800 Numbers

Multitasking Do Not Work

2012-01-28T12:32:00.000-08:00

In a recent study that was done, it was found that children who are constantly switching between internet phones, Facebook, texting, and the TV are more likely to have social problems. It was also found that heavy multitaskers experience cognitive issues, such as difficulty focusing and remembering things. These people were actually worse at juggling various activities, a skill crucial to many people's work lives, than those who spent less time multitasking. It turns out that people need face to face interactions with other people and internet phone conversation do not count. These interactions teach children the social skills that they will need in interviews and then the working world. Then again, we live in a world that is very digital and many of the tasks that we do involve the internet somehow. There does have to be a line somewhere because the human element is something that cannot be replaced. What are your thoughts on this issue? Is it the multitasking that we need to blame or something else?

More on SOPA

2012-01-16T15:52:00.000-08:00

SOPA, or as the senate calls it PIPA, is the bill that will attempt to stop piracy that costs entertainment companies, publishers, pharmaceutical firms and many industry groups billions of dollars each year. It will also shut down access to overseas websites that traffic in stolen content or counterfeit goods. Internet companies have furiously opposed the legislation and have ramped up their lobbying efforts in recent months, arguing the legislation would undermine innovation and free speech rights and compromise the functioning of the Internet. Some Internet advocates have called for a boycott of any companies that support the legislation, and several popular websites, including community-edited encyclopedia Wikipedia and the social media site Reddit, have vowed to black out their sites this Wednesday in protest. You can probably call other sites' toll free numbers to see if they are for the bill or against it. How do you feel about it?

Always Give Credit Where It Is Due

2012-01-14T13:55:00.000-08:00

It is always right to be cite information or ideas that are not your own. That is the intent of the SOPA bill but it seems to be getting so nitpicky that it might destroy the way the internet works. To protest this Act, some sites will actually shut down for a period of time to show just how things might be if this bill is ever passed. There has been a lot of talk about the bill and its consequences but no one can deny the irony when someone decides to ignore the very law, when applied to them, that they are supporting. Check this out:

Lamar Smith (R-TX), the chief sponsor of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), cares very much about holding copyright violators accountable for their actions — except, apparently, when it comes to himself.

Jamie Lee Curtis Taete over at VICE did a little digging and found an archived version of Lamar Smith’s official website. The pretty picture in the background? Apparently Smith didn’t attribute it to DJ Schulte, the photographer who took it.

Schulte told VICE: “I do not see anywhere on the screen capture that you have provided that the image was attributed to the source (me). So my conclusion would be that Lamar Smith’s organization did improperly use my image. So according to the SOPA bill, should it pass, maybe I could petition the court to take action against www.texansforlamarsmith.com.”

It doesn’t seem like a huge violation, but that’s the point; if SOPA passes, who knows how minor infractions like this will be handled. Taete is now on a SOPA hypocrite witch hunt, asking users to comb through the list of SOPA supporters to find more examples of deliciously ironic copyright violations, and send them in through email or even internet fax. Good hunting, kids."

Internet Telephony

2012-01-10T16:23:00.000-08:00

Phone services, including dial tone, transfer, hold, phone conferencing and other standard features, will keep all the employees connected via the data network. Employees can transfer calls to anyone in the company, regardless of location, and remote employees have access to all phone services through a secured Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection to the office. This will save a lot of time and money for your business. Voice and conferencing software lets your employees easily set up conference calls for meetings, share presentations, see each other through video conferencing, and message each other instantly, among other things. There is also no more telephone tag or wasted time trying to reach someone who is out of the office. "Presence" applications (which provide real-time status of who's available online) let you check the availability, location and contact information of a coworker in real time. Another great part about it is that you can access it from even your smartphone. Imagine . Unified messaging allows getting all your e-mail, voice messages, and faxes right from your e-mail inbox, giving you an easy way to stay connected with the tools you use everyday.

How VoIP Works

2012-01-06T10:56:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered how internet phones work? It is very useful as a business tool as well as communicating with people long distance, but we never looked at how it works. One of the best things about knowing how VoIP systems work is that you can better trouble shoot if you know what is going on. The practical upshot of this is that by using some of the free VoIP software that is available to make Internet phone calls, you're bypassing the phone company and its charges entirely.This will let you make even more phone calls than you imagined. VoIP providers like Vonage have already been around for a while and are growing steadily. Major carriers like AT&T are already setting up VoIP calling plans in several markets around the United States, and the FCC is looking seriously at the potential ramifications of VoIP service. The fact that a lot of these services are offered free of charge might actually put some phone service providers out of business because their service would not be needed anymore.

Holiday Returns

2011-12-26T19:45:00.000-08:00

Now that we are done with most of the holidays, it is time to spend those gift cards or the less fortunate have to stand in the return lines. All of those returns wreak havoc on retailers' bottom lines. Data from the National Retail Federation shows that, thanks to returned merchandise, stores will lose about 9.9 cents for every dollar's worth of stuff they sell -- up from about 7 cents per dollar in years past. Stores are expected to take in about $469 billion during the holiday season, which means that they'll be losing about $46.4 billion when customers want their money back. Some retailers are tightening their return policies in advance of the post-Christmas rush. Consumerworld.org points out that Target, which used to allow 90 days for customers to return certain big-ticket items, now will only accept returns for 45 days after purchase. Toys-R-Us stores won't take back electronics if the packages have been opened. Both Target and Walmart now only offer limited returns if you don't have a gift receipt. J.C. Penney, Macy's and Express require that "special-occasion" dresses be returned with the original tag still attached, in order to deter one-time wearing, and Amazon.com now has not one, but 30, different product-specific return policies. To make sure what the policies are in the stores that you want to go to, it is better to call their toll free number in order to save yourself some headaches.

Inventions

2011-12-19T15:29:00.000-08:00

Have you ever considered how the useful things that you use today got there in the first place? Phone services were not there centuries ago but you never give it a second thought as you jabber away on that smartphone of yours with internet phone capabilities that is probably capable of doing so much more. And yet most people waste time on Facebook and Youtube with on it. Once you get done perfecting your status, it might be interesting to learn that certain things that we use all the time and take for granted were actually invented by accident. Take the microwave for example, or what most people like to call a lifesaver, it was accidentally invented by an engineer, who was self-taught by the way, when he melted the chocolate bar that was in his pocket. This wonderful invention started out as a 375 kg beast that stood about two meters tall. And now we just use it to blow things up and make fireworks and maybe an occasional Hot Pocket.

Get Off Your Phone

2011-12-13T19:40:00.000-08:00

Have you ever felt the compulsion to just reach into the car that is on the road next to you and yank that cell phone that is glued to the driver's ear and toss it out the window? If not, you should probably check your ears to see if there is a phone there. Seriously, get off that phone and drive. You do not need to be using any phone services while you are controlling a 1500 kilo hunk of metal. Think about it. Either way here is an interesting article I found:

States should ban all driver use of cell phones and other portable electronic devices, except in emergencies, the National Transportation Board said Tuesday. The recommendation, unanimously agreed to by the five-member board, applies to both hands-free and hand-held phones and significantly exceeds any existing state laws restricting texting and cellphone use behind the wheel.

The board made the recommendation in connection with a deadly highway pileup in Missouri last year. The board said the initial collision in the accident near Gray Summit, Mo., was caused by the inattention of a 19 year-old-pickup driver who sent or received 11 texts in the 11 minutes immediately before the crash.

The pickup, traveling at 55 mph, collided into the back of a tractor truck that had slowed for highway construction. The pickup was rear-ended by a school bus that overrode the smaller vehicle. A second school bus rammed into the back of the first bus. The pickup driver and a 15-year-old student on one of the school buses were killed. Thirty-eight other people were injured in the Aug. 5, 2010, accident near Gray Summit, Mo. About 50 students, mostly members of a high school band from St. James, Mo., were on the buses heading to the Six Flags St. Louis amusement park.

The accident is a “big red flag for all drivers,” NTSB chairman Deborah Hersman said at a meeting to determine the cause of the accident and make safety recommendations. It’s not possible to know from cell phone records if the driver was typing, reaching for the phone or reading a text at the time of the crash, but it’s clear he was manually, cognitively and visually distracted, she said.

“Driving was not his only priority,” Hersman said. “No call, no text, no update is worth a human life.”

The board is expected to recommend new restrictions on driver use of electronic devices behind the wheel. While the NTSB doesn’t have the power to impose restrictions, it’s recommendations carry significant weight with federal regulators and congressional and state lawmakers.

Kids

2011-12-10T07:24:00.000-08:00

The other day I was at a department store and saw a mother with three children, ranging in age from two to about seven. My first thought was to run the other way. The second thought was of the article "The Mommy Tax". In short, it is how women that decide to be mothers have to pay a price, a pretty large price at that. It has been found that overall mother will lose about a million dollars in their lifetime. This is not to mention the cost of raising the child and sending them to college. And let's not forget about those gadgets that they absolutely have to have such as the newest and latest version of the smartphone which has the best voice recognition software and the best internet phone services. Mothers and anyone who has to take care of children do not get enough credit. A lot of people do not understand that having kids means that you have to be a doctor, a nurse, a full cleaning crew, a plumber, a cook, and occasionally, the fun pony to ride. This is why I think that sometime in everyone's life, people need to have a job that involves being responsible for children, aka more than two. This means being the person that those kids rely on to keep them safe and from doing any dumb things. Maybe then there will be more understanding and even some change.

Call Routing

2011-11-23T18:33:00.000-08:00

Call routing allows callers to reach you through a dedicated number no matter where you are. This means that you can be anywhere in the world and still never miss another call. No more having to communicate your schedule to clients and colleagues – simply activate our find-me/ follow-me feature and eliminate the worry of missing an important call. Set-up is easy and call routing schedules can be customized to forward calls to different phone numbers throughout the day. The call routing feature is available when you sign up for our Onebox Receptionist and Executive plans, offering an expansive suite of benefits to help your business communication needs. This phone service is also very useful when paired with internet phone video conferencing services where you do not even have to leave your office to hold meetings with colleagues who might be miles away. You will end up saving a lot on traveling costs and the meetings will also be more productive.

New Skype Features

2011-11-18T15:40:00.000-08:00

Since all these social networks are getting on board with the internet phone services, what happens when all your friends like using different providers? It gets to be a chore to be able to connect with all of them through the many different sites. So Skype set out to fix that problem by creating a new hybrid version of the service with a Facebook application. One of the aspects of the new Skype is that is can be connected to Facebook and constantly be getting information from the social networking site. You will have the option to disconnect it from the internet phone. One of the problems is that not too many people are up for constantly talking with people over the internet because typing is so much easier and faster. Which do you prefer to use? I also heard that AOL is revamping their AIM so that it can be integrated with all the other sites. Once again, the question arises if we really need to be connected like that all the time. Does it feel like some days there is a cord constantly tugging at your ankle?

Protecting Your Small Business Online

2011-10-15T16:25:00.000-07:00

Alright, so you have the money to start and run your business along with great communications including internet phones and internet fax but have you considered your online reputation and how to protect it? One of the best things that you can do for your online reputation is to plan ahead. When you are planning for your business, some of the questions that you need to ask is what are your goals and who are you trying to reach in addition to what social channels you would find them in. Something else that you need to think about is just how much time you are willing to invest in the online image. You also need to be ready for people saying negative things about your company. Use the intelligence you gather to assemble a plan, and think modestly to start. Remember, the goal is not to get on every social media channel out there. You should instead be contributing in the places online that make sense for you.

Weird Ads

2011-10-08T19:54:00.000-07:00

If you thought that the Superbowl was the only time to pay attention to ads, you are very much mistaken. The people in the marketing departments of the large companies are very much interested in taking it to the next level of advertising. I mean we have all seen the "personalized" ads while on the computer checking internet fax or emails but some of these new ideas take the whole personalization concept to a whole new level. For example, there is a company that advertises by using sound from ultrasonic devices which actually shoot out the sound that it is heard far away without increasing the volume. This technique more or less makes you wonder if you are in fact losing your mind and need to seek help from a paid friend that you can talk to. Another type of advertisement is done by the companies collecting sound information from your computer's microphone and then advertising based on that. Personally, not only is it creepy but it also seems like an invasion of privacy and certain things that are said can be misunderstood. We already deal with ads that are based on location and what is browsed on the computer.

Call Hunt Feature

2011-09-24T16:28:00.000-07:00

The Call Hunt feature with Vonage will find you so you never miss a call again. With call hunt even if your not in the office or at the main desk call hunt will ring up to 5 sequential numbers until you answer. So you never have to worry about sitting around the office for hours on end waiting for that one important call that could be the most important part of your day and business. If your busy in an important meeting or something else that you still cant pick up and answer the call will go to any phone lines voice mail you choose. Want the calls to go to your assistant to take care of all you have to do is check their number in your vonage account. Call hunting won't affect their voicemaiil when people call them directly. It's a great phone service feature to utilize when you are waiting for important calls but you know you will be busy in a video conference or on a plane and just can't answer the call at that time. This way you still get the call and it's taken care of.

Tradeoffs

2011-09-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

When we spend time perfecting our online social selves, we have to give up spending time on sometime, which usually happens to be the real social selves. So where does that leave us? Have we become "one with" the computers when we are constantly checking our internet fax and emails and social updates? There have been many studies done and it was found that many young adults consider internet access and the devices that enable that access to be as important as food and water for survival. This left me scratching my head. Alright, I realize that it is so much easier to text and just post an update on your life on social networks such as Facebook so that you do not have to go and tell everyone that cares to listen that incredibly boring story of what you did over the weekend. What I want to know is what we are losing in exchange for these so called great services. There is no such thing as something for nothing in the world, get used to that idea.

Go Ahead, Laugh at Yourself

2011-09-18T18:27:00.000-07:00

Have you ever met that incredibly serious person who will not even crack a smile and are too busy with their nose in their internet fax, email, or some other communication tool that they have to check compulsively? Odds are, you probably have. You should take example from them and strive not to be like that. There have been studies done that point to people who are able to laugh at themselves and do not take everything too seriously are much more happy and satisfied with their selves and life. They also have a tendency to experience less pain and are more resilient which is an important characteristic to have especially in today's economy. They are able to experience less pain because when they laugh, hormones like endorphins are released that act on the same receptors are opioids and heroin. It was also found that people who are not as serious actually live a but longer than those that are serious.

Google Energy Use

2011-09-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

If you think that having internet fax is a great leap forward for being green, think again because Google is taking it to the next level:

"Data centers in general are responsible for 1.3 percent of the world's electricity consumption, according to one estimate, and Google says it accounts for a mere one-hundredth of that statistic. Do the math. The company claims that its data centers are twice as energy-efficient as most others. Google says it spends about 0.0003 kWh of energy on an average search query, translating to roughly 0.2g of carbon dioxide. Related fact: searching the web 100 times is equivalent to drinking 1.5 tablespoons of orange juice, Google says. That stat includes manufacturing, packaging and delivery of the DVD, Google says. One minute of streaming YouTube video consumes 0.0002 kWh of energy, which is about the same amount of energy your body uses in eight seconds. Google's just getting silly with this statistic. With the 2.2 kWh that each Gmail user demands per year, Google says you could chug a 750 mL bottle of wine, stuff a letter into it and toss it into the ocean (trip to remote island not included). Google doesn't get all of its energy from wind farms and solar panels. But to make up for the 1.46 million metric tons of carbon dioxide that Google emits every year—mostly from purchased energy to power its data centers—the company buys and generates its own renewable energy or purchases carbon offsets (essentially, funding green efforts elsewhere). The company invests in enough renewable energy to power more than 350,000 homes."

It is not easy being green but Google has the best grip on it.

Empty Shells

2011-09-02T19:02:00.000-07:00

This feels like a growing trend in the academic world. Anyone can memorize facts and numbers, but it does not mean that that person really understands what they are talking about and what they think about it. This comes out mostly in the medical field where med school students try to become doctors for the money and mention in journals. Obviously, if they get to a point where they are being mentioned in journals, they deserve the money that they earn, the three BMWs, the massive house with the pool in the backyard with a driveway that has a speed limit of 25. The question here becomes what are they going to do after all that? I mean, is the next step in their life is to go play golf on expensive courses and clubs? Some people actually do start out in med school with a desire to help people and be a source of information, and even connect with others in other countries over internet phone video conferencing, but it seems like they lose that vision. If you have the passion to make a difference in a life, please do not lose it and become one of the empty shells that populate the hospitals halls.

What an 800 Number Can Offer Your Company

2011-08-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

An 800 toll free number through Ringcentral can offer your business ways to bring in more sales and is always available because its supported by Ringcentrals virtual phone system. First and foremost an 800 number gives your business a professional feel and look to it. It is a way for people to reach your business from anywhere in the world. You can even up the pot a little by using a toll free vanity number for your customers. just choose a catchy phrase that represents your business and add it into the 800 number. This is a way that gets your business number out there and also remembered more because it represents your business. By offering a toll free number perspective clients are more likely to call your company first and feel more comfortable to ask questions and find out more about your products before choosing which one suits their needs the best. So by offering them a 800 number their more likely to call and find out the information they need before purchasing it. This brings trust and customer service into play which most people really are looking for.

