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It’s been a bad week for historic figures in the technology arena.  Most people, of course, know that Steve Jobs died.  He was able to transform the way we work and play more than any other modern figure.  RIP Steve.

Former Motorola CEO, Robert Galvin also died this week.  He was the man instrumental in the transformation of Motorola from a company who made police and business radio systems into the founder of the Cell Phone industry.  He made Motorola a household name for more than a decade.  RIP Robert.

Also dead this week is Dennis Ritchie.  This is a man who had a greater impact on all of our lives than Robert Galvin or Steve Jobs combined.  Dennis Ritchie was co-inventor of the UNIX Operating system and the inventor of the C Programming Language.  Dennis’s inventions went on to become the basis of all of Apple’s current products, Google’s Android (and all of Google’s servers), Amazon.com and just about ever other smart device you can think of — including Televisions and most automobiles.  Even Linux is written in C and is based upon UNIX.  RIP Dennis.

As I said, a sad week when you have so many deaths of so many great founders of our current technologies.

Related articles

• In Memoriam: Dennis Ritchie, Ph.D. (infosecurity.us)
• Longtime Motorola CEO Robert W. Galvin Passes Away At Age 89 (techcrunch.com)
• Death of the once-great Motorola (openitstrategies.com)
• RIP Steve Jobs: 1955 – 2011 – Photos and Memoriam (screencrave.com)

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VisiCalc was the killer app which brought Apple to the forefront early on in the computer wars.  Some have said that “Angry Birds” has been one of the reasons smart-phones and tablets have been so successful.  Now manufacturers and software vendors alike have been searching for the killer-app for the in-car navigation and assistance technologies, and the two big US automakers have taken substantially different routes in their quests.

GM was one of the first on the scene with its OnStar service.  With OnStar, car drivers and passengers alike can talk to a remote operator, have their car report maintenance issues and get life-saving help after an accident using an integrated cell phone system hooked up to the car’s computing and communications systems.  OnStar’s tight integration into GM’s cars has been an asset up until now when integration into users’ devices has become more important.  Ford’s approach offers some real long-term benefits over GM’s.

Ford Motor Company’s “Sync” system is designed to work with your Bluetooth-enabled smart (or dumb) phone.  It ties your phone’s contacts and dialing capabilities into the car’s telematics systems, and its most recent feature adds a live operator feature so you can talk with an operator to get help.  Ford doesn’t require any additional monthly payments (as you have to do with OnStar) and it gives Ford the flexibility to extend its capabilities to and from your smartphone.  That’s where the real win is.

Ford’s Sync allows third-party developers to build applications which tie directly into your car.  Music sites such as Pandora are already taking advantage of the expandability inherent in Sync to allow you to listen to your favorite artists whenever you want, where you want.  New navigation software helps to direct your car — all through your phone.

Although GM has had a hit on its hands with OnStar, expect Ford to have a long-term advantage with its Sync system.  Congratulations to Ford.

Related articles

• Ford takes on GM’s OnStar with live Sync operator (content.usatoday.com)
• Car Wars: Is Ford Better Than GM? (dailyfinance.com)
• OnStar, your location, and your privacy (digitaltrends.com)
• GM’s OnStar reverses course on tracking (money.cnn.com)

It is easily portable, just 7 inch, designed to bring how-to titles to life.   It revolutionizes traditional cookbooks, travel guides, parenting primers, and home improvement books by bringing them to life with video clips, images, and sound. It’s never been easier or more fun to master the things you’ve dreamed of doing.

miBook has various titles such as Cooking, Decorate Garden, Build and Repair, Fun and Healthy Pregnancy, new born babies, travel, etc.

miBook Parenting Titles walk new Fathers through everyday tasks, such as changing a diaper and warming a bottle, with easy to follow visual instructions.

Cooking titles guide the viewer in planning a menu and fixing a complete meal, stopping after 3 minute vignettes in order to let the viewer keep up, perfect for new cooks.   It helps to move through recipes in a step-by-step, seeing exactly how your craeation should look every step of the way.

Don’t just read it – see it!

