Modern Technology is replacing and changing the way we used to do most things. Today, almost every human activity is being affected by modern technology. Many technological advancements have been made , I remember those days of Kodak camera films , once the film was full, you had to buy a new one and then take the film to a photo studio to get off your pictures from the film, now all this has changed, we have digital cameras with big storage memory cards of about 80GB, so we no-longer have to worry about running out of storage space and we don’t need to go to a photo studio to print out photos, all you have to do is to attach your digital camera to a digital printer and your photos will be printed out in seconds.
However, technology will not replace each and every human activity, but it will influence on how we carry out those activities, the main aim of technology is to simplify our modern life, so these technological advancements aim at improving our lives. Though some people enjoy doing things the old way, because some modern technologies are difficult to use and others take away the fan of doing some human activities. Lets take a simple example in the entertainment world; home entertainment technology has been improved by video games, but still, i can’t stay at home the all day playing a video game, i need to hit the football pitch and play real football.
Today on UseofTechnology, i want us to look at some 14 Things We Rarely Do Because of Technological Advancement, people still do most of these activities but on a small scale. You can contribute on this list using the commenting box below this post. I have categorized these activities into; Business and Education to make it easy for you to read.
Modern Technology Effects on Business:
- Signing on business documents with a pen:
I know many people are still signing on business documents using a pen, but modern technology is here to change and advance the process of signing on documents. Mobile applications like Docusign can enable you to sign on documents electronically, let’s say you want to send a partnership agreement to one of your business associates and you want them to respond immediately, sending a real paper document will take a while because they also have to send it back for you to sign. With Docusign, both parties will be in position to sign on this document using built-in electronic signatures or use their own signatures. This all process saves time and money. Docusign is being used by successful companies to sign on important documents and these include companies like Yahoo, salesforce, Linkedin and so much more….Learn about Docusign from here…
- Rushing for a Business Meeting:
Web conferencing technology is changing the way we attend business meeting. In business, time is a very important factor, but sometimes, you will get delayed by inevitable factors like traffic jam, so Gotomeeting is here to change the game, you can easily attend any meeting using your cell phone or tablet, you will also be in position to host unlimited meetings, webiners or trainings, they use an advanced HD video conferencing technology which will ensure that both video and voice are of high quality. To some extent, this is a good technological advancement, it saves us time. Learn more about Gotomeeting from here….
- Hiring a website designer:
Due to advancement in technology, small businesses no-longer need to hire experienced website designers to setup professional websites for their businesses. As long as the website does not require custom coding, you can create a website for your small business using free Content Management Systems (CMS) like WordPress, Joomla & Blogger. In my opinion, I find WordPress flexible and easy to use, all you have to do is register a domain name for your company, get cheap hosting of about $5 per month, install WordPress on your domain name, then go buy a professional WordPress business theme which suits your company needs and install that premium theme to replace the default theme provided by WordPress. This all process will cost you only $100. Learn more about premium business WordPress themes from here…..
- Using Direct Mail Advertisement:
In the past companies used to use direct mail advertising methods to promote new products or give out offers to premium clients, this process was expensive and time consuming. A direct mail has to be printed and posted to a targeted consumer’s address; collecting information about consumer needs and wants is a quite difficult especially when you use direct mail. This all process has been advanced, bulk email marketing companies like (mailchimp.com) will deliver your message to your consumers in just seconds, you can send shopping or discount coupons via email, and you can use social media networks like facebook to deliver your message to targeted consumers. Social network promotions are more rewarding, because you target people interested in your service or product at a small budget of about $100. Learn more about MailChimp services from here……
- Using Land line Phones:
Land-line phones are well known for being unreliable, once the weather gets bad, most of these communication lines are cut off which affects the flow of information and this can disrupt business operations. Advanced communication technology has improved the way business people communicate, the introduction of Voice over Internet Protocol – commonly known as (VOIP) has simplified the way we exchange information. A VOIP is a technological transmission technique which involves delivering voice and multimedia sessions over an internet protocol – commonly known as (IP). Today we have many VOIP providers which provide reliable VOIP services at an affordable cost, broadband internet makes this all process easy and fast, users of VOIP services can transmit voices messages, video messages, and text messages via an IP network. Here are some of the best Voice over IP companies you can try; Voip.com, Videonationsltd.co.uk, and Vonage.com.
- Save Business Data on an External Hard-drive or Memory Stick:
Due to technological advancement, very few business people save data on external hard-drives or memory sticks, now-days, we save business documents on cloud servers. Cloud data storage companies like Dropbox.com & Box.com enable their users to save any type of document on their cloud based servers; users of these services can easily access their documents from anywhere using any type of mobile device. Cloud data storage companies like Dropbox, use high end data encryption technology to make sure that your data stays safe from online predators. Though some business people prefer saving their data on memory sticks and portable external hard-drives because some times cloud services are unreliable, they time out or get hacked.
