Top Archives - Page 2 of 4

Top 10 Questions to Ask Your Satellite Internet Service Provider

If you are a corporation in search of disaster recovery networking solutions, a first responder who may need connectivity from anywhere at any time, or you simply need broadband internet connectivity from remote locations you have probably considered that satellite may be your only reliable option. In the midst of a disaster many businesses and first responders may find themselves without communications of any kind due to the loss of terrestrial infrastructures, or the lack of it ever existing in the first place.

The problem is that most business professionals and emergency service workers do not have a complete understanding of the satellite business and the idiosyncrasies of communications via satellite, and why should they? Satellite communications is not their profession. In the quest for a satellite internet service provider there are certain questions you should be prepared to ask before you get locked into a contract for services that won’t satisfy your needs:

1) Do you have Non pre-emptible satellite space segment?

Satellite operators such as SES Americom, Intelsat among others lease space segment to satellite service providers. There are different levels of protection available in varying price ranges. Many service providers will opt to contract for pre-emptible space segment because it’s much less expensive and they can make larger profit margins which they may or may not pass on to their end users. Pre-emptible space segment gives the satellite operator the ability to deny access to the satellite for the service provider in the event of an on board equipment failure, or to make room for a service provider who is willing to pay the Non pre-emptible premium.

During large scale disasters such as the hurricanes in the Gulf States in 2005 many pre-emptible segments of satellite space were cleared to make room for government requests for satellite service leaving other service providers with no access. If you are considering contracting for service for disaster recovery applications it is highly recommended that you find service providers that guarantee that they have contracted for Non pre-emptible space segment. The service provider should be able to provide you with evidence of their service agreement with the operators if you ask. You may pay a little more each month for your non pre-emptible service, but at least it will be available when you most need it.

2) What is your “Over Subscription” or “Contention Ratio”?

Most satellite service providers who are providing Internet services are operating systems that use TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) based systems. A TDMA system is normally controlled by a central hub location which will command the remote units in the field to transmit their data when the hub is ready to receive it. This allows for many remote units to share the same slice of bandwidth improving the overall efficiency of the system. The transmissions from the remote units are sequenced at a very high rate, many times per second, which makes the service appear to be continuous.

However, the more units that are added to the system, the slower the service will be. A true enterprise level operator will never allow their contention ratio to exceed 20:1 or essentially 20 terminals per segment of bandwidth. Many operators that offer lower grade services will over subscribe their systems as high as 40, 80, 120:1 or more. Some operators may not be willing disclose this information to their end users. If a service provider will not tell you their contention ratio, you might consider looking elsewhere as their ratios are likely to be high. This will directly affect the quality of the service you receive. Enterprise level operators with contention ratios of 20:1 or less will charge more for their services since they have fewer users for their contracted space segment. But, you get what you pay for.

3) What is your system Latency, and does your hardware or software include TCP/IP acceleration?

Any IP transport platform will have a certain amount of latency that is inherent to the structure of the system. Latency is normally measured by how long it takes for a TCP/IP “Ping” to be sent to a server on the other side of the transport link and be returned back over the link to the point of origin. Satellite systems, due to the physics involved will have much higher latency figures that any terrestrial link. Data is transmitted to the satellite at the speed of light, or 186,000 miles per second. The satellite is located 22,223 miles above the equator.

For a ping to make its round trip it must travel up to the satellite, back to earth to the server, up to the satellite again and back to the origination point. This is a round trip is approximately 88,892 miles. When calculated with the speed of light, in a perfect world the round trip will take about 448 milliseconds. When you add in coding delays and processing delays you can increase that figure by 100 to 250 milliseconds. On an efficient system, a round trip ping should take between 550 and 700 milliseconds (225 ms one way in each direction).

Many lower grade systems on the market today will actually return ping times of 1200 milliseconds or greater which is too slow to allow for functionality of certain software applications. Some system operators have added TCP/IP acceleration products to their equipment. This can either be a hardware or software solution. Acceleration of TCP/IP does not speed up the actual transmission as it is already being transmitted at the highest speed possible, the speed of light. The acceleration is achieved by modifying the TCP protocol in ways that allow for more efficient transmission over high latency networks such as satellite. Acceleration can significantly improve the speed of loading web pages, so it is a highly desirable product to have. Most of the products are not capable of accelerating encapsulated data such as VPN’s, but the system should still pass that data, however more slowly. Be sure to ask whether or not the system has an acceleration product included.

4) Does your system support VoIP, VPN, and Streaming Video transmissions?

If you have certain applications that you intend to operate, be sure to inquire whether or not these applications are supported on the system. VoIP (Voice over IP) for telephone connectivity is becoming a very common need in satellite communications. All types of users from emergency services to business continuity are asking for telephone connectivity. The biggest concern most prospective users of VoIP over satellite have is that the latency will be too high for effective voice communications. This has largely been proven to not be true. In fact, most cellular telephone systems will experience as much or more delay in their systems than VoIP over satellite. Most satellite providers will support these systems, but if the system latency is more that about 800 milliseconds, you may experience difficulty carrying on a conversation. Some service providers will also sell VoIP equipment. If you choose to purchase from them, or on your own you will want to make sure the equipment includes good voice compression.