Hundreds of projects come alive with video clips, images & sound.  Move through each project step-by-step, seeing how it should look at every turn. miBook stops automatically after each step, letting you work with expert skill & confidence. Push play to move on whenever you’re ready. With a few button taps, you’re onto a world of possibilities. Pick a project & work like a pro!

Includes 2 home titles: Home Projects – 150 everyday projects – install light fixtures, TV’s, dimmers, PC networks, thermostats & more: refinish floors & organize. Home Repairs – 150 everyday repairs – - leaky faucets, wall cracks, lamps and much more.

Available in More Titles: Cooking, Decorating, Gardening, Parenting, Travel, Repair, Fun and Healthy Pregnancy & more.

Share your digital photos: You can also use miBook as a digital photo frame. You’ll be able to show off hundreds of photos at the touch of a button. The beautiful 7” LCD display makes your photos and videos look great-no matter the format. Control the show with the included remote or let photos run automatically in a slideshow.

Enjoy your favorite MP3 tunes through the two built-in speakers or the headphone jack. With just a couple of simple clicks, you can even put your slideshows to music.

You can keep track of time with the built-in calendar and clock. It adjusts brightness, contrast and color with ease. And switch between standard 4:3 and 16:9 widescreen display modes. These are some of the cool features of miBook

You can play home videos or videos you download from the internet. To enjoy your favorite images, simply plug in your camera’s memory card (SD/MS/MCC/XD).  If you want to transfer photos music and videos from your computer, use the USB cable which is provided with miBook. AC adapter and rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack included.

Its suggested retail price is $129.99 for a package with two titles, $19.99 for each additional title.  It is available at Bed Bath & Beyond, Linens-n-Things and at more than 800 The Source locations across
Canada.

Bruce
C.E.O.,
Photoco Inc.

Bruce Teicher -  A biography

Mr. Teicher is a graduate of Amherst College, Columbia Law School, and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. After school, he worked briefly as an attorney, then founded a consumer magazine about law to help people with their everyday legal problems.

He joined CBS, where he helped fight for media access to courtrooms. He then moved to Viacom, where he structured television production deals with networks, actors, producers, and writers. After Viacom, he returned to his writing roots and worked as a television writer for numerous network TV shows.  Most recently, he’s worked as C.E.O. at Photoco, a consumer products company that specializes in consumer electronics.

About miBook:

miBook, a portable multimedia book designed for playing “how-to” titles. It’s 7 inches and launching with titles from Parents.tv (parenting titles cater to new dads and dads with toddlers), HGTV, Food Network and DIY Network. The titles take the viewer through a series of easy-to-follow steps and since the device is so small, it’s easy to tote from task to task.

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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)

According to government statistics, there are over 24 million businesses in the United States with fewer than 500 employees and they are the back bone of American economy. Most of the small business owners doesn’t have a website and don’t have the knowledge of how to market their products and services.

As more and more consumers turn to the internet to find products and services, these small business owners are faced with lot of challenges – online marketing, web presence, advertisement, yellow directories, global reaches, e-commerce, market survey, etc.

In order to meet these business challenges, John Wall’s Innuity has come up a good solution exclusively for small business owners. Innuity offers Software as a Service (SaaS) platform – which designs, acquires and integrates software applications to deliver solutions for small business.

A disparity exists, however, between consumer practice and small business response. While nearly 75% of U.S. consumers use the Internet as a source when shopping for goods and services, less than 10% of advertising dollars are spent online, and fully half of all small businesses don’t even have a website.

Innuity is a Software as a Service (SaaS) company that designs and integrates applications to deliver solutions specifically targeted to small businesses from sole proprietors working from home, to local family doctors, to neighborhood restaurants, and almost everything in between.

The company’s Internet technology is based on an affordable, on-demand model that allows small businesses to interact simply with customers, business partners and vendors and efficiently manage their business. Using Innuity’s on-demand applications, small businesses can grow their revenues, reach and serve customers and run everyday operations.

Innuity currently has two operating divisions, Promotion and Commerce, each of which is focused on a critical business process. The applications and solutions offered by the Promotion division help small businesses market and promote their products and services, while the offerings of the Commerce division can facilitate and improve a small business’ selling processes and transaction processing capabilities.

