Malcom Lewis the SVP and General Manager at Spreebird. Craig and Malcom will discuss Social Media and Black Friday and how Websites, Email and Mobile can get you daily deals from thousands of merchants. About 1 in 4 smartphone owners will use a mobile device for holiday shopping, according to an annual holiday survey by Deloitte. About 59% will use their phones to compare or check prices, 46% will use phones to check product availability, and 41% will get coupons through their handsets.        Mobile search, for example, matches local businesses’ products and services with the needs of busy household managers, empowering consumers by providing valuable search environments for discovering local deals, saving time and money, and shopping smarter, during the heaviest shopping season of the year.

Nick Swinmurn the Founder of Rankd. Craig and Nick will talk about Black Friday and how you can use RNKD as a fun way to earn VIP status, discounts and rewards from the brands you love by showing them which products you already own.

Kevin Johnson the CEO at E-Bates. Craig and Kevin will discuss E-commerce and Digital Marketing. From niceties to necessities, members of Ebates benefit from incentives at top-name merchants for everything from furniture to fashion and appliances to airfare hassle-free shopping with Ebates that includes no rebate forms to fill out and no points or miles to redeem, the site supports a strong community of savvy shoppers across the country and around the world.

Amar Hanspal the SVP of Platform Solutions at Autodesk. Criag and Amar will discuss how Autodesk has taken advantage of the iPhone, iPad and the infinite computing power available in the cloud to offer companies of any size access to high performance visualization, simulation, analysis and collaboration technologies including AutoCAD WS and the Inventor Publisher Mobile Viewer App. Additionally, Mobile and web technologies are also making it possible for Autodesk to offer a new audience of amateur designers, home owners, students and casual creators access to professional strength design tools through SketchBook, Homestyler and TinkerBox.

Todd McKeller the VP North America for Mobiles Republic. Craig and Todd discuss Apps what makes them successful. Mobiles Republic quickly established a reputation for innovation and excellence in developing successful apps for the smartphone market as well as award winning apps for feature phones including the prestigious Sony Ericsson Content Award. News Republic delivers 10,000 news stories a day from over 180 major news providers, but allows users to create topic-specific “My News” streams that filter this mass of information down to the exact stories that interest them.  For example, if you create a “My News” stream for “Paul Westcott,” that stream will capture every article about Paul Westcott for you.

Michael Wong the CEO and Founder of CooTek. Craig and Michael will discuss how to enrich the functionality of your mobile devices. TouchPal Keyboard, based on CooTek’s multiple patented technology, offers a good substitution to stock mobile device keyboards. After using TouchPal  Keyboard for a while, users often find they can type faster than ever on a virtual keyboard.

Bob Schena the CEO and Co-Founder of Rajant Corporation. Craig and Bob will discuss portable wireless mesh networks that offer secure communications-on-the-move through by being able to rapidly reconfigure and adapt in real-time. Rajant’s kinetic mesh networks are a new approach to portable wireless networks where all of the components of the networks including the nodes are constantly in motion.

Sonpreet Bhatia the Co-Founder of MyCityWay. Craig and Sonpreet will discuss MyCityWay which was designed to help anyone navigate and explore the world’s cities, like never before. for example: To find a Chinese restaurant in your neighborhood, locate the nearest wireless hotspot, or buy tickets for the next showing of a blockbuster movie or even to Connect with other users to find the perfect lunch spot, keep tabs on apartments for rent, or check a live traffic feed before you leave the office.

Andy Zimmerman the Chief Marketing Officer at Brainshark. Craig and Andy will discuss how to conduct business on the go cloud-based software lets users create online and mobile video presentations – using simple business tools like PowerPoint and the telephone – and then share and track their content anytime, anywhere improving the reach and results of their business communications, while dramatically reducing communications costs.

Catherine D’Amato the Executive Director at the Greater Boston Food Bank. Craig and Catherine will discuss how the Greater Boston Food Banks distribution of food has increased from 8 to 35 million pounds of food per year and how they are using Social Media to raise awareness and involve people in their mission. They have released an app called Give a Doodle.

Todd Porter – VP Product Innovation and Marketing at QUMU. Craig and Todd will discuss Mobile Video Solutions that engage and inspire employees, improve productivity, and reduce costs Regardless of audience size, viewer device, or network configuration, Qumu simply makes video work. Only Qumu delivers the Freedom to work with existing infrastructure; the Power to reach everyone; and the Control to do it right.

Scott Hirsch the Founder of AppsBar joins Craig to discuss the gap between over-simplified apps and costly, professionally-produced apps. appsbar is the first tool for any business, group or individual to create professional, personalized apps for use on mobile devices with no cost. . appsbar is one platform to create and submit apps to popular app stores. It presents myriad personalization opportunities with a unique interface that guides creators through the entire process – from creation, to editing, to publication – with visual and textual clues at each step.

Mahesh Makhija an Associate Vice President at Infosys joins Craig to discuss end to end business solutions that utilize the best of technology. Infosys provides solutions that span the entire software life cycle encompassing consulting, design, development, software re-engineering, maintenance, systems integration, package evaluation and implementation and infrastructure management services.

PV Kannan the CEO and 24/7 Customer joins Craig to discuss a simple and easy way for companies to acquire and retain their customers, and for customers to seek solutions to their queries, anytime and anywhere in the world.24/7 Customer, Inc. is a managed services provider of online predictive experience solutions.We transform and own the outcome of digital sales and service experiences for large enterprises with thousands of call center agents. We deliver the highest CSAT at the lowest cost, and eliminate calls.

Tom Jeineck the Founder and President of On Target Web Solutions joins Craig to discuss Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing Solutions. At On Target Web Solutions, we are passionate about educating our clients about effective web design, effective and engaging social media campaigns, organic search engine marketing, the power of blogging, the power of permission based marketing and the power of ethical online business practices.

Jonathan Spira the CEO at Basex joins Craig to discuss collaborative Business Knowledge, which is the intersection of content management, portals, knowledge management, and collaboration. Information Overload is costing organizations billions of dollars annually as well as productivity time, which impacts the bottom line and revenue. When employees have to sort through a ton information and determine which of that data is correct, current and reliable. Searching for the correct answer or corroborating evidence can be time consuming and is no guarantee that the information is correct, which again costs organizations time and money.

Linda Rohrbough an Author and Consultant at Study by App joins Craig to talk about connecting students of all ages with bold and dynamic content. Study by App is an educational software development company that develops apps for the iPhone/iTouch/iPad. Our staff is a collective of teachers, authors, scholars, professors, and publishers from a wide variety of disciplines and backgrounds.

Sumeet Shrivastava the President at Array IT joins Craig to discuss how federal IT initiatives and impact the government and the private sector and how new and emerging technologies and leading-edge solutions can delivering best-of-the-best industry programs and practices.

Zack Urlocker the COO at ZenDesk joins Craig to discuss Cloud Based help desk software. Zendesk is the proven cloud-based help desk software that is the fastest way to enable great customer service in rapidly growing companies. Zendesk is so easy to use and their services are trusted by 10,000 organizations for their most valuable assets: customers, partners, and employees.

Thomas Swalla the COO at Savings.com joins Craig to discuss how to find the best deals on everything you want. Tell us what brands and categories you like to shop, where you live, and Savings.com will deliver the best deals for you handpicked by expert DealPros®. In addition to providing personalized recommendations, Savings.com has one of the most in-depth databases of coupons.