Most off the shelf VoIP systems that are not designed for use with satellite will occupy between 40 Kbps and 90 Kbps of bandwidth to complete each call. If you purchase 128K of satellite uplink bandwidth you may consume all of your bandwidth with one or two phone calls leaving none for internet access for your computers. There are compression VoIP systems available that have been designed for use over satellite that will use as little as 8 Kbps per phone call and the call is toll quality. There are even compression systems that will allow for a 1544 Kbps T1/PRI connection over less than 256 Kbps of satellite bandwidth. You will also want to inquire about connectivity to the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). When the signal lands at the hub it will need to connect your VoIP traffic to a telephone line. Some service providers will provide this service for a fee; some will not provide it at all, so be sure to ask. If you need to operate a VPN over the system, keep in mind that it will likely not be accelerated over the satellite.

Acceleration of VPNs can be achieved with external hardware; however it is normally up to the customer to provide that equipment. There are some systems, mostly consumer grade, that will not support VPN’s at all or there are additional charges so be sure to ask. The same goes for Video transmissions from a streaming device, or a web cam. Video streams are highly bandwidth intensive applications and most service providers will require dedicated bandwidth for these applications. The pricing for dedicated bandwidth will be substantially higher than the shared ratio pricing as it consumes 100% of the bandwidth 100% of the time. If you are planning to stream video to multiple receive sites it is recommended that you stream the video over the satellite to a server, and allow other users to get the stream from the server. This way there is only one active stream over the satellite where the bandwidth is expensive.

5) Do you offer CIR or CRA services?

CIR (Committed Information Rate) and CRA (Committed Rate Assignment) are different acronyms with the same meaning. It is dedicated satellite bandwidth that is usually required by the service provider if you intend to operate high bandwidth applications such as video streaming over the satellite. Most enterprise level service providers offer CIR/CRA packages, most consumer level operators do not. The pricing for these services will be significantly higher than shared ratio services, so be prepared. Some providers also require CIR/CRA services for VoIP. Be sure to inquire if this is something you need as some operators may not volunteer this information until it’s too late.

6) How many public IP addresses do I get?

Many consumer level services do not assign public static IP addresses for you to use. This is primarily why they don’t support services such as VoIP and VPN. Enterprise level providers usually provide at least one address, some will provide more. Most providers will give you a fixed number of addresses with your service and charge you if you want additional static IPs. The recommended way to avoid the additional charges is by using your own router on the system and natting your own addresses. Some systems will not support natting so be sure to inquire if this is what you need.

7) Do you have a FAP?

A FAP or Fair Access Policy is a set of rules that you agree to abide by when contracting for their services. They also will include certain restrictions on your service. Read this policy very carefully as the providers like to include wording that can seriously restrict your usage. Some service providers will “meter” your throughput on the system. If you reach a certain level of usage, usually recorded in Kbps, or Mbps they may restrict your bandwidth to a low level, or cut off your service entirely until the next billing cycle. It is very difficult to measure your own usage since most people have no Idea how many Kbps are sent or received when loading a web page. The FAP is also where the provider will spell out the rules of usage concerning applications such as streaming video and VoIP. Going over that document with a fine toothed comb will be in your best interest.

8) What will be my actual measured speeds?

The service providers will sell you a specific rate plan that will have an uplink or return data rate, and a downlink or forward data rate. This will usually be expressed in a manner such as “128/512” or sometimes “512/128”. The larger number will always be the forward channel which is your downlink as a user. Most providers will not tell you that the speeds include IP overhead. Every internet system whether its satellite or terrestrial uses IP protocols that require a certain amount of bandwidth to process the IP traffic. Because of the overhead you can expect that your actual measured payload speeds will be around 20% lower than what you are paying for. Actual speeds can be measured by running a speed test from a PC over the satellite link.

If the service provider has their own speed test server at the hub location this will give you a more accurate test of the satellite link than an Internet based speed server. The internet based servers have too many variables to obtain accurate results since the data is being transferred over connections that are not under your control, or theirs. Most systems will be similar in their IP overhead usage, but be aware of this when you purchase your service. If you don’t think the speeds will be high enough when you factor in the 20% overhead you may want to consider a higher service level plan.

9) What Pricing plans do you offer?

In your search for a service provider you will likely encounter a multitude of pricing plans. Each provider will create pricing structures that meet their business model, and that will give them an edge over their competition. Because of this you may find it difficult to compare price. All providers will offer full time 24x7x365 service plans. Some will also offer plans based on usage, and some will sell daily or hourly plans. There are even providers that will sell service for a fixed number of days each month. These plans can be attractive as you will not likely use a system designed for disaster recovery every day of the month, so why should you pay for full time service? If you are comparing price between providers it is easiest to look at their full time rates to determine the cost. However, keep in mind that operators base their pricing on their cost for the satellite space segment. If they are charging less it may be because they don’t have non pre-emptible space or because they operate with high contention ratios, or both.

