Question 1

What is Clear Communication in Email?

Accepted Answer

Every day, emails are sent that don’t get results. Part of the reason is that people aren’t receiving the information they need. This video explains the problem and how to fix it by asking three simple questions. It teaches:

Why writing effective emails can be difficult
What prevents recipients from seeing or responding to email
How to get the recipient’s attention
How to respect the recipient’s time
How to get the results you want from email

Video Transcript:

Think about it this way… When you speak with someone in person, you can tell a lot about them. You can see if they are happy, sad, or in a hurry. This information helps you adjust what you say and how you say it. For example, if someone looks confused, you might try using different language or examples.

With email it’s difficult to make these adjustments because you can’t see the recipient. And if your message doesn’t account for their needs, it could be ignored.

That’s why it’s important to write emails in a way that’s very clear and helpful for the recipient.

You can do this by answering a few basic questions for them. What is this about? Why am I receiving it? Is there anything I need to do?

When your email appears, this busy person will quickly need to decide if it’s a priority.

Next, your recipient will wonder why they are receiving the message. In the beginning, quickly explain the situation. You might write, “I’m writing to update you on the project.” or “I’d like to schedule a call.” Be specific and direct and they will notice.

Lastly, they will wonder if they need to act. Be sure to state your request clearly. This might be a request for a response, a link to a website to review or a number to call. Consider using bold font to be sure your request is noticed.

By considering these three questions, you can communicate clearly, get results and respect the time and attention of those who receive your emails.

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This FAQ library was created by Eran Bucai. Eran is an online entrepreneur who is passionate about helping people find success building a profitable business online without the high ticket prices and without the marketing hype.

Eran has a tech support membership which you can learn more about here: https://www.dotcomtruths.com/

Eran helps people choose the best software for their business which you can find out more by visiting EranFunnels.com/software.

Question 2

What is Bias Detection?

Accepted Answer

Building on the example of sports fans, this video illustrates how bias is a common and sometimes productive part of how we communicate. It also shows how bias can cause problems when it’s hidden or not detected. This video teaches:

Why bias is a common and expected part of communicating
Why high quality information needs to be unbiased
What problems occur when bias is ignored
What to look for - common signs of bias in media

Video Transcript:

You probably know someone who is a big sports fan. Win or lose, their team is the best and they love to let others know.

In sports, we expect people to be biased for their own team. Their goal isn’t fairness and it’s obvious.

They wear their bias on their sleeve, or even their face on occasion. And just like people root for sports teams, they also root for ideas, laws, products, research, politicians and more.

People often write articles, make videos and do interviews that are biased. They are designed to promote their team’s side of the story. And that’s fine. Bias can rally a team and win debates for the greater good.

The problem is that bias is often hidden. What might appear to be neutral, fair information can be biased.

For example, to understand the current state of climate change you can’t depend on one team’s biased perspective. You need information that is neutral, fair and unbiased.

The same is true for important decisions in science, education, government and more. Unbiased information is essential.

The problem is that it can be hard to see whether the goal of an article, for instance, is to be fair, or to root for their team. The best you can do is learn to detect bias.

Imagine reading an article and asking yourself: Who is the author and what is their motivation? Do they earn money or benefit by promoting one idea over another? If so, the article may be biased.

Does the author provide only one way to think about a subject? Do they ignore key information or perspectives that don’t fit their own? If so, they may be biased.

Are sources cited in the article? Who or what are they and what role do they play? If the sources are biased, there may be misinformation and the article itself may be biased.

Does the article use insulting language or buzzwords? Does it use examples that appeal to only one side of a story? If so, the article may be biased.

It’s important to note that bias isn’t always bad, and can be helpful. The key is learning to recognize the author’s bias and evaluating the information with that bias in mind. This way, you can choose the best sources for your needs.

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This FAQ library was created by Eran Bucai. Eran is an online entrepreneur who is passionate about helping people find success building a profitable business online without the high ticket prices and without the marketing hype.

Eran has a tech support membership which you can learn more about here: https://www.dotcomtruths.com/

Eran helps people choose the best software for their business which you can find out more by visiting EranFunnels.com/software.

Question 3

What are the Benefits of Working as a Team?

