Voice-to-text made easy with Jott’s Mobile App

Like most of you, I carry my mobile device with me at all times. The idea of being connected means I’m never too far away from the information or resources I need. For example, when I’m on-the-go I often find that I need to leave myself work-related reminders, or, great ideas come to mind that I need to quickly capture for future reference. In these scenarios, I have found that it’s often cumbersome to type lengthy reminders on my mobile device, or simply locate a pen when I need it most. However, the good news is that those days are over.

Voice-To-Text

In the past, I often relied heavily on memory, or, a scribbled note on a napkin. Today, I use Jott’s voice-to-text service which allows me dictate a memo to my mobile device. Within a couple of minutes, my memo is transcribed and sent to me via text message (or email if I prefer).

What is JOTT?

“Jott makes sure you stay on top of everything. With a simple phone call to 866-JOTT-123, you can capture notes, set reminders and calendar appointments, stay in touch with friends and family, and interact with your favorite web sites and services…all with your voice!” -Jott.com

As with most SaaS on the web, Jott offers both free and premium service.  Paid services offers much more functionality such as the ability to install, and use Jott for Outlook. It’s a nifty Outlook add-on which allows you to easily create e-mail messages, calendar items, and tasks by dictating them to Jott on an as needed basis.

Here’s a short video on Jott:

Jott is a must-have app for the mobile professional. If you are on-the-go and in need of a great way to transcribe your daily acition-items, I would recommend testing Jott’s (free) service. If you decide that Jott’s free offering is too basic, then there’s always the option to upgrade.

Remember, get comfortable now because the future is mobile…

OpenDrive: A remote drive for your computer

From OpenDrive:

OpenDrive is a remote drive for your computer, that allows you to store, share or back up files from your computer on the Internet. You can store anything and share it with anyone, right from your desktop. Start storing and sharing today.

Imagine being able to grab a file and instantly share it with anyone, right off your desktop. Or quickly edit and save a file and see those changes instantly on any other pc with OpenDrive or an Internet connection.

OpenDrive: Learn More about OpenDrive The Online Disk.

Search On-the-Go: Don’t Type It. Speak it.

As we become increasingly mobile, and untether from our desktops, having immediate access to the right information is no longer just a preference but a necessity. Outside of SMS, mobile search has become one of the most popular ways in which we can leverage our mobile devices.

Consider this scenario…

It’s been a tough day. You are running late for your first lunch meeting with that new (key) client. Earlier, you were careful to write down the address and directions. The problem? You left the notes of your meeting location on your office desk, you’re now running behind because of traffic, and you do not have GPS.

I guess now is a good time to panic? Well, rather than dialing 411, you could try free voice-driven search services offered by either Tellme, or Google’s Mobile App.

Tellme.com

“Tellme’s vision is, ‘Say what you want and get it, on any device.” From ‘vision’ to reality, Tellme has already delivered over 2 billion voice searches results for millions of mobile subscribers. See the following video made courtesy of Pocketnowvideo:

Google Mobile App

“Faster search results with fewer keystrokes.” The video below provides an overview of the new Google Mobile App for the iPhone. The App allows mobile users to speak versus typing their search queries.

As a Recruiter, how can voice-driven search help you?

Let’s assume you are out of the office, waiting on an appointment and have a little time to spare. You are sourcing for potential prospects with .NET architecture and SharePoint experience who live in the New York region.

» Step 1: Grab your mobile device and get started. Using either the Tellme or Google’s Mobile App, try speaking your search query as follows: “Resumes, NET Architects, SharePoint, New York.”

» Step 2: Filter the “noise.” Your search results will vary and likely not be exactly what you were seeking the first time you try it. The results may even contain job posts or other unwanted noise. You may need to retry your search query using additional keywords to narrow down what you are seeking. Be specific as possible with your voice-search. Also, speaking clearly, and in some cases - speaking slowly, is often important to ensure the mobile app has successfully captured your exact search query.

Remember, voice-driven search is pretty “hip” technology but it’s still far from perfect. As with all new technology, it will take time for it to evolve and get better. So get comfortable now and think of the possibilities. Mobile is the future…

I’m Pressing the Rewind Button. Care to Follow?

Ok, so it seems that the “Tag-you’re it” bug is flying around the web these days. Or, at least it appears that way within the recruiting and HR circle.  Anyhow, I have been bitten by the bug twice now.  I was tagged once by good friend and fellow Think Tank Member Amybeth Hale, as well as by Susan Burns from TalentSynchronicity.

So, what does this all mean? Well, it means that today is the day I press rewind and share a sneak peak into what makes me tick (i.e., why I do what I do) by providing “7 things you didn’t know about me.”  Care to follow along?