Who Uses The Social Networks

2011-08-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

There have been a lot of research concerning the internet and internet phone communication services. Since so many different people and companies depend on it, we have to know exactly how it affects lives. First of all, several studies have shown that about half of Americans are on some sort of social network. One of the more interesting parts of the survey was that there was no significant difference in the use of the networks when it comes to race, ethnicity, income, education level, or where the people live. More elderly people are also using the social networking sites but they do not use all the available features and tools. What are your thoughts about the social networks? I have come across many articles for and against it but no one can really say anything definitively. The sites have improved tremendously over the past couple months in the way of security though.

Missouri Facebook Law Did Not Go Over Well

2011-08-22T18:18:00.000-07:00

Do you remember when the lawmakers in Missouri decided to make it illegal for teachers to be able to friend their students? Well ever since that law went into effect, some of the teachers are suing the state to repeal that law. One of the reasons that it just does not work is that Facebook now has internet phone services and the teachers can use that to help tutor kids. Another reason is that many of the teachers have kids that use Facebook and the law does not specify the teachers being friends with students, it is all the kids in the schools. The law can be seen as going against the teachers' First Amendment right of free speech and association. The lawsuit also pointed out that the teachers "have used and are using non-work-related social networking sites as an important avenue for contact with students, both during emergencies and for everyday educational issues, such as when a student has difficulty with a classroom assignment or identifying bullying,” Where do you stand on the issue?

More Control Over Your TV

2011-08-17T19:23:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wanted to have even more control over your television? While phone services are already there and many let you block phone numbers that you program in or the 800 numbers, TV is not quite there yet but is well on its way. Here is an article I found about it:

Sick of overexposed issues, shows, and personalities on TV? So much so that you wish shouting "Enough already!" could remove them from your TV-viewing experience entirely? Matt Richardson feels the same way. So he took the open-source platform called Arduino, and tweaked it to automatically mute the television when pre-programmed keywords or phrases are mentioned. He very aptly named the homebrew device, Enough Already.

Once the device is plugged into your set-top box, it reads the transcript of whatever it is you're watching. When it comes across one of your taboo words or phrases, it sends a signal via infrared to your remote control, which in turn mutes the television. Each muting cycle lasts 30 seconds, and if a keyword is mentioned again within that timeframe, the timer is reset for another 30-second cycle. Once the last muting cycle is over, your remote control receives an unmute command signal from the device.

Richardson asked his readers in Make what they would censor if they had a similar device. He took interest in a response left by a commenter who proposed the mechanical generation of trigger phrases from online sources such as Twitter's trending topics. Richardson says he could incorporate that feature on version two. For now, he's just very happy he doesn't have to listen to anything related to Snooki or Kim Kardashian and her wedding plans.

One of the bad things about this service is that it will perpetuate biases and will not expose people to different opinions and points of view, no matter how irritating. The thing that some people do not understand about hearing and understanding that other side of the argument is that they can use it to argument for their side, taking apart the other side piece by piece. Would you use this service?

Lonliness is Contagious

2011-08-14T17:40:00.000-07:00

This sounds slightly like an oxymoron but bare with me. If you are lonely and are around other people or even talk to them over phone services, you can possibly be making others lonely. But wait, you say, how can that be? If you are around or talking to other people, how can you possibly be lonely? First of all, if you are asking this question, get up and off your computer and get out in the real world. People can go through all the motions but never really be a part of what they do. We are social creatures and need to be able to connect with other people, no matter what that connection is. Studies have been done that showed that people are lonely can make those around them feel the same way:

"Loneliness is defined as perceived social isolation, and it's not based on the number of people around you, Cacioppo said. Evolutionarily, it was important for early humans to know how many peers they could count on, work with and survive with, as well as who would betray them, he said.
"That's why the quality, not the quantity, of relationships is what's related to whether someone feels isolated or feels satisfied with their relationships," he said."

Internet Access

2011-08-08T14:56:00.000-07:00

I have been hearing that internet access should be considered a human right along with phone services. It is becoming more cost efficient to be able to have internet. Comcast is offering internet access for $10 and it features download speeds of up to 1.5 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 384 Kbps. The program, called Internet Essentials, will "provide low-cost access to the Internet and affordable computers as well as digital literacy training to families with children who are eligible to receive free lunches under the National School Lunch Program," according to the company's blog. It is very important to be able to navigate technology and the internet in today's world. You do not want to be left behind. It is available for families that:

-- Are located where Comcast offers Internet service (currently in 39 states)
-- Have at least one child receiving free school lunches through the National School Lunch Program
-- Have not subscribed to Comcast Internet service within the last 90 days
-- Do not have an overdue Comcast bill or unreturned equipment Upon enrollment, new customers have the opportunity to buy a "netbook-style laptop computer" for $149.99 (plus tax).

Apps for Missing Kids

2011-08-07T12:12:00.000-07:00

These days, there is more than just 800 numbers if there is a need to report missing children. The FBI rolled out with an app that lets parents put in information about their kids in case the need arises that they become missing. This will save the FBI a lot of time that it takes for the agents to get all the information such as a photo and physical descriptions. Here is part of the article about it:

"The app also has buttons for calling 911 or the national missing children hotline, as well as for transmitting the data about a lost child over the Internet. For anyone skittish about creating dossiers of their family within software conceived by the feds, the FBI lists an "important note" stating: "the FBI (and iTunes for that matter) is not collecting or storing any photos or information that you enter in the app." The data is kept in the device's memory and only transmitted when using the app for sending a report, the FBI says. Child ID debuted Friday as a free download for Apple iPhone and iPod Touch owners. The FBI plans to release versions of the program for other phones later, the government agency said in a statement."

Do you think that this could be a good idea or a waste of time?

Business Numbers

2011-07-29T14:18:00.000-07:00

If you have a business or are thinking of starting one, it would be a good idea to consider a professional phone service. One of the advantages of having a virtual office is that you can choose the different types of phone numbers such as 800 numbers, local numbers, and toll free numbers. Even though your business might be located in one place, you can have a local number that is for another place that is hundreds of miles away. This features lets you have a presence in a community and by extension, will improve that professional image. Another perk of these phone services is that your long distance costs will decrease. A phone service will increase efficiency and productivity. Which phone service do you choose to go with? What makes it better than the rest?

End of The World

2011-07-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

There have been many theories about the end of the world especially with the Mayan prediction failing. Some people speculated that we shall end in a cyberwar where people will either use or destroy information in sensitive internet fax documents and then the whole economy will come crashing down along with different systems being hacked. Well there are more likely scenarios because after analysts broke down the cyber war theory, it had too many flaws to work. So here is the run down on the top way life as we know it will end:

1. The recreation of The Big Bang. Since we could not be when the first one happened 'cause we were otherwise preoccupied, the next thing to do is create our own and then study it. To simplify it, it is basically making atom collide at massive speeds and seeing what happens. Enter the Large Hadron Collider. This is the perfect machine for such experiments but some people have actually been petitioning for the experiments to stop in fear that the big bang might be a little too big.

Reasons To Hide The Gamer in You

2011-07-21T06:34:00.000-07:00

Admit it, you love chatting with all your closest 300 friends using the new internet phone services of Facebook right after you logged in about 10 hours playing World of Warcraft earlier that day. First of all, let it be known that the average age of the gamer is 37. Second of all, if you are one of those people, it is alright. Unfortunately, not everyone likes to think so. People still have this view that gamers are very antisocial creepers. To some extent, this stereotype had to come from somewhere. Most games do not have much of a story line except the one that includes the main character battling hordes of aliens and eventually killing them. It seems as though the subject matter here is not helping the image of the gamers. Over the years, the image of the gamer has not improved all that much. What are your thoughts on video games and gamers in general, seeing as how on average, they are probably older than you?

Virtual Therapy

2011-07-09T15:52:00.000-07:00

Seeing a therapist without leaving the home over internet phone video conferencing could soon be a reality. Here is an interesting article I found while surfing the web:

"Therapy delivered over the Internet, says Lynn Bufka, a psychologist and staff member of the American Psychological Association, “may open access to those who might be reluctant to go to an office or to those who might be physically or psychologically unable to.”

Proponents of Internet-based therapy point to some research suggesting that it is effective for certain kinds of conditions, like depression and anxiety. Reporting in The Lancet in 2009, a team of researchers found that cognitive-behavioral therapy delivered remotely to depressed patients in Britain continued to show benefits eight months later. But companies promoting online therapy must contend with uneven or absent support from insurance companies, Medicare and Medicaid. Most states don’t require insurers to pay for “telehealth” services (those not delivered in person). And any reimbursements can be less substantial than for in-person treatment. Medicare offers reimbursement only if providers are very scarce, as in rural areas. One company that is trying to match patients to therapists online is Cope Today, based in Raleigh, N.C. Tania S. Malik, its chief executive, said the company, which began in 2010, worked with the North Carolina National Guard for a pilot test of its service. It has since opened its service to individuals, whom it attracts primarily with search ads that are keyed to phrases like “online counseling” or “treating anxiety.” Cope Today lets prospective clients view a list of therapists and their availability for consultation via video, phone or online chat. It provides the first 10 minutes of a session free, then charges $35 for 15-minute increments."

Google's Social Network

2011-06-29T17:56:00.000-07:00

Facebook has some serious competition, namely Google+. One of the features that the other social networks do not have is the internet phone video conferencing. The best part is that you can actually talk and see more than just one person for free of charge. The network also lets you update people based on groups so the whole world is not in the know of what you are up to. Here is an excerpt from an article:

"The debut of Google+ will test whether Google can overcome its past stumbles in this area and deal with one of the most pressing challenges facing the company. At stake is Google’s status as the most popular entry point to the Web. When people post on Facebook, which is mostly off-limits to search engines, Google loses valuable information that could benefit its Web search, advertising and other products."

Medical Implants Hacked

2011-06-17T15:41:00.000-07:00

Just like other wireless devices, medical devices can also be hacked and even be remotely controlled through either the internet or an internet phone service which could have deadly consequences. Most of these implants operate via wireless connections. This enables a patient’s doctor or caregiver to closely monitor vital statistics of a patient and administer and modify treatments as needed. Although no such attacks have occurred thus far, the potential is there. The system to protect people who have these wireless devices will be out on the market soon. The system employs a second transmitter to handle encryption and authentication of wireless communications so that unauthorized messages never reach the medical implant itself. This shield would be controlled by a patient’s doctor, which is how implants are controlled anyway. Only those people who have the shield’s key can access the implanted defibrillator, pacemaker or other medical implants. Unauthorized messages would never get beyond the shield because they wouldn’t carry the secret key.

Sending Professional Emails

2011-06-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

When it comes to sending emails or internet fax to other coworkers, make sure to keep things professional, always. Even though some email services have an "unsend" button, it is still important to double check that document. First of all, write that email or internet fax before writing in the space to who it is going to be sent. Secondly, make sure that you hit the reply button and not the reply all. Another great reason to double check everything is because your employers usually have access to your work email and other documents along with the site visited on the work computer. If it so happens that you end up sending the wrong email to someone because you neglected to double check the accuracy of the auto-fill feature, correct it immediately. The worst thing that can be done is putting it off. If it is in the office, call the person instead of sending a correction email. And last of all, pay attention!

Who is Watching Your Moves Online?

2011-06-05T04:57:00.000-07:00

In a recent survey, it was found that people who spend a lot of time online worry more about big businesses seeing what they are doing online than the government seeing their actions online. One of the reasons for this is that many of the people that were surveyed spend time online either sending emails or internet fax for work. It was also found that email is still nearly universal. Even the texting generation uses this somewhat antiquated method of communication: 98 percent of Internet users under 17 said they email, compared with 95 percent of those aged 18 to 24. The lowest level of email usage, 94 percent, was among 45 to 54-year-olds. What is your preferred method of communication? Do you still use you cell phone as an actual phone, even among the scare that the WHO put out?

Benefits of 800 Numbers

2011-05-29T15:19:00.000-07:00

What many people do not realize is that 800 numbers are used not just in business but also in places such as doctor's offices. Many offices operate with a paper system but having a hosted internet phone service and internet fax would make things run more efficiently and faster. These communication systems would be great for doctor's offices because of all the records that need to be kept. When medical records need to be faxed over, it needs to be done quickly and securely so internet faxing is the best choice. Another great thing about the internet phone systems is that they are great for making appointments and keeping records of that. People can even call using the toll free number which would be of no cost to them. It also makes it easier to prioritize the calls that are coming in so that less people are put on hold. During closed hours, the office can set up an automated answering service that will let people know when it opens again and gives them any addition information. It is just an all around great office tool.

Netflix Gaining Ground

2011-05-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

According to some surveys, the majority of what is done online is video streaming and right after that are online gaming and communication through internet phone services. This video service is very cost efficient and convenient. Some of the great aspects of it is that it can be watched either on TV or on a computer through the internet. Everything that the user watches is based completely on what they want to see and there are no commercials. YouTube is also starting to let users subscribe to streaming videos and the advantage to this site is that it functions more like a social networking site where people are also able to comment on videos and connect with different people. TV will still continue to stick around but it might change the way it does things and the types of packages they offer for a certain cost. Which do you guys think is better to use?

Facebook Kicking Off Underage Kids

2011-03-27T12:43:00.000-07:00

According to a study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, nearly half of all 12-year-olds in the U.S. are using social network sites, despite not meeting the minimum age requirements for sites like Facebook. And such popularity only balloons once the teens grow older: roughly 64% of 13-year-olds are social networking; between the ages of 14 to 17, that figure jumps to 82%, says Pew.
But that doesn't mean Facebook isn't trying to stop kids from becoming addicted to the network at such a young age (though indoctrination does have its benefits!).According to a report by the Daily Telegraph, Facebook is kicking out roughly 20,000 underage users per day. Obviously the system is not perfect. no matter how intense the privacy settings are, people can still gain access into other people's accounts if they know how to hack into them. This is why certain things such as internet fax and internet phone services should be kept on private networks if it concerns businesses.

Mood Identifying Software

2011-03-19T15:49:00.000-07:00

If you have ever had any doubts as to what kind of emotion you are experiencing, there is an app for that. The software, which was developed by researchers at Binghamton University in New York, uses images taken from several cameras to build a three-dimensional image of the user’s face. Features of this image are then fed into a mathematical model, which spits out one of six human emotions — anger, disgust, fear, joy, sadness and surprise.

Potential applications for this software include using a person's facial expressions to trigger a computer action, or monitoring a person’s emotions to identify his or her satisfaction with a product, said computer scientist and lead researcher Lijun Yin. Another application of the software might be as a lie detector test. The software could also help build avatars to teach autistic children how to read human emotions, Yin added. So far, the researchers have created a database of 2,500 facial expressions from 100 subjects. While this is a big step toward computers understanding a user's emotions, there's still a ways to go, the researchers say. This could even be incorperated in internet phone virtual conferencing as a tool to better understand the person to whom you are talking to.

One of the biggest drawbacks to this software is that it does not represent all the possible emotions. Also I am not sure if I am comfortable with the idea of computers "empathizing" with people. What are your thoughts on the subject? AI is not far away but the question remains if we are ready for it?

A New Phone Service Through Facebook

2011-03-05T18:47:00.000-08:00

Now Facebook has an internet phone service that it offers free of charge just like Skype. One of the good things about this service is that it is integrated with the social network so that it is user friendly and fits in perfectly with everything that is already done on Facebook. SocialEyes, which made its public debut Monday, was founded by Rob Glaser and Rob Williams, who know a thing or two about digital video from their days as executives at RealNetworks. Mr. Glaser started RealNetworks in 1995 and stepped down as its chief executive last year after a sometimes stormy tenure. He remains chairman. People log in to SocialEyes using Facebook Connect. They see their Facebook friends and can begin chats with several of them at once, individually or in a group. If someone isn’t online, users can leave a video message. Users can leave the windows open so the friends can see and hear one another even when they’re not chatting. They can mute or pause certain conversations if they don’t want their friend to see or hear them, but it can be a little creepy, especially if someone forgets that a chat is still going on.Which internet phone provider do you think is better?

New Domain of War

2011-02-26T21:31:00.000-08:00

Many governments have declared the internet the fifth domain of war. This can include all communication devices such as internet fax, networks, and so on. There are special departments created solely for the purpose of protecting very valuable data and documents from the wrong people. These days we have to worry about not only the physical safety of people but also the vulnerability of the contents that is on computers. It is hard to imagine the new concerns because we are far away from it but just try to see what people can do with malware the sensitive data if there are viruses that can destroy your computer. We are talking about professionals here who make it their life goal to get information or destroy networks. There is still much to be done with the security of the contents but the government officials are working hard to make sure that nothing is compromised.

Hacking Facebook

2011-02-21T03:19:00.000-08:00

As a parent, you might wonder what it is exactly that your kids are doing online. There are a couple of ways to approach this. First you might want to try asking them but more times than not, they will not tell the whole truth about what they do on the social media websites or who they talk to on the internet phones. Next, you can always hack their Facebook account which basically is the story of their life and how they perceive it. Some people might say that that is an invasion of privacy but I think when it comes to safety, there are certain things that can be look over. James Batelli, the police chief of Mahwah, N.J., and his detectives conduct seminars during which they teach parents how to outfit a computer with keystroke logging software, which inconspicuously captures and stores every action performed on that machine. Batelli explained that kids put themselves in potentially dangerous situations online every day, especially on Facebook, where they run the risk of coming into contact with child predators who troll the social networking site.