Dr. Rajiv Kumar the Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer at Shape-up joins Craig to discuss the worst health problems we face as a nation–obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, hypertension, osteoarthritis, depression–are related to our collective unhealthy lifestyle. Founded initially on the basic premise that people are more likely to succeed at reaching their goals when they work together with the people they care about, ShapeUp continues to stay true to its original philosophy. The company has remained focused on uniting people to improve their health while at the same time expanding its vision for the future. ShapeUp aims to build the largest platform in the world that unites individuals with their entire health care ecosystem – including their friends, family, colleagues, employer, health plan, physicians, pharmacy, health coach, and more. By creating a simple, central place to connect with the activities, information, ideas, and people that can lead us to better health, ShapeUp is working toward improving the health of the entire world.

Brad Murdoch the Chief Marketing Officer at Visible World joins Craig to discuss how to transform your advertising production giving it more relevance and delivering it with greater effectiveness. Visible World is the leading provider of targeted television advertising solutions. The company’s suite of services enables advertisers, agencies, and media companies to deliver addressable, interactive, and measurable ads.

On Show 628 Craig spoke with the following guests.

John Fishnell the VP of Project Management at Apriso joins Craig to discuss how technology is changing global manufacturing operations. Apriso’s FlexNet is a BPM platform-based software solution for global manufacturing operations management. Apriso supports global continuous improvement by delivering visibility into, control over and synchronization across manufacturing and the product supply network.

Brian Reed the CMO and VP of Products at BoxTone joins Craig to discuss enterprise mobility management. BoxTone’s single unified mobile management platform powered by patented real-time automation technology addresses the entire mobile lifecycle: mobile device management, support management, operations management and business management. BoxTone delivers real-time centralized control of all mobile devices including iPhone, Pad, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone devices; and the enterprise mobile applications that run on them.

Bill Anderson the CEO at Oculis Labs joins Craig to discuss commercialization of visual endpoint security technologies. Oculis Labs develops data privacy software that secures the last two feet of the Internet – the distance from the computer screen to a user’s eyes. Oculis Labs helps consumers, enterprise and government customers protect digital assets in the real world.

Ryan Scott is the VP of Marketing at Seamless, he joins Craig to discuss online food order and delivery services. Seamless has made ordering fun and easy for more than one million members and many of the world’s largest companies. Through its website, mobile web, and native mobile applications for the iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry, Seamless offers full menus, ratings, reviews, and exclusive discounts from an extensive network of restaurants in New York, Washington D.C., Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, London, and other U.S. cities. Seamless will facilitate more than $400 million in food orders from its 7,500+ partner restaurants in 2011. Seamless is an independent, privately held company.

Tyler Lessard Chief Marketing Officer at Fixmo joins Craig to discuss managing risk associated with the mobile workforce. Fixmo Inc. is the mobile risk management (MRM) company that empowers organizations to mitigate risks around mobile deployments. Using Fixmo’s solutions including its flagship Sentinel product, enterprises and government agencies ensure the integrity, compliance and auditability of every device used by their mobile workforce.

Peter Micciche the President and CEO at Certain Software joins Craig to discuss event management. Certain provides comprehensive event management solution that enables organizations to easily plan, promote, manage, and track events in an integrated, cloud-based software suite. Stakeholders at every level – planners, attendees, exhibitors, business sponsors and C-level executives – will realize more business value utilizing the event best practices and automated tools built into the Certain solution.

Mike DeVries the Chief Marketing Officer at Global Logic joins Craig to discuss Cloud based mobile applications. GlobalLogic, home to nearly 6,000 people, delivers R&D services to leading technology-enabled organizations. Since 2001, we have remained relentlessly focused on delivering innovative products, services and experiences. We work with both start-ups and technology giants, including 80% of the top global technology brands, to design and build innovative products that provide a competitive edge. With innovation hubs and design studios around the world, GlobalLogic delivers the broad range of technology design and engineering skills needed to help our clients stay ahead.

Mike Pugh the VP of Marketing at J2 Communications joins Craig to discuss cloud-based, business-critical communications and storage messaging services. j2 Global Communications offers a complete array of unified-messaging and communications services, including faxing and voicemail solutions, Web-initiated conference calling, storage messaging services, online backup, and virtual office solutions.

Ken Sun the Group Product Manager for Mobile at Intuit Personal Finance joins Craig to discuss mobile money management. Mint’s mission is to help people understand and do more with their money. Intuit has always been a customer-centric organization. Together, we’re working to get millions of Americans on track to meet their financial goals. Mint has released mobile apps for iPhone/iPad and Android.

Dr. William Jenkins the Chief Scientific Officer at Scientific Learning joins Craig to discuss How some mobile apps and games for kids – while they look like just fun – are based on learning research. Scientific Learning’s KinderSpark™ series is a collection of engaging iPad games that help young children build kindergarten readiness skills and excel in learning. Its “secret sauce” is the pairing of cognitive development research with curriculum.

Chris Holbert the CEO at SecuraTrac joins Craig to discuss a new technology to the market that brings peace of mind to families, protecting children, the elderly and pets by allowing us to know where our loved ones are located at all times. SecuraTrac® develops, markets, and sells a suite of products dedicated to bringing families closer together and improving employee safety through GPS location based technology and state-of-the-art, easy-to-use websites.

On Show 627 Craig spoke with the following guests.

Chris Holbert the CEO at SecuraTrac joins Craig to discuss a new technology to the market that brings peace of mind to families, protecting children, the elderly and pets by allowing us to know where our loved ones are located at all times. SecuraTrac® develops, markets, and sells a suite of products dedicated to bringing families closer together and improving employee safety through GPS location based technology and state-of-the-art, easy-to-use websites.

Stuart Putney the CEO and Founder of Mobylyng joins Craig to discuss HTML5 technology and its advantages for social games for mobile devices and social networks. They will also discuss which Moblyng Games have just launched on the Facebook platform.

Rachel Carollo is the Senior Director of Marketing for Fandango joins Craig to discuss the nation’s leading moviegoer destination and a unit of NBCUniversal. Fandango, the leader in the moviegoing mobile and tablet space, has seen nearly 20 million downloads of its various apps, which have won three 2011 Webby Awards.  It seems that more and more moviegoers are choosing apps as their preferred means of getting movie tickets and information.

Mark Guarnera the Executive Vice President at Vendini joins Craig to discuss the industry’s first enterprise cloud based ticketing system. Thousands of organizations utilize Vendini’s solutions for event promotion, ticket sales, and box office management of operations. The company’s suite of applications includes a fully integrated marketing system to promote events via email and social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

Brian Curry the VP of Product and Business Strategy at You Send it joins Craig to discuss business content collaboration. YouSendIt helps enterprises and business professionals streamline collaboration by enabling them to instantly sync and access content in the cloud and easily send files, share folders, and sign documents from anywhere — the desktop, Web or mobile devices.

Josh Koppel is the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at Scroll Motion joins Craig to discuss reshaping how people experience digital information and entertainment. ScrollMotion believes technology should enable, not dictate, the creative process, they offer end-to-end solutions that help companies create and distribute across digital devices without losing what makes their brands unique.

Keith Smith the President and COO at CorFire joins Craig to discuss the mobile commerce business. CorFire offers mobile technology platforms to financial institutions, mobile network operators (MNOs), payment processors, card issuers, retailers, and other technology innovators that enable delivery of mobile commerce to the mobile phone today.  Its three core technology offerings include its Trusted Services Manager (TSM) platform, a robust mobile wallet platform, and a state-of-the-art suite of mobile marketing platform.

Gregg Dunn the VP of Project Management at Sybase joins Craig to discuss Mobile Payments. Sybase 365 is the global leader in enabling mobile information services for mobile operators, financial institutions and enterprises. The recent launch of the Google Wallet has gotten the industry a buzz about what the future of mobile payments, and a mobile wallet will look like. The mobile wallet is a technology that enables consumers to transact, interact and engage with their favorite brands

Adam Kotkin the CEO at Apps Genius joins Craig to discuss Apps and Social Gaming. Apps Genius creates innovative social games and mobile applications that let you play together with real-world friends and family using the infrastructure built by social and wireless networks. The company’s cross-platform gaming and mobile applications allow users to play and interact with the same people such user would play cards, board games or go bowling within the real world, regardless of the network they are on.

