Free WiFi is a saving grace for the hard working professional who needs to check e-mail from an airport terminal, download appointments at a lunch meeting, or instant message with a co-worker between Spicy Pumpkin Lattes at Starbucks. Although WiFi spots are fairly easy to come by with the crack of a laptop, the challenge lies in finding a strong signal that’s legit.

Personally, I find that when traveling to an unfamiliar area, I can rely on WiFi411.com beforehand to check out where I can hop on the world wide web. On the site, you can easily select where you’re seeking WiFi connectivity, what type (commercial or free), and call up listings within a few seconds.

Now all that’s left for you to do is get started finding free WiFi hotspots!

Additionally, are there other sites that you use and find to be helpful for finding WiFi? Speak up and let everyone know.

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Adobe, creators of fine software such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and the AIR web application development environment…have made a boo-boo that I just couldn’t help but bring about here on the Modern Worker blog.

Let me say that Adobe is one my favorite companies in the design/web industry, which is why I hate to see them slipping in area so easy to control like pay-per-click ads (PPC). These ads are served up across the Internet, mostly through Google AdSense. Advertisers will sign up with such a program, input the text they wish to describe what they’re selling, input a destination link, and pay a little (or a lot) of money each time someone clicks the ad is taken to their website.

Companies all across the globe make use of this great advertising method, and Adobe is no exception. One problem though… their ads are misspelled. Now, for a company with such a high profile to maintain, you’d think proper grammar and such would be locked down tightly. As evidenced by the image below, you’ll notice the lapse in quality control.

Mistakes happen, and unfortunately for Adobe it did for them through this haphazard ad. We should always keep in the forefront of our minds, specifically at work, that mistakes are often remembered more so than maintaining the standard. Make use of spellcheck when appropriate and keep those textual tasks free of ailing errors.

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I was challenged today by the thoroughly flawed WordPress 2.3 upgrade process. For those who do not know, WordPress is a personal blogging platform/CMS that powers this site and millions worldwide. Generally, I am extremely satisfied with Matt Mullengweg’s product, and somewhat pleased with how he treats his customers. This morning’s surprise, was a horse of a different color.

For security purposes and potential flexibility, I upgraded from 2.23 to 2.3. This process should have only involved deleting the previous php files and upping the new ones. Key phrase here… should have. Murphy’s Law kicked in and put me through a test of skill and mental toughness, which tested my self-management skills.

Now, in situations like these frustration can rise to the surface and blood can begin to boil. That being said, it never helps the situation. Keeping my cool, I documented each error/issue, and strolled over to the WordPress support forums to confirm what I believed to be the cause of my site’s schema-related illness.

After some coding, FTP use, and plug-in deletion, I had accomplished a successful upgrade to WordPress 2.3 from 2.23 within a manageable amount of time. Lesson here was to self-regulate for positive results when faced with an unexpected batch of problems.

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The personal computer in combination with the Internet has revolutionized the workplace in so many obvious ways, but these great advancements have potential pitfalls for the end users in professional settings. No matter the caliber of the employee toiling away in front of the monitor, there lies the possibility that the following three mistakes can be made on a fairly regular basis.

1. Losing track of your main goal.
2. Producing effort, not results.
3. Not relying on other members of the team.

Working on the web can be distracting with rampant ads and the ease of surfing over to non work-related sites with just one click. Even if all entertainment portals are shut off by either the employee or workplace, electronic work can ball up into a tangled mess of skewed priorities…unless you understand how to avoid such circumstances.

Losing track of your main goal generally occurs when there’s just “too much to handle” on the plate. Everyone can feel overloaded from time to time, but if use is made of effective technologies and work practices, then success will follow. Mixing and match assignments leads to a dangerous form of multi-tasking. Tread those waters with caution!

Producing effort and not results generally grows from not staying true to one’s job description. Stop exploring all sorts of new software updates and focus on the task(s) at hand. Sure, it’s fun to upgrade and dive into new features of whizbangwhatever v1.234, but in the end the only thing that matters is if the work gets done, properly. If there is time enough to cruise the web for new applications that could increase productivity, then go for it, but never lose sight of priorities and remember that workers are paid to produce work, not act as a casual web user.

Not relying on other members of a team at work can be quite damaging to one’s profile and reputation on the job. Even introverts have to learn eventually to plan, communicate and execute with fellow co-workers if they wish to create professional success and advancement. The more collaboration an employee is involved with over time, the more comfortable that person will be in such settings. Of course, comfort is conducive to confidence.

Keep it simple and stay focused, to avoid these three professional errors.

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Long gone are the days of hand written letters and in are the times of electronic communications. E-mail is such a widespread method of staying in touch for both work and personal use, however with all new things, there is still much to be understood by the general populous. Let’s take the next few minutes to polish up why the tone you take in work messages should differ greatly from chatting with friends.

First of all, it’s important to recognize that the environment in which you work is not nearly the same as one in which you’d hang out with buddies. Work environments obviously demand a certain level of respect and social polish; which must be carried into email. For whatever reason, many folks feel it is necessary to inject extra emotion into electronic messages. Pumping what should be a quick note, full of wish wash, can and will damage your reputation. Trust me when I say that a to-the-point attitude is more well-received.

The modern workplace is a fast-paced arena of skilled professionals and others will appreciate it when you cut to the chase. With that in mind, if you have something to say to co-workers, engage in writing practices that are conducive to a “less is more” way of thinking. What you’ll quickly find is a decrease in meetings and phone calls once you’ve committed to crafting emails that clearly provide the necessary info to whoever you’re addressing.

Now, there are of course times in which a more formal and respectful tone is appropriate. Hiring processes, turning in reports, etc. all require a higher level of polish than day to day operations. Make the world a place full of better communications and cut the fat when writing email. You’ll be glad you did.

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