Hacking Printers

2011-01-29T11:29:00.000-08:00

As far as cyber-security goes, this is one of the more interesting stories. First the scams and hacking was over phone services, then through the email, and now there are even ways to hack printers because since they are wireless, they rely on waves to transmit signal that have the possibility to be intercepted. Many printers can be also be hooked up to the internet which makes them a potential target for viruses and other software that can gather information on what exactly is being printed. There was a meeting in Washington where officials came up with way to stop and prevent this type of hacking because it can affect large companies which have very sensitive information. This is definitely one disadvantage of having the computers be connected to the internet and very large networks. What do you think? Has your company every experienced any types of these threats?

Your Cloud

2011-01-29T11:16:00.000-08:00

Since everything is getting on the cloud, including your phone service and it might as well be your whole entire computer and hard drive. With SugarSync, you can backup your whole hard drive and any changes that you make will automatically go to the cloud. This is better than backing up all the data on the computer itself because it runs the risk of crashing and it takes up too much room on the computer that could be used to improve the speed and efficiency of it. It would also be a great tool for business professionals and other people that have to store a lot of digital information such as photographers. Another great feature of this cloud is that it can be accessed from anywhere there is internet, which is like having your computer anywhere you go.

More Cyber Threats

2011-01-12T13:35:00.000-08:00

Here are some more cyber threats to watch out for. Gone are the days when the scams happened over the phone and using 800 numbers. This is the technology age so the scams are a completely different breed. This is one of the the reasons that the tech experts have to be one step ahead of the hackers so as to protect the public from these attacks. It is a different world when you are more afraid for you computer and the information on it than physical safety.

PAYPAL PHISHING: A similar scam is afoot, with e-mails telling recipients their PayPal accounts have been “limited” – and, of course, the only solution offered is to enter all sorts of personal data into an unauthorized Web page.
KIM JONG PWN: On the lighter side, hackers took over North Korea’s Twitter and YouTube pages over the weekend. A video posted on Saturday, the birthday of Kim Jong-un (the designated successor to current strongman Kim Jong-il), showed a cartoon of the heir apparent driving a snazzy sports car into a crowd of his starving subjects.
DRIVE MY CAR: Strike a blow against convenience. Researchers found it easy to tamper with the key fobs that unlock and start late-model cars wirelessly. All they had to do was “bridge” the gap between the key fob and the car. Bad Guy No. 1 could follow you into a store, stand several feet away, press a button and transmit your key fob’s signal to Bad Guy No. 2, who’d be standing next to your car in the parking lot. Click, va-vroom, and your ride’s gone.

Several Digital Mistakes to Avoid

2011-01-09T20:07:00.000-08:00

Did you ever send an internet fax to someone that you did not mean to? Or done something else careless along those lines? For those of use who would love to embrace the un-send button here are a couple things to be prepared not to do:

1. ... send an unspeakably rude e-mail to one of your employees or co-workers.

"?!" alone does not an e-mail make. Forgetting your "pleases" and "thank yous"? Just as bad. Carpal tunnel syndrome be damned, make this the year you actually tap out respectful missives to those in your midst.

2. ... chase a messy breakup with sad-clown Facebook statuses and hours of sob-wracked ex stalking.

Quit squeezing lemon juice on your wounds. Apps like Avoidr and the Ex Blocker (which, yes, we inspired by sighing loudly and whining, "Why can't someone make my loser exes disappear?") make moving on ... well, not as easy as it was in pre-digital times, but fairly comparable.

3. ... waste everyone's time with inane tweets.

Yes, Twitter can be a repository for banal thoughts and stomach-churning overshares. It can also be a useful tool for sharing links, connecting with online and real-life friends, and adding to the general conversation.

(Hey, don't laugh -- remember how the Library of Congress deemed this all archive-worthy? Five hundred years from now, they'll be like, "Whoa, those 2010-era plebeians were really into laser cats. That must mean something.")

Aim to give each tweet a bit of value: a tip, a crowdsource attempt, even a little zing to get your followers to :).

4. ... leave offensive, sexist, childish or straight-up stupid comments.

5. ... drunk-text.

Or drunk-tweet. Or drunk-e-mail. Or drunk-update-le-Facebook-status.

It's 2011, folks -- of course the coders who hand you such digital Tommy guns have figured out how to add safety latches. Apps like Mail Goggles and the social media sobriety test mitigate the damage.

6. ... peck away at your smartphone during dinner.

Or brunch, or really any moment involving real-life interaction -- because it's incredibly impolite and likely detrimental to your ability to enjoy a tender interaction or a crisp walk through the park.

Look, if there's one addiction worth breaking this year, it's your clinically significant dependence on regular CrackBerry checks. Because let's face it, the whiskey binges and late-night Cheetos you swore off on 1/1/11 aren't going anywhere.

Skype Illegal In China

2010-12-31T17:27:00.000-08:00

It seems like China has taken it a step further in keeping the barrier between the country and the rest of the world against information. Now, the internet phone company Skype is one of the illegal phone services in China. The government officials say that it is to protect the internal phone companies and they are investigating any cases of illegal uses of other phone companies. Skype is still available but soon it will be banned completely. It is important for the phone company to have access because 1/6th of the world lives in China. For some businesses is is crucial that they have available communication with all the clients. It is also important for people to have it to communicate with friends and family. Maybe they are making a mistake.

Watch Your Mail In January

2010-12-22T18:24:00.000-08:00

January is one of the most dangerous times for getting mail. Along with the bills that arrive that remind you just how much you decided to enjoy yourself over the holiday season, there are many tax forms that arrive which contain very sensitive information. So it is very easy for someone to open your mailbox and take the mail which presents a threat of identity theft. Some might ask what we can do short of standing by the mailbox and meeting the post deliverer at the same time each year. One of the solutions is to get a PO box but that can prove to be more hassle than it is worth. Another way to protect those documents is to have them sent out through internet fax which is safe and on a secure server. For those of you who just want to take some simple steps, make a list of the documents that should be coming in the mail and then by February just check if they all have arrived.

Answering Rules

2010-12-06T18:55:00.000-08:00

Portraying a good image to the consumers is a very important aspect of running a business. It plays a role in the final decision of the customer in whether to get the product or service or not. One of the best phone services that you can have is an internet phone. With this phone system, you will never miss any calls and if you are out of the office, the call could with be forwarded or answered with the automatic answering service with answering rules. You can set up the rules to fit your business. With all the choice of different messages and music, you cannot go wrong. I found the automated answering service to be most useful during closed hours, If people call, they can hear the hours and days that the business is open and other information like any big sales or promotions that are currently going on. The phone service will give you a very positive image in the community.

Add-Ons That Are a Life-Saver

2010-12-04T16:30:00.000-08:00

Some phone services or internet phone features can be a waste of time. Google has come out with feature that will save time and even a headache. It seems like Google is always the first to try to make people's lives easier and more productive.

Add an image

Like Yahoo Mail and Windows Live Mail, the text editor in Gmail does not provide a way to insert images into the body of the message, a feature that Microsoft Outlook and AOL Mail allow. When enabled, you can upload and insert image files from your computer or insert images by URLs.

Time zone converter

Even if you’ve mastered converting time zones to GMT, throw in CET and daylight savings time and you’re apt to get it wrong, which could cause a communication snafu with friends and associates around the world. Turn the Google time converter on and you’ll see the current time for the sender, which is updated each time a message is opened. In a message, click on “Show details” next to the date in the upper right hand corner of the message box to reveal the times, which will appear with all of the extra information available under the sender’s name.

The right Bob

Oops! Sent to the wrong Bob, a common mistake that can also be embarrassing when your boss and your buddy go by the same first name. Enable this add-on and Gmail will automatically prompt you when sending an email to someone with the same name as one or more in your contact list.

Late night blooper protector

Google Goggles offers protection against sending an email that wouldn’t pass the light-of-day test. You’ll have to correctly answer three math questions before composing a new message. In “Settings”, choose the days and time periods when you're most likely to need Gmail to step in and double check that you want to send that email.

Some Interesting Gadgets

2010-11-26T16:43:00.000-08:00

Technology is constantly changing right before our eyes. Everything seems to be on the internet these days. The phones services have switched over to internet phones and even internet fax came about. Also, if you do not know where to find your kids, check the internet and their update to see what they are doing. Some gadgets are less useful than others but much more creative:

1. The Anywhere Fireplace by Chelsea Stainless Steel looks more like a picture frame than a fireplace, but it can go on any wall in the house. The ventless device – which runs about $349.99 – requires no chimney or gas line. Instead, it uses clean burning bio fuel that is smokeless, odorless and leaves no soot or ash. One liter of fuel can last up to 5 hours.

2. Harry Potter fans can play wizard by controlling their TVs with just a wave of a wand. This device can learn up to 13 commands from existing remote controls by matching the commands with certain motions. By flicking the wand in various directions, you can flip through the channels, control the volume or even use DVR.

3. The Wunda Weeder takes gardening to a whole new level. The innovative machine allows gardeners to plant, thin, and harvest while lying down, without straining their back or neck. Its electric motor and drive system is run by on-board batteries which are recharged by the large solar panel (providing shelter to the operator), while the operator can tend to the ground below. Pricing out at around $8,000, the device is expected to go on sale later this year.

Computers Getting Smaller and Smaller

2010-11-13T11:46:00.000-08:00

As phone services continue to grow computers continue to get smaller. Back in the day, when the first computer came out, it took up a whole room. Now the there is a computer that is the size of a Coke can. One of the advantages of the small computers is that is saves energy, which is a hip commodity these days. Since it’s so small, the computer architecture divides the classic motherboard into three separate boards: one that houses the processors and RAM, and two additional I/O boards to handle all connectivity and input/output requirements. And the old board can be swapped with a new one as technology advances over time. Linux is the pre-installed operating system, but other options are available, too. General availability is slated for early 2011.

Communication With Autism

2010-10-30T16:15:00.000-07:00

Achieving communication with people with autism is not as easy as using a phone service. There are people constantly working on devices that enable people to talk with others with autism. When someone suffers from autism, a psychological wall blocks them from both verbally and physically communicating their emotions. Although they may appear withdrawn on the outside, inside, they may feel overcome with anxiety. By measuring the electrical conductivity of skin, Rosalind Picard’s Q Sensor breaks through that wall, giving autism sufferers and those who work with them the ability to interact in a clearer, healthier manner. "There seems to be this mismatch between when they look quiet on the outside, yet their heart might be racing. And it’s just that moment, when they’re shutting down to protect themselves, when a good-intentioned teacher might come up and say, 'Hey, I know you can do it,' and that’s when a kid could start melting down and lashing out," said Picard, co-director of the MIT Autism Communication Technology Initiative. "The conductance response lets us see what’s on the inside."

New Internet Security Idea

2010-10-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

The government in Australia is testing out an internet security feature that will enable servers to detect whether a computer has a virus or if it has been hacked. One of the precautions that the program is taking is limiting internet access and restricting so outgoing email or internet fax. When dealing with security vs privacy issues, there is a fine line we walk. When we opt for more security we have to give up some of our privacy. One of the other things that we have to consider is if there is no security, there is not that much privacy because the wrong information can end up in the wrong hand. While on the other hand, if there is security provided by a system, privacy is given up to possible the more "right" people. So, in the end, the choice is ours and we choose where we want to stick our privacy.

Toasted Skin Syndrome

2010-10-10T12:53:00.000-07:00

Before you decide to spend hours on the computer that is sitting on your lap answering internet fax or just browsing the internet reading blogs or answering those 800 numbers, consider the following.

Placing a laptop computer on your lap may actually cause a dangerous skin condition called Toasted Skin Syndrome, according to medical experts.
In an Oct. 4 article in the journal Pediatrics, Swiss researchers explain that Toasted Skin Syndrome (TSS) -- a skin condition caused by long term heat exposure -- has been observed recently on a 12-year-old as a result of playing computer games a few hours every day for several months.
Another case involved a Virginia law student who developed a mottled discoloration on her leg in 2007 after spending six hours a day working with her laptop on her lap.
Characterized by red and brown mottled spots and rashes, TSS has traditionally been found on people who work near extreme heat sources such as wood ovens, coal stoves, or open fires, or on people who abuse heated pads or blankets.
The researchers, Dr Andreas Arnold and Peter Itin from University Hospital Basel, explain that TSS is usually harmless, but can cause permanent skin discoloration, and in very rare instances it can lead to skin cancer. The doctors suggest placing a carrying case or heat shield between the lap and the computer.
Have any of you ever heard of this or even experienced it?

Some Interesting Things About Your Pooch

2010-09-26T10:48:00.000-07:00

Dogs are our best friends, companions, and one of the few that will listen intently to our sob stories so that we do not have to call any 800 numbers or hotlines to hear someone who just does not get it on the other line. What if our canines really know what is going on and don't just lay around like they are clueless? Just a thought.

1. Dogs can smell our diseases. If you have cancer, diabetes, or epilepsy, your dog might be the first to know. Studies have shown that dogs can be trained to sniff out cancers of the lung, breast, skin, bladder and prostate. Researchers suspect the canines are picking up on extraordinarily faint scents given off by the abnormal cells.
Dogs are also being increasingly used as service animals for people with diabetes, whose health can be harmed when their blood sugar peaks or drops. Specially trained dogs can detect the scent of these fluctuations (sweet for high blood sugar, acidic for low) and alert their owners before they even feel symptoms. Most mysterious of all are scattered reports that dogs can predict an epileptic seizure 45 minutes before it begins. No one knows what the dogs might be picking up on, but theories range from an unknown smell to subtle behavioral changes.

2. They are very "aware". Dogs can be as smart as 2-year-old children, according to research presented in 2009 at a meeting of the American Psychological Association. Border collies are the top dogs in the intelligence category, with some in the breed capable of understanding up to 200 words. Poodles, German shepherds, Golden retrievers and Dobermans round out the top five smartest breeds. (The most popular breed in America, the Labrador retriever, comes in at number seven.)
Older breeds like hound dogs, bulldogs and beagles are among the slow learners of the doggie world, the researchers reported. Unlike newer dog breeds, which are designed for companionship and sociability, old breeds were bred to sniff and hunt, perhaps giving them more brawn than brain.

3. They sometimes turn a bit green. Dogs know when they're not getting a fair shake. A 2008 study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that when dogs saw other dogs getting treats for a trick they'd been performing unrewarded, the unrewarded dogs became agitated, scratching themselves and avoiding the gaze of the rewarded dogs. They also stopped doing the trick much faster than if they were alone and not getting a reward.
The dogs' version of jealousy wasn't as sophisticated as a human's: The animals didn't seem to mind if other dogs got sausage while they just got bread, and they didn't care if another dog got food for nothing while they had to do tricks for a snack. But, the researchers wrote, the findings were good evidence that being green with envy isn't just a primate thing.

Young Adults Suseptible to Influence

2010-09-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

Did you ever wonder just how much influence the most popular books, movies, and shows can have on your child? Scientists and researchers do not yet fully understand how the adolescent brain reacts to the media. There have been some breakthroughs though because there are specific parts that were identified in the brain that respond to the different types of media. A conference was held to discuss the effects that books such as Twilight and movie have on teens.

"What neuroscience opens for us is what happens within the brain during specific activities that take place within identifiable emotional or motivational states," Linguistic anthropologist Shirley Brice Heath of Stanford University said through internet fax. "For example, we know now that in reading about particular activities (especially those known to the readers), motor-neuronal activity is detected."

As a final note, one would need both the humanistic view and scientific view to totally understand what is happening in the brain when young adults are reading and watching these things.

What Can 800 Numbers Do

2010-09-03T18:07:00.000-07:00

800 Number can greatly benefit a business because it is a cost efficient way to get more people to call and get information about the business and services. It can also improve the public image which is very important when running a business. People need to be able to trust the sells that they are buying from. The 800 number will also get a wider variety of people to call because it comes at no cost to the customer. There are many companies out there that offer the services but if you are serious about starting your own business, you will need more than just an 800 number or a vanity number. A phone service specifically designed for your business might be able to pay for itself over time. You would be able to get internet fax and some companies even offer that the fax number double at the toll free number. Free trials can help a lot in the decision as well.

Predicting Cyclones

2010-07-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

NASA's supercomputer in California has the capability to predict when there is going to be a cyclone, which are the most unpredictable, or any other devastating storm. This computer was built two years ago and the capacity has been constantly increasing. Right now, it has the power of about 82,000 PCs. It works by gathering data from the atmosphere and the current trends, and then putting it together to make the prediction. The prediction can also cover a large area. The only downside is that it tends to exaggerate the impact of the storm so people tend to ignore the warnings and not take them seriously. This system is very useful because people will be able to be more prepared and ready for the storm. Especially when it works with the alerting system of internet fax, emails and text messages. This will definitely save a lot of lives.

Millions Still Do Not Have Internet

2010-07-24T10:12:00.000-07:00

While it seems that everyone in online, apparently it is not the case. There are still millions of people in the US alone that do not internet access. Most of these people live in rural areas. The goal has been to bring the internet to most of those people but so far people are no where closer to getting the internet services. On of the things that it stopping them is the money that is would cost to do all that. In the long run, it would pay off because the people would be able to get internet phone services and other ways of communication which are cheaper than regular land lines. With the ability to communicate better, these people might have the chance to improve their financial standing along with being up to date of the technology that employers are expecting their employees to know how to use. So far this endeavor is not very high on any official's list.

Saving the World: There is an App for That

2010-06-26T08:28:00.000-07:00

I guess there is an app out for everything now, even saving this planet. I can across this article and though I might share it with you. To save the environment, technology is going further than getting internet fax and having 800 numbers to call for a help line, we are taking full advantage of the internet in order make this a better place.