Kevin Stapleford the President of V2 Broadcasting joins Craig to discuss changing the way businesses digitally connect with their customer inside of their store. V2’s proprietary The Neighborhood® shapes a unique digital customer experience that includes customized entertainment and games along shopping content, product information and social interaction right to customers’ mobile devices.

Beth Murphy the Chief Marketing Officer at Hotels Tonight joins Craig to discuss their same-day hotel booking app that brings you the best, last-minute deals. HotelTonight is made-for-mobile and available as a free download in the Apple App Store and Android Marketplace. Perfect for business travelers, vacationers and locals alike, HotelTonight brings you deals in top hotels.

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LP DOCK is an innovative new USB turntable that fuses the convenience of the iPod with the easiest way to convert vinyl records to MP3.   It enables users to transfer their old vinyl collection directly to an iPod using any Mac or PC computer. It comes with a  USB cord and works with all docking iPod models when you use with iTunes.    Audacity recording software, which reduces any vinyl noise and pops inherent on some old vinyl recordings to ensure full quality.  LP DOCK is the first of its kind to deliver direct-to-iPod technology. EZ Vinyl Converter 2 software is included to automatically name songs.

VCR 2 PC is an innovative new VHS player with single-cable USB output. With VCR 2 PC you can save all of your favorite home movies and videos straight to your PC in pristine digital format.   EZ VHS Converter software is included and lets you burn your videos to DVD, watch on your PSP, iPod or laptop computer. Exported MPEG4 video is compatible with select mobile phones and portable multimedia devices!  You can connect your VHS, VHS-C, or 8MM camcorder to the front panel jacks to backup your camcorder videos.   When you’re finished archiving your videos to your computer, VCR 2 PC is the perfect VHS player for any room in the house.

If you have a lot of tape collection you can create MP3s from it.   Just plug the TAPE 2 PC into your computer using the USB cable, install the software and start converting your music.  It’ll easily transfer to your iPod or other MP3 player.  TAPE 2 PC is the world’s first USB dual cassette player/recorder with the ability to covert tapes to MP3. TAPE 2 PC includes EZ Tape Converter 2 for PC (EZTC2) and EZ Audio Converter for Mac (EZAC) software; the simplest way to record and convert tapes directly to iTunes. EZTC2 features Gracenote® MusicID technology, which analyzes your recordings and automatically retrieves album, artist and song information for you! EZAC lets you easily enter track information. You can now digitally archive your collection in just a few mouse clicks.     When you’re finished archiving your cassettes to your computer, TAPE 2 PC can connect to your stereo system using standard RCA cables for convenient cassette listening in your living room, garage, or wherever your stereo system resides.

These above products enable consumers to take their traditional media (vinyl records, cassette tapes and VHS tapes) and turn them into easily accessible digital media. The idea behind ION Audio‘s products is simplicity: just plug and download. You can also see their new products at http://www.ion-audio.com/products/new.php

ION Audio recently sold its one-millionth turntable.   Vinyl sales are actually increasing.  In 2007, according to Nielsen SoundScan, nearly 1 million LPs were bought, up from 858,000 in 2006.  Based on to-date sales for 2008, that figure could jump to 1.6 million by year’s end. (According to the Recording Industry Association of America, CD shipments dropped 17.5 percent during the same 2006-07 period.) Sales of turntables — which dropped from 1.8 million in 1989 to 275,000 in 2006, according to the Consumer Electronics Association — rebounded last year, when nearly half a million were sold.

Gregg Stein
Director of Marketing
ION Audio

Greg Stein – A biography

Greg is VP level marketing exec with broad experience in all aspects of global marketing planning and budgeting; including strategies for brand management, sustaining product portfolio management, new product development, pricing, distribution, promotion, trademark registrations, sales management, print and online advertising, public relations, interactive media, trade show exhibition/event marketing, merchandising, SKU management, inventory control, sourcing, and corporate and marketing communications.

Direct experience managing a wide range of staff as well as managing relationships with advertising/public relations agencies, artist management agencies, record labels, and media buys (direct mail, on line, print). Focus on fast-paced, innovative and lifestyle-oriented music, technology, entertainment and consumer electronics companies.

Currently, Director of Marketing Worldwide at Numark Industries, LLC. (Numark, Alesis, Akai Pro, MixMeister, Ion Audio)

He was the Director of Marketing Communications at Line 6.  Adjunct Professor at Northeastern University.  Also, worked as Product Marketing / Marcom Manager at Avedis Zildjian Company

Greg holds Masters in CSS Management/Administration from  Harvard University.  Also, holds a certification in Strategic Management from Boston University.  He has done his BA, Business Management & Drum Set Performance from Berklee College of Music.

About Ion Audio:

Ion Audio’s mission is to deliver a diverse and innovative range of digital audio and musical entertainment products that brings music to life.

Whether you are at a barbecue, out by the pool with friends, in front of your computer or just hanging out at home Ion Audio is here to help you listen, play and enjoy your music.

The company was established to fulfill the needs of the music enthusiasts, musicians and DJ’s of all levels looking for an affordable solution to digital music entertainment.

The product line includes award-winning innovations for home audio, digital audio and DJ technology, musical instruments and digital audio accessories.

From award-winning USB Turntable that turns your old LP’s into MP3’s to our state-of-the-art musical instruments such as the Electronic Drum Kit to battery-powered portable PA sound system for iPod, Ion Audio is here to make music more accessible and enjoyable than ever before.

Because, like you, Ion Audio love digital audio, are always looking for fresh ways to help you move music.  Be on the look out for many more revolutionary innovations from ION Audio coming to a retailer near you.

Related articles

• Ion Audio iCade arcade-style iPad cabinet (go.theregister.com)
• USB Turntable Puts a Digital Spin on Your Vinyl Collection (wired.com)
• Don’t Take My Vinyl Away (golibrarians.wordpress.com)

In today’s world, you don’t need to worry more about all these.  The world is becoming smaller and flat and you have easy access to all the talented people in the world without any passport.  The Virtual Wave is heating up and join this race and be at peace.

What is a Virtual Assistant?

A Virtual Assistant (VA) is an independent entrepreneur providing administrative, creative and/or technical services.  This self-employed person handles non-core business support utilizing advanced technological modes of communication (email, fax, chat, telephone, internet, etc) and data delivery. A professional VA assists clients in his/her area of expertise from his/her own office on a contractual basis.

VAs, like many of their clients, are the CEOs of their own companies. Often, they become the long-term “growth partners” of their clients, providing administrative, technical, and creative support.

What types of services to VAs offer?

VA services are as varied as the VAs themselves — ranging from basic word processing to high-end corporate consulting. Here’s a sampling:

Academic Writing, Accounting Services, AudioVisual Production, Business Coaching, Business Plan Writing, Business Writing, Collection Services, Competitive Research, Concierge Services, Database Management, Desktop Publishing, Document OCR/Scanning, Editing/Proofreading, Entertainment Industry, Event Planning, Expertise in “Foreign” Markets, File Conversion, Fundraising, General Transcription, Gov’t. Procurement Expertise, Grant Proposals, Graphic Design, Graphic Scanning, Growth Advisory Services, HR Expertise, Insurance Broker/Agent Support, Internet Research, Interpreting, Import/Export Support, Intranet Development/Management, Legal “Secretarial,” Legal Transcription, Litigation Support, Live Phone Answering for Clients, Mailing Services, Marketing/Advertising, Market Research, Medical Transcription, Multilingual, Multimedia Presentation, Nonprofit Support Services, Office Management, Paralegal Services, Payroll Services, Phone-in Transcription, Private Investigation Support, Programming, Public Relations, Realtor Support, Resume Writing, Spreadsheets, Statements/Billing, Systems Management, Technical Writing/Editing, Translating Services, Voice Services (Greetings, Events), Voicemail for Clients, Web site Design, Word Processing

Virtual Work means stronger families (a chance for parents to spend more time with their children), a cleaner environment (reduced or eliminated commutes), and a return to community life – the wellspring of values that give us our foundation as individuals, as families, and as a society.

