Ascentive Affiliate Blog | Ascentive.com

TalkTo raises $3M in Series A Funding

2012-04-24T08:06:00.002-07:00

TalkTo, Inc. announced today the launch of talkto: BostonÔ, a version of its messaging service that enables Boston-area residents to text any store, restaurant, salon, hotel or other type of business. TalkTo also announced the closing of its $3 million Series A funding from Matrix Partners, which will be used to fuel a national rollout later this year.

TalkTo first emerged in limited beta in September 2011 with an audacious goal: to make it possible to text any business whenever you want, and get a text response from the business in return. Designed to look and feel like SMS, the app lets anyone inquire about products and services, book appointments and reservations, or ask other questions with a text message.

“For too long, businesses have told us how and when to contact them,” said Stuart Levinson, co-founder and CEO of TalkTo. “It’s time to blow up the old model and put the consumer first. We want to contact businesses as easily as we text our friends so we can get on with our day. We want our time back.”

“For the last few years, the onslaught of mobile technologies has redefined how consumers relate to each other and almost everything in their world, but nothing has dramatically improved the way in which they can interact with businesses,” said Antonio Rodriguez, general partner at Matrix Partners and TalkTo board member. “TalkTo breaks down the barriers between consumers and businesses without compromising the ways in which each prefers to communicate.”

Since businesses already have lots of ways to respond to customers via email, SMS, web chat, phone and third-party apps, TalkTo will route messages to their preferred channel. If a business replies via email, for example, TalkTo users still receive it as a text message. This means a business can take advantage of TalkTo without installing or learning anything new.

Businesses like the Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Mass., have already embraced the new service to make it easier for customers to engage. “From phone to email to social media, we have always strived to be as accessible as possible to our guests” says General Manager, Alex Attia. “With TalkTo, we give our guests an ability to text with us as well.”

The talkto: Boston app is now available for residents in the Greater Boston area to text any business across America.

Users can download it from the App Store or access it via Android and other mobile devices on the Web at talkto.com. Anyone can sign up to be notified first once the app is extended beyond Boston.

Streamline your Accounts Payable System Now

2011-08-31T11:28:00.001-07:00

Business tips from the Ascentive team

Although it may seem like a minor problem, you can lose a lot of money when your book keeping system fails to keep up with the growth of your business. A simple Excel file and a business check-writing system are usually enough to keep accounts payable adequate for businesses in their early years, but if your business has grown and you're now spending more than a few minutes a day on managing payments, experts say you should look to improve your system. With the right amount of streamlining, you should be in great shape. Here are some terrific tips for upgrading your accounts payable process.

Reevaluate your Basic Structure

If you are receiving more than a bill or two a day, you should be using an accounting program, such as QuickBooks. If your business has several employees, it's just fine to have an administrator involved in entering data into the accounts payable, but you should plan to keep final tabs of it always. Some basics you should already be doing include:

• Every incoming bill should be entered into your accounts payable file daily, with date of arrival, date due, relevant account information and comments.

• Business credit-card items should be filed on the same day they are expensed.

• Employees should trained in filing expense reports. If evaluations show you that it's a drag for them, consider implementing a piece of software that will help. Also, segmenting all employee expenses onto individual business credit cards can both eliminate false reporting and ease uploading expenses.

• For classic paper bills, retain the stub and envelope for records as well.

• Bills should be paid promptly, but en masse. Set a time at least once a week for yourself or your accounts payable staffer (or assistant) to do this. If it's someone other than you managing payments, be sure to review approve the list before sending out checks.

Get an Advisor 

Next, delegate some of your bookkeeping responsibility to an assistant. You may also consider a certified public accountant or even a part-time CFO. An accountant with a regular monthly relationship with your company can help streamline the process by advising you on timesaving methods and they can catch costly errors. A part-time CFO can also step in if your needs are more strategic in nature, or if you are setting up the business to scale.

Avoiding Fraud

To avoid fraud, you can institute a variety of checks and balances. One simple method is to separate duties. A junior employee can process and print a check, but a senior one should be required to review and sign it. This dual duty can be incorporated into most basic business accounting software, so employees can only access and perform assigned functions. For checks that exceed a predetermined amount, requiring a second signature from you or your CFO is a best practice. Separating the process of adding a new supplier to your system from the ability to issue payment is also advised.

Working with Your Accountant

Finally, when you're transitioning to a new accounting software, accountant, or part-time CFO, it's best to make a transition to a streamlined accounts payable system at the start of your fiscal year, or ask your accountant to help you ease the transition from the start, by inputting the rest of the year's previous data into your new system. Working with the same accountant throughout the year and through reporting your taxes is the best way to streamline the process. If that's not possible, you'll want to make sure you have documentation to support your own accounting of payments, including transaction confirmation from all your suppliers.

Is CRM Software a good fit for you SMB?

2011-08-16T08:07:00.000-07:00

Business tips from the Ascentive team

There's no doubt that a small business' success depends upon a strong relationship with its customers. Cultivated by a sales force and a well-structured sales process, a strong relationship without your customers will lead to high sales. And one of the components of a well-structured sales process is Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software.

CRM software is actually most successful when used as a widely implemented strategy for managing a company’s interactions with customers, and sales prospects. It involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize business processes—principally sales activities, but also those for marketing, customer service, and technical support. The overall goals are to find, attract, and win new clients, nurture and retain those the company already has, entice former clients back into the fold, and reduce the costs of marketing and client service.

Although many CRM tools are designed with large corporates in mind, there are plenty of application suites available that are well tailored for Small to Medium sized businesses (SMBs). In fact, the right suite of customer relationship management tools can help your business save money as well as generate sales. It is therefore crucial for SMBs to choose a suitable CRM solution for their specific business needs.

If you are in the market for a customer relationship management solution, a web based CRM suite is a great choice for SMBs, since you get to enjoy unparalleled flexibility that too at unbeatable rates. In addition, your online CRM software can be tailored to match your specific needs and requirements to ensure that you get the most out of your investment. No matter how unique your needs are, the web based CRM would be a much better and cost effective option for you as compared to on-site CRM.

Contrary to on site CRM, web based CRM does not require investing in a dedicated server and, gives you the flexibility to log on to the CRM tool using just your Internet connection. In addition to accessing all the information that you may need, you can also set different access levels to ensure that only relevant information is passed on to the staff members in your company.

Finally, Small business CRM software allows you to stay connected with your business even if you are traveling or are holidaying abroad. With 24X7 connectivity, it is easier to manage your business activities at the click of a mouse. Sensing the growing popularity of web based CRM systems, many vendors who earlier specialized in on site CRM only are now selling customized web based CRM tools and CRM software applications to improve their sales figures. Of course, you need to shop around to find a CRM solution that is not only suitable for your business but also right for your pocket.

Vringo raises $2.5 million, will acquire Zlango Ltd.

2011-08-04T06:47:00.000-07:00

Business news from the Ascentive team

On Wednesday Vringo, Inc. a provider of software platforms for mobile social and video applications, announced today that it has closed a private placement of convertible notes in the aggregate amount of $2.5 million primarily to leading venture capital firms Benchmark Capital and DAG Ventures.

The convertible notes bear interest at the rate of 1.25% per annum and mature on January 1, 2012. Upon the closing of a subsequent financing by the Company, the convertible notes will automatically convert into the same securities as the subsequent financing except that the conversion price for the convertible notes will be equal to the lower of: (i) today’s closing price of the Company’s common stock; or (ii) the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the date the funds were received; or (iii) a 10% discount to the securities issued in the subsequent financing.

