The Money Times - Money Matters, Simplified.

Tornado, Quake, Flood, Hurricane: Getting Wise Before They Strike

Sat, 07 May 2011 10:00:38 +0000

Tornadoes. Hurricanes. Floods. Snow storms. Fires. Quakes. Tsunamis. Now how about climate change? Natural disasters affect people at many levels--physical, financial, psychological, and many more. They devastate homes and hopes, wreck buildings, destroy crops, and kill people in their wake.

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They don’t warn before they strike, but some common sense precautions help before, during, and after natural disasters.

According to the Associated Press, the latest toll in tornado mayhem in the South is at least 342 across seven states, including 250 in Alabama alone.

“The 21st Century has already been marked by escalating economic losses and human devastation caused by natural disasters,” the UN Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery noted.

Disaster-proofing Your Finances

Some Resources for Disaster Management
1. http://www.dhs.gov, the official Web site of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, for emergency supply list.

2. http://www.iii.org, the Web site of the Insurance Information Institute and hugely helpful resource. Be sure to visit the channel http://www2.iii.org/natural-disasters.

3. http://www.fema.gov, the Web site of Federal Emergency Management Agency. To know about assistance programs to those affected by disasters, visit http://www.fema.gov/assistance/index.shtm.

4. http://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart, the official Web site of the National Flood Insurance Program. Visit the site for information about flood risk and flood insurance.

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During natural disasters, ATMs are down and access to cash gets very difficult. So, experts advise to always keep some cash handy--in different locations, such as your home and place of business, in case one structure doesn’t survive a natural disaster.

Sales, Growth, and Social Media

Sat, 07 May 2011 07:54:47 +0000

Small businesses need to develop online presence to grow and to connect with customers. As a result, we find many small businesses launching themselves into social media. For instance, Twitter has become the medium of choice to get things out quickly to numerous people.

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How can social media like Twitter, Facebook, Stumble Upon, etc. help small businesses grow. To find out, read on…

Social media provide small businesses and entrepreneurs inexpensive ways to maintain their online presence. The social media campaigns can be tailored to meet different business goals, from generating new sales leads to expanding your customer base to sourcing ideas for new product development.

How Social Media Work
In addition to keeping track of all the markers and metrics that help your campaigns (see box), what distinguishes a small business is its approach to its followers/friends.

Measuring Your Social Media Performance
Social media include blogging, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Stumble Upon, etc., which are pretty easy to get into. But how do you know your online campaign is working or not?

In the article “6 Social Media Metrics for SMBs to Track” on smallbiztrends.com, Lisa Barone, co-founder and chief branding officer at Outspoken Media, Inc., talks about how to measure the progress of your campaigns.

The markers, she says, are increased awareness/mentions, sentiment analysis, how social users act, conversions and micro-conversions, links to your site, and new rankings.

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The rapid expansion of social media like Twitter, Facebook, etc. has, besides presenting plethora of marketing channels, brought about tremendous opportunities for businesses to reach, engage, connect with, and have an impact on the customers.

Rumors Speculate of iPad 3's Launch In Early March

Neka Sehgal — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:58:43 +0000

If the rumors floating around are to be believed then Apple would be unleashing its iPad3 somewhere around March.

The tech news site AllThingsD reported Wednesday, that the Cupertino, California based company may r

A few details gleaned from leaks up to this point indicate that design-wise the new iPad3 is expected to look similar to its predecessor.

U.S And Israel Divided On Iran’s Nuclear Issue

Rachna Pandya — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:27:02 +0000

The latest reports confirm that U.S. has sharply disproved of Israeli’s stand on attacking Iranian nuclear sites. "There are alternative measures to forbid the Islamic nation from making atomic bomb" says the U.S.

Israeli leaders on Thursday, in a forthright statement warned that they are considering air strikes

Iran rebuffs latest U.S. Sanctions as ‘Psychological Warfare’

Rachna Pandya — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:35:51 +0000

Dismissing the U.S. sanctions against its financial institutions as “psychological warfare”, Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said its nuclear program plans are still intact and unaffected.

Foreign Ministry spokesman of Iran on Tuesday brushed off the Obama sanctions on the nation’s financ

FIFA Donates $250k To Victims Of Soccer Tragedy

Neka Sehgal — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:41:14 +0000

FIFA has decided to provide financial assistance of $250,000 to the families of people killed at a soccer match last week in Egypt.

The world’s football governing body will donate the money into the charity fund opened by Al Ahly la

FIFA will donate $250,000 into the charity fund opened by Al Ahly last Sunday.

U.S. Partially Lifts Sanctions Against Myanmar

Rachna Pandya — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:40:22 +0000

Contented with the nation’s most recent political reforms, United States on Monday has partially revoked the initial sanctions leveled against Myanmar.

US State Department report confirmed US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, has officially approved

Queen Elizabeth Marks 60 Years On Throne

Neka Sehgal — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:11:57 +0000

In what marks the second longest royal reign in history, Queen Elizabeth celebrated her Diamond Jubilee on the throne on Monday.

It was on this day that she ascended Britain's throne 60 years, after of her beloved father George

Dressed elegantly in a turquoise, grey and white wool coat and a matching turquoise hat, the Queen traveled from her Sandringham estate to King's Lynn to meet local dignitaries and tour the town hall.

Google Removes “Objectionable” Content from India

Sam Ross — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:28:58 +0000

Internet giant Google has removed objectionable content from its Indian site after Delhi High Court warned Google to remove the content which it deemed “offensive and objectionable ” .

Delhi high court held Google responsible for the obscene content posted by the users and warned the

Google India removed offensive content from the country after Delhi High court's order.

Anonymous breach sensitive federal information

Sam Ross — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:45:46 +0000

Hacking group Anonymous gained access to the conference call between FBI and Scotland Yard and published recording to raise serious security concerns.

The conference call was not the only one which compromised but, the hacking group also breached Salt

Hacking group Anonymous gained access to conference call between FBI and Scotland Yard and published 15 minute recording online.