Why would a small business owner choose to work with a VA instead of a temp or employee?

There are several fundamental differences between VAs and temps or employees.

VAs are self-employed and understand the importance of the need for excellence in even the smallest details of the tasks they are assigned. They have a direct stake in their clients’ success.   When the clients grows, VA contribution to their success are immense. Most VAs keep good relationship and trust with the clients.

Clients can pay for time on task only. Clients can pay only for time spent on the task not beyond the task.

VAs don’t need for office equipment, computers, space, training, etc.  Since, VAs have prior working knowledge of their work, they can perform any tasks very easily.  In some cases, clients offer little training.  VAs uses their own computers and infrastructure for clients and perform the work.   It’s cost effective to clients, since they don’t need to invest on equipments for VAs.

VAs don’t attract any taxes, benefits and other employee-related costs such as retirement benefits, social security benefits, etc.

How can a Virtual Assistant help a small business owner generally?

In a nutshell, Virtual Assistants take on non-core tasks that rob you of time, energy and money, and free you to concentrate on the revenue-producing activities that you need to be doing to grow your business.

As independent contractors, Virtual Assistants are also a more cost-effective solution than employees (who generally cost 2 to 2 ½ times their annual salary, when vacation, sick leave, insurance and other benefits, physical office space and equipment, etc. are taken into account), and are paid only for time-on-task.  As business owners themselves, Virtual Assistants understand your business goals and priorities, and many quickly become the long-term growth partners of their clients.

How can a VA help the “vacationing entrepreneur”?

This will depend largely on how well the VA knows the business before the business owner leaves, but some of the basic matters s/he can handle might include:

• Have the VA screen email and voicemail messages, interrupting your “quiet time” with only the most important messages — those you have told her specifically to keep an eye out for, or issues that appear to be urgent or escalating.
• Monitor your company website for downtime or technical problems, and handle any issues immediately (keeping you out of the tech support que and in the pool). VA can also manage the content of company websites.
• Customer Service - have your VA respond to customer questions, take orders, and other customer service or customer relationship matters
• Keeping your blog, forum current – VAs can moderate forums, create blogs and do e-marketing activities.  Most of the site promotional activities can be handled by a VA very smoothly.

How to find and start working with a VA?

• You can look at VAs at   MSVAS.com – database of Military Spouse Virtual Assistance; free RFP Service
• IVAA.org - the International Virtual Assistants Association.  The International Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the professional education and development of members of the Virtual Assistance profession, and to educating the public on the role and function of the Virtual Assistant. You ask for free RFP Service
• Search the internet using select keywords and phrases (freelance virtual assistant, freelancer, virtual support, etc
• You can also visit some paid freelance sites.

After interviewing and selecting your VA, move gradually into the relationship — delegating first those tasks you will worry the least about, and adding other duties as you develop a trust and rapport with your VA.

If you look at the Virtual Assistant market, most of them are professionals.  They choose to become VA due to their own personal reasons or become accidentally. Some VAs  are professional, some are taken off from work due to problems at work, some would like to have more work-life balances so that they can focus on kids, some have disability problems and can’t work in organizations.

Those who would like to take up VA as a career, first read The 2-Second Commute and identify what skills they can offer virtually, which will help clients to pay.

Christine Durst
CEO
Staffcentrix, LLC

Christine Durst -  A biography

Christine Durst is the founder of the Virtual Assistance industry (circa 1995), and CEO of Staffcentrix, LLC – the training and development company that designs and delivers virtual career training programs for the US Department of State and all of the US Armed Forces.  She is also the co-author of  bestselling career book – “The 2-Second Commute” – and Director of Research for The Rat Race Rebellion .

Recently she has featured on The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, ABC News, MSNBC, The Wall Street Journal and Consumer Digest.   Since starting Staffcentrix in 1999, the company has trained or mentored over 5,800 entrepreneurs (micro-entrepreneurs) in 65+ countries around the world.

Staffcentrix, LLC is a US-based training and development firm that works with corporations, government agencies (US Department of State and all branches of the US Armed Forces), colleges, and individuals to develop virtual, portable, and home-based career solutions.

Related articles

• What Do Virtual Assistants Do? 52 Virtual Assistant Services You Can Offer (theworkathomewife.com)
• New Website Helps Unemployed People Find Virtual Assistant Jobs (prweb.com)

Here is a unified technology that will answer all your calls no matter where you are. It’ll reach you automatically no matter where you are – work, travel, home, cell. It has the capability to fax you too.   PhoneFusion One answers all your calls, divert calls to your phone.

PhoneFusion One is a simple service that keeps you in control with just one phone number.  You are given a permanent telephone number to give to your clients, colleagues, family or friends. Once this number is dialed, PhoneFusion One contacts you anywhere you choose to be contacted, whether you are in the car, leaving a client meeting, at the office or anywhere else in the world.

For small businesses, PhoneFusion One enables small businesses to get more for less.  This is the mantra for all small businesses and with PhoneFusion One, it’s a easy to do.  PhoneFusion One provides small businesses with a full suite of big-company features like conference capability, fax to email, virtual attendant, in addition to traditional phone features.  For a busy individual with multiple phone numbers, PhoneFusion One is the reliable way to manage your incoming calls, and integrates seamlessly with cell phones, land lines, VoIP lines and faxes.

PhoneFusion One also hosts VoIP (Internet) phone services and a Virtual Receptionist feature which is a PBX-type phone system for businesses with no equipment to buy. Our Virtual Receptionist service allows customers to sound like a professional company with phones with all the same features as an expensive system for one low monthly payment.

PhoneFusion One offers the reliability and security of regular phone systems and ability to receive calls no matter where you are – on any phone.   And the hosted solution requires no special hardware or software to purchase.

PhoneFusion One keeps you in control with one phone number. We give you a new telephone number or you can transfer your existing number to us. You can then decide where and when to send your calls by logging in on our website. We are confident that you will find PhoneFusion One to be the easiest, most cost effective way there is to keep in touch, with the most advanced features around.

PhoneFusion offers many telephone features that are available with advanced phone systems, as well as standard features like conference calling, recording calls, missed call notification, extension dialing, virtual calling card and much more. It’ll give you the advantage of standard and business-type features all for one low price.

PhoneFusion also offers VoIP telephones and features integrated seamlessly into system allowing you to have a low-cost telephone alternative to traditional landlines.

By combining Unified Communications with the technology of VoIP, PhoneFusion One offers the reliability and security of regular phone systems along with VoIP to save you money.