Vringo also announced that it had executed a Letter of Intent (”LOI”) to acquire and merge operations with Zlango Ltd, a mobile messaging company (”Zlango”). The parties intend to enter into an asset purchase agreement whereby Vringo will acquire substantially all of the assets of Zlango Ltd. Under the terms of the LOI, Vringo will issue 3,000,000 shares of its common stock and provide Zlango’s management with a retention package comprised of options to purchase 250,000 shares of common stock. In connection with the LOI, Benchmark Capital and DAG Ventures, who are affiliates of Zlango, agreed to enter into the financing announced today.

The combined company intends to leverage Zlango’s rich media messaging services together with Vringo’s strong portfolio of mobile social and video applications to create a new leader in the mobile social arena. Zlango’s technology can effortlessly add icons, themes and images to standard text messages. Zlango provides a set of technology platforms through a managed services environment for enabling rich media messages over the existing mobile text infrastructure. It also offers a platform for premium and syndicated content, as well as user-generated content.

“We are thrilled to announce this investment from Benchmark and DAG, along with our LOI to acquire and merge operations with Zlango,” said Jon Medved, Chief Executive Officer of Vringo. “The financing led by Benchmark Capital and DAG Ventures is a significant vote of confidence in Vringo. We believe Zlango’s exciting messaging platform will allow us to enter the massive mobile messaging market, which ranks second in mobile revenue only to voice. This additional funding and the Zlango transaction will be highly beneficial as we continue to grow our business.”

Benchmark Capital is a leading venture capital firm and has been an early investor in leading technology companies such as eBay (EBAY), Twitter, Zipcar (ZIP), Juniper Networks (JNPR), Red Hat Software (RHAT), and MySQL. Michael Eisenberg, General Partner at Benchmark Capital, will join Vringo’s Board of Directors at the closing of the Zlango transaction. Mr. Eisenberg has been named by Forbes Magazine to its prestigious Midas List of leading venture capitalists.

DAG Ventures is a leading venture capital firm and has been an investor in leading technology companies such as AdMob (acquired by Google), Plaxo (acquired by Comcast), Chegg, Segway, and Yelp. John Cadeddu, Managing Director at DAG Ventures, will join Vringo’s Board of Directors as an observer at the closing of the Zlango transaction.

Mr. Eisenberg said, “Combining Vringo and Zlango carves out a wide viral footprint in mobile social applications. The rate of social interaction on mobile devices is even higher than on the web and I believe the potential of this combined company will be unlocked by offering a range of innovative social products at the intersection of video and messaging technology.”

Mr. Eisenberg continued, “Both Vringo and Zlango are experiencing growing rates of early customer adoption on the important Android platform. The two companies service a complementary group of carrier partners including Orange, Vodafone Maxis, Viettel and others. I believe that together their growth will accelerate and will result in a significant player in the mobile social market.”

Roni Haim, CEO of Zlango commented, “Zlango’s popular messaging products have always been about ‘messaging with attitude’ and personalization. Similarly, Vringo’s social and personal video applications provide a whole new level of mobile social experiences. We believe there are significant upside synergies between our two firms. By combining Zlango’s passionate 4 million users with Vringo’s products and additional capital, the future is bright.”

The proposed transaction with Zlango is subject to satisfactory completion of due diligence by Vringo, completion of a definitive asset purchase agreement, regulatory review by the SEC and the approval of both the stockholders and boards of both companies. Upon the execution of a definitive agreement, Vringo expects to prepare and file with the SEC a Registration Statement on Form S-4 covering the shares to be issued in this transaction.

10 Key Marketing Trends for 2011

2011-07-07T06:01:00.000-07:00

Business tips from the Ascentive team

Halfway into the year, the need for trust, value and brand transparency are as important today as they were in 2010. However, the emergence of Social Media Marketing, Geotargeting, and mobile marketing have inspired many businesses to adapt their marketing strategies in order to surpass the competition. Here are the 10 marketing trends of 2011 that businesses everywhere should incorporate into their strategies.

Build Brand Advocates

The theory that you need a legion of friends and followers to build your business through Social Media Marketing is over. What you need is quality connections who are loyal to the business and the brand to spread your message.

Stick to your Niche

Businesses need to focus on their niches and position themselves as the definitive sources for information, products and services related to their products or services.

Keep Creating Quality Content

Social media marketing and content marketing work hand-in-hand, and you need to create useful content that adds value to online conversation and to people's lives. The Internet is a noisy place. What you need is quality content in order to be heard through all the noise.

Spend More on Social Media

Statistics are showing that both large and small companies are shifting their budgets to spend more on social media and other digital marketing initiatives.

Invest in Branded Online Experiences

You need to invest in Branded Online Experience in order to meet diverse consumer needs. Having a Twitter account or Facebook page isn't enough. You need to provide consumers with multiple branded online destinations, including a blog, LinkedIn profile, YouTube channel, and Flickr profile.

Pursue Mobile Marketing

Mobile Marketing is now a marketing imperative. With mobile advertising, branded mobile apps and apps like Foursquare, consumers now expect businesses to have a mobile presence.

Make Geotargeting and Localized Marketing a Priority

Localized discount websites like Groupon and review sites like Yelp are making it easier for consumers to find deals and reviews about businesses in their neighborhoods. Creating targeted, local marketing campaigns using these popular tools is now the norm, so learn to love it.

Just Say No to Silo Marketing

Use Offline, online and mobile marketing initiatives to create an opportunity for your business to lead consumers from one message to another by through integration. You can drive a significantly higher return on investment by cross-promoting branded online destinations, discounts, contests and events.

Use Co-marketing

Use Comarketing to boost returns and lower marketing costs. With the economy still struggling, businesses can benefit from economies of scale by partnering with complementary businesses to develop co-marketing plans. Promotional partnerships not only lead to reduced costs but also can lead to increased exposure to new audiences.

Track brand reputations on the social Web

Social media has given consumers a large platform to voice their opinions, and business owners are realizing the importance of actively monitoring their reputation on the Internet. With dashboards and social media aggregators like Hootsuite, Spredfast, and Klout, it's easier than ever for businesses to develop and track their presence and influence online.

Are Your Sales Practices Up To Snuff?

2011-06-30T12:32:00.000-07:00

Most companies have a set of Sales Practices that are essentially composed of three primary elements: sales forecasts, key performance indicators, and CRM management software. Ironically, how companies use these three elements often result in impairing and alienating their sales staff, rather than achieving their sales goals. So how do companies avoid this alienation and achieve their sales goals? Check your sales practices against the following questions:

Who Determines your KPI's, Metrics, and Sales Forecasts?

A company's metrics and KPI's (Key Performance Indicators) should be determined by the Sales Director, the Financial Director and the Managing Director. These KPI's tell the sales teams what they should be doing. An example of a KPI would be "Our pipeline is four times of our annual sales target" or "Our conversion ratio of opportunities to closed orders is seventy-five percent." The key here is that the sales director takes the point in the determination of these standards, making the final decision as to what's realistic. This includes your Sales Forecasts. If Finance or any other department determines these standards, you're ultimately setting yourself up to fail.

Who Determined your CRM Solution?

Were your sales teams ever consulted when your company chose your CRM solution or asked about their requirements? If your team was left out of the loop, you can bet they view your CRM software as a hindrance and not a valuable sales tool. Your sales management will also find it difficult to get the sales team to provide information about the status of their opportunities and the evolving needs of your customers.

How are your Sales Processes messaged?

How have your processes been communicated to your sales staff? Your sales staff is the vehicle for your company's products and services. Do they really know why your sales processes even exist? Do they agree with these processes? Has the value of the process been communicated to the sales teams?

Do they know why other departments may need the information and how will it help them to increase sales? If the answer to any of these is no, you have to improve your messaging.

Do Your Performance Reviews Encourage Better Performance?

Without a doubt, an inadequate performance system will result in reduced productivity, low morale, cynicism and high staff turnover. What you need is a process that cultivates creativity and encourages individuality through constant improvement and regular feedback. The problem with giving feedback according to the fiscal quarterly is that it suggests that your processes are all about bean counting, rather than people. This feedback loop will ensure that everyone participates in the sales process. Finally, you need to regularly rewarding team successes in order to increase morale and promotes high levels of staff retention.

