to already-empty warehouses. Inventory and logistics management are augmented by this fact. Because the construction of photovoltaic panels is not a delicate or extremely technologically advanced one, an empty warehouse, low cost of rent and power, and large space to work can be all a power company needs to establish hundreds or thousands of new units that can take the load off of traditional energy utilities.

Sometimes there’s not even that much publicity when a celebrity invests in a startup (likely at the request of the celeb). However, for people looking for smart investment opportunities, this is one time when it might be wise to do as the celebs do. Here are 5 successful startups that came with celebrity investors and made it big.

1. Ashton Kutcher and Skype

It might not seem like it, but at one time Skype was a small startup just looking for a way to connect people. However, Ashton Kutcher saw the potential and put his (hard earned?) money into it. Silicon Valley’s Marc Andreessen courted Ashton in 2009, and it’s important to remember that even four years ago web-calling services or VoIP were barely creeping onto the horizon. Ashton went for it with an undisclosed amount, and Microsoft recently purchased Skype for $8 million.

2. Lady Gaga and Backplane

If Backplane isn’t known by everyone just yet, it likely will be very soon. Google Chairman Eric Schmidt is behind Backplane, which is an avenue for connecting fans with their sports heroes or musical favorites, so it’s a natural fit for Gaga. The Lady has also invested in Farmville and it seems like her go-to startups are tech savvy, although now she’s focusing more on the industry that gives her that luxury bread and butter. Currently, Backplane has wrangled about $1 million from investors like Gaga.

3. Justin Timberlake and Myspace

This is one celeb investment that’s garnered quite a bit of media attention, although it’s technically too early to say if Myspace’s makeover will be a success. However, Myspace was no doubt an enormously successful startup years ago, and now that it will be focusing on music it makes sense that Justin’s behind it. Thus far, the new Myspace has $35 million in investments, although it’s unclear how much of that came from Justin. He’s also had successful investments with William Rast, where he honed his investment chops.

4. Toby Maguire and Mobli

Mobli is an up and coming photo sharing site that’s captured the eye of more than just Tobey. He actually heard about it from Leonardi DiCaprio while the duo was filming “The Great Gatsby.” Leonardo was involved in a $4 million investment in Mobli and encouraged Tobey to get in on the ground floor, too. There are 20,000 people joining Mobli every day and, given the success of Instagram, both Tobey and Leonardo likely make smart moves that will serve them well.

5.Kim Kardashian and ShoeDazzle

Technically Miss Kim Kardashian is a founder of ShoeDazzle, but the combination makes perfect sense–Kim and shoes are a match made in heaven. About three million people are registered on the site and pay a monthly fee to keep up to date on the greatest deals and accessories. ShoeDazzle has continued to blossom since 2007 and a recent $40 million investment is proof that it will just keep on growing.

These are just a few examples of celebrities who added to their fat wallets by smart investing. It’s a sometimes risky move, but when it pays off it can do so handsomely. For newbie investors, a good idea might be taking a look at the celebrities since their reputation is at stake along with their money.

Marijuana has been illegal since the Marijuana Tax Stamp Act of 1937. It was said the the effects cannabis could cause delusions of grandeur and psychotic behavior. Since then we have learned that this is not the case, yet in the ’80s it was the target of the War On Drugs, and made into a schedule 1 drug, which is the same category as LSD and methamphetamines. It is classified as more dangerous than methadone and oxycontin, which scientifically is not the case.

Maybe the voters are observing what has happened since Colorado and Washington have legalized the substance. Marijuana is taxed and regulated in those states, and considering 13% of Colorado’s population smokes marijuana ( nearly 600,000 individuals), it leads to quite a chunk of revenue for things like infrastructure, schools, and emergency services. Law enforcement also has one less thing to worry about, leaving their resources for more pressing matters.

Others disagree. In spite of the benefits around changing the legislation, about one-third of the voting population of DC disagrees with the change. Many view it as the beginning of a slow decline. Now it’s marijuana, but what next? These people fear it will end up in schools and in the hands of children. Others believe it will create a drug epidemic and lead to crime.

Legislators will eventually have to act, especially if the percentage of supporters were to increase any more. With “4/20″ approaching, activists for the changing of the legislation are in full force, demanding the reform of marijuana laws. These activists have been meeting and have a plan to push a ballot initiative if nothing happens soon. Even if this were to happen, it would only be legal in the eyes of the state, yet would remain illegal in the eyes of the federal government.

Will DC be the next to add its name to the list for legal marijuana? It looks as though DC may be one of the pioneer states to legalize marijuana and reap the benefits. And if they do, will it be successfully like Colorado or Washington state? Only time can tell.