10) Do you offer other services such as terrestrial connectivity and collocation?

Be sure to inquire about value added services such as collocation space and terrestrial connectivity. Unless you are only buying internet access and have no need for VoIP, streaming, or data backup, you will likely need these services. Some service providers will provide connectivity to the telephone network, and some will not. If you need dial tone you will probably want to contract for that as well. For disaster recovery solutions it is highly recommended that you originate your dial tone from a safe location that is far away from the affected area.

In many disaster scenarios the terrestrial connectivity including cellular phones will not be available. It is important that this is taken into account when designing a backup network. Some of the satellite providers will also offer services to back up corporate or government server data at the satellite hub location. This is highly beneficial to the customer as it provides both off site storage of valuable data, and easy access to that data via the satellite when it is most needed. A satellite hub with a collocation facility can be a powerful tool, and should be highly considered when contracting for satellite services.

Top Beauty Influencers on YouTube

Beauty YouTubers are mostly known and often referred to as “Beauty Gurus”, “Beauty Vloggers”, and/or “Beauty Influencers.” They are typically young women and men who create posts and videos all about cosmetics, fashion, make-ups and other beauty related topics on YouTube.

There are more than 45,000 YouTube channels that specialize in fashion and beauty-related content, videos about makeup tutorials, cosmetic/skin care hauls, beauty recommendations and other more topics only on YouTube Community. Each month, there are over 50 million people who watch over 1.6 million minutes of consumer-created fashion and beauty videos on YouTube.

Some Beauty Influencers expand their career in the online industry and earn huge sums just by utilizing their channels as a way to branch out and utilize it for business purposes which are also executed through collaborations with some cosmetic or clothing brands. They generally fall into their designated categories like a product review, makeup tutorials, hauls and personality clips. Other YouTubers choose to abide by the simple uploading of videos as a hobby and did not after how much money they could make with their videos.

Here’s a list of most powerful influencers or let us say Beauty Goddess in the world of YouTube

Zoe Sugg

Born Brit which is also known as Zoella on YouTube. She started broadcasting from her childhood bedroom, her “hauls” or the web parlance showing off cosmetics purchases. Now, she has over 11.6 million YouTube subscribers and has a bestselling line of beauty products at U.K high street chain Superdrug at the age of 27. Her first novel, “Girl Online” broke first-week sales records according to Nielsen BookScan.

Michelle Phan

Phan’s name is a byword for influencer-turned-entrepreneur a decade after posting her first YouTube Video. She is now the co-founder of subscription cosmetics box Ipsy, which was valued at upwards of $500 million in 2015. She has stopped posting sponsored content as her business has grown, she quickly learned that it would not be sustainable for long since viewers prefer authenticity over ads.

Huda Kattan

While working in a finance job, the Dubai-based entrepreneur started blogging in 2010. Seven years later, she and her two sisters oversee a beauty empire that includes false lashes favored by Kim Kardashian and also sold in vending machines with Kattan’s face splashed on the side. Her makeup line is sold in Sephora.

Nikkie de Jager

Since she uploaded her first video in 2008, the Dutch makeup artist has accrued an enviable following which had reached over 7.2 million on Instagram. In March 2017, she debuted a collaboration with professional line Ofra, including liquid lipsticks which she had designed and a highlighter palette.

Shannon Harris

Known online as “Shaaanxo” started vlogging in 2009 to fill what she saw as a void. “I was obsessed with watching YouTubers from the USA and could never find anyone from New Zealand or Australia,” said by the Kiwi digital star. Eight years later she has now a beauty brand, xoBeauty which sells lashes and brushes.

Jeffree Star

Jeffree has been building online following since the days of MySpace. Today, his YouTube channel boasts over 4 million subscribers and a recent video announced a collaboration with fellow Top Influencers list member Manny Gutierrez.

Kandee Johnson

She started blogging in 2008 and then uploaded her first vlog the following year using her grandparents’ ancient video camera. Soon, she was hosting ‘glaminars’ or beauty and business seminars from her YouTube channel.

Manny Gutierrez

The digital star who is known online as MannyMUA was considering medical school when he started focusing his attention on social media. Now, he is on of a rising crop of top male makeup aficionados. He first gained a following on Instagram, then took to YouTube at his followers’ request. Now, he is an ambassador for Maybelline with a total audience upwards of 7 million among his many partnerships.

Christen Dominique

Busy mom and a full-time student with a full-time job, that is how Christen started posting to YouTube in 2009. Now, with an audience upwards of 4 million across all platforms, she is now partnered with the likes of L’Oreal, Sephora, and Urban Decay.

Wayne Gross

The British-born makeup artist has been growing his YouTube channel since 2009. At the year 2012, a tutorial on how to highlight and contour like Kim Kardashian has accrued over 11 million views to date and helped propel him to the big-time among beauty influencers.

From professional makeup artists to amateurs reviewing drugstore buys on camera. Today, these influencers had reached 135,000,000 followers, likes and subscribers online.