Free Graphics Programs you can't live without

2011-06-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

Creative tips from the Ascentive team

Buying a graphics program is always an expensive endeavor. Luckily, there are many free programs available for graphic artists and hobbyists alike. Here are some free graphics programs that you can't live without.

Picassa – Picasa is an image editing program available in the Google Pack download. Picasa supports red-eye removal, photo correction and most of the standard editing tools.

ColorPic – ColorPic is a a magnified color picker, designed to create color palettes of up to 16 colors at once. ColorPic works in Firefox, Internet Explorer, Photoshop and other applications.

FastStone Image Viewer – A full featured image browser, converter and editor. Includes red-eye removal, cropping, emailing photos, color adjustments and more. FastStone Image Viewer supports all major file formats and is compatible with Windows systems.

Icon Studio 1.2 – A free, simple to use icon editor and creator that allows you to create icons in multiple sizes and color depths.

Google SketchUp – SketchUp is a powerful 3D software programs that allows you to quickly build 3D models. Works on both Windows and Mac systems.

Blender – Blender is also a 3D graphics program available for most operating systems.

3D Canvas – 3D Canvas is a real-time 3D modeling and animation tool. Includes drag-and-drop controls, Customizable toolbars and interface, and frame by frame animations.

Graphix – An open source graphics editor built to edit and create both raster and vector images. Works on WINE and WinXP operating systems.

Daz 3D – A figure posing and animation tool that allows you to use pre-created people, animals, and vehicles to edit and manipulate in order to create your own 3D and animated scenes.

Anim8or – A 3D modeling and animation program that includes a built in 3D object browser, true-type font support, 3D modeler, and a jointed character editor.

Synfig – Synfig is a powerfuls 2D vector animation program available for Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems.

Gimp – Gimp is a powerful image manipulation program that's great for photo retouching and image creation. Gimp currently runs on Linux, Windows (XP and Vista), Mac OSX, and some Unix based systems.

Ultimate Paint – Ultimate paint is an image creation and manipulation program for Windows systems.

InkScape – A free alternative to Adobe Illustrator or CorelDraw, InkScape is a full featured vector graphics editor.

Paint.net – A free image and photo editing software for Windows based PCs with full support for layers and special effects

SmoothDraw NX – SmoothDraw NX is freehand drawing tool designed for use with tablets. The program includes several choices of brushes and pencil strokes for creating realistic drawings, plus auto smoothes lines if you are using a mouse to draw with.

ImageForge – ImageForge is an image editing and creation program for Windows systems that allows you to create 3D text, remove red-eye and create your own Windows screen savers.

Project Dogwaffle – Project Dogwaffle is an oddly-named painting and drawing program developed for the PC.

Sodipodi – SodoPodi is a vector based drawing program that operates on most Unix and Windows systems and features like out of center gradients, patterned lines, and a dynamic xml editor.

Karbon14 – A full-featured vector based drawing program released under the GNU license that comes as part of the Koffice project.

ArtWeaver – ArWeaver is a freeware paint and drawing program for Windows designed to simulate natural brush tools and effects for artists used to working on canvas.

GimpShopdotnet – This is a modified version of Gimp, designed to work and feel more like Adobe Photoshop.

ImageMagick – ImageMagick is a command line program for editing and creating images that allows you to transform, flip, mirror and rotate images.

Upgrade your Hiring Process Now

2011-06-21T06:26:00.001-07:00

Business tips from the Ascentive team

Although the process of hiring new employees is often time consuming, a well-designed process can minimize the time you spend recruiting, and reduce the time you spend in training new hires. Here are the keys you need to upgrade your hiring process now.

Consistency

Without a doubt, you need to use the same set of base questions for every candidate. Never deviate from your interview process just because a candidate has a certain background or skillset.

Provide opportunities to Window Shop

Most company hiring processes and career websites are designed based on the premise that candidates are ready to apply for a specific job. More often than not, the best candidates are just looking and comparing options. To accommodate these people, managers must be willing to talk or meet with candidates on an exploratory basis.

Be Thorough

Always be thorough with your hiring process. Your attention to detail will show the candidate that your company pays attention to quality, and are worth working for. A thorough process will also build trust with the rest of your employees and improve morale, as the attention to detail suggests to the team that you want only the best people to work with them.

Skills Test

A skills test is often a vital component of the hiring process for certain positions. In these situations a candidate may be invited to take a written exam or a performance test. For example, if the candidate is applying for a position that involves the operation of heavy equipment, they may be asked to demonstrate that can operate the company’s equipment.

Peer Review

Involve as many team members as possible in the overall hiring process, not just the evaluation group or team members who will be working closely with your future hire. Involving your team will help sell your company to the candidate, and provide you with a larger and more varied amount of feedback about the candidate to review and use to make a decision.

Document The Process

Be sure to document all the data you receive during the hiring process, including the candidate’s background, their performance during their interviews, and peer review feedback. While a person many not be a fit for the current role, they may be a great fit for a later opening.

The Personal Touch

Finally, always show the candidate that you value their time and treat them well. Always take the time to answer their questions about your company and the position that they are applying for. Never make them waiting too long in the lobby for their interview, and be sure to offer them something to drink when they come in – at the very least a cup of coffee or bottled water.

How to Freelance as a Graphic Designer

2011-06-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

Business tips from the Ascentive team

Although working as a freelance graphic designer has many advantages, there are several things to consider before making the transition. First and foremost, a freelance graphic designer is an entrepreneur, and has to keep in mind every aspect of their business, not just the creation of graphic design assets for a client. Here are the most important things to consider when making the transition to freelance graphic design.

Where You Work

The first thing you need to consider is where you will actually do the work. You may decide to rent space, work at a co-op, or even work from home. Working from home can reduce start up costs significantly, as there is no need to pay yourself rent, and you may be able to claim your home office on your income taxes. If you decide to work from home, check whether there is any legislation concerning the use of a residential property for business where you are based.

Your Equipment

Hardware and software costs can often make the process of transitioning to freelance graphic design expensive. Although the graphic design industry tends to favor Apple Macs and OS X over Windows PCs, choosing a PC can reduce costs as there is a wider range of lower cost machines, and more freeware programs available for download. Once a Designer has chosen their hardware, they need to select appropriate software. Quark Xpress and Adobe products are still the industry standard for graphic design, specifically Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.

The cheapest route to legally purchase these software suites is through one of Adobe's packaged sets, sometimes with an additional student discount. In addition to these applications, there are several free software options, such as Gimp, Inkscape and Scribus, which can be useful tools for designers who are just starting out.

Your Clients

Without a doubt, the most challenging part of transitioning to freelance graphic design is finding clients. In order to acquire clients, you must be as adept at sales as you are graphic design. In addition to job sites such as odesk, elance, and guru, be sure to use your personal contacts to be your client list. Reach out to everyone, not just those apparently involved in some way with your industry.

Graphic Designers making the transition to freelance should also investigate their local area and consider what they could do to help promote specific businesses. Approaching businesses directly with ideas can be difficult at first and lead to lots of rejections, but it can be worth it if just a few approaches lead to jobs. Often, one job may lead onto to others. Remember, a personal recommendation is always the best form of advertising.

Intertainment acquires DealFrenzy, the Canadian Groupon

2011-06-07T06:33:00.000-07:00

Intertainment Media Inc. has announced that it has signed an initial agreement to purchase DealFrenzy.com, creating a next generation Groupon-like revenue platform. Intertainment will acquire all the turn-key assets of DealFrenzy.com including the backbone technology, deal pipeline, including preferred deals with major brands and an experienced sales and support team. The acquisition combines cash and Intertainment Media common stock with $500,000 in cash and $200,000 in Intertainment common stock at $1 CDN per common share and is subject to regulatory and board approval. The acquisition is expected to close by late June 2011.