Key benefits that small businesses get with PhoneFusion One:

• One Number: Give your friends or colleagues and customers PhoneFusion One number with a local area code or 800 number, and it will find you wherever you are. You can receive your calls at any of your pre-programmed numbers instantaneously and simultaneously. You decide and control when you’re available!
• Find Me/Follow Me:  PhoneFusion One calls multiple phones at once, allowing you to answer the call wherever you are. You can choose to accept, reject or transfer a call to another phone before you ever answer. (If you reject a call, the caller will not be able to leave a voicemail message.) It’s freedom at your fingertips!
• Voicemail:  You can receive personalized announcements and retrieve your voicemail messages from any telephone or listen to them through your PC!  You can actually screen your voicemail while messages are being left for you and pickup in the middle if you choose. You also have the option to send voicemail messages to your personal email address, allowing you to forward voicemail to anyone, anywhere!
• Call Screening:   PhoneFusion One will announce all callers so you decide whether to answer, to send the caller to voicemail or to send an instant message. You choose your availability after you know who is calling. Once you send a caller to voicemail the PhoneFusion One user has the choice to listen to the caller leaving the message (without the caller hearing) and then answering the call while the person is still leaving the message to accept the call, just like on old answering machines.
• Toll-Free Number:  PhoneFusion One gives you the option to add a toll-free number to your account. You can port your current toll-free number to our system just like a regular number. Get inbound calls for only $0.049 per minute.
• Virtual Number / Virtual 800 Number:    Get a Virtual Number for people to call instead of your regular PhoneFusion One number. It forwards to your main number, but allows customers, family and friends to dial a local number instead of a long distance or a toll number.
• Softphone:   You can make and receive calls and also pick up voicemail with PhoneFusion One’s Softphone.  In order to use this feature, you need to download the program onto your computer.  It acts like a regular phone.
• Virtual Receptionist:  The Virtual Receptionist is a virtual PBX system that can answer your calls and play a recorded message with different options for callers, just like a regular office PBX system. For example, callers will dial your number and hear “Thank you for calling ABC Company. Dial 1 for sales, 2 for support or 0 for the operator.” Unlike a standard PBX system, there is no hardware or software to purchase and maintain, so costs start low and stay low.
• VIP Callers:  These callers can bypass the PhoneFusion One chime and your Incoming Greeting to go directly to waiting for you to answer their calls. This is perfect for someone who will be calling you often and does not need to go the Call Screening process.
• Web Account:  Access your PhoneFusion One account from any computer, any time. Listen to your messages through your computer, read your faxes, change your account options and more.
• Call Guard:  Turn on Call Guard, and it will monitor your call. If you lose the connection and the caller stays on the line, PhoneFusion One will tell the caller to hold on while it tries to re-establish the call. If PhoneFusion One cannot reconnect the call, the caller will be sent to voicemail.
• Calling Card:   Your PhoneFusion One number is also a calling card that can be used to make calls to or from any destination in the world. With competitive low rates, PhoneFusion One keeps you constantly in touch.
• Record Calls:   Record phone calls with the touch of just a few buttons. Listen to the recorded call in three ways: as a voicemail message, through your Virtual Inbox or in an email with a .WAV file attachment.
• Conference Calling:  Organize conference calls for an unlimited number of people. There’s no need to use an outside company! In addition, you can record the entire call, so there’s no need to take notes. Add and remove people from the conference with ease using our step-by-step instructions.  Through this feature, you can reduce more travel time.
• Instant Messaging:  This amazing and unmatched feature allows you to send callers a personalized instant voice message if you’re unable to take their call, rather than just sending them to voicemail.
• Fax to Email:  PhoneFusion One will receive faxes 24/7, and can be forwarded to any fax machine or viewed on your PC as a PDF document. You can also program PhoneFusion One to notify you of a fax the same way you are notified of voicemail messages. There’s no need for a second line.
• Web Call Back:  If you have missed a call and set your preferences to email you when you’ve missed a voicemail message, you can call the person back via the Web. There is a link in the email to dial your caller. Choose which number you would like PhoneFusion to use, and then that number will ring. Once you answer, PhoneFusion will dial the number of the caller you missed. There is no need to dig out your phonebook.
• Call Transfer:  Once the PhoneFusion One user has a call connected, he can push ##T (or ##8) and that will let him transfer the call to any number in the world.
• You can have all the standard features like a normal telephone such as Voicemail, Caller ID, Speed Dialling, Last Number redialling, on-hold mute, missed call notification, incoming call notification,  international calling, outbound fax, call me now, do not disturb, etc,
• Get More for Less: This is the mantra for all small businesses and with innovative technologies from companies like PhoneFusion, it’s a easy to do.  PhoneFusion provides small businesses with a full suite of big-company communications features.  Get a full-service telecom solution for less than $10.00 a month.
• Cut Your Phone Bill by Using VoIP.  PhoneFusion One offers a VoIP offering that enables your VoIP calls to be taken on your landline or mobile.  No more being tied to the desk to take advantage of VoIP call savings.
• Listener Promotion:  To give listeners a chance to experience all that PhoneFusion One has to offer, the company is offering 100 days of free service. This includes all PhoneFusion One features and 500 minutes of usage per month.

Web site to direct listeners:  http://www.phonefusionone.com/callcenters – into one, single, manageable source. With PhoneFusion, organizations can confidently manage their daily business communications from any location, any device, at any time of day. PhoneFusion is based in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. For more information on the company and its products, please visit them online at www.phonefusion.com.

Jonathan Hollander
Executive Vice President
Phone Fusion

Jonathan Hollander – A biography

Jonathan Hollander is the EVP of Phone Fusion.  He founded PhoneFusion in January 2005 with an expert knowledge of the technologies that are revolutionizing the telephony industry and a dedication to customer satisfaction.

Prior to founding the company, Mr. Hollander was co-founder and president of Dotshop Consulting Corporation, and was responsible for establishing Dotshop as IBM’s first-ever business partner for Web development in the Southeast United States.

Mr. Hollander’s career experience also includes launching two wireless startups.  Sincuerda provided wireless Internet access to the booming Miami hospitality industry. GigaTrans, delivered fixed wireless access to Detroit businesses.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Hollander was a technology consultant for the Texas State Education Department, instrumental in the development of the largest K-12 private educational WAN in the United States.  He was also responsible for site design and Internet strategic planning at the University of Miami.

While living in Miami, Mr. Hollander was the Vice Chair of the Technology Committee at the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce. He speaks regularly on the benefits of the Internet and the World Wide Web in relation to telephony.

About PhoneFusion One

PhoneFusion is a leading provider of reliable communications solutions to businesses of all sizes.  The company’s portfolio of Unified Communications and Fixed Mobile Convergence products brings together all modes of communication – from mobile phones to traditional landlines to VoIP to Business Intelligence Suites and Distributed

PhoneFusion One gives businesses an easy way to manage all of their daily business communications with just one phone number. Subscribers receive a permanent telephone number to give to clients, colleagues, family or friends. When callers dial the subscriber’s number, PhoneFusion One will contact him on the numbers previously programmed. With features like call forwarding, voicemail, virtual attendant, fax to email, conference calling, call screening and many more, PhoneFusion One supports all communication needs.

PhoneFusion is a leading provider of reliable communications solutions to businesses of all sizes.  The company’s portfolio of Unified Communications and Fixed Mobile Convergence products brings together all modes of communication – from mobile phones to traditional landlines to VoIP to Business Intelligence Suites and Distributed.

She feels that some of the causes of low productivity in a small business are as follows:

• Burnout / Stress- According to the American Institute of Stress, 40% of workers reported their job was very or extremely stressful, and 26 percent of those workers said they were “often or very often burned out or stressed by their work.”
• Poor/rigid working conditions
• Management Style
• Employee Motivation

NTM / Sherean counteracts these low productivity triggers by creating an environment that is flexible, supportive, and creative.  NTM understand that businesses have a tremendous impact on their environment. They believe it’s their responsibility to minimize that impact and practice good green policies. Technology also plays a major part…

Environment: creating an environment that is dynamic and flexible to her employees’ lifestyle, but still receptive to the business needs.”   NTM is not any less competitive, and everyone is just as serious about their work as if they were still at their super corporate jobs.  NTM is focused on Work-Life Balance. NTM is a kid friendly environment.

Non-toxic cleaning: They have selected a janitorial services company that uses only non-toxic, green-friendly cleaning supplies.