14 Top Lead Generation Tactics

According to former Harvard Business School professor David Maister, typical marketing practices are not only inapplicable for professional service firms, but they may be dangerously wrong.

Often professional service firm principals tell me they are frustrated with the quality of their marketing materials, they are concerned with their firm’s low profile or they feel pressure because their efforts are not generating enough new client leads. Are any of these issues for you?

Many professionals do not know there is a body of knowledge about what does and does not work in marketing professional services. A review of the marketing recommendations of Maister, Robert Bly, Alan Weiss and other experts reveals a recurring theme of what does and does not work in professional service firm marketing. My own 20 years of practical experience in marketing professional service firms supports these findings.
The best marketing for professional service firms is educational in nature. Here are the top 14 tactics that work, in order from the least to the most effective:

The inadequate seven

14. Cold calling — This should be done by a business development person, never a principal. Nothing says “trust me” like a cold call. A better approach is what I call warm calling, which is following up with seminar invitations.

13. CD-Rom or video brochures — These can be great lead conversion tools, but they cost too much for lead generation. Instead, stick the videos on your Web site.

12. Printed brochures — Again, don’t spend too much money up front to generate leads. Instead, create these as PDF files that Adobe Acrobat can read, and place them on your Web site.

11. Sponsorship of cultural/sports events — Being title sponsor of the right event can have an impact, but it is not the best use of lead generation dollars.

10. Advertising — Isn’t it ironic that none of the great advertising agencies built their clientele by advertising? However, if you specialize in an industry and they publish directories, it is always good to have your firm included.

9. Direct mail — This is the traditional direct mail of a letter and a printed piece, like a response card. Some accountants and financial planners have used this cost effectively, maybe offering a complimentary consultation (there is a much better form of direct mail; see tactic No. 1).

8. Publicity — While getting your name in the newspaper and trade journals is a cost-effective way to increase awareness about your firm, it doesn’t always translate into leads.

The magnificent seven

7. Paid ballroom seminars — Rent out the ballroom at the local Marriott or Hilton and charge for an all-day or half-day seminar. Participants should take away a substantial packet of good information from your firm (and a good meal, too).

6. E-Newsletters — This is the water drip torture school of marketing and the opposite of Spam. By signing up for your newsletter lists, prospects are telling you that they are interested in what you have to say but not ready for a relationship now. These people should receive valuable how-to information and event invitations from you on a monthly basis until they decide to opt-out of the list.

5. Networking and trade shows — An excellent way to gather business cards and ask for permission to include them on your e-newsletter list.

4. Community and association involvement — Everyone likes to do business with people they know, like and trust. You need to get involved and “circulate to percolate,” as one Ohio State University professor used to say.

3. How-to articles in client-oriented press — Better than any brochure is the how-to article that appears in a publication that your target clients read.

2. How-to speeches at client industry meetings — People want to hire experts, and an expert by definition is someone who is invited to speak. Actively seek out forums to speak and list past and future speaking dates on your Web site.

1. Free or low-cost small-scale seminars — The best proactive tactic you can employ is to regularly invite prospects by mail and e-mail to small seminars or group consultations. If your prospects are spread out geographically, you can do these briefings via the Internet (Webinars) or the telephone using a bridge line (teleseminars). These can’t be 90-minute commercials. You need to present valuable information about how to solve the problems that your prospects are facing, and then a little mention about your services.

Top 5 Myths about Small Businesses and Blogging

Myth #1) “Blogs are only for individual.”

Technorati.com currently tracks about 50 million blogs, 10% of which are commercial or business blogs. The majority of blogging is still being done by love sick teenagers or others writing about their own viewpoints of what’s happening in the world. However, with over 5 million businesses already blogging, it is too big to be ignored.

Myth#2) “Commercial blogging is only for big businesses.”

While smart business powerhouses like Microsoft, IBM, and NBC have been blogging for a while, big business in general still does not “get it.” In a recent survey, only 5% of the Fortune 500 companies blog. Blogging today is compared to where the internet was 10 years ago. First movers always have advantages. A smart small business could join the blogosphere today, while it still may take a year for their larger competitor to analyze the blogging scene.

Myth #3) “I can’t blog, I’m not a good writer.”

One of the major advantages small businesses have is customers perceive them as having personalities, hearts, and souls. All one needs to do is write a few paragraphs every week. Write like you were writing a fun letter to a friend, don’t be formal and use lots of business jargon. Hopefully, customers already know the business has a personality, so let them see more of it.

Myth #4)”Business blogs are boring.”

The Blog for The Terra Cotta Inn Clothing Optional Resort and Spa is http://terracottainn.blogspot.com You will see entries about the resort, the resort’s dog, celebrities, what it’s like to stay at a clothing optional resort for the first time, etc.

For another example, a restaurant could blog about special dishes, parties, anniversaries, customers pets, “secret” recipes, etc.

Myth #5) “I’m to busy to blog.”

If a business needs a presence on the internet, then it needs a company blog. It is very easy to set one up. Go to blogger.com or wordpress.com (two of many blogging sites). In as little as 15 minutes, you can create a blog. Add at least 1 article every week. Tell your customers about your blog. They will be glad that you did and so will your bottom line!