1. The Atlantic

The gurus behind The Atlantic realized that there would only be one winner in the digital race. As much as they didn’t have to jettison their print publication to survive, they knew being ahead of the technological curve was the way to go. In late 2011, digital ad revenues were up 86% from 2010, but the magazine also sold more print ads than any other time in recent memory. Mashable called The Atlantic “a leader” in the age of the microchip.

2. Sports Illustrated

For everything we can get on computer screens and smartphones, nothing compares to the sports experience. Sports Illustrated realized that when people want to read about sports, they’ll still go to print for detailed and in depth analysis. Online, however, with hundreds of distractions and other websites vying for our attention, the reporting has to be quicker, snappier, catchier. That’s how the magazine has remained lucrative in both the print and digital worlds, with the same writers producing content for both markets to ensure standardization across the board.

3. Time

Time magazine is one of the most venerable publications in the world today, and even the inexorable march of the digital era hasn’t been able to slow it down. While its peers (Newsweek and USA Today) have struggled, Time has gone from strength to strength, earning $50 million from its print edition just a couple of years ago. In an increasingly polarized media world, Time‘s decision to adhere to a relatively moderate worldview served it better than other magazines that attempted to court crowds on either side of the fence.

4. People

Thanks to the way the Internet has revolutionized entertainment, celebrity culture has gone through the roof. That’s why People magazine remains the most profitable magazine in the world. Whether it’s sex advice, juicy gossip or completely salacious rumors, there’s nothing like the guilty pleasure of slipping a copy of People into your grocery cart at the end of your shopping trip. For that reason, as well as the power of word of mouth, People‘s publishing pulls $3.4 billion a year.

5. Vogue

Fashions change, but some things never go out of style. Vogue magazine remains a constant in the blizzard of here today, gone tomorrow seasonal looks. Advertisers paid through the nose to get their products featured in Vogue, so much so that the magazine had to increase its capacity to incorporate the money being thrown at it. Provocative covers like the Lady Gaga issue in 2011 have kept the physical magazine subscriptions up an ‘must-have’ in an age of looking at images through display screens.

First of all, startups are by nature young. Oftentimes the founders are young, the clientele is new and there are a lot of mistakes made along the way. Being young can be a good thing–but it can also be a bad thing. Here are 5 of the most common signs that a startup is, well, a startup.

1. Everything’s High Tech

Startups are usually backed by young founders, and younger people have a natural affinity for all things techy. Storage is in the cloud, employees likely work from tablets, and there’s no such thing as a filing cabinet unless it’s absolutely necessary. Social media management is one of the job titles, and everyone knows how important SEO is. This is a good symptom of a startup.

2. The Office is More Like a Lounge

It’s not just startups that are leaning more towards casual, homey environments–just look at laid back corporate culture leaders like Hubspot and Google. However, startups are more likely to embrace a more laid back culture. This can mean anything from meetings over pints of beer to couches instead of desks and chairs. How well this set up will work depends entirely on the business and employees.

3. The Benefits aren’t that Great

Unfortunately, another sign of a startup is a lack of benefits, or benefits that are bare boned. Many startups are tight on money and, depending on state laws, if founders aren’t required to offer benefits they often don’t. Hopefully, the startup will blossom and employees will soon start receiving benefits, but there aren’t any guarantees. Startups are for ambitious dreamers, not those looking for a sure thing.

4. Trendy Furniture

Furniture isn’t just more likely to be casual at startups, it’s also likely to be trendy. A startup might look more like a trending bar than a place of work. However, it’s important to bear in mind that office furniture is made to last and it’s expensive. While it’s okay to go with something a little different, make sure it won’t look outdated in two years.

5. People Multitask

Wearing a lot of hats is an absolute must for startup employees. This means employers are looking for people with varied skills and who have mad time management chops. A startup will struggle and it will lean heavily on the workers. This will require strong, dedicated members.

All startups have growing pains. It’s how they’re handled and what workers learn from them that matter.

1. Choose the New (Right) Server

Web hosting is important to ensure a fast, reliable connection between consumer and business. Many business owners started out with a tight budget in mind, but now it’s time to improve things a little. Research great companies like Singlehop that are still affordable but offer better customer service and more perks. Online presence is crucial, so don’t skimp here.

2. Streamline Processes

Many startups are built on passion, but they can’t continue without the right training and processes in place. Start working on updated job descriptions, review processes and new-hire training. Continuing training is also important so that everyone stays on the same page and grows together–not separately.

3. Consider Cloud Storage

If a business starts with more “traditional” (ahem, hard copy) storage procedures, that’s not the most effective way to do things. However, switching to cloud storage is relatively easy. It save money, it’s green, it saves time and it reduces double work. Many cloud storage options are low-cost and some are even free depending on how much storage space is required. This is an easy and very effective way to scale up a business.