Creativity- NTM injects creativity into its modus operandi, especially when dealing with employees. It is important to have employees with hybrid skill sets. For example, during slower months such as the summer, the NTM team is always engaged because they all share equal responsibility in a project- they do not operate in a silo.

Flexibility- Employees are a business’ lifeblood.  Creating flexible work options such as Telecommuting and Job Sharing fosters an environment that addresses individual needs/concerns, celebrates team work, increases productivity and even enforces social responsibility.  All of NTM employees telecommute at least part of the time.  They’ve found this to be not just good environmental policy, but good business.  NTM employees are happier and more productive by incorporating telecommuting in their actions.

Recycle/Reduce: In addition to recycling paper, NTM strive to manage all accounts electronically so we don’t use much paper in the first place.  Their book keepings are happening online and the book keeper only comes for meeting.

Commercial Printers: While NTM use a variety of printers, the one they contract with most often uses vegetable-based inks (primarily soy), paper that is produced from 60% recovered paper, and paper that is milled without harmful dioxin.

You can take advantage of today’s technology.  Equip your employees with the right tools.  Webinars and podcasts are excellent for business development and meetings with clients.  Social networking is excellent for recruiting and initiating strategic alliances.  Embrace the new tools created to increase productivity for your industry.

Some example of great tools include:

Social Media Productivity- Drupal is a free software package that allows an individual or a community of users to easily publish, manage and organize a wide variety of content on a website.  Another productivity tools is Joomla.  Both are Free software packages.

Clearspace- Clearspace is enterprise collaboration software built from the ground up for teams, companies, and communities looking for an easy and productive way to work with each other — without time or location limitations. Eliminate redundant conversations, meetings, emails, and ideas by opening doors to new co-workers, partners, and customers.

Webinars / Podcasts are great for business development and meetings.  Software such as Adobe Connect or Webex make the transition to virtual meetings dynamic and easy to create.

Linkedin- is great for recruiting and networking and building strategic alliances.

GroupHub or Basecamp are excellent tools for project management.  Basecamp is a web-based tool that lets you manage and track projects (or simply ideas) and quickly create client/project extranets.  Basecamp solves this problem by providing tools tailored to improve the communication between people working together on a project.  GroupHub is a creative design community. A collection of individuals and businesses drawn together by a desire to create, design and innovate.

You can plan your meetings and events at  Open Table or Cvent.  OpenTable is the leading supplier of reservation, table management and guest management software for restaurants. This is an ideal place for lunch meetings.  Cvent provides Online Software for Event Management, Web Surveys, Email Marketing, Reservations, listings and ticket sales.

ACT CRM is the #1 selling contact and customer manager that helps you organize contact information, manage daily responsibilities, and communicate more effectively to improve your productivity.  With over 2.7 million users and 41,000 corporate customers, ACT! is renowned for being easy to learn and use, and is an effective solution for anyone who regularly works with contacts.

Constant Contact is an Email marketing software that makes it easy to create professional HTML email campaigns with no tech skills.  Whether you’re looking to send an email newsletter, a high-impact email promotion, an email event invitation, an online survey, or build your email list, try Constant Contact.

Productivity remains at an all time high at NTM.  It’s super-low churn rate

Sherean Malekzadeh Allen
President
New Thought Marketing, Inc

Sherean Malekzadeh Allen -  A biography

Sherean Malekzadeh Allen, internationally recognized advertising, sales and marketing expert, is Founder and President of New Thought Marketing, Inc.  She is one of the early internet marketing pioneers, award-winning writer and television producer. Media and world-class companies including FOX, PC Magazine, CNN International, Jones Lang LaSalle, IBM, CBS and MTV have featured Sherean’s work and continually seek her expertise for real-world solutions to maximize market opportunities; integrate new media and digital marketing strategies.

About New Thought Marketing:

New Thought Marketing was founded as Sherean Malekzadeh’s way of sharing smart people with companies she believes in.

The consultants give clients the marketing and sales tools to grow.  They really love working with second-stage entrepreneurs: successful companies beyond the start up phase who now want more. NTM graduate them to the next level, and then train them to stay on course with their own people.

NTM do it while balancing life and work.  Since founding the company in 2001, Sherean has collected senior level marketing, advertising, sales and creative folks who simply want to adjust their work schedules to make room for family or themselves. So instead of being tied to one company, or out of the workforce entirely, they work for the clients.

Here is a small piece of information shared by Andrew S. Field. Andrew is the President and CEO of Printing for less.com. He feels as a small business owners you can save yourself, your employees and your customers time and money by doing small things. Let us look at one by one.

You can leverage technology in all your dealings. You can buy your supplies online. Some of the administrative support functions such as banking, paying the bills can be automated through online. You can buy your marketing materials such as website, logo design to printing and mailing lists. Printing for less.com is one such company, which provides all these services online. You don’t need to step out on your vehicle and go to the printer to get all the works done. Printing for less.com can do all these work for you online. You can also develop your downline to work smarter. During slow periods, you can take advantage of low-cost online training if relevant. This makes your staff get motivated and do more for you.

You can use technology to make it easy for your customers. You can save their precious time and worries. If you put all your goods and services online, it is available to your customers 24X7 even if you are not there. Some of the things you can put oneline are product information, order tracking, company information, resource links, where it can use freely. Through this online display, you will maximize valuable people –power by automating routine transactions online so your team can focus on providing higher-value-add services. You can also advertise their products and link to other sites. This will help customers where to find you. If they feel that this is an easy way to do business and creating a remarkable experience for customers, you’ll be sure to get people talking and increase referrals this summer for your business.

To boost the summer sales, you can use direct mail services. Summers are the perfect time for a direct mail campaign. You can get the phone ringing with increased communication to prospects / customers. You can also use a print provider that can handle the mailings too. To get the beautiful direct mail designs, take the help of Printing for less.com

Another way is to increase the brand visibility. During the slow summers, you can use a integrated look and feel to re-inforce your company branding and increase top-of-mind-awareness. You can use full-color stationery, which is great for a professional image and branding at every touch point.

For better networking and attending trade shows, you need to use quality and eye-catching business cards and marketing materials are a must. You can re-design new cards.

Why don’t you use an e-commerce printing solution especially over the summer? It’s convenient, affordable and the turnaround will be faster.

There are some online printers who can give you the ability to order print jobs right from your computer. You just need to simply upload your print file (in any format). They will review it and approve your proof and deliver at your door step. It just as a “one stop shops” who can handle your printing and mailing needs effortlessly.

Most local printers can take weeks to handle a job from quote to finish. Online printers can usually turn your project around quickly – usually anywhere from 2-7 days. You can really save lot of time here. E-commerce printers often have lower prices than local print shops. Assume that you are ordering high quantities, you will get it at lower per-piece prices too. Internet gives you the opportunity to develop a great relationship with a printer located across the country.

While selecting your e-commerce / online printing solution, check their service. With an online printer, service is the key to a successful print project. Make sure the representative are available, friendly, and polite while talking to you. Ensure that the representatives are knowledgeable and able to answer your queries. Also, check whether they have received any service awards. Are they flexible? Can you configure a project the way you want or are there limited options?

Is their work 100% guaranteed? Check BBB. Check the fine print to make sure there are no weasel words. Ask for specifics on the guarantee?

Obviously quality matters. Request for samples of printed products before ordering. How about the quality of paper used and the printing equipment? What about testimonials? Do they have printing experience and who are their clients? All these matter when you choose online printing options.

Always, avoid looking for cheapest price. You get what you pay for – it will be usually inferior quality, substandard service and sometime you don’t get technical support too. It’s easy to find affordable printing service that can compete in quality with the big guys.

So, this summer you can do a lot now.