Innuity delivers its small business information system solutions through its Internet technology platform – Innuity Velocity. The Velocity platform provides small businesses the opportunity to choose applications that are right for their businesses – individually or as an integrated package – with minimum initial start-up costs and maintenance.

With Innuity’s use-based pricing, small businesses pay a monthly subscription fee for the applications or integrated packages that address three major small business life stages: Getting started, growth and profitability.

For years, many small business owners spent much of their advertising dollars on traditional media such as yellow page listings or print advertising in local newspapers. (Some small businesses even choosing outrageous names for the sole purpose of getting ahead of the competition in alphabetic listings.) In the online marketplace, small businesses often lag behind local competition and the bigger e-tailers due to lack of computer know-how and an inability to adapt their messaging and optimize potential to be seen by new customers.

There are dozens of ways for small businesses to distinguish themselves and be seen by online consumers from targeted online advertising campaigns to enhanced search engine optimization.

With Innuity’s LeadConnect, businesses can be found quickly and easily by online consumers searching for applicable local goods and services. The LeadConnect service provides a simple-to-use system to gather key business data from business owners and distribute that information to the major local search engines and yellow page directories, including Google, Yahoo, and MSN, and twenty-seven more.

Innuity’s Promotion division connects businesses with customers who are most likely to buy their particular products and services – helping generate new customers as well as grow existing customer revenue. The division currently includes two business lines: Small Business Online Marketing & Search Engine Marketing.

The Small Business Online Marketing business line provides affordable solutions that comprehensively and immediately promote small businesses online and rapidly build strong customer bases.

With Innuity’s online marketing solutions, current and new customers of small businesses can find small businesses online quickly and easily via local search results and pay-per-click ads; learn about small businesses’ product and service offerings via clear, compelling and easy-to-navigate websites; and purchase a merchant’s products and services online, with ease and efficiency. Small Business Online Marketing features the following core products:

LeadConnect™: Drives top local search rankings for Innuity’s customers in the major search engines. Develops enhanced online local business profiles, places customized business profiles in one centralized location and automatically distributes these business profiles to major search engines and yellow page directories including Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask, Citysearch, YP Guides and YellowPages.com.

Business Websites: Design, implementation and delivery of websites to effectively market small businesses online, provide successful customer interaction and help current and prospective customers learn about the business.

eCommerce Websites: Design, implementation and delivery of websites with safe and secure online stores, and creation and maintenance of compelling online storefronts — providing a quick, thorough and efficient way to sell products online.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising: Identify, analyze and select high-impact keywords; buy sponsored listings, advertising space, in places such as Google for identified keywords and keyword phrases; and rapidly deliver highly qualified leads.

The Search Engine Marketing business line delivers higher-end, interactive marketing agency capabilities for businesses seeking comprehensive online marketing solutions.
 SEM offerings help businesses design and implement in-depth search engine marketing strategies; deliver and convert highly qualified leads to customers; and develop higher natural rankings on search engines for clients’ keywords, transforming keywords and websites into long-term client assets. Search Engine Marketing features the following core products:

• Search Engine Optimization: Designed to deliver high natural search engine results (rankings) for carefully selected, high-impact keywords at a fraction of the cost for premium, paid keyword search engine placement. Continuous optimization efforts transform websites into long-term assets.
• Pay-Per-Click Advertising: Identify, analyze and select high-impact keywords; buy sponsored listings, advertising space, on search engines for identified keywords and keyword phrases; and quickly deliver highly qualified leads.

Innuity’s Commerce division provides the operational capability for processing, managing and supporting commerce transactions between small businesses, their online and offline customers, vendors and business partners.

The Merchant Services business line’s offerings deliver complete, end-to-end payment and processing solutions for merchants — bringing faster credit capabilities to Innuity’s customers.

Providing all the functionality and support needed to conduct bank card services, Merchant Services offers a thorough merchant solution  including merchant approval software, bank card acquiring and comprehensive merchant life cycle management products; convenient and easy-to-use payment acceptance and processing solutions that are fully functional with multiple payment acceptance methods; and seamless payment engine delivery. The Merchant Services business line delivers three principal offerings – Merchant Life Cycle Management, Bank Card Acquiring and Gateway.