Here are the rules:

• Link your original tagger(s), and list these rules on your blog.
• Share seven facts about yourself in the post - some random, some weird.
• Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
• Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or twitter.

Read more »

Mobile Messaging Reaches Record-Breaking Numbers - ReadWriteWeb

Mobile messaging is experiencing a period of record growth, according to some figures released from VeriSign earlier this week. Looking at the numbers more closely, some interesting trends emerge. Those include the use of messaging for social and political change,

Mobile Messaging Reaches Record-Breaking Numbers - ReadWriteWeb.

15 Tech Secrets for the Serious Road Warrior

Your work increasingly demands that you be able to get things done no matter where you are–so the bigger your mobile tech toolbox, the better. In the past, we’ve described how to accomplish more with popular online tools like Google Calendar, with text-messaging utilities like Web-based personal assistant I Want Sandy, and with voice-to-text service Jott; but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. This time we’ll take a closer look at 15 mobile tech tricks and tools that’ll have you working better, smarter, and faster on the go.

15 Tech Secrets for the Serious Road Warrior - Business Center - PC World.

Mobile Marketing + Recruiting = SMART Recruiting

For those of you who know me well, it will not come as any surprise when I tell you that I’m a huge Mobile 2.0 fan. There’s a lot to be said about mobile communications and technology.

Mobile marketing and the use of SMS as a form of communication has become increasingly popular in the U.S.

As Recruiters, there are tremendous advantages to leveraging mobile marketing as an effective means to help build talent pipelines.

Here are “10 Reasons Why Mobile Marketing Matters”:

1. Personal: Next to the wallet or purse, can you think of any other item that a prospective candidate may carry with them at all times?

2. Intimate: Mobile offers employers the ability to promote a new opportunity by broadcasting this to a targeted audience with the power of personal touch.

3. Confirmed Identity: Mobile takes the guess work out of knowing who we are contacting.

4. Convenient: Candidates can easily read SMS messages, even during the busiest times of the day. This is especially helpful when you’re trying to reach people who are not in the office, at their computers checking email, in a conference meeting with their project team, or traveling… you get the point.

5. Actionable: As recruiters, we want our target candidates calling back - right?  Well, if your “call to action” message is compelling enough, your target audience will call respond.

6. Persistent & Viral: Unlike traditional mass media or job-board marketing, the consumer carries the targeted message away with them on their device. If the message is interesting enough, it’s highly likely the recipient will forward to friend (or multiple friends).

7. Opt-in: What is great about Mobile marketing is that you build a permission based pool of talent; candidates can decide the level of interactions with your company. They also have the ability to easily opt-out of your marketing campaigns.

8. Builds Relationships: Mobile offers the ability to be creative in how we reach our audience while enabling us to maintain that “personal touch” in how we keep them informed of new opportunities.

9. Cutting Edge: Are you really trying to attract the best and brightest?  Let’s face it, candidates are often on-the-go, traveling, in meetings, and not necessarily sitting around watching your TV promo or online job advertisement.  Mobile campaigns are the best way to demonstrate that your company “gets-it” and is innovative.

10. Ubiquitous Access: We shouldn’t assume our candidate will be checking email messages or available to take calls when you need them.  Mobile strategies offer pin-point-accuracy in targeting your audience where they are at any point in time vs. where you think they are. Today, working professionals are tethered to their mobile device; the device is always “on” and always within reach.  The era of 24 x7 is here. Why not leverage this advantage?

Mobile marketing can offer many great advantages if leveraged properly. Is your company currently leveraging a mobile marketing campaign as part of your recruitment strategy?  If so, I would love to hear your thoughts and comments on this topic.

Web 2.0 Summit & Industry Experts on the Future of the Cloud

SAN FRANCISCO–The cloud was omnipresent at the Web 2.0 Summit as industry executives discussed the migration from the client to millions of virtualized servers as the information pipe.

“There is a lot of hype. We think about the cloud as the next evolution in computing,” said Cisco Chief Technology Officer Padmasree Warrior. “It’s a way of abstracting the services and applications from the physical resources and using a more on-demand layer.”

Warrior believes that cloud computing will evolve from private and stand-alone clouds to hybrid clouds, which allow movement of applications and services between clouds, and finally to a federated “intra-cloud.”

See original post here: The future of the cloud.

RecruiterGuy on Cloud Recruiting

A good tutorial from Chris Hoyt. Chris get’s it!

Michael Marlatt at ERE Expo Fall 2008

For anyone who missed my discussion at ERE this year in Hollywood, FL, you can catch the abbreviated (8 min.) version here. Enjoy!

Next Page »