12 New Rules of Working You Should Embrace Today
From Zen Habits, Leo Babauta talks about how new technology is rapidly changing the concept of work: “So you could wait a few years, resist the new trends, talk about how great things were back in your day … or you could embrace the new rules, and be a part of the change.”

Debunking The Myths of Multitasking
In this interview by Gina Trapani, business coach Dave Crenshaw exposes our false notions on productivity, and gives his take on how to create an ideal work environment: “Ultimately, a business or an organization is a reflection of its leader. The leader has to make personal changes before an organization as a whole can improve productivity systems. If not, the leader will constantly undermine any systemic improvements.”

Profanity Works
David Heinemeier of 37 Signals ponders research which found that swearing relieves stress and help foster office unity: “It seems that profanity can work as a record button for the brain. It brings people to the edge of their attention as they’re trying to figure out whether they’re supposed to be offended or inspired. And then the content warrants the emphasis, the idea seems to stick better and longer and with more affection.”

The Catch-22 of finding meaningful work
Matt Elliott writes about Generation Y’s idealism in this call for a reality check on Y Working: “You can see the Catch-22, can’t you? It’s that big, obvious thing heading straight at us. Young people don’t want to wait around for meaning, so they leave. Employers don’t want to give their new people big projects, because new people are notorious for leaving after a few months on the job.”

 Learning From Every Job
There’s a saying that if you stop being better, you stop being good. Web Worker Daily’s Mike Gunderloy talks about how to keep yourself competitive: “But as a longstanding contractor myself, there’s one rule of thumb that I try to keep in mind when choosing between potential jobs: Only take a job where you’ll learn something.”

What Impact Is Technology Having on Privacy around the World?
For this report, Scientific American’s Larry Greenemeier looked at almost every corner of the world to study the negative effects of the Internet on society: “The state of privacy in the 21st century is a worldwide concern, given the Internet’s global reach. Although several key themes emerge when examining the impact of technology on privacy and security—including cyber crime (and crime fighting), the application of old privacy laws to new technologies, and whether companies can share customer data without consent—different countries find themselves grappling with distinct problems.”

The Rise of the Digital Nomad
Jay White explains the need to create a new corporate culture to support the increasing number of telecommuters: “Being a Digital Nomad used to mean either a traveling salesperson or perhaps the occasional work-at-home employee. Today, it means all of the above but it adds a caveat that includes capitalizing on connectivity and opportunity regardless of your location. Who can respond to multiple conversations the fastest and who can create solutions and opportunity for less.”

Enterprise 2.0: The Nature of the Firm
Bernard Lunn provides a little historical perspective on Enterprise 2.0 and the critical changes happening in the corporate world today: “The break-up of behemoth, vertically integrated enterprises commenced in the 1970’s, got a boost from junk bond financing in the 1980’s, and accelerated in the 1990’s with globalization. Now, late in the 2000’s, Social Media (aka Web 2.0) is adding another gear that will accelerate the fundamental restructuring of the enterprise.”