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Chris Wille passes Series 7
TW Resource Group would like to extend a huge CONGRATULATION to Chris Wille, Senior Consultant, in passing his Series 7 General Securities License exam today. This is a major boost to Chris Wille who already has his BA from the University Washington with a major in Finance. Chris Wille is a founding father of TW Resource [...]

Mustang: Project 1
Mustang: Project 1 This project has been blessed by the contribution of 4 key people, dayzed50 (owner), Brand (Dayed50’s brother), David (owner of Sunset Body Works) and Toby Barnett (friend). The goal has been to produce a movie on a budget and simeltanously creating a marketing piece that could be used for the benifit of the [...]

Chris Wille, Senior Consultant
Experience Toby Barnett and Chris Wille have gone full force into what they are passionate about and what they have considered a career changing opportunity. TW Resource Group is the next step in the path to success for Chris Wille. Bringing successful business practices, processes and client management knowledge to the table, Chris is dedicated to [...]

Do you Squidoo?
Squidoo.com is a social networking site that allows users to create free lenses which was discussed in Quality Backlinks part 1. TW Resource Group has been working on its small business seo lens and it is coming along nicely but still pretty plain. Squidoo has a different feel compared to most social networking sites since [...]

Political Brief - 2/8/08
Democratic Delegate Count: Obama - 861 Clinton - 855 (super delegates not added) Republicans: Romney drops out after Super Tuesday McCain is apparent front runner (even Rove has maxed out his political donation amount) Mike Huckabee does well in the South and is still in the race…

Ala’s Things You Should Know: Tijerina
If you know anything about Mexican American History, you should know Tijerina. If Ceasar Chavez is the Mexican American version of Martin Luther King Jr, than Reies Tijerina is the Mexican American version of Malcolm X. (except more mother fucking crazy). Tijerina, started his own relgious cult and community by buying property and digging holes and living [...]

‘Yes We Can’ Celebrity Video/Song
Lots of star power in this one: Vote, bitches.

Obama vs Hilary
As I speak to my friends or read the news, many people have expressed this concern: “Really, what is the difference between the two?  It does not matter who I vote for.” It does matter.  Republicans hate Hilary.  THEY REALLY HATE Hilary. Who is going to win against McCain?  Who has a better chance? The answer is Obama. Dont believe [...]

Hackers v. Scientology
I just wanted to post this story from the Guardian in the UK because someone asked me the other day if I knew what was going on with some battle on scientologists…. Here ya go….

Shoemoney quits webmasterradio
Just after I wrote about how much I enjoyed listening to Shoemoney on webmasterradio.fm he quits. I can understand though, as I am sure a lot of work goes into preparing for the show, getting guests and writing a recap every week. I have been pretty diligent lately working out everyday and one thing that [...]

Just after I wrote about how much I enjoyed listening to Shoemoney on webmasterradio.fm he quits. I can understand though, as I am sure a lot of work goes into preparing for the show, getting guests and writing a recap every week.

I have been pretty diligent lately working out everyday and one thing that keeps me going is having interesting podcasts to listen to. If anyone knows of any good ones, please let me know.

Podcasts are great, but they seem to be overshadowed a little now by video. Video is also great, but if it is only a shot of an internet marketer speaking, I can’t really see the point.

My China visa woes
I have been in China for a few months now and since I last posted about getting a visa to stay here for the Olympics, I still haven’t gotten it yet. Worst still the agent has my passport and my previous visa has long expired. The Chinese government is getting very strict now as to [...]

I have been in China for a few months now and since I last posted about getting a visa to stay here for the Olympics, I still haven’t gotten it yet.

Worst still the agent has my passport and my previous visa has long expired. The Chinese government is getting very strict now as to who can stay here while the Olympics are on. People who have been here for years are having to leave the country.

The agent who is getting my visa assures me there is no problem and it will be ready soon. Problem is he has been saying the same thing for the past few weeks. Sometimes it gets me really worried as to might or could happen and other times, usually after a couple of beers I just think it will be a fun story to tell people in a few years.

It makes me feel pretty uncomfortable not having my passport, living in a communist country. It is also the longest I have stayed in the one place for quite some time. Even though I am planning to stay here for a few more months yet, I am dying to travel somewhere else.

Success in small steps
I have been battling away now on my Beijing blog for nearly a year now and it is just over a month until the the games start in August. The Wall Street Journal linked to the blog today and Problogger published an article I wrote on Facebook. Traffic from Google still isn’t great, but I am expecting [...]

I have been battling away now on my Beijing blog for nearly a year now and it is just over a month until the the games start in August.

The Wall Street Journal linked to the blog today and Problogger published an article I wrote on Facebook.

Traffic from Google still isn’t great, but I am expecting that to change when the Olympics are on and in the next thirty days as media networks go into Olympic coverage overdrive.

I still have no idea as to how the site will fare, but I am fairly confident I have done enough to at least get it to a point where it should do well.

I keep thinking of the analogy of someone publishing a book or releasing a movie - no matter how much work you put into something you have no idea as to how successful it will be until it is actually released. The site is live of course, but the start of the Olympics is going to be our “premiere”.

30 day challenge preseason starts
I did the 30 day challenge last year and the pre-season is just starting up again now. I learnt a lot about online marketing and has really helped me with my websites. If you are an experienced marketer looking for something new or totally new to internet marketing, I strongly suggest you take part. [...]

I did the 30 day challenge last year and the pre-season is just starting up again now. I learnt a lot about online marketing and has really helped me with my websites.

If you are an experienced marketer looking for something new or totally new to internet marketing, I strongly suggest you take part. It is a lot of fun, a good opportunity for networking and you might learn a thing or two.

The 30 day challenge (30DC) site is here: www.thirtydaychallenge.com. It is free to take the course and there is no pressure to buy any of their other information/courses.

Shoemoney and his Fighters website
The Shoemoney show on webmasterradio.fm is currently one of my favorite podcasts. Shoemoney is doing live shows regularly and just by his nature you can pick up some great tidbits of information from his interviews and him just ranting. He has been talking a great deal about his latest project fighters.com. Shoemoney could make [...]

The Shoemoney show on webmasterradio.fm is currently one of my favorite podcasts. Shoemoney is doing live shows regularly and just by his nature you can pick up some great tidbits of information from his interviews and him just ranting.

He has been talking a great deal about his latest project fighters.com. Shoemoney could make plenty of money now by selling ebooks or internet marketing courses, but he doesn’t. He focuses on projects that he has an interest in and goes all out doing it.

Having lived in Japan for a long time I used to be a big fan of K1 and Pride. I could really get into doing a site like fighters.com if I lived in the U.S. Shoemoney recognized the importance of getting a good domain name and he paid somewhere from $50,000-$100,000 just for the domain. The previous owner originally wanted $250,000 for it. Since he bought it, he has already been offered three times what he bought it for. If you are going all out like he is on a site, I think it is worthwhile getting a domain which is memorable, especially in an area where people might not be tech savy.

He is also doing a lot of off-line advertising like sponsoring events and doing ads on radio through Google, which again having a domain name which is easy to remember is really going to help. If you look at the site they have anything from 1000-2000 people online at anytime.

Listening to the podcasts has given me motivation for my next website. The domain I have for it, is not as good as what he has, but I think it will still work well.

I will be happy when the Olympics are over.

My blog hacked
Thanks to Mid life travel and Work on a boat for email me about this site, I found that it had been hacked. The hack is very sneaky as no matter what I did I could not see the re-direct. Do a search in Google on wordpress and anyresults.net and you will see that this [...]

Thanks to Mid life travel and Work on a boat for email me about this site, I found that it had been hacked. The hack is very sneaky as no matter what I did I could not see the re-direct.

Do a search in Google on wordpress and anyresults.net and you will see that this is a common problem and you are still vulnerable if you are on the latest version.

There seem to be a few variations and my case seem to be the same as described here.

This is pretty scary. Spammers and hackers seem to be going out of control. I hope the owner of anyresults.net is investigated. I seem to have spent most of this week fixing script related problems because of increased security from Dreamhost, which of course is a good thing, but it is taking time away from writing content and marketing my sites.

How do you define “wealthy”?
A comment on my post asking for guest posters got me thinking, someone called “Rich” said to get someone who is actually wealthy. So, how do you actually define “wealthy”? Most people would probably say having a lot money means you are rich or wealthy. I made more money when I was working a [...]

A comment on my post asking for guest posters got me thinking, someone called “Rich” said to get someone who is actually wealthy.

So, how do you actually define “wealthy”? Most people would probably say having a lot money means you are rich or wealthy. I made more money when I was working a 9-5 job together with my internet income, but I was always stressed and hated my job. I often felt sick in the stomach on Sunday nights when I thought of another five days of work.

I used to mark down the days on my calendar until my next vacation. I don’t earn so much now, but I feel so free everyday. I no longer dread Mondays or any other day. I have almost been able to eliminate everything in my life that I didn’t like doing. I can live everyday just as though I am on vacation.

I have some properties, earn passive income from the internet and the work I am doing now on my internet websites, does not feel like work at all. “Do something you enjoy and you will never have to work a day in your life”.

Material possessions for me are just extra baggage. Most people would look at someone with a big house, expensive cars and toys and say that they are wealthy. They probably don’t even think about the debt the person might be carrying on those possessions. Warren Buffet has lived in the same house his whole life and seems to live a very humble life.

So for me, wealth is the freedom to live how and wherever I like. To work as little or as much as I want without it affecting my lifestyle.

How do you define being wealthy?

A very inspiring podcast
Yaro Starak has recorded a very interesting and inspiring podcast with Alborz Fallah who started the website caradvice.com.au. Caradvice is ranked in the top car websites in Australia, just behind sites that are run by big media companies like NewsCorp. Alborz created a blog on a topic he loves and is passionate about and has [...]

Yaro Starak has recorded a very interesting and inspiring podcast with Alborz Fallah who started the website caradvice.com.au.

Caradvice is ranked in the top car websites in Australia, just behind sites that are run by big media companies like NewsCorp.

Alborz created a blog on a topic he loves and is passionate about and has turned it into a successful business. I think we see people all of the time creating websites purely for profit, sometimes they work, but mostly they fail. Just check out the sites for sale on sitepoint, most of them are crap. I am just as guilty as anyone though.

I think a lot also can be said for just working on one or two websites at the most and putting everything into them. Running multiple websites in many ways is just not practical and I think you waste time running from one niche to the next. Pick a niche that you love and write good content - it can be as simple as that.

This has worked for me to some extent with my Beijing site. At first I was running around trying to get links, but after a while I realized that if I wrote a funny/interesting/informative post, people would just link to it naturally. I think Google also prefers this. Link exchanges, link swaps and blogrolls are basically dead.

The hardest part to this of course is finding a niche that you are passionate about and is profitable. It is something I am going to have to spend some time thinking about once again when the Olympics are done.

My first media interview
A Brazilian journalist contacted me this morning about my Beijing Olympic site. I answered a few questions by email and he followed up with a phone call. It’s exciting to finally have people interested in the site and getting different emails from people. It was a pretty long wait, but I am starting to [...]

A Brazilian journalist contacted me this morning about my Beijing Olympic site. I answered a few questions by email and he followed up with a phone call.

It’s exciting to finally have people interested in the site and getting different emails from people. It was a pretty long wait, but I am starting to feel more confident that the site will do well.

And if anyone would like to help out blogging about their favorite athlete, team or country in exchange for some links, please drop me an email.

Finally some love from the big G
It has only taken three years, but I am finally getting some love from Google with my Beijing Olympic site. Perhaps it is too early to mention this, but I couldn’t help writing about it. Search engine traffic has jumped from 10 to over 70 per cent overnight. It’s weird because I have ranked [...]

It has only taken three years, but I am finally getting some love from Google with my Beijing Olympic site. Perhaps it is too early to mention this, but I couldn’t help writing about it.

Search engine traffic has jumped from 10 to over 70 per cent overnight. It’s weird because I have ranked well in MSN and Ask for some keywords.

I have some good inbound links and have done everything above board. I have spent zero on advertising but have spent many hours writing guest posts and trying to craft good content that gets links.

Persistence is the key to anything. I think many people would have given up long ago if they were in the position I was in with my site.

It might sound corny but I believe:

persistence + passion = profit

I know you can make money from researching obscure, long tail key word phrases, but if you have no interest in that particular topic, I think your only passion will be in making money rather than making a website or info product that is any good.

Packing and Moving-Getting Organized Helps!

It doesn't matter how many times you move each time seems to bring a new set of challenges.  Often the move just across town is the hardest as you think maybe I'll just throw the little things in my car and not worry about wrapping them up. It never fails that is the time you have to hit your brakes and everything goes flying.

One of the most important things you can do when you are getting ready for a move is to create a move checklist.  If you are undertaking a "Do it yourself" move start scouring your local Craig's List for free moving supplies.  You might be surprised to find everything you need, except perhaps the tape available for you to pick up close by.

Start clearing out your closets and bookshelves of any items that you no longer wear or books you no longer read.  Remember that every box you pack is either one you have to move yourself or if you are hiring professional movers adds to the weight of your shipment and adds up in dollars.

Make sure that you have a special place in your home set aside for important papers.  You don't want those to go in your moving truck, especially on a long distance move.  Insurance papers, medical records, bank and credit card information and medications all needs to go with you.  If you have a pet don't forget their papers as well.

Create a special box for your first night in your new home. A clean set of sheets, the always important toilet paper, paper towels and any other necessities you might need and don't want to spend hours looking for in the chaos of a move.

These are just a few simple steps to get your started. 

If you find yourself facing a move either locally or across the country give me a call.  As a referral specialist I help people just like you everyday make connections with great Realtors both in Northern Virginia and across the US.

 

 

Don't let doom-mongers get you down
I HAVE been scribbling away on the Landscape Juice Network on why I think businesses should be using blogs to help rise above the rest in these potentially recessionary times. I AM sure that whatever business you run, at the...

I HAVE been scribbling away on the Landscape Juice Network on why I think businesses should be using blogs to help rise above the rest in these potentially recessionary times.

I AM sure that whatever business you run, at the moment there are many people full of doom and gloom about the future.

But I've always been a questioning, contrary, bugger so I'd like to highlight why I think you should be using the network now instead of bunkering down in the coal shed.

Article: Use the network to boost your business

Florida No Doc Loans, Florida No Doc Lenders, Florida NINA, NINA

Stated Loans Florida, No Income verification Florida Loans, No Doc Florida Loans, Florida Bad Credit Lender, FHA home loans, Bankruptcy Loans,

Florida Home Loan Programs

 

>>>>>>>>>>>Visit 1st Continental Mortgage<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

ADVANTAGES TO THE FHA HOME LOAN INCLUDE

•·        Low Down Payment requirements of 3% and 100% financing options available.

•·        95% of Appraised Value for a Cash-Out Refinance

•·        FHA Streamline Refinance  

•·        NO Income Maximum Limits

•·        Gift Funds:  3% down payment can come from FRIEND, FAMILY MEMBER OR NON PROFIT

•·         Seller CAN PAY UP TO 6% OF YOUR CLOSING COST!

•·        Down Payment Assistance  for Texas Homebuyers 

•·        NO Cash Reserves Required

•·        Gap in Employment OK

•·        Self Employed OK

•·        Permanent Alien OK

•·        NO pre-payment penalty

•·        FHA Secure

•·       FHA Frequently Asked Questions

Fill out a Quick Application Call us with any questions in regards to FHA financing at 954-391-8387

 

Florida FHA Lender, FLorida FHA home loans, serving, Jacksonville | Miami | Tampa | St. Petersburg | Orlando | Hialeah | Fort Lauderdale | Tallahassee | Cape Coral | Pembroke Pines | Hollywood | Port St. Lucie | Coral Springs | Gainesville | Miramar | Clearwater | Pompano Beach | Miami Gardens | West Palm Beach | Palm Bay | Sunrise | Lakeland | Miami Beach | Boca Raton | Plantation, Alachua | Baker | Bay | Bradford | Brevard | Broward | Calhoun | Charlotte | Citrus | Clay | Collier | Columbia | DeSoto | Dixie | Duval | Escambia | Flagler | Franklin | Gadsden | Gilchrist | Glades | Gulf | Hamilton | Hardee | Hendry | Hernando | Highlands | Hillsborough | Holmes | Indian River | Jackson | Jefferson | Lafayette | Lake | Lee | Leon | Levy | Liberty | Madison | Manatee | Marion | Martin | Miami‑Dade | Monroe | Nassau | Okaloosa | Okeechobee | Orange | Osceola | Palm Beach | Pasco | Pinellas | Polk | Putnam | Santa Rosa | Sarasota | Seminole | St. Johns | St. Lucie | Sumter | Suwannee | Taylor | Union | Volusia | Wakulla | Walton | Washington

Not two generations ago, it was difficult for home buyers in Florida to get a mortgage from their local financial institution without a 20% Down payment. Few people could manage the savings required and many otherwise qualified Floridians didn't get approved for the funds to buy a home in Florida because they did not have the minimum Down payment to qualify for a Florida Mortgage.

Although recent problems in the subprime market have made lenders more careful about how they extend credit, it's still very possible to buy a home in Florida with little or no money down. To learn more about our Florida home buyer programs, just give us a call at 1-800-570-0448 or use our quick application to inquire today!

 

Back in good old days, there were really just one variety of mortgage option available to home buyers and homeowners wanting a mortgage - a fixed rate and with repayment terms typically set at 30 years. As a borrower, you paid off the home loan through your lifetime, to enjoy a mortgage free ownership of property in your golden years. Such ownership provided complete financial stability and peace of mind to senior citizens today, many of whom owned their homes by the time they retired. (If you're 62 years old or more, and own your home right now, we recommend considering a reverse mortgage!)

Thanks to deregulation within the finance industry, today's mortgage customers now enjoy a wide expansion of funding sources and home loan options to include Stated Income, No Documentation Mortgage, No Ratio Loans and the No Income No Asset Mortgage. These diverse home loan options have many buyers and homeowners looking at loans which are different from the conventional mortgage loans our grand parents once had. Today, the mortgage market is full of nontraditional or specialty loans and caters to all kinds of borrowers.

Each of our specialty loan programs have various finance "Options" to choose from. While a few items within this list do not apply to every loan type listed below, it does provide for a good overall feel of what options are available for each of the specialty mortgage programs we offer.

• Homeowners and Home Buyer can elect an Adjustable Rate Mortgage option that can include:
  • A 3/1 ARM Option
  • A 5/1 ARM Option
  • A 7/1 ARM Option
  • A 10/1 ARM Option
  • An Option ARM Mortgage Program also known as "Pick A Payment"
• Some specialty programs can include Interest Only payments
• Real Estate Investors and take advantage of many of these loan programs
• Many Jumbo and Super Jumbo properties are eligible for specialty financing
• We can also assist some bad credit homeowners and homebuyers using several specialty loan options

Let's take a look at some of the specialty loan options available in the market today.

Florida FHA Loan

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Florida is known as the sunshine state and a haven for buying and finding really good real estate property. The fact for most home buyers is, when you need a home, you will require a home loan and who best to work with than 1st Continental Mortgage and our many FHA loan programs. When we talk about a Florida FHA loan, there is a FHA loan limit applicable in different counties and these change to keep up with market conditions.

For example: Baker County in Jacksonville, FL has a one family loan limit of $294,500; a two family loan limit of $331,700; a three family loan limit of $403,000 and a four family loan limit of $465,000. Similarly the non metro county of Lafayette has a one family loan limit of $200,160; a two family loan limit of $256,248; a three family loan limit of $309,744 and a four family loan limit of $384,936. So basically the loan limit in Lafayette is less than that of Baker County.

FHA is a part of HUD and the first thing looked at before issuing a Florida FHA mortgage is that you as a borrower have demonstrated a good repayment history for all your debts within the last 12 months. The credit history basically outlines your willingness to pay back your Florida FHA loan, the same loan that you will hopefully be getting from 1st Continental Mortgage, a Florida mortgage company, and not directly from the FHA. FHA insures the loans underwritten and approved by various Florida mortgage companies. FHA also provides security to the mortgage lenders in case you default on a loan and hence the Florida lenders will be more than willing to offer you the best FHA loan at some of the lowest interest rates in the market.

If your credit history, in spite of sufficient income, keeps on reflecting late payments, and delinquent credit accounts, then approving your loan may be impossible without sufficient documentation and explanation. Here's a brief synopsis of various credit underwriting guidelines for a FHA home loan:

• Credit history: You as a borrower will need to have a minimum of 4 trade lines. If they are not reflected on your credit report, we can use alternative credit such as phone bills, utilities and rent.
• Credit obligations: An installment loan like a student loan or a car loan, which has less than 10 months remaining does not have to be included for a FL FHA home loan qualification. The things that can be considered will include large debts, and this is independent of the number of months. If you have an open revolving account that doesn't show any balance then a $10 fee per open account may be included for qualification.
• Bankruptcy, Chapter 7: Florida FHA requires a minimum time of 2 years since the time of discharge of the bankruptcy. You will have to attach an explanation of the bankruptcy along with your bankruptcy discharge documentation. You will also have to show a reestablished credit without any late payments. In some instances, under our FHA credit flex program we can consider a bankruptcy discharged as little as 12 months ago.
• Bankruptcy, Chapter 13: FL FHA will consider you for a FHA loan if you are still paying on a Chapter 13 bankruptcy provided all your payments have been made to the court satisfactorily within the previous 1 year.
• Foreclosures: You need to make sure than when you are applying for the Florida FHA loan, you do not have any pending foreclosure on your property or a foreclosure in the last three years.
• Federal debt: Before you apply for a FL FHA mortgage, make sure that you don't have any defaults on other federal debts. A federal debt can include a past; FHA Loan, VA mortgages, SBA loans and student loans.

Qualifying for Florida FHA loans

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In a nut shell, it's typically easier to qualify for FHA home loans in Florida as compared to conventional loans with like kind terms and conditions. The FHA loans are underwritten and funded by a FL mortgage lender like 1st Continental Mortgage Some of the benefits of a Florida Federal Housing Administration home loan are:

• FHA loans offer tax deductible interest
• You can acquire equity over a certain period of time
• The closing costs on the FHA loans are regulated
• There are no set income limits
• The credit criteria for qualification is lenient as compared to other loans
• They are fully assumable
• Absolutely never a prepayment penalty
• And Much More

Proudly Serving These Communities:
Arcadia | Boca Raton | Boynton Beach | Bradenton | Brandon | Cape Coral | Clearwater
Clewiston | Crestview | Daytona Beach | Deerfield Beach | DeLand | Delray Beach | Deltona
Destin | Englewood | Fort Lauderdale | Fort Myers | Fort Pierce | Fort Walton Beach
Gainesville | Hollywood | Homosassa Springs | Jacksonville | Key West | Kissimmee | Lake City
Lakeland | Lynn Haven | Marathon | Marco Island | Melbourne | Miami | Miami Beach | Naples
North Fort Myers | North Miami Beach | Ocala | Okeechobee | Orlando | Ormond Beach
Osprey | Palatka | Palm Bay | Palm Coast | Panama City | Pensacola | Pompano Beach
Port St. Lucie | Punta Gorda | Saint Augustine | Santa Rosa County | Sarasota | Sebastian
Sebring | Spring Hill | St. Petersburg | Tallahassee | Tampa | The Villages County | Titusville
Venice | Vero Beach | Wauchula | Wesley Chapel | West Palm Beach | Winter Park

Proudly Serving These Counties:
Marion | Sumter | Lake | Seminole | Orange | Osceola | Polk | Hardee | Highlands | Volusia
Brevard | Indian River | Okeechobee | St. Lucie | Citrus | Hernando | Pasco | Pinellas
Hillsborough | Manatee | Sarasota | DeSoto | Gadsden | Leon | Wakulla | Jefferson | Madison
Taylor | Hamilton | Suwannee | Lafayette | Dixie | Columbia | Union | Bradford | Gilchrist
Alachua | Levy | Baker | Nassau | Duval | Clay | St Johns | Putnam | Flagler | Escambia
Santa Rosa | Okaloosa | Walton | Holmes | Washington | Bay | Jackson | Calhoun | Liberty
Gulf | Franklin | Martin | Palm Beach | Broward | Miami-Dade | Monroe | Charlotte
Glades | Lee | Hendry | Collier

 

No Doc Loans

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The no documentation mortgage is one of the easiest ways to purchase a home, or for a homeowner to refinance and take cash out. Also known as no documentation loan or no doc mortgage, the program does not require income, asset or employment verification. No W-2s, tax returns, pay slips, bank statements etc. A real no doc loan requires that the borrower have a good credit record, but beyond basic residence information, you do not provide any of the traditional disclosures related to your sources of income, assets and employment. Basically, you list the property, your current name, address and social security number, sign the application and your application is now complete. The definition of good credit varies but in almost all cases initial qualification for our no documentation mortgage means a middle credit score of 660, though we may consider lower scores based upon the loan to value risk on the property. For well qualified credit borrowers, we can help with financing up to 95% LTV.

Stated Income Mortgage Loans

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The stated income mortgage loan is perfect for people who work but do not have a regular source of income, collect tips or are self employed. So if you are self-employed and live off commissions or tips or don't want to disclose all of your sources of earnings, then this is a great loan product for you. With a stated income loan, no W-2s, pay stubs or tax returns documents are required. However, you must be able to prove that you have been working continuously for at least 2 years. You can use this loan for purchase or refinance, but the interest rate on a Stated Income Mortgage is usually about a half-point above the comparable rate for a traditional mortgage, dependent upon your credit score. Get up to 100% financing with a credit score of as low as 620! Call us today.

No Ratio Loans

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The no ratio mortgage program is a great compliment to our portfolio of mortgage programs. If you have a strong asset base, can show the ability to make mortgage payments on a timely basis and can verify your employment for the past 2 years in the same industry or the same job but do not want to divulge the details of your income then a No Ratio Mortgage Loan may be ideal for you. For purchase purposes you are required to verify your employment and assets, but rarely for refinances. Your job or title will ideally support and reflect your ability to repay the mortgage.

No Income No Asset (NINA)

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The no income no asset loan is really a unique hybrid of a stated income and no ratio loan. Also known as a NINA mortgage, this program is best suited for a borrower who wants to get a mortgage loan without verifying his income or assets. Financing terms very by quality of credit and higher loan amounts may require a larger down payment and homeowner refinancing for cash out may have have lower LTV caps. As a borrower you will have to verify your employment or self-employment in the same job/industry for a minimum of 2 years. Similar to No Doc Loans, the no income no asset loans, or NINA, makes for a pretty straightforward transaction!

