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05/02/2023 By Jason Bean Leave a Comment

V-MODA Crossfade 2 Headphones Sound Great… But Fall Apart!

A few years ago I was lucky enough to be gifted a pair of headphones I'd really wanted. I was looking for a new headset I could use for both Zoom calls and other business calls that could connect both to my phone through Bluetooth and my computer by standard methods or Bluetooth. I asked some friends for recommendations and V-MODA Crossfade 2 were mentioned by more than a couple of individuals.

I received them as a Christmas gift from family and they did indeed do exactly what I needed and sounded great!

Now, after a few years, they still sound great, but they are quite literally falling apart. Don't jump to the conclusion that I've put these things through the ringer or mistreat them. These are the most expensive headphones I've ever had; I take care of them. They are either kept in their case (especially whenever they ever leave my office desk), or they're left hanging next to me at my desk ready to use.

Just take a look at these photos.

I've reached out to V-MODA about my experiences, but in the end since they're out of warranty, I'm pretty much out-of-luck. What irks me though is that there's no offer to at least provide perhaps the pieces I would need to repair the bad craftsmanship because as I've stated, they still sound great! They're just falling apart.

V-MODA has an "Immortal Life Program" that they said they would let me take advantage of and it would give me a discount off a new pair. Honestly though, I don't want to spend another $200+ on a new pair, if they're going to do the same thing, because I don't see any updates on design or craftsmanship from their notes.

04/03/2023 By Jason Bean Leave a Comment

How To Promote Sustainability as a Small Business Owner

When you start a business, you should ensure that its practices reflect your values. If sustainability is important to you, you can take steps to reduce your company's environmental impact while maintaining profitability and building a positive reputation. Today, Bnpositive Communication and Design shares some tips and resources to help you get started.

Prioritize Sustainability From the Start

You can make environmental responsibility central to your business from the beginning. When developing the idea for your business, research various sustainable options. For example, you can open a shop that sells eco-friendly household goods or start a company that offers green landscaping services. Look into your local market and find a niche that matches your skills and interests.

When creating your business plan, include a mission statement describing the purpose and goals of your company. A business plan should also describe the structure of your company. Forming an LLC is a good idea because you can limit personal liability while still being a flexible small business with simpler taxes and manageable paperwork.

You should research your state's unique regulations because the rules can vary. Save money by filing your own paperwork or using a formation service instead of expensive legal services. However, not all formation services are the same, so check reviews to make sure you’re getting the best deal.

Create an Eco-Friendly Workspace

Whether you work from home or operate your business from a separate building like a store or office, you should try to create a green work environment. For example, research shows that leaky faucets and running toilets can waste gallons of water daily, so you should not procrastinate repairs in the washroom and kitchen.

Also, if you’re involved in ecommerce, it’s obviously very important that your customers be able to browse and purchase from your site with ease. Luckily, you can try this platform and help to streamline the process for all involved, thus increasing customer satisfaction while maximizing efficiency.

In addition, you can encourage recycling by placing bins in convenient locations, such as near the printer or copier. You should also invest in reusable office supplies, like pens that you can refill. When buying furniture, look for second-hand and refurbished pieces. You can even use recycled materials and indoor plants to make your decor reflect your values.

Digitize and Reduce Paper Use

Paper may not seem expensive, but it has a significant environmental impact. Your business can take steps like using double-sided printing and unsubscribing from mailing lists to reduce paper waste. Digitizing documents and records can also help you use less paper. You can find digital alternatives for tasks like bookkeeping, maintaining records and sending faxes. You can also use paperless billing and invoicing. Select a pre-made invoicing template and add custom colors and a logo. Make sure you include your business's name and any relevant text. Then, you can create an invoice template that is consistent with your brand.