Accepted Answer

Using an example of a robot building competition, this video follows the story of two teams with different approaches to teamwork. Using their example, we can see what helps, and what makes it difficult, for winning the competition. It teaches:

What all successful teams have in common
Why clear communication can be more important than skills or experience
How to develop a sense of team strengths and weaknesses
Why some teams have a difficult time finding success
What teams can do to improve their weak spots

Video Transcript:

Welcome to the CC robotics competition! Today, teams are competing to design and build a robot. The team whose robot is judged to be the best in the time allowed wins and earns internships at CC Robotics. The competition requires skill and talent, but what really matters is how teams communicate and collaborate, or not.

Any successful team, whether it’s a soccer squad or lab of scientists, works together in the same ways. They define the goal and what steps are required to reach it. They communicate and develop a sense of strengths and weaknesses. This helps them identify gaps that must be filled to be competitive and reach the goal.

Having the best player or most brilliant scientist isn't enough. To win, they must work together to turn weaknesses into strengths.

Let’s consider two teams in our competition: green and purple. Team Green got started by reviewing the challenge, dividing it into steps, and discussing each other’s skills and ideas for completing the robot. All input was welcomed. These discussions showed gaps in their skills that could slow them down. They considered each gap and how they could work together to fill it.

For example, the robot was electric and electrical engineering wasn’t a strength.

During the project, they agreed that any team member could propose an idea or share a concern. This open communication helped them make necessary adjustments along the way. Before long, victory was in view because the team was operating as one.

Team Purple, despite their talent, was in disarray. Andre assumed the role of team leader and without a discussion, divided the team into two groups: hardware and software. These groups got to work without discussing their skills, strengths or weaknesses.

Each group followed their own path and assumed it would work out. They had concerns, but Andre was dismissive. Nothing was more important than speed. The team also saw that Claire was distracted and not contributing to the software side. When Team Purple finally shared their progress, it was bad news. The software didn’t match the hardware and they realized they’d have to start over.

It’s not difficult to imagine which team was better prepared to win. Experience and expertise are not advantages when team members are dismissed or some members don’t contribute.

On the other hand, when teams communicate clearly and work together to identify and solve problems. They can overcome challenges and be stronger than other teams.

The next time you’re on a team, remember that success comes from open communication and cooperation that’s focused on the goal.

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This FAQ library was created by Eran Bucai. Eran is an online entrepreneur who is passionate about helping people find success building a profitable business online without the high ticket prices and without the marketing hype.

Eran has a tech support membership which you can learn more about here:https://www.dotcomtruths.com/

Eran helps people choose the best software for their business which you can find out more by visiting EranFunnels.com/software.

Question 4

What are Web Search Strategies?

Accepted Answer

This video introduces the best ways to use search engines to find information on the Web. It uses real-world examples that illustrate ways to reduce useless results and includes:

How search engines work
Picking the right key words
Using quotes and the minus sign
Combinations of strategies

Video Transcript:

The Web may seem like a vast ocean when it comes to finding something you need. Thankfully, search engines can help turn oceans of information into small pools that make finding information easier.

Before we dive in, let’s talk a bit about how search works on the Web. Search engines go out and try to account for every word on every webpage. All this information is then organized for easy reference.

When you search for a word, the search engine finds all the pages where the word appears, and displays them in the search results. Usually the pages that appear highest in the search results have lots of other web pages linking to them. Each link acts a vote to say, “This may be a good resource.”

The problem is that there are often too many results. You need a way to reduce the number of results so you can find what you need. Let’s look at how this works.

Say you’re looking for a specific kind of fish, and these represent all the websites on the Web. Searching for FISH doesn’t help much. There are way too many results. You need to be more specific.

Try to imagine the exact fish and describe it in the search box. You’ll see that each word you use gets you closer to what you need. You can do this for any website by imagining the website that has your answer. What’s the title of the page? What words appear on it? If you put those words in the search box, you’ll get closer to finding answers.

But to be a smart searcher, you should know some basic shortcuts. Let’s say you’re looking for words that appear together, like a phrase or a quote. An example is a search for information on sand sharks. If you search for it like this, the search engine looks for pages with SAND and SHARKS. To get better results, put quotes around the words like this. It limits the results to the exact phrase.

Here’s another shortcut. Words often have multiple meanings. Consider the word MULLET which is both a fish and a hairstyle. A search for MULLET may give you a number of results about the hairstyle, but fewer about the fish.