Back in good old days, there were really just one variety of mortgage option available to home buyers and homeowners wanting a mortgage - a fixed rate and with repayment terms typically set at 30 years. As a borrower, you paid off the home loan through your lifetime, to enjoy a mortgage free ownership of property in your golden years. Such ownership provided complete financial stability and peace of mind to senior citizens today, many of whom owned their homes by the time they retired. (If you're 62 years old or more, and own your home right now, we recommend considering a reverse mortgage!)

Thanks to deregulation within the finance industry, today's mortgage customers now enjoy a wide expansion of funding sources and home loan options to include Stated Income, No Documentation Mortgage, No Ratio Loans and the No Income No Asset Mortgage. These diverse home loan options have many buyers and homeowners looking at loans which are different from the conventional mortgage loans our grand parents once had. Today, the mortgage market is full of nontraditional or specialty loans and caters to all kinds of borrowers.

Each of our specialty loan programs have various finance "Options" to choose from. While a few items within this list do not apply to every loan type listed below, it does provide for a good overall feel of what options are available for each of the specialty mortgage programs we offer.

• Homeowners and Home Buyer can elect an Adjustable Rate Mortgage option that can include:
  • A 3/1 ARM Option
  • A 5/1 ARM Option
  • A 7/1 ARM Option
  • A 10/1 ARM Option
  • An Option ARM Mortgage Program also known as "Pick A Payment"
• Some specialty programs can include Interest Only payments
• Real Estate Investors and take advantage of many of these loan programs
• Many Jumbo and Super Jumbo properties are eligible for specialty financing
• We can also assist some bad credit homeowners and homebuyers using several specialty loan options

Let's take a look at some of the specialty loan options available in the market today.

Bankruptcy Mortgage Program

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Contrary to popular belief, filing for bankruptcy is not the end of the world. So whether you filed for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you could still be eligible for a bankruptcy mortgage loan. Home buyers can still get financed for a mortgage despite having filed for bankruptcy in the past and should consider our FHA purchase loan options.

Our Bankruptcy home loan programs are designed to help you re-establish your life and get your finances in order. It also helps you with opportunities that you may not have otherwise such as a chapter 13 bankruptcy refinance loan or financing to purchase your own home. If you have a bad credit history, which you are most likely to have, importance will be given to many factors to include - income verification and down payment - in order to get a mortgage loan.

Usually most lenders require you to wait for at least 2 years from the time of the bankruptcy discharge. After the 2 years are over, you will have a better opportunity to qualify for financing a home purchase or to refinance a mortgage. At 1st Continental Mortgage, you could potentially get financing to buy a home in as little as 30 days after your bankruptcy discharge! We even have up to 100% finance options available for well qualified home buyers.

For eligible home buyers looking for a mortgage after Bankruptcy, keep in mind that 1st Continental Mortgage will consider eligible applicants in which your chapter 7 bankruptcy case has been discharged. For chapter 13 buyout clients, beyond standard qualifying, you must have trustee approval for the buyout and you must have made all payments to the court on time.

Find out more about our various bankruptcy mortgage options by contacting 1st Continental Mortgage today!

Helping people post to their first blog
Blogging for Business in Black And White from KMP on Vimeo. LAST week I took part in a workshop that turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable morning of showing people how to start their first ever blog.

Blogging for Business in Black And White from KMP on Vimeo.
LAST week I took part in a workshop that turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable morning of showing people how to start their first ever blog.

I joined Paul Fabretti, of online marketers KMP, in highlighting how companies, both large and small, were using blogging and other web based tools, to help their businesses.

But in a change from just a normal presentation, we fired up a dozen laptops and attendees got the chance to to start a blog, write to it, link to their company websites and even include a YouTube video or two.

And I think what surprised many people was just how easy it was, they didn't have to worry about the techie side of things, or get stressed if they made an error as we showed people how much control they had over their blog.

Before long people were helping each other out, asking questions about things that had been playing on their mind and basically having a right good go at starting their first blog.

Paul has made available the guidebook he produced on getting up and running with a Blogger.com website, so if you are still wondering where to start, print it off and away you go.

Restaurant Review ~ El Chaparral Mexican restaurant ~

This new and popular restaurant is always crowded.  We often stop in after church on Saturday night.  I didn't know they also serve breakfast... we will try it out.

JV Resources For Easy Push Button Traffic (Part 2)

Did you get the software yet?

OK, if you are ready for a REAL Internet business... and I'm talking about a business that keeps generating month after month, then this software is for you!

You see, there is one "business model" that has been proven over and over:...

Come on over here and check this out!!!

Easy Push Button Traffic

Godaddy EU based Domain Names Alert
It appears that all .de .be .eu and .uk domains held with godaddy could be lost if action is not taken.

If you have less than an unspecified length of time and try to transfer you domain away, renew, or do anything else you will get a message that says "You cannot change the selected domain because it is not in an active status."

What does "active status" even mean? I, for one, had no idea and it seems that the answer is down tot he fact that godaddy can not be bothered to offer anything like a reasonable customer experience for those customers outside of the USA.

It would seem that the Godaddy dot UK emergency is getting worse (I covered that story here and here). Now it would seem that not only are dot UK domain names with godaddy subject to a loss of control but so are many other European domain names too. What it boils down to is that godaddy are too cheap to register with European registers as a valid registrar and are therefore reselling someone else's services.

(Can you imagine the mark up by the time these names go through a godaddy reseller?)

While I have and run a tucows reseller package and have successfully navigated moving .com domain names from godaddy to SRS (the tucows reseller service) I have yet to implement a fully automated process so I can not offer much by the way of advanced support but I am willing to help those unable to find other domain name registrars to transfer to.

Don't let this lack of customer care from Godaddy stop you from using your EU based domains.

Published in .

Supermarket at home
supermarket at home

...or should that be supermarket@home?

Today I am going to be talking about the ammount of money we waste on shopping. I'm not talking about the "little extra" that you were tempted to buy this week or the indulgant chocolates that "found" themselves in your basket. I'm talking about the cost getting to the supermarket.

Let's be honest most trips to the supermarket are in a taxi, by car or on a bus. While the cab to the supermarket might be the most "expensive" (at say £4.50 each way) you are also paying with your time. By the time you add on the pre departure activities (finding your keys, checking for loyalty cards and so forth) you can easily spend three or more hours on the supermarket shopping. If you use more than one supermarket then this can double or even treble.

How much is your time worth? Let's assume basic minimum wage applies that three hour supermarket trip would pay you (3 times £5.73) £17.19 add on £5 for travel and each time you go to the supermarket it costs you more than £22. My weekly supermarket shop only costs me £25 to £35 on average. Admitedly that supermarket shopping figure is rising with the credit crunch and all but my point is getting your weekly food in should not eat up your day off and cost you more than the value of your food.

That's not mentioning how stressfull I find supermarkets anyway. In my opinion supermarkets are too big, too noisy and too badly laid out most of the time. I do not like them and would willingly pay not to have to shop.

That's where online grocery shopping comes in. My supermarket of choice is Tesco and like a number of others you can do your shopping in the time it takes to have a cup of coffee (or tea as we Brits are so famouse for drinking) and then you can do something else and forget about the Supermarket and groceries and all that.

Now my supermarket of choice (Tesco) charges a small fee for delivery. However, that small fee is in the range of £3 to £5 and frankly that's a lot less than the cost of my time (not basic minimum by any mark). I consider for that price I'm a good £20 better off.

If you are new tot he idea of doing your rocery shopping online check out Tesco.

Published in .

The BBC makes a tit of itself again.
I'm supprised at the BBC. I know it's not required but I would expect that the BBC would make some effort to use correct technical terms. Take this entry from a recent BBC article.

It will also find out if a narrow-band access, aka dial-up, is sufficient to "permit functional internet access" or if the pace of change online means higher speeds are the minimum needed.

What the hell is "narrow band" - there is no such thing!

Narrow band is what people trying to be smart assume base band to be. It's an easy mistake to make to assume that the broad in "broadband" might descibe it's speed so that narrow might be a good guess at what dial up connections might be. However this is utter tosh.

There are two ways of communicating over a network.

1. Tranmit singnles over an agreed frequency or base band. This is like picking a radio station and using it to send the message.
2. Use a broad range of bands (broadband) like transmitting on many radio stations at once.

Multi bandwidth techniques can be called narrow if they use a smaller slice of the specturm relative to some standard but when you use a single frequency band then narrow is a meaningless word. It is called baseband and a lot of high speed techniques use base band.

For example IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n (WiFi) defines bands and just one "channel" is used. This is effectively baseband. If you channel bond you get double the speed and this is technically broadband.

In terms of Internet Access the standard for high speed over phone lines is called DSL. DSL is a broadband technique as is every type of fiberoptic networking.

Please Aunty Beeb - get the basic jargon right or don't use it at all.

Published in .

How to Earn £14,577 a week
I keep seeing an advert from the big G with the title "How I Earn £14,577 a week". What has always intrigued me is how they cam up with such an exact number. Why not £14,000 or £14,500 or even "over £14.5k". In response to that I felt the need to produce my own (free) guide.

Method One

Do 2,083 things every day that earn you £1. Assuming that you don't sleep that's about 87 things that earn you £1 every hour of every day. Hmm... that's never going to work.

Method Two

Do 1,042 things every day that will earn you £2. Now you need only do 44 action every hour and can have time to sleep... for fifteen minutes assuming that you do one thing a minute. Maybe if you sold one to two thousand units of some item with a £2 mark up on it... but with such high volumes of sale and good margins why would others not have beaten you to it?

Method Three

Develop a skill that can be used to earn 521 lots of £4 every day. Assuming you work a 12 hour day every day then this is still 44 results an hour. It seems quite a lot. Unless you consider crime, spam or fraud I think we should move on.

Method four

Do something that nets you £521 four times a day. I'd suggest that those skills of yours might be needed now. Given a 10 hour working day and time between clients you are looking at two hours work for that £521. Is there anything that you can think of that is worth £521 plus costs that takes only 2 hours?

No, I have no idea...

Method five

Accept that £14,000 a month is plenty and go back to method four. Now working a five day week with a ten hour day you need only charge £70 an hour or £700 plus costs per job (which lasts up to ten hours). Nice work if you can get it and if you get it please let the rest of us know how you did it.

Method Six

Stop spending so much damn money and then what you have will go further. This is my solution that I choose to apply until such time as someone expounds int he open on a full plan for methods one through five. It is not easy to make money but if you keep your expectations reasonable and your plan sane then you might just do it.

Do you have a plan to solve this question. If so please feel free to share. (or just comment on overly bold advert claims).

Published in .

Credit Crunch Research
Credit Crunch Keywords

I've been looking at the credit crunch both from a business analytical point of view and also as a subject for content. From my research I have identified a short list of words directly relating tot he keyword "credit crunch" that have any reasonable amount of search traffic going on.

Why would I do this?

There is only one real reason to research traffic on a given phrase - to see if it might be profitable to write about it. As this is already what a number of us are planning to do it makes sense to find out what keywords we might want to shoot for.

I will be opening my advert server to each member of the team so that every writer can run their own ads against the content they contribute. Thus each one of us gets not only increased exposure but (hopefully) a little income.

We will be writing about the Credit Crunch and how to survive it. A group blog about how to do well on less and related issues. I still have a few spaces open so if you want to join a great team of bloggers then for goodness sake get into contact with me.

These are the keywords I feel will attract search engine traffic while being reasonably easy to write about in accordance with the words credit Crunch. Of course I know we will write about a lot more than that but it's good to know the sort of phrases that help.

• about credit crunch
• about the credit crunch
• car credit crunch
• credit crunch
• credit crunch 08
• credit crunch australia
• credit crunch building
• credit crunch definition
• credit crunch end
• credit crunch germany
• credit crunch guide
• credit crunch hits
• credit crunch in uk
• credit crunch in us
• credit crunch info
• credit crunch latest
• credit crunch london
• credit crunch start
• credit crunch travel
• credit crunch usa
• credit crunch what is it
• credit crunch why
• credit report repair
• end of credit crunch
• global credit crunch
• guide to the credit crunch
• japan credit crunch
• latest on credit crunch
• news on credit crunch
• overcome credit crunch
• survive credit crunch
• the credit crunch
• the uk credit crunch
• the us credit crunch
• times credit crunch
• us credit crunch
• world credit crunch

Thinking outside of the box what sorts of keywords might also be attractive from a people-are-likely-to-look-for-this point of view?

Published in .

Billing Time - What a stress
I hate getting the bills even when I can afford to pay them. Online bills are no different - I have a big one due next month for the server I use and according to my calculations I need to increase my earnings by US$2.74 a day as an average over the coming year to be sure that the server costs do not hurt the bottom line.

Frankly that has me feeling jsut a little stressed as it's one of those moments where life says it's time to show what you ahve got - do the job or get off the pan. Well I like my job (I created it) so over the next 265 days I am going to attempt to earn US$1,000 over my baseline averages. This ammounts to about UK£500 to UK£600 and so is not exactly a big challenge but it is still a challenge never-the-less.

At present I have no idea how I will do this other than keeping a very close eye on my OpenX advert server to make sure only profitable adverts are running.

Ideally I'd like to take on a sponsor who in return for UK£580 a year would get high profile thanks accross all my key blogs, free reviews and my gratitude. Not to mention all that free exposure and brand building.

I've not ever looked for sponsorship before so if you have any advice to offer me please use that comment box.

Published in .

(untitled post)
This is the blog post I have been putting off for a long time. I knew that sooner or later I was going to have to writ it but I was hoping it would be later.Actually I was hoping that if I ignored it the subject would go away.

It has not and I am, have been and might continue to be a single dad. Don't ask for the details of how or why because I'll not tell you but here I am learning a whole bunch of lessons.

My time has gone from 8 to 9 hours every day of the week to 4 hours a day. In those four hours I must do 8 hours of blogging, marketing and code and pretty much anything else (like meet clients) that makes me money. I also have to make more than I did before because my reserves that were mitigating the extra costs have started to run dry...

Crunch time is here folks and it's a big one.

Meanwhile I need to care for my children (2, 4 and 5), do school runs, cooking, cleaning, bathing and all the other things that formally two people did.

On top of that I must do the work of two people without the support I was used to for doing the work of one.

Added to this I must carry the "must dos" of every Tom, Dick and bl**dy Harry that thinks they know what's best for my rather malfunctioning relationship. That includes both parents independently "supporting me" with lists of things I must do as well as well meaning friends relaying (in confidence) instructions and "you need to" platitudes based on the fact that they know "what she told me".

Even the local Church leaders are at it. Admittedly I more or less invited them to help out so I have no one to blame but myself.

The simple fact oft he mater is that I had a moment of clarity recently and saw through the bollocks we put ourselves through. Now I have to find out if I am brave enough to act contrary to the advice and instruction of a lot of people, my whole family, the church and all my friends.

I am going to come off as ungrateful, angry and self centred but that comes a distant fourth to maters of my own children, home and remaining relationships.

I realised that of the "support" I was getting 90% was lists of things I must do and 10% was sweeteners to get me to do it. None of the supporting cast have my interests at heart (although they probably think they do) what they want is to ensure the status quo, and reinforce "normality". The trouble is I'm the one that's paying for it and if I'm paying my children are paying double.

Not a soul of the cast that are "supporting us" have offered to be behind me whatever I do - no they are all behind the big "reconciliation" plan that fails to take into account that 99% of this situation is bollocks that I have no power over. So therefore whatever they want me to do is actually to make right something I did not set wrong and can not actually (therefore) make right.

When I fail to cope the most there is no one there for me and therefore I refuse to play the game.

You see that's me sounding angry and ungrateful. Go on think rude things about me - I will never know so what difference does it make. The simple fact is that rather than help carry what is a heavy emotional burden everyone is making the damn thing heavier.

My children must come first and for that to happen every well meaning soul must be sent for a long walk on a short pier. Maybe then I an deal with the basic problems of being abandoned, having three little souls needing me so very much and a ****ing stupidly small two bedroom flat to care for them in.

If people want to help they can slap on some marigolds (1) and join me in the undersized kitchen. The only advice I require is how to make 4 hours work be more profitable than 9 and where can get a new sofa from (not to mention a replacement mattress for one the kiddies beds). The exception is people who have been or are at where I am now (2) - such souls are welcome to talk all they want.

Am I wrong to want this? Am I ungrateful to want everyone to completely back right off? Am I just angry and unpleasant (3) and generally not very nice?

In short am I completely out of whack? (If not have you any business advice for me?)


(1) Marigolds are a popular brand of washing up gloves.
(2) That would include single parents, stay at home dads and time stressed business people.
(3) Aside from the fact that I get irritated at a lot of things anyway and then blog about it...

Published in .

Rockin' Web Site, But Reservations Remain
I have to admit that the new Rock & Republic web site is rockin'. The site follows the format to provide a full-screen viewing experience. I like it, but I still hold reservations about R&R CEO and Creative Director Michael...

I have to admit that the new Rock & Republic web site is rockin'. The site follows the format to provide a full-screen viewing experience. I like it, but I still hold reservations about R&R CEO and Creative Director Michael Ball towards his treatment of women and colleagues.

The web site offers the user the ability to scroll through outfits and products similar to how Apple's CoverFlow works on the iPhone and iTunes. It's much easier to "flip-through" products than to scan through the product web pages on other sites.

It appears Rock & Republic is really pushing beyond their denim origins with the introduction of eyewear and cosmetics in addition to the company's recent forays into clothing, shoes, handbags and mens' wear.

Reaching New Heights: Delish Heels for Fall 2008
Though I'm tall, I'm no stranger to sky high heels. Who doesn't love-love-love tall heels. And fall 2008 should prove to be the season for super skyscraper tall heels. I have yet to scour the web and the glossies for...

Though I'm tall, I'm no stranger to sky high heels. Who doesn't love-love-love tall heels. And fall 2008 should prove to be the season for super skyscraper tall heels. I have yet to scour the web and the glossies for the latest selections in tall footwear, but I promise you, I will.

Though I barely had the time to digest the gigantic September issue of Vogue (I have to admit it's the first that I've bought in years), my eye immediately zeroed in on this delicious pair of Christian Louboutin's on page 763, in the spread entitled 2-for-1 Special. In the back of Wintour's fall bible, the Details list the shoes as Alti. I Googled them and found them here on the Luisa Viaroma web site.

I don't care if I'm taller than Yao Ming! It just means that I'll have to date someone the likes of Phil Dalhassuer from the U.S. Olympic beach volleyball team who stands tall at 6'9".

If you've read my blog at all, you'll know my favorite phrase:

Project Auto Movie Part 6
Everything has gone according to plan and as it sits we have ove34r 20 minutes of car footage to be meshed with interviews. In addition to our long footage, Dayzed50 and I both got invited to the Marlboro Open at Pacific Raceways on August 28th. There is more to come and “on” with the compiling!!

Becareful not to spam the people you are trying to target
The more time I spend moderating blogs, checking emails the more I reflect on: what drives people to try and spam their target audience with the hopes of increasing business? It is probably ignorance, relying on bad information and/or desperation that these tactics are used. A year back or so I was sending unsolicited emails [...]

Blog Marketing
Blog marketing has exploded these past few years to become brand new marketing strategy for companies and individuals. Why? Unlike traditional push marketing, direct ads, flyers and media, blog marketing is a pull strategy that attracts consumers. Blog marketing is a strategy, like this blog, that allows the site owner to discuss their area of expertise [...]

Quality Content for good SEO
One of the most important techniques of search engine optimization and one thing many SEOs forget is on-site content. In previous posts quality backlinks were discussed but these will only support an on-site content. On-site content is what cached by search engines to determine if it is relevant to a searcher’s query. If a site has little [...]

YouTube for Marketing?
Not to long ago I was reading a post by a friend from SocialMediaSystems and it was on the use of social media to generate buzz for a company/website. The article got me thinking how the social media could be applied to generate buzz for one of my topics at that time, Marysville real estate, [...]

Small Business Marketing 101
From my experience in small businesses and startups the biggest challenge is having a marketing/advertising budget to start getting the word out. When most start their own business they did it because they are experts in their field and they see an opportunity to provide a higher quality product or service to the community. This [...]

New directory
TWResourceGroup.com just submitted for a new directory…check out the link below and submit your site for inclusion.

301 Direct Files
I have recently redone a real estate website and one of the procedures was to create a 301 Redirect file to make sure old pages would be redirected to the new landing page. But there seems to be a problem when Google reads the 301 Redirect file as well as giving weight to the landing [...]

SOS: is ethical dining the new black? « food for thought
postamble();

Secret Coffee Garden
I live in Melbourne for almost 4 years, yet I still don’t know cool places to go to hang out with friends So, I’m making a list of places that I’ve already known and you can also add this list - Madamme Brussells on Bourke st - Kitten Club on Lt Collins st - St. Jerome’s on Lonsdale st - [...]

Visual Communication And Video Publishing - Selected Tools And Web Services - Sharewood Picnic Jun22 08
Visual communication tools keep holding our interest and attention as they increase your ability to communicate, train and market in more effective ways. Among our selected visual weapons another web-based image editors to apply effects and edit your pictures, new image search engines that make it easy for you to find all kinds of images, as well as a free multimedia player to embed and distribute your image slideshows. Photo credit: FotoFlash Here my full list of useful visual communication tools I have selected for you this week:

1. Phantasmagoria: Java-based image editor lets you modify pictures on any machine
2. Picitup: Image search engine lets you apply filters to your researches
3. Tag Galaxy: Flick search engine lets you combine multiple keywords through a 3D interface
4. Splashr: Arrange all of your Flickr pictures, or someone else\'s, into embeddable players
5. Picreflect: Add simple reflections to your images online
6. GIFUP: Upload images from your computer, Flickr or web-site, and create animations with them
7. Retriever: Draw with your mouse, or upload a picture to start a Flickr research that matches what you drew
8. Web 2.0 Free Logo Generator: Create customizable Web2.0 logos online, with no photo editing software

Visual Communication Tools

1. Phantasmagoria Phantasmagoria is a free Java-based image editor, that runs on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. It supports a wide range of image formats, and it lets you easily edit and improve your images with a lot of effects. You can create graphics, including textures and highy stylized text and, when you are done, you can export directly pictures to Flickr. Free to download and use. http://www.develderby.com/phantasmagoria/



2. Picitup Picitup is an online image search engine that allows you search for pictures applying filters. Just inserting a keyword and clicking search will bring you to a result page, where you can decide to filter images: you can select faces, landscapes products, or even colors and, when you have found the right picture, you can click on it and you will be brought to its page so that you can download it. Free to use. http://www.picitup.com/



3. Tag Galaxy Tag Galaxy is a Flickr search engine that displays results as planets and galaxies. After you insert a term to begin the research, multiple planets will gather, suggesting other possible keywords related to the starting one so that your research can become wider. At the center of the galaxy, you can click the planet, and it will begin showing pictures that you can click on and download from their Flickr page. Free. http://taggalaxy.de/



4. Splashr Splashr is a new tool that anyone can use to show Flickr photos on embeddable players. All you have to do is to enter a Flickr username, email, photo-set id, or simply tags, decide how many photos will be showed on the board, select the style, and click a button. You can then preview the player, share it via email, or embed it on your web-site so that everyone can see it. Free to use, no registration needed. http://splashr.com/



5. Picreflect Picreflect is a simple web-based tool to add reflections to your pictures. After you load a picture from your PC or URL, you can change reflection height and transparency settings, resize or rotate the picture, change the background color and even flip it. Then, you can click generate and save your picture locally on your machine. Free to use, no registration needed. http://picreflect.com/



6. GIFUP GIFUP is an online GIF animation and avatar generator. Simply upload images from your computer, or get them from Flickr or any web-site, and GIFUP will automatically create an animation with the images you provided. When you\'re satisfied, you can then save it to your computer, or share it with your friends. Free to use. http://www.gifup.com/



7. Retriever Retriever is an interesting site where you can draw a picture and start a research that matches what you are drawing on your sketch pad. After you decide dimension and color of your brush, and you can start drawing anything you want and in a matter of seconds it will show search result from Flickr that match what you drew. You can also upload an image, or provide its URL, and Retriever will look for pictures that are similar to the one you uploaded. Free. http://labs.systemone.at/retrievr/



8. Web 2.0 Free Logo Generator Web 2.0 Free Logo Generator is a web-based service that lets you create Web 2.0 logos, without knowing anything about photo editing. You can personalize the text, font, background color, size, reflection, image format and resolution. When you are done, you can right click the logo and save it locally on your PC, or you can send it via email to other people. Free to use, no registration needed http://www.simwebsol.com/ImageTool/

Originally written by Nico Canali De Rossi for Master New Media and first published on June 21st 2008 as "Visual Communication And Video Publishing - Selected Tools And Web Services - Sharewood Picnic Jun21 08" ...