Report Oiled Wildlife
Wildlife rescuers are out in force along the Gulf Coast, trying to save animals stranded by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. But these teams aren’t big enough to comb every inch of beach from Florida to Louisiana. That’s where "MoGO" comes in. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst developed this free app (the name stands for Mobile Gulf Observatory) in hopes of widening the wildlife rescue network. Users simply snap a photo of oiled wildlife, which is then pinpointed by the iPhone’s built-in GPS. Once the photo is uploaded, the app automatically connects you to a Wildlife Hotline to report what you’ve seen.
Besides helping rescue animals in the short term, "MoGO" users are building a database that will help rehabilitate the Gulf long after the spill ends, according to a statement by Andy Danylchuk, a UMass Amherst fisheries ecologist and one of the app’s developers.
“The MoGO public database will help guide restoration efforts of vital coastal and marine habitats, and be used by scientists world-wide to assess the ecological impacts of the spill on the Gulf,” Danylchuck said.
Track the Gulf oil spill
Want to find out if your favorite beach has been oiled, or report tarballs in the water near you? The "Gulf Oil Spill Reporter" makes tracking the progress of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill simple. This free app, put out by the non-profit environmental monitoring organization SkyTruth, lets you browse reports of oil sightings, distressed wildlife and oily odors in the air. Users can upload photos and send their own reports, which remain archived at oilspill.skytruth.org. The app even lets you tag your own location and sends an email if the oil sheen creeps within about 12 miles (20 kilometers) of you.
Stop overfishing
The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s "Seafood Watch" app takes the guesswork out of ordering fish. From abalone to yellowtail, the app ranks seafood for sustainability and health. (For the record, abalone gets a “Best Choice” rating for sustainable farming, while Yellowtail gets a bright red “Avoid.”)
The app also lists the “good alternatives” between “Best Choice” and “Avoid,” and allows you to choose your region so you know you’re getting the right data for your area. Each entry explains why the rating was given, making this free app not only useful, but educational as well.
Plant a Tree
Dropping $0.99 on the "A Real Tree" app will net you a virtual tree complete with animated flowers and fluttering birds. But the true value is in the real world: For every purchase of "A Real Tree," the United Nations-endorsed charity’s partners plant one tree in a deforested tropical country. So far, according to the app Web site, almost 2,000 trees have been planted in Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Burundi, Senegal, Zambia, India, Philippines, and Haiti.
Fight Global Warming
Ever wanted to try hypermiling, the driving style that aims to lower gas consumption to a bare minimum? Well, there’s an app for that. "GreenMeter" uses the accelerometers in the iPhone and iPod touch to evaluate your driving efficiency. It calculates your vehicle’s fuel usage, cost and carbon emissions in real time, while you’re on the road.
The app’s developers estimate that in the two years since its release, the $5.99 app may have saved 2 million gallons of gas and kept 47,000 tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. And there’s the added bonus that you could hypermile your way to fewer fill-ups, saving money while you save the planet.
Conserve Energy
Call it hypermiling for your house. The $0.99 app "MeterReadings" lets you track your gas, electricity and water consumption and costs. Users enter their meter readings and get back a wealth of data and graphs on daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly usage. The app will even extrapolate your next bill, giving you the thrill of trying to come in underneath the estimate.
Commute Smarter
For urban commuters, hybrid electric bikes that save energy from braking for use on tough uphill stretches aren’t a new idea. But the not-yet-released "Copenhagen Wheel Project" app aims to take hybrid e-bikes one step further.
The Copenhagen wheel is a “smart” bike wheel that converts a regular bike into an e-bike. Using a Bluetooth device, the wheel connects to a smartphone app and uploads information on how hard you’re peddling, what the road and traffic conditions are like, and even how much carbon monoxide is in the air. The app also controls how much assistance in peddling the wheel gives. Although production of the wheel isn’t set until the end of this year, the mayor of Copenhagen has already ordered a small fleet for city workers. The hope, according to the system’s developers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is that users will share their data via social networking to help other cyclists pick commuting routes. The resulting data maps could help urban planners build greener cities.

Good Oral Hygine Mean a Healthy Heart

2010-05-29T18:23:00.000-07:00

I was sifting through some interesting information online and found an article about a definitive link between brushing teeth and having a healthier heart. There were associations but now there is a direct link. If you would like more specific information about what toothpaste and mouth wash can do, you can always call the 800 number of a particular brand and they will be able to provide more information for you. Here is the latest by the staff of LiveScience:

People who have poor oral hygiene have an increased risk of heart disease compared to those who brush their teeth twice a day, finds research published today on the web site of the medical journal BMJ.
In the last twenty years there has been increased interest in links between heart problems and gum disease. While it has been established that inflammation in the body (including mouth and gums) plays an important role in the build up of clogged arteries, this is the first study to investigate whether the number of times individuals brush their teeth has any bearing on the risk of developing heart disease, says the research.
The authors, led by Professor Richard Watt from University College London, analyzed data from over 11,000 adults who took part in the Scottish Healthy Survey.
The research team analyzed data about lifestyle behaviors such as smoking, physical activity and oral health routines. Individuals were asked how often they visited the dentist (at least once every six months, every one to two years, or rarely/never) and how often they brushed their teeth (twice a day, once a day or less than once a day).
On a separate visit nurses collected information on medical history and family history of heart disease, blood pressure and blood samples from consenting adults. The samples enabled the researchers to determine levels of inflammation that were present in the body. The data gathered from the interviews were linked to hospital admissions and deaths in Scotland until December 2007.
The results demonstrate that oral health behaviors were generally good with six out of ten (62%) of participants saying they visit the dentist every six months and seven out ten (71%) reporting that they brush their teeth twice a day.
Once the data were adjusted for established cardio risk factors such as social class, obesity, smoking and family history of heart disease, the researchers found that participants who reported less frequent toothbrushing had a 70% extra risk of heart disease compared to individuals who brushed their teeth twice a day, although the overall risk remained quite low. Participants who had poor oral hygiene also tested positive for inflammatory markers such as the C-reactive protein and fibrinogen.
"Our results confirmed and further strengthened the suggested association between oral hygiene and the risk of cardiovascular disease - furthermore inflammatory markers were significantly associated with a very simple measure of poor oral health behavior," Watt said. "Future experimental studies will be needed to confirm whether the observed association between oral health behavior and cardio vascular disease is in fact causal or merely a risk marker".

More iPad Info

2010-05-29T18:09:00.000-07:00

The iPad is a fun toy, not to mention it is new and exciting. Well, on top of being inefficient, outrageously priced, and causing bad postures, it can clog the wireless networks. Which makes me wonder why in the world is it so popular. It is not like you would be able to type a quick internet fax to someone on it because the screen keyboard is hard to see. And it is not like you can put it up to your ear and call up an 800 number. It is big and clunky. There were also many complaints because Apple choose to partner with AT&T who have the worst coverage for the internet. So if one of you out there has an iPad and absolutely love it, please let me know because I am sitting here baffled.

McAfee Makes Mistake

2010-04-25T13:43:00.000-07:00

One of the leading providers of antivirus software made a rather glaring mistake. Leave your comments and tell me what you guys think? Should they do more to reimburse the people whose computers crashed?

Computer antivirus software maker McAfee, Inc. has apologized for sending out a botched update Wednesday morning that caused thousands of computers to crash worldwide. "I want to apologize on behalf of McAfee and say that we’re extremely sorry for any impact the faulty signature update file may have caused you and your organizations," wrote Barry McPherson, McAfee's executive vice president of support and customer service, in a company blog post.
Corporate customers, such as hospitals, schools and businesses, which had PCs running both Windows XP Service Pack 3 and McAfee's VirusScan Enterprise were affected. Consumer versions for at-home machines avoided the perpetual cycle of reboots and lost network connections that crippled these enterprise clients' PCs.
The Associated Press reported that McAfee clients ranging from Rhode Island Hospital to the National Science Foundation to Intel had some of their computers sidelined by the flawed update.
According to McAfee, the update mistakenly identified a system file called "svchost.exe" as being infected with a malware virus. Though details are sketchy, for now McAfee is chalking up the source of the problem to poor in-house quality assurance.
A fix went out early Thursday morning that McAfee said has restored most zapped computers. The company has taken further measures to help get computers up and running and to prevent such erroneous detection of critical system files as viruses in the future.

Personally I think that they should have done more. I'm sure that their toll free number lines were ringing off the hook but the fact that they didn't do much about it shows poor customer service. I have a feeling that their sales will go down unless they improve their services.

From Ordinary to Extraordinary

2010-04-20T07:50:00.000-07:00

Some things are ordinary as walking are being turned into hi-tech innovations. Even talking, which went from a couple yards of being heard, to millions of miles, to internet phone and 800 numbers. Check out these other interesting inventions:

1. To some, a backpack is just a container for lugging books and daily essentials around. But one biomechanics researcher saw it as a way to harvest electricity from body motion.
Your body is like a machine, one that’s fueled by food. But your body isn’t very efficient at converting food into useful work—only 5 percent is used and the rest gets lost as heat.
To capture this wasted energy, Lawrence Rome of the University of Pennsylvania and his colleagues created a two-part backpack. The frame is rigid and fixed to your body, while a soft pack is attached to the frame with springs. As you walk, the pack bounces up and down. This up-and-down motion turns the gear of a generator attached to the backpack frame, producing up to 7.4 Watts – enough to power an MP3 player, a PDA, night vision goggles, a GPS locator, and a cell phone.

2. With a diameter equal to that of a strand of hair, each fiber is packed with tiny electronic materials. When light hits the fibers, they create an electrical signal, which can be sent to a computer and transformed into an image you can see on, say, a visor equipped with a display.
Applications abound, Fink says, from helping blind people sense their environment to entertainment and military functions.
The fibers could be woven into a soldier’s uniform, giving him access to what’s going on around him, such as “a sniper aiming at you from behind,” said Fabien Sorin, a postdoctoral MIT researcher involved in the project.
The laser from the sniper’s rifle would hit the light-detectors in the soldier’s uniform and alert him to the potential threat, Sorin explained.

3.A new development could turn your clothes into rechargeable batteries.
By coating cotton with ink made from nanoparticles of lithium cobalt oxide, researchers from Stanford University turned the fibers into conducting materials. Other cotton threads woven between these conductive ones were coated with a salt solution to serve as the electrolyte, which carries a battery's charge.
The result scored 20-Watt-hours per kilogram in energy density – meaning that a T-shirt made from this coated material could hold up to three times more energy than needed to power a cell phone.
Possible ways to use this new technology include high-performance sportswear, wearable displays, new classes of portable power, and embedded health monitoring systems.

The New Wave of Supercomputers

2010-04-16T14:48:00.000-07:00

Supercomputers are computers that help power the internet and sift through data, either communication data such as from internet phones or information on the web, but one of the problems that they experience is that they get really hot, specifically the computers can get up to 85 degrees Celsius which can be damaging to the systems. IBM and a Swiss university are in the process of developing a new cooling system that uses water to cool the computers and then that water is transported across the university to heat the buildings. Here is some more information about the supercomputers:

Data centers, or server farms, contain row upon row of computers dedicated to data crunching and information processing. Like any other computer, these servers heat up as they work, and chilling them out gobbled up two percent of global electricity production last year, according to the International Data Corporation.
Most data centers use loud fans to blow cooled air through their server racks. With this inefficient system, however, only half of the electricity consumed by a data center actually goes into doing computer work, while the other half energizes massive air-cooling chillers, Meijer said.
To cut energy-related costs and greenhouse gas emissions, many companies have looked to build new server farms in colder climes where air from outside can handle much of the heat-whisking duties. Microsoft, for example, opened a giant, 300,000 square-foot data center in Dublin, Ireland last fall.
But Meijer still thinks that the efficient temperature regulation of data centers in the years ahead will come from liquid coolants. That's because water is 4,000 times better than air at capturing and transporting heat away – see how quickly you cool off in a pool compared to standing in front of an air conditioner.
Plus, as transistors inside servers have grown ever smaller, they shed heat more quickly, making efficient water-cooling a more attractive option to many manufacturers.
Water-cooling of servers has been around since the 1980s and has been re-introduced in some high-end server farms today, Meijer said. But these systems have typically used room temperature water in their plumbing that is not hot enough to harness for secondary heating.

Why Toll Free Numbers Work

2010-04-09T12:14:00.000-07:00

800 numbers have been around forever but what kind of benefits do they really offer?

1. Profits, profits, profits. These are the most popular toll free numbers on earth; that's why a HUGE percentage of big businesses have their own toll free numbers. Consumers love to call them and in most cases a customer expects the business to have a 1-800 number. If a business is not using a toll-free number, they are sacrificing potentially exponential profits.

2. Rates are amazing. In the past, most small businesses couldn't afford toll free numbers because the rates were outrageous, $300 per month, 25¢ per minute, no one could afford them. Tollfreenumber.org uses the best in technology because it is the most efficient, that saves everyone money. They are one of the phone companies that offer great rates as low as 3 cents a minutes.

3. Improve image. Since customers expect a company to have a toll free number, they will think that those services are more reliable that have a number. Also customer service and satisfaction will increase due to no missed or dropped calls.

Tis the Season

2010-04-05T13:51:00.000-07:00

Beware! The season of spring can be your worst enemy when it comes to, well not sneezing about a hundred times a minute. About 40 million people suffer from allergies in the US alone. Some of the most common symptoms are runny nose, itchy and watery eyes, and a cough or wheeze. People are affected to different degrees and can vary from season to season. Here are some things to keep in mind:

The five most common allergens, according to the ACAAI are:

1. Trees produce pollen, the dust-like, male reproductive parts of plants that cause most allergies. In some southern states, trees can produce pollen as early as January, while pollen production usually begins in April in the north. The oak tree, which is prevalent throughout the United States, produces large quantities of pollen and is a major cause of allergies. Evergreens also can be troublemakers. Cedar, juniper, cypress and sequoia trees have all been known to cause allergies – and if you're allergic to one, you may be allergic to them all. Other suspects include elm trees, which are common in the eastern and mid-western regions, birch trees, olive trees, sycamores, and poplars, including cottonwoods, balsam and aspen.

2. Grasses usually come along to stir up allergy symptoms after trees are through pollinating – typically from late spring to early summer. Common culprits are timothy grass, Bermuda grass, sweet vernal, red top and some blue grasses.

3. Weeds are guilty of causing most of the allergy misery that occurs in the late summer and early fall. Top on the list of offenders is ragweed – which affects as many as 75% of all hay fever sufferers. Ragweed is found in virtually every region of the United States and, with 17 different species of the weed, there's plenty of pollen to keep people sneezing and sniffling until frost. Other common weed allergens are sagebrush, found predominantly in the west, pigweed and goosefoot pollen.

4. Molds are microscopic plants that reproduce by sending tiny spores into the air. They thrive in areas that are warm, dark and moist. Unlike pollen, which appears only in the warm weather months, mold can lurk in your house year-round.

5. Dust Mites are small (hundreds can live in a single gram of dust), eight-legged creatures that belong to the same family as spiders, chiggers and ticks. These culprits are hardy creatures that live well and multiply easily in warm, humid places. Favorite hideouts include carpets, upholstered furniture, bedding, clothes, soft toys and the fur of pets. The intruder is particularly malicious when trapped inside a closed-up house.
The ACAAI has more information that can help you get your allergies under control. Call its toll-free number 800-842-7777 or visit http://www.acaai.org to learn how you can have a life without allergies.

A person's body will go through at least three changes during a lifetime. A little known fact about this is that a lot of things change from those time periods such as allergies, medical needs, and possible tastes and preferences. So, please, keep up to date on the internal clock.

An Expert's Tips for Organizing Electronic Documents

2010-03-30T03:54:00.000-07:00

Today news! Enjoy!

All of us need to take some time every so often to knock things off of our financial to-do list. To help, we’ve created a series of articles and an interactive checklist to get you started.

In my article "Retain Your Records No Longer Than You Must" about which financial documents to keep and which to purge, tax experts said it was O.K. to keep necessary records in electronic form as long as you have your own multiple copies of them. This was the only caveat: the documents should be kept securely on an encrypted external hard drive or flash drive rather than online.

But if you chose this electronic storage route, there is still the question of how to organize the files. For some advice, I turned to Alicia Rockmore, a certified public accountant and co-founder and chief executive of the organization tip site Buttoned Up.

Ms. Rockmore is a proponent of a less-is-more type of filing. "You don’t want such a complicated system that it’s difficult to find files," she said. "If it’s too complicated and too many files, people will just give up and not file."

She recommended setting up an electronic year-based file system filled with Excel or PDF files and naming each file with the title of that year. "Have one file for everything that is tax- or finance-related per year," she said. Then, download electronic records available online to the files and scan in paper copies of other documents as well.

In her own electronic files, Ms. Rockmore primarily just keeps year-end statements and other tax-related documents and also has files for other types of records like legal documents.
And while the electronic format is her primary storage method and the one she refers to most frequently, she also keeps paper copies in a file folder and boxed up with a new box for each year's tax information. "It's a redundancy I build in," she said. As for other organizing tips, she also keeps a list of all the 1-800 numbers related to all of her credit cards in case they are stolen.

Still, she said she preferred electronic storage over paper. "It’s much easier to put your hands on the records you want and to sort through them when they are filed electronically," she said. For those who prefer paper, she recommended having a similar simple filing system to ensure that the documents were easy to find.