DealFrenzy.com is scheduled to go live in early July 2011. All members who register ahead of the initial launch will be entitled to special VIP offers. DealFrenzy has aligned partnerships with strategic national and multi-national brands including Yogen Fruz, Yogurty’s, Things Engraved, Jamba Juice Canada and other major brands. Over the past year, Groupon sold in excess of $4 Million with these partner programs. Moving forward, DealFrenzy strategic partnership opportunities will provide members with preferred value programs not found anywhere else.

“The simple promise of helping local merchants find new customers who are ready to jump at a bargain could broaden the reach of e-commerce and open up a trillion-dollar marketplace,” according to Brian Jackson, senior writer at itbusiness.ca. In 2011, the US Group Buying market alone is expected to grow to $2.66 Billion wrote Social Media Today.

DealFrenzy.com will launch in select cities in 2011 and plans international, multi-language expansion based on Intertainment’s Ortsbo experiential language platform. It has been recently reported that Groupon has begun the filing process for an IPO offering with an expected valuation in excess of $20 Billion.

The partnership also has preferred relationships with numerous key franchise operations world-wide, providing DealFrenzy with a strong long-term pipeline of name brand offers, which will be supplemented with unique, value based local deals.

In addition to consumer deals, DealFrenzy will be offering small and medium sized businesses access to commercial products and services further defining the group buying market.

“We are very excited to be integrating with Intertainment Media,” said Alon Amouyal, President of DealFrenzy.com “Intertainment has the expertise, resources and unique differentiators, like Ortsbo, KNCTR and Ad Taffy that will allow DealFrenzy to quickly increase its presence to the market, create unique cultural offers and significantly enhance revenue opportunities.”

DealFrenzy’s next generation Groupon-like model will employ the social media tools of VoIP communications and real time multiple language technology developed by Intertainment. Integrating its client communications systems with Intertainment’s Ortsbo, real time experiential translation platform, allows offers to be communicated in over 50 languages, bringing a multi-lingual resonance to the group- buying market. DealFrenzy believes that this will provide a disruption event within the market and further define DealFrenzy’s unique value proposition.

Intertainment’s KNCTR platform will provide registered DealFrenzy members with FREE voice communications and other social media tools providing members with ability to become further engaged in the group-buying process.

DealFrenzy enhanced group-buying platform together with Intertainment’s Ad Taffy platform will provide registered members location based services and offerings through permission based multi-lingual communications and open up the ability to interact with emerging consumer markets and demographics within North America and globally.

“The acquisition of DealFrenzy is part of Intertainment’s merger and acquisition strategy for strategic investment and acquisition of immediate and near-term revenue programs that fit into Intertainment’s existing suite of services and technology,” said David Lucatch, CEO Intertainment Media “With the integration of Intertainment’s programs into DealFrenzy, we have effectively taken the group-buying, revenue rich platform, and enhanced it to make it not just socially engaging, but also to make it available to all cultural markets with no impediment of language communications.”

10 Awesome Ways to Boost your Business with Twitter

2011-06-02T06:07:00.000-07:00

Business tips from the Ascentive team

Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows you to post 140-character updates called Tweets. Since it’s a constant stream of communication, Twitter is a great way for you to build your business. Here are ten ways to boost your business with Twitter.

Daily Sales

One of the best ways to use Twitter is to update your customers on the sales that are available to them every day. Since Twitter is a constant stream of communication, your customers will realize that your business is a regular source of value. Use an auto-updater like to save you time posting on your behalf during your busy workday. And always link back to your company blog to further increase your online presence.

Marketing Research

Marketing research and focus groups are often expensive, time consuming endeavors. Instead, use Twitter to ask a research question, or use Twitter Search to see what people are saying about your products or services.

Word of Mouth

Followers are always looking for something to tweet about and improve their own personal brand. Giving followers something great to tweet about, and your product or service will soon be marketed through Internet word-of-mouth.

Share Tips

Always use Twitter is share tips about your niche. Your followers will come to think of you as an expert, and someone to purchase products and services from when it comes to your area of expertise.

Sales Research

A valuable tool for sales, Twitter keeps a public record of all updates, which can be mined for sales leads when you use Twitter's search function. Be sure to use key terms when you perform your searches.

Discounts

Use Twitter to offer discounts on excess inventory when followers respond to a specific comment or question. Followers will tune into you on a regular basis to discover these great deals.

Recruiting

When you’re an entrepreneur, you don’t have time to read resumes and search for the right candidates for your company. Use Twitter to help you find the best and the brightest hires for your company quickly.

Answer Questions

Social Media is all about building authentic relationships. Use Twitter to answer questions about your product or service and connect on a more personal level with your employees and customers.

Follow Experts in your Niche

Twitter is not only a great place to teach, it’s also a great place to learn. Use Twitter to follow experts in your field and stay on the cutting edge of your niche.

Combine Twitter with other Social Media

Finally, use Twitter in conjunction with other Social Media services like Groupon. Not only will you benefit from Groupon’s popularity, but you will also increase your overall number of customers, as more people will group together to buy from you.

Neo-Nazi website on US server evades shutdown

2011-05-26T06:19:00.000-07:00

Although the Alpen-Donau website is chock full of neo-Nazi symbolism and calls Mauthausen concentration camp Austria's largest open-air museum, attempts to shut it down have been derailed by the fact it's housed on a U.S. server. Three people suspected of being behind the website were arrested in April, including Gottfried Kuessel, one of the Alpine republic's leading neo-Nazis. But until a couple of weeks ago it continued to spew extremist and anti-Semitic rhetoric.

Austrian investigators have suggested that, for forensic reasons, it's in their interest that the website stay online for now because it provides them with vital clues in their probe aimed at tracking down remaining suspects. But those personally targeted by the site want U.S. authorities to shut it down immediately.

The website's latest posting features photos of Mernyi and implies he is to blame for acts of vandalism at the former concentration camp where the Nazis murdered about 100,000 people. The site has also posted pictures of teenagers who took part in workshops organized by the group, Mernyi said.

American officials say their hands are tied unless the site violates U.S. laws. In Austria, freedom of expression is guaranteed by the constitution but is limited by a ban on propagating Nazi ideology. Inciting hatred on the basis of any ideology is a crime under the Austrian penal code.

While the site was down for several weeks, it resurfaced with a slightly modified address in time to mark Adolf Hitler's birthday on April 20, now believed to be hosted by a server in Arizona. It has been idle since May 7, suggesting authorities may be making more progress or have even successfully caught the remaining culprits.

In neighboring Hungary, the government succeeded in July 2008 to temporarily shut the extremist kuruc.info website, saying at the time that it did so with help from U.S. authorities. Within six weeks it became active again, moving to another U.S. server, and has been online ever since.

The site is controversial because of its racist content, which includes anti-Semitic and anti-Gypsy articles and imagery. It has also published mobile phone numbers and home addresses belonging to judges and prosecutors who were involved in court cases against people who took part in the country's anti-government riots of 2006.

In both countries, a long-term solution on how to deal with the situation seems far off. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder suggested at a news conference after an April 14 meeting with European Union home affairs ministers in Hungary that one way to tackle the problem may be by making it clear to the public that extremist rhetoric is simply wrong.

10 Blogging Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs

2011-05-24T06:12:00.000-07:00

Writing tips from the Ascentive team

As one of the most important Social Media tools available to you, your blog allows you to boost brand awareness, or attract and retain customers. Unfortunately, bad blogging can also cost you customers and impact your reputation. Here are ten blogging mistakes to avoid at all cost.

