Archive for the ‘Business’ Category
Twelve Dead Tech Phrases
August 27th, 2009
MatthewWe’ve put together a list of outdated tech terms, phrases that you shouldn’t be using at work anymore because they will make you seem old. This is especially true if you’re looking for a new job. For example, on an interview, you should be talking about “cloud computing,” not “ASPs” even though they are basically the same thing.
This list is useful for 20-somethings, too. Now when the senior person in the office uses one of these terms, you’ll know what he’s talking about.
1. Intranet
Popular in the mid-90s, the term “intranet” referred to a private network running the Internet Protocol and other Internet standards such as the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). It was also used to describe an internal Web site that was hosted behind a firewall and was accessible only to employees. Today, every private network runs IP. So you can just use the term virtual private network or VPN to describe a private IP-based network.
2. Extranet
An “extranet” referred to private network connections based on Internet standards such as IP and HTTP that extended outside an organization, such as between business partners. Extranets often replaced point-to-point electronic data interchange (EDI) connections that used standards such as X12. Today, companies provide suppliers, resellers and other members of their supply chain with access to their VPNs.
3. Web Surfing
When is the last time you heard someone talk about surfing the Web? You know the term is out of date when your kids don’t know what it means. To teens and tweens, the Internet and the World Wide Web are one and the same thing. So it’s better to use the term “browsing” the Web if you want to be understood.
4. Push Technology
The debate over the merits of “push” versus “pull” technology came to a head in 1996 with the release of the PointCast Network, a Web service that sent a steady stream of news to subscribers. However, PointCast and other push technology services required too much network bandwidth. Eventually, push technology evolved into RSS feeds, which remain the preferred method for publishing information to subscribers of the Internet. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication.
5. Application Service Provider (ASP)
During this decade, the term “Application Service Provider” evolved into “Software-as-a-Service.” Both terms refer to a vendor hosting a software application and providing access to it over the Web. Customers buy the software on a subscription basis, rather than having to own and operate it themselves. ASP was a hot term prior to the dot-com bust. Then it was replaced by “SaaS.” Now it’s cool to talk about “cloud computing.”
6. Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)
Coined by former Apple CEO John Sculley back in 1992 when he unveiled the Apple Newton, the term “personal digital assistant” referred to a handheld computer. PDA was still in use in 1996, when the Palm Pilot was the hottest handheld in corporate America. Today, the preferred generic term for a handheld like a Blackberry or an iPhone is a “smartphone”.
7. Internet Telephony
You need to purge the term “Internet telephony” from your vocabulary and switch to VoIP, for Voice over IP. Even the term VoIP is getting old-fashioned because pretty soon all telephone calls will be routed over the Internet rather than the Public Switched Telephone Network. It’s probably time to stop referring to the PSTN, too, because it is headed for the history books as all voice, data and video traffic is carried on the Internet.
8. Weblog
A blog is a shortened version of “Weblog,” a term that emerged in the late 1990s to describe commentary that an individual publishes online. It spawned many words still in use such as “blogger” and “blogosphere.” Nowadays, few people have time to blog so they are “microblogging,” which is another word that’s heading out the door as people turn Twitter into a generic term for blasting out 140-character observations or opinions.
9. Thin Client
You have to give Larry Ellison credit for seeing many of the flaws in the client/server computing architecture and for popularizing the term “thin client” to refer to Oracle’s alternative terminal-like approach. In 1993, Ellison was touting thin clients as a way for large organizations to improve network security and manageability. Although thin clients never replaced PCs, the concept is similar to “virtual desktops” that are gaining popularity today as a way of supporting mobile workers.
10. Rboc
In 1984, the U.S. government forced AT&T to split up into seven Regional Bell Operating Companies [RBOCs] also known as Baby Bells. Customers bought local service from RBOCs and long-distance service from carriers such as AT&T. Telecom industry mergers over the last 15 years have formed integrated local- and long-distance carriers such as AT&T, Verizon and Qwest. This makes not only the term RBOC obsolete, but also the terms ILEC for Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier [i.e., GTE] and CLEC for Competitive Local Exchange Carrier [i.e., MFS].