How do you organize your financial records? What do you think is the best storing and filing method?

Trust the big names in home improvement?

2010-03-23T02:54:00.000-07:00

Have found this article. Hope you will enjoy it!

Trust the big names in home improvement? About 15 years ago, I was a VP of a major "remodeling retailer's" home improvement business. I say "remodeling retailer" because they were not really in the remodeling business as much as they were in the large-scale retail business - they sold anything and everything, and still do.

The company I worked for was a "licensee" of the major retailer, a subcontractor, if you will, who used the retailer's name to SFI - Sell, Furnish and Install home improvement products.

It was assumed that everyone who worked for the retailer or the SFI company knew about remodeling, but in fact all of the leadership came from a retailing background.

It was, in my opinion, a recipe for disaster.

The SFI company is no longer around. It went public, then it went out of business a few years after I was fired for not "fitting in" with the way they did business.

Here's how it worked: If you went into the store, or responded to an advertisement, you would call one of many 800 numbers.

The 800 numbers were all tracked so that the retailer and the SFI company could see which ads worked.

The phones were answered with the retailer's name but from that point forward, it was all controlled by the SFI company.

The customer would schedule an appointment and the SFI salesperson would go out on the call.

Supposedly, the salesperson was banned from certain practices

- high pressure sales, dropping prices, adding extras, etc., but in reality, that's how a lot of sales got on the books. By the way, the average markup on the work was two to three times the actual cost to install.

That means that if an installer was willing to replace your roof for $10,000, it would be sold to you for $25,000 (using 2.5 times the cost) or more.

In our case, the "major retailer" got 13 percent of the gross. That's $3,250 for the use of its name.

The SFI contractor paid for all the ads, phones, sales people, actual product, and the installation.

Pretty good profit for the retailer, just to use its name!

After the sale, the local manager would find an installer who would do the work for the absolute lowest price possible.

These installers were often strung out for payment once they started doing the SFI work and most managers would use that situation to get even lower prices and concessions from the actual people doing the work.

Obviously, it got to the point where quality became the issue. Installers were taking every possible shortcut to break even, and customers were starting to complain.

Eventually, the "major retailer" elected to get out of the business with this particular SFI company and clean up the customer complaints that resulted.
My point in all of this isn't to say, "I told you so," although I did enjoy a certain amount of satisfaction in seeing them go down hard.

My point, to all those who will listen, is that there is only so much room for overhead and profit in any deal.

Consumers should not try to squeeze a contractor for every buck nor should they pay top dollar for a name.

Do your homework or better yet, ask the uncomfortable questions: How much are you going to make on this deal? How much does the salesman make on this deal?
Now, if you are the type of person who begrudges anyone making a living, you deserve what you are going to get.

If you are carefree with your money and don't do your homework, chances are you'll get what you deserve, too.

However, if you go into a deal, any deal, with eyes open and with a fair approach, chances are you'll get a better deal than either of the extremes noted.

What is a fair markup?

Use common sense. If you're asking someone to do a $100 job, there's going to be a larger margin because they still have costs to cover. If you're paying for a $100,000 job, the margin should be smaller. I don't recommend any margin under 20 percent as a starting point for most remodel jobs and you shouldn't expect anyone to be around in a year, if you want to go lower.

I generally recommend cost-plus contracts for home remodels with full disclosure of all costs because everything is out in the open.

800's - Do You Need One?

2010-03-15T06:01:00.000-07:00

Some useful info about 800 numbers! Enjoy!

An 800 phone number says, "Call me - I want to hear from you!".

When you make it as easy as possible for customers to connect with you, you automatically build trust. People also associate a toll-free phone number with a professional, established real business and will give you more respect. You can generate more leads and sales - and you don't even have to do the calling.

You can use your toll-free phone number to build customer trust, increase response rate and grow sales in many different areas of your business. The more ways you use it, the more it can help your business. Include it on all company stationary and literature, business cards, mailers and postcards, online and offline advertising, yellow page listings, signage, your website, promotional items such as giveaway pens, etc.

These days, small businesses have lots of options when it comes to 800 numbers. Business owners don't have to sign a long-term contracts, you can find toll-free calling rates as low as regular phone rates and there are affordable unlimited calling plans available.

More and more online businesses are incorporating social media, video, webinars and online chat into their websites as a way to give customers that "real live person" service that they are looking for. 800 toll free numbers are another way you can do that.

Tread cautiously on jobless Web sites

2010-03-09T06:48:00.000-08:00

Hey, read carefully, this article may be useful fir you!

Late last year, Jill Faulhaber's daughter Sarah filed for unemployment benefits after losing her job.
A few weeks later, she started to get overdraft notices from her bank as an unknown company tried to bill her using her account number.

Her bank quickly locked the account, for which Jill is a co-signer, before any money was lost. But the experience took Jill by surprise, because she knew Sarah was conscientious about account security.
"I was so blown away by this," said Jill, who suspects a security breach on the Iowa Workforce Development Web site is to blame.

A state official countered that account compromises happen when people do not use the official department site, and that online filers should take care not to use a search engine to find a site when placing their claim.

What is clear is there are some companies waiting in cyberspace that will try to take advantage of those unemployed workers who give out their account numbers on an unsecured site.

Sarah Faulhaber declined to be interviewed. But Jill said her daughter filed for unemployment in late December or early January, using the Iowa Workforce Development Web site.

As part of the filling process, Sarah, 33, submitted the account number for her bank account to receive direct deposit. Jill said following her registration, her daughter received several e-mails in response, requesting that she purchase various services.

Although Jill's daughter reported she didn't sign up for any of the services, last week she received returned checks written with her account number.

The first check was for a "Web online discount membership" for a total of $29.91. The second was for a "Web discount club" in the amount of $29.91.

The paperwork, which had Sarah's address and account number, indicated the account was overdrawn.

"They're so fake-looking its unbelievable," said Jill, who said when Sarah tried calling the 800 numbers on the checks, no one would give her any information on the documents.

A representative at one of the companies called their services a "cross sale" for payday loans and said users need to click a "no thanks" box on the Web page to not be automatically enrolled with the service.

It's a story Kerry Koonce has heard before.

There are Web sites, she said, where people trying to file for unemployment benefits can become the target of both legitimate sales plugs and scam sites.

"You put your information in and become a sales jewel," said Koonce, spokeswoman for Iowa Workforce Development. She stressed that the only secure place to file an unemployment claim online is through the Workforce Development site. While the main page is not a secured site, she said the page is secured as soon as an unemployment-claim filing begins.

She said none of the information collected on the Workforce Development site is used for sales tools.
The problems come, she said, when people use a search engine, like Google, to find a site to file their claim.

"We don't like to see people get taken in by it," she said, adding that there was a rash of problems involving similar scams around the state about six months ago.

Koonce added that while the majority of people use direct deposit to receive their benefits, it is not required to submit a checking account number while filing.

She said people also can receive a debit card issued by Workforce Development, a paper check or go to their local office for help filing their claim.

For anyone who does think that their account may be compromised, Koonce suggests making sure Workforce Development has processed the claim. She noted that the department does a fact-finding hearing before issuing benefits.

An official with East Dubuque Savings Bank said she could not comment on specific accounts. But Jeff Gallery, chief operations officer at the bank, had some general advice for consumers:

* Carefully monitor online statements. He said those who use Internet banking can check every day, and respond immediately if something appears to be wrong.
* Keep the 800 number of the bank on file and call immediately if there is a problem.
* Stick to the fundamentals, and do not give out account numbers unless initiating a transaction. That includes cell phone numbers, too.

But Jill said the experience was rattling enough that they will not be filing for unemployment in any online sites in the future.

She said those who filed for unemployment online should consider checking their bank account transactions regularly instead of waiting for a monthly statement, and look carefully at small deductions.

How to Find a Good Patent Lawyer

2010-03-02T03:36:00.000-08:00

One more useful article. Found it and decided to share because of the actuality of this theme. So, enjoy!

To flourish, an idea must be developed, nourished, and, these days, protected. Filing for a patent with the U.S. government is just one step along that road, but it is a crucial step. For that purpose, you'll want to work with a well-known and effective patent lawyer.

So how do you find a good patent lawyer?

Just as you wouldn't start flipping through your local phone book these days to find an attorney, the Google search should largely be avoided. A typical search, even with local parameters, yields an onslaught of promotional sites that provide nearly indistinguishable services. Avoid 800 numbers and highly-templated websites – you know the ones, comprised of stock images and primary-colored fonts.

Intellectual property covers a wide swath of legal issues, from entertainment to media to contract and copyright law. Before deciding whether you want to work with a lawyer who strictly deals in patents, or one who can advise you on other potentially relevant areas of intellectual in the future, first you must assess your needs.

If your business is based only on creating, marketing, and selling innovative products, you might look for someone who specializes in and whose practice is solely focused on patents and copyright. By contrast, if your company also embarks on online pursuits or publishing, a lawyer who deals also in First Amendment and information technology law could be a useful partner.

Should your business already have legal counsel, it is certainly advisable to assess whether they might be able to cover patents for you as well, though you should not fall into the habit of using the lawyer you have as a substitute for the lawyer you want. Before you vet patent lawyers, it's helpful to know just how much competition you--and they--will have from other patent holders. A quick search of the U.S. Patent Office website will yield information on your market and identify would-be competitors. If it is an active space, then it is probably going to take a lot of effort to secure your product's future. In that case, you'll likely need an attorney with great credentials and much experience in the area, says John E. Clarkin, professor of entrepreneurship at the College of Charleston. But be prepared: A higher level of experience will cost you plenty more in billable hours.

Toll Free Numbers – Beneficial for Businesses?

2010-02-17T04:27:00.000-08:00

Looking at toll free numbers for your business? Actually, you may be looking at a very advantageous decision for your company – disregarding costs and other disadvantages. Toll free numbers are telephone numbers, also known as the 1-800, that when dialed, charges the bills not to the caller but to the company being called. Although that simple statement must have set your accounting officer screaming, don't brush-off the attractive benefits that these telephone numbers provide. Believe it or not, the 1-800 numbers may actually bring in more profit – over the costs you have to pay for their calls.

One of the very obvious reasons why toll free numbers are beneficial is because consumers are attracted to the fact that they don't have to pay for them to call. If you provide toll free numbers for your business, it's an automatic response that you'll find higher response rates. Although toll free numbers may be prone to prank calls or wasted questions, surely, with free calls, consumers are more likely to call.

Another advantage for toll free numbers is the fact that they have now majorly dropped in cost and you can even avail big discounts at some service providers. Not only are these 1-800 numbers portable – enabling companies to change locations and move their numbers freely, but companies wouldn't have to worry about getting new numbers or paying for moving fees.

Toll free numbers are hugely expensive – in the eyes of those who don't have it; which is why if you acquire a 1-800 number, it will automatically give your company a strong image. The secret behind it all, is that aside from the fact that you can probably get big discounts or package rates for your business, you also don't have to pay if no one calls. Your toll free numbers grow along with your business, giving you the chance to lie low in telephone costs if there is no incoming profit. You wouldn't have to worry about monthly phone bills if no customer calls.

Beneficial for the growing companies, toll free numbers are also best if you're expanding to a national marketing range. When you've overpowered your local area with your business, the next step is to expand to other areas and usually, to be credible for national marketing, you have to offer a 1-800 number.

While the costs may be unnecessary for a start-up company, it's always a good thing to weigh the benefits and opportunities against the costs and disadvantages. Any good investment may result in great business outcomes.

Start Your Own Business for $100 or Less

2010-02-09T03:05:00.000-08:00

Have found this page. There are many articles about RingCentral. So, if you are interested, you may read it. As for our theme I have found this:

Print business cards and flyers. I use both VistaPrint.com and GotPrint.com for high-quality printing at affordable prices.

Phone system. If you worry about your kids answering your business calls but you don't want to install a dedicated phone line, consider a service like RingCentral.com to have calls routed to an 800 number with voice mail exclusively for your business starting at $10 a month.

Use free social and business networks. Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace and others are valuable tools for spreading the word about your business.

Establish mutually beneficial partnerships. Recently a "Good Morning America" viewer asked me for ideas on how to spread the word quickly -- without spending a dime -- about her new pet massage business. I suggested partnering with the most popular pet store in her area to host in-store events every Saturday where owners could bring their animals for on-the-spot mini massages. It's good for the store because it brings new and existing customers into the shop, and it's good for attracting awareness -- and customers -- for this new pet massage business. A cake baker might offer to do fundraisers for her kids' school. She could talk to wedding vendors about offering affordable alternatives to new brides. She can visit local coffee shops with samples of her baked goods to persuade them to carry her stuff.

Generate free media coverage. One of my favorite new resources is Help a Reporter Out, which enables anyone to sign up for a free e-mail alert, delivered three times daily, listing the immediate needs of writers and producers from major TV and print outlets to blogs and books. By registering for the daily e-mails, you can respond to queries from journalists that relate to your business and your expertise -- without hiring a publicist to do the work for you.

RingCentral Makes Very Small Businesses Look Very Big

2010-02-01T03:55:00.000-08:00

I have found an interesting article by Robert Poe, hope you will like it! Waiting for your comments!

Being a very small business sure limits your VoIP options. It's natural to want the features of VoIP, the ones the big enterprises with Cisco IP PBXes have. But it's equally natural to worry about the quality of Internet VoIP, one of the few affordable ways to get such features. Even an open-source IP PBX is too expensive for many companies with only a handful of employees. Yet hosted IP PBX, or IP Centrex, services from large carriers can have too little flexibility. One logical choice would be to go with a non-Internet, noncarrier hosted VoIP provider, if available.

RingCentral Inc. which has just received $12 million in venture funding from Sequoia Capital and Khosla Ventures, fits that description. Founded in 1999, the company began offering commercial service a couple of years ago. Today it claims some 40,000 small-business customers.

RingCentral offers all kinds of Web-based capabilities and functions that only VoIP switching makes possible. But it delivers calls to its customers over regular phone lines rather than the Internet. It thus provides the flexibility of VoIP and the reliability of the PSTN (public switched telephone network). The one thing it doesn't currently provide is outbound calling from desk phones.

Like most Internet VoIP providers, RingCentral lets you set up an account in minutes with a credit card. It gives you local numbers or virtual numbers in whatever cities you choose. The service lets you listen to voice messages via email or on the Web, as well as send and receive faxes. When a call comes in, RingCentral pops up a window on your computer screen that lets you divert it to your cell phone or voice mail, or reply with a text-to-speech message. It lets you forward calls anywhere, including to your mobile or home numbers, your PC softphone, and your Skype or Vonage phones. You can set up all this forwarding via a Web portal.

RingCentral also has lots of features to make your company look like a big business with a name-brand IP PBX. Features include everything from dial by name, on-hold music, call screening, auto attendant, professionally recorded custom greetings and toll-free numbers. You can even get vanity 800 numbers that incorporate your company name or whatever you want.

Such capabilities are more important than the cost savings of Internet VoIP, RingCentral believes. "The things that keep a small business from growing are not that their phone bills are too high," said the company's business development VP Jay Blazensky. "Their struggle is, 'How do I look bigger in this brief window when I'm trying to get my business off the ground?'"

On the other hand, because RingCentral doesn't offer outbound calling except click-to-call through Microsoft Outlook, its customers have to pay for local and long-distance phone service. Given that RingCentral packages starts at $10 per month, though, the combined burden needn't be oppressive.

Either way, because RingCentral delivers calls over the PSTN but does everything else, including delivering voice mail, over the Internet, it's ideal for those who like the idea of VoIP but don't yet feel confident with Internet telephony. Though small-business Internet VoIP provider 8x8 Inc., to name the leader, has a good reputation, even it can't promise the call quality and reliability of ATT.

RingCentral may also be a good choice for those who don't want to deal with traditional phone companies. Both larger and smaller carriers often use commercial hosted IP PBX platforms from companies like BroadSoft and Sylantro, for either Internet VoIP or their own IP Centrex services. And neither carrier nor platform provider may have the interest or ability to customize its offerings for the smallest businesses, RingCentral believes. "The telcos are largely concentrated on consumers or large enterprises," said CEO Vlad Schmunis. "There's very little that a phone company can get you for a small business of 1 to 20 employees."

RingCentral can be flexible, according to Blazensky, because it uses technology it developed itself. Commercial platforms have to please too many other parties, especially technology partners such as switch vendors, to respond rapidly to the needs of small businesses, he claimed. RingCentral, by contrast, need focus only on its small business customers.

RingCentral's self-developed technology may also prove very good for its investors. Imagine a big carrier that wants to get away from the commercial hosted VoIP platforms and deliver a service that sets it apart from the crowd. Such a carrier could find that RingCentral's technology is just what it is looking for. If so, RingCentral could go the way of GrandCentral and get acquired by a very large company. How big would its very small business customers feel after that?

Traffic accident disrupts operation of '800' numbers

2010-01-21T03:31:00.000-08:00

Found this info while surfing the Internet and decided to share it with you! Read and leave your comments about that situation.