Attention, bloggers, journalists, newsletter publishers, etc., feel free to reprint this release.

Reaching the Affluent on Social Media Platforms Top 7 Strategies Using the HR Department

Social Media is a phrase everyone knows or has heard, and is certainly being tossed around by seemingly everyone with a heart beat and a pulse these days, and yet it is difficult at times to answer the question regarding Social media. If Facebook, MySpace, and Wikipedia are Social media sites, then what is social media? Perhaps the best way to define social media is to break it down. Media is an instrument used for communication, such as the radio, a newspaper, and television, and social media would be a social instrument of communication.

In Web 2.0 terms, you’re given information while that information interacts with you. The interaction can be various things from comments to rating a product or articles, and thus the beauty of Social media – it’s a two-way street providing you the opportunity to communicate while you’re engaged on that site. At one time it was commonly held that no one could sell High-priced items online, or anything else of real value for that matter – but that time has come and gone. More than three-quarter of US online adults made a purchase over the Web.

Nearly 4 out of 10 online buyers have made a travel purchase and more than one-third have managed their credit or banking accounts online. American Express Publishing and the Harrison Group’s report “The Second Annual Survey of Affluence and Wealth in America” found that 70% of US consumers with over $100,000 in discretionary, house hold income surveyed prefer online buying to the in-store experience. The same number (70%) also goes online to research products, comparison shop and make purchases.

This fondness for online shopping could very well be a case of time equaling money. More to the point, the retail experience has varied in its character. For example, the introduction of online retail has significantly changed the overall shopping experience. The term e-tail encompasses so many different experiences such as grocery e-tail, auction e-tail, and or specialty e-tail and a host of others. But now there’s a new experience on the rise and has been added to online shopping which is the rise of e-luxury online.

So what has sparked this sudden growth for luxury online? This new growth is largely because most wealthy Internet users in the United States are optimistic about the economy going forward according to Ipsos Mendelsohn and their online spending has historically been higher than average. That should make everybody happy and present an attraction to retailers, which have increased their attention to social networks to attract customers. But does this mean that the affluent will be as receptive to social marketing as other Web users? The answer to that question depends on who you ask. According to a study conducted by Unity Marketing, the outlook is mixed. But as confidence grows among Affluent about the economy, the Affluent will drive online spending. Believe it or not, the affluent lead the way to E-Commerce recovery, and that leads to another interesting point I’d like to make.

In the past, most corporations’ communications teams were responsible for protecting and preserving the corporation’s reputation. However, with the huge popularity of Social media, every department in your business can play a huge role in branding, monitoring and protecting the corporate image and reputation, beginning with the Human Resource department. One of the greatest challenges for Human Resource executives is breaking through walls that some corporations put up simply because there’s a belief and or policy to allow only their communication’s departments to represent the company and its brand identity. In some companies the wall is big. But there is a way to knock it down, if one has the right tools. Except in a few instances, most companies offer largely undifferentiated products and services; airlines for example fly their aircraft over and over, while serving the same food, and retail stores offer the same merchandise.

In many respects, their brand strategy is quite simply their business strategy. A brand, frankly speaking, is a promise to consumers to provide a specific level of service, value, and quality that can be expected and received. Think of a brand as a covenant between a business and its customers. Branding expert Martin Lindstrom said it best when he said “Great brands and religions have something in common: the idea of vanquishing a shared enemy.”

Today’s media approach to branding the message of a company to the consumer is greatly enhanced, with all the Social media platforms out there today, one thing is for certain – if the promise is not kept, customers will flee and go elsewhere. A classic example is Eastern Airlines who promised to “Earn its Wings Everyday” through superior customer service while simultaneously canceling flights, losing bags, and serving passengers horrible food. As a direct result, trust between customers and the airline were irrevocably broken, passengers boycotted and eventually Eastern Airlines went out of business and destroyed the brand forever.

What went wrong? Eastern Airlines failed to align the behavior of their employees with the brand promise, and that leads to my first tip to anyone building a brand; understand that the copy in your ad does not deliver your brand’s promise, nor is it your product – your brand’s promise is delivered by your people.

Herein lies the opportunity for Human Resources to break down the walls and into the branding game, by helping ensure that all of the large and small actions that people in the company take every day, throughout the organization, fall in line with the brand strategy.

Finally, use these seven tips to further enhance your position and participation in the company’s brand identity, ensuring that your company and its brand will have ever lasting years, and be in business for years to come.

Top 7 Strategies and Tips for getting Involved with the Company’s branding from the Human Resource Department to reach the Affluent:

Conduct interviews as if you’re using a crystal ball. Look deeper and ask questions that lead to future responses.
During interviews start thinking of the big picture – convey how the corporate reputation affects every aspect of the company’s business, including the hiring and terminating process.
Create a company policy centered on conduct and disclosure, and offer to the communications department for implementation outside of your office and department.
Understand how quickly information moves online and be ready to respond swiftly should an issue appear online.
Review Social media sites before conducting an interview, and become aware of the social behavior of the person seeking the position in the company before to employ them.
Keep your temper under control, and never speak badly to anyone using Social media and review if the potential new employee has done the same. Remember that your bad comments will out live your temper.
Think the Future. Try to predict how announcements, changes in policies, ad campaigns, and world events can impact your organization, while taking part to lead in a reputation crisis.