Visual communication tools keep holding our interest and attention as they increase your ability to communicate, train and market in more effective ways. Among our selected visual weapons another web-based image editors to apply effects and edit your pictures, new image search engines that make it easy for you to find all kinds of images, as well as a free multimedia player to embed and distribute your image slideshows. Photo credit: FotoFlash Here my full list of useful visual communication tools I have selected for you this week:

1. Phantasmagoria: Java-based image editor lets you modify pictures on any machine
2. Picitup: Image search engine lets you apply filters to your researches
3. Tag Galaxy: Flick search engine lets you combine multiple keywords through a 3D interface
4. Splashr: Arrange all of your Flickr pictures, or someone else's, into embeddable players
5. Picreflect: Add simple reflections to your images online
6. GIFUP: Upload images from your computer, Flickr or web-site, and create animations with them
7. Retriever: Draw with your mouse, or upload a picture to start a Flickr research that matches what you drew
8. Web 2.0 Free Logo Generator: Create customizable Web2.0 logos online, with no photo editing software

Visual Communication Tools

1. Phantasmagoria Phantasmagoria is a free Java-based image editor, that runs on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. It supports a wide range of image formats, and it lets you easily edit and improve your images with a lot of effects. You can create graphics, including textures and highy stylized text and, when you are done, you can export directly pictures to Flickr. Free to download and use. http://www.develderby.com/phantasmagoria/



2. Picitup Picitup is an online image search engine that allows you search for pictures applying filters. Just inserting a keyword and clicking search will bring you to a result page, where you can decide to filter images: you can select faces, landscapes products, or even colors and, when you have found the right picture, you can click on it and you will be brought to its page so that you can download it. Free to use. http://www.picitup.com/



3. Tag Galaxy Tag Galaxy is a Flickr search engine that displays results as planets and galaxies. After you insert a term to begin the research, multiple planets will gather, suggesting other possible keywords related to the starting one so that your research can become wider. At the center of the galaxy, you can click the planet, and it will begin showing pictures that you can click on and download from their Flickr page. Free. http://taggalaxy.de/



4. Splashr Splashr is a new tool that anyone can use to show Flickr photos on embeddable players. All you have to do is to enter a Flickr username, email, photo-set id, or simply tags, decide how many photos will be showed on the board, select the style, and click a button. You can then preview the player, share it via email, or embed it on your web-site so that everyone can see it. Free to use, no registration needed. http://splashr.com/



5. Picreflect Picreflect is a simple web-based tool to add reflections to your pictures. After you load a picture from your PC or URL, you can change reflection height and transparency settings, resize or rotate the picture, change the background color and even flip it. Then, you can click generate and save your picture locally on your machine. Free to use, no registration needed. http://picreflect.com/



6. GIFUP GIFUP is an online GIF animation and avatar generator. Simply upload images from your computer, or get them from Flickr or any web-site, and GIFUP will automatically create an animation with the images you provided. When you're satisfied, you can then save it to your computer, or share it with your friends. Free to use. http://www.gifup.com/



7. Retriever Retriever is an interesting site where you can draw a picture and start a research that matches what you are drawing on your sketch pad. After you decide dimension and color of your brush, and you can start drawing anything you want and in a matter of seconds it will show search result from Flickr that match what you drew. You can also upload an image, or provide its URL, and Retriever will look for pictures that are similar to the one you uploaded. Free. http://labs.systemone.at/retrievr/



8. Web 2.0 Free Logo Generator Web 2.0 Free Logo Generator is a web-based service that lets you create Web 2.0 logos, without knowing anything about photo editing. You can personalize the text, font, background color, size, reflection, image format and resolution. When you are done, you can right click the logo and save it locally on your PC, or you can send it via email to other people. Free to use, no registration needed http://www.simwebsol.com/ImageTool/

Originally written by Nico Canali De Rossi for Master New Media and first published on June 21st 2008 as "Visual Communication And Video Publishing - Selected Tools And Web Services - Sharewood Picnic Jun21 08"

Create An Online Interactive Multimedia Magazine From Any Document With Calameo
If you want to create a slick, highly visual, interactive magazine to publish and distribute online, Calameo, has recently launched a web-based service that allows one-click conversion of all most popular document formats into highly customizable and very attractive full-screen flip-page magazines. So, whether you have a PDF file a .doc report or an OpenOffice presentation you can easily create high-impact interactive visual magazines that can be distributed via email, social news sites and via an embeddable snippet of code allowing any Calameo based magazine to be republished on any web site or blog. Here more details:

Overview

Calaméo is a web-based service which creates glossy, highly visual versions of most any document you submit in order to provide a richer and more comfortable reading experience. Online publications created with Calameo can be downloaded, shared / embedded on other sites, and sent as a link to be viewed to any number of recipients and independently of the operating system, or browser type being used. In other words, Calameo is a tool capable of producing slick-looking interactive documents with little effort and no tech know-how required on the part of the publisher. These interactive documents are particularly interesting as they offer multiple navigation and browsing options, a good search functionality, easy zooming and scrolling through the document and a simple and intuitive user interface. Personalization also plays an important roleinside Calameo, allowing you, the publisher, to easily characterize your publication through a wide choice of personalization options (background image, music, interactive links, etc.). Calameo-generated documents can be published and shared publicly or can be kept under secure access for your restricted team of colleagues. Calaméo allows you to share your publications with the people of your choice, in complete safety. Calameo also allows you to organize multiple types of documents you want to publish into separate "subscriptions" allowing the actual creation of different publication channels. Social features are well integrated into this online publishing tool allowing for readers to comment and start discussions on any document you have configured for open social interaction.

Key Features

Document Conversion - Files Type Supported

Calameo can easily convert most type of documents and files with no additional help. Files can be as large as 100MB each, and here are the specific document formats supported.

Player Features - Navigation Controls

Once a document has been converted into Calameo, it is displayed within a custom Flash player. To navigate the newly created document a navigation toolbar is available on the top left area of the Calameo player. Key navigation options from left to right include: a) Publication Switch back to main publication mode from any other of the available viewing modes. b) Subscriptions Allow readers to discover and access your other content channels, magazines or publications. c) Thumbnail view of all pages View the whole publication as a series of thumbnails. d) Full screen view Launch the viewer in full screen mode. e) Bookmarking Bookmark specific pages or sections for later review. f) Zoom-In Zoom-Out Easily zoom in and out of the document for maximum readability. g) Audio volume Control or mute audio volume for multimedia publications which contain audio as well.

Delivery and Distribution

With Calameo all of your documents can be easily shared either as fully viewable embedded documents, or via a small mini-Calameo player. At the moment of publication you can also immediately invite selected contacts as well as post your doc to some of the most popular social news sites. Publications created with Calameo can be easily distributed, shared, republished, subscribed to in multiple ways. Converted documents can in fact be set for open download by readers, as well as for open republication via the Calameo mini-embeddable player you see above this paragraph. An RSS feed is also available. Social news and bookmarking facilities also allow anyone to easily repost any Calameo publication to some of the most popular social news sites such Facebook, Digg or Reddit.

Community Features

Calameo sports the standard set of social and community features allowing you to invite as many people as you want to watch, comment and discuss around your publications directly from within the Calameo interface.

Search

The Calameo search facility module doesn\'t get a prize for its UI, but it does deliver solid results, that are visually navigable and immediately accessible. It appears to be also very fast.

Customization

Calameo offers a nice set of interesting customization features for your own publications. These range from integrating your own image or logo in the player, to the addition of background music and more.

Multimedia Editing

One of the coolest features of Calameo allows you to edit your uploaded document and add to it links to other web sites, links to specific pages inside the document, MP3 sounds, video clips in FLV format and animation s in SWF file format.

Licensing

All documents published with Calameo must be files for which you do have full publishing and distribution rights. You cannot just take any electronic version of a magazine and re-publish it through this service. If you do, you may run into some serious penal issues. If you are the originator of your own documents to be published via Calameo you have also the nice option of being able to select the type of Creative Commons licence that you want to use for each publication.

Other Cool Features

A number of other valuable features is available when you create a new publication and includes options to share the document and to make it easy for others to access it. Advanced conversion options allow you to set whether original fonts should be integrated in the final converted publication doc (this will make it larger in size and therefore slower to load) or if Calameo will try to approximate itself the closest available font to the layout specs. Quality of compressed images can also be converted from these conversion options.

Plans & Pricing

The basic service, which is fully free, has lots to offer without asking anything in return. The PRO version, which costs €149/year (apx. $190 ) provides you with greater ability to customize your publication, tools to manage directly your mailing list, traffic and viewing stats, no ads. The PRO version has also added access to the Calameo API, allowing your programmers to tap right into the Calameo engine and data output elements.

In Summary

Pros - Key Strengths

Support for a wide variety of popular file formats Web-based - works with all browsers and operating systems Free - all of the basic core functionalities are available for free Slick, interactive document player Cool navigation and browsing tools Customization options Editable - links, videos and animations can be added to your original document Embeddable on other sites Downloadable - original document can be made available for download if desired Privacy - any document can be set to be published as fully "public" or as "private" Community features Social news sites support RSS support

Cons - To Improve

Help and documentation - very sparse and thin - badly organized - difficult to navigate AdSense ads - AdSense ads are present on almost every public page of this service site. While I understand the basic needs for bringing in any possible extra revenue during these early phases I find the presence of ads distracting and discrediting for the site prestige and credibility. They should not be there. The "action" buttons used to edit or save information inside Calameo all use strange and non-standard terms for functions. Distracting and confusing. Somewhat confusing navigation inside Calameo web-based account. Not intuitive path to find mini-player and sharing functionalities.

Editor\'s Comments

Here is an innovative online publishing tool which raises the bar for quality of results (final page layouts) as well as for speed and ease of use. Targeted at those wanting to distribute their contents online in a more prestigious, slick and interactive format, Europe-based Calameo has created a useful service, which similarly to Scribd or Docstoc allows you to easily publish and distribute any document online. Calameo key strengths are the wide support for a variety of popular document formats, a cool and highly usable distribution interface, alongside some nifty customization features, RSS support, publication embedding, as well as full downloading (if allowed) of original documents. Although still in beta, Calameo looks like a promising service for online publishers, especially for those who want to extract higher value from the distribution medium Calameo puts at their disposal. From the viewpoint of professional online publishers, the opportunity is in creating premium options that serve directly the needs of those wanting to use this platform as a way to market and sell their know-how, services or physical products. In this light, potential integration of ecommerce payments, squeeze page features, list building and similar marketing tools could further characterize Calameo from its competitors, while addressing aggressively one of the most rapidly moving segments on the net. I believe that there is ample market opportunities for online publishing tools like this one, as long as they are courageous and shrewd enough to address very specific needs and applications. Doing something cool that tries to satisfy many different needs and audience types is generally bound to have much harder chances of survival.

Learn More

About Calameo Calameo Help (very cumbersome to navigate and rather sparse in contents) Press Release - April 21st 2008

Originally written by Robin Good for Master New Media and first published on Tuesday June 24th 2008 as "Create An Online Interactive Magazine From Any Document With Calameo" ...

If you want to create a slick, highly visual, interactive magazine to publish and distribute online, Calameo, has recently launched a web-based service that allows one-click conversion of all most popular document formats into highly customizable and very attractive full-screen flip-page magazines. So, whether you have a PDF file a .doc report or an OpenOffice presentation you can easily create high-impact interactive visual magazines that can be distributed via email, social news sites and via an embeddable snippet of code allowing any Calameo based magazine to be republished on any web site or blog. Here more details:

Overview

Calaméo is a web-based service which creates glossy, highly visual versions of most any document you submit in order to provide a richer and more comfortable reading experience. Online publications created with Calameo can be downloaded, shared / embedded on other sites, and sent as a link to be viewed to any number of recipients and independently of the operating system, or browser type being used. In other words, Calameo is a tool capable of producing slick-looking interactive documents with little effort and no tech know-how required on the part of the publisher. These interactive documents are particularly interesting as they offer multiple navigation and browsing options, a good search functionality, easy zooming and scrolling through the document and a simple and intuitive user interface. Personalization also plays an important roleinside Calameo, allowing you, the publisher, to easily characterize your publication through a wide choice of personalization options (background image, music, interactive links, etc.). Calameo-generated documents can be published and shared publicly or can be kept under secure access for your restricted team of colleagues. Calaméo allows you to share your publications with the people of your choice, in complete safety. Calameo also allows you to organize multiple types of documents you want to publish into separate "subscriptions" allowing the actual creation of different publication channels. Social features are well integrated into this online publishing tool allowing for readers to comment and start discussions on any document you have configured for open social interaction.

Key Features

Document Conversion - Files Type Supported

Calameo can easily convert most type of documents and files with no additional help. Files can be as large as 100MB each, and here are the specific document formats supported.

Player Features - Navigation Controls

Once a document has been converted into Calameo, it is displayed within a custom Flash player. To navigate the newly created document a navigation toolbar is available on the top left area of the Calameo player. Key navigation options from left to right include: a) Publication Switch back to main publication mode from any other of the available viewing modes. b) Subscriptions Allow readers to discover and access your other content channels, magazines or publications. c) Thumbnail view of all pages View the whole publication as a series of thumbnails. d) Full screen view Launch the viewer in full screen mode. e) Bookmarking Bookmark specific pages or sections for later review. f) Zoom-In Zoom-Out Easily zoom in and out of the document for maximum readability. g) Audio volume Control or mute audio volume for multimedia publications which contain audio as well.

Delivery and Distribution

With Calameo all of your documents can be easily shared either as fully viewable embedded documents, or via a small mini-Calameo player. At the moment of publication you can also immediately invite selected contacts as well as post your doc to some of the most popular social news sites. Publications created with Calameo can be easily distributed, shared, republished, subscribed to in multiple ways. Converted documents can in fact be set for open download by readers, as well as for open republication via the Calameo mini-embeddable player you see above this paragraph. An RSS feed is also available. Social news and bookmarking facilities also allow anyone to easily repost any Calameo publication to some of the most popular social news sites such Facebook, Digg or Reddit.

Community Features

Calameo sports the standard set of social and community features allowing you to invite as many people as you want to watch, comment and discuss around your publications directly from within the Calameo interface.

Search

The Calameo search facility module doesn't get a prize for its UI, but it does deliver solid results, that are visually navigable and immediately accessible. It appears to be also very fast.

Customization

Calameo offers a nice set of interesting customization features for your own publications. These range from integrating your own image or logo in the player, to the addition of background music and more.

Multimedia Editing

One of the coolest features of Calameo allows you to edit your uploaded document and add to it links to other web sites, links to specific pages inside the document, MP3 sounds, video clips in FLV format and animation s in SWF file format.

Licensing

All documents published with Calameo must be files for which you do have full publishing and distribution rights. You cannot just take any electronic version of a magazine and re-publish it through this service. If you do, you may run into some serious penal issues. If you are the originator of your own documents to be published via Calameo you have also the nice option of being able to select the type of Creative Commons licence that you want to use for each publication.

Other Cool Features

A number of other valuable features is available when you create a new publication and includes options to share the document and to make it easy for others to access it. Advanced conversion options allow you to set whether original fonts should be integrated in the final converted publication doc (this will make it larger in size and therefore slower to load) or if Calameo will try to approximate itself the closest available font to the layout specs. Quality of compressed images can also be converted from these conversion options.

Plans & Pricing

The basic service, which is fully free, has lots to offer without asking anything in return. The PRO version, which costs €149/year (apx. $190 ) provides you with greater ability to customize your publication, tools to manage directly your mailing list, traffic and viewing stats, no ads. The PRO version has also added access to the Calameo API, allowing your programmers to tap right into the Calameo engine and data output elements.

In Summary

Pros - Key Strengths

Support for a wide variety of popular file formats Web-based - works with all browsers and operating systems Free - all of the basic core functionalities are available for free Slick, interactive document player Cool navigation and browsing tools Customization options Editable - links, videos and animations can be added to your original document Embeddable on other sites Downloadable - original document can be made available for download if desired Privacy - any document can be set to be published as fully "public" or as "private" Community features Social news sites support RSS support

Cons - To Improve

Help and documentation - very sparse and thin - badly organized - difficult to navigate AdSense ads - AdSense ads are present on almost every public page of this service site. While I understand the basic needs for bringing in any possible extra revenue during these early phases I find the presence of ads distracting and discrediting for the site prestige and credibility. They should not be there. The "action" buttons used to edit or save information inside Calameo all use strange and non-standard terms for functions. Distracting and confusing. Somewhat confusing navigation inside Calameo web-based account. Not intuitive path to find mini-player and sharing functionalities.

Editor's Comments

Here is an innovative online publishing tool which raises the bar for quality of results (final page layouts) as well as for speed and ease of use. Targeted at those wanting to distribute their contents online in a more prestigious, slick and interactive format, Europe-based Calameo has created a useful service, which similarly to Scribd or Docstoc allows you to easily publish and distribute any document online. Calameo key strengths are the wide support for a variety of popular document formats, a cool and highly usable distribution interface, alongside some nifty customization features, RSS support, publication embedding, as well as full downloading (if allowed) of original documents. Although still in beta, Calameo looks like a promising service for online publishers, especially for those who want to extract higher value from the distribution medium Calameo puts at their disposal. From the viewpoint of professional online publishers, the opportunity is in creating premium options that serve directly the needs of those wanting to use this platform as a way to market and sell their know-how, services or physical products. In this light, potential integration of ecommerce payments, squeeze page features, list building and similar marketing tools could further characterize Calameo from its competitors, while addressing aggressively one of the most rapidly moving segments on the net. I believe that there is ample market opportunities for online publishing tools like this one, as long as they are courageous and shrewd enough to address very specific needs and applications. Doing something cool that tries to satisfy many different needs and audience types is generally bound to have much harder chances of survival.

Learn More

About Calameo Calameo Help (very cumbersome to navigate and rather sparse in contents) Press Release - April 21st 2008

Originally written by Robin Good for Master New Media and first published on Tuesday June 24th 2008 as "Create An Online Interactive Magazine From Any Document With Calameo"

Making Sense Of New Technologies And Media: An Opinionated Digest by George Siemens - June 21 08
Social media strategies for the web, scanning information, learning via dialogue and participation, how micropublishers manage their information and publishing workflow are just some of the interesting topics that are included in this juicy weekly digest. Photo credit: Vasyl Yakobchuk But there is more: social network usage, learning 2.0, overcoming bias and socializing when teaching and learning. George Siemens, Master New Media educational technologies and learning expert contributor, takes you into another great scanning journey to see, discover and understand how media and new technologies are rapidly changing the way we think, work and collaborate. Here the details:

Connecting with the Facebook Generation: Social Media Strategies for Web 2.0

An interesting and lengthy presentation on how universities/colleges can connect with learners who are active in social technologies - Connecting with the Facebook Generation: Social Media Strategies for Web 2.0

Is Scanning Important?

Tony Karrer and Michele Martin have been throwing out lots of ideas on their new Work Literacy site ("Work Literacy is a network of individuals, companies and organizations who are interested in learning, defining, mentoring, teaching and consulting on the frameworks, skills, methods and tools of modern knowledge work."). A recent post - (Is scanning important: "Scanning is very important to me and occupies a fair amount of my time. I consider it essential to staying on the forefront. When I begin to work with a new client, I often set up various scanning activities for me to be in a continuous learning mode around their world."

Transforming the Way To Learn through Dialogue and Participation

Transforming the way to learn through dialogue and participation: "Overtime, I think universities have become more removed from society and gradually have been involved in a production of knowledge, which tends to objectify reality...I think teachers have to, almost, relearn the pedagogical approaches. Even if we think about dialogue as a conversation, we should not escape from the fact that there are many power relationships that influence the relationship between teachers and students. If teachers engage with students in conversation, unless both sides are aware of the expectations, and of the power relations experienced, it can be very difficult for that conversation to be based really on an equitable basis." Issues of power and control are central to many changes in society and education. Wikipedia? It\'s about trust/authority/power. Classrooms? Power/control/authority are the defining elements. And yet, we are now at a point where no one person has the ability to see a field in its entirety. We are all seeing small fragments at best. Theoretically at least, more contributors=more diverse ways of seeing the field. The downside, of course, is that we get completely overwhelmed because we have not yet adjusted our tools and our methods for handling abundance.

OLDaily Production

In this age of personal production, it is interesting to see how different people manage their information and content. We often talk about how anyone can be a publisher - blogger, podcaster, webcaster, or whatever. But how do people manage their resources? How does a micropublisher find, filter, and share resources? One of the most prolific bloggers in the edtech domain - Stephen Downes - has put together a short presentation on how he manages OLDaily. I would like to see how other micropublishers and bloggers gather and make sense of materials they publish (such as Robin Good, Brian Lamb, D'Arcy Norman, Alec Couros, Dave Snowden, Jay Cross, Will Richardson, etc.). Bring on the sensemaking screencast series. Hey, can we have that as a meme?

Social Network Users vs. Age

A short study on social network users by age. Depending on the tool in question, significant drops occur at about 18 years for MySpace and Facebook users and 35ish for LinkedIn and Flickr users. I wonder how those trends will hold up as people age...i.e. do Facebook users continue to Facebook as they get older? Do they switch to other platforms? Or do they stop all together?

Solid Thinking: A Challengable Position on Learning 2.0 and the Incumbent

Mark Nichols tackles a broad theme on change within education (and offers a short critique on connectivism...which is revisited in the discussion portion of the post): Solid thinking: A challengable position on learning 2.0 and the incumbent. In particular, Mark suggests we don`t need as broad a change model as some have suggested and that educational reform is best handled by including web 2.0 concepts and tools under the broad umbrella of social constructivism and some degree of centralized control and hierarchy.

Overcoming Bias...and the Hadron Collider

Overcoming Bias is an interesting blog exploring a mix of philosophy, futurism, and obscure concepts/ ideas (or is that an oxymoron when used in the same sentence as "philosophy"?). Recently, they posted on one of lawsuits around the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). LHC is a particle accelerator that a few individuals fear will cause the universe to unravel. Which would then in turn make global warming a largely moot concept. Interesting discussion follows in the Overcoming Bias post on probability theory (and when we are willing to gamble with "being wrong") as well as information validity.

Socializing Teaching and Learning

I\'ve posted slides from my presentation today to the Canadian Network for Innovation in Education. Topic: Socializing Teaching and Learning. I posted audio on my U of M blog (yes, I know, I can sync the slides on Slideshare).



Originally written by George Siemens and published as weekly email digest on eLearning Resources and News. First published on June 21st 2008. To learn more about George Siemens and to access extensive information and resources on elearning check out www.elearnspace.org. Explore also George Siemens connectivism site for resources on the changing nature of learning and check out his new book "Knowing Knowledge". ...

Social media strategies for the web, scanning information, learning via dialogue and participation, how micropublishers manage their information and publishing workflow are just some of the interesting topics that are included in this juicy weekly digest. Photo credit: Vasyl Yakobchuk But there is more: social network usage, learning 2.0, overcoming bias and socializing when teaching and learning. George Siemens, Master New Media educational technologies and learning expert contributor, takes you into another great scanning journey to see, discover and understand how media and new technologies are rapidly changing the way we think, work and collaborate. Here the details:

Connecting with the Facebook Generation: Social Media Strategies for Web 2.0

An interesting and lengthy presentation on how universities/colleges can connect with learners who are active in social technologies - Connecting with the Facebook Generation: Social Media Strategies for Web 2.0

Is Scanning Important?

Tony Karrer and Michele Martin have been throwing out lots of ideas on their new Work Literacy site ("Work Literacy is a network of individuals, companies and organizations who are interested in learning, defining, mentoring, teaching and consulting on the frameworks, skills, methods and tools of modern knowledge work."). A recent post - (Is scanning important: "Scanning is very important to me and occupies a fair amount of my time. I consider it essential to staying on the forefront. When I begin to work with a new client, I often set up various scanning activities for me to be in a continuous learning mode around their world."

Transforming the Way To Learn through Dialogue and Participation

Transforming the way to learn through dialogue and participation: "Overtime, I think universities have become more removed from society and gradually have been involved in a production of knowledge, which tends to objectify reality...I think teachers have to, almost, relearn the pedagogical approaches. Even if we think about dialogue as a conversation, we should not escape from the fact that there are many power relationships that influence the relationship between teachers and students. If teachers engage with students in conversation, unless both sides are aware of the expectations, and of the power relations experienced, it can be very difficult for that conversation to be based really on an equitable basis." Issues of power and control are central to many changes in society and education. Wikipedia? It's about trust/authority/power. Classrooms? Power/control/authority are the defining elements. And yet, we are now at a point where no one person has the ability to see a field in its entirety. We are all seeing small fragments at best. Theoretically at least, more contributors=more diverse ways of seeing the field. The downside, of course, is that we get completely overwhelmed because we have not yet adjusted our tools and our methods for handling abundance.

OLDaily Production

In this age of personal production, it is interesting to see how different people manage their information and content. We often talk about how anyone can be a publisher - blogger, podcaster, webcaster, or whatever. But how do people manage their resources? How does a micropublisher find, filter, and share resources? One of the most prolific bloggers in the edtech domain - Stephen Downes - has put together a short presentation on how he manages OLDaily. I would like to see how other micropublishers and bloggers gather and make sense of materials they publish (such as Robin Good, Brian Lamb, D’Arcy Norman, Alec Couros, Dave Snowden, Jay Cross, Will Richardson, etc.). Bring on the sensemaking screencast series. Hey, can we have that as a meme?

Social Network Users vs. Age

A short study on social network users by age. Depending on the tool in question, significant drops occur at about 18 years for MySpace and Facebook users and 35ish for LinkedIn and Flickr users. I wonder how those trends will hold up as people age...i.e. do Facebook users continue to Facebook as they get older? Do they switch to other platforms? Or do they stop all together?

Solid Thinking: A Challengable Position on Learning 2.0 and the Incumbent

Mark Nichols tackles a broad theme on change within education (and offers a short critique on connectivism...which is revisited in the discussion portion of the post): Solid thinking: A challengable position on learning 2.0 and the incumbent. In particular, Mark suggests we don`t need as broad a change model as some have suggested and that educational reform is best handled by including web 2.0 concepts and tools under the broad umbrella of social constructivism and some degree of centralized control and hierarchy.

Overcoming Bias...and the Hadron Collider

Overcoming Bias is an interesting blog exploring a mix of philosophy, futurism, and obscure concepts/ ideas (or is that an oxymoron when used in the same sentence as "philosophy"?). Recently, they posted on one of lawsuits around the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). LHC is a particle accelerator that a few individuals fear will cause the universe to unravel. Which would then in turn make global warming a largely moot concept. Interesting discussion follows in the Overcoming Bias post on probability theory (and when we are willing to gamble with "being wrong") as well as information validity.

Socializing Teaching and Learning

I've posted slides from my presentation today to the Canadian Network for Innovation in Education. Topic: Socializing Teaching and Learning. I posted audio on my U of M blog (yes, I know, I can sync the slides on Slideshare).



Originally written by George Siemens and published as weekly email digest on eLearning Resources and News. First published on June 21st 2008. To learn more about George Siemens and to access extensive information and resources on elearning check out www.elearnspace.org. Explore also George Siemens connectivism site for resources on the changing nature of learning and check out his new book "Knowing Knowledge".

The Art of Innovation

Innovation to the Internet Marketer is looking for the next great marketing &/or web site building idea which will change the face of Internet Marketing &/or web site building as we know it.

What is personal space?
What is personal space? How do you define personal space to someone who is culturally unfamiliar with the concept? How do you demand that your personal boundaries be respected? Two days after our wedding, FIL questioned my beliefs on feet-touching. They practice it, of course, and with great gusto. I have grown up believing that it is [...]

An introduction to pure vitriol
I’ve put an end to late night jaunts under the pretex of needing coffee. I’d rather blog. And gleefully. My vitriol, afterall, is all over the web. Today his brother and sister in law called to chat. I was polite. They were polite. It was short because I had to go back to sleep. Later he [...]

Arschficken im Pornohaus
Wenn Gina am Set ist stiehlt sie allen anderen die Show, doch auch ihre geile blonde Kollegin hat so einiges zu bieten und zweigt auch schon ihre Blaskünste. Auch den engen Po lässt sie sich p… weiter Hier offenbaren wir ihnen die geilsten Hardcorepics und heißesten Hardcorevideos! Klicke hier für weitere Fotos und Filme!