Improve Energy Efficiency

Making energy-efficient upgrades is good for the environment and your business's finances. You should shut down electronics and other energy-drawing equipment when not in use. Furthermore, consider replacing your lighting with more efficient LEDs. You can also significantly reduce your heating and cooling costs by fixing windows, sealing leaks and adding insulation. Keeping your HVAC system clean and well-maintained is a good idea, too.

Promote Your Green Values

Surveys show that customers value sustainability and look for companies with eco-friendly values. Featuring your green practices in your marketing and branding efforts can help you reach consumers whose environmentalist values align with your own. You should use recycled and sustainable materials when possible. Communicate the steps you take to reduce consumption and lessen your impact. Finally, listen to feedback and be willing to look critically at the entire supply chain that impacts your business.

Sustainable business practices, from energy-efficient building upgrades to paperless digital invoices, allow your company to make a difference. You can make eco-friendly changes while growing your business and your brand.

Bnpositive Communication and Design has been helping businesses and individuals with their technological needs for over 25 years. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out!

11/30/2022 By Jason Bean Leave a Comment

Ahh, the Ol’ Facebook Algorithm Bypass Hoax

It's starting to make the rounds again through my Facebook feed so I hopefully I'll take a moment and circumvent the useless and misleading instructions for how to make Facebook do what you want it to do on your feed. The gist of the post goes a little something like this:

Hello just doing what everyone else is doing. Fixing my blocked posts. I wondered where everybody had been! This is good to know. It's ridiculous to have 331 friends and only 25 are allowed to see posts. I ignored this post earlier because I didn’t think it worked. It WORKS!! I have a whole new news feed. I’m seeing posts from people I haven’t seen in years. Here’s how to bypass the system FB now has in place that limits posts on your news feed. Their new algorithm chooses the same few people - about 25 - who will read your posts. So, hold your finger down anywhere in this post and "copy" will pop up. Click "copy". Then go to your page, start a new post, and put your finger anywhere in the blank field. "Paste" will pop up and click "paste". This will bypass the system.
If you are reading this message, do me a favor and leave me a quick comment...a "hello," a sticker, whatever you want, so you will appear in my newsfeed It WORKS!! I don’t know how many friends I have. I just want to see all of your posts that I have been missing. We shall see....hello.
Might as well have a go. Because all I see now days is advertising rubbish and politics.

Just start I would like to thank Everyone for telling me how to do the bypass. I wondered where everybody had been!
This is good to know: It's ridiculous to have over 397 friends and only 25 are allowed to see my posts.
It WORKS!! I have a whole new newsfeed. I’m seeing posts from people I haven’t seen in years.
Here’s how to bypass the system FaceBook now has in place that limits posts on your newsfeed.
Their new algorithm chooses the same few people - about 25 - who will read your posts. Therefore,
Hold your finger down anywhere in this post and "copy" will pop up. Click "copy". Then go to your page, start a new post, and put your finger anywhere in the blank field. "Paste" will pop up, then click paste.
This will bypass the system.
If you are reading this message, do me a favor and leave me a quick comment...a "hello," a sticker, whatever you want, so you will appear in my newsfeed Good to see everyone!

or... some other variation of the above.

This is a misunderstood fallacy.

What you are in effect doing when you follow these steps is actively engaging with the content someone shared on their page. That is one of the factors that Facebook uses in their algorithm to determine what posts to display in your feed with any kind of priority. It defaults to the people you engage with most. So, you're just tweaking the algorithm they already use for the most part.

Now, caveat... Facebook is not offering this service as a charity or some benevolent contribution to humanity. They're trying to make money. I like to say, if you're not paying for a service, then YOU are what's being sold... your eyeballs, your attention, etc. So, content being boosted by paid advertising is going to show up in your feed regardless of what you do. Don't like it? Go develop your own multi-billion-dollar social media network and you can call all the shots.

One trick you can do that helps a little bit is use this URL to do as much as you can to force Facebook to show you content on your wall in some sort of chronological order (https://www.facebook.com/?sk=h_chr) Save that link to your favorites so you can always click on it and jump right to that display format.