11. Long-Distance Call
Thanks to flat-rate calling plans available from carriers for at least five years, nobody needs to distinguish between local and long-distance calls anymore. Similarly, you don’t need to distinguish between terrestrial and wireless calls because so many people use only wireless services. Like pay phones, long-distance calls — and their premium prices — are relics of a past without national and unlimited calling plans.
12. World Wide Web
Nobody talks about the “World Wide Web” anymore, or the “Information Superhighway,” for that matter. It’s just the Internet. It’s a distinction that Steve Czaban, the popular Fox Sports Radio talk show host, likes to mock when he refers to the “Worldwide Interweb.” Nothing dates you more than pulling out one of those old-fashioned ways of referring to the Internet such as “infobahn” or “electronic highway.”
Bad Google Reviews:
August 10th, 2009
MatthewIt was bound to happen. We have been in business for 8 years and have never had a client so upset with us that they post a bad review. Today, all that changed. Our client , John, runs a wine country shuttle service in our local area. He hired us two years ago to assist with SEO. We did a great job and he is still listed very high in google for his search terms. The problem came when he did not pay us for three months work and requested that we give him another three months to pay at which time he would pay the entire 6 month bill. Unfortunately at the end of six months. He still would not pay.
This brings us to his reviews. Yes reviews. John has taken it upon himself to post 3 fake reviews from fraudulent emails he created.
The first review states: “ This company is a scam. If you do research they operate under up to three different domains with different pricing for each. They are 7daywebdesign.com, Imarketingexpert.com and GoLocalLIsting.com and many more with just as many phone numbers and fake addresses. I would highly recommend staying away from this type of company. Any website firm that has a monthly fee is a ripoff. Stop paying and you no longer have a site. Invest in your company and choose professionals that will create a site that isn’t owned by someone else.”
Now he is correct about two things. The three companies he mentioned are owned by our corporation: Affordable Web Design Inc, but we do not use fake phone numbers nor fake addresses. This just makes no sense at all. The point of advertising is to bring in business. Not lead them to fake addresses and phone numbers that are disconnected. The second correct comment that he stated is that we do in fact charge a monthly fee for SEO work.
The second review states: “ I cannot even believe my eyes, how a business owner would not only try to cheat local listings with over saturation but to take a review meant for his company and remove his business names, create a false gmail account and slander all other companies in Temecula is too much. I’ve heard of this company before in a not so white light but this takes the cake. I highly suggest someone delete these spam comments before it hurts not just those businesses but also this companies reputation city wide.”
This one is just plain confusing. I have searched around and cannot figure out what in the world he is talking about. Sorry. I wish I could.
The third and final review states: “I try to set up a company website with Matt. He failed to meet deadlines. He only responded after weeks of calling and leaving messages. He finally set up a generic, cheesy website that didn’t even work and I thought my ten-year-old daughter created. He tried to make it sound like it was my fault that he couldn’t do his job. The truth is, he is unprofessional, unreliable, and should rename his company 7 Month Web Design or Ten Year Old Creations. Save your money and frustration and take your hard earned money elsewhere. God Bless.”
Now I am not sure what makes a web design customer get so malicious as this. He obviously wanted to cause more harm to our business and felt the previous were not enough. Well, we have never had a client that took 7 months. In fact, 99% of our websites are completed in 7 Days. Hence, the 7 Day Web Design concept. In fact, our agreement that every clients signs, states that the website will be completed in 7 Days. The strangest part about the whole thing is that HE owes us money. He is angry at us for believing he would pay us after doing 6 months work. It has never happened but if a client truly did not like the website we designed for them. We would give them their money back.
I have found that the pattern for fake reviews is:
1. No profile pic or any kind of contact information
2. Only bad reviews associated with the person
3. Over the top negative review.
So what to do when competitors or angry customers post bad reviews about your business on Google, Yahoo, Rip Off Report, Etc. I have pleaded my case with them all to no end. I have reported the reviews as fraud. Missed countless hours of sleep trying to figure out what can be done.