To remove the results about hair, place a hyphen or minus sign just before the word you want to exclude, which means “show me the pages about mullet, but take away results relating to hair.” By being specific, and using words and symbols that remove useless information, you can find exactly what you need, and keep the Web from swallowing you whole.

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This FAQ library was created by Eran Bucai. Eran is an online entrepreneur who is passionate about helping people find success building a profitable business online without the high ticket prices and without the marketing hype.

Eran has a tech support membership which you can learn more about here:https://www.dotcomtruths.com/

Eran helps people choose the best software for their business which you can find out more by visiting EranFunnels.com/software.

Question 5

What is Twitter for Business?

Accepted Answer

Twitter has evolved into a powerful business tool. Organizations large and small are using it to communicate with and learn from customers. This video focuses on the three businesses who use Twitter in different ways. It teaches:

Twitter basics - what it means to use Twitter and follow an organization’s account
How a mobile restaurant uses Twitter to inform customers of lunch locations
How a large company uses Twitter to support and educate customers
How a non-profit business uses Twitter to connect with and endear patrons
The role of policies and strategies in making Twitter use safe and productive
How Twitter can create long term relationships

Video Transcript:

It’s official. Twitter is everywhere, and along with your friends, favorite celebrities, and pets, organizations of all sizes are getting involved in a big way.

These days, Twitter helps people like you stay informed about news, people and organizations that interest them. When they sign up and follow a Twitter account, those updates, or “Tweets” become a part of their Twitter stream, which they can track each day.

It’s these tweets that can create an opportunity for businesses to build connections with followers. It can turn a simple click into a long-term relationship that can inform, educate, and endear.

Here’s how a few businesses are using Twitter.

That’s because devoted lunch-goers follow him on Twitter. Now he’s able to inform followers about his location and get ready for the rush. But it’s not just small businesses.

Emi’s customer service department at a Fortune 500 company has been on Twitter for over a year now. While her team is dedicated to posting tweets and responding to customers, she’s focused on listening. People mention her product every day on Twitter.

Using Twitter Search, she can stay on top of what’s being said around the world whenever someone mentions her company or products. This instant access to relevant information has become her company’s early warning system and a valuable of way of engaging and educating customers.

For Raghav though, Twitter is simply a better way to communicate. For years his non-profit primarily used mailers and email to alert patrons of projects and campaigns. Now, along with monthly updates, his organization can use daily tweets to build long-term relationships. Their interactions on Twitter endear patrons in a way that other communications can’t.

For many, Twitter works because people who click “follow” choose to be involved and many stay involved over time. And keeping them engaged may mean having conversations, using humor, and sharing interesting links, photos or videos.

But Twitter also comes with some risk. It’s easy to post something regrettable. That’s why policies that ensure Twitter is used responsibly are important for an organization’s reputation.

Further, a strategy for Twitter, like any outside communication, can be helpful. Use your account to follow others and share your unique perspective. And don’t forget to make it easy for people to find you on Twitter.

Soon enough, you’ll see why Twitter is everywhere.

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This FAQ library was created by Eran Bucai. Eran is an online entrepreneur who is passionate about helping people find success building a profitable business online without the high ticket prices and without the marketing hype.

Eran has a tech support membership which you can learn more about here:https://www.dotcomtruths.com/

Eran helps people choose the best software for their business which you can find out more by visiting EranFunnels.com/software.

Question 6

What is Social Media?

Accepted Answer

What it teaches:

Using an analogy of a town going through a big change, this video explains the basic forces driving the growth, adoption and use of social media. It teaches:

Why social media is different from traditional media
What makes media social today
How fans play a role in deciding what should be findable and popular
The benefits of social media to individuals and organizations

Video Transcript:

I’m sure you’ve heard the buzz. Social Media may be the next big thing. What’s it all about?

Let’s take a visit to Scoopville, a town that’s famous for ice cream. For over 20 years, Big Ice Cream Company has been making high quality ice cream with a big factory in town. A few years back, the company did focus groups and found out that they could maximize profits by offering three flavors: Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry.

The residents of the town were content. They never thought it could be different. Then something happened in Scoopville – A new invention came to town. Suddenly, everyone could make their own ice cream for only a few dollars. This changed everything.

