TORONTO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc plans to open an artificial-intelligence laboratory in Montreal, which will be run by prominent AI researcher Joelle Pineau, two people familiar with the plan said on Friday.
Tech
Sunday, April 1, 2018
Facebook hires prominent artificial-intelligence expert to open Montreal lab
Your Employees Want a Career Path and Recognition, Not a Corner Office
All large companies were once, at some point, a startup. While it may be premature to think about how you will maintain success before you"re successful, it"s good to plan for success. If your startup does well, you don"t want to be thinking on the fly how to create the right corporate culture. That happens a lot.
But I"ve also worked with innovative and successful brands like T-Mobile, Amazon and Adobe and found that they are very intentional in how they create opportunities for their employees to grow.
A couple years ago, Deb Escher, the head of T-Mobile"s Creative Studio gave me a tour of Bellevue"s headquarters and what I saw was a fast-paced work environment with ideas and creativity flying everywhere. Which creates lots of opportunity for collaboration. But more importantly I saw an ability for people to access senior leadership like Escher or Nick Drake, EVP of Marketing & Experience in the office even though they have busy schedules.
Even in a digital age that face time matters. And how you keep employees motivated and engaged has a lot to do with how much access you give them to senior leadership. If employees stay on an island by themselves eventually they will look to get rescued by another company.
In Adobe"s case they make this process more public. Every year they hold an event in front of 13,000 people called the Sneaks. Kate McKinnon hosted last year, this year it"s Leslie Jones. The premise is simple. Adobe employees are constantly working on product innovations that span from implementing AI to creative and visualization.
But instead of doing that internally they open it up to the public at their annual conference, Adobe Summit. Employes come on stage, have five minutes to present their idea and 60 percent of those ideas become Adobe products.
"The real value goes beyond the technology though, and helps to motivate and transform the engineers who participate in the program as well," Steve Hammond, Adobe, Creator of Sneaks. "Nearly all participants in the program go back to their regular work with newfound vision on how to take ideas and prototypes and get them into product roadmap. So not only is Sneaks an innovation engine for Adobe, it really helps drive career growth and employee development."
Doing small--or in this case--large things to drive the career growth of your employees may be the single most important thing you do as a company. Even if you don"t have a program in place here are a few things to consider when staring one.
1. Leadership Needs New Skills
In today"s world as a business leader, the ability to show humility and be vulnerable have become important skills to lead teams. Employees crave deeper connections at work, and it has shifted what it takes to inspire them to follow a leader.
?"I realized in a business setting, my humor resonates more than I"d previously thought. After given the chance to look inward as a means to drive success, Sneaks made me realize how critical this is for leaders in today"s world," said Archana Thiagarajan?, Director of Experience Design at Adobe. "The ability to be authentic--showing both humility and vulnerability--created deeper connections among team members and inspired people to both lead and follow."
If you have a personality, use it. If you don"t have a big personality, you can play off of that too and be self-deprecating.
2. Companies Will Miss Great Ideas
Most companies will agree with the notion that good ideas can come from anywhere in the company. However, without a formalized program or process to deliver this, ideas simply won"t surface. Just like in American Idol, talent would have never been discovered without the show as a platform.
You have to create a platform for innovation and recognition. This is especially true for retaining Millennial talent in an organization. They don"t want a corner office, they want a path to success.
3. Bring Play To Work
Emerging technologies such as voice and the connected car are becoming a bigger part of everyday life. As different brands rush to carve out their presence in these areas, many can neglect the value of allowing employees to experiment with the technology. With something like voice devices, you can get a much better sense of what technologies create value if you play around with it every day--and in different contexts. It helps avoid tunnel vision, as well as lessens the risk of delivering products and services that are not intuitive.
4. Storytelling Builds Brands
The technology industry is becoming increasingly complex and difficult to understand for everyday consumers. With so many companies competing vigorously in the same areas, merely having technology or product is no longer enough (many companies now for example, have developed AI capabilities). What is critical now is the ability to tell a story that stands out from the crowd. If you can"t tell a great story, it doesn"t matter how good your technology or product is.
The Top Books You Need to Read to Make Your Marketing Timeless
In terms of marketing, being overwhelmed by the amount of content online can become as common as driving past a McDonald"s. The sheer volume of online courses, e-books, YouTube tutorials and more can cause one to nearly go numb trying to keep up and retain all of the information.