Unfortunately, the only solution I can come up with is to have your satisfied customers post good or true reviews about your business. I have asked all my clients to do this and many have responded with their own stories of unfair practices from upset customers, etc.
CEOs Without College Degrees
June 4th, 2009
Matthew
The thousands of wait-listed would-be MBAs who may not get the chance to go to their dream B-school might want to draw inspiration from the following group of CEOs. Not only did they not get graduate degrees, they didn’t get undergraduate degrees — and some never even attended college.
Of course, not having a degree didn’t stop them from being a big name on campus. You’ll find Alfred Taubman’s name at Brown, Harvard, the University of Michigan, and Lawrence Technological University; at least one building on each campus bears his name, although the retail magnate and philanthropist never finished college. Read on to learn who else made it into corporate top spots without the benefit of a bachelor’s degree.
1. Dennis Albaugh
Chairman, Albaugh
Type of Business: Pesticides
Education: Associate’s degree from Des Moines Area Community College
Fun fact: He has a collection of more than 100 classic Chevrolets
2. Paul Allen
Founder and chairman, Vulcan
Type of Business: Media, telecommunications
Education: Dropped out of Washington State College after two years
Fun fact: He persuaded Bill Gates to drop out of Harvard. They later founded Microsoft (MSFT) together.
3. Richard Branson
CEO, Virgin Group
Type of Business: Travel, radio, TV, music, venture capital
Education: No college degree
Fun fact: He became an entrepreneur at age 16 with the creation of Student magazine.
4. Maverick Carter
CEO, LRMR Innovative Marketing & Branding
Type of Business: Marketing
Education: 3.5 years of college at Western Michigan University and University of Akron combined
Quote: “Don’t be afraid if you see an opportunity to go and give it shot. You can finish school later; it’s always there.”
5. John Paul DeJoria
CEO, John Paul Mitchell Systems
Type of Business: Hair-care products
Education: No college
Fun fact: He started out selling greeting cards at age 9.
6. Michael Dell
Founder, chairman, and CEO Dell (DELL)
Type of Business: Computers
Education: Attended University of Texas, Austin; did not finish.
Quote: “When I started our company, it was very much an idea outside of the conventional wisdom, and if there were people telling me that it wasn’t going to work, I wasn’t really listening to them.”
7. Felix Dennis
Founder and chairman, Alpha Media Group, formerly Dennis Publishing
Type of Business: Publishing (Maxim, The Week)
Education: No college degree
Fun fact: He wrote a biography and published a magazine about Bruce Lee; sales surged when the martial arts star died suddenly in 1973.
8. Barry Diller
Chairman and CEO of IAC/InterActiveCorp (IACI)
Type of Business: Media
Education: Dropped out of UCLA after three weeks
Fun fact: He started his career working in the mail room of the William Morris Agency.
9. Bill Gates
Co-chair and Trustee, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Chairman, Microsoft (MSFT)
Type of Business: Philanthropy. Software.
Education: Dropped out of Harvard
Fun fact: As a schoolboy, he created a program that allowed people to play tic-tac-toe on the computer.
10. Mukesh “Micky” Jagtiani
Chairman, Landmark International (Dubai)
Type of Business: Retailing
Education: No college degree
Fun fact: The billionaire mall developer flunked out of a London accounting school as a teenager and worked as a taxi driver before becoming an entrepreneur.
11. Dean Kamen
Founder and chairman, Segway
Type of Business: Motor vehicles
Education: Dropped out of Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Fun fact: Kamen founded FIRST, a robotics competition for high school students.
12. David Oreck
Founder, Oreck
Type of Business: Vacuum cleaners
Education: No college. At 17, enlisted in the army, and flew B-29 bombers during World War II
Quote: “Things are never as bad as they seem to the pessimist and never as good as they seem to the optimist.”