A traffic accident in Pottstown caused disruption to toll-free calling for businesses, including PPL Electric Utilities, throughout parts of Pennsylvania Friday.
Verizon media relations manager Lee Gierczynski said a fiber-optic cable owned by XO Communications, of Herndon, Va., from which Verizon leases bandwidth, was damaged.
The problem began in the morning and was repaired by 3:30 p.m. In the interim, toll-free numbers involving the "800" prefix were not working.
PPL said the problem severely limited access to its Customer Service Center.
"We appreciate our customers' patience as our provider, Verizon, works to restore telephone service to our Contact Center," Robert M. Geneczko, vice president of customer services, said in a statement during the outage.
Customers were directed to report outages through the company's Web site or by making a toll call.
PPL said it was going to make up for lost time on Friday with special hours today for customer service.
"We thank our customers for their patience and understanding while phones were down," Geneczko said later Friday. "We're glad we can get back to the business of helping our customers."
The hours will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. today. Customers can reach the center by calling toll-free, (800) 342-5775.
Locally, among the businesses experiencing difficulty because of the outage was C.J. Lucas Funeral Home, which has locations in Mount Carmel and Kulpmont. Secretary Joanne Templin said attempts to reach a casket supplier, for example, were futile for a time on Friday.
"We had to make all the arrangements today for a funeral service on Monday, so it was dicey," she said.
Also, the funeral home has an answering service for nighttime and weekend hours, and Templin said arrangements were being made to compensate for that problem when it was learned that operation of the 800 numbers had been restored.

800response Celebrates 20 Years

2010-01-14T08:28:00.000-08:00

Some news for today! Read and enjoy!

800response, the leading provider of vanity 800 numbers and web-based call tracking, today announces the company’s Twentieth Anniversary of being a leader in the field of Telecommunications, toll-free Custom 800® numbers (also known as vanity 800 numbers, for example, 800-NEW-AUTO, 800-NEW-LOAN, 800-ROOF-PRO), and Call Tracking services. As the industry leader in shared–use services on vanity numbers, the company has the widest selection of vanity 800 numbers available today.
Since 1990, 800response has been offering vanity 800 numbers on a local and regional basis to businesses in the United States. In September 2006, the company opened a corporate office in Toronto, Canada, to provide the same toll-free vanity 800 inventory to all areas of North America. The combination of a Custom 800 number and tracking services allows businesses and their advertising partners to effectively measure campaign performance and provide accountability for advertising expenditures.
“800response began with the goal of helping businesses to significantly increase their advertising response rates and track their return on advertising expenses. Over the years, we developed a proprietary tracking and monitoring system, and we now provide our customers with an extensive set of tools to assess the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns in real-time,” says Mitchell Knisbacher, Founder of 800response. In addition to the core business of shared–use Custom 800 numbers, 800response offers value–added services such as real–time online Call Tracking reports, Call Recording, custom Call Routing arrangements, consultation on the use of Custom 800 numbers in print and broadcast media, and trademark licensing.
A champion of toll-free industry issues, 800response participates alongside major long distance carriers in SMS/800 Number Administration Committee (SNAC) meetings, the committee that sets toll-free number administration guidelines and makes recommendations to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Celebrating two decades of service! For 20 years, 800response has maintained the widest selection of vanity 800 numbers available today. The toll-free vanity service provider offers these dynamic advertising tools to help drive increases in advertising response rates, improve ROI, and track cost-per-lead. 800response services include a sophisticated Call Routing platform, Web-based Real-time Call Tracking reports, and Call Monitoring services like Call Recording and Missed Call Monitor. A champion of toll-free industry issues, 800response participates alongside major long distance carriers in telecom regulatory meetings, and makes recommendations to the FCC on the future development of the toll-free industry.

Agency probes closing of school

2010-01-04T03:40:00.000-08:00

Nice to meet you after all that hollidays! I have just prepared some fresh news for you! So, read and enjoy!

Several students have complained that the expensive computer career school in Bensalem suddenly closed its doors after only a handful of classes.

The Bucks County Consumer Protection Department is investigating the sudden closing of a private computer training school in Bensalem, which charged one student $17,000 for a six-month Microsoft Networking certification course.

Director Mike Bannon found the Computertraining.edu offices at the One Greenwood Square complex locked and almost empty when he visited Wednesday night, after receiving a complaint from a student who was notified that class that evening had been suddenly canceled. His office received several more complaints Thursday.

Bannon was unsuccessful in reaching anyone at the school at its 1-800 numbers or by e-mail, he said. The Courier Times also was unsuccessful after numerous attempts to reach Gerald P. Collins, national director of training and chief operating officer or other school officials.

But an e-mail obtained Thursday appears to confirm the company has immediately ceased operations at all of its schools.

"Our students will be contacted today via e-mail to inform them of the closure," according to the e-mail from Collins. "They will be referred to their respective state agency for refund information and/or possible teach out opportunities with other schools."

The county consumer agency has no previous complaints involving the school, which opened in 1999, according to state Department of Education records.

Computertraining.edu (formerly Computertraining.com) is headquartered in Maryland and has 22 schools across the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest including three others in Pennsylvania licensed in 2000 and 2009, according to state and accreditation records.

The company opened its first school in 1985 and describes itself as "America's largest Microsoft IT Academy," according to its Web site.

The Web site listed 14 locations Thursday including Lancaster and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, but not Bensalem or King of Prussia in Montgomery County, which opened its campus in 2000. Its 1-800 number lists Bensalem and King of Prussia sites, but no one answered the phone at either location.

The company had not filed for bankruptcy as of Thursday, according to a records check.

But Accrediting Council for Continuing Education & Training (ACCET), a private agency that accredited Computertraining.edu., confirmed Thursday it was made aware of the company's deepening financial crisis last week.

The schools conducted limited classes this week while trying to resolve the financial problems, but apparently its bank withdrew its line of credit forcing the immediate school closures, said Roger Williams, ACCET's executive director.

State licensing agencies have been notified of the unfolding situation and the company's remaining skeleton staff is sending registration lists of current enrollees. The company has committed to provide documentation for state agencies to begin researching student tuition recovery fund requirements and potential teach-out arrangements with other schools, Williams said.

Lower Makefield resident Adrian McElroy, 20, started classes at the Bensalem campus in December after paying $17,000 for the six-month course. The class, which met twice a week, had about 25 students, he added.

The first week, McElroy saw school administrators packing belongings, he said. On Monday - his fifth class -there was only one teacher, who told the class he hadn't been paid in two months, McElroy said.

McElroy said he was contacted by e-mail Wednesday that the class was canceled. As of Thursday afternoon, he hadn't received notice if classes would be held Monday.

"I'm pretty sure there isn't going to be," he said. "It's going to be a mess."

Especially if students took out tuition loans since they are financially obligated to repay them, even if they didn't finish the course. Bannon added that his agency would attempt to get student money reimbursed.

In the employee e-mail, Collins wrote the company has a surety bond in states where its schools are located that is used to refund students affected by the closure. The amount of the bond varies by state, thus the amount of refund will vary dependent on the amount of the bond, the number of students and other relevant factors, according to the e-mail.

Computereducation.edu has not notified the state Department of Education, as required, that it intends to close any of its Pennsylvania schools, spokesman Mike Race said. It faces hefty fines if it closes one without notice, he added.

Private licensed career or trade schools licensed in Pennsylvania are required to give a minimum of 30 days advanced notice before closing, Race said. The school also is required to outline for the state agency its accommodations for transferring students or repaying tuition.

Computertraining.edu is the second sudden private career school that has suddenly closed shop in the last six months.

In June, the county investigated a Bristol allied-health career school that postponed nursing education classes twice since April following accreditation problems. Students who put down deposits to attend American Health Care Inc. complained their requests for a refund were rebuffed.

American Health Care Inc. is a private career school with locations in New Jersey, Ohio and Virginia. It's owned by founder and clinical and kidney care specialist Yemi Oladimeji, according to the institution's Web site.

The county is now helping New Jersey consumer protection officials who have taken over the school investigation, Bannon said.

But Bannon said that the sudden closing of a private career school isn't a situation he often sees.

"I suspect in these tough economic times it might be happening more," he added.

Keep your PIN a secret, your cards in hand

2009-12-28T03:12:00.000-08:00

Found this info and decided to share it with you! I also would like to wish you a Happy New Year! I'm looking forward to meeting you in the new year!

Question: How can I keep my ATM and debit transactions safe from fraud?

Answer: The New Jersey Bankers Association is warning consumers about "skimming" and other automatic teller machine and debit card scams.

Some thieves have targeted stand-alone ATMs or retailers' point-of-sale machines for "skimming" scams. The thieves manipulate the "swipe" part of the machines with a device that can capture the magnetic stripe on the consumer's card and also capture key pad information as the consumer enters his or her personal identification number.

Banks protect consumers in several ways against unauthorized fraud and losses are refunded by their bank. But you can help limit your exposure to fraud when using an ATM or your debit card by following these tips:

Be aware of your surroundings and of other people who may be near you at the ATM.

If an ATM looks suspicious -- for instance, if it has a discolored card reader or an unresponsive keypad -- use another machine. Do not use an ATM if it looks suspicious; it could have a skimming device installed.

Never give your PIN to anyone. A favorite tactic of purse-snatchers and pickpockets is to call you and claim to be the police or your bank and ask for your PIN for verification.

Regularly check your monthly statement for unusual withdrawals and contact your bank immediately if you notice something suspicious.

To avoid becoming a victim of debit card fraud:

Keep your receipts to check against your statement. Check your bank statements often. Report unauthorized transactions immediately to your bank.

Keep a record of card numbers, expiration dates and 1-800 numbers for banks so you can reach the bank easily in cases of theft.

Mark through any blank spaces on debit receipts including the tip line at restaurants, so the total amount cannot be changed.

Know your limits. Many issuers limit daily purchases and withdrawals for your protection.

Be wary of anyone, other than your bank's staff, trying to help you especially when an ATM "eats" your card. They may be trying to steal your card number and PIN.

Don't be fooled. Stay alert.

Two Arrested For Burglaries From Cars

2009-12-23T01:55:00.000-08:00

Some news for today! Read carefully!

Two men were taken into custody on Monday around 9 p.m. at Hamilton Place Mall by off-duty Chattanooga Police officers and Hamilton Place security, and charged by CPD property crimes investigators with three counts of burglary, three counts of theft under $500 and two counts of vandalism.

Off-duty Chattanooga Police officers who were working extra jobs at Hamilton Place Mall and mall security were alerted to two men who were using stolen credit cards in the mall. The officers received several calls on these men; however, they always seemed to be one store ahead of the officers.

Officers caught up with them in the parking lot and found the entire bed of their pickup truck full of purchases that had been made inside the mall. The men had made so many purchases with the stolen credit cards, the merchandise filled the back of a patrol vehicle.

The men were transported to the Chattanooga Police Service Center where they confessed to their crimes.

According to the men, they had obtained a newspaper and scoped out area funeral homes and churches, looking for services where the parking lots would have numerous vehicles parked. They drove to Chattanooga Funeral Home on East Brainerd Road and Covenant Presbyterian Church on East Brained Road, where one of the men would be the lookout, while the other suspect would break into the vehicles and take purses and backpacks.

After breaking into the vehicles, they drove to Hamilton Place Mall and racked up several charges on the stolen credit cards.

Due to the enormous amount of fraudulent charges, an accurate account cannot be given of the total charges, but approximately $2,000 worth of merchandise has been recovered. Currently, the men are being charged with three counts of burglary, three counts of theft under $500 and two counts of vandalism. The investigation is continuing and further charges are expected.

During this investigation, the investigators located a cell phone and GPS that had been reported stolen from two vehicle burglaries in Scottsboro, Ala.

The men will be charged with two more counts of theft under $500 and possession of stolen property.

The Scottsboro Police Department will be investigating the men and filing charges on other possible burglaries.

Charged in these incidents are Justin Clutts, 19, of North Hazel Green, Ala., and James Bragg, 35.

Chattanooga Police encourages citizens to stay alert and be aware of what's going on around you.

Park in a well-lighted space, and be sure to lock the car, close the windows, and hide shopping bags and gifts in the trunk.

Avoid carrying large amounts of cash; pay with a check or credit card whenever possible.

Deter pickpockets and purse-snatchers. Don't overburden yourself with packages. Be extra careful with purses and wallets.

Carry a purse close to your body, not dangling by the straps. Put a wallet in an inside coat or front pants pocket.

Shopping with kids? Teach them to go to a store clerk or security guard if you get separated.

Loading up on all those gifts is a sign of progress in the holiday shopping. But if those packages are left out in the open after they're in the car, your car has become a likely target for thieves. Remember the old clichй, "Out of sight, out of mind?" The same idea applies to items in your car.

Always lock your vehicle and store all items out of sight. Breaking into an empty car isn't worth a thief's time. However, anything left in plain view – from your holiday gifts to spare change, sunglasses, CDs, cell phones or briefcases – may tempt a thief.

Help prevent your vehicle from being stolen by always locking your car and using anti-theft devices. And although it's cold, never leave your vehicle running while you run inside your home or a store – even if for only a minute or two.

If your credit card is stolen, is used or lost, be sure to notify your credit card issuer at once. In fact, it’s a good idea to keep a complete inventory of your credit cards at home, along with their 800 numbers, just in case of these types of mishaps.

For more information on having a safe holiday as well as year-round crime prevention tips, contact your local police department.

RingCentral changes their site design!

2009-12-08T04:39:00.001-08:00

Hi guys!

Got some news for you! Today I found that RingCentral have changed their homepage design!
It is more comfortable and easy to use than the previous one, I think.
Now it is easy to find necessary services and it seems to me that many useless info is gone from the homepage, but maybe it is just correctly placed now?
Due to the new color pallette of the page it became more comfortable to read and orient.
As for the main menu, it was also optimized and made like a dropdown menu, everything was sorted by categories, it allows to find necessary info by simply choosing right category tabs.
Fonts, keys and distance between headers were increased and it also makes the homepage more comfortable to use!
Sign up forms are united now and the sign up button was moved to the right part of the page and increased and is more noticeable now.
Also, I would like to note that the new design is modern and trendy, and it is so important in nowadays due to a huge number of sites.
It is clear that the site design change is the correct and necessary company step, because of the specificity of the product, many potential and existing clients come to the site to find information about the offered services and it is necessary to make the homepage maximally informative and comfortable. I think they achieved it!

You can find new design here. I hope this article will be interesting for you. I will be glad to receive your comments!

Holiday Shopping Safety Tips

2009-12-01T01:11:00.000-08:00

Hey! Holidays are coming! To spend nice and not being upset you should read some tips below! Enjoy!

Here are some ideas suggested by crime prevention specialists to help boost your holiday shopping safety and security, and help conquer these holiday evildoers:

1. Carry only the credit cards, cash and checks you will need for your shopping. In general, it is best to avoid carrying large amounts of cash — use credit cards or checks, if possible, to make your purchases.

2. If your credit card is stolen, misused or lost, be sure to notify your credit card issuer at once. In fact, it’s a good idea to keep a complete inventory of your credit cards at home, along with their 800 numbers, just in case of these types of mishaps.

3. If you need to use an ATM while shopping, remember to use one located inside a busy, well-lit location and to withdraw only the amount of cash you actually need. Also, protect your PIN (personal identification number) by shielding the ATM keypad from any person who may be standing near you (and do not give out your PIN to anyone), and don’t throw way your ATM receipt at the ATM location. And remember, don’t “flash your cash.”

4. Don’t carry a purse or wallet, if possible, as they are the prime targets of thugs, even in crowded shopping areas.

5. Avoid wearing flashy or expensive jewelry.

6. Pickpockets and other petty bandits are looking for easy scores, so it might be a smart idea to carry cash, your identification and credit cards in your front pocket. If you do carry a shoulder bag, it’s best to carry it in front of you.

7. Stay alert at all times — even though there are a million things on your mind and you have a dozen things to do, be aware of your surroundings. Law enforcement calls this concept “situational awareness.” Remember, crooks will be more likely to confront you if they think you are distracted.

8. If you have a mobile phone, be sure to carry it on your person while shopping for added security. If you don’t have a mobile phone, you might consider getting one as a holiday gift — for yourself.

9. Try to avoid driving alone or at night, and travel on busy, well-lit roads. Keep your doors and windows closed while in or out of your vehicle. Park was close as you can to your shopping and remember where you have parked.

Hosted 800 Service: my1voice offers Click-to-Dial

2009-11-17T01:58:00.000-08:00

Read carefully and enjoy!

Several weeks ago I wrote my1voice: Virtualization Made Easy, and I ended with a notation that I'd be giving the my1voice a "free" trial run. I'm not ready to give up our IP-PBX just yet because it's too well embedded in our infrastructure and it works great. Instead I'm suggesting some value and what I'm referring to just may resonate among some customers.

We've been paying an account fee on our 800-service for several years. While our bill isn’t killing us in any sense, it has been on the table for discussion mainly because of the account charges to just maintain 800 services with Verizon. We canned the idea of going SIP because our carrier hasn't perfected keeping that alarm button on my phone turned off –meaning no downtime. When the folks at Protus discussed their many hosted PBX telephony features in the previous interview, I focused on one feature that they didn't make a big deal about--"Click-to-dial." For us it meant goodbye carrier and hello hosted provider.

Click-to-dial with my1voice made my day when our trial account was activated. Of course I received a new 800 number and within a couple of minutes I logged into their console to customize my account. In a few more minutes I activated the feature "click-to-dial" and copied HTML snippets over to our web pages. Testing the service and confirming that customer/prospect Click-to-dial calls from our web pages did in fact ring in--that was easy too. my1voice made it easy to do business.