The Smiths decided to make pineapple ice cream. The Jones’ made ice cream with pecans. Soon, every kind of ice cream imaginable was being made by scoopville’s residents at very little cost.

Of course, some ice cream was more popular than others and that was okay. Sylvia’s pickle ice cream had a very small but loyal following. That was fine. She only needed enough income to buy ingredients for her next batch. Jarret’s red velvet ice cream became so famous, he created his own store. Over time, people started to think differently about ice cream.

It didn’t always come from a factory. It also came from friends and neighbors. It became something to share, something to bring people together, something to celebrate. Big Ice Cream company still made the best vanilla around, and to their surprise, demand even grew. But it was the unique, original and authentic flavors made by the residents, that brought people to Scoopville.

When they arrived, however, there seemed to be a problem. There were too many flavors. Visitors felt overwhelmed. They needed ways to find the new, the popular, the flavors that were interesting to them.

Franklin had an idea for his ice cream. Outside his house, he erected a board and invited his customers to share their thoughts on his ice cream. They could use words to describe it, stars to rate it, and leave messages for others. People loved it.

At a glance, visitors could tell what his ice cream was all about, and learn from people like them. Over time, each resident had their own board. Sylvia’s board showed that her pickle ice cream didn’t please everyone, but was very unique and interesting. Jarret’s board overflowed with positive reviews and ratings.

Soon, a few things became clear. First, their ice cream got better because they could learn directly from customers. Second, free customer reviews were more valuable than costly advertising. And third, the boards created a way for customers to find exactly what they wanted.

The combination of new technology and new ways to work with customers helped the residents feel like a unique community. So, this is social ice cream – by the people, for the people. It turns out that ice cream and social media have a lot in common.

Today, everyone has a chance to make their own flavors, thanks to free tools like blogs, podcasts, and video sharing. Plus, we now have new ways for real people to play a role in providing feedback, organization and promotion. Whether you’re a big established company, an individual with loyal fans, or simply someone with ideas and opinions, social media means new ways to create and communicate with people who care.

New tools are arriving in cities and towns around the world. When this change comes to your neighborhood, the choice is yours. What flavors will you make?

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This FAQ library was created by Eran Bucai. Eran is an online entrepreneur who is passionate about helping people find success building a profitable business online without the high ticket prices and without the marketing hype.

Eran has a tech support membership which you can learn more about here:https://www.dotcomtruths.com/

Eran helps people choose the best software for their business which you can find out more by visiting EranFunnels.com/software.

Question 7

What is Public Domain?

Accepted Answer

What it teaches:

Using an example of a song written three generations ago, this video shows why it makes sense that public domain exists and what it means when a song, photo, artwork, document or other creative work is in the public domain. This video teaches:

The basics of copyright law and how it gives creators control
Why copyrights expire over time
How public domain works are available for use without payment or permission
Why creators and organizations contribute to the public domain
How to find public domain resources

Video Transcript:

Imagine for a moment, you’ve written a song and people love it. Because you wrote it, you own it and can use it to earn a living and control if and how it is used by others.

This is the basic idea of copyright law.

These laws make it possible for creative people to earn a living from their creations. But copyright has limits.

Let’s fast-forward to three generations from now. By this time in future, the song lives on and could be useful to others, but you’re not around to control ownership or make money from it.

The question becomes: If someone wants to use your song after so much time, should permission still be required?

Or, does it make more sense for the copyright to expire after a period of time and for the song to be open for use by everyone without permission or payment? This is one way to think about works that are not copyrighted and in the public domain.

In most countries, creative works can only be owned for a period of time. Once that time passes, the story, diagram, song, photograph or any other creative work becomes part of the public domain and is available for use without payment or permission.

This means a huge amount of older creative work is available for use. Want to use a song in your commercial? If the song is in the public domain you can use it for free and without permission!

Want to use an old image to create art? Public domain photos are available without a fee or permission. But the public domain contains much more than old articles, songs and art.

The owner of any creative work can choose to make it part of the public domain at any time.

Many creators contribute their work to the public domain to encourage use by others and contribute to a publicly shared resource.

Further, some organizations don’t use copyright for their publications, making them part of the public domain. For example, most works created by the U.S. government like reports and statistics are not copyrighted as a matter of policy and are free to use in the U.S.