Lorina
Lorina Du bekommst deine artige Girl Wenn du etwas Ungewoehnliche moechtestdann koennen wir uns in die zauberhafte Welt vom Osten verwandelnwo ich fur dich ein Belleytanz darstelle.Ich hab ausdrucksvolle schwarze Augenin dennen man in den Feuer von der Leidenschaft brennen kannein geheimnissvolle Laexhelnduennes glattes Haut das auf deine heisse Kuesse wartetduenne Taillemeine Brustdie sich hoch [...]

Fick meine geile Fotze - jetzt sehen
Das blonde Luder hier freut sich schon die ganze Zeit auf diese heiße Nummer hier. Zwei Jungs die sich um sie Kümmern und ihr beide Löcher korrekt Durchficken. Sie geben sich viel Mühe um das Biest zufrieden zu stellen. Klicke hier für weitere Fotos und Filme!

DieLustvolle
DieLustvolle Lustvolle Sie sucht Lustvollen Egal ob schwarz, blond oder braun - auf geilen Sex stehen alle Mädels! Bedenken sind für diese Webcam-Mädchen ein Fremdwort und anstatt sich lange zu zieren, zeigen sie vor der Cam gleich worauf sie stehen! Für mehr Livecams klick hier!

The Secret to Getting More Done Than Ever Before
Stop making decisions.  If you want to be the most productive person you can be…then stop making decisions!  This is the secret to accomplishing your dreams. Think about it.  Most people spend countless hours making un-important decisions.  They decide what to watch on TV.  Sometimes they spend hours making that decision.  (Hence, channel-surfing.) Have you ever gone [...]

Stop making decisions.  If you want to be the most productive person you can be…then stop making decisions!  This is the secret to accomplishing your dreams.

Think about it.  Most people spend countless hours making un-important decisions.  They decide what to watch on TV.  Sometimes they spend hours making that decision.  (Hence, channel-surfing.)

Have you ever gone out to rent a movie and found yourself completely frustrated looking for a movie, unable to decide exactly which one to rent?  It happens to the best of us.  It’s happens to me.

But here’s the rub.  Before you stop making decisions, you need to make one very important decision.

Take this decision seriously!  Think about the consequences.  Imagine being committed to it.  Visualize it.  Decide if its what you really want.  Decide to be serious about it.  Make sure that when you decide that you decide for real.   Don’t force the most important decisions of your life.

Do you want to be rich?  Then stop deciding that you want to be rich.  As Nike says, just do it.  Every ounce of effort you spend making a decision is an ounce of effort that could have been put toward accomplishing that decision.

And let me tell you this:  It feels good to accomplish things.

The truly exceptional among us don’t waste time making decisions.  They don’t switch back and forth.  They commit.  They stay focused.  They get stuff done….because that is what they have decided to do.

Fortunately, you don’t need to be completely crazy.  If you’re not ready to commit your life to one thing, then here is what I recommend.  Give yourself small increments of time where you decide to NOT make decisions.  For example, think of something you want to accomplish, set a timer for 30 minutes, and then work on that one thing and only that one thing for 30 minutes.  For just 30 minutes, focus completely on the task at hand.

And if you want to take that technique even further:  Record the number of half hour increments of  ‘complete focus’ that you accomplish in a day.  Track your progress.  Gradually you will get better at it.  Eventually you will find something you want to focus your life around…and when you do, you will be able to accomplish far more than you’ve ever dreamed possible…only if you stop making decisions and start focusing.  Keep your eyes open.  Practice your ability to stay focused.  Opportunities will come.

Die notgeile Chefin (19.10.2008)
Um eine Frau vom telefonieren abzuhalten, gibt es nur eine M�glichkeit. Sie muss super gelutscht und ihre Vagina und ihr Hinterteil mit den Fingern bearbeitet werden. Wenn sie feucht genug ist, kann losgefickt werden bis sie ganz spermageil ist. Hier geht es zu mehr Bilder und Filme!

Die neue Darstellerin
Die neue Darstellerin ist der Irrsinn, nur kurz angesprochen und das geile Ding will schon Vögeln. Sie leckt ihm den Prügel und bekommt dafür die Fotze gestopft und mit Ejakulat besudelt. Hardcorephotos und Hardcorevideos ohne Ende gibt hier! Hier gehts zu noch mehr Videos!

PENGUIN CAMPAIGN
Loving the latest work from Penguin, who have now published a handful of their titles with blank covers and have invited people to send in their ideas for the designs ... see the gallery HERE.

Loving the latest work from Penguin, who have now published a handful of their titles with blank covers and have invited people to send in their ideas for the designs ... see the gallery HERE.

JAMES: MY PERSONAL DNA
Cute thing that I was just playing with, as mentioned on John Grant's blog - always a good read. Have a go, let us know how you turned out ...

Cute thing that I was just playing with, as mentioned on John Grant's blog - always a good read. Have a go, let us know how you turned out ...

Robert Scoble Contributes the Foreword to David Meerman Scott's New Book
Scoble, Vice President Media Development at PodTech.net, co-author of Naked Conversations, and popular blogger at Scobleizer.com crafts the perfect scene setting essay for Scott's "The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to use news releases, blogs, podcasts, viral marketing & online media to reach your buyers directly."

Technical evangelist and author of Naked Conversations Robert Scoble, whose blog scobleizer.com is one of the most popular in the world, has written the foreword for David Meerman Scott's latest book The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to use news releases, blogs, podcasts, viral marketing & online media to reach your buyers directly.

"You're not supposed to be able to do what David Meerman Scott tells you in this book," Scoble writes. "You're not supposed to be able to carry around a $250 video camera, record what employees are working on and what they think of the products they built, and publish those videos on the Internet. But that's what I did at Microsoft, building an audience of more than four million unique visitors a month."

"The New Rules of Marketing & PR" shows how to leverage the potential that Web-based communication offers all kinds of organizations, businesses, non-profits, and individuals. The book includes a step-by-step action plan for how to identify audiences, create compelling messages, get those messages to the most consumers possible, and lead those consumers directly into the buying process. Told with many compelling case studies and real-world examples, this a practical guide to the new reality of PR and marketing. Robert Scoble's forward to The New Rules of Marketing & PR can be read in its entirety on Scott's site.

"Something has changed in the past 10 years," says Scoble. "Well, for one, we have Google now, but that's only a part of the puzzle. What really has happened is the word-of-mouth network has gotten more efficient. Much, much, more efficient. But first you'll have to learn to break the rules. By reading Scott's book you'll understand how to gain the credibility you need to build your business. Enjoy!"

David Meerman Scott is an online thought leadership strategist and viral marketing expert. The programs he has developed have won numerous awards, have been named to the MarketingSherpa Viral Marketing Hall of Fame for the past two years in a row, and are responsible for selling over one billion dollars in products and services worldwide. Scott is also an instructor for Pragmatic Marketing and he has lived and worked in New York, Tokyo, Boston, and Hong Kong and has presented at industry conferences and events in over twenty countries on four continents. Check out Scott's ideas on his own popular marketing blog.

Leading Google Search Expert Offers Five Free 30-Minute Sessions
As website owners know, obtaining a top 10 ranking at the search engines where an online storefront can be quickly spotted by a target audience that is ready to buy can be a daunting task, especially without firsthand knowledge of how the search engine works, which is why natural search expert James Martell has just released a series of free informative sessions from his sold-out Backlinks Workshop.

"Most site owners remain confused about legitimate, 'non-spammy' techniques that can be used to drive free from the search engines to their websites because they simply but lack the understanding of what it takes to obtain top rankings," Martell explains. "They don't realize that the search engines, especially Google, determine where a page is listed in the search results by analyzing others pages on the Internet that are linking to it," Martell, successful publisher, speaker and author of the Affiliate Marketers Handbook - '2006' (THIRD EDITION)," adds.

As he explains in the Backlinks Workshop sessions, the search engines use these "incoming links" (also known as "backlinks") from other sites as "votes" to determine where a website page should reside in the search results.

This explains why if a Webmaster wants a site to rank highly in the natural search results, with Google and other search engines alike, they need other search engine trusted websites linking to the site.

"In short," as Martell says, "There's just no other way."

Aside from releasing the free five 30-minute sessions for Webmasters of every level, Martell has also just announced his next live Backlinks Workshop, right on the heels of the first Backlinks Workshop, which boasted record attendance and sold out in a matter of days.

Slated to begin July 17, the engaging workshop will be delivered to participants desktops via Martell's online conference room technology, providing live, media-rich instruction of every step of Martell's proven inbound link campaign process.

This allows participating Webmasters to learn by watching then by doing, having questions answered by Martell as they go, ultimately providing Webmasters with the tools needed to develop their own links, and a thorough backlinks campaign that gets results.

The night-school style classes will be held every Tuesday, starting at 6 pm (Pacific Time) and last for approximately 90 minutes. Each session is broken into two parts: During the first part, Martell provides live instruction, followed by the second part, which includes an important interactive question and answer period with Martell and participating site owners.

Additionally, the Backlinks Workshop sessions can be reviewed at any time online or through downloadable video, MP3 audio files or written transcripts, providing participants with both the flexibility and ongoing support needed to achieve the strong results desired.

As attendees of the previous sold-out Backlinks Workshop know, website owners will learn the same techniques and strategies Martell has relied on to achieve and maintain his own online success for more than seven years now.

"The inbound link workshop is straight-forward, detailed and systematic," says student Jim Stenson. "James Martell has done it again! I know when I fully implement the system I will finally be ranking in the search engines at a level that will generate the traffic needed for my success."

Fellow student David Caban concurs.

"Martell's backlinks workshop opened my eyes to the true "secret" of getting my sites to rank highly in the search engines," he says. "I loved the week-by-week approach to learning the material and thought it was highly effective. The best part for me was that each session was recorded. Since I wasn't able to make each week's meeting, I was so relieved to know I could watch the video at a later date and still get the information I needed!"

According to both Stenson and Caban, by following along, participating Webmasters will create inbound links to their website, as well as develop a comprehensive system that provides ongoing links, with the cutting through the clutter and delivering real long-term results.

To learn more about James Martell's Backlinks Workshop, and to download five FREE 30 minute sessions loaded with spam-free strategies, tips and techniques for gaining higher rankings at the search engines, go to: http://www.BacklinksWorkshop.com.

About James Martell (http://www.jamesmartell.com)
James Martell resides with his wife Arlene and four children Adam, Justin, Shelby and Victoria in little seaside community (White Rock, British Columbia). Although a carpenter by trade, James is a self-taught entrepreneur who has been a recognized expert of natural search techniques since 1999.

James is the author of the best-selling downloadable Affiliate Marketers Handbook 2006, which now, five years later, has been revised and updated to become the most comprehensive affiliate marketer's handbook available today.

This 389-page training manual and companion video series are continually relied on by people worldwide who, using James' teachings as a roadmap, have guided themselves and their families to home-based business success.

James is also well known through the affiliate marketing industry for his legendary live Coffee Talk interviews, which include candid discussions with some of the top professionals in this field, and his Affiliate Buzz audio newsletters, both of which provide website owners new and old alike with information, resources, tips, tools and techniques on online publishing that website owners can use to achieve their own online success.

Search Engine Sproose.com Launches New Self-Voting Platform For Web Search
Sproose, an upcoming search engine with technology allowing users to rank the index of results, launched today a new voting platform inteface so users can easily rank their favorite sites. Former Netzero Executive, Bob Pack who helped raise its initial funding in 1998, founded Sproose.

Users are given control over search listings. Search engine Sproose.com lets users rank the index. With its self voting platfom the more popular sites move up to the top of the index of search results.

Sproose uses a "human popularity voting" model where users can self- rank the index creating personalized search results. The more users that vote a site the further up in the ranking it goes.

"The new look is much more visual providing a total score of the voted sites and a ranking system that improves upon the algorithmic based order," says Bob Pack, CEO of Sproose. Users merely need to click on the "I like it" icon next to the search result and the index will refresh immediately moving that site up.

Registered users may also display their voted sites if they elect to. "This connects people in a social way to share knowledge through (search), states," CEO Bob Pack.

The Sproose website is at www.sproose.com

About Sproose
Sproose provides a consumer search engine whereby the users can influence the ranking of the index by voting on the results. Each user is able to create a different set of search results when searching under the same keyword. With its proprietary 'Knowledge Rank' moderated directory technologies, Sproose users can effectively categorize and index sites, tailored for personal or group usage. The rating of search results is done without downloading applications to ensure privacy.

SEO Training, Monetizing Traffic & Avoiding PPC Advertising Mistakes
Michael Campbell an internet marketing consultant, coach and author, today published Internet Marketing Secrets Issue #124, which is read by over 35,000 internet marketing professionals, search engine optimizers, affiliate marketers, sales people, and webmasters around the world.

In This Edition #124:

1) The Secrets of Selling More.
2) Letting Your Own Morals Guide You.
3) SEO Training for Competitive Markets.
4) Best Way to Monetize Type-In Traffic.
5) Passive Income from Your phpBB Forum.
6) How to Profit From Google's Universal Search.
7) How Practicing the Fundamentals Leads to Success.
8) The Biggest Mistake in PPC (pay per click) Advertising.

Pricing & Availability:

The newsletter is a free PDF download. Bonuses include Michael Campbell's best-selling ebooks Clickin' it Rich and Revenge of the Mininet (a $125 value) free when you subscribe to the Internet Marketing Secrets Newsletter.

Published since 1999, the Internet Marketing Secrets newsletter provides breaking news, FAQs and real world testing in SEO, SEM, search engines, affiliate revenue, PPC advertising, sales, persuasion and conversion, in addition to inspirational articles and encouragement.

Michael Campbell is a search engine optimization specialist and highly sought after internet marketing consultant. He has written three best-selling books on internet marketing, several white papers, and has contributed to dozens of internet related publications and software packages.

Marketing Operations Partners Continues to Provide Pioneering Vision and Leadership
Marketing Operations Partners today announced a series of developments that build upon its fast-growing leadership and momentum in the evolving discipline of Marketing Operations. The company's founder and CEO, Gary M. Katz, is again chairing a day-long track at a major marketing operations conference and the company is completing a benchmarking study of best practices in marketing operations.

For the third consecutive year the company's founder and CEO, Gary M. Katz, has been selected as a Track Chair at the Henry Stewart XVII Conference, which begins tomorrow in New York at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Katz will facilitate the Marketing Efficiency & Effectiveness track on the first day of the conference. The track includes presentations by Technorati Chairman Peter Hirschberg and Proctor & Gamble's Marketing General Manager Dina Howell; a guru panel on marketing efficiency and effectiveness, moderated by The Hub's editor-in-chief Tim Manners; an executive roundtable on marketing transformation; and a review of International Data Corporation's 2007 marketing performance matrix.

Best Practices in Operations Reviews among Technology Marketing Organizations
Responding to a growing technology industry need for more disciplined marketing accountability and performance, Marketing Operations Partners will soon be publishing a benchmark survey, "Best Practices in Operations Reviews among Technology Marketing Organizations" and will be able to discuss preliminary results after June 15. The study, which includes insight gleaned from in-depth interviews with more than 20 Silicon Valley technology companies and an online survey, is targeted for final release in July. A sampling of the participating companies in the interviews include Agilent, Applied Materials, Ariba, BEA, Cadence, Informatica, Intuit, Network Appliance, Seagate, Symantec, and Xilinx. Marketers who want to share their experience with marketing operations reviews and get a complementary executive summary of the report can still participate in the online survey until June 15 at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=1Hc34t4aXgorEiu3SZwOog%3d%3d.

In response to Marketing Operations Partners growth, the company has added four new associate partners and team effectiveness and knowledge management consultants to its team. Services are now expanded and organized in five categories: Sales Process Acceleration (led by Ron Snyder), Marketing Scalability (led by Jerry Hart), Customer Profitability (led by Lynn Hunsaker), Strategy and Change Facilitation (led by Mike Gospe) and Return on Marketing (led by Linda Popky). In addition to Hart and Popky, new Associate Partners include Marketing IT and supply chain expert Dr. Juan Montermoso and Sharyn Fitzpatrick, a marketing communications process expert. Fitzpatrick is also serving as public relations account director for the Henry Stewart Conference, a new client of CommPros Group, Inc., a marketing programs adoption agency that was also founded by Katz and is a sister company to Marketing Operations Partners.

Larry Lepold, an organization change and team effectiveness expert with a deep marketing and business development background, and Deborah Plumley, a knowledge mapping and management facilitator, have also joined the team as senior consultants.

About Henry Stewart XVII

Now in its seventh year, Henry Stewart combines the thought leadership insights of a case study driven conference with the news from the bleeding edge of technology development within a co-located expo. The show has provided actionable project management advice to over 7,000 Digital Asset Management, Broadcast Automation and Marketing Efficiency program leaders at global events in New York, LA, London, Amsterdam and Washington DC.

Despite serving as the industry event for niche technology categories -- Digital Asset Management, Enterprise Marketing Management, Marketing Resource Management, Broadcast & Workflow Automation -- this show is not about technology; it's about new ways of working. Henry Stewart enables attendees to validate that their problems are shared by hundreds of their peers and helps identify proven strategies to solve those problems. For more information, visit www.damusers.com.

About Marketing Operations Partners

Founded in Santa Clara, CA in June 2006, Marketing Operations Partners is the first ready-to-go COO and change management team dedicated to changing the MO of Marketing by helping CMOs operate like CEOs. The company brings together leading subject matter experts and thought leaders to enable clients to leverage process, technology, guidance, and metrics to run Marketing as a profit center and fully accountable business. A comprehensive blend of pragmatic and innovative services help enterprises accelerate the sales process, build a scalable marketing infrastructure, optimize customer profitability, cultivate an ecosystem of stakeholder support for key enterprise initiatives and demonstrate measurable return on Marketing to management. For more information, visit www.mopartners.com, or contact 408-243-7881.

2008 CROP Hunger Walk (Sunderland)
Source: ARRL WMA - 10-17 - Franklin County ARES DEC Tom Foxwell N1OTS and the Franklin County ARC is looking for amateur radio operator volunteers for the 2008 CROP Hunger Walk in the Town of Deerfield, MA. The location will be the South Deerfield Congregational Church at 71 North Main Street, South Deerfield, MA 01373.

ARISS Flight update - Southgate ARC
Source: PlanetHam.org - 10-17 - ARISS International Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, provides the latest update on the amateur radio activity from International Space Station

Dienstleistungen ?
Im “Weblog der Zukunft” , dem “Internet-Magazin vom Zürichsee”, findet sich folgender Hinweis: Zürich * Eine aktuelle Presseschau zu Russland, Belarus und der Ukraine finden Krusenstern-Leser neu in diesem Internet-Magazin. Dazu kommen neu auch so genannte Twitter-Kurzmeldungen und Tipps für russisch(sprachig)e Musik. Dies sind nur drei der neuen Dienstleistungen, zu denen auch das kostenlose E-Mail-Abonnement gehört, [...]

The same procedure as last year …
… the same procedure as every year.  Ein gewisser Herr muss nun nicht nur wieder das Essen – ukrainische Quarkpfannkuchen (Sirniki * Сырники), Tomaten und Gurken aus Mamotschkas Gemüsegarten (Дача * Datscha), Geflügel (Hühnchen Kiew * Котлетка по киевски) und Teigwaren (Lapscha * Лапша) – vorkauen, sondern auch der wohlgesonnenen Jury die jeweils passenden Getränke (Wodka, Weiß-russischen-wein, Krimsekt und Wasser aus dem [...]

Konsequenzen
Vorgestern habe ich in einem Artikel die These aufgestellt, “der Westen” sei von Russland abhängiger als umgekehrt. Meine These beinhaltet nicht die Behauptung, es gäbe keinerlei wechselseitige Abhängigkeit, sie soll vielmehr als Aussage verstanden werden, dass in den Waagschalen der Abhängigkeiten das russische Pfund schwerer wiegt. Ein Pfund mit dem Russland weit effizienter wuchern kann als “der [...]

Das fehlende “i”
In den letzten Tagen fällt mir folgendes auf. In allen russischen Medien, sei es Print oder TV, verschwindet zunehmend der Buchstabe “i”. Besonders als “georgische Endung” in Ortsnamen. Aus Tschinwali  wird Tschinwal , aus Suchumi  wird Suchum … usw. Die fortschreitende Verselbständigung einer Region manifestiert sich in der Veränderung von Ortsnamen und regionalen Bezeichnungen. Aber was soll’s … [...]

Alles hat ein Ende …
Nach längerer Pause schreibe ich heute mal wieder einen Artikel. In den letzten Wochen habe ich – urlaubsbedingt - meine Online-Aktivitäten auf einige wenige Kommentare, hier und anderswo, beschränkt – die Blogosphäre weitestgehend nur über den Feedreeder verfolgt. Spannend war es trotzdem, Themen gab es für Kleinbloggersdorf schließlich genug – und sei es auch nur [...]

Das große Geheimnis der Blogosphäre …
… ist gelüftet, ihr müsst es nur noch entschlüsseln Teile :1 - Zeichen: 348 QWER - TZUI RFWB ATFO ZVDJ HOUP YCHX KMLN TXBX NCEB SALN QUMV DUBU DUSZ QTMD XKDC JASG TABM MZJZ GNID BVPP BXLX JEMY CJQG EGKV MXHF OZPF XISV VTPY SAAC YKYE SDLH NAXN GKPP VZRC VXNX JEHH IVKO CAXA JJXI RINE LQGI ORCZ PEQH TEZT KNAC OQZF VGVC AAAF IFZV [...]

Das fehlende “i”
In den letzten Tagen fällt mir folgendes auf. In allen russischen Medien, sei es Print oder TV, verschwindet zunehmend der Buchstabe “i”. Besonders als “georgische Endung” in Ortsnamen. Aus Tschinwali  wird Tschinwal , aus Suchumi  wird Suchum … usw. Die fortschreitende Verselbständigung einer Region manifestiert sich in der Veränderung von Ortsnamen und regionalen Bezeichnungen. Aber was soll’s … [...]

looking for some online money opps

Das “Vier-Buchstaben-Wort” [Update]
Einige britische Medien berichten heute, es wäre zu einem interessanten Telefonat zwischen den Außenministern Großbritanniens und Russlands gekommen. In dessen Verlauf soll mehrfach, und in mehreren Varianten, das berühmte angelsächsische “Vier-Buchstaben-Wort”  (fängt mit “F” an und hört mit “uck” auf) gefallen sein. “It was effing this and effing that. It was not what you would call diplomatic [...]

Карибский Кризис II
Unter Berufung auf eine Quelle hat ”Iswestija” am Montag geschrieben, russische Bomber der Typen Tu-160 und Tu-95S könnten als eine Antwort auf die Aufstellung der geplanten US-Raketenabwehrbasen in Europa wieder in Kuba stationiert werden.  „Es sind derzeit nur Überlegungen, aber das heißt nicht, dass nichts Reales dahinter steckt“, sagte ein namentlich nicht genannter Offizier der Zeitung „Iswestija“. Russland [...]

Konsequenzen
Vorgestern habe ich in einem Artikel die These aufgestellt, “der Westen” sei von Russland abhängiger als umgekehrt. Meine These beinhaltet nicht die Behauptung, es gäbe keinerlei wechselseitige Abhängigkeit, sie soll vielmehr als Aussage verstanden werden, dass in den Waagschalen der Abhängigkeiten das russische Pfund schwerer wiegt. Ein Pfund mit dem Russland weit effizienter wuchern kann als “der [...]

Unabhängigkeit !
Russland hat die Unabhängigkeit der beiden ehemaligen Provinzen Georgiens, Abchasien und Südossetien, offiziell anerkannt. Damit ist Russland dem Präzedenzfall gefolgt, den die USA mit der Anerkennung der Unabhängigkeit des Kosovo geschaffen haben. Was für das Kosovo gilt, nämlich der Vorrang des Selbstbestimmungsrechtes der Völker vor der Integrität nationaler Grenzen, muss schlußendlich auch für Abchasien und Südossetien gelten. [...]

Amerikanisches Demokratieverständnis (Teil 2)
Wir müssen den Russen ein besseres Benehmen beibringen. [...] Ich werde weiterhin darauf bestehen, was, wie ich denke, besser für die USA und die ganze Welt ist. Man muss eine Position beziehen und das tun, was für Amerika am besten ist, unabhängig davon, ob die anderen Länder damit einverstanden sind oder nicht. John McCain, Senator und [...]

Doch, das hat was …
Hauptstadtjournaille [...] Latte-Macchiato-Journalisten [...] aufgeschäumte Pressebengel *  [...] ein Notebook MacBook, weiß und chic. [...] “X” schlug die mit einer drahtlosen Internetverbindung ausgestattete Filiale einer amerikanischen Kaffeehauskette als Treffpunkt vor [...] Während im Hintergrund seichter Jazz dudelt, der Cappuccino-Schaum zusehends in sich zusammenfällt, rekapituliert “X” seinen [B-]Werdegang [...] ** *) Gefunden beim Spiegelfechter **) Gefunden bei NZZ-Online [...]

Das große Geheimnis der Blogosphäre …
… ist gelüftet, ihr müsst es nur noch entschlüsseln Teile :1 - Zeichen: 348 QWER - TZUI RFWB ATFO ZVDJ HOUP YCHX KMLN TXBX NCEB SALN QUMV DUBU DUSZ QTMD XKDC JASG TABM MZJZ GNID BVPP BXLX JEMY CJQG EGKV MXHF OZPF XISV VTPY SAAC YKYE SDLH NAXN GKPP VZRC VXNX JEHH IVKO CAXA JJXI RINE LQGI ORCZ PEQH TEZT KNAC OQZF VGVC AAAF IFZV [...]

Das Ende einer großen Liebe
Wie jedes moderne Märchen, beginnt auch dieses mit dem berühmten Satz …  „Vor langer Zeit, in einer weit entfernten Galaxie, da liebten sich …“ Ja, wer liebte sich nun ? Es liebten sich Kim und Robert, genannt Bobby, und ihre Liebe war tief und aufrichtig, scheinbar unzerstörbar und rein . Die streitbare Kim und der aufrechte [...]

Where Were You?
Where were you 7 years ago this morning?  I think that many of us have let the memory slip a little.  We argue amongst ourselves about whether we should be in Iraq, althewhile forgetting that we’re still in Afganhistan as well.  The end goal is the same.  Fight Terror.  (I bet some of you still [...]