Andrew S. Field
President and CEO
Printing for Less.com

Andrew S. Field – A biography

Andrew S. Field is the President and CEO of Printing for less.com. Andrew Field launched PrintingForLess.com in 1996, and has since led a revolution in the commercial printing industry, tapping the power of the Internet to build one of the country’s fastest-growing companies.

Andrew’s affinity for the printing business began when he learned to run a press in high school and got a job at a local print shop in his home town of San Mateo, California. From there he worked for print shops in Minneapolis and Los Angeles, until switching careers to sales and business management when he moved to Montana in 1989.

He started a successful local automotive service business, then secured a regional distributorship for Wynn Oil Company, a worldwide manufacturer of specialty chemicals. The distributorship won Wynn Oil’s coveted award for #1 in U.S. market penetration five out of six years from 1994 to1999. After founding PFL in 1996, Andrew turned over operations of American Automotive Supply to his wife, Victoria, in 2001 so he could devote his efforts to growing his third startup company.

Andrew was named Montana’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2004 for his contributions to the local economy. He was recognized by Winning Workplaces and Fortune Small Business as a winner of the 2005 Best Bosses Award for innovative approaches that have created a high-performance workplace. Through his leadership of the company’s operations and progressive business practices, he has built a dynamic culture that both empowers and inspires his employees for success.

Andrew’s leadership and maverick tendencies first showed in college (Washington University in St. Louis) where he organized a strike to protest the unhealthy dorm food. A competitive swimmer as a youth, he now dabbles in skiing and fly fishing, and enjoys floating the Yellowstone River. Andrew’s devotion to his border collie, Jessie, was the inspiration for PFL’s dog-friendly environment. What inspires him is the fine people he works with and the opportunity his company has created for them to live their dreams in Montana.
About PrintingForLess.com

PrintingForLess.com is the first and leading online commercial printing company in the United States. Located in southwest Montana, PrintingForLess.com provides unmatched technical and customer support and instant online pricing and ordering for full-color printed pieces. Go to www.printingforless.com for affordable marketing materials including: business cards, brochures, postcards, newsletters, letterhead, and more. For additional information, please visit their website.

The services’ small business applications will especially appeal to the country’s more than 5 million small businesses, including small offices and home offices (SOHOs).

It is a great product brought by AT&T for small businesses and consumers to stay in touch when people go on a vacation, to check the elderly parents, kids, pets.  Remote Monitoring is a productivity tool.

For small businesses they can use this remote monitor to check their POS, front door, back door and other store location, etc.  Remote Monitor can do this through a web enabled PC or from your AT&T phone.

Remote Monitor is pretty useful for small business owners to monitor the POS, Cash Counter, Stores, etc.   It can capture the images or videos and records in DVR. You can archive these and view it at ease.  It also automatically send an SMS alert.

Since Remote Monitor is a wireless services, the cameras are on a wired platform. You don’t need to understand technology to install the equipment, it’s pretty simple.  People don’t have to put an extra effort for the installation.   It broadcast the video using AT&T own technology homeplug or powerline adapter that allow the powerline in the building. You don’t need an internet cable or DSL line to transmit video.  It’s cost effective and easy way to set-up the system.

You can watch these videos on your AT&T smart phone (please make sure you have the right model with you). You can get these streaming videos on your handset.  You just need  Java enabled phones such as Blackberry, Nokia, Motorola and Samsung to name a few.  Check out the compatible phone list before you use Remote Monitor.  You can directly control the system from your phone.

Regarding the pricing, it comes with two component – Starter Kit and Service Plans.  The starter starts from $299 to $999 depending on the component you choose.   The Business pack is ideal for small business owners and home users can start the standard pack.   It comes with a system controller, one fixed position IP camera for remote viewing, one door / window sensor / temperature sensor, two PLC adaptor to transmit via powerlines and necessary cables.   The service plan depends on number of location that you choose to monitor.  To know more about these plans, click here.

Since some of the people are going out for vacation in summers, they can carry these phones and do of monitoring activities such temperature control, lighting, power devices and many more things from anywhere.  This would be a handy tool and gives a piece of mind at vacation.   You can also check at AT&T site and have thermostat information for remote programming.

You need to have a good computer system with broadband internet connection and a router.  Ensure that your network router has at least two unused ports. A network hub or switch also can be used to provide more ports, if necessary.  If you don’t have a broadband, call AT&T, so that they can provide one for you.   For more details of pre-requisite, visit system requirements page.

The starter kit comes with the controller and it plug in to the router. You can fix the sensors and camera wherever you need.  With one quick registration, you are ready to use.  If you have any technical problems, always rely on AT&T customer support are willing to help you.

Steven Loop
Director of Business Development
AT&T Remote Monitor

Steven Loop – A biography

Steve Loop is an Executive Director of Business Development at AT&T.  Steve has almost 15 years at AT&T with a diverse background of Technical Sales, Sales Operations, Merger Planning and Integration, Marketing, and Product Development.  His role in Business Development is to find new products and services for mass market and small business customers and then accelerate their availability. AT&T Remote Monitor is a great example of one of those products.

About AT&T:

Wireless from AT&T, formerly Cingular Wireless, is the largest wireless company in the United States, with more than 71 million subscribers who use the nation’s largest digital voice and data network. AT&T is dedicated to providing customers with wireless technology designed to enrich their lives.

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• The End of the On-Site Security Guard? Think Remote Monitoring (prweb.com)

The Consumer Electronics Show is coming up in January, and we’ll be there again!  And… we’ll be offering a service that will get your CES-attending clients a ton more PR for months to come.  We’re going to be producing Features and Vignettes for our clients and PR firms again — starting at CES in Vegas.

Two years ago, at the request of ClearChannel Radio, we started producing one to two minute Features for them to air.  And air they have!

They’ve each aired more than one hundred times — including during the Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck shows.  Talking about great coverage!

The stations they’ve been airing on love the spots, and the companies we talk about have had tons of PR, so there’s been a lot of interest in having us start doing them again.

For the first time ever, we’re going to be recording our Features/Vignettes production from the floor of the show.  We’ll finish the production over the following weeks and will be sending the finished Features off to our affiliate stations the week after.

We’ll be charging for production, and we’ll distribute them to our ClearChannel affiliates in Boston (who have been sending them to other ClearChannel stations around the country). You can send them off to any other stations you think might be interested in some good content — netting your client some more PR

Drop us a line if you’d like to know more, and we’ll be sending out more info over the next couple of weeks to have CES-related Features produced.  It will be on a first-come, first-served basis as we can only produce and air about a dozen a month.

If you have any questions about our Features production, please contact producer+features at my website at CraigPeterson.com

Wow.  What a lifechanger — something I’ve never said before, at least when it comes to a computer accessory.  Kids are another matter entirely   Definitely a lifechanger.

This external battery fits quite nicely into my briefcase and powers my MacBook Pro 15″ for more than 13 hours!  That means I can go a whole day of using my Laptop without ever having to plug it in.  I never have to worry about going to a meeting, working at Panera or watching the kids play sports.  I always have all the power I need.

I even have it powering my iPod, my cell phone (which I use for Internet access) and my Laptop at the same time.

As I said, a lifechanger.

From their website: “HyperMac is the ONLY external battery and car charger solution that works with ALL MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro (supports dual voltage) [models]. Available in 4 different sizes (60~222Wh), the HyperMac battery also powers the iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and all other USB devices.”

HyperMac even sells a very well-designed car adapter, which lets you run your Laptop off any standard 12V power source.  That means that you don’t have to use the external battery in your car, RV, boat, on some airplanes and even via Solar Cells!  I had bought the DC adapter that Apple sells, and this HyperMac adapter is the one Apple should be selling.