Keeping these helpful tips and strategies in mind will go a long way in the process of an HR executive participating and supporting with branding strategies. Ten years ago it would not have been possible for this kind of intelligent departmental interaction to be feasible.

As a Human Resource executive, you can take advantage of this opportunity to reach the affluent consumer by incorporating social media and monitoring into your communications plans today!

10 Best Home Based Businesses Selected From Top 100 to Have Guaranteed Success Online

Due to the current economic crisis, managing your overall expenses is not as easy as it used to be. Luckily, we can now have extra income from doing business at home. Apart from the hectic schedule, you might wonder how to successfully set up and maintain it without completely losing track of time. Well, the good news is that having some of these 10 best home based businesses selected from top 100 doesn’t require too much time.

1. The best one to start with is an affiliate program opportunity, since you can join free and also earn lifetime commissions. Having the right products to sell can give you an excellent income online.

2. The next one is desktop publishing. This requires minimum setup because all you need are graphic design skills and a good layout program. From invitations to brochures and flyers, you can take on this business on a project basis. This means only accepting orders when you don’t have too much work on your hands. You can still maintain your regular Monday to Friday routine, and work on this during weekends.

3. The third from the 10 best home based businesses selected from top 100 is blogging. Maintaining an online journal is profitable especially once you have a strong reader base. Once you have a regular audience, you can immediately post different articles on exciting topics if you have the time. You can also earn from ad spaces and banners to be placed on your site.

4. Freelancing in photography might also be a good idea. Offer clients with weekend and holidays service. Since these are the days which you don’t have work, you can cater to their needs at once. You’ll need to invest in equipment to start your business.

5. The fifth one is a pet grooming service. Hold grooming sessions on weekends for pet owners that don’t really have time to give their pets a bath. Schedule a number of dogs per week.

6. Selling products online can also become a profitable hobby. This can range from drawing, knitting and painting. The best places you can sell stuff are on eBay and other sites that have a lot of members.

7. Content writing is also becoming an increasingly popular choice for people who have backgrounds on copywriting. These including producing press releases and research writing on a certain number of products to promote a company online.

8. The eighth one of the 10 best home based businesses selected from top 100 is the virtual assistance job. Virtual assistants carry out tasks that cannot be handled by the company due to the volume of jobs their employees have to fulfill. These take up more time because of the regular working hours, depending on the country to be operated at.

9. You can always use web design as your home based business. You’d be surprised at the potential income opportunities for this field.

10. Lastly, consulting jobs are also among the jobs which one can fulfill because it doesn’t take up too much time. Engage in a field that you specialize in.

It is very much necessary that you acquire appropriate knowledge and skills that you need to run some of our best home based businesses selected from top 100 successfully. Although the internet has made it possible to achieve your goals, it takes hard work and determination to fulfill your dreams in life.

Top 5 Tips to Choosing the Best Web Application Design Company

Are you looking for an effective and professional website to carry out business? You need the support and assistance of a professional web application Design Company. It is important to have a site which includes all the relevant features. Any business website must necessarily have advanced and enriched user-friendly features. A professional and experienced web application development company can help you a lot.

The company offering such services will try and understand your business needs since the needs of a medical equipment manufacturing firm cannot be the same as that of a gaming website. Only a professional company knows how to handle different industries and deliver app development services. Then it can also help you to prepare the best layout. With the perfect layout, you can convey your business message across to the potential customers. Your business will also enjoy a unique identity and thus it will be different from other brands selling the same products you offer. To avail the best services, you need to follow the top tips to choosing the best company.

Important factors to consider when choosing a web application design company

In order to thrive in this competitive era, your website must be easy-to-navigate, easy-to-use, reliable, error-free and well designed. Besides, new technologies in the current times are centered on iPad, iTunes and iPhones. It is important to choose the right app development services:

· The experience level: Before you take the services of a professional company, you must check out the level of experience the company is having. A company having years of experience in developing mobile phone related apps must be chosen. If you wish for iPhone app development, look for a company which specializes in Apple app development.

· Offering excellence: Make sure the company you choose for app development offers excellence. Your chosen company must be able to develop an app which functions well with your device. If you wish for iPad app development, it must create an app which may be used easily with the iPad device. The firm must not make any compromise on the look and quality of the app.

· Offer versatility in design: The Company must offer you versatility in designing the applications and creativity. It must readily accept new kind of ideas and show utmost willingness to make changes to the apps. In fact, the company needs to be competent technically. It needs to have the team of highly experienced and knowledgeable app developers.

· The portfolio of work: You cannot choose any company on the basis of word-of-mouth advertisement. You need to check out the past projects accomplished by the company. Have a look at the apps developed.