Yet, many people forget there are some principles of marketing that almost certainly won"t change in our lifetimes or in the centuries ahead. Why? Well, because marketing is driven by psychology, and the human brain doesn"t evolve overnight.
Here are four timeless books that changed my life, business and marketing for the better, and, if read and absorbed, can do the same for you.
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout
When talking about having a long-lasting impact with your marketing, it"s only right we kick off this list with The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing. The amount of simple yet brilliant principles Ries and Trout lay out in this book are game-changing and have stood the test of time.
When it comes to marketing, this book started it all for me. I was working as an intern at a startup and aimlessly trying to decide on my career path. I tried project management, computer science, sales and more, but none felt like the right fit.
I had always been a storyteller, and after reading this book, it hit me that all of marketing can be boiled down to stories and principles of human behavior. That began my love affair with the industry, and we"ve been going strong ever since.
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook should be required reading for any and all marketing professionals. The main reason being that many people approach online interactions and in-person interactions differently when they should be treated exactly the same way.
You wouldn"t ask a potential girlfriend or boyfriend to go on vacation with you after the first date (at least, I hope not). Yet, for whatever reason, across social media and beyond we see people asking for a prospect"s time or money without giving an adequate amount of value to earn those things.
This was the book that led to me writing my first viral, breakthrough article, which then led to me launching my business, landing my Inc.com column, securing speaking gigs and more. The epiphany I had was simple: play the "long game" by adding value to my readers, month after month, year after year. Only after I build that trust up should I ask them for anything in exchange.
Hooked by Nir Eyal
Hooked by Nir Eyal is another book overflowing with priceless information on consumer psychology. Eyal takes an approach focused on modern-day companies like Twitter and Instagram. If you"re interested in learning how tech giants reel in and retain their users using psychology, Nir"s bestseller will be a book for you.
Most of the examples Eyal uses in Hooked are based on products, not outgoing marketing materials. I began to recognize that marketing was a facet of every piece of the business from the product to the elevator pitch, so I could add value to all parts of my client"s businesses.
Influence by Robert Cialdini
Robert Cialdini"s book has remained a favorite amongst entrepreneurs, sales and marketing professionals and more since it was published in 1984. After reading just a few pages, you"ll realize why. The enduring principles Cialdini delivers in Influence are aspects of the human psyche that are hard-wired into us, and aren"t going away any time soon.
This book was gifted to me by a former manager who I consider the closest thing to a mentor I"ve ever had, and it couldn"t have come at a better time. I was working a fast-growing startup in San Francisco while building my startup, Arctiphi, on the side. I wanted things to move faster so I could go full-time into my business, but sales was never my forte. I lacked the confidence, the body language, damn near everything I thought made a great salesperson great.
After reading the book, I realized the way I was thinking of sales was all wrong. The packaging didn"t matter nearly as much as the product. Marketing and sales were brother and sister, not distant cousins, and the same tactics I was using in my copywriting could be applied to in-person sales, public speaking and more.
It worked. Within a few months of reading Influence, monthly revenue increased sixfold and I was able to go full-time into Arctiphi.
There are many marketing principles that"ll remain true for centuries to come. By equipping yourself with these timeless principles instead of "keeping up with the marketing Joneses" daily, you"ll position your brand to stay relevant no matter what the world throws at it.
Free Web Hosting
Free web hosting can be very enticing to individuals and businesses that do not have enough money to afford good web hosting services. But is it something worth the time spent and efforts done?
Fortunately there are proven ways on how to determine the most suited web host for your requirements. First you have to do an extensive research. Gather as many information on free web hosting services. You can always do this by doing an online search at google or yahoo.
After compiling your list then decide the service that you want from a web host. Consider the advantages and disadvantages of availing the services of a particular web host. You might also want to ask around. Actually there are a lot of discussion forums on the Internet regarding free website hosting. Go around discussion boards and read. You can also ask people who have availed of free website hosting about their experiences in getting a free hosting service. This is a good way for you to learn about the pros as well as cons of getting such service.
Free web hosting also gave its users with sub domain name, making it almost impossible to be searched on in various search engines. This made most websites on free web host servers almost impossible to be found on search engines. Reliability was also a concern, troubling most business owners who availed of free website hosting. With all these problems arising, there"s little doubt that getting free website hosting is not that practical. It will not help websites particularly those selling products and services.
