Why is this useful? I use this in Gmail to make e-mails stand out that have financial impact.

The best part of this trick is that the implication is small and unobstrusive and helps you organize your e-mails by what I find is a key driver: money!

Near the Gmail search bar…

1. Click “Create a filter”
2. In the “Has the words” textbox, copy and paste the following…

$0 OR $1 OR $2 OR $3 OR $4 OR $5 OR $6 OR $7 OR $8 OR $9 OR money OR fee OR bill OR investment OR tax OR salary OR shipping OR statements OR expense OR transaction OR overdrawn OR SYP OR BND OR USD OR cash OR dollar OR price OR sold OR paid OR bought OR deduct OR credited OR debit OR bank OR banking OR payment OR deposit OR buy OR rent OR sell OR purchase OR withdrawal OR debt OR owe OR loan OR receipt OR invoice OR sale OR “amount due” OR “monthly statement” OR “online statement” OR “wire transfer” OR “external transfer” OR “credit card” OR “checking account” OR “order confirmation” OR “american express” OR “low balance” OR “mint.com”

3. Leave the rest of the fields blank. Click Next Step.
4. Select “Apply the label” and in the dropdown box, select “New label…”
5. Enter “$” for the name of the filter and click Create.
6. Click Create Filter and you’re done!

I use stars to mark e-mails that require my action. What I’ve found missing in Gmail is a way to track who owes you replies. So for e-mails that I require an action from others, this is where this tip comes in handy. Create a label called “Standby” and you’ll be keep tabs on e-mails like a bouncer at the Grammys.

This is not rocket science, but a useful trick.

1. Create a label called “Standby”
2. Color the label bright yellow to make it stand out
3. That’s it. Next time you get an e-mail that you want to keep on the radar as expecting a reply from someone, apply your “Standby” label. See below…

Ways this can keep you organized…

• Waiting on confirmation that your friend received the check you sent
• Waiting on a reply from customer service
• Waiting for a client to reply to a proposal

Why the hell do I need this label?

• Separate messages that require action from you from those that require action by others
• Make sure you don’t lose track of whose action is required when you e-mail back and forth on important matters, especially ones that take a long time to resolve
• Turn Gmail into a CRM-like or problem ticket management experience

I bet you can’t because (a) that’s a mouthful, and (b) it’s probably never been done before. This is the context of this article on how to use social media networking tools to empower your knowledge workforce.

Can you relate to this? It’s 6 AM. As you wake up in the morning, you rub your eyes, reach over, and pat the bed down for your iPhone. Your daily morning routine always starts the same. You check your Facebook, your twitter, your e-mail and your favorite news reader. Before you’ve gotten out of bed, you managed to reply to a few e-mails, found out your friend is getting married, and uh oh, there’s trouble in the Middle East again.

Now think of yourself as an oil & gas operations manager.

Putting things in new perspective, here’s the few things you really care to know about in the morning:

• HSE issues to report (hopefully none)
• Drilling campaign status & issues
• Production volumes & up-time
• Surveillance & intervention jobs
• Facility status, integrity issues

Imagine this. Now let’s replay the morning scenario as you. It’s 6AM. As you wake up in the morning, you reach for your iPhone. Your daily morning routine always starts the same. You check your company’s social media network to see what work has been done on the rig, jobs in progress, and surface- or well-related problems to report for escalation. Here’s what you find in your dashboard…

If you are interested in implementing this idea, please get in touch with me as I have started development on a prototype solution.

Wikipedia entry

Buy it on Amazon

I thought the book was a bit outdated in some of its references. The world has progressed so much further whereas the book addresses some things as “future possibilities.” But still a great read.

Have you read this book? Let me know what you think of it.

My rating:
4 out of 5 stars

The technologies I embed include real-time collaboration tools and cutting-edge software for better information sharing, analysis, and decision making. This all leads to cost savings and more oil production gains (more money).

