It should come as no surprise that from a company perspective, management and workers have to maintain a fine tuned approach towards communication to operate efficiently. Collaboration is a part of every successful business plan. From the days of phone calls and faxes to the modern text or video message, functional communication is crucial to have successful infrastructure. The term is generally referred to as collaboration, and here are a few great reasons as to why it’s so significant.

Thanks to modern tech, spreading the word from employee to employee is much easier. So, having collaboration elements means easier methods to get people on point. In other words, a company will suffer if management can’t communicate well with another component of the business.  When you need to deliver a file, is it as simple as sending an instant email, or a needlessly lengthy ordeal? When the simple things become problems, communication is suffering. Read more. . .

1. Facebook Continues Encroaching on YouTube

Content marketers and small businesses that want to get on board the video juggernaut should spend time this year developing a solid strategy.  Publish short videos, which are relatively easy and inexpensive to produce, in regular, episodic increments.  Another great way to generate content is to involve customers in video contests, giving them the opportunity to promote your brand and win prizes.

2. No Funeral for Google Plus in 2015

The reports of the death of Google Plus have been greatly exaggerated over the years. Yes, it’s true that Authorship is dead. However, Author Rank is still very real.  Google Plus is also the key to a strong showing in Google Local search results, yet many businesses have not yet claimed their listings. Read more. . .

The next time you’re on a trip, you may have something to watch on the hotel room TV besides the usual so-so channels and on-demand movies. Marriott has confirmed to Bloomberg that it’s trialing access to streaming services like Hulu, Netflix and Pandora on TVs in eight of its hotels. It’s not certain what the company will charge (if anything) if it launches this feature in earnest, although it’s reportedly mulling a few options that include a “premium” internet tier with TV streaming on top of the usual WiFi. That last choice might not be very popular when you can already curl up on the bed with your laptop at no extra cost. Having said this, Marriott hasn’t committed to anything yet — there’s a lot left to decide before you can watch House of Cards on a big screen during your vacation. Read more. . .

Winter will be here before you know it, and along with it come added inconveniences to all businesses.

From polar vortexes to flu season, your employees may face many obstacles with making it into work every day. Instead of letting winter affect your productivity, Stratosphere Networks can set your business up with a remote work solution to keep your organization running smoothly this season.

Last year, Chicago was hit with the coldest four months ever on record. With temperatures reaching -16, both cars and trains were struggling to function and this year is not expected to be much better. Read more. . .

A 1976 Apple-1 computer from Steve Jobs’ garage sold for $365,000 at a Christie’s auction Thursday. The machine, hand-built by Steve Wozniak, consists of an Apple-1 motherboard, a keyboard in a wooden case and a monitor. A cassette player (for operation demonstration purposes), an operation manual, specifications and original checks used to purchase the computer were also included. The BBC reports there are fewer than 50 of the machines remaining. This one is particularly interesting because it was sold by Jobs himself, from his garage in California. Christie’s had estimated the rarity would fetch as much as $600,000.That wouldn’t be too much of a stretch: the Henry Ford Museum bought its own Apple-1 for more than $900,000 in October. And the Ford, at least, will put that one on display for the rest of us to see. The latest Apple-1 went to an anonymous buyer, so there’s no telling where it’s headed. Read more. . .

Google has been pushed by the movie and music industry, alongside other anti-piracy groups, to help try to shut down file-sharing website The Pirate Bay.

The Pirate Bay Proxy, The Pirate Bay Premium, The Pirate Bay Mirror and PirateApp have all been removed by Google from the Play store. Any others that crop up will be dealt with in the same fashion. Most of the apps provide a proxy service to The Pirate Bay on mobile, allowing users to download various pirated material. Typical ISP blocks do not affect proxy services. Read more. . .

Many people were wondering when Spotify would use its Connect feature to connect their phone and desktop devices. Well, I’m pleased to say that this #firstworldproblem has been fixed, and you can now use your phone or tablet as a remote control for the tunes playing on your desktop.

The only stipulation is that you are a paying Spotify customer, but that’s always been the case for Spotify Connect — which lets you play music on WiFi-enabled devices in your vicinity, like speakers, using a mobile device. Read more. . .

PhotoMath by microblink uses a phone’s camera to solve equations and then teaches you the step-by-step method for solving it yourself.

The app can do arithmetic: addition, subtraction, division and multiplication. It can handle fractions. It knows what 23 is and can calculate the root of 246. It can even do simple linear equations, provided the x you’re solving for is italicized so the app doesn’t confuse it with the x multiplication symbol.

Hint, Hint Teachers: The only catch is that the equation you’re trying to solve must be printed text, rather than handwritten. Read more. . .

If you find yourself staying in a Marriott hotel later this month, you may encounter wireless charging in the lobby.

The lodging outfit is set to install Qi-equipped tech from Kube Systems in the greatroom lobbies of 29 locations in October. Stations can power up to six devices at the same time while replenishing that smartphone and tablet duo without a tether. Support for iOS, Android and Windows is included, so you’ll be able to leave those cords in the room when heading down for a drink at the bar. Of course, Marriott has 500 hotels around the world, so this seems to be a limited trial before widespread deployment or significant investment. Read more. . .