- Safer than power inverters as you aren’t running the voltage up to 110VAC, which can present a real health hazard
- Almost twice as efficient as inverters, it’s 92% efficient, saving you $$ in the long-run.
- Cleaner power signal important for high fidelity performance means fewer problems with your Laptop, iPhone/iPod or other accessories
- Half the size of any inverter and power adapter combinations

This small and highly-functional adapter is a true winner.

Following the EPA 511 Guideline test protocol, Blade underwent independent testing by the nation’s premier emissions testing lab, the Automotive Testing and Development Services, Inc. (ATDS).  ATDS is approved by the EPA and licensed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) 

EPA guidelines for a fleet of five vehicles state that the fuel economy increase must average three percent to be considered a real effect. The fleet of five Bladed vehicles tested – including 4 cylinder, 6 cylinder, 8 cylinder, foreign, domestic and Hybrid vehicles – averaged a four percent increase.  This achievement is historic as it has never before been demonstrated by any aftermarket device.

TABLE 1: For each car tested, CO₂ reduction and fuel economy increases often exceeded expectations:

Vehicle Type CO₂ Emissions Reduction (up to … ) Fuel Economy Increase (up to…)

2004 Honda Civic 6% 6%

2008 Hyundai Sonata 12% 12%

2007 Ford E-250 6% 5%

2008 Pontiac G6 6% 4%

2007 Toyota Prius 6% 3%

William J. O’Brien CEO, Founder

In addition to leading Sabertec, Mr. O’Brien is a co-founder and general partner of Saber Capital. In this capacity, Mr. O’Brien oversees the selection and management of the investment firm’s portfolio companies. Mr. O’Brien served as Chairman and CEO of Octave Software, a provider of next-generation content management solutions. In addition to launching Octave’s product line, Mr. O’Brien developed its key partnerships, recruited its managers, and played an instrumental role in securing its major customers. He also led the company in a $4 million preferred round financing from Sigma Partners. Mr. O’Brien was also actively involved in the direction of Saber Capital’s Austin-based professional services firm, Neogent, Inc., which it funded in 2000 and sold to Sun Microsystems (NASDAQ: SUN) in 2006. Mr. O’Brien also holds board seats at San Jose based, Jetalon Solutions, a maker of precision, liquid chemical sensor and control systems. Since the initiation of Mr. O’Brien’s involvement, the company has increased shareholder value nearly 17x. Before co-founding Saber Capital, Mr. O’Brien spent over 12-years in the high technology industry, most recently serving as Vice President of Sales for the Americas at Vignette Corporation (NASD: VIGN). Benefiting from Mr. O’Brien’s direction, Vignette became the fastest growing enterprise software company in industry history, with annual revenues growing from $3 million to over $500 million in a three-year period.

About Sabertec

Sabertec, based in Austin, Texas, is on the vanguard of solving environmental challenges through technology, education and the inspiration of behavioral change. Sabertec products reduce fossil fuel burning engine emissions that are known contributors to global warming, as well as health consequences including cancer, strokes and respiratory diseases. Launched in 2008, Blade, www.bladeyourride.com is the company’s first consumer product available in the United States. Blade was developed utilizing Sabertec’s patent-pending impact filtration method, which is the core technology in their IDPF product. IDPF has been reducing toxic diesel particulate matter emissions on commercial bus fleets in Sao Paulo, Brazil since 2005.  www.Sabertec.org

Sabertec’s product, Blade easily attaches to the tailpipe of a car to reduce CO2 emissions and toxic particulate matter – a type of pollution that includes dust, soot, and tiny bits of solid materials suspended in the air.

President Obama has spoken about the need to increase the production of sustainable energy here in the US and reducing our dependence on foreign oil.  Although his ideals may be laudable he does not understand the infrastructure to make it happen.  Congresses legislative push to make this happen has caused numerous problems around the world included massive food shortages and riots over food.  Although it is technologically possible to retrofit automobiles to accommodate sustainable fuels such as biodiesel there are significant stumbling blocks to making it work seamlessly.  Our entire infrastructure is based on petroleum distribution.  The cars were designed to run on petroleum and the government created laws and rules that all but eliminated diesel for passenger cars in favor of gasoline.  Going from petroleum diesel to bio-diesel is not a huge jump however going from gasoline to bio-diesel creates a technological and supply rift that must be overcome before it will be viable.  Bio-diesel needs to be made from sustainable crops such as algae and stink-weed that do not affect the world food supply.

There are many who are lamenting about the economy and the end of American manufacturing — but John Fox of Innovation Fuels has taken the bear by the scruff of the neck and now produces up 950,000 barrels of biodiesel a year.  They export over 80 percent of that to Europe because our automotive diesel industry dwindled due to a lack of understanding by congress who imposed legislation that favored gasoline over diesel.

Among alternative fuels, biodiesel is growing rapidly.  Made from vegetable oils and animal fats the biodiesel is being blended with petroleum diesel fuel by Innovation Fuels into the finished product which is being sold to power diesel engines and to heat homes.  The advantage of biodiesel over full petroleum diesel is that it produces 60 percent less greenhouse gases than diesel.  Biodiesel provides a substantial reduction in exhaust emissions, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, unburned hydrocarbons and black smoke.  It is safe to say then that using biodiesel helps to protect the environment and that is good for all our health.  John Fox puts his money where his mouth is and drives a car that runs on biodiesel.  He says there is no noticeable difference when driving this vehicle because biodiesel releases the same amount of power as petroleum diesel. It also provides the same lubricating function as petroleum diesel with low sulfur. Additional benefits of using biodiesel is that it is a renewable resource that can be produced here in the United States reducing our demand on imported oil and it is safer to transport than gasoline.  This cheaper alternative can be used in any diesel engine or home heating oil burner.  There are major technological hurdles required to change our infrastructure from petroleum based vehicles to electric vehicles including the development of a clean power grid.  The research and development will depend on huge outlays of private funds and protection of the private intellectual property.  The technological development of high mileage vehicles will make the US economically competitive for decades on the international marketplace.  The US is on the threshold of a vital and transformative change and getting biodiesel and other sustainably powered vehicles into production and then on the road is the future of the American Auto Industry.

About John:

John Fox is President and Chief Executive Officer of Innovation Fuels. He has been building businesses and product offerings for the past 15 years, seven years of which have been in US energy industry. Mr. Fox started a renewable energy project development company, Homeland Energy Resources Development, Inc. in 2001, and subsequently its biodiesel division in 2005, which was merged into Innovation Fuels. He led Homeland Energy to an average 50 percent year-over-year revenue growth and managed a team that developed more than $5 million alternative fuel projects. Prior to founding Homeland Energy, Mr. Fox led the business development of a biogas technology company, the financing of an independent oil and gas company, and the product development of a Lucent Technologies company. Since 1991, Mr. Fox has served as General Partner at Renard Properties, a Mid-Atlantic real-estate development and management company. He holds a BA from Syracuse University and an MBA from Columbia Business School and is currently a member of the National Biodiesel Board, American Council on Renewable Energy, Environmental Business Association of New York State, and U.S. Green Building Council. 

About Innovation Fuels:

As a leading biodiesel manufacturer, Innovation Fuels cares about making the world a better place to live today and tomorrow. But taking care of our customers is our number one business priority. Our goal is to help you choose biodiesel as a viable, sustainable, high-performance fuel. Let us put our extensive experience in the fuel industry to work for you.

Biodiesel is the fastest growing alternative fuel. It’s clean and non-toxic so it’s good for you. It’s high-quality and easy to integrate into your operation so it’s good for your business. And it’s biodegradable and renewable so it’s good for the world. Biodiesel contains no petroleum but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel and works in any diesel engine.

Innovation Fuels…Good for You, Good for Your Business, Good for the World.