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Many people use Google Alerts as a automated tool for acquiring news stories and doing research on various topics. You can even use Google Alerts to search for job or business opportunities. Place 2 to 3 words within "quotes" for each alert. Then you automatically receive an email with results found anywhere on the Internet. You can use Google Alerts to track how your company fares in the public eye or keep up with friends, family and associates. Just create an alert with their name in quotes.

Former New York City Mayor Koch endeared himself to people with his famous line "How am I doing?". That's a question you can and should answer about yourself, using Google Alerts. What do hiring managers, human resource professionals, recruiters or business associates see when they type your name into Google or any search engine?

By creating different Google Alerts with different variations of your name spelling, you receive feedback on what type of information people are viewing about you. This also provides intelligence on whether you should make adjustments to profiles you may have on Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or articles mentioning you or your company name etc.. Oh did you think that information about you was private? Think again.

Your web presence should reflect the name you use on your resume or bio. Google Alert intelligence is also valuable, if you have a similar name to someone else. Talk about a case of mistaken identity, if that person has a less than acceptable Internet web presence. Consider making your name more unique by adding a middle initial, generation qualifier or certification distinction (i.e. Al Q. Brown - Jim Smith, III - C. E. Reid, CSI).

Related article: "5 Quick Ways to Grow your Internet Web Presence"

Find Out What Others Are Saying About Your Business

Gee. I wish I could be in on the ground floor of the next technology tsunami. Shoot. I missed that opportunity. Bugsy Segal looked out in the desert and saw opportunity that became Las Vegas. Thomas Edison found over 900+ ways not to make a light bulb, until his patience and persistence paid off. Sitting at his desk as an ordinary office worker, Rod Colon's extraordinary vision with millions of people leveraging human social networking to self empower the masses for success, has impacted many lives globally. William H. (Bill) Gates III worked in a garage to develop a piece of software that changed the fortunes and lives of every person on earth.

Microsoft's surface computing technology will revolutionize the way people live and work. Surface computing will do what the telephone did for communication and what television did for engaging the masses. Everyday input devices are history, with their selfish way of taking up precious desk space. Any mechanical object that moves will eventually break. No more computer mouse, keyboard, scanner, credit card readers etc.. Which means there is a money savings on replacements or repairs. The main input devices for surface computing are our fingers and our imagination.

Based on how surface computing works with proven technology components, it has a serious potential to create opportunities for teachers, product designers, lawyers, test engineers, building superintendents, business administrators, doctors, product managers, restaurant/office workers, program managers, travelers, software engineers, taxi drivers, people who entertain at home, recruiters, sales/marketing persons, hotel workers and many other professions.

Wake up software developers who think your skills are tight. Now is the time to get hot with developing applications for surface computing. And you too entrepreneurs that call yourself visionaries. Pick up the phone and call your investor angels that you brag about to friends, as being available in your trusted network.

Investors are not off the hook either. Is your investment portfolio complete by including surface computing? Let's talk if you're interested in exploring the potential.

Are you an Entrepreneur considering another profit center? No one is suggesting you delineate away from your core profit centers. Consider putting together a consortium of investors and/or distributors that "want in" on a sure bet. Laugh, if you will. Then those with the "show me" mindset can cry later when the surface computing market successfully saturates.

Microsoft Surface - Exclusive Review


Microsoft Surface at the Rio in Las Vegas

by Bruce Newman

Affiliate marketing is usually defined as the reward for each customer brought to a target website; in short, an Internet-based marketing method of driving traffic to a particular site. To clarify this further, let’s say I’m an affiliate for a website that sells pet products. For each customer who I bring to that website, I will receive some reward – usually money. (This may also require that they purchase at least one item.)

Is it worth my while?
The answer is both yes and no. It depends on the terms of the affiliate agreement and the amount of effort you are willing to expend. If it was so easy for these companies to just bring in business, they wouldn’t need an affiliate program. However, every company knows that generating new business is hard; it’s expensive, time consuming, exhausting and a slow process. They have calculated that it helps to have an unpaid (or minimally paid) sales force providing them with leads (and customers). The question for you to determine is, “Are the rewards worth my effort?”.