1) Bad Headlines

A good headline is crucial. It hooks the reader’s attention and entices them to read your blog post. A headline should always make a promise to deliver something to the reader, such as the answer to a problem. Your post then follows through on that promise.

2) Bad Blog Posts

Bad Grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors are notorious for turning off readers. Unlike a text message, a blog post should always use proper English. If you can’t write proper English, hire someone who can.

3) Bad Blog Photos

When it comes to a blog for a business, there’s no excuse for bad photography. If you can’t find the photos you need legally online, avoid using photos altogether.

4) Not Provoking Conversation

Strong content inspires conversation and drive readers to comment, share, or engage. Always provide content that provokes readers to respond in some way.

5) Bad About Page

People scan About pages to decide whether they will continue reading your blog. Good About pages prove that you are an expert when it comes to your niche, and can be trusted to provide valuable information.

6) Being Too Salesy

Your blog is an information resource about your niche, not a soapbox to hawk you wares. If you try to sell a reader a product or a service too early in your relationship, you'll scare them off. What you need to do instead is create a blog that provides interesting and useful content will make customers more likely to buy from you.

7) Lack of Accessibility

Although you must present yourself as an expert to your readers, never communicate in a way that everyone cannot relate to. Avoid using unnecessary jargon, and speak plainly when making your point.

8) No Strategy

Always have a goal for your blog, whether it is a minimum number of followers or minimum amount of sales. And be sure to determine where your target audience is, where you plan to reach them, and how long it will take to achieve your goals.

9) Not Using Your Experience

In order to write compelling content, you need to have a unique perspective in your field. When you blog, tap into your experience, and offer a unique perspective. And don’t be afraid to be controversial. Controversy often inspires response.

10) No Variety

Always vary your types of content, whether it's a standard text blog, video interviews, podcasts or an infographic. Never stick for the same type of Social Media post for too long. If you’ve been running text updates for a while, give video a try, or maybe a podcast.

Yahoo & Alibaba working out Strained Relationship

2011-05-19T06:04:00.000-07:00

Business news from the Ascentive team

Internet giant Yahoo and Chinese Internet company Alibaba Group presented a united front Sunday as they worked on a dispute that seemed to cause even more tension in their strained relationship.

Although the two tech giants offered few details, they released a one-sentence statement saying they were in "productive negotiations" to work out "outstanding issues related to Alipay." Aliplay is Alibaba's online payment service. Yahoo, which owns a 43 percent stake in Alibaba, saw its stock tumble last week after it announced Tuesday that Alibaba had spun off Alipay. The announcement caused investors to worry that Yahoo's stake in Alibaba will become less valuable, and also brought into clearer focus the rockiness of the two companies' relationship.

The statement reads, "Alibaba Group, and its major stockholders, Yahoo! Inc. and Softbank Corporation, are engaged in and committed to productive negotiations to resolve the outstanding issues related to Alipay in a manner that serves the interests of all shareholders as soon as possible," the statement said, in its entirety.

Sunday’s issued statement was reminiscent of an earlier statement from Tuesday, when Yahoo said it was engaged with Alibaba and Softbank in ongoing discussions regarding the terms of the restructuring and the appropriate commercial arrangements related to Alipay. Yahoo and Alibaba also disagree over when Yahoo was informed of the spinoff, which transfers ownership of Alipay to another company owned by Alibaba Group's CEO, Jack Ma. The transfer is said to have occurred last August, but Yahoo claims that it wasn't notified until March 31. Alibaba says Yahoo's board was informed of the ownership change during a July 2009 meeting.

In Tuesday's regulatory filing, Yahoo said Alibaba had spun off Alipay so it could more quickly obtain what’s been described as an essential regulatory license. Ma has become more antagonistic since Carol Bartz, a brash Silicon Valley veteran, became Yahoo's CEO in January 2009. With Alipay under his control, analysts believe Ma could have more negotiating power if Yahoo tries to sell its stake in Alibaba.

Founded in 1999 in Hangzhou, China, Alibaba’s purpose is to make it easier for buyers and suppliers around the world to do business online through three marketplaces: a global trade platform for importers and exporters; a Chinese platform for domestic trade in China; and, through an associated company, a Japanese platform facilitating trade to and from Japan. In addition, Alibaba.com offers a transaction-based wholesale platform on the global site geared for smaller buyers seeking fast shipment of small quantities of goods. Together, these marketplaces form a community of more than 65 million registered users in more than 240 countries and regions. Alibaba is now one of China's most powerful Internet companies, and its success has helped bolster Yahoo as the Sunnyvale, Calif., company has struggled to keep up with Google Inc. The six-year investment has also been a way for Yahoo to keep a toehold in fast-growing China after it and other companies, including Google, have had a hard time growing their own businesses in the heavily regulated and politicized country.

In the first quarter, Yahoo's net income fell 28 percent. The net income of Alibaba.com, the flagship company of Alibaba Group, rose 37 percent.

How to Create a great Home Office

2011-05-17T07:49:00.000-07:00

Ideas from the Ascentive team.

A home office can be as small as the corner of your bedroom or as large as your unused attic or basement. Regardless of the size of your home office, you should maximize the space to your advantage and exploit any resource available to get the most out of it. Here are ten tips for creating a great home office.

1) Draw Up a Floorplan

Draw up a Floorplan before you outfit your home office. Use a 1-inch scale, and draw in windows and doors. Then plot various design arrangements for your desk and computer. Plan your work space so you have room to keep items such as the phone within reach while still retaining space to jot notes, and make sure you allow room for your file cabinets to open.

2) Buy Cheap

Don’t hit the chain office stores for your supplies. Shop at Wal-Mart and the 99cent Store for pens, paper and other disposable supplies. For filing cabinets and bulletin boards, be sure to hit up thrift stores, flea markets, and Craigslist.

3) Lighting

Lighting is important no matter where you work. Place your work desk near a window for natural light. And if you work in the evening, make sure you have enough lighting so you can see what you are working on.

4) Go Green

Besides buying smaller computers, electrical outlets, and phone chargers that save energy, be sure to turn off lights and unplug chargers when you are not using them, and recycle paper. And get a plant. Plants are not only aesthetically pleasing, they create Oxygen.

5) Say No to Landlines

A landline in your home office can be costly and unnecessary. Use a cell phone for all correspondence, and instead of having a fax machine, buy a printer that scans documents.

6) Build it Yourself

Instead of hiring painters, electricians, and furniture assemblers, do everything yourself. Not only will be a fun way to learn new skills, but you will also save a lot on these costly services.

7) Computer Care

If you’re using a computer in a carpeted room, buy an antistatic mat or use an antistatic spray to reduce buildup on the carpet. And be sure to occasionally wipe your keyboard with a clean, lint-free cloth. You can use an antistatic cleaning fluid if necessary, but spray it on the cloth, not on the keyboard. Cover the keyboard, printer, and peripherals when not in use. 

8) Create a Barrier

Home office business owners will understand the difficulty of separating the business from the family. It's vital to build a home office design supportive of your personal productivity. If possible, designate a separate room with a door or closed space in the house for your business.

9) Check Ergonomics:

Remember these quick ergonomic checks: 1. Eyes 24-36 inches from computer screen (the top of your monitor should be below or at eye-level), 2. Feet should be on a footrest or planted firmly on the floor, and 3. A slightly reclined chair posture is best to reduce vertebrae pressure and minimize lower back pain.

10) No Distractions

This one’s the hardest, as it’s difficult to work with family, food, and the television in the room next to you. Get food and water if you catch yourself leaving your chair for a snack every ten minutes, and if looking out the window preoccupies you, draw your curtains or blinds. If you find yourself spending a lot of time in the office but not much time working, it may be because your distractions are out in the open where you’re tempted to easily. Hide them until you have the self-discipline to keep these things out in the open.

