From Shakelaw.com

Mobile technology changed the way we communicate, share information,  shop, and entertain ourselves. So it comes as no surprise that someone would invent a tool to simplify legal transactions using your smartphone.

The folks over at Shake designed an app to record agreements for everyday transactions–from a personal loan to a friend, to a contract for freelance work and more. The app, which is available for iPhone, walks users through a series of questions to create legal documents that can be signed and/or sent to another person, even to your lawyer.  Documents can be signed on any mobile device and are stored securely in the cloud for reference later on.

For budding entrepreneurs who can’t afford to hire a lawyer, this a great way to create simple and plain-language legal agreements.  You can save the big bucks for complex legal agreements.

Shake is in no way a replacement for a lawyer, but a tool to help you create enforceable legal documents.  If you feel you need counsel, by all means seek it out. Shake’s founders emphasize that point in this article from Forbes and on their FAQ page.

You can download the app for iPhone from the App Store.

If you have tried Shake’s app let us know in the comments below.

Cheers!

Needlepoint MBTA design contest entry

The MBTA has several projects underway to improve the accessibility and convenience for riders, including a redesign of the system map.  Earlier this year, they launched a design competition for which they received an overwhelming number of responses. They have chosen the six finalists and they want your vote!

Voting is open until September 19th.  I like numbers 4 and 5 because of the context they provide in regards to the geography of Boston.

Let us know which is your favorite in the comments below!

Check out some of the other entries too.

Cheers!

TechCrunch reports  that Oyster, a new ebook subscription service, is rolling out invitations for the iPhone on a first come, first-served basis.

The startup plans to offer its members unlimited access to over 100,000 ebook titles for $9.95 a month. And Oyster plans to add more titles going forward.

Taking its name from the Shakespearean line, “the world’s mine oyster,” the service focuses heavily on reader experience– literally putting a library in your pocket. The nine man team developed a mobile app optimized for reading and sharing with your friends with one-tap access to each ebook.

You can sign up for an invitation on their homepage.

If you subscribe to the service, let us know what you think in the comments below.

But if you don’t feel like doling out the cash each month, we have ebooks as well as downloadable audio books for free via overdrive. We also have a new magazine subscription service called Zinio, which allows you to check out current issues of popular magazines in English or Spanish to read on your computer, tablet, or smartphone.  Both are accessible with a BPL eCard or a regular library card and your PIN.

Cheers!

ReServe is an innovative nonprofit that matches continuing professionals age 55+ (ReServists) with organizations that need their expertise.

Do you want to give back to your community?

Are you looking for an opportunity to re-enter the workforce part-time?

Well, then you should check out ReServe.  ReServe  is a nonprofit that puts adults age 55 and up to work in schools, government offices, and community organizations.  It has been featured in the Boston Globe.

As a potential ReServist, you can be matched with an organization that needs your expertise. Most positions are between 10 and 20 hours a week and last for at least three months.  ReServists get paid a $10 per hour stipend for their efforts.

Organizations who have gaps in their staff can register with ReServe to get the talent they need, through the Give Back, Fill the Gap program.  Or through the Impact Initiatives program ReServists can tackle issues with the community and work one on one with clients who need your skills.

The Boston chapter, launched earlier this year, is operated by JVS Boston in collaboration with Discovering What’s Next.

JVS Boston specializes helping individuals find jobs and get the skills they need to become successful in the workplace and their communities.  Discovering What’s Next provides individuals over 50 with resources and programming and promotes community engagement.

Upcoming Classes and Programs

Neighbors Helping Neighbors meets every Wednesday at 7pm in the Kirstein Business Library.  FYI:  On April 3rd NHN will move up one hour to a 6pm start time.

Stop by the training lab on Tuesday, March 12 at 2:30 to learn about Job Searching Online.

Or you can swing by the training lab on Tuesday, March 26 at 2:30 to learn how to Create a Resume Online.

Cheers!

There is a lot of buzz surrounding LinkedIn, especially since they have topped 200 million users worldwide. LinkedIn has  become the de facto tool for professionals to network.

So the question is why don’t you use it to it’s full potential?

If you break it down into it’s simplest form, LinkedIn is basically a customizable directory.  Over 200 million people have listed contact information, skills and expertise — giving others a professional summary about themselves. Users then reach out to colleagues and former coworkers in order to establish their network.

Thus your profile and your connections say a lot about you.

The goal of next week’s LinkedIn Boot Camp is to help you learn more about LinkedIn and it’s potential.

Day 1
This day we will focus mainly how to craft your profile to show off your skills. The inclusion of keywords in your profile will help you show up in results more often.

Day 2
On this day we will focus on how to build and maintain your network. We will discuss endorsements, how to write and ask for recommendations, how to connect with others, and what groups to join.

Day 3
The third day will explore how LinkedIn is a valuable research tool. We will also discuss the pros and cons of premium accounts and how to stay on top of your industry.

The Boot Camp run March 4, 5, and 6 at 6pm. Each class will be about an hour and all the classes will be held in CO6.

No preregistration required.

Bring a pen and paper for notes.

Hope to see you there.

Are you getting ready to hunker down for Winter Storm Q this afternoon? While the storm is predicted to be less severe than Nemo, it’s always good to be prepared.

