by Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
As an economics instructor at the Florida Virtual School, Patricia Sibson, understands how important technology is in today’s world.
Sibson spoke at the Commercial Real Estate Women of Jacksonville luncheon last month held at the Jacksonville Marriott. Florida Virtual School is an internet school aimed at middle and high school students.
Technology has changed the world and changed how we do almost everything. Sibson thinks it is important to use technology to your advantage.
Sibson said trends for working today include remote workers, meetings and training; online professional development and constant learning.
By using technology, you can do a lot from a home computer or a laptop, making commuting a thing of the past. You can be there without actually ‘being’ there.
Sibson also said in this technological age people can take advantage of the Internet and offer free advice or training. That is something you can offer to help increase your business.
“What can we give out free to get insight into what people really want and therefore increase sales?” she said.
You can take advantage of the free training as well.
“You don’t necessarily have to pay someone to learn how to use Photoshop,” she said. “There are unbelievable tutorials out there all ready for you, but you have to look for them.”
Sibson said it is imperative that we are constantly learning. If you cannot afford a certain software program such as Microsoft Excel, you can visit the Web site openoffice-3.org, which offers free office software programs to be downloaded to your personal computer. They are very comparable to the name brand programs, but with no cost.
“If you are not constantly learning, you are going to be left behind,” she said.
“But, you have to use technology for balance, not for extending your workday.”
She said to be very careful because balance is important.
“Technology is moving so fast that it boggles the mind,” she said. “You can’t move fast enough to figure out what is going on.”
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Sibson said it is important to put your business’s information on networking sites, such as Facebook.com, because that is where people are searching for services.