The real beauty of the public domain is that it is a truly public resource that is not controlled by any government, organization or person.

You can find huge collections of public domain materials with a simple online search.

And unlike copyright, which requires permission from the creator, public domain works can modified, reproduced or distributed without payment or permission.

If you’re ready to get creative, works in the public domain may be a perfect place to start.

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This FAQ library was created by Eran Bucai. Eran is an online entrepreneur who is passionate about helping people find success building a profitable business online without the high ticket prices and without the marketing hype.

Eran has a tech support membership which you can learn more about here:https://www.dotcomtruths.com/

Eran helps people choose the best software for their business which you can find out more by visiting EranFunnels.com/software.

Question 8

What are the benefits of Investing Money?

Accepted Answer

What it teaches:

This video introduces the potential benefits of investing money in the context of taking risks. It describes multiple types of investing and what they all have in common, including:

Comparing saving and investing in the context of risk
Being prepared to lose money
Examples of investing in business, stock market and antiques
How to know if investing is right for you

Video Transcript:

Most of us look forward to a comfortable future. To get there, you’ve got to be smart about using your money to make more money.

We know that putting money in savings helps you make more money over time thanks to interest. It’s predictable and based on an interest rate. However, there are ways to make more money if you’re ready to take risks.

Consider this. You’re here and you want to be here. You have a choice between two options: going around the mountain, which usually takes 5 hours. It’s very predictable. Or going over the mountain, which can shorten the trip to two hours. It may seem like an easy choice. You can get there 3 hours earlier by going over, but there’s a catch. You might get stuck in the snow, which is a risk that can make the trip even longer than going around the mountain.

The best way to deal with risk is to be informed. If you do your homework, like checking the weather reports, you’ll have a better chance of making a smart decision.

Now, of course I’m not talking about getting from town to town, but reaching your financial goals. Having a savings account is predictable. It grows steadily with interest. Investing, on the other hand, can grow your money much faster, but there’s also a chance you could lose some of it.

There are many ways to invest. Let’s say your friend is opening a coffee shop. She needs money to buy the beans and supplies. Because she can’t afford everything, she asks people like you to be investors. You can see that this is a big risk, but you do the research and find that a new coffee shop could do very well.

So, you give her company money and you become an owner in a tiny part of the company. That bit of ownership represents the money you invested. If the coffee shop business is slow, your investment may shrink. But if the coffee shop is successful, your investment could grow with the company. It may take time to see the outcome, but you’ve bet that your money would grow faster in an investment than the modest earnings in a savings account. That’s what makes it risky. It’s hard to know how an investment will do over time.

The same is true for the stock market. When you buy stocks, you’re buying a tiny portion of a large business and betting that the business will do well over time, increasing the value of your investment.

Now, the stock market and private businesses aren’t the only kinds of investing. Let’s say you’d like to invest $500. You find antiques that you believe will be worth more in the future. If you’re right, you may be selling them for $750 in a few years. If you’re wrong they may be worth only $400. By investing you’re taking a risk, and you have to be ready for both outcomes.

Whether it’s a friend’s coffee shop, the stock market, or antiques, the big ideas are the same. Savings accounts are predictable and may be a good choice. But if you’re ready to take the risk that you might lose money, you could put your money into an investment that has the potential for a much bigger payoff.

Investing is serious business, and every investment comes with different risks. Do your homework, and discuss your plans with a financial professional before getting involved. If you plan for the long term, you may find that a comfortable future isn’t too many years away.

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This FAQ library was created by Eran Bucai. Eran is an online entrepreneur who is passionate about helping people find success building a profitable business online without the high ticket prices and without the marketing hype.

Eran has a tech support membership which you can learn more about here:https://www.dotcomtruths.com/

Eran helps people choose the best software for their business which you can find out more by visiting EranFunnels.com/software.

Question 9

What is an Open Source Software?

Accepted Answer

What it teaches:

This video follows the story of a software developer who created a new tool and is trying to figure out how the tool will be shared and supported in the future. It teaches:

Why open source makes sense for some types of software
How open source differs from closed source, or proprietary software
What motivates people to work on open source projects
How businesses work with open source software

Video Transcript:

Let’s say you’re a programmer and you’ve created what you think is an amazing tool for other programmers. It took you untold hours to develop the recipe for making it work and now you’re thinking about the future.