What is required from me?
Sometimes being an affiliate can initially be very easy and profitable. If you have a network of friends with a need for the affiliate product or service that you represent – such as pet supplies, you can easily make a few dollars. But what happens then? What is required for you to continue to provide new customers? And, how will you do it? These are questions you must be able to answer before becoming an affiliate of any program.

How much money can I make?
You can make a lot of money as an affiliate, particularly if you are an affiliate member for several websites and have an effective operating strategy. Having a solid networking tree is also quite helpful. Unfortunately, few affiliates fall into this category. Some affiliates enjoy a solid secondary income stream. However, most affiliates make little to no money, usually because of a lack of effort or difficulties with the company they are an affiliate for. We will discuss this further in another article.

Why become an affiliate?
Being an affiliate can supply you with a secondary source of income. Even if you are employed in a job, an affiliate income can make a significant difference in your total income. Possibly, as you continue to refine your strategies and affiliate agreements, it can even become a primary source of income. In any case, it requires work on your part. Just remember, money won’t come rolling in once you sign up as an affiliate without your effort.

Next week, we will discuss how to select an affiliate program(s) from the many programs currently available.

Bruce Newman is a long-term ETP Network member and Vice President at The Productivity Institute, LLC which matches the specific software products and services needs of companies to rated outstanding consultants who can meet those needs. It has an extensive and well-supported affiliate program that offers up to $225 for each company that registered by an affiliate which signs a contract with one of its referred consultants. Additional product and service information is available at: http://www.prodinst.com

Video Affiliate Marketing Part 1

Introduce Your Child to Business with Hotshot Game
Forget those shoot em up, aliens and race car games. This is a fun fast paced game that gives kids skills they can use for life. Hot Shot Business is a simulation game for budding entrepreneurs, where kidscan open their own spa, skateboard factory or comic shop.

Teenagers and Young Adult Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Gazillionaire is the award-winning simulation game. Explore new worlds, build your business, and make a fortune. Gazillionaire is full of memorable characters and exotic places to visit. You'll run your own company, manage a feisty crew, and, if you're clever enough, make billions of kubars!

JA Titan
Test your skills running a business in this ultimate business simulation! As CEO, you will match wits in the competitive, technologically advanced industry of the Holo-Generator.

JA Worldwide™ (Junior Achievement) partnered with the Best Buy® Children’s Foundation to launched JA Titan. Set in the year 2035, JA Titan creates a world in which players are CEOs of their own companies. Originally conceived in the 1980s as the Management and Economic Simulation Exercise, or MESE, JA Titan is a widely recognized business simulation for high school students.

JA Titan version 3.0 incorporates the concept of charitable giving, challenges students with sub-decisions, and adds voices to the characters, among other improvements.

Cashflow Game by Robert Kiyosaki
This is a game for Tweens or Young and Mature Adults. earn how to get out of the Rat Race and onto the Fast Track where your money works for you instead of you working hard for your money. Use this game to practice real world investing with play money!

CASHFLOW® 101 is an educational board game that teaches accounting, finance, and investing at the same time - and makes learning fun.

"Move over Monopoly. A new board game that aims to teach people to be rich is gaining fans the world over." -The New York Times article on the CASHFLOW games



Adult Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Informist Business Simulation Game
Informatist is a revolutionary online multiplayer Business Simulation -- a business game with a difference. Informatist is ideal for budding entrepreneurs and veteran tycoons alike. Test your business skills against hundreds of other players running thousands of companies.

The Informatist Game will sharpen your business skills as you play to win in five different categories. Experience the ups and downs of 16 dynamic business areas. Hire employees, set salaries, set product price, manage inventory, buy and sell land, trade stock, make business deals and dominate markets by applying the right resources at the right time. Do you have what it takes to succeed against cutthroat business competition? Find out in this unique business simulation!

SimVenture
SimVenture is ideal for anyone wanting to learn about business and enterprise. The software can be used in a range of environments where people are learning about business and want to develop entrepreneurial skills.

Outside of MySpace, YouTube, Linkedin, Bebo, social networks and blogs are also being used by schools, stock traders, non-profit organizations, event planning companies and professional/trade associations.

