Several social media platforms have developed a way for you to create and share short video “stories.” These allow you to show a bit more of your personal side. Not to be left out, LinkedIn has added Stories to their mobile app.

LinkedIn Stories allows members and organizations to share images and short videos of their everyday professional moments.

Sharing Stories is an easy way to share your experiences and insights and build meaningful relationships with your professional community. LinkedIn shares Stories that you post for 24 hours.

LinkedIn Stories have been under beta test in a few countries for a few months now. LinkedIn announced this week that Stories is now available in many countries, including the US and Canada.

You can engage with LinkedIn Stories on your mobile app by:

I first wrote about the Zapier platform a few years ago in this newsletter. A lot has changed in that time.

Zapier is a web-based platform that lets you easily connect 2,000+ web apps that you use so you can automate tedious and time-consuming repeating tasks.

Zapier is an API for APIs.

An Application Programming Interface (API) is a set of programming instructions and standards for accessing Web-based software applications or web tools. A software company releases its API to the public so other software developers can design products that are powered by its service. An API is a platform to platform interface, not a user interface. With APIs, applications talk to each other — to share tasks and information — without any user knowledge or intervention.

A Zap is a Zapier-created connection between 2 (or more) apps that automates a time-consuming task.

I have been using a standing desk in my office for over five years.

My original standing desk was from Vari (formerly known as VariDesk). There were a couple of reasons I decided on this type of standing desk. One, the cost was reasonable. For between $400 and $500 plus shipping, you can add a standing desk option to an existing office. This is quite a bit less expensive than the other options I explored. Two, this desk is also fully adjustable. The desk is manually adjustable from sitting height to standing height. This allows you more options during your workday.

I have been a very satisfied user for many years. And then I started seeing the prices of electric standing desks drop. Last year, I found one at Costco for $200 and immediately went to get it. I ended up getting a second standing desk for $250. One of the benefits of an electric standing desk is that you can preset specific heights that you use often. Both of my desks have four preset options available. This allows me to change from standing to sitting position with the touch of one button. I also have a standing desk at home that my wife uses occasionally, and I use it whenever I happen to be working from home.

Many of you now have more experience than you ever wanted to operate as a virtual and remote organization. Being a virtual agency has a lot of benefits.

But, being virtual may mean fewer face-to-face meetings. With the current restrictions in place, you are likely spending much more time on telephone calls and video meetings. A big problem, however, is the time it takes to coordinate scheduling that works for both parties.

Trying to schedule a phone appointment with anyone (staff, a new prospect, or current client) all too often entails several emails back and forth as you try to find a time that works. This process is a waste of time and a drain on everyone’s productivity.

If your household is anything like mine, you might get comments like, “Honey, the internet is not working!”

The most important tool you have to work from home is your internet connection. I have learned some things over the last few months that I thought I’d share to help you maximize your internet speed.

Your internet speed is especially crucial if you share your connection with multiple people (including kids in a virtual school).