How will the tool reach people? How will it be supported and improved over time? What are your goals?

One popular option means keeping the recipe private, making a commercial product and competing with other tool makers. Here, you stay in control of the tool and have the potential of building a business around it.

When a tool like software is under the control of a single company or individual and the source code is private, it’s called closed source or proprietary software.

In most cases, the company puts restrictions on the tool’s use, keeps the source code secret and may maintain and support the software over time.

And this can work very well. But it also comes with risk. If you’re not able to make a profit, it may be difficult to support and maintain your product.

There is a fundamentally different way to think about the future of your tool. It’s called open source. Here, instead of controlling the source code, you license it in way that encourages sharing.

For example, an open source license may state that anyone can copy, modify and use the recipe as long as their contributions are also freely shared.

A big idea behind open source is that the best tools come from the free flow of feedback, ideas and modifications. By choosing to share the recipe as open source, your work becomes a starting point for anyone to access and improve it over time.

While open source projects vary, larger open source projects are often managed by volunteers around the world who are motivated by learning, experimentation and a sense of community.

While the source code can be free, some companies build businesses by customizing, supporting and maintaining the tool for others.

And it works. The Wordpress blogging platform, the Mozilla Firefox browser and Apache, the world’s most widely used web server software, are all open source projects.

The future of your new tool is up to you and there is no right or wrong direction. If you’re ready to accept the risk and work to build and maintain your proprietary tool, you could keep control of the source code and even build a business from your efforts.

But if you’re more motivated to see your tool improve in the hands of many people over time, open source could be the best option for you.

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This FAQ library was created by Eran Bucai

Eran is an online entrepreneur who is passionate about helping people find success building a profitable business online without the high ticket prices and without the marketing hype.

Eran has a tech support membership which you can learn more about here:https://www.dotcomtruths.com/

Eran helps people choose the best software for their business which you can find out more by visiting EranFunnels.com/software.

Question 10

What is Gamification?

Accepted Answer

What it teaches:

Why data and measurements are not enough to motivate people
Why products, services and organizations are using gamification
How an internal team uses gamification to complete a project
Why gamification is becoming a part of everyday life
How gamification can be used by anyone

Video Transcript:

For many people, fun, exciting games are a reward for finishing the boring, monotonous tasks that make up our lives at home, school or work. Games and work often live in two separate worlds.

But what if it was different? What if completing tasks and routines felt more like playing games with points, achievements and competition? They would be more fun. That’s the big idea of gamification - to use game strategies to engage and motivate people to accomplish all kinds of tasks and achieve specific goals.

Think about it this way.

Finding the motivation to exercise and lose weight can be a challenge. When all we have is a scale to track our weight each week, it can be hard to feel excited.

Today, of course, we have fitness trackers that count the number of steps we take, distance and how many calories we burn. These basic features are useful, but alone, they’re still like a scale, with basic measurements.

That’s why many trackers also have features that turn exercise into a game with points, achievement levels and competition.

Now, let’s look at gamification in the workplace.

Blake was a project manager for a big new product. In the past, finishing a project came with a long list of assignments for his team.

But this time, Blake decided to do something different to test the new product. Instead of normal assignments, he made testing the product more like a game and used an internal website to make it happen. He added all the team members to the website, where they could see their progress on a leaderboard.

Rather than assigning testing tasks, he created challenges for team members with points for each challenge. Discovering problems and completing items earned the team members points and badges that everyone could see. When someone earned 50 points, they unlocked an award.

The project’s leaderboard became a way to rally team members. Along with points, each tester competed for bragging rights and put in extra time just to win. By making work tasks like a game, team motivation grew, the project became more fun and ultimately produced a better product.

Of course, this is just one example. When we collect points for travel, or even a free coffee, we’re involved in gamification. From household chores to work tasks, gamification can motivate people by making tasks fun and interesting - like a game.

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This FAQ library was created by Eran Bucai. Eran is an online entrepreneur who is passionate about helping people find success building a profitable business online without the high ticket prices and without the marketing hype.

Eran has a tech support membership which you can learn more about here:https://www.dotcomtruths.com/

Eran helps people choose the best software for their business which you can find out more by visiting EranFunnels.com/software.