There is a list you can scroll down to view more videos. Enjoy!!

Since the U. S. Congress ordered the switch to digital television, regular TV is going away on Februaury 17, 2009. After this deadline, anyone who wishes to continue watching TV with the basic "rabbit ear" antenna that comes with the TV, must purchase a digital converter box. This box costs between $50 - $70.

To offset the cost the U. S. National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA) is providing a FREE $40 coupon to offset the cost of purchasing the digital TV converter. The limit is 2 coupons per household. Click here to apply for your FREE analog to digital converter box coupon online. Another option is calling 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009).

The digital converter box will not be available for purchase until February or March 2008. If you apply for the free converter coupon(s) now, NTIA will send you the coupon at the time when the digital converter boxes are actually in retail outlets. The coupon is good for 90 days from date of issue.

A Reuters article "Strong start for TV converter box program for TV viewers" provides a list of retailers where the coupon can be redeemed towards the digital converter box.

Thousands of hours of invention tweaking, by Thomas Edison and 125 years later, the U.S. Clean Energy Act of 2007 makes the incandescent light bulb go away in 2012. This bill was introduced by the U.S. House of Representatives and pass by the U.S. Senate in June of 2007.

In 2012 the 1st phase is for 100 watt and 75 watt incandescent light bulbs to be banned. By 2014 the 60 watt and 40 watt incandescent light bulbs will be banned.

The smart way is to start replacing each incandescent bulb, as they each go out, with a flourescent bulb. Click here for information on "How to Choose Energy Star Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs"

This new trend creates an awesome opportunity for money making fund raisers. Check out Light Bulbs America for details. Through their program you make approximately 40% profit on each fluorescent light bulb sold.

Check out the Energy Star web site to see if there are cash back rebates in your U.S. state for purchasing Energy Star approved compact fluorescent light bulbs.

ENERGY STAR Qualified CFL facts:

The telephone has been and always be the best "high tech high touch" way of developing human relationship rapport. So how can a person effectively communicate using Email? Instant messaging? or the Telephone?

The Finishing Academy and Microsoft teamed up to develop "The Business and Communications Etiquette Guide". Mark Deakin, Unified Communications Manager, Microsoft said: “Our research and anecdotal evidence suggests that Instant Messaging is now rife amongst information workers, yet often people are using it poorly. Combined with the widespread misuse of email and an increasing aversion to the phone, it seems there is confusion over when to use which method of communication. The technology is there to help people communicate and collaborate better, and done right it can be a real boon.” Read more . . .

Carl Tyler also provides an excellent technology communication etiquette article slide show published on Forbes.

Network Coumputing has an interestig article on their Daily Blog which provides some inciteful information on the usage of wireless products. The results of a survey depict slow market growth due to concerns with security. It interestingly identifies 3 types of wireless users; wireless resisters, tactical adopters and strategic adopters. Security features were judged most important, followed by upgradeability of products to meet future standards, and centralized management.

Read more . . .

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Time is our most valuable commodity. If we don't place a value on our time, then people won't value it either. Over time we each gain a certain amount of expertise, which we usually give away for free. Then there are clients or customers who call on a whim for information, which benefits them or the profits of their company. After the call, we scratch our heads trying to figure out how we can recoup the time we lost by not charging for telephone time.

Wouldn't be nice, if we could charge for the time we spend on the telephone to provide useful information to people? How about being able to charge for exclusive vidcast, podcast, or eBooks, separate from the free ones we give away? How about charging people for valuable information you send in an email?

Adding a button to a web site or blog adds credibility.

Create a folder in your email system called "Waiting Room". Create a reverse spam filter which only allows email addresses in your Inbox from people you know. The same email filter should move all other email into the "Waiting room" folder. This will streamline being able to work smarter with responding to important emails. Later in the day, you can sift through the Waiting Room folder. If you spot an email from someone you know, place them in the reverse spam filter.

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June 4-6, 2006 is the Home Entertainment Show at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Los Angeles, CA.

Products manufactured for the audio/video home entertainment market, make it easier for people to reproduce movie theatre quality experiences. Many products require specialized knowledge to setup and operate. Something as simple as tuning the right TV picture coloration, may not be that straight forward.