- Use Sticky Notepads To Organize and Remember Things:
I know some business people still use sticky note pads of different colors to note down tasks and organize their daily work, but this is a thing of the past and it a waste of business resources. Today, we have mobile apps which can be used to organize our daily tasks or assign work to our teams and employees. A good example of such apps is ”ColorNote” app for android; it is a simple notepad app which gives you simple editing tools to create notes or reminders using your cell phone. We also have ”ShiftPlanning” which is an iPhone mobile workforce management App, it simply allows you to assign work to your employees using a cell phone.
- Using Business Directories to Promote Your Business:
In the past every small business had to use a local business directory to reach targeted local consumers, the advancement in advertising technology, has made business directories irrelevant to businesses. Giant content indexing companies like Google and Facebook have replaced local business directories. Google has introduced Google Local Search which organizes and suggests data basing on a users location. For example, if i search about ”Florists” using Google local search, i will get search results of florist companies within my location. Data indexed on Google local search is indexed automatically by robots, so local business owners don’t have to worry about placing their businesses online. Recently Google introduced Google Trader which helps small business with no websites sell their goods and services to targeted local buyers.
- Printing Business Documents for Presentation Purposes:
To some extent, some business people still print out business documents for presentation purposes in a business meeting. However, recent technological advancements enable us to remotely access all business documents on our office desktop computers. So you don’t have to carry papers to a meeting, all you have to do is use your iPad and remote data accessing applications like GoToMyPc.com, access your data saved on a desktop at the office and present that data using your iPad and GoToMyPc software. This remote data accessing service will also enable you to work from anywhere using your cell phone. Learn more about GoToMyPc from here….
- Using Desktop Accounting Software:
Many small businesses used accounting software like Quickbooks to track sales and inventory. In the past, this software could only be installed on a desktop computer, so an accountant or business owner could only access and edit business accounts data while at the office. However, all this is changing, now you can do all your accounts work remotely, accounting software like Quickbooks can be accessed remotely, this cloud accounting solution has simplified the accounting process for all small businesses. QuickBooks Online for iPad app will enable you track sales, overdue balance, see latest transactions, stay in touch with your customers in real-time, get insights about income and expenses, capture and store photos of receipts and organize all your financial details in one place. Download QuickBooks Online for iPad from here ….
- Use Classified Ads in Newspapers to advertise Jobs.
In the past, businesses used to advertise job posts using newspaper classified section, it was quite costly and time consuming, because applicants had to present their documents physically to the human resource managers and this could put a lot of work and pressure on the human resource manager. But modern technology has changed the all process of Job post advertising, the all hiring and screening process can be done online. Online Job advertising platforms like Monster.com / Indeed.com allow companies to list all types of positions, then applicants can apply for these positions online
- Placing Classified Ads in Newspapers and Online Business Directories:
A few businesses are still using classified ads in newspapers but most companies have shifted to online advertisement because it reaches many consumers and it can be tailored basing on the customers needs. The number of people reading Newspapers is decreasing day by day, many News Media companies are jumping to online news publication. Big advertising Medias like Google and Facebook provide affordable advertising deals which compete with newspaper adverts. Online advertising is more rewarding and affordable compared to newspaper advertisement. For example, a small business can start a pay per click (PPC) Google Adwords campaign for as low as $50 per day. On the other hand, you can promote classified ads on Facebook for almost the same price. Facebook has introduce a post promotion advertising package, companies can create posts with links which direct to their websites and promote those posts to targeted Facebook users, this type of advertisement is stronger than classified newspaper ads.
- Writing down Passwords in a notebook:
Since we use different online business applications, chances are high that you will forget most of these passwords, so some business people decide to write down these passwords in notebooks, this is quite risky, because a notebook is not safe and it is easy to lose. Technological advancement has simplified the way we store and remember passwords. A good example is ”myIDKey”, it is a USB drive which displays passwords and ID using voice-search and fingerprint technology, if you lose this USB and someone tries to access stored passwords using their voice or fingerprint, the device will delete all data and lock its self. In this case your passwords stayS safe. You can recover your passwords using myIDKey online platform. Learn more about ”myIDKey” from here…..
Modern Technology Effects on Students:
- Doing Homework alone at home with no help:
Students you will agree with me that homework has never been easier, sometimes you need someone to help you out to solve a complicated equation. The advancement of technology in the educational sector has changed the way students do their homework while at home. Now a student can have a dedicated tutor online to help them in any subject. Online educational technologies like Tutor.com host experienced teachers and instructors to help students around the world complete their homework, support is provided on a one-on-one basis. Learn more about Tutor from here…