Merchant Life Cycle Management (MLCM) products provide rapid merchant account application processing, real time credit scoring, board automation, contract origination, settlement data, risk management and profitability and residual management. MLCM products take merchant applications from the prospect stage through account set-up and boarding; then advance the merchant process to total terminal set-up, transaction processing and detailed daily reporting. The result is a streamlined, integrated and seamless user experience.

The Bank Card Acquiring (BCA) program provides the ability to accept retail credit cards — collecting payment from consumers’ credit cards or debit cards for goods and services sold. We have partnered with J.P. Morgan Chase &  Co., the nation’s largest merchant processing bank, to provide timely, secure and reliable payment processing capabilities and technology.

The Gateway offerings provide eCommerce, mail order, telephone order and virtual point-of-sale transaction processing. To know more about Gateway, click here.

You can click on these links to get more information on innuity, LeadConnect and YpGuides.

John Wall
CEO
Innuity

John Wall – A biography

John Wall is the CEO of Innuity and is an articulate proponent of American small business as well as an online industry expert.

A well-known technology entrepreneur, John Wall founded and grew his first company, Wall Data, to a $150 million, publicly held company.  During his 17-year leadership and CEO tenure, he transformed a fledging enterprise into a connectivity powerhouse and built dominant enterprise acceptance for his RUMBA product line brand.

John founded Vista.com (now renamed Innuity) in 1999 to reach out again to a vastly underserved market from a technology standpoint — small business. His vision now is to help small businesses 10x their business.
A technologist as well as company builder, John believes in the power of breakthrough technologies, strong teams, clear priorities, and dedication to exceeding customer expectations. Like other committed and long-term entrepreneurs, John is most interested in building a company that has a profound and lasting market impact.

John is a civic leader in his Seattle home town and has been chairman of the Washington Software Alliance and the Digital Blackboard Foundation, and board director for the Corporate Council for the Arts. He is currently on the visiting committee for the University of Washington’s Physics Department. John holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Northern Arizona University.

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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In late 2007, as the Democrats made final adjustments to their campaigns in preparation for the Iowa Caucus, Democrat Barack Obama was a third place candidate, behind John Edwards and Hilary Rodham Clinton.  After losing the Iowa Caucus, he was expected to fade into another also-ran.

To the surprise of pretty much everyone, that didn’t happen.  Obama went on to win Iowa.  How did he manage to beat two veteran campaigners, especially considering how much more money, influence and (apparent) support each had?  He had a secret weapon.

The gadget of choice in those days was the Blackberry smart-phone.  Obama had one.  So did thousands of his followers and, more importantly, his campaign team.  His team used mobile social media to talk to each other, to get a feel for what their supporters were concerned with and to get the message out about what their candidate stood for.  This type of campaigning was entirely new and it appealed greatly to a severely underrepresented demographic in elections: the young.  It drove people who not only normally didn’t vote, but didn’t even pay attention, to get involved.  Neither the Clinton nor the Edwards campaign had taken advantage of the new technology; neither had any of the Republican candidates.  The result was a huge surprise, probably even to the Obama team.

After winning Iowa, the Obama camp did something else unexpected.  They re-purposed their existing (and growing) network to send out an appeal for more money to fund their suddenly surging campaign.  This, again, was unexpectedly (and spectacularly) successful.  Obama had outflanked his opponents again.  Other candidates of all political stripes would try desperately to catch up, just as they would try to catch Obama up in the polls as the year wore on—all to no avail.

The 2008 federal election was the first one anywhere to be decided by Facebook and Twitter.  What does this mean for the future of politics in America, and around the world?

What’s Next?

Time rolls on and the march of technology waits for no one.  In the 2010 mid-term elections, more than half of those polled admitted to using the internet to get information as well as to get involved in the campaigns.  These numbers were impressive, especially for mid-term elections.  By this time, it wasn’t just the kids paying attention, either.  Almost as many 45 year-olds as twenty-somethings were surfing, blogging and pledging their support.

This was still only the beginning.  The trend to fully mobile internet access that started before the 2008 federal election was just picking up steam.  The explosion in both the quantity and variety of smart-phones was just the beginning.  Today there are net-books and tablet computers and things in between, like the Blackberry Playbook, that allow the full internet experience anywhere.  Equipped with 3G connectivity, either natively or through mobile internet sticks (for those with notebooks), these devices don’t rely on a Wi-Fi signal to stay connected.