Where were you 7 years ago this morning?  I think that many of us have let the memory slip a little.  We argue amongst ourselves about whether we should be in Iraq, althewhile forgetting that we’re still in Afganhistan as well.  The end goal is the same.  Fight Terror.  (I bet some of you still think it’s about oil. That’s OK.)

The USA is safer today than it was in 2001.  Certainly safer than it was in the early morning hours of 9/11.

On that day, 7 years ago, my roommate at the time (Hi Jeff!) came running into my room to wake me.  “You gotta get up and come see this!” He yelled while kicking the bed.  “Somebody just bombed us!”  This was very shortly after the first explosion in the first tower.  At the time, nobody knew that it was a plane.  They were assuming it was some sort of bombing.

I must admit that at first, I didn’t believe him and thought he was being over dramatic.  Until I saw the image on the television.  Horrible.  I flipped back and forth from Fox, CNN, and MSNBC all morning.  When I got to work later that afternoon, I switched the television at work over to CNN and watched some more.

In the hours and days following, our President (duly elected, I would remind you) made a decision based on the facts that he had and we began a global whoop assing.  And while we were over there, they decided to clean up a little mess that was working on becoming a big mess (You can call it Iraq).

So, today of all days, let’s not forget what it is that we are fighting for.  For the freedoms that we enjoy.  The very same freedoms that allow Obama, and Pelosi to call our President a big dodo.  Maybe he is, and maybe he isn’t.  But to pretend that any of this is about oil is an insult to us all.

Let’s set it all aside for today and just remember those that gave their lives (unwillingly) in the name of freedom.   God Bless them all.

Review: Dies The Fire
Dies the Fire By S.M. Sterling I’ve always been a sucker for the history changers.  The people who forged a path that changed the world.  Martin Luther King comes to mind.  All the way down to that darn butterfly in the Amazon that everyone is so fond of talking about.  When you’ve changed the world, you’ve laid [...]

Dies the Fire

By S.M. Sterling

I’ve always been a sucker for the history changers.  The people who forged a path that changed the world.  Martin Luther King comes to mind.  All the way down to that darn butterfly in the Amazon that everyone is so fond of talking about.  When you’ve changed the world, you’ve laid a path, woven a tale, and made things different.

So, it comes as no surprise to me that I like alternative history fiction.  What little of it I’ve read at least.  I cut my teeth on S.M. Sterling’s work with a novel of his called Conquistador.  It was a book that I had a hard time getting into, but it quickly became a page turner and was a great book.  Given that I liked Conquistador so much, I though that I’d give another book of Mr. Sterling’s a try.  This time around, a truly alternative history fiction.

Dies the Fire is a novel of The Change.  A singular event that changes the way the world works.  Combustible materials such as gas and gunpowder no longer combust with the same intensity that they did before.  What this accomplishes is to render useless all cars, guns and all electrical devices.  Consider that for a moment.  All cars, guns and electrical devices are rendered useless.  What would that mean for your everyday life?  Likely, the same things it meant for the characters in Dies the Fire.

The world is turned upside down, and is thrown into chaos.  As they people begin realizing what is going on and accepting that it might not change back, a few make the best of it and begin to gather the pieces.  Dies the Fire follows three groups of these people either directly or indirectly.  As we follow them through the first few days post-change, we begin to see a new kind of world emerge.  A post-modern world that has been thrust back hundreds of years into a new dark age.

Dies the Fire is a thrilling tale from start to finish.  The concept is pretty good, and the writing is also quite good.  But what really makes the novel, for me at least, is the way that S.M. Sterling has captured the interactions between the survivors of The Change.  Not only does he catch their struggle to deal with the new world, both emotionally and physically, he also catches the changes that occur as they begin to adapt to their new life in their new world.

If you’ve never read a novel by S.M. Sterling, this could be a good one to start on.  Beware, however, that it’s the first of a trilogy that has spawned a second trilogy and an upcoming third trilogy.  If you fall for the tale and the characters the way I did, you could be in for a 9 book journey.  They do read fast though, so it won’t be all bad.  Especially if you’re an alternative fiction fan, you should pick up Dies the Fire.

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Repair Links to 404 Pages
Matt Cutts has a great post today on getting “Free links to your site“. It’s not so much about getting new “free” links to your site so much as getting broken links repaired. The basics of it are that Google’s Webmaster tools has a report of the links that it crawled that pointed to an [...]

Matt Cutts has a great post today on getting “Free links to your site“. It’s not so much about getting new “free” links to your site so much as getting broken links repaired.

The basics of it are that Google’s Webmaster tools has a report of the links that it crawled that pointed to an unfound url on your website. A broken link that results in a 404 on your website. And unless you have a custom 404 page, any visitors that click on that link will get a nasty looking 404 page from your host and probably go on their merry way somewhere else.

So, instead, you can take a quick look at this report.  Jot down the urls that are throwing errors and where they are coming from.  Then you have two choices.  You can try and contact the webmaster of the referrer site and have them change it.  That’s probably the better way to do it, but also not very likely to work.  The second way that will work 100% of the time is to 301 redirect the not found URL to something worthwhile.  Perhaps a search results page for the keywords of the missing/not found page?  Or maybe you moved the page and just need to redirect to the proper page.  Either way, you’ve turned a not found 404 link into a working link that could result in better ranking and higher traffic counts.

It’s also a really good time to double check that you don’t have the default 404 page.  The one here, for instance, is a pretty simple one that uses the base template of the site and then suggests a quick search of the site to find what they were looking for.  Not the best in the world, but better than the default too.

P.S.  You can visit the link above for detailed instructions from Matt Cutts on how to find the report.  And I wonder if it occurred to him that he’s going to be picking up all kinds of links with the anchor text of “Free links to your site.”?  Asking for spambots I’d say…

Kevin Trudeau Out of Infomercial Business for 3 Years
A federal judge banned Kevin Trudeau from appearing in any infomercial in which he has an interest for 3 years and fined him $5,000,000 for misleading statements in his recent book, “Weight Loss cures ‘they’ don’t want you to know about.” This is just another in a long string of judgments against Kevin Trudeau.  I’m sure [...]

A federal judge banned Kevin Trudeau from appearing in any infomercial in which he has an interest for 3 years and fined him $5,000,000 for misleading statements in his recent book, “Weight Loss cures ‘they’ don’t want you to know about.”

This is just another in a long string of judgments against Kevin Trudeau.  I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before he gets sued and fined for his statements on his “Debt Cures” book.  And it’s not that the statements are really false, but the manner in which he portrays them in his infomercials could be extremely misleading.  That combined with his less than savory business practices really should serve as a warning to people, but doesn’t.

As long as there are people looking for a quick fix, there will be a Kevin Trudeau or someone like him willing and ready to step in and sell that “quick fix” to them.  Some people just never learn.

Directory Links Get Discounted by Google
For quite some time, Google has suggested that a good way to increase your ranking in the Google index was to get yourself listed in a few reputable directories.  Of course, much like any other thing that Google admits might help, directories became the go to place to get yourself some nice links.  And an [...]

For quite some time, Google has suggested that a good way to increase your ranking in the Google index was to get yourself listed in a few reputable directories.  Of course, much like any other thing that Google admits might help, directories became the go to place to get yourself some nice links.  And an industry was born.

Now, Google has removed that suggestion from their webmaster help guide.  Does that mean the end of the directory industry?  I doubt it.  In fact, my guess would be that it doesn’t change much of anything.  Google probably hasn’t given much weight to most directories for quite some time and is finally letting us know about it.

Personally, I don’t use many directories when I start a new website.  I find the majority of them to be repositories for spam sites and don’t want to associate my sites with them.  Instead, there are plenty of other ways to go about getting links like blogroll exchanges, paid links (don’t pretend you don’t.), and a variety of other programs and strategies that can attain you plenty of quality links in a short amount of time.

Plenty of links will do you no good if you don’t have plenty of content too.  You’ll still get some traffic, but having the content can mean the difference between a visitor that shows up and a visitor that shows up and stays.  Which would you rather have?  If I were you (I’m not, but if I were), I would spend about 75% of my time on content and the rest on link and traffic building practices.

Karl Robe talks with Ed about public relations and image.
Karl Robe, APR, possesses 15 years experience, during which he has counseled c-level executives from Fortune 100 companies to start-ups in business-to-business, public affairs and leadership communications. As an author, presenter and coach on a multitude of communications topics, his insights have appeared in The Strategist, Cris Manager, Wisconsin Law Journal and numerous other venues. Karl has achieved an Accreditation in Public Relations (APR), certifying a candidate's knowledge of public relations practice, communications, theory, management science and ethics.

22 minutes, 09 seconds
5.1MB

Click here to listen.

Retirement may be merely a vision now

One pundit commented today that our 401 K's have now become 101 K's!

With close to 400,000 lawyers (Baby Boomers) slated to retire in the next 10 years, the legal profession will be rocked! How, however, no one is yet commenting.

With the current financial collapse, and investment values plummeting by 50% in many cases, we may not see so many retirees, after all. Even lawyers may have to work longer years than they anticipated. We may have one more generation than contemplated in the work place. Will we see even more challenges in an effort to understand why each generation reacts differently to the same stimuli? How will we reconcile the differing values between, and now among, generations? As Rodney King once said, "Can we all get along?"

Heller Ehrman - Business as usual or a disaster waiting to happen

Wall Street isn’t the only institution falling down around us. A law firm, not the first, that was first opened 118 years ago in 1890, collapsed in a heap of depressed lawyers, staff and clients, not to mention vendors. Many people were significantly impacted by the dissolution of this 600+ lawyer firm.

How could a banking institution, built over decades, collapse in hours? How could a law firm of such magnitude collapse in a matter of weeks?  For the law firm, there are a number of reasons provided in the public airwaves, each of which carries a significant lesson about The Business of Law®.

Here are a few of the lessons that popped out for me:

Lessons to be learned:

•    Expansion is always expensive and must be planned. If planned properly, one normally will still find a period of time in the beginning where expenditures are greater than revenues. Most law firms are not “cash and carry,” necessitating the extension of some credit in the form of increased accounts receivable. Though profitable, accounts receivable don’t get collected fast enough to pay expenses without borrowing. While the public accounts did not say whether the expansion offices were profitable, they did say that these offices were expensive and challenging. Their borrowing apparently reached the cap. Good planning would have suggested a slower pace for growth or larger line of credit.

•    Partner defections in today’s world are far more common. There is less loyalty to the firm. Strong firm cultures bonding lawyers together are harder to find.  “Free agency” is the rule of the day. One’ personal compensation is the top priority ... and the RPP (revenue per partner) and PPP (profits per partner) are the most important metrics being considered when thinking about the location of one’s practice. As in baseball, free agency will strip many stars away from a law firm.  In Heller’s case, once the rumors of economic challenges and partner dissatisfaction were ripe, law firms and head hunters came knocking. Once a few left, more left; then the landslide began ... just as on Wall Street recently.

•    When any one client represents more than 10% of one’s business, the firm is at risk of heavy loss if/when the client leaves. Leaving can occur when the client is acquired by another company, when the client has financial difficulties and either can’t afford your legal services further or actually disappears, or other business reason. The client can also leave because of dissatisfaction with the lawyer. Whatever the reason, innocent or not, the result for the firm is the same – economic hardship. When expansion or capital decisions are made based on sustaining the revenue from these large clients, the law firm is at serious risk.  In Heller’s case, more than 60% of its business was in the litigation practice group. And, more than 25% of its litigation went away suddenly. Of course, Heller would feel a significant impact economically, especially since they were unable to replace the revenue flow quickly ... and in this case, the firm collapsed.

•    There was a “Tipping Point” along the way. Where it came, only insiders know. But, when the Tipping Point was reached, it was too late to arrange a merger. Previous attempts failed, and a marriage while one patient is sick is very unlikely. Whether because of the rumors or intuition, every merger candidate passed.  Sometimes, even bargain sales are not attractive. Just look at Wall Street today, as I’m writing this. Later, we might be remorseful that we didn’t act, but, for now, acting is just fraught with too many uncertainties and doubts.

Many people were hurt. Coming on the heels of a collapsing national/world-wide economy, the collapse of Heller Ehrman was even sadder. Other firms should learn the lessons of The Business of Law®  from this experience.

An oxymoron

With the recent financial crises still in the news, it is helpful to find a little levity. While coaching a client of mine today, we were talking about Bank of America buying all the other banks at bargain rates.

His comment: Bank of America is an oxymoron, it should just be called The Bank!

Top 5 Excuses for Not Joining Twitter

Twitter is certainly the talk of the town these days, but there's still a lot of resistance among marketers and non-marketers alike to joining Twitter. We always hear the same 5 excuses for not joining Twitter. But I'm here to tell you - enough with the excuses, Twitter can actually be a very valuable tool for your business.

Here at the Top 5 Excuses for Not Joining Twitter - and Why They're Wrong

1. It's a waste of time for businesses.

Probably the first excuse everyone always gives is that it's a waste of time and has no value for a business. Though, I admit, many of us at HubSpot have felt that way at one time or another, we have both gotten media coverage by connecting with bloggers and journalists directly, and also generated significant traffic and leads by getting found by potential customers and sharing valuable content that drives them to our website and self-select as leads. Marketers already recognize the value of networking in generating business - well, this is taking that networking online, and Twitter is one tool that makes networking easy, painless, and powerful. There are endless business uses we could actually talk about.

2. Why do I need to know this nonsense?

It's true, there is a lot of "noise" on Twitter with people talking about the spicy burrito they had at lunch, their sick cat, or how concerned they may be about their favorite MLB team. What's great about Twitter is that you don't have to follow (and thus get updates from) people whose tweets you don't enjoy. You can follow someone, and then choose to unfollow if you don't enjoy their tweets. And you don't have to follow every "noisy" person who follows you. With that said, don't write this off altogether - what is sometimes called "noise" is actually an integral part of engaging fully on Twitter, sharing a bit of yourself in order to connect and communicate with others. You don't need to make it all about business - after all, the lines between personal and business networks are blurring.

3. My customers aren't on Twitter. Or, my industry is too niche for Twitter.

The first thing I have to say to this is, have you checked? Have you checked if or who is already talking about you or your industry on Twitter? If not, head right over to Search.Twitter.com (once you finish reading this article, of course) and search for your company name, or product name, or even relevant keywords for your business. See if and who is talking about you. If you have a very niche market, perhaps a small audience of engineers or manufacturers, there is all the more reason to connect directly with these people wherever they choose to hang out, which may be Twitter.

4. It takes too much time.

OK, Twitter can definitely be a time-suck at times. You get lost in your twitterstream and before you know it the day could be over. But it doesn't have to be like that. For one, RSS makes it a lot easier to follow conversations that are directly relevant to you. Head back to Search.Twitter.com where you searched for your company or keywords. At the top right you'll see a link to "Feed for this query". Click on the link to subscribe and stay on top of your most important conversations. Beyond that, just check into your main twitterstream a couple times a day to see what's going on, check your @Replies to see who's directly replying to you, and you're done. Here are a few other ways to avoid the Twitter time-suck.

5. I don't want to give people an opportunity to say negative things about me and my company.

The truth is, people are already talking about you and the question is whether or not you will listen and respond. You need to get into that conversation to address your customers' feedback, even if it's just to say, hey, we hear you. Listening and responding early can have quite a significant impact in, for example, calming fires before they spread. A classic example is the publication of Dell's product and customer service issues triggered by Jeff Jarvis' "Dell Hell" blog posts back in 2005. The issues were originally ignored (after all, he's just one customer) and the story was picked up by numerous blogs, featured in whitepapers, and also chronicled by major publications including The New York Times and Business Week. On the other extreme, a great example from Comcast, where they saw a tweet from an upset customer, responded with a thoughtful, What's the problem? Can we help? and through a series of tweets turned that upset customer into a happy evangelist for their company.

Last week we held a webinar, presented by Rick Burnes (@rickburnes), Mike Volpe (@mvolpe), and myself (@ellieeille), all about how to use Twitter for Marketing & PR. You're hopefully convinced now that you need to stop making excuses and try out Twitter for yourself. You can watch the 30 minute webinar below to learn how to get started using Twitter for your business.

Do you hear more excuses for not joining Twitter? Leave a comment below with your thoughts and experiences.

 

ScanSnap drawing winner

As noted in an earlier post, we offered a brand new Fujitsu portable scanner, model ScanSnap S300. Our drawing has now closed. I'm pleased to say we had a large number of participants ... Shows the interest in Fujitsu, and well it should. I use the scanner myself. I'm impressed not only with the speed of its operation, but its very small footprint. It sits inconspicuously on my desk, ready for immediate use.

Our lucky winner is Jon Lewis of the law firm of Lewis, Feldman, Lehane & McAtee, LLC, of Birmingham, AL ... Congratulations, Jon!  

 

 

 

Lawyers: Can you refuse ex parte notice?

I was having a conversation with Marc W. Matheny, a sole practitioner in Indiana, today. And the conversation turned to voice mail messages.

The message I've heard a number of lawyers leave on their machines says that they do not accept ex parte notices on this line. I had never thought about this before, but I pose the following question for your consideration:  How is it that you can refuse to be served? If you were personally served with a summons and complaint, can you refuse to accept service? During my 25 years as a practicing lawyer, I can't remember an instance when refusal was permitted. I admit that it's been awhile since I practiced, perhaps the rules have changed.

If your phone number is your normal business contact point, and if phone service for ex parte matters is acceptable in your jurisdiction, how can you tell the other party that you refuse to accept service just because youir answering machine is on?

This poses an interesting question for me ... and one I suggest lawyers address with their local court rules before relying on the sufficiency of the voice mail statement concerning service. At the very best, you will be fighting a battle about the sufficiency of the service rather than the merits of the matter ... and this is usually not productive either for the lawyer or the client.

Are the Four Ps of Marketing Dead?

This is a guest post by Paul Roetzer, founder and president of PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based public relations and marketing firm, and the industry's leading provider of standardized services and set pricing.

  

In Marketing 101, we are taught the four Ps of traditional marketing - Product, Price, Place and Promotion. While these fundamental elements are still relevant, they may not be as important in business today as the four Ps of inbound marketing - Personas, Participation, Publishing and PageRank.

Inbound marketing refers to permission-based marketing strategies (e.g. blogging, social networking, search engine optimization) in which you connect with consumers online when they are actively looking for what you offer.

The result is a more measurable, efficient and effective lead-generation system, powered by social media relationships, Website traffic, inbound links and search engine rankings.

So let's take a look at the four Ps of inbound marketing:

1) Personas

Buyer personas are the foundation of highly effective inbound marketing campaigns. Essentially, a buyer persona is a profile or biography on a distinct market segment (e.g. customers, prospects, mainstream media, bloggers) you plan to reach and influence.

According to David Meerman Scott (author of The New Rules of Marketing & PR), some of the key questions to ask when building your buyer personas include:

 

• What are their goals and aspirations?
  
• What are their problems?
  
• What media do they rely on for answers?
  
• How can you reach them?
  
• What's important to them?
  
• What words and phrases do they use?
  
• What sort of images and multimedia appeal to them?
  

 

You also want to consider their social technographics profile:

 

• How active are they in social media?
  
• Do they blog?
  
• What social networks do they participate in?
  
• Do they use RSS feeds?
  

 

Well-crafted buyer personas help your organization build Websites and publish content that differentiate your brand, build relationships, connect with consumers and generate leads.

2) Participation

"Once every hundred years, media changes. The last hundred years have been defined by the mass media. In the next hundred years, information won't be just pushed out to people: It will be shared among the millions of connections people have." - Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder (Rolling Stone, June 26, 2008)

In the above quote, Zuckerberg was specifically addressing the evolution of advertising, but it captures the impact of social media on business and society.

The social Web (aka Web 2.0) has given businesses the opportunity to share knowledge, influence audiences and affect change, internally and externally, like never before.

At the same time, it gives the general public virtually unlimited access to information, and the power to influence the opinions and actions of consumers and businesses around the world, 24 hours a day.

So what can businesses do in this world of consumer-generated content and mass collaboration? Participate.

Monitor RSS feeds from your favorite blogs, forums and news sites.
Comment on blogs.
Utilize social networking sites (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.).
Post ratings and reviews.
Contribute to forum discussions.
Connect with people on Twitter (customers, peers, influentials, etc).

3) Publishing

Inbound marketing is powered by content - blogs, podcasts, videos, optimized press releases, case studies, white papers, eBooks and articles. And unlike traditional outbound marketing, in which you have to buy space in print media or airtime on broadcast media, the social Web has created an almost endless array of low-cost and free distribution channels to directly reach and influence consumers.

Every business should have a content publishing strategy designed around the needs and interests of its buyer personas. Success comes from a long-term commitment to continually publishing high-quality, relevant content that earns links and dramatically improves your probability of ranking for keywords on major search engines.

4) PageRank

PageRank is a numeric value (0-10) assigned to Web pages that was originally developed by Google co-founder Larry Page while at Stanford in the mid-90s. Page theorized that you could rank a site's popularity by counting the number of (inbound) links pointing to the Website.

Page also realized that some links were more valuable than others, and PageRank was designed to give greater weight to inbound links from important Websites.

So while Google states there are "500 million variables" considered in calculating PageRank, inbound links are widely believed to be the most important.

Search engine optimization (SEO) and content publishing are the two key inbound marketing strategies your organization can employ to build inbound links, increase PageRank and bolster your search engine rankings.

According to comScore, Google controls an estimated 63 percent of the U.S. search market, which equated to 7.4 billion core searches in August 2008.

So while the exact algorithm and relevance to search engine rankings are still up for debate, there is no denying the importance of PageRank to inbound marketing.

What do you think? How relevant are the traditional four Ps in business today? What are your thoughts on the four Ps of inbound marketing? How important is PageRank to a site's performance and influence?

 

 

 

Proposition 9 — NO
Copyright � 2008 Eddy E. Visit the original article at http://www.servingbread.net/2008/10/16/proposition-9-no.Proposition 9 seems to expand the rights of victims of violent crimes and limits the options and rights of the criminals who commit them. Like other propositions on the ballot, it does so by amending the State’s Constitution. Why I’m weary of amending our state’s constitution Three [...]

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Copyright � 2008 Eddy E. Visit the original article at http://www.servingbread.net/2008/10/16/proposition-9-no.

Proposition 9 seems to expand the rights of victims of violent crimes and limits the options and rights of the criminals who commit them. Like other propositions on the ballot, it does so by amending the State’s Constitution.

Why I’m weary of amending our state’s constitution

Three of the twelve ballot initiatives before the voters will make changes to our state’s constitution. I recognize that most of us voters are not as familiar with California’s constitution as we are with our federal constitution. My understanding of our federal constitution is that the framers made it possible to amend but extremely difficult.

To amend the constitution, both houses of Congress must approve by two-thirds votes a resolution calling for the amendment. The resolution does not require the president’s signature. To become effective, the proposed amendment must then be “ratified” or approved by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states. Congress typically places a time limit of seven years for ratification by the states.

But when it comes to the California constitution, we just need several hundred thousand shoppers at Rite Aid to sign a petition (let’s face it, most of us sign for the sake of signing), and a simple majority of voters to vote for the proposition and we amend our State’s Constitution.

The advantage of making a ballot initiative a constitutional amendment is that it limits the power of the courts to intervene. But what this process has done is cheapen our constitution and our democracy. While we may complain of “activist” judges, we are circumventing checks and balances by amending a document that has more power and implications than most of us realize.

Back to my thoughts on Proposition 9

Proposition 9 will strengthen the rights of crime victims and their families, and makes it more difficult for criminals to be re-released in society. One of the concerns of our state is prison over-population. There are a couple of other measures on the ballot that try to address the crisis of our over-population. Proposition 9 will continue the burden on our state’s jails and prisons. Early release of criminals or alternative methods of confinement (such as GPS systems) would be hampered. Sheriffs would have less latitutde in modifying sentences. (Remember the Paris Hilton Saga?)

I have mixed feelings on whose rights are more important—the victims’ or the criminals’. One of the important tenets of our Democratic system is that it extends the benefit of doubt to suspects. We are all to be innocent until proven guilty. And when found guilty, our system assures that we preserve rights to the criminal. Whether we like it or not, our constitution guarantees certain rights to suspects and criminals.

And as a society, we have put substantial energy in rehabilitation because we believe that people can be rehabilitated to re-enter and re-engage society. We hold the tension of criminals facing the consequences of their actions and the idea that the prison system can serve as a corrective that rehabilitates.

There are several provisions in Proposition 9 that I like. I think that victims’ legal rights should be expanded, allowing families to pursue restitution from offenders who have been convicted. I like that this proposition guarantees that crime victims are notified and are able to participate in parole hearings.

But I do have two concerns: 1. It restricts parole proceedings (criminals would have to wait longer before they go before the parole board) 2. It continues to put the stress on our already over-populated county jails.

My chief contention though is that this proposition amends our State’s Constitution. I am not sure what the litmus test should be on when and how our constitution is to be amended, but Proposition 9 does not fall in that category for me.

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Supermarket at home
supermarket at home

...or should that be supermarket@home?

Today I am going to be talking about the ammount of money we waste on shopping. I'm not talking about the "little extra" that you were tempted to buy this week or the indulgant chocolates that "found" themselves in your basket. I'm talking about the cost getting to the supermarket.

Let's be honest most trips to the supermarket are in a taxi, by car or on a bus. While the cab to the supermarket might be the most "expensive" (at say £4.50 each way) you are also paying with your time. By the time you add on the pre departure activities (finding your keys, checking for loyalty cards and so forth) you can easily spend three or more hours on the supermarket shopping. If you use more than one supermarket then this can double or even treble.

How much is your time worth? Let's assume basic minimum wage applies that three hour supermarket trip would pay you (3 times £5.73) £17.19 add on £5 for travel and each time you go to the supermarket it costs you more than £22. My weekly supermarket shop only costs me £25 to £35 on average. Admitedly that supermarket shopping figure is rising with the credit crunch and all but my point is getting your weekly food in should not eat up your day off and cost you more than the value of your food.

That's not mentioning how stressfull I find supermarkets anyway. In my opinion supermarkets are too big, too noisy and too badly laid out most of the time. I do not like them and would willingly pay not to have to shop.

That's where online grocery shopping comes in. My supermarket of choice is Tesco and like a number of others you can do your shopping in the time it takes to have a cup of coffee (or tea as we Brits are so famouse for drinking) and then you can do something else and forget about the Supermarket and groceries and all that.