Secondly, when potential customers hit your website, giving them the option to connect moves prospects onto the magical red carpet closer to sales or in establishing a relationship.

The third thing I like about Click-to-dial is that customers that hit our secure area to download software updates or obtain technical or user information and documentation can also use the feature if they have a question or are feeling stuck. When David Bryan wrote in Are We Falling Victim to Our Own Success? That,"the voice community needs to remember that what is important is connecting people, not how we do it," I took David to heart because I think that his point is what the voice community does need to hear, understand and moreover act upon. I'd only add to David's advice that once you connect people, then the real challenges begin.

No more monthly 800-account fees, slightly better rates, and some communications glue that facilitates Web calls--that's value. The process with my1voice was painless as was porting over our 800 numbers. We can also login anytime to review our calls and history or to make changes. Thinking back over the course of our company history, I've never had more of a hybrid telecommunications solution even when we had a "hybrid"--

* An IP-PBX that supports our TDM proprietary phones,
* An ACD with reporting built into our Voice Mail/Auto Attendant system,
* IP, SIP and wireless (multi-line) phones & analog devices and geeky gizmos,
* UC and management features/tools on the desktops,
* Verizon Centrex--a step above POTS but with undeniable reliability,
* SIP trunks serving as a real cheap LD alternative, and
* A hosted 800 number to deliver cool features.

Skydiving Scammers Hit Valley

2009-11-06T05:06:00.000-08:00

Hey! Found this and want to view your comments to this article. So, enjoy!
A Phoenix attorney alleges a company has scammed more than $23 million out of consumers nationwide, and an Arizona company that's been a major target said, "Enough is enough."About 75,000 people believe they were scammed when they forked over big bucks to what they thought was a reputable skydiving company.It's a scam that targeted thousands of people searching the Web for a skydiving company, only to be conned out of hundreds of dollars, officials said."With very little investment, they were able to divert hundreds and hundreds of customers, specifically looking for my client, to their Web site, where they took the people's money before they ever revealed who they really were," said Skydive Arizona attorney Sid Leach.Leach said he knows all about the scam. He just won more than $6 million in damages from the con artists for his client, Skydive Arizona.It's the biggest skydiving company in the country, something the alleged scammers used to lure folks in, Leach said.Leach said the scammers set up Web sites and 800 numbers boasting the same amenities Skydive Arizona has. Leach said when people would call to confirm they had the right company, they were told yes, they called Skydive Arizona.In reality, they were talking to a group of people based in Atlanta, Leach said. Sometimes the consumers were sent to an airfield and taken on what Leach called an "unsafe dive," something Skydive Arizona would never do.Other times, Leach said, they got nothing at all."The feeling of violation, where you trusted something, and obviously you have to be a lot more careful these days and not just trust what you see on the computer," said Susan Lipper, who was victimized.But the scam isn't just about skydiving. Since it was a civil suit, the company is still out there. Leach said he's sure they're branching out into other phony Web sites, trying to rip off a new demographic of unsuspecting people.Leach said he recently contacted Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, asking his office to do something to shut these people down altogether.

Ring Central Online

2009-10-30T02:59:00.000-07:00

Nice news! Enjoy!

Ring central offers you a latest and spanking new internet phone system with a toll free numbers delivers and all the immense powers as a big company.

Ring central offers you a latest and spanking new internet phone system with a toll free 800 numbers delivers and all the immense powers as a big company. With this Ring central also offers you an opportunity to improve your company's professionalism over the phone and you can also manage incoming calls with answering system and Outbound VoIP choice with Digital line

You can as well access this power of Ring Central behind your company for just $9.99 a month in minute's time online itself. No hardware or any technical skills is required. Ring Central is the foremost virtual phone system developed specially to meet up the requirements of small businesses and mobile professionals. It's the influential, cost-effective innovative way to deal with business communications. You can also sign up for a free trial.

Ring Central 800 Numbers

2009-10-21T01:50:00.000-07:00

Here is some new info about RingCentral services. Read and enjoy!

Small business can now compete with huge corporations with this facility. It serves to be a professional advantage for the small business to prove their mettle with the right technological help.

Ring central now offers its clients the much needed authority and advantage of an 800 number through its Business package. These numbers come as a value addition to Ring central business package. Clients can now select their own 800 numbers. This enhances their professional image to their business contacts and clients. Vanity 800 numbers are perfect for customer service or for sales hotline purposes as it boasts of easier recalling.

The toll free number is activated instantly. It paves way for easier communications within and outside the company as it can be instantaneously connected to the existing phone lines. Small business can now compete with huge corporations with this facility. It serves to be a professional advantage for the small business to prove their mettle with the right technological help.

Do Millionaire Investors Get Better Deals?

2009-10-14T04:36:00.000-07:00

Found this. If anybody is interested in this theme, comment please.

In 2007, the term “moving upstream” was all the rage in private banking and brokerage.

Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Smith Barney and others were focusing on true millionaires to reap bigger rewards. The merely affluent were shuttled off to ATMs and 1-800 numbers.

The reasoning: the biggest profit came from those with the biggest wealth.

Now, the banks seem to be reversing themselves. And it isn’t just because of the falling millionaire population.

A Reuters article quotes Enrique Marazuela, chief investment officer at the fund management arm of Spain’s BBVA, saying that serving clients of lesser wealth is actually more profitable than serving the ultrawealthy.

Customers with 100,000 euros to 300,000 to invest ($147,180 to $441,540) were “much more profitable” and generated business with gross margins of more than 1% of assets under management, he said. For customers with more than two million euros to invest, the gross profit margin was “below 1%,” he said.

Why? For starters, competition for the multimillionaire client is fiercer than for the merely affluent. Those with $100 million or more of investible assets are constantly given freebies, deals, discounts and incentives to open accounts that give a wealth manager more prestige and a huge pile of assets under management.

But perhaps the biggest reason is that larger clients often are more sophisticated. They behave more like institutions, able to scan the market for the best spreads, prices and opportunities.

The thinner margins are further proof of one of the wealth-management industry’s open secrets: the rich tend to get better deals than the merely affluent.

Struggling with Pornography Addiction

2009-10-08T03:33:00.001-07:00

Hey! And what about this? Do you think this is really a big problem for a nowadays society? And if so, what should we do to cope with this problem? So, read below and leave your opinion.

Advocates call pornography a right of freedom of speech covered under our 1st amendment. Others say it is as addictive as cocaine and leads to the destruction of morality and family that some never recover from.

She is a mom of a 19 year old son and does not want to be identified.

“Most people think that this is a victimless addiction and it is not,” she says.

The subject is sexual addiction. Not an easy topic to talk about, especially when it's your child. He was only 14-years-old when friends opened him up to the world of internet porn.

“Finding it was devastating to us. We had no idea, and the things that were coming up on the screen were... we're not just talking a Playboy picture, we're talking some horrible sexual figures that came up and some in cartoon form which was really awful to think what age they're targeting for this,” his mother tells us.

“These are very hard core, pornographic pictures that even 8 year old kids are seeing and it's getting into their minds,” says Internet Forensic Investigator Darin Finch.

Finch investigates Internet activity on the corporate level and sees the long-term effects this type of addiction can have.

“In my position with a couple of different companies, I've seen people's careers end because they couldn't stop browsing inappropriate things even though they know they're being watched,” says Finch.

Sexual addiction slithers its way into people's lives at a very early age. It enters the homes of unsuspecting parents and wraps itself around marriages that, for many, chokes them to the point of divorce. It's hidden in the pews of our churches as those within the faith community will admit that even they are not immune.

This is a child who was being home schooled. He was raised in a Christian family, Christian values and generations of Christians with a lot of support. And that's part of why it was so devastating,” says the young boy's mother.

Vicki Tiede is a Christian motivational speaker who counsels countless women on this addiction. Having first hand knowledge because her ex-husband spent a lot of time and money on his addiction to pornography.

“I share my own story having walked through this, having been married to someone before who didn't struggle with it but who just did it and saw nothing wrong with it. Those who struggle with it actually have hope because they want to be rescued from this pit,” says Tiede. “I was one of those women who was up at two and three in the morning because my husband was on the computer, and thankfully I was pointed to resources and people who could help.”

Vicki got the help she needed but this mom's struggle was only beginning.

“We felt like we had conquered the monster. We secured our computer and learned how to watch for it. A year later, when he was 15 we discovered that the phone had a bunch of 800 numbers on it. We had blocks for 900 numbers but his cell phone had 800 numbers. When we got the bill I looked it up and started dialing the numbers and found it was telephone porn,” she says.

“I think the biggest challenge is how to explain to them how it could affect them later in life. How serious those images are and actions - we're even talking about movies - how that is adversely affecting their views of women, their view of masculinity and sexuality and what healthy sexuality is versus what they're seeing on tv or on the Internet,” says Finch.

An educational symposium called the naked truth is going to take place at the Rochester Assembly of God Church this Saturday.

It is designed to help equip parents, couples, leaders, and clinical counselors on how to help people who are facing these topics and more.

Keys Examined To Avoid Locksmith Scams

2009-10-01T03:48:00.000-07:00

For not being scammed read this article and there will be less chances to be frauded when you are ready. So, be ready!

The down economy isn't the only obstacle for a Valley business.Scott Malone with Scottsdale Lock and Key said what's made business more challenging is the scam artists stealing his customers.Malone went to his computer and typed in the name of his company on a Google search.His business and address popped up, but with a bogus 800 phone number next to it.When he called the number he got an operator at a call center looking to dispatch a locksmith in his area. They are not associated with his business."They're basically stealing the business and they don't really care about repeats," said Malone. "They gouge you for as much money as you can.""The other day I had a customer call to complain that we came out and ripped her off," he said. "It wasn't even us."CBS 5 tracked the 800 number and found it connected to an assortment of other locksmiths in Canada, Florida and Maryland.When CBS 5 called, an operator said she doesn't know why their number is listed next to local businesses and that her supervisor would call us.CBS 5 has not heard back.Malone just wants to warn customers to be careful who you hire.Malone said it's been extremely difficult to track down who's behind this locksmith scam and determine how widespread it is.It's also been tough for to get the bogus phone number removed.Arizona's Attorney General has been notified and is looking into the problem.According to the Arizona Better Business Bureau, there are things you should know before you hire a locksmith.

Don't call 800 numbers. Most local locksmiths have local numbers.

Search for a good locksmith before you need one and put the number in your cell phone.

Find one with a local shop or office so you have a place to go if there's a problem.

Reasonable 800 Toll-Free Number Service Provides Effective Marketing

2009-09-22T03:34:00.000-07:00

Here is some info for you! Read and enjoy!

There's no denying that business owners are always eager to motivate customers to contact them, which is why finding affordable 800 number services has become a necessity. Having an 800 number will help you maintain a professional business image among your customers; but more importantly, you are giving your customers the ability to call you from any part of the country toll-free. In today's scenario, businesses that do not currently have an 800 number are missing out on a lot of sales due to inadequate customer responses.

Business owners have little excuse because finding an affordable 800 number service has now become very easy. It's true that during earlier years, only large business houses and corporations could afford to offer 800 numbers to customers. But several factors including deregulation of toll free numbers and competition between service providers have resulted in affordable 800 number access for most business houses regardless of size. With low per minute costs operational costs and negligible monthly fees, there is really no reason for a business not to have an 800 number service.

Apart from 800, toll free numbers also have prefixes such as 866, 888 or even 877. The extended prefixes indicate that there are enough toll free numbers for businesses to obtain them on demand. As is known to all, the toll free service means the caller or the customer will not incur any calling costs because the business bears such cost.

It is worth restating any number of times that 800 phone numbers are a tremendous way to increase business visibility. This leads to more customer responses resulting in enlarged profit. The advantages of having affordable 800 number services are many, so we'll mention a few below:

1. Human psychology is such that they'll often be attracted to anything that doesn’t come with a price tag, which is why oftentimes they'll stop and think before making a call they have to pay for. In order to benefit from this behavior, business must provide their customers with free calls to keep them happy.

2. No matter where an ad is placed - be it in electronic or print medium - a toll free number is sure to boost customer response rates. Marketing professionals who use toll-free numbers know this magic formula.

3. It is important to have regular communications with customers. If customers know you have an 800 number they will contact you more often. If anything, they will at least feel more confident buying from you even if they anticipate having post-purchase complaints. With a toll free number, customer can be confident in contacting you without incurring calling costs.

4. Offering customers 800 number boosts your business image and infuses a sense of reliability in the minds of the interested buyers of your products and/or services.

5. Customers may not be unduly concerned as long as they know you have an affordable 800 number service that stays with you no matter where your business goes.

6. By using an affordable 800 number service, you are employing one of the most economical marketing tools. Offering an 800 number to customers proves you're customer-friendly and want their patronage.

7. 800 phone numbers make it more tempting for customers to call you directly as they are not required to worry about hold time, and paying high charges.

What to do if you own a credit card

2009-09-16T04:03:00.000-07:00

Here is some useful info for credit card owners. Read and enjoy!

* Guard your credit card details (card number, expiry date and the card verification value code) at all times.
* Keep a copy of all your identification, as well as the 1-800 numbers and account numbers for your cards in a safe place at home.
* Sign your card as soon as soon you receive it. n Never keep your PIN with your credit card. Memorise it.
* Keep all your monthly statements in a safe place. When it lands in the wrong hands, your credit card statement is as good as the card in terms of gaining access to your account.
* Compare receipts to your monthly statements. Immediately report any questionable charges.
* Never leave cards unattended in a car, office or changing room where, a thief could easily find them. n If you pay at a restaurant, either ask for a portable POS (point of sale) machine to be brought to your table or accompany the waiter to the payment terminal. It's okay to be over-protective.
* When you lose your card, report it immediately. What to do if you own a credit card tips

Our voice: Take it easy on the roads

2009-09-08T03:30:00.000-07:00

Hi! Found a very useful and sad article. Hope it will make you think of this and maybe this article can prevent many accidents. So pay attention to this information and read carefully, maybe this will save your life!

Late last month, brothers Justin Abney, 19, and Paul Pope, 22, and their friend, Nicholas Adkison, 21, died in a traffic crash.

They apparently hit a tree at 110 mph on a county road in Sumter County, according to reports.

Before Labor Day, Memorial Day and other long holiday weekends, reports appear in newspapers and on television warning motorists to take it easy on roads and to go prepared.

Authorities predict high levels of traffic on roadways and announce increased patrols to curtail dangerous driving.

Following the holidays, reports appear again in the media listing the number of people injured or killed in crashes -- many due to reckless driving.

The incidence of traffic fatalities during long busy holiday weekends fluctuate, but the numbers are higher than at other times.

Last year the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reported a drop of more than 7 percent in traffic fatalities from 2007 to 2008. Some 2,983 people died in traffic crashes in 2008. Fatalities of teen drivers and passengers decreased by 22 percent since 2005.

We can reduce these statistics even further by heeding the warnings and taking precautions.

The Florida Highway Patrol suggests motorists planning a trip follow these guidelines:

-- Check all vehicles lights, vehicle fluids and windshield wipers.

-- Take a flashlight. Flares and safety triangles are also useful during breakdowns.

-- Keep water in the trunk in case of overheating and jumper cables for a dead battery.

-- Check tire pressure and ensure a spare tire and tools are available.

-- Take a car charger with a cell phone. Put important telephone numbers on paper.

-- Watch seatbelt use. Children sometimes remove belts while sleeping during long trips.

-- Watch speed limits, which in Florida never exceed 70 mph.

-- Photocopy the back of credit cards or write down the 800 numbers in case the cards are lost or stolen.

-- Carry spare keys in case they're lost.

-- Take maps as backups for GPS systems.

-- Confirm membership in roadside assistance clubs.

-- Ensure items are properly stored. Objects can become dangerous projectiles in crashes.

A few extra steps at the start may make that holiday trip safe and happy.

Mobile Phone Number Search - Trace Any Cell Phone Number Instantly

2009-09-02T04:33:00.000-07:00

And this is for you! Read and enjoy!

Are you trying to find a way to find out who owns that cell phone number you haven't seen before? There are a couple of ways you can go about trying to find this information. The approach to do this are broken down into no charge and low cost ways. Here is a synopsis of how both techniques work. Once you have the information you can decipher which way is the right way for you.

The no cost way is usually preferred to the low cost ways, but this will take a bit of patience and dedication. You won't find cell phone numbers in any of the no charge directories like the White Pages as cellular numbers are private and not public information.
The most efficient way to do a cellular number search for no charge is by typing the digits into your favorite search engine. When you do this, you are hoping that at sometime the owner of that cell phone number has uploaded private information along with the cell number onto a website that is still up and running.

I have personally used this method quite a few times and to be honest this is a shot in the dark. Major cellular companies such as Verizon and Sprint take the privacy of their customers very seriously. The way you will be able to get this information is by using a reverse cell phone directory. The cell companies provide this information to the directory as part of a lease deal.

Usually the only drawback is that a nominal charge will be required. For this nominal charge you can get just about any information you could possible want in a matter of minutes. The website where I performed my first reverse cell phone lookup is the site that I still count on today for all of my needs. They offer a way to upgrade so that I can do as many lookups and I want to. You can always pay just for one lookup. There is no minimum requirement. With this service, you can find information on any number that you wish to research! This is including cell phone numbers, published land line numbers, unpublished land line numbers, fax numbers, or 800 numbers.

Why do we still have 800/888 numbers?