For someone running an election campaign, both the increased online presence of the electorate and the increasing mobility of the internet is a Godsend.  It means that, no matter where they are, they can keep track of what the voters are thinking, what the important issues are and what questions potential supporters are asking.  Not only that, campaigners can come up with thoughtful, well-researched answers to those questions almost as they are posed, reducing a turnaround that might have taken days—and cost a lot of money.

In fact, having a largely virtual campaign means saving tremendous amounts of money on almost everything from prime time national ad campaigns on television, radio and print media to lawn signs.  This means that smaller candidates with much more limited budgets are no longer at a disadvantage compared to their well-funded competitors.  Consequently, as we’ve seen in 2008 and 2010, these smaller candidates are doing much better.

What’s the Future Look Like?

We’re already seeing the end of the hit-or-miss style of campaigning of past elections.  Targeting the right voter with the right message used to be a time consuming process that wasn’t very efficient.  The problem was getting up-to-date data on potential voters—and keeping it up-to-date.  It took months to build a database of potential voters’ views and voting trends.

Flash forward and a completely different picture emerges.  Mobile computers, like tablets and net-books, and software that integrates names and addresses with programs like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare—in real time—eliminates the need for all that work.  The guy knocking on your door to sell you on his client not only knows whether or not you’re likely to vote, but what the odds are that you’ll vote for his candidate.  (Hint:  he wouldn’t be standing outside your door if he had any serious doubts about your likely choice).  In fact, if you’ve posted it on your Facebook page, he likely already knows what your friends call you—and even your favorite color.

The survey of 515 white-collar workers by software company Harmon.ie and polling researchers uSamp depicts a workplace culture trying to balance work, manners and family demands, says William Powers, author of the 2010 book Hamlet’s BlackBerry.

Read the Full Article at USA Today.

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THE NEW COOL

The astonishing story of a team of high school seniors and their remarkable mentor, who come together—not to play a sport or exercise their athletic prowess—but rather to build a machine that will battle in the most heated, sophisticated robotics contest in the world. The FIRST competition, sponsored by genius inventor Dean Kamen, is jumpstarting American innovation for the next generation—and beyond.

You can find the book’s web site here.

“Gripping…An inspiring homage to the spirit of invention and a geniune sports epic, to boot.” –Publishers Weekly

“Fast-paced, absorbing, and suspenseful. It is heartening to know that there are still dedicated teachers like my Miss Riley who take up the challenge of science beneath the American sky.” —Homer Hickam, author of #1 NYT Bestseller Rocket Boys

“Outstanding…Neal Bascomb has penned an indelible portrait of a team on a mission that may ultimately be reckoned one of the defining books of the decade.”
—Dean Kamen, Founder of FIRST

“Gripping. The New Cool is a tale of triumph both in and outside the classroom. It gives me hope for the future of education.” —Erin Gruwell, author of #1 NYT Bestseller Freedom Writer’s Diary