Now my supermarket of choice (Tesco) charges a small fee for delivery. However, that small fee is in the range of £3 to £5 and frankly that's a lot less than the cost of my time (not basic minimum by any mark). I consider for that price I'm a good £20 better off.

If you are new tot he idea of doing your rocery shopping online check out Tesco.

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Proposition 8 — Undecided
Copyright � 2008 Eddy E. Visit the original article at http://www.servingbread.net/2008/10/13/proposition-8-undecided.Proposition 8 may be the simplest one to understand of the dozen ballot initiatives. It adds one sentence in the State Constitution: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” At first glance, it may seem like I should [...]

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Copyright � 2008 Eddy E. Visit the original article at http://www.servingbread.net/2008/10/13/proposition-8-undecided.

Proposition 8 may be the simplest one to understand of the dozen ballot initiatives. It adds one sentence in the State Constitution: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” At first glance, it may seem like I should vote “Yes” without much forethought. I believe marriage to be a sacrament between a man and a woman and hold to the conviction that gay marriage falls outside of what God intends for humans who opt to be in a married relationship. I agree with Proposition 8 in that for a marriage to be valid and recognized, it must be between a man and a woman.

But why am I left undecided on Proposition 8?

Background on Proposition 8

In 2000, California voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 22 which amended the California Civil Code to state that only a marriage between a man and a woman would be recognized in California. This past spring, opponents of Proposition 22 successfully argued before the State Supreme Court to overturn Proposition 22. The judges agreed with the opponents of Proposition 22 and ruled that the initiative was in violation of our State’s Constitution.

In June, California began issuing same-sex marriage licenses. In response to our State’s recognition of gay marriages, defenders of traditional marriage collected signatures to put Proposition 8 on the ballot, which would amend the State Constitution.

Reasons why I am leaning to vote YES on Proposition 8

• Both the Bible and traditions in all cultures define marriage as between a man and a woman.
• Marriage between a man and a woman (where a father and a mother are actively involved in a child’s life) is the best institution to rear children.
• In the Christian tradition, marriage is not just an institution or a sacrament, but a definitive way where the image of God is displayed and expressed. (Check our Karl Barth and Ray Anderson for more on this)
• The implications of defeating Proposition 8 may be beyond what we understand. I understand that the Yes on 8 folks have used various scare tactics that may not be true. But I do wonder whether there will be unintended consequences (such as Churches losing their non-profit status for refusing to marry/discriminating against gay couples) if gay marriage is allowed to remain in California.

Reasons why I am leaning to vote NO on Proposition 8

• We should tread carefully when considering amending the constitution. The purpose of a constitution is to codify the rules and principles of how our government works. It doesn’t seem to me that the definition of marriage belongs in a state’s constitution.
• My rule of thumb is to vote NO on ballot initiatives.
• I am concerned how Christians continue to relate to the gay community. To gay men and women, passage of this amendment communicates everything but love. And though most Christians are not “gay bashing” by supporting this amendment, perception holds much capital in this instance.
• Those of us who hold that marriage is only between a man and a woman should probably be looking at the speck in our own eye first. We have done a terrible job defining and upholding this God-given gift. Gay marriage is not the primary reason for the demise of marriages. It seems to me that heterosexuals have done more to dilute marriage than anything the homosexual community has throw our way. We have many other things to blame for the breakdown of families and marriage and gay relationships are the least of those reasons. For example, no-fault divorce laws have done much to cheapen the value of marriage.

So where do I go from here? I’m not sure. I’d like to continue to reflect on this topic and hear arguments on both sides.

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Proposition 7 — NO
Copyright � 2008 Eddy E. Visit the original article at http://www.servingbread.net/2008/10/12/proposition-7-n.I’m voting “No” on Proposition 7 which addresses the energy industry in California. It seems to me that as a nation we are going to be moving (and it may be slow) to find alternative and clean energy solutions for our energy consumption needs. Among [...]

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Copyright � 2008 Eddy E. Visit the original article at http://www.servingbread.net/2008/10/12/proposition-7-n.

I’m voting “No” on Proposition 7 which addresses the energy industry in California. It seems to me that as a nation we are going to be moving (and it may be slow) to find alternative and clean energy solutions for our energy consumption needs. Among many things, proposition 7 requires all utilities to generate 50% of their power from renewable energy by 2025.

Like other initiatives, this one is somewhat complicated. Even if you were to read through the legislative analyst’s summary, you will find yourself confused by the number of acronyms and entities involved in California’s energy industry. This initiative highlights the flaws of legislating by proposition.

No offense to the average voter, but I don’t trust us to make reforms to how the energy industry works. For example, one of the changes that Proposition 7 will mandate is a in how we define “market price for electricity.” The proposed law is somewhat vague on whether the market price change will benefit consumers. In the short term, the legislative analyst seems to think that we will see “higher electricity rates” but that in the long run, we may see lower rates.

I appreciate that California has often been on the forefront of establishing environment-friendly guidelines. I think it’s necessary to think proactively (whether it be through politics or business) in how we can exploit renewable and clean energy sources. But I’ll be voting no on this proposition and wait for our representatives in Sacramento (and Washington) to lead the legislative path that encourages green technology.

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Why bread is more expensive and who is to blame?
Sir Alan Sugar may be right to describe the current economic crisis as a "mad financial Disneyworld" but to optimistically suggest that the Tesco value finacial managment is over is perhaps taking things a bit far. The worst might be behind us but the full brunt of the headless chicken's actions is yet to be felt. The headless chickens of course being panicking governments whose answer is to throw money at the groups that caused the problem in the first place.

Let us be quite honest here the only way to solve the current World Economic Crisis (oh wait that was 1920's to 1930's) the Global Economic Crisis is to slap down the abusers and lend a hand to the victims.

We are all used to people crying "doom, all is doom" like a dodgy, third rate, stereotype of an end times prophet (or is that profit?) but there are some facts behind all this.

The value of money has fallen, is falling and will continue to fall. We see this in the increase in prices. How does this work?

Money can be considered to be like shares in a company but rather than a slice of the profits you own a slice of the country's value.

Let us imagine Blogarus PLC which has issued 100 shares to Bob and Fred. Bob has 75 shares and Fred has 25 for which they paid £10 per share. When Chairman Bob issues ten thousand pounds (£10,000) of dividends he gets to take home £7,500 and Fred gets £2,500.

Now Bob thinks that Geekoblog PLC could be purchased for £100,000 and so issues 10,000 new shares at £10 each. Fred purchases 1,000 and a consortium of faceless names take the other 9,000. Quite aside from how the market might react t all this let us assume that for some reason a share remains at £10 - perhaps the company is too small to notice.

Sadly Bob's plans for Geekoblog fall through and so to cheer himself up he issues £50,000 of dividend so he can take a holiday. Bob is therefore a bit shocked when he finds that his shares only grant him £371.29.

This is why in all honesty the value price per share would have crashed to an all time low.

The exact same thing has happened to the US and UK currencies. By issuing billions of new money in aid the natural trading has caused the value of the individual pound to plummet. Naturally we see this as a rise in food prices and our leaders blame the housing crash for it.

Let's take a different illustration. On the imaginary island of Fanasticon live a peaceful village of assorted people. They are ruled from a building called the Matticon by the local Lord. They have no outside contact and as far as they are aware they are the only people in existence.

They use for purpose of trade a rare bean shaped stone called the bean. For as long as anyone can remember the price of a loaf of bread was two beans. Farmer Bob buys a cow each year from Farmer Fred for twenty-nine beans, Farmer Bob pays Mr Butcher six beans to cut the animal into meal sized slices and pays George Iceman sixteen beans to keep the meat fresh.

There are known to be six hundred and twenty seven beans in use. Tax is one bean a year (less than a loaf of bread).Everyone is reasonably content.

One day Farmer Jones is digging in a disused part of his land when he uncovers his great great great grandfather's bean mine. In just a few weeks Farmer Jones is fantastically rich. He pays whatever his friends ask to have them work for him and he thinks life is good.

Now the amount of ice space available from George Iceman is limited and when Farmer Jones and his friends start buying it all to keep their food in George realises he can make a profit and raises the price to meet the new demand. This causes a problem for Bill the Baker who has to start charging three beans for bread to cover his new costs.

With the price of bread gone up Farmer Bob, Farmer Harris and Smith Smithy all realise that they might as well fill their space of reserved ice with fresh cow. Farmer Fred was not expecting an off season rush and charges first forty and then sixty beans per cow.

This causes a rush on the remaining ice and the price of bread rises to six beans while the average price of cow reaches ninety beans. The ice space now costs seventy beans causing people with spare capacity to start renting it out.

Mean while Farmer Grainman finds that he can't afford to keep eating meat from Bud Butcher because the price of meat is very high. So he starts charging two beans a sack instead of one. This causes the price of bread to go up again to cover the new costs.

Farmer Fred starts selling cows that have yet to be born yet for a third of the price of current cows and people rush to buy them before the price goes up again. Soon all the savings have been raised and people are buying and selling beef futures and speculating in ice space.

The Matticon raises the tax to nine beans which is just over one half the price of bread. Farmer Jones, George and Farmer Fred now have more money than they had ever dreamed of but now the bubble bursts and people are going hungry unable to afford bread, ice or beef. There is a food shortage and worse still people are having trouble paying their taxes.

The value of ice space starts to fall and Beef futures trading winds down. As it does Farmer Fred discovers that he owes a lot of cows but is not getting enough beans to cover his basic costs. He sells off his entire stock and his liabilities and runs away to live in the jungle. The new owner has no interest in honouring the promises of the other guy and the Matticon has a difficult case to arbitrate.

Farmer Jones eventually finds that his standard of living is largely unchanged but everyone else is now really poor. To help out Jones donates seven hundred beans to Matticon to buy bread for the hungry.

It's no good and eventually people stop trusting the bean and start swapping things directly. Later that year the bean is dropped as a tool of trade and replaced with photographs of the Matticon.

The same thing has been happening to us but because the world is so much bigger than the imaginary village of Fanasticon we may be unaware of the connections that creating a few billion in local currency has with the fact that a loaf of bread is now 89p to £1.60 when is was once £0.40p to £0.90p.

Our leaders did that to us by trying to help out by paying the guys that caused the problem. That's why we have Tesco value financial control rather than a quality brand. Things are unlikely to change and we the common folk will now pay directly for the trading and profit that some very rich people will get to keep.

Every time you go to the pumps to fill your car, every time it hurts the wallet to buy food - you are directly paying for the money that some fat cat has been licking up into his fat bulging wallet. They get the wealth and we pay for it. We are like Farmer Bob and his friends just trying to keep our heads above water while the Farmer Jones's of this world leach all the value from our cash without us even noticing.

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Proposition 4 — YES
Copyright � 2008 Eddy E. Visit the original article at http://www.servingbread.net/2008/10/08/proposition-4-yes.Proposition 4 challenges my convictions and politics for a number of reasons. This ballot initiative changes the California Constitution to require that minors to notify their parents or legal guardians prior to an abortion. As one who is against abortions (except under some rare medical [...]

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Copyright � 2008 Eddy E. Visit the original article at http://www.servingbread.net/2008/10/08/proposition-4-yes.

Proposition 4 challenges my convictions and politics for a number of reasons. This ballot initiative changes the California Constitution to require that minors to notify their parents or legal guardians prior to an abortion. As one who is against abortions (except under some rare medical conditions), this would seem as a “no-brainer” decision on my part.

It’s unfortunate that our state constitution must now be the legal framework to decide whether an abortion should require parental consent. As I read the initiative, the attorney general’s summary, the legislative analyst’s analysis and the arguments on both sides of the issue, I came to one conclusion: We don’t know how to talk about abortion.

Those who want to keep abortion legal claim that they would like to see abortions reduced, yet they do little to communicate and assure us of that claim. Those on the side who want to criminalize abortions can do better at promoting the importance of prenatal and postnatal care for both infant and mother. And they can do better at using their resources and influence to create an environment that would help mothers choose against terminating pregnancies.

I don’t like that abortion takes up such a central role in our political discourse, and that it does become a litmus test for someone’s politics and how they vote. (In this election cycle, two propositions highlight what the “Christian vote” has been reduced to: gay marriage and abortion. Yet, Christian values are much more expansive and transformative than just those two issues)

But my vote for this initiative is less a vote to curb abortions and more a vote for parental involvement in a child’s decision-making process. As a parent, I take seriously my responsibility for my children’s decisions. Until they are 18, I am glad that the law validates my God-given privileges and responsibilities as a parent. I understand that it will be difficult for children to discuss sex and pregnancy with their parents, but it’s unreasonable that children can pursue abortions (which are medical surgeries) without parental consent or notification.

In fact, this initiative does not seem to go far enough to validate a parent’s right. It only provides for parental notification rather than parental consent. My children will not be able to get surgeries, go on field trips, buy cigarettes, and even watch R-rated movies at the theater without my consent. Yet, the law allows them to have a medical procedure in the form of an abortion without notifying us.

I think both sides on the abortion issue should look to strengthen any common ground they have (and I’m sure there are some common agreements). But I’m not waging any bets that I’ll see that any time soon.

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Culture Making, Part III, How to change or make culture
Copyright � 2008 Eddy E. Visit the original article at http://www.servingbread.net/2008/10/10/culture-making-part-iii-how-to-change-or-make-culture.Summary: In this final section of his book, Andy Crouch encourages readers to seem themselves as world changers and cultural makers. Crouch approaches the idea of culture shaping with some soberness, recognizing that the vast majority of people who believe they can change the world don’t [...]

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Copyright � 2008 Eddy E. Visit the original article at http://www.servingbread.net/2008/10/10/culture-making-part-iii-how-to-change-or-make-culture.

Summary:

In this final section of his book, Andy Crouch encourages readers to seem themselves as world changers and cultural makers. Crouch approaches the idea of culture shaping with some soberness, recognizing that the vast majority of people who believe they can change the world don’t realize that they may be more bent to change the world for the worse than for the better.

The primary characteristic in a person who can change the world is that they are (what he calls) children of grace. This type of person finds himself or herself thankful to how God has shaped him or her, and that the glory for all things belongs to God.

This type of person will embrace disciplines of choosing community, where the crux of culture making seems to happen. Crouch has a creative idea that we can use our influence in spheres of 3, 12, and 120. Rather than be overwhelmed with the brokenness around us and the need to create culture that engages our fallen world on a macro level, Crouch invites us to consider the ways that a small community of people can look for ways to cultivate and create culture within a particular context. I suppose Crouch is operating with the “Little-Big Principle of faith” as found in Luke 16, where Jesus calls us to be faithful with a little before we’re entrusted to be faithful with much.

A final and important characteristic of someone who wants to change the world is that he or she must know how to handle power. But Crouch doesn’t define power in secular terms, but in classic Christian terms. Servanthood and stewardship are the ultimate values for  power. He contrasts Mother Theresa and Princess Diana, showing how a woman of Mother Theresa’s stature brought so much transformation to the world, yet she did not pursue power by lording it over others.

Lessons from Part III:

• Power is available to all: Both of our presidential candidates believe that they can change the world (and our country) for the better. They desire the office of the presidency, which seems to promise so much power to them to bring the change they want to bring. Yet Jesus and the lives of many saints, including Mother Theresa, challenges me to have dreams as big as Obama and McCain bring positive transformation, yet to bring that change using means other than lording it over others. Power is not just available to the McCains and Obamas of the world, but to all who believe that transformation can come through servanthood and stewardship.
• Make culture locally: The 3, 12, 120 principle is a helpful way to think about how we can go about making culture. Crouch is right to point out that most of us can identify our “three” fairly quickly, and that we should look to begin in that kind of community if we wish to create culture.
• Beware of sin: I once heard a mentor point out that we are so eager to change the world that we forget that we are bent to export more of the sin than the witness. I find myself blind to what I export unto others. I need the three or the 12 to help me see the ways that I am changing the world for the worse.

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Proposition 5 — NO
Copyright � 2008 Eddy E. Visit the original article at http://www.servingbread.net/2008/10/08/proposition-5-no.Proposition 5 reforms the sentencing and rehabilitation of drug offenders. It expands treatment for those convicted of drug-related offenses and it imposes a sentencing guideline for judges to follow. This proposition creates a somewhat complicated new system where offenders would go through treatment and fit [...]

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Copyright � 2008 Eddy E. Visit the original article at http://www.servingbread.net/2008/10/08/proposition-5-no.

Proposition 5 reforms the sentencing and rehabilitation of drug offenders. It expands treatment for those convicted of drug-related offenses and it imposes a sentencing guideline for judges to follow. This proposition creates a somewhat complicated new system where offenders would go through treatment and fit into one of three tracks that matches a person’s crime.

I agree with some of the underlying arguments in this initiative—that treatment and rehabilitation may be better responses to drug-related offenses than incarceration. However, I find that the proposition itself creates a new and unnecessary bureaucracy and system that will not do much to address any of our drug problems. Here are my top three reasons for voting “No”:

1. The first paragraph in the argument in favor of Proposition 5 reads: “Our state prisons are badly overcrowded. Since the Legislature has been unable to solve the problem, we, the people, must do it with Proposition 5.” The proponents of Proposition 5 seem less concerned with the rehabilitation of a drug offender and more concerned with the state of our prison system. It is unreasonable to address overcrowding by simply a decriminilization process (especially the process described in this initiative).
2. Our drug-laws are in need of reform, but Proposition 5 is not the way to go. For examples, laws and sentencing tend to be biased against African Americans than other ethnic communities. Our justice system needs to learn to be more blind in how it prosecutes, convicts and sentences criminals.  Any reformation to our drug laws should address some of the inequalities of how justice is rendered.
3. Judges should be given more leeway on how to extend sentencing. Proposition 5 handcuffs a judge’s ability to extend his or her judgment on a particular case. Judges—not voters—should be deciding sentences.

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The Tethered Generation Creates Worried Managers
Look closely at the kid on the left. Go ahead, click on his pic so you can see the full beauty of that wonderful Mona Lisaesque smile. Good looking 18-year old, isn’t he. Too bad you can’t see his charming...

Look closely at the kid on the left. Go ahead, click on his pic so you can see the full beauty of that wonderful Mona Lisaesque smile. Good looking 18-year old, isn’t he. Too bad you can’t see his charming blue eyes. He must be an old guy now. Yep, it’s a b&w pic, but that’s how they took them in 1969, before the invention of color.

Eighteen is a serious time of life. When I posed for this freshman picture at LSU, my foremost thought was making good enough grades to keep me out of the military draft, and Viet Nam. To everyone born after 1957, which includes 75% of those in today’s workforce, you have no clue. The Viet Nam war and the active military draft ended before Uncle Sam could forcibly escort you to SE Asia. To me, an early Boomer, college education was a life or possible death decision.

Our current generation of 18-year olds, Gen Y, faces little challenge by comparison. There are few societal pressures to force them into developing planning and decision-making skills, one of the necessities of emotional maturity.

Is this merely the opinion of a former cutie-pie 18-year old turned 55-year old fogy? No. It’s fact confirmed by several neurological experts quoted in “The Tethered Generation,” an article in the May 2007 issue of HR Magazine. Since you can’t access the article with out SHRM membership, I’ve included it here for download (Tethered.pdf). 

The more I read about the coming challenges of managing Gen Y, the more I think business is in for trouble.

Koi fish
Koi fishKoi One distributes high quality imported koi, and Koi Fish comes at around 1800 with Red, White and Yellow Source: www.koione.com High Quality Koi Fish for Freshwater Garden Ponds: Assorted Butterfly The Butterfly Koi boasts long, flowing fins that add grace and patterns, but is [...]

Koi fish
Koi One distributes high quality imported koi, and Koi Fish comes at around 1800 with Red, White and Yellow
Source: www.koione.com

High Quality Koi Fish for Freshwater Garden Ponds: Assorted Butterfly
The Butterfly Koi boasts long, flowing fins that add grace and patterns, but is most commonly available in white, yellow Before adding your new fish to your pond, we highly
Source: www.liveaquaria.com

Etsy :: AliciaBock :: Yellow Koi- Original Signed Fine Art Abstract
Yellow Koi- Original Signed Fine Art Abstract Photograph, AliciaBock, $35.00 art, photo, photography, archival, fish, koi, bock, alicia, camera, fine, ink, paper,
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Domestic Butterfly Fin Koi for sale page 3
sale, butterfly fin koi, domestic koi, pond fish the Domestic Bred Butterfly Fin Koi on this page is $45 to $125. BFK132 Matsuba yellow-gold - 8″ male - updated 07/08: This fish is:
Source: www.bonniesplants.com

kyspeaks.com Koi Pond - My Big Fat Koi Fish
the home-made koi pond, so I ve decided to take some pictures on the big fat koi fish koi with some black color on its head) chagoi (olive koi) yamabuki ogon (metallic yellow koi)
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WikiAnswers - What does a koi fish tattoo symbolize
What does a koi fish tattoo symbolize? Koi Tattoos According to Japanese legend if a koi succeeded in climbing the falls at a point called Dragon Gate on the Yellow River
Source: wiki.answers.com

References - The History of Nishikigoi
Nishikigoi, commonly referred to as “Koi” are the national fish of Japan, therefore the fish’s These mainly involved red, white and light yellow Koi (the latter developing into
Source: www.netpets.com

butterfly koi
As with Japanese koi, these fish exhibit a wide array of color differences and variations ranging from white, yellow, red and black to fish with a combination of these colors.
Source: jonesfish.com

Koi Carp
Black stripes can be present on the fins and tail. - Bekko: white, red, or yellow Koi with Koi fish like lemons, oranges, grapefruit, watermelon, apples, carrots and more.
Source: www.aqua-fish.net

Tags: animals, pet, animal, koi, gold fish

Mitchkoi, Japanese koi, Japanese koi for sale, Koi carp for sale, Koi
Mitchkoi, Japanese koi, Japanese koi for sale, Koi carp for sale, Koi in STOCK!! please call us NOW!! and let Mitchkoi meet your requirements and budget. OVER 800 HIGH QUALITY KOI IN Aqua stockist, and hold stock of Nexus filters, air pumps, water Source: www.mitchkoi.com Water garden [...]

Mitchkoi, Japanese koi, Japanese koi for sale, Koi carp for sale, Koi
in STOCK!! please call us NOW!! and let Mitchkoi meet your requirements and budget. OVER 800 HIGH QUALITY KOI IN Aqua stockist, and hold stock of Nexus filters, air pumps, water
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Water garden supplies, Koi pond supplies & Water garden design
fertilizers, Koi pond supplies, garden water fountains, reference books and equipment, Lilypons can fulfill all of your water garden design requirements for creating beautiful Koi
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Phosclear Phosphate Remover, 4 lb. Box
Dosage Rates: Koi Ponds & Water Gardens: pound per 1000 gallons every 3 days until water clears. See label about pH requirements before application.
Source: www.keystonehatcheries.com

Tags: fish, pets, koi, animal, pet

Polyurea - GatorGard Koi Pond @ Tulsa Zoo
Polyurea - GatorGard Koi Pond @ Tulsa Zoo Tulsa, Oklahoma s public ZOO had been having serious leaking problems with their KOI fish The primer was applied using standard, short nap paint rollers. Coverage rate was 150 Source: www.elastomer.com WELCOME TO DOUBLE DURANGO FARMOur paint horses, goats, cats, the dog [...]

Polyurea - GatorGard Koi Pond @ Tulsa Zoo
Tulsa, Oklahoma s public ZOO had been having serious leaking problems with their KOI fish The primer was applied using standard, short nap paint rollers. Coverage rate was 150
Source: www.elastomer.com

WELCOME TO DOUBLE DURANGO FARM
Our paint horses, goats, cats, the dog and even the koi fish in the two ponds will have color! We currently have three APHA paints that are used mostly
Source: doubledurangofarm.com

Koi Fish on Black I Poster by Chariklia Zarris at AllPosters.com
Koi Fish on Black I Poster by Chariklia Zarris - at AllPosters.com. Choose from over 500 with a black and white reproduction on heavy, cotton rag paper, artists apply paint
Source: www.allposters.com

Kimmy-Koi Art, Kimmykoiart: Fine Art Featuring Koi with Kimmy; Mona’s
started out to be a desire to paint became a desire to raise and paint koi We have some of the most gorgeous Japanese Koi fish in
Source: www.koi-art.com

How To get Rid of Fin Rot
How to Get Rid of Paint Scratches September 4, 2008. How to Get Rid of CD & DVD The rule of thumb is that for big fish like koi or goldfish, there should be only two square
Source: www.howtogetridofstuff.com

The Koi Exchange
Not only does Saph paint koi portraits but other works of art are available such Recent Fishing Games Scores
Source: www.thekoiexchange.co.uk

Koi Pond Pumps | Koi Carp Supplies | Pond & Aquatic Supplies
Koi Filtration; Koi Fish Food and Autofeeders; Koi Pond Air Pumps & Accessories; Koi Pond Heaters; Koi Pond Lighting; Koi Pond Liners; Koi Pond Paint & Sealants; Koi Pond Pipework & Fittings
Source: www.swelluk.com

Our Ohio - koi, Franklin Park Conservatory
Pacific Island Water Garden it takes the form of a fish a Japanese koi to be exact. And for many years to come, Annie s koi will continue to paint a colorful picture for
Source: ourohio.org

koi filter media - telsa meter
water garden, water gardens, pond, pumps, filters, aquatic plants, fish food, Ultraviolet Buy quality Koi Other Sites: Australia Travel Wiki; Paint Splatters; CLG Wiki; Raw Food Diet
Source: kidstvdvdcomr.wetpaint.com

Tags: fishes, koi, animal, pet, fish

Secret Papers: A Memorial Day Tribute To The Greatest Generation
This my first Memorial Day without my dad, who went to be with the Lord last December. You may recall that I wrote a tribute to him and his Greatest Generation. Excessive narcissism, such as identified in Gen X and...

This my first Memorial Day without my dad, who went to be with the Lord last December. You may recall that I wrote a tribute to him and his Greatest Generation.

Excessive narcissism, such as identified in Gen X and Y, didn’t exist in my dad’s generation. They were too focused on working together to defeat the Axis enemy. The selfless teamwork they learned during the war made them the world’s most productive workers afterward.

Although my dad often alluded to his covert war activities, dropping OSS (CIA) trained agents behind enemy lines, he never told me details. He said that his operations were still secret.

Imagine, you’re a bombardier on a modified B-24, flying covert missions behind enemy lines, flying—sometimes blind—at altitudes of 500’ or less, and you can’t tell anyone about it for years. Today, CNN or Fox News would have a reporter embedded on the airplane, the entire mission videotaped for posterity. The crew would be hailed as heroes; the not-so-secret agents exposed and elevated to superstar status.