· Business operations, industry practices: Apart from the business model, you must look for developments relating to industry practices and business operations. Have a look at the company policies when it comes to the authority or ownership of the final program code. Check out its expertise in designing, programming, SEO and usability. Make sure it does not outsource the task of app development.

When you want the app development services, you will find that there are hundreds of companies in the industry. Do not go by cheaper rates since the firm may offer you low quality services. Do some research to find the company that can deliver as per the needs of your business.

Top Cloud Apps That Really Make a Difference in Your Small Business

Google Drive

Google Drive is a cloud storage and sharing system. It can be used as the center of cloud-based office work. Users can work on their own documents, spreadsheets and presentations, as well as work collaboratively with others. Users need a recent version of the Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Safari Web browsers in order to use Drive. It has a web-based app and a downloaded version. Once installed, uploading and downloading files is insanely fast. Additional office and creative programs are already available specifically for use with Google Drive such as LucidChart, a diagramming program; WeVideo, a video-editing program; Docusign, an e-signature program; and HelloFax, to send Google Drive files as faxes and receive faxes as Google Drive documents.

QuickBase

QuickBase is a larger, more secure alternative to Google Docs. It helps collect, manage and share data. Quickbase can be customized for a specific business. It has a lot of pre-existing applications and also has a store of customer created applications. It has an easy to understand application builder. Users have to buy a month subscription and a 30 day free trial is available.

Microsoft Office 365

Microsoft Office 365 is designed for cloud-based storage and sharing. A subscription allows users to download Office 2013 (or Office 2011 for Mac) on up to 5 devices. An annual subscription costs $100. Microsoft also offers an $80 subscription to students for all four years. If you don’t want to install the full Office, you can run Office On Demand. Office On Demand temporarily installs a full copy of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, or Publisher on any Windows 7 or 8 machine. It lets you open or create documents and then deletes the app from the system after you close. Improvements have been made to the commenting capabilities in Word as well as to Word in general to make it much cleaner.

Handility

A powerful, yet easy to use cloud based phone system and access to local and global numbers.

The system allows you to free yourself from the limitations of traditional telephony and become seamless and globally connected.

There is no equipment to purchase, maintain or upgrade, and our unlimited inbound and outbound calling plans eliminate long distance charges and billing from third party phone companies.

You can chose to maintain a pay-as-you-go plan at incredible low rates, starting from 3 cents per minute.

Adobe Connect

Adobe Connect is a comprehensive web conferencing cloud application. It costs $55/a month (or $45/month if sign up for a year) and becomes available to 100 users. Adobe Connect allows users to video conference, share and annotate files, videos, and one another’s desktops, and rearrange the look and feel of the space to suit user’s needs. It accommodates all browsers and internet connections. Meeting Rooms can be cumbersome to set up, but once set up are always available.

Expensify

Expensify is a web-based application that helps users track and categorize expenses. It has a mobile application that can be used to take note of expenses. Pictures can be taken of receipts for upload, and users can forward email receipts to the Expensify account. Best, it’s free.

FormMobi

FormMobi is a web based application that helps simplify the process of creating forms. Users create an account on FormMobi and begin building forms. They can then be accessed by the field team if they have the Android or iOS device. Once the form is saved on the device once it can be accessed without a data connection, and finished forms can be synced with FormMobi. It costs $10 for a single user and up to $100 a month for ten users.

Create Your Own Top Home Based Business – Own the Home Based Internet Business You Dream About

Building a Top Home Based Business has never been easier! If you’re honestly looking to become a successful online business entrepreneur, take heed to my opening statement. There’s no hype, no half-truths, no lies, no misleading anything in that statement–simply fact! The Internet has become the place where people come for the majority of their daily needs, such as:

research projects
general directions and mapping
cooking recipes
investment advise
social interactions and networking
online shopping

And that list could go on and on and on…you know what I’m getting at right? That’s the point I’m trying to make, the Internet has become the global meeting place of the world.

Gettin’ Back to Building Your Online Business

Let’s get one thing clear so there are no gray areas–if I’m going out on a limb to say something is the top home based business it’s not going to be working for someone else doing menial computing tasks. No way! It’s going to be all about starting Your own successful home based Internet business and making Your business dreams come true. Your days of making someone else rich from the hard work you perform could be over starting today.

Building a top home based business is not easy and it’s certainly not for everybody. Nor is it a get-rich-quick solution by any means. It’s a real home based business that you own and operate. It’s all about you, your dreams and ambitions, and your commitment to building a top home business and succeeding as an online Internet business owner.

Do You Think You have What it Takes?

This business offering I’m speaking about has some of the most totally outrageous claims about business successes from all kinds of people from all over the world!

Guess what?

All the claims are made by the business owner’s themselves currently succeeding in their own top home based business. They’re proud of their accomplishments and happy to share their success stories for the inspiration of others. You can see and hear the pride in each of them as they discuss their online business success and how they were able to do it.

An All-in-One Home Based Business Package

They’ve thought of everything so you don’t have to. All you have to do is concentrate on doing what it is you love. All the complicated tools, technologies, processes, hosting services, storage requirements, email campaign generators, research tools, are all included and made as simple as worldly possible.

