communication

For those of you still wondering what the heck to do with Google+, it would seem that now with 250 million users, there is actually a whole lot. Even for regular old people, and not just "social media experts" which really, is the genius…

Your mother is calling--again--and just when the Bachelor is handing out his roses. (Priorities, people!) What do you do? Ignore the call and feel guilty? Reject the call and feel guiltier? Pick it up and feel grouchy during the whole ex…

If your fridge is like mine, it's covered with artwork, kids' papers from school and class lists that I'm just too busy to input into my address book, computer or phone. Well how about an app that can do it all for you? Really. Lo and be…

When I use instant messaging services and have all windows open at once, it gets a little complicated at times to keep up with AIM, MSN Messenger, Gchat and Skype messages that are all coming at me at the same time. (I swear, it's not ju…

My kids are really lucky to have cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles all nearby, but I missed out on having that big extended family around, with so many relatives in Korea. While we keep up over email and the occasional phone call, …

Yes, we all make New Year's Resolutions to eat better and work out more and blah blah blah. Cue the leftover cheesecake entering my mouth at 10AM on January 1. But if you're online at all (hi there) I've put together a few tech resolutio…

Since we've gone landline-free, I admit I'm happy not to pay two phone bills. But I also sometimes pine for a phone that never requires me to say, "Honey...can you call my phone so I can find it?" I think this one fits the bill pretty be…

We're thrilled to be working with our newest sponsor, Plantronics , whose highly rated Bluetooth Headset, the Voyager Legend, helps conversations come together. Plus we get to give one away! With the holiday season officially here, we al…

Between my writing and PR business, I'm on a lot of conference calls. Hmm, kinda explains the constant crick in my neck. Scheduling and coordinating these calls with so many different parties can be a pain though . Do you want to use you…

As someone who often sends birthday notes and thank-yous through emails and texts (sorry Emily Post), I fell in love with the beautiful Cartolina app back when it first launched. Well now Cartolina has launched a new app that still allow…

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about many different ways to connect kids with their grandparents . While I covered the big ones like Skype, Facetime, Google+ and others, I just discovered a new one that is solely designed for connecting you…

This past week, I was excited to have a chance to Skype chat with a teacher in Maine about the amazing things she's doing in her classroom thanks to technology. If you take a look at the Skype Education page , you'll be blown away by the…

The first time I used video chat, I remember it felt like I was stepping into the future. I recall marveling at seeing someone's face in real-time on my computer and of course, waving furiously, which is a requisite for the first 10 seco…

Between work and home, I'm swimming in emails. So if one more person asks me to join an email list, I think I might scream -- even though that's really the best way for many groups, like our neighborhood, to communicate. So when I heard …

I recently did a round-up of great videoconferecing options for connecting with family over the holidays. But if you're one of those families that travels for the holidays, you will be happy to know that Skype just announced it is offeri…

If you're like me and have relatives far, far away (can't get much farther than Korea), the holidays are a great time to re-connect. Times have changed a great deal from when we used to call an operator to connect to Seoul and then could…

OnStar and I are getting married. Our courtship was brief--a weekend trial period--but know I know he's the one for me. If you're not familiar, OnStar is a mobile concierge connected to your rear view mirror that serves as your copilot w…

We were smitten with the Red Rover app even before it came so hugely popular, but even good apps have room for improvements. Which is exactly what we think has happened with their new upgrade that should make a lot more parents take a lo…

Every time I get my statement from Comcast, I cringe. Between the high-speed wireless, phone and TV services, our bill is astronomical. Unfortunately, there's only one cable/phone provider in my area so for the time being, I'm stuck betw…

Having just returned from two weeks in Spain with my family, I can assure you traveling internationally with a couple of kids can truly be a joy. (Fear not the plane ride!) But then, there are times it was also a little stressful, what w…

You know that you've truly made it to A-list status in the tech world, when your company becomes its own verb. Think Google, Facebook and Skype. We all know by now that Skype is an amazing tool that anyone can quickly pick up. Even my le…

My kids have wonderful grandparents in Florida, but they have one major flaw: None of them will make my life easier by joining Facebook or even using email to communicate. That means I have to make sure to send hand-written letters and t…

I never actually realized how much I relied on my print-scan- fax trifecta of printer features until the thing bit the dust a few months ago. Since then, I've been begging neighbors to scan docs for me, and hitting the local office store…

Our closest family is over 2000 miles away. This means other than a few annual visits, our together time is relegated to phone calls and computer conferencing, both of which can be tough with four squirmy kids under six like I have. But …