Thanks to the declassification of WWII documents, I now have a record of all my dad’s covert missions. I’ve attached one (Download.pdf) for your review (be patient, it’s a 724k file), mission #1130, July 18-19, 1944.  The document is a debriefing report after my dad dropped one agent and a number of supplies over France in a operation known as Freelance 4.

I miss my dad. Today I would have told him thank you for his brave service, that is, if he would talk about it. But that’s the nature of the Greatest Generation, rarely self-serving. I wish Gen X and Y were more like them. I’d rest easier about America’s future.

Dallas Politics Needs Transparency To Expose Bradults
According to The Dallas Morning News (Download Article.pdf), the FBI has launched investigations of Dallas, TX City Council members 3 times within the past 12 years. That’s FBI, as in, federal investigation, not local. For local investigations, forced resignations, and...

According to The Dallas Morning News (Download Article.pdf), the FBI has launched investigations of Dallas, TX City Council members 3 times within the past 12 years. That’s FBI, as in, federal investigation, not local.

For local investigations, forced resignations, and other matters of ethical concern among Dallas City Council members and their appointees, you’d need a rap sheet. That’s why “honest government” finished third in a TDMN poll as a the single most important concern of Dallas voters, right behind crime and economics.

It was interesting to read the response of various candidates for Dallas mayor when TDMN asked them about ethics reform of Dallas’s 7-year old city code of ethics. The opinions of two of the frontrunners stand out.

Banker and former Mayor Pro Tem Max Wells:
"Sunlight and transparency is the best defense against activities that aren't in the citizens' best interests. We need new regulations."

Lawyer and Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill:
"I've not, in my experience, seen that raise its head in such a way to create a problem. I just don't see a reason for a big change." 

Guess which candidate is under investigation by the FBI?

As I said in my previous post, I like transparency; it works. News coverage, as imperfect as it is, provides us valuable, selective transparency. 

ADLABS - Krrish
ADLABS - KrrishFilm Kraft Producer: Rakesh Roshan Director: Rakesh Roshan Music: Rajesh Roshan A sequel to ‘Koi Mil Gaya’, Krrish is the story of Krishna, son of Rohit (Koi Mil Gaya Source: www.adlabsfilms.com Koi-Ern hrungDie richtige Ern hrung Ihrer Koi steht im absoluten Zusammenhang mit der Gesundheit Bei [...]

ADLABS - Krrish
Film Kraft Producer: Rakesh Roshan Director: Rakesh Roshan Music: Rajesh Roshan A sequel to ‘Koi Mil Gaya’, Krrish is the story of Krishna, son of Rohit (Koi Mil Gaya
Source: www.adlabsfilms.com

Koi-Ern hrung
Die richtige Ern hrung Ihrer Koi steht im absoluten Zusammenhang mit der Gesundheit Bei steigenden Temperaturen k nnen Ihre Fische nun Kraft sammeln, um das K rpervolumen
Source: koi.traneo.de

Koi Teich
Ein Koi Teich ist eine Bereicherung f r jeden Garten. Die Vitakraftprodukte helfen Ihnen bei der Pflege Ihres Koi Teichs
Source: www.vitakraft.de

Koi Mil Gaya (2003)
Koi Mil Gaya (2003) Plot: A developmentally disabled young man tries to Film Kraft more
Source: www.imdb.com

Bildarchiv, Fotoarchiv, Bildagentur Berlin - Home
fotoagentur pressebilder zeitgeschehen stockfoto fotografie manfred kraft telefon: 0173 / 211 koi karpfen
Source: www.kraft-fotografie.de

Koi-Karpfen und Koi-Teiche von Christian Bahl 0 41 21 - 59 00
Christian Bahl bietet Koi aus Japan von Z|chtern wie Oishi, Nakaguawa, Omosako, Hiroi und In der Ruhe liegt die Kraft Wo Europ er bunte Beete leuchten lassen, herrschen im fernen
Source: www.koi-karpfen.com

Red Devil (Schwerkraftpumpe)
Home–> PUMPEN –> Red Devil (Schwerkraftpumpe) In dieser Warengruppe gibt es zur Zeit keine Produkte und keine weiteren Unterwarengruppen.
Source: www.koi-express.de

VitaKraft Hamster Honey Sticks Stick Treats
br /> - VitaKraft,, pet supplies,dog supplies,cat supplies,small pet supplies,pet meds,pet products,online pet supplies,pond supplies,koi
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Koi Sundial / M. Koehl
Koi Sundial / M. Koehl Garden Bench / Canterbury Stepping Stones by Robt. The most seen is a strong brown kraft type paper. The tesserae are secured using a water
Source: www.inlandcraft.com

Tags: fish, animal, fishes, animals, gold fish

Goldfish and Aquarium Board-What’s New at GAB
Goldfish and Aquarium Board-What’s New at GABAfrican Dwarf Frogs Care Sheet Things you need to know to get started with ADFs. Koivet has an online store for plants/aquascaping and an online aquarium plant discussion forum Source: thegab.org www.ippca.com View topic - Could Vets Efforts End Koi Health [...]

Goldfish and Aquarium Board-What’s New at GAB
African Dwarf Frogs Care Sheet Things you need to know to get started with ADFs. Koivet has an online store for plants/aquascaping and an online aquarium plant discussion forum
Source: thegab.org

www.ippca.com View topic - Could Vets Efforts End Koi Health
Inevitably, that leads to KoiVet.com, an all-you-need-to-know-about-fish site, and You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum
Source: www.ippca.com

Joukkuekeskustelut - FutisForum
kirjoittanut Hannu J ntin koivet: IFK Mariehamn 2008 - Paskaa roiskintaa jne. 1 2 28 29 lskar_Gr nvitt: 715 33803 Syyskuun 17. 2008, 23:51:08
Source: futisforum2.org

Open Directory - Recreation: Pets: Fish and Aquaria: Freshwater
video, classification, care, health, and filtration information. Koi Talk - Discussion forum, with sections on pond building, and Koi health. Registration required, free. A Koi Vet
Source: dmoz.org

Tags: fishes, pet, gold fish, fish, animal

Expres informacji nr 2-2006
Expres informacji nr 2-2006 agresywnych ryb objawiaj cych si gonitwami lub szczypaniem, zar wno w obecno ci jak i nieobecno ci pokarmu, ale w obecno ci pokarmu ataki te by y cz stsze. Karp koi Source: www.infish.com.pl consilr.info.uaic.ro30002374, 2122439. 1950209. w 825351. by [...]

Expres informacji nr 2-2006
agresywnych ryb objawiaj cych si gonitwami lub szczypaniem, zar wno w obecno ci jak i nieobecno ci pokarmu, ale w obecno ci pokarmu ataki te by y cz stsze. Karp koi
Source: www.infish.com.pl

consilr.info.uaic.ro
30002374, 2122439. 1950209. w 825351. by 558024 - 548761. i 542780. z 456026. si 435612. na 397478. nie 315794. on 295541. do 288899. ten 234864. to 234187)
Source: consilr.info.uaic.ro

Komunikaty Rybackie 1990-2004
Hybrydyzacja jako program hodowlany. Heterozja (Tave 1986) 2005, Nr 5; M. uczy ski - Genetyka ryb 20. Przyk ady zastosowa hybrydyzacji w programach hodowlanych
Source: www.infish.com.pl

corpus.leeds.ac.uk
The frequency distribution for attribute ‘lemma’ in corpus ‘polish’ For more information visit http://corpus.leeds.ac.uk/list.html - corpus size: 86631767 tokens
Source: corpus.leeds.ac.uk

Wolna Encyklopedia : Karp
silnie wygrzbiecone cia o oraz rz d du ych usek wzd u linii bocznej i w okolicach g owy; karp pe no uski; karp drobno uski; karp hodowlany; karp bez uski (golec) karp koi
Source: www.extremalnefilmiki.warszawa.pl

Ucze z klas II - BLOGI
silnie wygrzbiecone cia o oraz rz d du ych usek wzd u linii bocznej i w okolicach g owy ; karp pe no uski ; karp drobno uski ; karp hodowlany ; karp bez uski (golec) karp koi
Source: www.blogi.szkolazklasa.pl

Go ysz
Materia hodowlany: wysokozinbredowanych tarlak w karpia linii polskich, w gierskich europejski, sum afryka ski, tilapia nilowa materia obsadowy ryb ozdobnych - karp Koi
Source: www.fish.com.pl

Rybobranie.pl Wiadomo ci Wywiady Karp - polska
Jaki by tegoroczny sezon hodowlany dla polskich producent w sen z oczu hodowcom karpia, jest gro na choroba Koi Promocji Rybactwa i Produkt w Rybnych “Pan Karp” przy
Source: www.rybobranie.pl

Horai Restaurant sushi grill kanto ski kuchnia tajska
KOI-karp KOIMO = IMO KOKUMOTSU SU-ocet ze zbo a KOMAI-dorsz szafranowy, jeden z Hodowlany ma nieco gorsze mi so ni dziki. Najlepszy wczesnym latem w Japonii, p nym
Source: www.horairestaurant.pl

W dkarstwo, w dkarstwo sp awikowe, sp awik, sport w dkarski
Program hodowlany ochrony zasob w genetycznych karpia linii: go yska, knyszy ska kilku laty w naszych stawach i akwariach pojawi si importowany ze Wschodu karp koi
Source: www.splawik17.pl

Tags: pet, gold fish, fishes, fish, animal

Allergy and Sleep Medicine Medical Billing
Billing Paradise is one of the largest medical billing companies offering assistance in allergy and sleep medicine billing servie providers.

Anesthesiology Medical Billing
Billing Paradise is one of the largest Anesthesiology medical billing companies in United States, assisting medical practitioners like individual doctors, health associations, clinics.

Dentistry Medical Billing
Billing Paradise dentistry medical billing services offer dentists, clinics, hospitals and also medical billing companies.

Cardiology Medical Billing
The appropriate medical coding could mean the difference between an insurance company pays a claim, or to reject.

Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Medical Billing
Billing Paradise is one of the foremost companies in the United States offering thoracic and cardiovascular surgery medical billing to various medical related individuals to medical organizations.

Podcast Production Takes Podcasting to Business Market
New media production agency, Podcast Production Ltd, is helping business take advantage of this new and exciting communication channel throughout Europe. The Company was formed by a group of media, marketing and technical specialists in order to make the dynamic and engaging media of Podcasts accessible both to the corporate business community and its customers.

Sales and Marketing Director, Stephen Ballard commented, "Corporate customers are now recognising Podcasting as a unique marketing channel that will give them a fast track connection to the iPod generation. Giving users the flexibility to listen to information on the move has undoubtedly been the key driver in making Podcasting such an effective new communication channel. As a marketing professional I would recommend that customers embrace this technology to provide competitive advantage."

A Podcast is a series of multimedia "episodes" much like the chapters of a book, delivered via an audio or video file to which a listener can subscribe and receive regular updates. Having subscribed using free and easily accessible software, listeners automatically receive the episodes as they are published. All this happens within affecting the users email account so SPAM is not an issue. Each Podcast episode can be automatically downloaded to an mp3 player such as an iPod, mobile phone or simply played back on a PC.

Communications Director, Robin Wolstenholme has discovered a knowledge gap within business, "When we talk to new customers about Podcasting, they think a Podcast is just an mp3 download. For me, the real power of Podcasting lies in the subscription mechanism, building up a listener base."

Another misconception that Podcast Production has encountered is a lack of imagination when embarking on a corporate Podcast. Rob Granville who heads up the production department at Podcast Production elaborated, "We have found that formal interviews, chaired discussions and short market reports adapt well to Podcasting, but the possibilities extend to many other areas of application. For example, a customer newsletter delivered by Podcast is more engaging and dynamic than a paper equivalent. It is also more accessible and environmentally friendly than a paper delivery for a socially responsible business or organisation"

Ballard summarized, "Podcasting is not a replacement for existing communication channels, but a powerful ally in the struggle for voice in today's fast-paced business world. "

About Podcast Production Limited
Podcast Production Ltd is a full service pan-European Podcast and media production agency run by marketing, technology, media and audio engineering professionals based in the UK, close to London and international airports.

Google Universal Search Confirms Information in Newly Released Book
Web sites who are constantly battling for Visibility are going to need to focus on external content such as link building and other media formats. This has been confirmed with the launch of Googles Universal Search.

Universal search integrates all formats of information from image, maps, to video into one, providing and over all search. Google is indeed looking to provide the ultimate searching mechanism, the best result possible across all formats.

"Google analyses over 200 different elements in its algorithm to provide accurate results. At the same time, external content such as link building, videos and social linking have had a major effect of top results" said Paul Easton, author of the newly released book, Link Traffic: A Plan for Free Web Traffic

"Many opinions have been formed as to what works in regard to how to get to the top of Googles results. I set out to provide proof that link building from external sources proves to be the most effective. From a results point of view, nothing is more convincing than the real facts, which I uncovered" said Paul Easton

Many web designers have claimed to SEO (search engine optimization) proficient, without the use of external content. In the New media world of the Internet, they are unlikely to achieve any success. This would result in low website traffic and a lack of belief the Internet as a marketing channel.

All web designers, web development and ecommerce managers looking to capitalise on more visitors to a website, at the lowest cost, need to be aware of the tactics and strategies that work. The ROI on free web promotion, done the right way can bring an endless source of targeted long term customers that can form the base of a reliable database.

The knowledge alone is not enough -- activation of the concepts, in the right way, will improve the reach of any reputable company online increasing market share and branding.

"Developments in the fast moving world of marketing on-line where competition is high, Link building and what others say about you will be around for many years to come as its an effective way for Google to provide the best results and keeping its market share"

PRWeb Offers New Social Media Tool for Press Releases
PRWeb, a leading online press release distribution newswire and a Vocus (NASDAQ: VOCS) company, today announced the launch of "BlogThis," a new social media tool enabling bloggers to easily post and comment on PRWeb press releases in their blogs.

Part of PRWeb's growing social media toolset, "BlogThis" leverages the growing influence of Web 2.0 technologies to provide additional online visibility for PRWeb press releases. Bloggers can link their PRWeb account to their personal blog, providing a shortcut to post commentary on PRWeb news releases to their blog.

"As blogs and other social media grow in importance to public relations professionals and marketers, PRWeb continues to pioneer new methods to enhance the online visibility of our customers' press releases," said Joel Baker, PRWeb's President and COO. "BlogThis increases the interaction between social media and our customers, facilitating the process for bloggers and increasing the potential coverage for our customers' press releases within the social media world."

PRWeb's BlogThis feature is available for press releases distributed at the Social Media, SEO and Media Visibility levels.

About PRWeb
PRWeb is recognized as a leading online news and news release distribution service worldwide. Since 1997, PRWeb has been changing the way businesses, marketing departments and public relations firms think about press releases. PRWeb was the first company to develop a distribution strategy around direct-to-consumer communication and to build and offer a search engine optimized platform for press release distribution. PRWeb, located in Ferndale, WA, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vocus, Inc., a leading provider of on-demand public relations management software. For more information, go to http://www.prweb-inc.com.

Leading Google Search Expert Offers Five Free 30-Minute Sessions
As website owners know, obtaining a top 10 ranking at the search engines where an online storefront can be quickly spotted by a target audience that is ready to buy can be a daunting task, especially without firsthand knowledge of how the search engine works, which is why natural search expert James Martell has just released a series of free informative sessions from his sold-out Backlinks Workshop.

"Most site owners remain confused about legitimate, 'non-spammy' techniques that can be used to drive free from the search engines to their websites because they simply but lack the understanding of what it takes to obtain top rankings," Martell explains. "They don't realize that the search engines, especially Google, determine where a page is listed in the search results by analyzing others pages on the Internet that are linking to it," Martell, successful publisher, speaker and author of the Affiliate Marketers Handbook - '2006' (THIRD EDITION)," adds.

As he explains in the Backlinks Workshop sessions, the search engines use these "incoming links" (also known as "backlinks") from other sites as "votes" to determine where a website page should reside in the search results.

This explains why if a Webmaster wants a site to rank highly in the natural search results, with Google and other search engines alike, they need other search engine trusted websites linking to the site.

"In short," as Martell says, "There's just no other way."

Aside from releasing the free five 30-minute sessions for Webmasters of every level, Martell has also just announced his next live Backlinks Workshop, right on the heels of the first Backlinks Workshop, which boasted record attendance and sold out in a matter of days.

Slated to begin July 17, the engaging workshop will be delivered to participants desktops via Martell's online conference room technology, providing live, media-rich instruction of every step of Martell's proven inbound link campaign process.

This allows participating Webmasters to learn by watching then by doing, having questions answered by Martell as they go, ultimately providing Webmasters with the tools needed to develop their own links, and a thorough backlinks campaign that gets results.

The night-school style classes will be held every Tuesday, starting at 6 pm (Pacific Time) and last for approximately 90 minutes. Each session is broken into two parts: During the first part, Martell provides live instruction, followed by the second part, which includes an important interactive question and answer period with Martell and participating site owners.

Additionally, the Backlinks Workshop sessions can be reviewed at any time online or through downloadable video, MP3 audio files or written transcripts, providing participants with both the flexibility and ongoing support needed to achieve the strong results desired.

As attendees of the previous sold-out Backlinks Workshop know, website owners will learn the same techniques and strategies Martell has relied on to achieve and maintain his own online success for more than seven years now.

"The inbound link workshop is straight-forward, detailed and systematic," says student Jim Stenson. "James Martell has done it again! I know when I fully implement the system I will finally be ranking in the search engines at a level that will generate the traffic needed for my success."

Fellow student David Caban concurs.

"Martell's backlinks workshop opened my eyes to the true "secret" of getting my sites to rank highly in the search engines," he says. "I loved the week-by-week approach to learning the material and thought it was highly effective. The best part for me was that each session was recorded. Since I wasn't able to make each week's meeting, I was so relieved to know I could watch the video at a later date and still get the information I needed!"

According to both Stenson and Caban, by following along, participating Webmasters will create inbound links to their website, as well as develop a comprehensive system that provides ongoing links, with the cutting through the clutter and delivering real long-term results.

To learn more about James Martell's Backlinks Workshop, and to download five FREE 30 minute sessions loaded with spam-free strategies, tips and techniques for gaining higher rankings at the search engines, go to: http://www.BacklinksWorkshop.com.

About James Martell (http://www.jamesmartell.com)
James Martell resides with his wife Arlene and four children Adam, Justin, Shelby and Victoria in little seaside community (White Rock, British Columbia). Although a carpenter by trade, James is a self-taught entrepreneur who has been a recognized expert of natural search techniques since 1999.

James is the author of the best-selling downloadable Affiliate Marketers Handbook 2006, which now, five years later, has been revised and updated to become the most comprehensive affiliate marketer's handbook available today.

This 389-page training manual and companion video series are continually relied on by people worldwide who, using James' teachings as a roadmap, have guided themselves and their families to home-based business success.

James is also well known through the affiliate marketing industry for his legendary live Coffee Talk interviews, which include candid discussions with some of the top professionals in this field, and his Affiliate Buzz audio newsletters, both of which provide website owners new and old alike with information, resources, tips, tools and techniques on online publishing that website owners can use to achieve their own online success.

Mobile Social Communities - Business Conference Will Be Held July 26-27 in San Francisco
Ticonderoga Ventures, Inc. announces that the next generation of the social networking business: Mobile Social Networking and Wireless Social Communities will be discussed at the July 26-27, 2007 Mobile Social Networking Conference, held in San Francisco.

Speakers at this event include executives from the most respected and largest industry organizations, which include: MySpace, Nokia, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Jangl, Bebo, FAS Research, TNS Media, Tickle, Norwest Venture Partners, ClicMobile, Vumber, Juice Wireless, Sinofriends / 96333.com (China), Sonopia, AirG, EQO, Dogster, .Mobi, Mozes, Social Networking Watch, New Enterprise Associates, Plutolife and Rate.ee (Estonia).

Mobile Social Communities and Mobile Social Media services are currently being developed by online social networking firms. In addition, start up companies have also entered this new market with unique solutions.

Attending the event will be senior executives from all aspects of the social networking industry and online personals industry, as well as executives from wireless telecommunication firms, cell phone and PDA manufacturers, software companies, venture capitalists, marketing firms and entrepreneurs.

The Mobile Social Networking Business Conference taking place in San Francisco will be the venue for both large and small firms to learn, share ideas and explore business opportunities in this emerging market.

The event is scheduled to be at the Courtyard Marriott Downtown San Francisco Hotel for two full days (July 26 and 27, 2007).

For more information on the Mobile and Wireless Social Networking Conference, please visit the website (www.SocialNetworkingConference.com) or contact:

Want Better Rankings in the Search Engines? Search Engine Trust Makes it Possible
Search Engine Trust, http://www.getsearchenginetrust.com, an Internet marketing company that owns over 3,000 websites, has developed an innovative search engine optimization program that helps websites improve their rankings in the major search engines.

The search engine optimization program developed by Search Engine Trust is simple to use. Search Engine Trust owns over 3,000 websites that have a Google Page Rank ranging from 1 - 7. When a business subscribes to Search Engine Trust, that business is given high quality one-way links pointing at the business's website. As any search engine optimization specialist knows, getting high quality links pointed at your website is the most effective tool for getting high search engine rankings. With Search Engine Trust, businesses get access to receive high quality one-way links from thousands of websites.

Peter Geisheker, a marketing consultant and search engine optimization specialist states, "I have to admit that I was extremely skeptical of Search Engine Trust when I joined it. However, after using the Search Engine Trust program for only two weeks, my website jumped from being ranked #17 on Google to being ranked #5 on Google for an extremely competitive search term. I was absolutely blown away because it only took me about 30 minutes of link building on Search Engine Trust to achieve this result. To make sure this wasn't a fluke, I tried it again with another website I manage. In a span of only 8 days, that website went from being ranked #35 on Google to being ranked #8 on Google. I have found no other SEO system that even begins to compare with the results I have received from Search Engine Trust."

Ed Dale, one of the world's most respected Internet marketing consultants states, "I hated search engine optimization and all the work that went into getting high search engine rankings for my websites. Then I found Search Engine Trust. I tried it and I was simply amazed by the results. The websites I promoted with Search Engine Trust received top 10 search engine rankings within about a month. All I can say is that if you are frustrated by bad rankings in the search engines and a lack of traffic to your website, Search Engine Trust is the answer to your prayers."

For more information on Search Engine Trust and getting improved search engine rankings ,please visit http://www.getsearchenginetrust.com.

About Search Engine Trust http://www.getsearchenginetrust.com
Based in New York City, Search Engine Trust is the world's premier Internet marketing firm. It is also the largest private owner of websites, with over 3,000 websites under its management.

NextEra Media Rolls Out Its Pay-Per-Click Video Network
NextEra Media is debuting its Pay-Per-Click Video Network after several months of beta-testing. NextEra CEO, Jaffer Ali said, "Since the beginning of the year we have aggregated 127 video sites into a network. Our goal was to offer a reasonably priced PPC program to advertisers and marketers. All clicks are generated in conjunction with video clips and the initial results have been extraordinary. All video sites are "safe-for-work" and currently serving over 300 million video views per month."

This is not the first time NextEra has created an advertising network. Back in 1999 NextEra aggregated content-based email publications into what became the largest e-zine network online. At its zenith NextEra controlled the advertising inventory of several hundred e-zines with over 63 million opt-in subscribers. Today's announcement marks the evolution from an email-centric model to a web-centric network utilizing state of the art streaming and licensed video content.

Ali continued, "The technological challenges are always a matter of development and tweaking, but getting licensed, fully legal content is what posed the major challenges. Fortunately our subsidiary video portal, EVTV1.com, has secured licenses with studios and producers which enables us to put our client's messages in and around thousands of professionally produced clips. Links to these content clips are placed on our network's video sites with the view either terminating on a special, branded landing page or the marketer's very own website. Our video player can be embedded anywhere so the client controls the environment in which their message is viewed."

It is estimated that 45% of all online advertising is spent via the PPC model. NextEra Media is marrying the most popular form of online advertising with the new Belle of the Ball -- online video.

Ali concluded: "Our Video PPC program addresses the two major concerns that clients have with online video advertising: the legality of the content used in their promotion, and the atmosphere that their message will be seen in. Our technology and fully legal content create a safe haven for marketers and advertisers alike. Quality video content will now be used to drive traffic."

LinkConnector Rolls Out Technology to Support More Merchant Shopping Carts
LinkConnector (http://www.linkconnector.com/), an Affiliate Marketing Network, announced today that it has fully integrated LinkConnector tracking with Google's shopping cart solution, Google Checkout, giving merchants more advanced checkout options for their shoppers. The ability for merchants to provide more checkout options for their customers can mean greater conversion rates for LinkConnector Affiliates as well, creating a synergistic outcome for both parties. LinkConnector made its way onto the coveted list of approved Google tracking service providers earlier this year, making the integration of Google Checkout possible for merchants using their industry-changing Affiliate Marketing Network. The integration of Google Checkout comes in addition to an already impressive list of other shopping cart solutions that LinkConnector currently supports for its Network Merchants. It also keeps with LinkConnector's philosophy of providing the best technologies, services, and support to its merchant and affiliate base.

Google Checkout offers a trusted checkout option for shoppers allowing them to make purchases from participating online stores with a single Google login. A shopper can use Google Checkout by creating a Google Checkout login directly from the merchant's website with a single username and password, and basic information such as their contact details and payment preferences. With Google Checkout, shoppers are able to track their purchases (including order history and shipping details) in one place.

Google Checkout also benefits merchants by streamlining the checkout process and making it less expensive. Once shoppers buy with Google Checkout, merchants using AdWords can process all or a portion of their sales for free. For every $1 merchants spend on AdWords, they can process $10 in sales through Google Checkout at no charge. Current merchants that work with Google Checkout include Jockey, Starbucks Store, Levi's, Timberland, and Buy.com.

"Integrating Google Checkout was a natural progression for LinkConnector," said Michele Fuentes, Director of Technology for LinkConnector. "We are committed to providing the most advanced and up-to-date technologies for our merchants and affiliates. Working with Google to provide this latest shopping cart option for our merchants lined up with these goals."

Beyond Google Checkout, LinkConnector also supports a variety of other shopping carts, including OSCommerce, X-Cart, Yahoo Cart (all versions), and PayPal. LinkConnector remains dedicated to working with both small and large merchants to integrate whatever shopping cart provider works best for their business.