13. Amancio Ortega Gaona
President, Inditex Group
Type of Business: Fashion retailing (Zara, Kiddy Class, others). (A Coruna, Spain)
Education: No college
Fun fact: Often cited as the richest man in Spain, he reportedly has never given any media interviews
14. Phillip Ruffin
Owner, Treasure Island
Type of Business: Casinos
Education: Attended Washburn University for three years and Wichita State University but never got his degree.
Quote: “You get the most experience from the business of life.”
15. Alfred Taubman
Founder, Taubman Centers (TCO). Philanthropist
Type of Business: Shopping malls
Education: Attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor for three years but left to start a family and his career
Quote: “Become an expert in one fundamental area of your market or business. No one starts out as a generalist.”
16. Ty Warner
Founder, Ty, Inc.
Type of Business: Toys (stuffed animals)
Education: Dropped out of college to pursue a career in acting. Later founded Ty Inc.
Fun fact: The plush animals his company manufactured retailed for only $5 in the 1990s, but Beanie Baby-mania drove prices up to $30 or more for the hard-to-get characters
Recession
March 10th, 2009
MatthewWe’re in a recession – so this is the ideal time to improve, maybe even expand, your website. Wait a minute: conventional wisdom advises that businesses need to knuckle down during times like this, be especially cautious. Don’t spend money, ride it out, etc. But who says anything about being conventional right now – especially when it comes to your web presence?
Recessions can present perfect opportunities for starting a new business. Just look at Whole Foods, Costco, Intuit, Applebee’s and Supercuts (all launched during recessions) as well as 16 of 30 companies that make up the Dow Industrial average (McDonald’s, General Electric, Disney) and other household names today. It’s all a matter of opportunity costs – which are less when credit is tighter and consumer confidence is low. There are other forces at work, too, during bad times: competitors may be weaker, reorganizing or closing up shop; buyers may be looking for less expensive alternatives; and customer loyalties often loosen, meaning they’re more willing to look elsewhere for a better deal. That also means big opportunity.
So if many entrepreneurs consider this period as prime time for a startup, the same thinking holds true for improving your online presence as well. Here’s why: ad rates are softening and if your product or service is truly unique, then launching during a downturn – especially if it involves innovative new solutions – could likely net new customers. All this is simply a preamble to the following 7 tips for positioning – or re-positioning – your site for success:
Take full advantage of SEO: Submit your sitemap to Google™, Yahoo!® and other search engines.
Add title tags and meta tags to your pages. Think about your keywords and how people find you.
Refresh your site content: Update, edit and fine-tune your text and images; add video and audio if possible; revamp your ecommerce strategy, maybe even your shopping cart.
Find more customers: Again, look to improve your SEO – and move beyond advertising banners and PPC to affiliate marketing programs, ad networks (remember prices are dropping), and focus on relationships and link building with partners.
Streamline your online look-and-feel: Rethink the appearance and functionality of your website.
Optimize your pages. Incorporate some of the many new open source tools to make it easier for your customers to interact with you – and find what they’re looking for, like a site search engine or user sitemap.
Consider a content management system (CMS): Not only are there a lot of free and inexpensive options available to you, in the long run you’ll save time and money on web maintenance and routine updates.
Start a blog: There’s never been a better time to add your own, unique voice to the blogosphere. Demonstrate your expertise as a knowledge leader in your field. Drive more traffic. And generate more business/professional opportunities through Facebook, Twitter and other social networking channels.
Temecula Chamber Competes with Members
October 7th, 2008
MatthewThe Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce is drawing fire from those who design Web sites for running an advertisement that suggests the business group is getting into the same line of work.
An advertisement that appeared in the chamber’s September newsletter announced the nonprofit would offer a service to help businesses start their own Web sites.
“Starting in October, the (chamber) will provide quality web design and domain names at affordable prices!” the newsletter ad reads. “Get your ideal domain name and optimize your website!”
The ad mentions a Web site link for a massage business. The site appears to have been done by the chamber, which also mentions the cost for the Web service starts at $199.
Matthew Burlile, of 7 Day Web Design in Temecula, said he was shocked at the prospect of the chamber being a competitor.