4. Quality Still Matters

Both the quality of the products or services and the quality of the office environment are paramount to a successful business. Offer employees telecommuting options if that makes sense (it often does), get rid of the cubes and generally ensure that everyone on board is truly happy. Indulge in the best healthcare that’s affordable and consider perks like on-site childcare. Happy employees make for successful companies.

5. Grow Slowly When a business hits a growth spurt, it’s tempting to want to roll with the punches. Practice a little caution here, because too much growth can cause serious growing pangs. Work with a consultant if necessary to take proper baby steps towards growth. Otherwise, everything might blow up.

Scaling up a business can be a thrilling time, but it’s important to still stay on top of things. Keep these 5 tips in mind for a successful growth spurt that sets the stage for more future success.

1.It’s got a big pink building

Yup, right in the center of downtown Austin is the Capitol building. It’s the hub of the legislature, housing both the Senate and the House of Representatives. It’s made out of pink granite, giving it a wonderful hue. It’s also modeled after the U.S. Capitol, but it is taller – because everything is bigger in Texas.

2. Austin legalized gay marriage Symbolically, of course. Texas’ constitution has an amendment banning gay marriage, but in a show of support, Austin’s City Council voted in support of gay marriage and to strike down DOMA. It didn’t do anything official, but it was a wonderful gesture.

3.Largest no-kill city in Texas

Austin boasts that it is has only no-kill animal shelters in its city. Homeless animals are rounded up and taken to shelters, trained and given shots and evaluated, and hopefully placed in homes. Even with the animals that can’t be placed, they are not euthanized. Austin started this initiative in 2011.

4.SXSW

That’s right, folks. South by South West is the epic, annual musical and film festival that cannot be replicated, duplicated, or rivaled. It’s ten days every spring and it showcases music from Austin and from all around the country. You can look at the site of this festival to learn more about it.

5.Longhorns

There is probably a portion of the population who feels that the city of Austin exists only to house the University of Texas (whose mascot is the Longhorn). “Hook ‘em horns” is a common phrase and everyone knows what it means. They’re automatically anti-Aggies (Texas A&M’s mascot, their rival school), and everything comes in their characteristic burnt orange color. And unless I’m much mistaken, their students had the largest Harlem Shake video as well.

6. It’s environmentally-friendly

Austin is not only home to the flagship organic health food store “Whole Foods“, it also has made several strides to be environmentally-friendly. There is a law in Austin that groceries store charge $0.05 for every plastic bag they give out to customers. This is to encourage people to bring re-useable bags or decline bags when they don’t really need them.

7. It’s local-friendly

Mom and pop shops abound in Austin. There isn’t many chain restaurants, especially downtown. Austin loves having local businesses, food trucks, and places where local Austinites run businesses. It makes the city much more organic and not at all cookie-cutter.

Job hunting is one of those things in life that never gets easier. Every counselor has their own opinion, every headhunter and human resources administrator has different things in mind, so much so that finding a job can be like navigating through the Amazon rainforest with an outdated map. Industries, offices and qualifications are all unique, so it can be hard knowing where to look and what to keep in mind when sending out that first cover letter.

Finding a Job in Hawaii

Take Hawaii, for instance. The Aloha State has an unemployment rate that is well below the national average, but it comes with a price: Hawaii is infamous for its cost of living. Because the island is so isolate, it is expensive to get things there. Additionally, finding a job within the state is not as easy as it might be on the mainland; the competition among residents for jobs to off-set that high cost of living is fierce. This is naturally made easier if you have a job offer in hand, but looking for a job within Hawaii is going to be a long process.

However, business leaders are quick to give young hopefuls great career advice; for example, here is a video from the Hawaiian Electric CEO in an interview with Hawaii Job Engine – see the video here.

The Tourism Trade

Unsurprisingly, the primary employer in Hawaii is the tourism industry (under which umbrella falls hotels, hospitality, transportation, etc). If you’re looking to make it in Hawaii – and with their weather, beaches, cuisine, national parks, mountains and being six hours behind the East Coast, who isn’t? – the experience and qualifications section of your resume will have to be legendary. Cracking Hawaii’s tourism industry is not going to be for the novice or the faint of heart. The island of Hawaii alone (the Big Island) sees a maximum of 150,000 visitors a month.

Ergo, it may help to have connections, either in the hospitality industry or within Hawaii itself, in order to get a foot in the door. The Hawaii government has no time or place for aspiring tour guides who are starting on the bottom floor.

Oahu Bound

However, if you are looking for a start, the island of Oahu may be the place. With a population of just about one million, it is the most populous of Hawaii’s seven islands, and therefore provides newcomers with the most job opportunities. Remember that these will not likely be dream jobs – many of Hawaii’s own residents have to work multiple jobs just to cope with the high standard of living, and if you are using Oahu as a starting point, the bottom rung is not a glamorous place to be. That said, if you are ready for arduously working your way up the ladder, you could certainly do worse than getting off the ground in Oahu.