"LinkConnector has worked with a number of merchants in the past to integrate custom-built shopping carts," said Drew Bowman, a programmer at LinkConnector. "We work hard to provide personalized solutions for our customers. Even if a shopping cart is not currently supported, we will generally find a solution."

About LinkConnector.com
LinkConnector, an Affiliate Marketing Network, headquartered in Cary, NC, helps merchants and affiliates increase online revenue. Since its inception in 2004, the company has continuously introduced new technologies to the industry, such as the patent-pending Naked Link Technology®, Affiliate Connections™ optimizing technology, and FraudFREE™ Protection, to elevate affiliate and merchant expectations. LinkConnector maintains a strong emphasis on network quality and stands by a zero tolerance fraud policy. LinkConnector also offers SEO and SEM strategy integration, and brand control for merchants. The company includes two dedicated merchant and affiliate relations departments to provide comprehensive support to all companies within the LinkConnector Network. To join, please visit http://www.LinkConnector.com/join-now.htm.

To learn more about the LinkConnector Affiliate Marketing Network, please visit http://www.linkconnector.com.

To learn more about Google Checkout, please visit http://checkout.google.com/sell.

Upstart Internet Entrepreneur windizzi.com Vows to 'Take on Google'
A 27-year old E-Commerce Entrepreneur has vowed to take on Internet monolith Google at its own game.

Adam Blair, who is best known for helping people avoid speeding tickets, has started a brand new Search Engine which he claims has the potential to challenge Google's dominance within 5 years.

windizzi.com, which launched on April 29, 2007, has already attracted 9322 "Founder Members" with over 79,000 search queries performed in the first 3 weeks alone.

The idea behind the venture is based on a joint ownership model where users of the Search Engine can register as a "Founder Member." Registering entitles them to a small portion of the value of the company and is completely free.

windizzi's Founder plans to emulate Google, where many of its employees became millionaires overnight upon its flotation on August 19, 2004, which valued the company at $23 billion, Blair said.

However, he claims that windizzi is distinctly different from Google:

"The whole idea behind windizzi is that the content, the results, the features, even the look and feel of the site will be decided by the users. It won't be a case of a board of directors saying 'this is what we are going to do' and then serving something up to users that they don't really want," Blair said.

Even the company's corporate logo is to be designed by users, he said.

"We are introducing a voting system where people can upload their own windizzi logo and other members will be able to vote on each one. The logo with the highest score will become our corporate logo," Blair said.

It's this user-generated focus that Blair believes is the biggest reason for windizzi's initial success.

But he wants windizzi to be much more than to be a minor player in the Search business, he said: "We are going after the big boys. Google needs a true competitor in the Search Engine race and there is no one who looks like taking to the fight to them at the moment. That's my vision for windizzi."

And Blair is not shy about coming forward to challenge the Internet giant, which Blair said features a staff of more than 11,000, compared to windizzi's current five employees. On the windizzi home page, there is a link saying "Can windizzi REALLY be better than Google?" demonstrating windizzi's ambition towards their target.

Marketing Operations Partners Continues to Provide Pioneering Vision and Leadership
Marketing Operations Partners today announced a series of developments that build upon its fast-growing leadership and momentum in the evolving discipline of Marketing Operations. The company's founder and CEO, Gary M. Katz, is again chairing a day-long track at a major marketing operations conference and the company is completing a benchmarking study of best practices in marketing operations.

For the third consecutive year the company's founder and CEO, Gary M. Katz, has been selected as a Track Chair at the Henry Stewart XVII Conference, which begins tomorrow in New York at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Katz will facilitate the Marketing Efficiency & Effectiveness track on the first day of the conference. The track includes presentations by Technorati Chairman Peter Hirschberg and Proctor & Gamble's Marketing General Manager Dina Howell; a guru panel on marketing efficiency and effectiveness, moderated by The Hub's editor-in-chief Tim Manners; an executive roundtable on marketing transformation; and a review of International Data Corporation's 2007 marketing performance matrix.

Best Practices in Operations Reviews among Technology Marketing Organizations
Responding to a growing technology industry need for more disciplined marketing accountability and performance, Marketing Operations Partners will soon be publishing a benchmark survey, "Best Practices in Operations Reviews among Technology Marketing Organizations" and will be able to discuss preliminary results after June 15. The study, which includes insight gleaned from in-depth interviews with more than 20 Silicon Valley technology companies and an online survey, is targeted for final release in July. A sampling of the participating companies in the interviews include Agilent, Applied Materials, Ariba, BEA, Cadence, Informatica, Intuit, Network Appliance, Seagate, Symantec, and Xilinx. Marketers who want to share their experience with marketing operations reviews and get a complementary executive summary of the report can still participate in the online survey until June 15 at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=1Hc34t4aXgorEiu3SZwOog%3d%3d.

In response to Marketing Operations Partners growth, the company has added four new associate partners and team effectiveness and knowledge management consultants to its team. Services are now expanded and organized in five categories: Sales Process Acceleration (led by Ron Snyder), Marketing Scalability (led by Jerry Hart), Customer Profitability (led by Lynn Hunsaker), Strategy and Change Facilitation (led by Mike Gospe) and Return on Marketing (led by Linda Popky). In addition to Hart and Popky, new Associate Partners include Marketing IT and supply chain expert Dr. Juan Montermoso and Sharyn Fitzpatrick, a marketing communications process expert. Fitzpatrick is also serving as public relations account director for the Henry Stewart Conference, a new client of CommPros Group, Inc., a marketing programs adoption agency that was also founded by Katz and is a sister company to Marketing Operations Partners.

Larry Lepold, an organization change and team effectiveness expert with a deep marketing and business development background, and Deborah Plumley, a knowledge mapping and management facilitator, have also joined the team as senior consultants.

About Henry Stewart XVII

Now in its seventh year, Henry Stewart combines the thought leadership insights of a case study driven conference with the news from the bleeding edge of technology development within a co-located expo. The show has provided actionable project management advice to over 7,000 Digital Asset Management, Broadcast Automation and Marketing Efficiency program leaders at global events in New York, LA, London, Amsterdam and Washington DC.

Despite serving as the industry event for niche technology categories -- Digital Asset Management, Enterprise Marketing Management, Marketing Resource Management, Broadcast & Workflow Automation -- this show is not about technology; it's about new ways of working. Henry Stewart enables attendees to validate that their problems are shared by hundreds of their peers and helps identify proven strategies to solve those problems. For more information, visit www.damusers.com.

About Marketing Operations Partners

Founded in Santa Clara, CA in June 2006, Marketing Operations Partners is the first ready-to-go COO and change management team dedicated to changing the MO of Marketing by helping CMOs operate like CEOs. The company brings together leading subject matter experts and thought leaders to enable clients to leverage process, technology, guidance, and metrics to run Marketing as a profit center and fully accountable business. A comprehensive blend of pragmatic and innovative services help enterprises accelerate the sales process, build a scalable marketing infrastructure, optimize customer profitability, cultivate an ecosystem of stakeholder support for key enterprise initiatives and demonstrate measurable return on Marketing to management. For more information, visit www.mopartners.com, or contact 408-243-7881.

Well, now!
Yes, um.  Here I am, at long last.  I took a little bloggie sabatical over the summer.  Sometimes you just have to pick and choose where to spend your time and mine was needed elsewhere.  Now that we have moved into our new home and I have a few web projects behind me I am [...]

Groaning about the elections
When the righteous rule the people rejoice, when the wicked rule the people groan. Proverbs 29:2 I watch more TV now than ever thanks to the elections. The Presidential debate tonight was, ho, hum, boring.  People in the audience were even nodding off.  The Vice Presidential debate last week, now that was great.  “Say it ain’t so, Joe.”  [...]

Interview with Cindi Wood, “The Frazzled Female”
Author, speaker, and entrepreneur, Cindi Wood, is the author of I’ve Used All My Sick Days - Now I’ll Have To Call In Dead, The Frazzled Female, The Frazzled Female Bible Study, Victoriously Frazzled Bible Study, Too Blessed For This Mess, and The Frazzled Female Journal. Cindi is also a wife, mother of two . [...]

Hell No
Forgetting the question of some serious anti-trust issues, since when did Microsoft started caring about being liked?

Forgetting the question of some serious anti-trust issues, since when did Microsoft started caring about being liked?

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Thailand: A controversial picture on the pack to be replaced
The Tobacco Control Committee is to launch a new health warning picture on cigarette packs this week after the use of a conch in one of its designs stirred up public uproar. The committee has withdrawn the old picture, which...

The Tobacco Control Committee is to launch a new health warning picture on cigarette packs this week after the use of a conch in one of its designs stirred up public uproar.

The committee has withdrawn the old picture, which showed a hand-held conch being used to pour water onto the hand of a dead person to imply that smoking can cause death.

In Thai tradition, a conch is normally used for auspicious ceremonies such as weddings, not funerals.

Source: Bangkok Post 

Windows 7 Developments
Collection of everything we know till now. With all the secrecy, you’d think Microsoft was scared of giving away bad ideas to the competition.

Collection of everything we know till now. With all the secrecy, you’d think Microsoft was scared of giving away bad ideas to the competition.

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UK: Imperial Tobacco CEO negates the impact of graphic warnings
Imperial Tobacco CEO Gareth Davis says he does not believe graphic warnings would change the behavior of smokers and he has seen no evidence that they have an impact. That's a denial of the existing scientific studies and the line...

Imperial Tobacco CEO Gareth Davis says he does not believe graphic warnings would change the behavior of smokers and he has seen no evidence that they have an impact.  That's a denial of the existing scientific studies and the line given by the civil servants who also oppose graphic warnings (like in France).

Warning: Poison - The Times of India
An editorial form The Times of India. Warning: Poison - The Times of India July 16, 2007 The skull and bones symbol is the most easily recognised warning sign. Areas or products with this sign are avoided. To do otherwise...

An editorial form The Times of  India.

Why jQuery (Over MooTools)
Julio Capote gives us points to use MooTools over jQuery. While I’ve never really delved into MooTools, I have worked with jQuery for a while and think it’s definitely better than what Julio is selling it as. I’m not comparing MooTools and jQuery just for the heck of putting one framework over another. jQuery isn’t even [...]

Julio Capote gives us points to use MooTools over jQuery.

While I’ve never really delved into MooTools, I have worked with jQuery for a while and think it’s definitely better than what Julio is selling it as. I’m not comparing MooTools and jQuery just for the heck of putting one framework over another. jQuery isn’t even a framework - it is a library. To be clear, I always preach that one should use a framework/library one is comfortable with, because your productivity depends on how much you know about your tools.

That said, I’ll take a few points:

• Class support: And Javascript’s prototyping doesn’t cut it? JS frameworks just give structure to what already exists, making them conform to established standards. I’ve been prototyping and jQuery-ing without any hitches at all. In fact, jQuery lets me not worry about dangerous this pointer context hurdles.

• Creating new DOM elements is a snap: I’m sorry, but if you see something simpler than typing out the actual HTML code of what you want to create, I really cannot argue much. jQuery let’s you say $("

  This is content
  "); and it will create your DOM for you. Simple.

• Modular: Again, jQuery is a library and not a framework. That said, jQuery is extremely light (about 15kb light), so I don’t see the reason to want to reduce it further. This is a matter of opinion, but that’s why this started, so…

• Better Documented: One answer - Visual jQuery. The main documentation isn’t bad at all though.

• Prototype Approach: I think namespacing is better than prototyping because it keeps the originals vanilla while keeping the add-on separate. If that’s too much of a hassle, one can always prototype the required functions on their own, it isn’t that hard.

There is no reason to compare these two really. jQuery is a library to make getting the nitty-gritties done quickly. Simple animations and DOM manipulations is jQuery’s forté. If one “just wants to write Javascript”, they shouldn’t be using wrapper frameworks anyway.

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Yussuf Saloojee about the need for graphic warnings
Here is the presentation given by Yussuf Saloojee in Cape Town during the 38th World Conference on Lung Health organized by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease.LISTEN (5 min)

Here is the presentation given by Yussuf Saloojee in Cape Town during the 38th World Conference on Lung Health organized by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease.
LISTEN (5 min)

Notabene.net to Acquire the Search Engine Marketing Company Guava Ltd.
Notabene.net, one of the largest online marketing companies in Scandinavia, has acquired UK-based Guava Ltd. (www.guava.com). Notabene.net A/S (www.notabene.net), which focuses primarily on Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM), is quoted on First North under Copenhagen Stock Exchange OMX.

In a market with giants like Google, Yahoo and Microsoft dominating the headlines of online marketing globally, Danish Notabene.net A/S is about to create a strong niche for its own Search Engine Marketing business. It is Notabene.net’s intention to become Northern Europe’s leading player in the field of online marketing, an objective that Notabene.net has planned to achieve through acquisitions, internal growth, highly-qualified employees and technological developments.

With its acquisition of UK-based Guava Ltd., Notabene.net has now taken a decisive step toward achieving this goal.

Acquisition of Guava Ltd.
Guava is one of the largest and most well-respected search engine marketing and web development companies in the UK. Guava specialises in the field of Search Engine Marketing (PPC), Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and web development providing services to a wide range of large companies both in the UK market and internationally, including ebookers, BT, Travelbag, WHSmith, STA Travel and others.

Guava Ltd. is a perfect fit with Notabene.net’s aggressive business development strategy.

“It is our plan to become Northern Europe’s market leader in the field of online marketing and we are going to achieve this objective through acquisitions and internal growth,” says Brian Mertz Pedersen, the CEO of Notabene.net.

“Through the acquisition of Guava, one of the largest and most well-respected search engine marketing companies in the UK, Notabene.net acquires some of the most qualified search engine marketing employees available. We are delighted that the transaction has completed which will ensure Notabene.net will be among the market leaders in one of Europe’s most mature markets,” continues Brian Mertz Pedersen.

Guava Ltd. was established in 1998 and now has 20 employees. Graeme Radford, Guava’s present Managing Director and co-founder, continues as the Country Manager and UK CEO.

“I am excited about becoming part of Notabene.net as it is clearly a rapidly expanding company with excellent knowledge of search engine marketing within the European market place. I am looking forward to strengthening and expanding Notabene.net’s position within the UK,” says Graeme Radford.

Other acquisitions in sight
The acquisition of Guava Ltd. is only the first in a range of acquisitions which Notabene.net expects to complete in the coming year. It is the intention of Notabene.net to make additional acquisitions, within Germany and the UK to further strengthen Notabene.net’s position within these markets. Notabene.net has in the last year acquired 6 businesses in Denmark and Sweden.

For further information, please contact:
Brian Mertz Pedersen, Group CEO, Notabene.net. Phone: +45 70 27 80 89, Mail : ir @ notabene.net
Graeme Radford, CEO, Guava Ltd. Phone: +44 0118 932 1100, Mail: graeme.radford @ guava.com

Om Notabene.net A/S
Notabene.net is Scandinavia’s leading and most rapidly growing Agency in the field of online marketing. Notabene.net specialises in online marketing, including SEM (Search Engine Marketing) and SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), and has more than 3,000 customers throughout Scandinavia. The customer portfolio covers some of Scandinavia’s leading companies, such as International Health Insurance, Novasol, Danware, Viasat, Oracle, Toyota and others.

In May 2006, the company was first quoted on First North under Copenhagen Stock Exchange OMX. Since being quoted, the company’s shares have increased by approx. 90%. Notabene.net is planning to apply for admission to official listing on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange OMX during 2007/2008.

Headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, Notabene.net has offices in Denmark, Sweden and England.

Giuliani 2008 Quote of the Day
Sayeth Digby of Ruldoph Giuliani: The Freepers are more concerned about the marriage to the second cousin than the adultery, divorce and cross-dressing, which I find surprising. They seem like the types to be quite tolerant of in-breeding. Oh, snap.

NextEra Media Rolls Out Its Pay-Per-Click Video Network
NextEra Media is debuting its Pay-Per-Click Video Network after several months of beta-testing. NextEra CEO, Jaffer Ali said, "Since the beginning of the year we have aggregated 127 video sites into a network. Our goal was to offer a reasonably priced PPC program to advertisers and marketers. All clicks are generated in conjunction with video clips and the initial results have been extraordinary. All video sites are "safe-for-work" and currently serving over 300 million video views per month."

This is not the first time NextEra has created an advertising network. Back in 1999 NextEra aggregated content-based email publications into what became the largest e-zine network online. At its zenith NextEra controlled the advertising inventory of several hundred e-zines with over 63 million opt-in subscribers. Today's announcement marks the evolution from an email-centric model to a web-centric network utilizing state of the art streaming and licensed video content.

Ali continued, "The technological challenges are always a matter of development and tweaking, but getting licensed, fully legal content is what posed the major challenges. Fortunately our subsidiary video portal, EVTV1.com, has secured licenses with studios and producers which enables us to put our client's messages in and around thousands of professionally produced clips. Links to these content clips are placed on our network's video sites with the view either terminating on a special, branded landing page or the marketer's very own website. Our video player can be embedded anywhere so the client controls the environment in which their message is viewed."

It is estimated that 45% of all online advertising is spent via the PPC model. NextEra Media is marrying the most popular form of online advertising with the new Belle of the Ball -- online video.

Ali concluded: "Our Video PPC program addresses the two major concerns that clients have with online video advertising: the legality of the content used in their promotion, and the atmosphere that their message will be seen in. Our technology and fully legal content create a safe haven for marketers and advertisers alike. Quality video content will now be used to drive traffic."

Robert Scoble Contributes the Foreword to David Meerman Scott's New Book
Scoble, Vice President Media Development at PodTech.net, co-author of Naked Conversations, and popular blogger at Scobleizer.com crafts the perfect scene setting essay for Scott's "The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to use news releases, blogs, podcasts, viral marketing & online media to reach your buyers directly."

Technical evangelist and author of Naked Conversations Robert Scoble, whose blog scobleizer.com is one of the most popular in the world, has written the foreword for David Meerman Scott's latest book The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to use news releases, blogs, podcasts, viral marketing & online media to reach your buyers directly.

"You're not supposed to be able to do what David Meerman Scott tells you in this book," Scoble writes. "You're not supposed to be able to carry around a $250 video camera, record what employees are working on and what they think of the products they built, and publish those videos on the Internet. But that's what I did at Microsoft, building an audience of more than four million unique visitors a month."

"The New Rules of Marketing & PR" shows how to leverage the potential that Web-based communication offers all kinds of organizations, businesses, non-profits, and individuals. The book includes a step-by-step action plan for how to identify audiences, create compelling messages, get those messages to the most consumers possible, and lead those consumers directly into the buying process. Told with many compelling case studies and real-world examples, this a practical guide to the new reality of PR and marketing. Robert Scoble's forward to The New Rules of Marketing & PR can be read in its entirety on Scott's site.

"Something has changed in the past 10 years," says Scoble. "Well, for one, we have Google now, but that's only a part of the puzzle. What really has happened is the word-of-mouth network has gotten more efficient. Much, much, more efficient. But first you'll have to learn to break the rules. By reading Scott's book you'll understand how to gain the credibility you need to build your business. Enjoy!"

David Meerman Scott is an online thought leadership strategist and viral marketing expert. The programs he has developed have won numerous awards, have been named to the MarketingSherpa Viral Marketing Hall of Fame for the past two years in a row, and are responsible for selling over one billion dollars in products and services worldwide. Scott is also an instructor for Pragmatic Marketing and he has lived and worked in New York, Tokyo, Boston, and Hong Kong and has presented at industry conferences and events in over twenty countries on four continents. Check out Scott's ideas on his own popular marketing blog.

SEO Training, Monetizing Traffic & Avoiding PPC Advertising Mistakes
Michael Campbell an internet marketing consultant, coach and author, today published Internet Marketing Secrets Issue #124, which is read by over 35,000 internet marketing professionals, search engine optimizers, affiliate marketers, sales people, and webmasters around the world.

In This Edition #124:

1) The Secrets of Selling More.
2) Letting Your Own Morals Guide You.
3) SEO Training for Competitive Markets.
4) Best Way to Monetize Type-In Traffic.
5) Passive Income from Your phpBB Forum.
6) How to Profit From Google's Universal Search.
7) How Practicing the Fundamentals Leads to Success.
8) The Biggest Mistake in PPC (pay per click) Advertising.

Pricing & Availability:

The newsletter is a free PDF download. Bonuses include Michael Campbell's best-selling ebooks Clickin' it Rich and Revenge of the Mininet (a $125 value) free when you subscribe to the Internet Marketing Secrets Newsletter.

Published since 1999, the Internet Marketing Secrets newsletter provides breaking news, FAQs and real world testing in SEO, SEM, search engines, affiliate revenue, PPC advertising, sales, persuasion and conversion, in addition to inspirational articles and encouragement.

Michael Campbell is a search engine optimization specialist and highly sought after internet marketing consultant. He has written three best-selling books on internet marketing, several white papers, and has contributed to dozens of internet related publications and software packages.

IndexTools Announces Their Strategic Alliance Partner in the Netherlands
IndexTools (Inc.), which broke new ground last month by launching its Partnership Alliance Program, pleased to welcome Leads2Business, a dynamic online direct marketing agency as its first Strategic Alliance Partner.

"Leads2Business' personnel have a wealth of knowledge and experience in the field of web analytics. We believe that their knowledge will provide a strong background for IndexTools web analytics products in the Netherlands" - said Charlie Holbech, Head of IndexTools Partner Division, of his firm's new Holland-based partner.

The Partner Alliance Program is geared toward commitment and long-term perspective in the IndexTools partner network. Benefits to Strategic Alliance Partners such as Leads2Business now include among other things:

- Ready access to IndexTools training sessions and Professional Services
- Direct engagement in IndexTools product developments

Of particular interest to Leads2Business is an innovative program activity tailored specifically for lead generation. Moreover, IndexTools provides is partners with access to vital marketing and sales resources. As the first sales collaboration, IndexTools and Leads2Business jointly participated at the Digital Marketing Event in Amsterdam, on June 5/6.

"The partnership connects Leads2Business with one of the most important web analytics suppliers of the Dutch market: IndexTools," said Michiel van Gaalen, director of Leads2Business. "This cooperation enables Leads2Business to produce even better results from the online campaigns and optimize the web sites of our clients. We now have a direct line to the product development of IndexTools, so that we can offer a tailor-made solution. This in combination with the extended training program transforms the most complex questions into user-friendly, flexible and profitable solutions."

About Leads2Business
Leads2Business is an online direct marketing agency that helps clients get the best results from their online marketing activities. Leads2Business sets up creative and innovative campaigns that drive traffic, revenue and profits. Insight into the effectiveness of campaigns and the clients' websites are key to gaining higher ROI and customer satisfaction. That's why Leads2Business works closely with their clients in both implementing IndexTools and getting the most out of the analysis. They help define business requirements and KPI's, as well as to guide the implementation process and offer analytical services.

About IndexTools
IndexTools offers a highly customizable and scalable analytics platform for companies' online marketing activity in each phase of the customer lifecycle. With IndexTools Web Analytics and Bid Management, businesses gain accurate, insightful and timely intelligence about the effectiveness of their online marketing.

IndexTools' services have boosted the online performance of more than 3000 clients worldwide, including Tesco, Vodafone, PriceRunner, and Jamba. IndexTools serves its worldwide client base directly and through a network of more than 200 local partners in over 25 countries around the globe. IndexTools was founded in 2000, operates from New York City, US and has an extensive Technology Development Center in Budapest, Hungary EU. IndexTools' competitors include Webtrends, Visual Sciences (WebSideStory), Omniture and Coremetrics.

The Corporate Blog Emerges as a Powerful Way to Influence the Media
Journalists are increasingly relying on blog content as they write stories and corporate blogs are now an important way for businesses to reach members of the media, says David Meerman Scott, author of The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to use news releases, blogs, podcasts, viral marketing & online media to reach your buyers directly.

"Until very recently, the only way to influence journalists was to have a direct personal relationship with them or to send out a generic press release and hope for the best," says Scott. "But today, blogs allow organizations of all kinds to tell authentic stories directly to the market. Journalists increasingly rely on blog content when they are researching stories."

Over the course of more than a year of research for his upcoming book, Scott reviewed hundreds of blogs and interviewed dozens of bloggers who have found success. He also spoke with journalists to understand how the put their stories together. The book includes dozens of case studies of organizations that use blogs, podcasts, online media, and viral marketing.

"Smart marketing and public relations professionals understand that corporate blogs are one of the best ways to deliver their story and influence journalists, but press releases and personal relationships are still part of the overall mix," Scott says. "Business blogs make it easy to deliver a viewpoint into the sprawling marketplace of ideas. When the posts are indexed by search engines and delivered via RSS feeds, journalists all over the world will see the thoughts and ideas and they will command attention. If the posts are compelling, stories will be written."

Scott's book "The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to use news releases, blogs, podcasts, viral marketing & online media to reach your buyers directly" is available wherever business books are sold. The book features a foreword by Robert Scoble, Vice President Media Development, PodTech.net, co-author Naked Conversations, and blogger at Scobleizer.com. ISBN: 0-470-11345-6

David Meerman Scott is an online thought leadership and viral marketing strategist. The programs he has developed have won numerous awards and are responsible for selling over one billion dollars in products and services worldwide. He is also an instructor for Pragmatic Marketing and he has lived and worked in New York, Tokyo, Boston, and Hong Kong and has presented at industry conferences and events in over twenty countries on four continents. Check out Scott's ideas on his own popular marketing blog.

Hello world!
Welcome to Bloxi.jp. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging! Welcome to Bloxi.jp. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Inside The RIAA
A little humor from toothpastefordinner.com

In a Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind State Of Mind / Hanging with film maker Michel Gondry
From left to right: Daniel Salcedo (Executive Producer Red Creek Productions), Tom M. Vogt (Film Editor), Michel Gondry (Film Director), Roman Rojas (RR Media Music Producer), and Maria Angelica Figueredo (Actress/Writer).

Finally! $400 Million Beatles Catalog Deal with i-Tunes
  Finally! What all of us Beatles fans have been waiting for, the announcement that their catalog will be on i-Tunes at last. Here is the article from United Press International: LONDON, March 8 (UPI) — British singer Paul McCartney has reached a $400 million agreement with iTunes for the distribution of the Beatles’ back [...]

4to Poder Interview / Life In Music TV Episode 17


Facebook partners with iTunes for music store
Here’s an interesting article from Crunch Gear: Facebook today launched a new music section with built-in integration with Apple’s iTunes. You find your favorite band’s page, where you can listen to new music, interact with them and their community, and even purchase tracks or albums. Online music stores aren’t new, they’re a dime a dozen, [...]