“I feel they defrauded me in the sense that I’m paying them to help build my business and they decide to compete against me,” Burlile said Friday. “I’m paying a competitor a membership fee.”
Burlile said he’s been a chamber member for the past five years, paying dues of $300 annually.
Kurt Peck, of Peck Creative in Temecula, said Monday he’s probably not going to renew his chamber membership.
“(The chamber) should not be doing anything that’s competing with their membership,” Peck said.
Chamber Board of Directors Chairman Stanley Harter said the September ad’s appearance was premature. He said the board has not yet decided whether to offer Web design services.
Anything the chamber offered would be “very basic,” with clients in need of more services being referred to members who could help them, Harter, an attorney, said.
Harter added that the chamber is not seeking to compete with its members and only wants to help members’ businesses succeed.
But Josh Paul, of Alexander Paul Design Studios in Murrieta, said he’s concerned the basic services described by Harter will mirror what he does. The pricing for the basic Web design service by the chamber is about what he would charge, he said.
“Where they start is where I start now,” he said. If the chamber’s goal is to promote its businesses, “it seems like they would build a bridge between me and the companies that need Web sites.”
Burlile on Monday said the massage business Web site shows the chamber has produced at least one site.
“It’s interesting to see them backpedal now,” he said. “Hopefully, that’s a good sign.”
Chamber spokeswoman Emily Pulley said the massage Web site was just a prototype.
The Murrieta Chamber of Commerce does not offer Web design services.
Besides lacking the staff to create Web sites, chamber Chairman and CEO Rex Oliver said, “That’s not something we ever feel we should do, is compete with our members.”
Harter and other chamber officials will meet with the chamber’s Web design and graphic artist members behind closed doors Oct. 21. Harter said he hopes to get input from the members before taking the issue to the Board of Directors.
Exclusive Vegas Penthouse
August 18th, 2008
MatthewI just got back from Las Vegas. While I was there I set up an exclusive deal on a penthouse suite for a 4 star hotel on the strip for our clients. Our clients get the suite for $145 a night!! Below is a picture of the room;
If you are a client Contact us to stay in the penthouse suite for only $145.
Future Target Market: Women
March 24th, 2008
adminIn 2008, 100.4 million females and 93.5 million males will go online at least once a month, according to eMarketer’s latest estimates. In 2012 females will outnumber males online by more than 8 million.
One reason for the difference is that there are more females than males in the
US Census Bureau. In fact, teenage girls are the driving force behind increased female Internet usage in the
In 2008, 68% of all females ages 3+ and 65% of males 3+ will go online at least once a month.
Online Advertising continues to grow
March 19th, 2008
admineMarketer predicts that, despite the economic rough patch, US online advertising will continue to grow through 2008. Online ad spending will rise by 23%.
Yet even that reduced rate of growth will continue to top total media ad spending, maintaining online advertising’s position as the fastest-growing media in terms of ad spending.
“Several elements unique to the Internet will support continued
“The greater ability to measure ads online will likely encourage marketers with reduced budgets,” Mr. Hallerman said. “Those same marketers are finding that the audiences they need to target are spending more of their media time on the Web.”
Search will account for the largest portion of online ad spending in 2008, at 40%. That percentage will decrease slightly through 2012, when it will account for 37.3% of
Conversely, spending on rich media and video advertising is set to grow as a percentage of online ad spending, rising to 18.5% in 2012 from 10.2% in 2008.
eMarketer predicts that total US advertising spending will grow by 3.3% in 2008.
Advertising Age recently reported that other analysts have also predicted total media ad growth.
Speaking at the American Association of Advertising Agencies‘ Media Conference and Trade Show, Bear Stearns analyst Alexia Quadrani said US ad spending would increase 4% in 2008, up from an estimated 3.3% in 2007.
Ms. Quadrani said that, despite fears about the economy, marketers still have reason to spend on advertising.
“Many marketers face an extremely competitive landscape with products that aren’t very different from those of rivals. They also have raised prices and need to advertise to get consumers to continue to buy their goods.”
Get your documents remotely
January 21st, 2008
adminI came accross this information at msn.