Use Cause Marketing to Help Others and build your Business

2011-05-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

Business ideas from Ascentive:

It used to be that if you wanted to make a difference, you had to join a nonprofit organization. But if you wanted to make money, you launched a business instead. These days most nonprofits are being run like start-ups, traditional companies are built around a social mission, and one of the best ways you can help others is actually through Marketing.

Marketing doesn’t have to be just about promoting your product, service, or brand. You can also use marketing to help others in need. And you don’t have to wait until your business has grown big to start giving back. You just need to use Cause Marketing to make a difference.

Cause marketing is a joint marketing effort between a business and a nonprofit organization for mutual benefit. The term is sometimes used more broadly to refer to any type of marketing effort for social and other charitable causes, including in-house marketing efforts by nonprofit organizations. Cause marketing differs from philanthropy, as philanthropy usually involves a specific tax-deductible donation.

One of the first cause marketing campaigns was launched in 1976 through a partnership between the Marriot Corporation and the March of Dimes. Marriott’s objective was to generate cost-effective public relations and media coverage for the opening of their family entertainment center, Marriott’s Great America in Santa Clara, CA. The March of Dimes’ objective was to increase fundraising while motivating the collection of pledges by the program’s deadline. The promotion was conducted simultaneously in 67 cities throughout the Western United States. It exceeded all goals to become the most successful promotion in the history of Chapters West of the March of Dimes, while providing hundreds of thousands of dollars in free publicity and stimulating the record-breaking opening of the Marriott entertainment complex.

But you don’t have to be a large company like the Marriott to launch a successful cause-related marketing campaign. You just have to demonstrate a synergy between you and your nonprofit partner, with an organic integration between your message and what they do. Your audience needs to know that you are serious and committed to the cause, and the connectedness must be apparent and make sense to your customer.

Start by partnering with a local charity to work on a small campaign, or if you’re serious about a larger cause, contact the development department at the charity you are considering. Share information on your platform, target audience and level of visibility, and make sure that the charity organization can provide you with solid stats on your ROI. Finally, research your local laws regarding cause marketing, and meet with your accountant to discuss your campaign. Although your campaign is ultimately for a good cause, you should treat it with due diligence, like any other business venture.

Intel unveils 3D transistor

2011-05-09T09:01:00.000-07:00

From Ascentive:

On Wednesday the Intel Corporation announced a significant breakthrough in the evolution of the transistor. For the first time since the invention of silicon transistors over 50 years ago, transistors using a three-dimensional structure will be put into high-volume manufacturing. Intel will introduce a revolutionary 3-D transistor design called Tri-Gate, first disclosed by Intel in 2002, into high-volume manufacturing at the 22-nanometer (nm) node in an Intel chip codenamed "Ivy Bridge." A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter.

The three-dimensional Tri-Gate transistors represent a fundamental departure from the two-dimensional planar transistor structure that has powered not only all computers, mobile phones and consumer electronics to-date, but also the electronic controls within cars, spacecraft, household appliances, medical devices and virtually thousands of other everyday devices for decades.
Scientists have long recognized the benefits of a 3-D structure for sustaining the pace of Moore's Law as device dimensions become so small that physical laws become barriers to advancement. The key to today's breakthrough is Intel's ability to deploy its novel 3-D Tri-Gate transistor design into high-volume manufacturing, ushering in the next era of Moore's Law and opening the door to a new generation of innovations across a broad spectrum of devices.
Moore's Law is a forecast for the pace of silicon technology development that states that roughly every 2 years transistor density will double, while increasing functionality and performance and decreasing costs. It has become the basic business model for the semiconductor industry for more than 40 years.
"The performance gains and power savings of Intel's unique 3-D Tri-Gate transistors are like nothing we've seen before," said Mark Bohr, Intel Senior Fellow. "This milestone is going further than simply keeping up with Moore's Law. The low-voltage and low-power benefits far exceed what we typically see from one process generation to the next. It will give product designers the flexibility to make current devices smarter and wholly new ones possible. We believe this breakthrough will extend Intel's lead even further over the rest of the semiconductor industry."
The 3-D Tri-Gate transistors are a reinvention of the transistor. The traditional "flat" two-dimensional planar gate is replaced with an incredibly thin three-dimensional silicon fin that rises up vertically from the silicon substrate. Control of current is accomplished by implementing a gate on each of the three sides of the fin – two on each side and one across the top -- rather than just one on top, as is the case with the 2-D planar transistor. The additional control enables as much transistor current flowing as possible when the transistor is in the "on" state (for performance), and as close to zero as possible when it is in the "off" state (to minimize power), and enables the transistor to switch very quickly between the two states).

Top Ten Personal Branding Trends for 2011

2011-05-04T06:55:00.000-07:00

Business ideas from FinallyFast:

A personal brand is the process by which we market ourselves to others. As a brand, we can leverage the same strategies that corporate brands appeal to others in order to build influence and equity. Here are the top ten personal branding trends for 2011:

1) Freemium Content

It’s no secret that content such as blog articles and podcasts are made freely available across the web. The more people that know about your brand through free content the better, as the content spreads your trust, reputation and influence.

2) Lists

More and more small businesses are viewing social media and email as an important way to build lists of people interested in their products and services and then to convert them over time.

3) Transparency

Search engines are starting to blend with social networks and status updates are being made visible and accessible just about everywhere on the web. Every single time you publish a tweet, it will appear in Google and other search engines and, with your permission, it can appear on LinkedIn and Facebook. This makes it that much harder to maintain your brand’s image, so keep an eye out.

4) Interpersonal Skills over Talent

As everyone moves more and more into technology and skills set become more and more similar, the ability to work well with others in order to get things done will be hugely important.

5) Brand Enlightenment

More than ever, Social Media like Twitter and Facebook allow people to categorize users, providing those users with the first clues as to what their brands really are.

6) Super-niches

These days it’s exponentially harder to compete with big brands; people have to really narrow down their market in order to stand out and succeed. Whatever you specialize in, promote a specific aspect of your area in order to stand out.

7) Early Personal Brand Adoption

Your personal brand doesn’t start with your first social media profile or your first email account. Nowadays it starts with the baby blog your mom created and carries through to your well-documented mischief on MySpace…and that history will likely stay on the Internet somewhere forever.

8) Personal Portals

Although it’s sometimes difficult (and costly) to acquire your name as a URL nowadays, personal portals such as about.me and flavors.me comprise a new category of online tools that allow you to link all the different facets of your brand in one place. They let you create one customizable Web page that connects all your profiles from various social networks. This allows you to develop a custom design using your personal brand identity system to serve as your personal home page.

9) Video

Video is the most powerful personal branding medium because it closes the gap because between knowing of someone and actually meeting him or her. Text and audio doesn’t have that type of impact, which is why video will be a huge trend next year.

10) Online Voice

In addition to all that work experience and all of that credibility you’ve built up, your online voice will be just as valuable. If you don’t blog or comment on blogs or at least update your status on social networks, then you won’t be perceived as a valuable contributor.

YouTube Founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen acquire Delicious

2011-05-02T06:28:00.001-07:00

From FinallyFast

Sunnyvale, California-based social bookmarking web site Delicious.com has been acquired by Chad Hurley and Steve Chen, the original founders of video sharing site YouTube. Delicious will become part of AVOS, a new Internet company based in San Mateo, California.

“We’re excited to work with this fantastic community and take Delicious to the next level,” said Chad Hurley, CEO of AVOS. “We see a tremendous opportunity to simplify the way users save and share content they discover anywhere on the web.”