I mean they’ve even got ways for your future visitors and customers to create content to build your online business stronger and more successful with minimal effort from you. There’s no better way to go from Internet novice to successful online business entrepreneur in one incredible offering.

Top 10 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Choosing a Business Name

In this rapidly growing economy, it is commonplace to see businesses in every nooks and crannies of the world. Sole proprietorship is having the highest number of registration. From the home-based entrepreneur to the shop owner, and then the small office consultant, people are taking advantage of the freedom enjoyed in becoming their own boss.

Billions of corporate monies are invested yearly in starting new businesses. A visit to the Lagos office of the nation’s registrar of business names buttresses this fact.

While it is true that anybody can start up a business of their own, many entrepreneurs have fallen short of the leveraging that accrues from this experience. This, to a large extent, has to do with the disadvantaged names worn by these businesses.

A business does not actually begin by formulating a business plan or opening a bank account. It starts from choosing a name. There’s more to business names than just identity. The right name is an advertising tool. If the name doesn’t describe the nature of your business, potential clients may not realize that you offer something they need.

Let’s take a look at the top 10 mistakes to avoid when choosing a business name:

1. NOT KNOWING WHAT KIND OF BUSINESS YOU ARE IN. It is surprising that some entrepreneurs choose a name with little or no indication of what type of work the organization actually does. Including a descriptive word in your business name can be useful when marketing your products or company. This may be made possible if you have identified what differentiates you from competitors. Take the following examples:

Adenix and Sons

One Love Enterprises

Just You Shop

Can you tell me what any of these companies do? No! They’re relying on customers already knowing who they are (a tricky proposition for new businesses).

2. USING A NAME THAT IS TOO LONG, DIFFICULT TO REMEMBER, SPELL OR PRONOUNCE. A good name is something that can be mentioned on radio or over the phone without explanation. People will make a quick decision based on their first impression of your business name. Put the name through a spelling test and ask others to spell it. So, choosing a name such as “Lolitoesy” is not a good one.

3. NOT SPENDING QUALITY TIME BRAINSTORMING. Business names are not “spur of the moment” creations. It is the result of possibly long days and nights of brainstorming, digging the Thesaurus for synonyms and antonyms, interrelated words and words that have some kind of relationship with the proposed business activity. The big companies even hire expensive consultants to help them choose the right name for their businesses or products.

4. PROMOTING A NAME WITHOUT TESTING AND CHECKING ITS AVAILABILITY. Once you have chosen a few names, test them out on friends and family, potential clients and everyone you know. Ask them what kind of service they feel you provide and feeling they get about the name. You’ll be surprised at how honestly they give you suggestions. Then you can proceed to check availability at the name registry nearest to you after being convinced it’s best. Don’t waste money on letter heads and complimentary cards trying out a business name already chosen by someone else.

5. CHOOSING WORDS WITH NEGATIVE OR NEUTRAL CONNOTATION. A word’s connotation can be positive, negative or neutral, depending on the emotional associations that people generally make. If you are starting a transport business for instance, you don’t want it to have a weak sounding or negative name, such as “Willow Twig Trucking” or “Kitten Transport”. You want a business name that conveys strength and reliability. A choice such as “Stone Creek Transport” would be much better. Remember: Words are powerful.

6. NAMING A BUSINESS AFTER THE FOUNDER OR ANY OTHER PERSON. It is a common tendency for a business to be named after the original founder. This approach can make customers expect the personal attention and care of the owner. Using your name, followed by the type of service works well if you have an already established reputation in your specialty. But, if you are planning to one day sell your company, a company-owner named business is less attractive.

7. NOT CONSIDERING THE FUTURE. Robert Dilenschneider wrote about a public relations person who broadened her services from just writing to media relations and had to change the name of her business from Miller’s Writing Services to Miller’s Communications. Aside brainstorming for ideas, you need foresight in choosing a name. Even if you are operating a highly-niched product, select names that would represent a broader category of your product line.

8. FAILURE TO GET THE RIGHT DOMAIN NAME FOR YOUR BUSINESS. If your business activity is almost 100% online or will do better having an online presence, you may need to consider starting your search by getting a suitable domain name for your website first. In the modern world of the internet, where people automatically turn to the web for information, it pays to have a domain name that reflects your site or business.

9. NOT AVOIDING LAWSUIT. Be unique. The best you can be trying to be someone else is second best. Avoid being a copycat. Using a name similar or identical to that of another business can get you into problems including legal issues. If you call your line of equestrian apparel “Polo Sporting Designs”, the holder of the trademark “Polo” – the giant Ralph Lauren – may slap you with a lawsuit.

10. NOT CONSULTING A BUSINESS NAMING EXPERT. While the services of lawyers, chartered accountants and chartered secretaries can be invaluable in the registration of a business name and company, these categories of professionals might not understand the selling and marketing principles that copywriters can use to your advantage. A good copywriter is always looking for ways to help you communicate more effectively to more people.