So that’s what I do if you ever wondered. Brunei Shell Petroleum has been my client for 2.5 years now and growing. I’m a Digital Oilfield expert so feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about this growing industry trend of digital oilfield transformation.

“I didn’t even know the man,” one suspect reports. “I was out shopping and the next thing I know is he went to the Post Office and forwarded all of my incoming mail to his address.”

Local police authorities are cautioning citizens not to flaunt their iPhones in the faces of this Mousilli double when the phone ships next month; this could incite the criminal masterminds into terminal kungfubia frenzy. One of the survivors reports that Basim is currently holding a black unlocked iPhone 3GS flagrantly displaying the words “$uckafree 4 life” on his lockscreen.

Apple has come forward and is suggesting consumers keep their new iPhones in older generation cases once they start shipping July 2 to avoid theft, kickassery, and other random acts of jealousy and delusion. Seclusion also rhymes.

Crime accessory Noura Mousilli was not present at the time of questioning. More news as the facts unfold.

The next generation of the Sync in-car entertainment and information system will use a USB mobile broadband modem to establish a secure wireless connection capable of supporting several devices simultaneously.

The system will be available next year on selected models — no word yet which ones — and you won’t need a subscription or hardware beyond the modem.

via Ford brings Wi-Fi to the highway – CNN.com.

If you need a new website or if it’s time to redesign your existing one, let me know because and I will be glad to be of service.

Reach out to me for a free consultation. I’m ready for hire.

Here’s a breakdown of my creative design services…

This includes re-designing your website, creating new websites that are…

• Easy to use and user-updatable, or for complex article management
• Video-based with a narrator walking around and talking like on TV
• Flash-animated or database-driven sites with custom requirements
• App-driven with calendars, news, blogs, contact forms, shopping carts
• The list goes on and on…if you’ve seen it done, I can do it

This includes pretty much anything that can be printed…

• Magazine ads, newspaper prints, billboards, event banners
• T-shirts, CD covers, jars, hats, mouse pads, vehicle graphics
• Business cards, brochures, flyers, door hangers, you name it!

OK, here’s what we can do as far as your logo…

• Create a new custom logo or revamp your existing logo
• Make your logo 3D, animated, with voiceovers and sound effects
• Re-draw your logo if it’s not fit for print (or if you lost the original)

Multimedia means any design that moves…

• Video production, TV ads, radio ads, voiceovers, sound effects
• Flash animations for whatever occasion – to grab attention
• 3D product renderings, layout maps, interactive diagrams

Nothing makes a design look better than great photos…

• Product galleries (for the things you want to advertise)
• People photos (for the team profiles section of your design)
• Location photos (of your building, office, studio, or equipment)
• Event photos (to post in your blog…for PR exposure reasons)

We have both online/offline marketing campaign approaches that include…

• Viral Youtube videos, Facebook groups, Myspace pages
• Interactive ads, annoying pop up ads, website banners
• Search engine optimization, newsletter management, etc.

Luckily the iPhone SoundClip Audio Booster directs sound from the built-in speaker on the iPhone toward you to increase the clarity and volume for movies and music. It also makes games easier to play without blocking your iPhone’s speaker. A tuned conical deflection chamber designed to make the audio from your iPhone clearer and also slightly louder. Sound waves are reflected toward you, instead of away, so you feel more involved in your game, movie, or music. SoundClip amplifies iPhone audio by 10dB between 6kH and 20kHz, resulting in a cleaner, more accurate response.

My top strengths include project management, systems integration, application development, and upstream oilfield management consulting. See resumé for more details…

Click here to download my resumé in PDF format.

Best known for speedily hunting down e-mail contacts and conversations in Microsoft Outlook, Xobni also has a social networking aspect. It includes photos courtesy of Facebook, phone numbers via Skype, Yahoo Mail, LinkedIn profile information, corporate information from Hoover’s, and now, a Twitter stream.