In walks many opportunities for home entertainment professionals. There are various aspects to installing the home entertainment, which may not be obvious. Setting up a system requires consideration for room layout design, correct cabling as well as engineering skills. A project manager may need to be hired for elaborate home entertainment systems, which can cost upwards to over $200,000.

Long term analytical and problem solving skills also come into play. This insures a continuous source of referrals. The key is to design home entertainment systems which are scalable. How can the current system be expanded or modified when new technology comes out, with a minimal amount of expense?

This is a profitable niche market for "inspector gadget" types, who have a solid skill level in operating various audio/visual equipment. Training owners of home entertainment equipment means extra money, after the design and setup. Make sure you enjoy working with people, before making the plunge into this market. Your clients may not get it as easily or quickly as you. So, patience is a big plus to making this business profitable.

I would recommend bolstering your skills with some formal training. A starting point can be CNET's Home Entertainment Clinics. As with any industry, people who specialize always make more money, than those who generalize. Identify which products are in big demand, but few people have the required knowledge to setup and operate them.
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With almost 25 years of IT experience I have never wasted time tinkering or learning a new technology, unless I saw a profit potential. Oh I'm inspector gadget just like any other red blooded guy. I'm addicted to my Blackberry. Playing with my Blackberry and learning all aspects of it, including implementing the Blackberry Enterprise Server for Lotus Notes, has paid huge profits in consulting assignments.

I've seen many IT professionals get their feelings hurt and become disappointed , when they tried to sell technology skills that were not in demand. It's marketing 101. Meet a customer at their need.

Don't forget your geography lessons when considering a skill transition. Do your homework to make sure your new skills are in demand. One of the best indicators is being able to decipher "want ads" in a local area. If you trend want ads, this built in radar system will help you decide what direction to learn new technology skills.

Want ads should be used as indicators for where to adjust your skills. They are not necessarily good vehicles to apply for jobs. Using your network of contacts is your best bet for landing opportunities. Click here, if you don't have a personal network.

Keep in mind companies are getting more savvy in their technology staffing requirements. They want more specialty skills. Just like doctors and lawyers, specializing within a technology area still dictates earning potential and minimizing competition. Identify technology skills where the demand is high, but not many people have that skill set (i.e. Linux administrators). This sky rockets income. When you see the market starting to saturate (i.e. MCSEs), change skill gears again.

With IT budgets opening up, 2006 is the year for four hot skills. A recent survey by Computer World indicates the 4 top areas in IT expansion are (in order of survey ranking):

Developers
.Net and Java will continue to be the preferred golden children of skill sets in demand.

Technology Security Specialists
With an increase in identity theft, viruses and the potential threat of terrorists crippling society with computer network infiltration, skilled security specialists can write their own ticket.

Project Managers
There is a back log in projects due to economic factors over the last couple of three years. Companies are demanding PMs have their PMI certification. Specific areas of specialties are Health Insurance portability, Sarbanes-Oxley and accounting compliance. Disaster recovery planning is another hot area.

IT Helpdesk
As the back logged projects swing into high gear along with application/system rollouts from 2005, helpdesk staff are still required to perform more support. There are specialties in the helpdesk arena.
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SAVVY INTRAPRENEUR: Innovative Fund Raising Approach Using Technologylinks

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This past Friday I attended a post holiday party at a bleeding edge telecommunication cable studio. They gave a tour of their technology readiness for the coming sunami of Internet Protocol TV subscribers.

IPTV uses a two-way digital broadcast signal, sent through a switched telephone or cable network by way of a broadband connection. A set-top box is programmed with software to handle viewer requests to access a plethora media sources, with high speed delivery.

According to a new Light Reading Insider report, “IPTV: Where the Money Is,” technology vendors, and especially the likes of Alcatel (NYSE: ALA - message board; Paris: CGEP:PA), stand to make a killing.

There are significant drivers forcing telecom operators to adopt those defensive strategies, most notably the increasingly intense competition they're facing from ISPs and cable and satellite operators. As a result, the IPTV market is set to explode in the coming five years and beyond, finds the report.