Remember, every free hosting firm will try to make money from your website. Look for a hosting firm, which is less intrusive and more reliable.
About the Author:
Learn more about dedicated hosting web and get a Free limited report on Web Hosting Insights, a popular website that provides free tips and advice on web hosting solutions.
The Top Books You Need to Read to Make Your Marketing Timeless
In terms of marketing, being overwhelmed by the amount of content online can become as common as driving past a McDonald"s. The sheer volume of online courses, e-books, YouTube tutorials and more can cause one to nearly go numb trying to keep up and retain all of the information.
Yet, many people forget there are some principles of marketing that almost certainly won"t change in our lifetimes or in the centuries ahead. Why? Well, because marketing is driven by psychology, and the human brain doesn"t evolve overnight.
Here are four timeless books that changed my life, business and marketing for the better, and, if read and absorbed, can do the same for you.
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout
When talking about having a long-lasting impact with your marketing, it"s only right we kick off this list with The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing. The amount of simple yet brilliant principles Ries and Trout lay out in this book are game-changing and have stood the test of time.
When it comes to marketing, this book started it all for me. I was working as an intern at a startup and aimlessly trying to decide on my career path. I tried project management, computer science, sales and more, but none felt like the right fit.
I had always been a storyteller, and after reading this book, it hit me that all of marketing can be boiled down to stories and principles of human behavior. That began my love affair with the industry, and we"ve been going strong ever since.
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook should be required reading for any and all marketing professionals. The main reason being that many people approach online interactions and in-person interactions differently when they should be treated exactly the same way.
You wouldn"t ask a potential girlfriend or boyfriend to go on vacation with you after the first date (at least, I hope not). Yet, for whatever reason, across social media and beyond we see people asking for a prospect"s time or money without giving an adequate amount of value to earn those things.
This was the book that led to me writing my first viral, breakthrough article, which then led to me launching my business, landing my Inc.com column, securing speaking gigs and more. The epiphany I had was simple: play the "long game" by adding value to my readers, month after month, year after year. Only after I build that trust up should I ask them for anything in exchange.
Hooked by Nir Eyal
Hooked by Nir Eyal is another book overflowing with priceless information on consumer psychology. Eyal takes an approach focused on modern-day companies like Twitter and Instagram. If you"re interested in learning how tech giants reel in and retain their users using psychology, Nir"s bestseller will be a book for you.
Most of the examples Eyal uses in Hooked are based on products, not outgoing marketing materials. I began to recognize that marketing was a facet of every piece of the business from the product to the elevator pitch, so I could add value to all parts of my client"s businesses.
Influence by Robert Cialdini
Robert Cialdini"s book has remained a favorite amongst entrepreneurs, sales and marketing professionals and more since it was published in 1984. After reading just a few pages, you"ll realize why. The enduring principles Cialdini delivers in Influence are aspects of the human psyche that are hard-wired into us, and aren"t going away any time soon.
This book was gifted to me by a former manager who I consider the closest thing to a mentor I"ve ever had, and it couldn"t have come at a better time. I was working a fast-growing startup in San Francisco while building my startup, Arctiphi, on the side. I wanted things to move faster so I could go full-time into my business, but sales was never my forte. I lacked the confidence, the body language, damn near everything I thought made a great salesperson great.
After reading the book, I realized the way I was thinking of sales was all wrong. The packaging didn"t matter nearly as much as the product. Marketing and sales were brother and sister, not distant cousins, and the same tactics I was using in my copywriting could be applied to in-person sales, public speaking and more.
It worked. Within a few months of reading Influence, monthly revenue increased sixfold and I was able to go full-time into Arctiphi.
There are many marketing principles that"ll remain true for centuries to come. By equipping yourself with these timeless principles instead of "keeping up with the marketing Joneses" daily, you"ll position your brand to stay relevant no matter what the world throws at it.
Google Maps’ Newest Feature: Helping You Find Waldo
Starting Saturday, Google Maps will include a revolutionary new feature. Using what we’re sure is cutting-edge proprietary technology, it will allow users to answer one of life’s most persistent questions: Where’s Waldo?