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• Lee Adams the VP of Sales and Marketing at SoundMatters International, Inc. Their portable speakers have been referred to as the swiss army knife by another speaker manufacturer. These speakers were designed by the audio design legend, Dr. Godehard Guenter. To find out more about SoundMatters speaker line visit http://www.soundmatters.com
• Joseph Gillio the Director of Product Marketing Projectors at Casio America. They have changed the projection industry with their Laser and LED hybrid projectors. This means that businesses can now have an environmentally friendly and money saving projection system for all their business meetings. To find out more about Casio Projectors visit http://www.casioprojector.com
• Dr. Satwant Kaur an Intel Expert at Intel and Author of “Transitioning Embedded Systems to Intelligent Environments.” Dr. Satwant Kaur has provided strong technology leadership at some of the world’s largest technology companies. In her most recent position, Dr. Kaur was a platform strategist in the Intel Architecture Group at Intel. to find out more about Embedded Systems and her work at Intel visit http://www.intel.com/intelpress/sum_esda.htm
• Erik Zamkoff the Founder of MiMedia. MiMedia is a cloud-based personal media platform that makes consumers’ digital lives simpler, more secure and instantly available from everywhere. MiMedia also makes it easier to access, enjoy and share your digital life, as if your computer is completely mobile. To find out more about MiMedia visit http://www.mimedia.com
• Dean Hart the Executive of VP at NanoInk. NanoInk produces the NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program aims to advance the field of nanoscience and address the growing need for a skilled workforce of nanotechnologists. The NanoProfessor Program, including instruments, an expert-driven curriculum, and student/teacher support materials, is available for community colleges, technical institutes, and universities worldwide. To find out more visit http://www.nanoprofessor.net/
• John Hamann the CEO at Velcomp. Velocomp’s patented iBike technology, in combination with the power and sophistication of the iPhone, could bring mainstream cyclists the health and fitness benefits of a personal bike coach, at a mainstream price. To find out more visit http://www.ibikesports.com/
• Brendan Scully the Business Development Manager at Metaio. Metaio is a pioneer and leader in the game changing technology field of Augmented Reality. Based on the Unifeye platform we connect any object to additional, digital information. Our vision is the seamless and easy integration of the virtual into the real world. To find out more visit http://www.metaio.com
• Chuck McGee an Independent Broker with Halifax American Energy. He represents Freedom Logistics Resident Power Division. Freedom Logistics was at the forefront of deregulating the New Hampshire electricity market and has been providing wholesale electricity to large commerical, industrial, educational and government institutions since 1999. With Resident Power, Freedom is once again at the forefront – this time in the residential and small business market. To find out more visit http://www.goResidentPower.com
• Bob Fine the Director of IT at InsideNGO and Author of The Big Book of Social Media Case Studies, Stories, Perspectives: From Madagascar to Tunisia to Egypt: Social Media and Political Crisis. Learn how social media is affecting change around the world. Get immersed with the real-life drama of Mad Men characters on Twitter. See how nonprofit organizations are spreading their message and growing their organizational base. To find out more visit http://thebestofsocial.com/
• Dr. Gerry McCartney the CIO at Purdue University. Appointed Purdue’s vice president for information technology and chief information officer in July 2007. He had served as the University’s top information technology administrator in an interim capacity since July 2006. At Purdue University, we have launched several new technologies that enhance the classroom experience and boost learning in STEM. To find out more about these programs visit http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/vp/32634348#32634348 and http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/10/06/facebook and http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-12-01-Hotseat01_st_N.htm and http://www.itap.purdue.edu/studio/doubletake/

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Last night was the shot across the bow for the media.  We were invited to a huge press event called “CES Unveiled” where dozens of companies paid to exhibit their wares in a pre-show show.  Almost all of the news coverage you’re going to see this morning is from that show.  It’s another lesson in publicity — pay up.  Oh well.

The biggest news this year?  Tablet computers and better 3D television.  And, of those, Vizio is taking the majority of the steam.

Vizio, a U.S.-based company, has taken the television market by storm.  They’re now the top selling of quality, affordable LED and LCD televisions in the country.  I’ve recommended their TVs for a couple of years, and their market share has done nothing but grown.

Now, Vizio is in the process of moving into two other markets — Tablets and Smartphones.  And it starts this week.

At CES yesterday, Vizio has announced their new Google-Android based Tablets and Smartphone.  These look like they’re going to be great devices, and with their distribution channels it’s likely that they’ll have a huge shot at the current market leader’s slot.

Microsoft‘s CEO, Ballmer, is also rumored to be showing off a couple of third-party tablets running a modified version of Windows.  The Samsung device is expected to be “‘similar in size and shape to the Apple iPad, although it is not as thin,’” reported the Times, quoting its source. “‘It also includes a unique and slick keyboard that slides out from below for easy typing.’” The tablet is also expected to “run the Windows 7 operating system when in landscape mode, but will also have a layered interface that will appear when the keyboard is hidden and the device is held in a portrait mode.”

Toshiba will reportedly unveil a tablet that will run Honeycomb, the next version of Google’s Android operating system. There’s also talk that Lenovo will unveil at least one, if not two, Android tablets.

Apple iPad — watch out!  But, if the iPod’s competition is any predictor of the future, there may not be much to worry about.