By 2010, IPTV will have captured 65 million subscribers worldwide, predominantly in North America, Europe, and Asia. To deploy the systems needed to deliver those services, carriers will spend a total $21 billion in the 2005 to 2010 timeframe. Read more . . .

Stay on top of IPTV Developments:

IPTV News.net

Your IPTV and TV Over Internet News Resource

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CSI in a box by ZDNet's Roland Piquepaille -- Reconstructing human faces from skulls found by the police is nothing new, and it has already being done with computers. But this was a long process. Now, a Canadian startup company, HumanCore has developed a new human anatomy software to do the job in about 30 minutes and which also will be used by the clothing industry.

Before wifi there was hifi. High fidelity referred to sound reproduction equipment that reproduced sound as near to the original sound as possible. It was accurate and faithful reproduction of the original, containing absence of distortion or enhancements.

Keeping within the fundamentals of HiFi, Wireless fidelity (WiFi) is a term for wireless local area networks (WLAN) that use specifications conforming to IEEE 802.11b. WiFi has gained acceptance in many environments as an alternative to a wired LAN. Public locations such as Starbucks, Borders, FedEx Kinko's Office and Print Centers, airports, hotels, and other services offer public access to WiFi networks so people can log onto the Internet. These locations are known as hotspots.

Wireless networks will be mainstream within the next 5 years. The writing is on the wall with all the upcoming wireless events in 2006.

It's primetime for anyone involved in the cabling infrastructure sector of technology to shift skill gears by learning about wireless networking implementations. A great way to start learning is by setting up your own wireless network at home. Wireless network security is and will continue to be in [profitable] demand, as an excellent specialty skill.

There are many reasons why municipalities are interested in installing metropolitan Wi-Fi networks. Three most common applications are:
- Public Safety (emergency responders, surveillance)
- Municipal Interest (more efficient city workers, bridging the digital divide, promoting development)
- Commercial Services (providing affordable residential or business broadband connectivity)

To see a glimpse of what the future will hold for wireless technology, the Pepper Pad is a 2.3-pound, Wi-Fi-enabled device, with a large, high-resolution screen, 20-gigabyte hard disk, built-in speakers and a thumb keypad, providing a powerful, versatile platform for a much wider range of online and off-line activities than any other portable device. Its 8.4-inch display is ideal for viewing full-width Web pages and watching full-screen videos. The Pepper Pad can store hours of music and videos, plus thousands of photos. And, with three forms of wireless communication – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and infrared (IR) – the Pad can access and control a wide range of devices around the home, from Wi-Fi access points, to keyboards and mice, to TVs, set-top boxes, music systems, home theaters and media servers. It's an ideal way for consumers to have Internet and media access plus wireless remote control in every room of their home.
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I received this email from a good friend. Reading this could save a life.

Cell phones are once again proving just how valuable they can be by coming to the aid of police and paramedics during the time of an automobile accident or a disaster. Mobile phone users are being urged to enter a number in their cell phone's memory with the initials ICE which stands for In Case of Emergency, along with the contact person's name and number. For example: ICE John Husband 555/222-2222 -

With this valuable information readily available, emergency personnel can swiftly find the number and use it to reach a relative or friend who could help treat injured victims by providing personal information, including details about medical conditions. In extreme circumstances ICE contacts can help with identifying deceased victims.

British paramedic Bob Britchie is credited with creating ICE after reflecting on difficulties he has experienced on the job while trying to obtain information about the injured. The vast majority of people do not carry emergency contact information or next of kin information, but the vast majority of people do carry cell phones. Paramedics can search for ICE contacts and get the much needed information faster than looking for contacts or trying random names.

The Foundation recommends the following be done prior to listing an ICE contact:

1. Talk with the potential ICE contact to make them aware that they will be listed.

2. Give the ICE contact your full name, date of birth, address, blood type, medical conditions, allergies, surgery history, etc.

Please keep in mind that ICE is not fool proof. If you lock your phone out or the phone is damaged during the incident or accident, it will not work. With this in mind you should have your emergency contact information somewhere else such as in your wallet, briefcase or in the glove compartment of your car. ICE could be a lifesaver; these three letters can expedite treatment and help people at the earliest opportunity.
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