Yes, it’s the latest in Google’s long-running tradition of April Fools’ Day pranks. But it’s actually going live in Maps – and for some, it’ll be a welcome dose of nostalgia. The “Where’s Waldo” books, which were wildly popular in the 1990s, were known as “Where’s Wally?” in their original British incarnation. Creator Martin Handford’s incredibly detailed, colorful drawings, full of goofy visual gags, were tailor-made for drawing in young fans.
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The Google Maps minigame reproduces original drawings from the series, but tags them as real locations including a beach in Australia and a ski slope in Chile. Players must scroll around the images to find Waldo and his friends. You’ll have to find Waldo in each map before advancing to the next one. The Google version arguably adds some fun to the exercise, including by tracking which characters you’ve found in each illustration.
The minigame is already active in the desktop version of Maps, where it can be accessed through a pop-up image of Waldo on the edge of the app. According to The Verge, it should also be available on Android and iOS versions starting some time Saturday, and will be active for a week.
The Top Books You Need to Read to Make Your Marketing Timeless
In terms of marketing, being overwhelmed by the amount of content online can become as common as driving past a McDonald"s. The sheer volume of online courses, e-books, YouTube tutorials and more can cause one to nearly go numb trying to keep up and retain all of the information.
Yet, many people forget there are some principles of marketing that almost certainly won"t change in our lifetimes or in the centuries ahead. Why? Well, because marketing is driven by psychology, and the human brain doesn"t evolve overnight.
Here are four timeless books that changed my life, business and marketing for the better, and, if read and absorbed, can do the same for you.
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout
When talking about having a long-lasting impact with your marketing, it"s only right we kick off this list with The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing. The amount of simple yet brilliant principles Ries and Trout lay out in this book are game-changing and have stood the test of time.
When it comes to marketing, this book started it all for me. I was working as an intern at a startup and aimlessly trying to decide on my career path. I tried project management, computer science, sales and more, but none felt like the right fit.
I had always been a storyteller, and after reading this book, it hit me that all of marketing can be boiled down to stories and principles of human behavior. That began my love affair with the industry, and we"ve been going strong ever since.
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook should be required reading for any and all marketing professionals. The main reason being that many people approach online interactions and in-person interactions differently when they should be treated exactly the same way.
You wouldn"t ask a potential girlfriend or boyfriend to go on vacation with you after the first date (at least, I hope not). Yet, for whatever reason, across social media and beyond we see people asking for a prospect"s time or money without giving an adequate amount of value to earn those things.
This was the book that led to me writing my first viral, breakthrough article, which then led to me launching my business, landing my Inc.com column, securing speaking gigs and more. The epiphany I had was simple: play the "long game" by adding value to my readers, month after month, year after year. Only after I build that trust up should I ask them for anything in exchange.
Hooked by Nir Eyal
Hooked by Nir Eyal is another book overflowing with priceless information on consumer psychology. Eyal takes an approach focused on modern-day companies like Twitter and Instagram. If you"re interested in learning how tech giants reel in and retain their users using psychology, Nir"s bestseller will be a book for you.
Most of the examples Eyal uses in Hooked are based on products, not outgoing marketing materials. I began to recognize that marketing was a facet of every piece of the business from the product to the elevator pitch, so I could add value to all parts of my client"s businesses.
Influence by Robert Cialdini
Robert Cialdini"s book has remained a favorite amongst entrepreneurs, sales and marketing professionals and more since it was published in 1984. After reading just a few pages, you"ll realize why. The enduring principles Cialdini delivers in Influence are aspects of the human psyche that are hard-wired into us, and aren"t going away any time soon.
This book was gifted to me by a former manager who I consider the closest thing to a mentor I"ve ever had, and it couldn"t have come at a better time. I was working a fast-growing startup in San Francisco while building my startup, Arctiphi, on the side. I wanted things to move faster so I could go full-time into my business, but sales was never my forte. I lacked the confidence, the body language, damn near everything I thought made a great salesperson great.
After reading the book, I realized the way I was thinking of sales was all wrong. The packaging didn"t matter nearly as much as the product. Marketing and sales were brother and sister, not distant cousins, and the same tactics I was using in my copywriting could be applied to in-person sales, public speaking and more.
It worked. Within a few months of reading Influence, monthly revenue increased sixfold and I was able to go full-time into Arctiphi.
There are many marketing principles that"ll remain true for centuries to come. By equipping yourself with these timeless principles instead of "keeping up with the marketing Joneses" daily, you"ll position your brand to stay relevant no matter what the world throws at it.
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