“We spoke with numerous parties interested in acquiring the site, and chose Chad and Steve based on their passion and unique vision for Delicious,” said John Matheny, SVP of Communications and Communities at Yahoo!. Yahoo acquired Delicious on December 9, 2005. No formal acquisition price was disclosed at the time, though it has been speculated at $10 to $15 million dollars. Delicious’ early seed round investors included Marc Andreessen, Tim O’Reilly, Esther Dyson, Josh Kopelman, Bob Young, Seth Goldstein and Howard Morgan. The bookmarking service recently appeared on a leaked Yahoo roadmap, alongside seven others including AllTheWeb and Buzz, as products that Yahoo was going to shut down.

The two YouTube founders plan to work closely with their community of users over the next few months to develop innovative features to help solve what they see as the problem of information overload on the Internet. “We see this problem not just in the world of video, but also cutting across every information-intensive media type,” said Chen.

Going back to their roots, Hurley and Chen have relocated Delicious in downtown San Mateo, California, just a few blocks away from where they launched YouTube in December 2005 after receiving funding from Sequoia Capital. Hurley and Chen then proceeded to become the first members of the YouTube management team, serving as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technology Officer respectively. One year later Hurley and Chen sold YouTube to Internet search giant Google for $1.76 Billion dollars.

Hurley and Chen say they’re now aggressively hiring to build a world-class team to take on the challenge of building the best information discovery service on the web, and in their press release Hurley and Chen promise Users “the Same Great Service And Even Easier & More Fun Ways To Save, Share, and Discover the Web’s Tastiest Content.”

Currently the primary use of Delicious is to store your bookmarks online, which allows you to access the same bookmarks from any computer and add bookmarks from anywhere. Delicious allows users to organize and remember bookmarks via tags, which they believe is a much more flexible system than folders. Users can also use Delicious to view friends and other people bookmarks, and share links with them in return, as well as browse and search Delicious to find new bookmarks that other users have saved.

Use URL Redirects for a Better Website

2011-04-27T06:44:00.000-07:00

From Ascentive.com,

Having a great website isn't just about utilizing proper Search Engine Optimization. It's about having great content and navigation so your viewers enjoy the site and can make their way around the site easily. It's also about structuring your site to properly shepherd viewers when they themselves can't find what they are looking for. For example, when managing a website, you often have to relocate or remove a particular webpage.

Unfortunately, if that page is popular, your visitors may already have linked to it, and web crawlers from Google, Bing, etc. have probably already indexed your web page, resulting in high search engine rankings that you don't want to ruin. URL redirection, also called URL forwarding, is the process of forwarding one URL to a different URL. The process is enables via small snippets of code which are usually inserted between the and tags of your page's HTML code. URL redirects are a great way to provide your visitors with the information they were looking for while preventing the loss of web traffic. There are four main kinds of URL redirects: 301, 302, 307 and Meta Refresh.

301 Moved Permanently

A 301 Redirect is a permanent server-side redirect. A 301 redirect is the best method to preserve your current search engine rankings when redirecting web pages or a web site, and the most efficient and search engine friendly method for web page redirection. You implement the 301 redirect by creating a .htaccess file. The .htaccess file is a file that contains specific instructions for certain requests, including security, redirection issues, and how to handle certain errors. 301 redirects are particularly useful in the following circumstances:

• You've moved your site to a new domain, and you want to make the transition as seamless as possible.

• People access your web site through several different URLs.

• You're merging two web sites and want to make sure that links to outdated URLs are redirected to the correct pages.

302 Found (HTTP 1.1) / Moved Temporarily (HTTP 1.0)

A 302 Redirect is a temporary redirect. It has two major versions, 1.0 and 1.1. In the first version 302 referred to the status code 'Moved Temporarily'. This was changed in version 1.1 to mean 'Found'. This type of redirect is not a good choice for SEO, as the 302 redirect has been essentially made obsolete by the 307 redirect, which was introduced later.

307 Moved Temporarily (HTTP 1.1 Only)

A 307 Redirect is the HTTP 1.1 successor of the 302 redirect. The major web crawlers will treat it like a 302 in some cases, redirecting browsers to another page. However, it's quite unpredictable in terms of SEO.

Meta Refresh

Meta refreshes are a type of redirect that is executed on the page level rather than the server level. They are most commonly associated with a five second count down with text "If you are not redirected in five seconds, click here".

Using Keyword Density & Proximity for better SEO

2011-04-25T08:23:00.000-07:00

SEO ideas from FinallyFast

Although Search Engine Optimization may seem like a complex, ever-changing concept to many people, there are many basic SEO concepts people can apply to their websites in order to get better search engine results. Two of these concepts are Keyword Density and Keyword proximity.

Keyword Density is the ratio of keywords or keyword phrases to the total number of words on a web page. You must integrate a substantial amount of keywords or keyword phrases within your meta tags and website copy in order to ensure that you have proper keyword density. An example of a keyword is the word "travel," while an example of a popular keyword phrase is "refinancing home mortgage." A good keyword density for your pages would be anywhere from 1% to 7%. In order to have a keyword density of 1%, you must insert your keyword or keyword phrase once into every hundred words of text. The best approach to getting great rankings with search engines is to use properly researched keywords or keyword phrases in your website copy. Try to find keywords or keyword phrases that have over a million hits, but a low number of competing websites. Select two or three of these keywords or keyword phrases related to the subject of your website and, use them five times for every hundred words of website copy.

Although it’s important to have proper keyword density, you should avoid “keyword stuffing.” Keyword stuffing is when you overload the content or your webpage’s meta tags of the web page with every possible keyword or phrase that relates to the site in many different forms. For example, a bad meta description for our a paper site would read as follows: “paper, copy paper, printer paper, laser printer paper, Xerox paper, typing paper.” Note that this example has only keywords, with no sentence structure. If your site contains an unnaturally high density of one single keyword, your site will actually drop in search engine rankings.

Keyword Proximity refers to the distance in space, as measured in words, between two keywords or two keyword phrases. The proximity of a keyword or keyword phrase in relation to each other and other keywords or keyword phrases is extremely important when determining how to use keyword or keyword phrase combinations in page titles and page content. The smaller the distance between the words, the more relevant the page is considered by a search engine query. It’s particularly important to avoid using “stop words” between your keywords or keywords phrases if possible. Stop words are short words and, or, a, as etc., that often introduce a new subject. Search engines will sometimes interpret a keyword used after a stop word as having no relation to the keyword used before it. The word “stops” the relationship.

10 Alternative Marketing Techniques

2011-04-20T06:23:00.000-07:00

Business Ideas from Ascentive.com

Although cold calling is a time-honored technique, it's also the one that yields the least results. Studies say that customers actually have to be contacted, or "touched", seven times before they feel comfortable enough to make a purchase. The key is to use multiple techniques to build a customer base and close sales. Here are the ten techniques you need to attract customers and stop cold calling:

1) Email

Without a doubt, email is your number one sales tool. Send out a regular email newsletter to customers so they keep you in mind when they make their purchases, and quick email "blasts" to advertise specials that they can't resist.

2) Flyers

Although it may seem like a thing of the past, a strategically placed flyer can really grab a future customer's attention. Rather than plastering neighborhoods, aim for places have something in common with your business. For example, if you run an auto body service, post some of your flyers at a car wash.

3) Seminars

Offering your expertise as a speaker at a conference is a great way to generate sales. Speaking at seminars will allow customers to put a face to your service and feel more comfortable buying your product.

4) Convention Booth

In addition to speaking at conferences, set up a booth at the conference with literature on your product or service that future customers can take away.

5) Business Card Software

Business card software allows you to quickly share your information with customers. Try Inputting your biz card info into Constant Contact, iContact, or Gravatar.

6) Website

Every business should have a website that acts as a portal to their product or services and invites visitors to sign up for their newsletter. In addition to the website, be sure to set up a fan page on Facebook.

7) Blog

Another great technique is to write a blog on your website and link it to your newsletter. The blog will provide your company with a "voice" that customers can warm up to.

8) Referral Program

A referral program is a great way to get customers to work for you and attract more customers. Offer a referral program to customers others when they send you a lead to contact for a potential sale.