The SBA  has assembled worksheets and resources to help you prepare your business for the next disaster.  Along with clean up, recovery, and disaster planning, the SBA has disaster specific information too, including:

• Hurricanes
• Winter Weather
• Earthquakes
• Tornadoes
• Wildfires
• Floods
• Cyber Security
• Workplace Hazards & First Aid

It never hurts to prepare your home for a disaster, as well.  Ready.gov has guides to help prepare you and your family for emergencies.

The site also showcases a unique map of historical storms and disasters. When you click on each state you can see what was happening the day before an incident as compared to the aftermath. If you have been putting off distaster planning for your home or business, this map might make you think twice.

Cheers and stay safe!

Renters:  Concerned your rent might increase for your next rental period?

Check the assessment for your apartment, building, or property. Each year an assessor calculates the value of a property.  That value, along with the tax rate, determines the amount of taxes owed. Renters, your landlord may raise the rent if the property’s assessment value has increased significantly.

Are you concerned that your property may be overvalued relative to your neighbors? If  you think your property was valued too high, you may file for an abatement.  Learn how to do it here.

To view the assessment for your Boston property click here and follow these instructions:

• Enter at least a street name in the search form. Hit Enter.
• Find your building or unit in the search results
• Click view details

The valuation history will be on the right hand side of the page.

• At the bottom of the page click View Quarterly Tax Bill and Payment Information for this parcel for FY2012 and FY2013.

This will show you the total amount you or your landlord owes.

NOTE: If you rent, your apartment may have its own assessment.  For example, if you live in a multifamily home your apartment could be classified as a condo instead.  Likewise a multi-unit building  building may be assessed as one property rather than as multiple units.

Many cities and towns have their assessment information online.  Here are other tax assessor databases from towns in the area:

• Brookline
• Cambridge
• Chelsea
• Quincy
• Somerville
• Watertown

Looking to network with other female entrepreneurs?  Look no further than Project Eve.

The Project Eve community prides itself on promoting female entrepreneurship through mentoring and communication rather than swinging around “sharp elbows.” The goal is to provide a a nurturing atmosphere, where ladies can get practical advice and access to resources for starting their own businesses.  The 1,000 members who call themselves Eves and have access to:

• Mentors
• Forums
• Directories
• Job listings
• Events
• Tailored groups
• Guest bloggers

Other nifty stuff

Project Eve has a local Boston group too which has 20 members. With the number of women who come into Kirstein it should be so much higher! Check it out Ladies.

Remember Ladies, and Gentlemen too, if you need help with your business we host SCORE mentors every Friday from 10-1.  Call 617-859-2142 to make an appointment or ask one of the library staff.

We have a variety of other business programs too.  Our popular Getting Started in Business Program is coming up on Jan 29.

Cheers Dears!

Enter Enloop — an online product to help you build a better business plan while assessing the viability of your idea.  Enloop’s product has been featured by Mashable,  CNNMoney,  and many others.

Some cool features

While there is a free option, some of the more advanced tools are available if you if you purchase a premium account.  Enloop asks you a series of questions about your business idea and analyzes the answers to compute your Enloop Performance Score or EPS. The FICO-like score updates as you or collaborators adjust the plan.  Higher scores indicate the likelihood of success.

Moreover,  Enloop calls attention to weaknesses in your plan and gives you suggestions on how to correct them.  Enloop will also generate cash flow and profit and loss forecasts based on the information you supply.   And depending on which account type you use, Enloop will calculate up to 15 ratios so you can see how your idea stacks up against others in your industry.

Another convenient feature is Autowrite.  It will take all of the information you have entered and insert it into a business plan template.  The template is pretty flexible so you can add sections, create charts and graphs, and download it as a pdf.  Again some features will be limited depending on price.

Overall, Enloop is nifty tool to create a draft, especially if you are not sure how to phrase the language of your business plan.  The free account is very useful, but if you chose to subscribe to the service you can always cancel it later.

One last note

Remember, we have several programs geared at helping small businesses get started.  On Tuesday, January 29 we will be holding our very popular Getting Started in Business program.

Also we host SCORE mentors every Friday.  To make an appointment please call 617-859-2142 or just ask a librarian at the reference desk.

Cheers!

The Small Business Administration has taken the time to create several tutorials and videos on a wide variety of topics.

Tutorials

If you go the the SBA learning center page you can view a variety of courses for free on topics such as:

• Disaster recovery
• Government Contracting
• Marketing
• Business Technology
• Introduction to Accounting
• Loan preparation
• And more

Each of the 29 courses is about a half hour long and is intended to give you the basics as well as to point out SBA programs that can help you. Users can toggle between the presentation outline and slide notes using the tabs in the pane on the left hand side. One note: they are presented using Flash so you can’t view them on any iOS devices, but you can view the text based versions as PDFs.

Videos

The Learning Center’s videos are also valuable.  Some videos are a great way of seeing how other small business owns came up with solutions to problems. If you go to the SBA’s Youtube account you can see more videos too. This video from their Youtube channel explains SBA issued  Loans:

Other videos include more niche topics such as:

• Establishing an Online Presence
• Team Building
• Record Keeping
• OSHA compliance

If you still need help please take advantage of our SCORE Business Fridays.  You can ask a librarian at the Kirstein reference desk or call 617-859-2142 to make an appointment.  Each appointment lasts an hour on Fridays between 10am and 1pm.