To use Google’s software — among the most popular — follow these steps on both your work and home PC. First, you’ll need to set up a Google account on both machines by visiting Google.com/accounts. (Be sure to use the same account on both computers.) Then go to Desktop.Google.com to download the search software. When it’s up and running — again, do this on both machines — click on Desktop Preferences, then Google Account Features. From there, check the box next to Search Across Computers. After that point, any document you open on either machine will be copied to Google’s servers — and will be searchable from either machine.
Getting hold of your company’s internal documents could give others insight into your plans, and losing certain information could have legal repercussions. In particular, myriad state laws regulate how a company has to react when it loses private information about customers or employees; most require notifying those people about the breach in writing. Sending those notifications can be costly for your company — not to mention damaging to its reputation.
On top of that threat, researchers have found vulnerabilities in Google’s desktop-search software that could let a hacker trick a user into giving up access to files, says Schmugar of McAfee. (Those vulnerabilities have since been fixed, but more could crop up, he says.)
Matt Glotzbach, product management director for Google Enterprise, says that there are bound to be vulnerabilities in any software and that, to the best of his knowledge, none of the Google Desktop vulnerabilities were exploited by hackers. He adds that when Google finds out about a vulnerability, it quickly fixes it and notifies users.
How to Stay Safe: If you have any files on your work PC that shouldn’t be made public, ask your IT administrator to help you set up Google Desktop to avoid accidental leaks.
An alternative to this is to store your work files online.
How to store work files online
The Problem: Desktop search aside, most people who often work away from the office have come up with their own solution to getting access to work files. They save them on a disk or a portable device and then plug it into a home computer. Or they store the files on the company network, then access the network remotely. But portable devices can be cumbersome, and company-network connections can be slow and unreliable.
The Trick: Use an online-storage service from the likes of Box.net Inc., Streamload Inc. or AOL-owned Xdrive. (Box.net also offers its service inside the social-networking site Facebook.) Most offer some free storage, from one to five gigabytes, and charge a few dollars a month for premium packages with extra space. Another guerrilla storage solution is to e-mail files to your private, Web-based e-mail account, such as Gmail or Hotmail.
The Risk: A bad guy could steal your password for one of these sites and quickly grab copies of your company’s sensitive files.
How to Stay Safe: When you’re thinking about storing a file online, ask yourself if it would be OK for that file to be splashed all over the Internet or sent to the CEO of your company’s top rival. If so, go for it. If not, don’t.
More Online Holiday Sales
October 30th, 2007
adminYes, I know it seems early, but the December holiday season is just around the corner. If you’re an online retailer, it’s time to start preparing your site and marketing for increased holiday sales. Here are ten tips to get you started.
Plan to add a touch of holiday spirit to your site. By this I mean one or two graphic elements - enough to remind shoppers that your site is a good place for gifts, but not so much that the graphics detract from usability.
If you use affiliate partners to sell your products, provide them with holiday themed banners and buttons. These can link directly to one of your special holiday promotions.
Do you offer gift certificates? If not, see if you can. Although they can be issued online, many people prefer to give a physical certificate presented in a special envelope.
Do you offer gift wishlists? Many people shop for themselves and give their loved ones suggestions.Make it easy for them to do it on your site.
Categorize your products to make shopping for gifts easier. Use titles like “For Her,” “For Him,” “Gifts under $50,” “Holiday Specials,” etc.
Communicate well with customers, both on your site, and through e-mail. Many will need reassurance that their gifts will arrive on time. Others are apprehensive about the entire online experience. Be especially clear about shipping times, fees, and return policies.
Consider investing in additional advertising and promotion. It’s easy to buy and manage Google Adwords.
Do you publish an e-mail newsletter? Get an issue out at least 5 weeks before the December holidays to encourage your existing customers to shop with you. This is a great tool for promoting special holiday gift offers as well.
Gift wrapping and gift receipts (that don’t show a price) are thoughtful features to add. This makes it easier for buyers to have gifts shipped directly to recipients - good for last minute shoppers.
Fine-tune and test your site.