9) Press Releases

News outlets are always hungry for something to write about. Try writing and distributing some press releases through a company like PRNewswire.com

10) Image Boost

Finally, hire someone to call and make appointments on your behalf for meetings with people you already have a connection with. This will give your company's image a boost and inspire more faith from your customers in your service or product.

Call Center Features That Every Business Needs

2011-04-18T07:09:00.000-07:00

Business Idea's from FinallyFast

Call center phone systems are unique in that they must offer customer care along with capabilities that enhance agent's jobs. The features for these phone systems offer businesses unique advantages that improve customer experiences and performance as well as save on cost for their business. In fact, any size company could be called a 'call center' since they are fielding calls and need to route them 'intelligently'. Here are the call center features that every business needs.

Support for Multiple Communications Channels: This feature improves customer convenience by enabling customers to interact with call center agents in the manner they most prefer - phone, email, Web chat, or voice over IP (VoIP)/voice chat.

Web-based Self-Service: This capability allows customers to retrieve answers to routine questions and conduct basic troubleshooting on their own, without the assistance of a call center agent. So, companies can minimize the number of incoming calls, and keep agents free to handle more complex customer issues. Additionally, studies show that self-service transactions cost far less than phone transactions. Therefore, self-service functionality can dramatically reduce operating costs.

Call Queue: A call queue can be helpful since it plays hold music while the customer is on hold, and it directs the call to the employee who has had the most amount of time between calls and to those who are not on the phone. For example, even a 3 person company could have a sales call queue that will call every person in the company since everyone should be able to make a sale and since no company would want to loose a sales opportunity.

Desktop Integration: Many applications reside on an agent's desktop - inventory, sales, accounting, marketing, help desk, and others. Call center CRM software tightly integrates these various systems, giving agents a single, consolidated view of all the information they need to take sales orders, handle responses to promotions and special offers, address billing issues, track shipments, report problems, and more.

Reporting and Analytics: Supervisors and team leaders need to obtain complete, 360-degree visibility into all activities in order to effectively manage performance. With call center CRM software, they can track and analyze call statistics and other key metrics, so they can identify critical service trends, implement needed process enhancements, and maximize agent productivity.

Survey Capabilities: While call statistics and other internal metrics can help assess call center performance, they only provide a piece of the picture. Many call center solutions include survey capabilities, so customer opinions, perceptions, and satisfaction levels can be collected and analyzed.

Integration with other Customer Service Systems: Most call center solutions can be seamlessly integrated with a company's existing telephony infrastructure. So, interactive voice response (IVR), call recording, and call routing systems can be directly linked to the CRM software.

Elie Antoun joins AccelOps as President and CEO

2011-04-13T07:39:00.000-07:00

Business News from FinallyFast:

AccelOps, a developer of monitoring solutions designed for cloud generating data centers and service providers, announced Monday that Elie Antoun has joined the company as president and chief executive officer. Antoun will shape AccelOps’ strategy and business operations to scale and fully capitalize on the rapidly expanding IT monitoring market opportunity.

“We are thrilled to have someone of Elie Antoun’s caliber lead AccelOps into its next stage of growth. He brings significant hands-on management experience and success with global operations of both small and large companies,” said Heiner Sussner, chairman of the AccelOps board of directors and managing partner at Miramar Venture Partners. “At the same time, we’re deeply grateful to founder Imin Lee, a true entrepreneur and visionary. She’s done a brilliant job building a company poised to capitalize on the explosive growth in data centers and cloud computing.”

A Silicon Valley veteran, Antoun has been entrepreneur-in-residence at El Dorado Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, California, since 2008. Prior to El Dorado, he was CEO of Genesis Microchip, a publicly traded company with worldwide operations, which he led until its successful acquisition by STMicroelectronics. Before Genesis, he was president and chief executive officer of MediaQ, a venture-backed startup, where in three years he built a solid team, raised several rounds of venture financing, grew revenues robustly, and led the company’s acquisition by NVIDIA. Prior to Media Q, he was executive vice president at LSI Logic Corporation, where he ran the company’s $350 million consumer products division. Antoun holds a master of business administration from Stanford University Graduate School of Business and both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in electrical engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles. He also serves on the boards of several venture-backed startups.

“The strength of AccelOps’ people, technology, and customer base is truly impressive,” said Antoun. “I am excited to build out and complement its strong team, to capitalize on the momentum they’ve generated, and to execute on the large market opportunity in front of us.”

Antoun takes the reins from AccelOps founder Imin Lee, who led the company from concept to market acceptance. Lee will move into a new role as chief AccelOps, focusing her efforts on bringing the AccelOps story to the market and keeping the company at the forefront of innovative thinking about the industry. She will continue to direct AccelOps’ China operations and will remain a member of the AccelOps board.

“We’re in the midst of an IT revolution: delivering IT as a utility and cloud computing. With such a tremendous opportunity, it’s essential that we scale the company’s operations to capture market share,” said Imin Lee. “I am delighted that we’ve chosen someone with such a strong track record of excellence with both startups and more mature public companies.”

UniXis acquires SCO Group's Unix assets

2011-04-12T10:27:00.000-07:00

UnXis, Inc. announced Monday that the purchase of The SCO Group, Inc.'s operating assets and intellectual property rights have been successfully completed, along with the transfer of the entire Unix operating systems and software solutions and employees of The SCO Group. UnXis now owns all intellectual property rights and assets related to SCO, clearing the way for financial growth and technical improvements, under its new leadership.

UnXis is committed to investing $25 million over the next 18 months into product and technology developments, as well as building upon its management, sales and customer support team. UnXis has retained all customer contracts, the UNIX and UNIXWARE trademarks and an installed base of 32,000 customer contracts maintained in 82 countries, including McDonald’s, Siemens, Sperbank, China Post, Thomson Reuters and the US Department of Defense.

UnXis, Inc is owned jointly by Stephen Norris, previous co-founder of the Carlyle Group and MerchantBridge, a leading international private equity group with diverse interests operating from offices in the United Kingdom, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates. MerchantBridge has completed nine private equity transactions in the past five years, with an enterprise value of $4.5 billion.

UnXis has appointed Richard A. Bolandz as CEO. Over the past twenty years, Bolandz has lead competitive strategy, corporate development and technology commercialization at organizations including Qwest Communications MCI Communications and UNISYS Global Outsourcing & Infrastructure Services.

Richard A. Bolandz, CEO of unXis commented today: “Our first commitment is to our customers, value added resellers and channel partners to support their existing needs as well as a whole new generation of hardware, software and trends of the cloud.”

Eric le Blan, Vice Chairman of unXis and COO of MerchantBridge, continued by saying: “The acquisition of this exciting business is opening up vast opportunities within the IT sector and unXis is strategically positioned to aggressively grow in the coming months. We are delighted to announce that the entire staff of The SCO Group has accepted employment with unXis, Inc, and I thank them for their enthusiastic backing as well as SCO customers for their support. With the continuity provided by the team and the active role played by key customers, together with the expertise of the partners that we are bringing on board, we are strategically positioned to provide the most reliable, secure and scalable operating systems in such diverse environments as global cloud computing enterprises and small and medium-size businesses; such is the flexibility of our software solutions. We foresee our software becoming a critical component of the new Internet highways currently being developed in the Middle and Far East, from Riyadh to Beijing.”

“With today’s completion of the acquisition, we have cleared the way for the rebirth of the Unix operating system that for nearly 30 years has reliably powered mission-critical information systems around the globe. With the purchase of these valuable assets complete, we can now focus 100 percent of our attention on bringing state-of-the-art technology capabilities to the Unix platform, improving customer service and support, whilst capitalizing on the robust and secure SCO Unix operating system for today’s cloud-based systems,” concluded Bolandz.