2009-08-28T01:51:00.000-07:00

Hey! Have found an interesting article about 800 Numbers. Are you agree with the text is written below? What is your own opinion about this topic? I'm waiting for your comments.

The toll free 800 number was born out of the long distance era. I call it the long distance era because that was where the “value” was in voice telecommunications. We have since moved beyond this era, but a remnant, the 800 number still remains. Recently I discovered that many of the younger generation aren’t familiar with the whole concept. For those of you that don’t remember or are too young to know, the brief story goes like this. Once upon a time, there was a really big phone company. It was so big, in fact, that people used that affectionate parental term for mother known as “Ma” to describe it - yes this was Ma Bell or AT&T. In the early years of telephony, AT&T pieced together the Bell System. This was a monster monopoly which controlled everything surrounding telecommunications in the United States and exerted great influence around the world. One of the cornerstone philosophies of the old Bell System was that everyone deserved a phone. This meant that where ever you lived within the Bell System, your local telephone service had to be affordable and easy to use. Of course, as you might guess, running all those wires to so many homes, especially out in the hinterlands was very expensive. The Bell System paid for this by creating the concept of long distance calling. The idea was to subsidize the costs of local service by charging a lot of money for long distance calls. This pricing strategy, made easy because it was all pretty much one company, drove a whole set of cultural phenomena. For example, when the phone would ring, as soon as it was discovered that it was “long distance,” entire households would come to a halt with this single shout. This was because it was really expensive and every minute was carefully metered. There were also really fancy ways of charging calls like, “collect,” “person to person,” and “operator assisted.” Yes, for those of you too young to have experienced it, the 0 was a magic key on the phone. It wasn’t just a number, but pressing it all by itself connected you directly with a human being known as an “operator.” Her job was to make all of those fancy calls a reality.

Now, because long distance was expensive, the wizards at Bell Laboratories invented a special kind of number known as the “800″ or toll free numbers. These could be called free of charge from any phone, anywhere within the Bell System and the long distance charges would be paid by the “called party” instead of the caller. This was magical because it opened up the world of catalog shopping, late night television impulse purchases and the rest of the telemarketing frenzy. Before the Internet, this was THE way to get stuff. These became so popular that 800 numbers alone weren’t enough. In the early 1990’s the numbers were extended to include 888, 877, 866, etc.

But behold something has happened. These numbers are still around today, but they are completely unnecessary. The Bell System was split up as part of a long antitrust mess that extended over a couple of decades. The long distance market, made cost competitive by the entrance of MCI and Sprint, became commoditized. Long distance subsidies dried up and the independent local telephone companies were forced to charge non-subsidized rates for service. This combined with the explosion of cellular has made long distance calling virtually free. Hence, other than branding benefits that go with a certain toll free number like “800-Flowers” for example, there is really no longer a need for the miracle of the 800 number. It has become obsolete. As a matter of fact, think about this. Use of an 800 number actually costs a lot more? If long distance is free, then using an 800 number causes the called party to pay for something that is already free. Sure some of you will say, but I still like to use these numbers when I make a call from a pay phone. To that I ask, have you seen a pay phone lately?

Tips to minimize your kids' salt intake

2009-08-21T04:40:00.000-07:00

Hi! One more useful article. Do you have children? Or are going to have? Then it is for you.

Follow Canada's Food Guide and Select Lower-Salt Foods.

Serve fresh foods, especially fruits and vegetables high in potassium, which can reduce the risk of high blood pressure.

Read nutrition labels and compare products to find the low-sodium choice.

Keep in mind that labels list sodium per serving as a percentage of the upper tolerable limit for adults, not the required amount for children.

Call manufacturers' 1-800 numbers to voice your concerns about salt content.

Kick the habit of adding salt to children's food.

When eating out, order salty dressings and sauces on the side and use sparingly.

Give thirsty kids water, milk, low-salt V8 or V-fusion fruit and veggie juices.

When cooking, add salt toward the end to maximize flavour.

Credit Reports: What You Should Know

2009-08-14T01:15:00.000-07:00

Here is an interesting info about the credit reports. Maybe you will find something you didn`t know while reading this article. Enjoy!

Credit Evaluation Factors

There are many factors that go into determining your credit. The following list includes of some of the major factors considered:

Age
Residence
"Authorized User" Payment History
Checking And Savings Accounts
Bankruptcy
Charge-Offs
Child Support
Closed Accounts And Inactive Accounts
Jobs
Payment History
Recent Loans
Collection Accounts And Charge-Offs
Cosigning An Account
Credit Limits
Credit Reports
Debt/Income Ratios
Department Store Accounts
Payment History/Late Payments
Finance Company Credit Cards
Income/Income Per Dependant
Mortgages
Revolving Credit
Name/Alias
Number Of Credit Accounts
Fraud
Inquiries

These factors may be used, and weighted, in determining credit decisions. Credit reports contain much of this information.

Obtaining Your Credit Reports

Credit reports are records of consumers' bill-paying habits collected, stored and sold by credit bureaus.

Credit reports are also called credit records, credit files, and credit histories. Under Federal law, you are allowed access to free credit reports. There are three major credit bureaus and thousands of smaller ones where you can obtain a credit report.

These credit bureaus offer the free credit reports and monthly credit reports and services for a fee.

If you have been denied credit, you can request that the credit bureau involved provide you with a free copy of your credit report, but you must request it promptly. Otherwise each of the bureaus will provide you a copy of the report for a fee. You can request a copy from their web sites (see links above) or 800 numbers (also listed above).

Four Ways Your Dealership May Be Mishandling Sales Calls…and the Secrets to Turning Those Calls Around

2009-08-05T05:16:00.000-07:00

Hey. Today's topic is about the business and about the call etiquette. Everybody knows that nowadays the success of our business, partnership and ourselves at all depands on our conversation skills and the first impression we make. Not to do mistakes in this important things we train ourselves and read thematic books. Here are some short notes helping us in this not easy business. Read carefully.

According to one of our dealer clients, his stores close 25% of call-in leads and just 12% of online leads. I think that says a lot about having a good, old-fashioned, one-on-one interaction with a prospective buyer.

If you’re looking for ways to help your sales team convert more phone-ups, then now is the time to look at your call-handling process. Here are four ways your dealership may be mis-handling calls and losing sales. Improve in these areas and you should see your ups close rate rise.

Not listening to the caller

Train your sales and service staff to listen to what the customer asks for and then look past that to find out what they need. Too often, salespeople sing the praises of the brand or model a caller inquires about without hearing what the customer actually wants in a new car. Listen to the speed at which the customer speaks and try to match that pattern. Listen closely to intonations, emphasis on certain words may provide a hint as to what questions to ask to move the sales process along.

Sometimes, service departments are so eager to fill their schedule they don’t “connect” with the customer in order to build a lasting, loyal customer relationship. Listen to your callers, ask questions to identify their needs, and work hard to fulfill it. The secret to identifying these holes in your staff’s call-handling process is to use a lead-tracking system that offers a recording feature. Recording calls will let you play them back at a later date, so you can monitor sales and service staff, spot any problems with the call-handling process, and fine tune those holes to turn more phone-ups into appointments and sales.

Jumping straight to booking an appointment without building rapport with the caller

In any type of sales business, you need to establish a relationship. Even on the web, you need to have landing pages to provide information about your products or services before jumping to the shopping cart. So, don’t rush to the sale. Take the time to engage and educate your customers and they will reward you with a purchase, and hopefully become loyal buyers. A basic sales script to guide the conversation will serve your sales staff well and do the same for your service department. Identify the questions you want to clarify with callers before scheduling an appointment, so you’re well informed about their needs by the end of the conversation.

Going off topic

Some salespeople overdo the need for a “relationship” with excessive chatter. Others may spend an unwarranted amount of time on irrelevant information, delaying the sale and distracting the caller. While you do want to build a relationship and make your callers comfortable, the goal is to schedule the appointments and make the sale. If a sale is the topic, don’t coast too far off on tangents like the local weather or latest restaurant opening. Save that relationship chatter for when they are in your showroom and the closing papers are being drafted!

Not following up on phone leads

Just because someone does not buy immediately doesn’t mean they won’t be interested later. Follow up is a critical aspect of sales that is often neglected. And, we all know that from a salesperson’s perspective: If the deal doesn’t close, move on to the next opportunity. The secret to making the most of every incoming phone lead is to employ a lead tracking system that provides caller information like name, address, phone, and average home value. This will help you capture that essential information and allow you to keep that prospect on your radar for future follow-up and proactive marketing campaigns.

A thorough analysis of your callers’ experiences as they are introduced to your dealership will speak volumes on where your sales and service departments excel, but most importantly, on where there is room for improvement. If you don’t already have a lead-tracking system with recording capabilities, find one today and get started. You’ll be amazed at the conversations that are taking place between potential customers and your dealership. And, you’ll undoubtedly identify areas and employees that need training.

Laura Noonan has 15 years of experience in the vanity 800 numbers and telecommunications industry. She coaches hundreds of auto clients each year on using toll-free vanity 800 phone numbers as direct marketing tools to increase advertising response rates.

Hammered by hail?

2009-07-31T03:24:00.000-07:00

Oh! Have found some info for people who were affected by the disaster! Please, read next to know how to behave in such situation and how to help other people.

Hail stones crashed through windows, dented vehicles and damaged roofs Wednesday afternoon. Homeowners insurance covers damage from wind and hail, and damage to vehicles from hail and flooding is covered if you carry comprehensive insurance on your auto policy. Great! Now what?

The Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association. recommends that you take the following steps.

· Be prepared to give your agent or insurance representative a description of any damage. Your agent will report the loss immediately to your insurance company or a qualified adjuster. Some companies also have 24-hour, 800 numbers for claims assistance.

· Take photos of the damaged areas. These will help with your claims process and will assist the adjuster in the investigation.

· Prepare a detailed inventory of all damaged or destroyed personal property. Be sure to make two copies—one for yourself and one for the adjuster. Your list should be as complete as possible, including descriptions of the items, dates of purchase or approximate age, cost at time of purchase and estimated replacement cost.

· Make whatever temporary repairs you can. Cover broken windows, damaged roofs and walls to prevent further destruction. Save receipts for supplies and materials you purchase. Your company will reimburse you for reasonable expenses in making temporary repairs.

· Secure a detailed estimate for permanent repairs to your home from a reliable contractor and give it to the adjuster. The estimate should contain the proposed repairs, repair costs and replacement prices.

· Serious losses will be given priority. If your home has been destroyed or seriously damaged, your agent will do everything possible to assure that you are given priority.

American Airlines to close call center in Windsor, Conn.

2009-07-24T05:24:00.000-07:00

Hi guys! Maybe you have read this before, but I have found this note some time ago. What do you think about this and what is your opinion about this situation?

WINDSOR, Conn. - With fewer people flying and more people booking flights online, American Airlines will close its 500-worker call center here, according to spokesman Guillermo Sanez.

Some of the workers may get jobs in centers elsewhere or be able to work from home, he said.

American Airlines has already scaled back the number of flights and the size of the airplanes it flies, said Sanez. He said the airline has cut the number of seats available on its flights by 7.5 percent in this year alone.

"And more then that over the past few years," Sanez said. "We are a smaller airline."

R. Nelson Griebel, president and CEO of MetroHartford Alliance, a group that acts as a regional chamber of commerce and economic development agency said the airline was looking to cut costs.

"Not just cost of having those employees, but the overhead cost of maintaining that office," he said.

"With more people booking online, fewer people are calling. People don't use call airline call 1-800 numbers the same way as they once did. The same way as they don't use travel agents the way they once did."

The call center had 800 employees when it moved to Day Hill Road from downtown Hartford in 2002, said Jane M. Garibay, executive director of the Windsor Chamber of Commerce.

Sanez said previous cuts in staff came through attrition. This time around, the 500 remaining workers are being given the option of moving to call centers in Tucson, Ariz., Raleigh, N.C., or Dallas or of working from home.

American Airlines would link both its phone lines and its reservation system with worker's homes through the Internet, Sanez said.

"So if a person has a quiet place in their home where they can work without interruption, this might be an option for them," Sanez said.

Workers will have months to decide, he said.

Sanez said some of the 500 workers live in Massachusetts, but he couldn't say how many. He also wouldn't say what the average salary is at the call center or how many jobs are available for the 500 workers.

Garibay said even though American Airlines was far from the town's largest employer, the news was still a blow.

Windsor has 28,000 in population but another 22,000 commute into the town for work each day. She said there is not much vacant office space available in Windsor, so she thinks American Airlines landlord will be able to attract another employer to the site.

The wonder and danger of the Internet

2009-07-17T01:16:00.000-07:00

Oh! Today I have found a message that made me think about the role of the Internet in our lifes. Sometimes it is so useful and amazing! But sometimes it is ful of danger! Be aware and read next!

The Internet has expanded the opportunities for young people to explore the world.

It provides access to hundreds of thousands of responsible information sites and has opened the possibility of immediate communication with other people.

Unfortunately, things on the Internet are not always as they appear.

Lurking about the chat rooms and the social-networking sites, such as Facebook, are people who take advantage of the naivety of children by pretending to be children themselves.

Their goal is usually to entice the child into a sexual situation, ranging from explicit conversations, the sharing of pictures or even actual personal contact.

Parents can minimize the possibility of an unwanted Internet communication by following some safeguards.

Explain to children that, while the Internet is a valuable tool, it can also be a dangerous place.

Talk to them about the potential for online danger.

Instruct them never to agree to a face-to-face meeting with anyone they meet on the Internet and never give out their real name, address, school or phone number.

Internet predators may tell children to phone them collect.

That is no safeguard as the child’s number will be available on call display.

Some predators have gone so far as to obtain 800 numbers so that the calls will not show up on the parent’s phone bill.

Children should not post pictures of themselves on the Internet.

Not only is it dangerous now, it could also be embarrassing in the future, as several politicians and would-be-politicians know.

Keep the computer in an area where the monitor is easily seen.

It is difficult for predators to communicate with children when their messages may be visible to adults.

Monitor the sites the children visit by using the computer’s history setting.

Use parental controls that may be available through the Internet service provider.

Try to have access to the children’s e-mail accounts and check them.

This may be easier to do for younger children, but the older ones are computer savvy and will have several e-mail accounts.

This column is part of a series of informational articles aimed at increasing public awareness about the services provided by the Kamloops Victim Services Unit.

The unit offers a variety of information and services, at no cost, to any victim or witness of crime or trauma.

All unit members have received specialized, comprehensive training in victims’ issues, the criminal-justice system and crisis-intervention techniques.

Jobs Americans WILL Do.

2009-07-10T03:09:00.000-07:00

I was just surfing the Internet, when I found this story.. I would like you to comment this note for I could know your opinion.

One small favor from this disastrous recession: slightly fewer reporters are mindlessly scribbling down the phrase, "jobs Americans won't do." More than 400 NumbersUSA members wrote to me personally after my fundraising email on Monday. About 275 of them told me they are unemployed. Another 100 reported that their retirement income is so small that they cannot donate.

Many of those writing me are making ends meet in unusual ways. In fact, you wouldn't believe all the jobs that they used to do and would very much like to do again.
Former factory workers, former construction workers, even a cotton picker, wrote me. They are all active, faxing and phoning members of NumbersUSA.
Some have taken jobs that younger people really ought to be doing.
Listen to Pat's story:

I do everything I can - faxes when you give me the chance, phone calls too - (isn't it a shame our representatives can't afford 800 numbers to their offices so that ALL their constituents can call with their thoughts and moral support? I've written them about THAT, too.)
I DO appreciate your disclaimer regarding 'ability to pay'. We are retired and our life savings were wiped out on my medical bills (even though we have insurance). At age 67 my husband delivers pizzas 3 nights a week - and by the third night, he is just dragging. If you will keep giving me the opportunity to fax I will. I call whenever I can (luckily I have a cell phone - which allows me to call as I couldn't afford the long distance bills if I had to pay each call).
I appreciate the wonderful work this organization is doing and am so glad you have offered a way for me to get so personally involved, even though I have no spare money to send you. (I was emailing and calling before I ever found your site. The ability to fax is a great addition for me.) Keep the faxes coming and I'll keep sending them on - nearly always with my own personal comments rather than the standard text. (I'm maybe a little more militant in my wordage and that makes me feel a little better when I can get my thoughts off my chest).
Again, keep up the great work and thank you for letting me be involved. You have come upon a great system that encourages and allows many more to be involved.
~Pat N, of Texas

Pat's email says so many things that I'd like to underscore.

This 67 year-old American's husband is willing to work as a pizza delivery man, even though common sense says younger people would be better able to do that job. Americans are just like any other industrious people. When they have to put food on the table, any job is better than no job.
Pat got my message that we only want donations from people who are able to pay. If you're on a small fixed income, or unemployed, or sick, or otherwise unable, let other people bear the burden.
It's refreshing for me to read hundreds of letters from members who, like Pat, are so grateful to NumbersUSA for allowing them to fax Congress even though they cannot contribute. "Pat, you're welcome!" You really need to thank the many thousands of NumbersUSA members who can and do pick up the faxing tab for those who cannot help.

Pat, thanks for contacting me. Thanks for using our faxing system to amplify your voice. Thanks for making the calls that make a huge impact. Thanks for working hard and keeping your head up.
I say to you, Pat, what I tell so many-- "Keep the faith, and never give up!"

JIM ROBB is Vice President, Operations for NumbersUSA

Views and opinions expressed in blogs on this website are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect official policies of NumbersUSA.