Many thanks to BA for an unexpected upgrade to first class. Turns 23 hours in the air from Business Class great to First Class fantastic. Two cute twists to the updgrade. The first is that they give you a cosmetics/amenities kit that you have to empty in the garbage bin at Bangkok airport because you can neither leave it on the plane nor take it through Bangkok security when in transit. Second - you will recall my great experience re-visiting of Qantas Business Class in my last trip where after a year or more of faulty VOD system I was pleased to find a system working and full of movies. Now here I am in BA first class with a new and highly publicised VOD system that had to be re-booted twice and failed again an hour and half out fo Bangkok. According to the copy of Business Traveller I was reading on the plane this is a common complaint in the BA roll out. One big difference with the Qantas VOD failures was the charming and constant apologies of the BA staff. Though as the staff member joked after the final re-boot attempt, "we'll need a crowbar to fix it and put it out of my misery".
UPDATE - forgot to mention another cute part of this story. My boarding pass contains a comment to indicate that it is an upgrade not a "pure" first class boarding pass. I assume so that I can be differentiated by the staff from the people who actually bought a first class ticket. The boarding pass describes this as "INVOL UPGRADE DUE O/SALE". That's something I could get used to - an involuntary/forced 23 hours in a first class seat.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Make This One Change to Grab Your Customers’ Attention
Do you use email marketing to promote your eBay store? I hope you do. And if you do, I hope you make those newsletters interesting for your potential buyers. The most important place to start is by writing a killer, attention-grabbing subject line.
It’s easy to put together a store newsletter using the marketing tools section from your “My eBay” page. The first thing the process requires you to do is select the type of email that you want to send. The drop-down menu includes several choices (newly listed, etc.). After you have made that selection, on the next screen you will have several options. One of those is “subject.”
The subject line is what your customer will see first, right in their inbox. What they read there will make them decide to open the email or to simply delete it. Why leave the subject line, like so many people do, with the default “Check out my Newly Listed Items” (how boring is that?) when you have 55 characters to work with, 55 characters just waiting to make or break your entire marketing effort.
Here are some examples of subject lines that have enticed me to open and read an eBay store newsletter.
“Newly Listed Items – Hair Accessories, Jewelry, Lenox”
“100 sales, auctions, pet tips ANNIE STAR PET SUPPLIES”
“New Auctions and Tons of Sales!”
“Limited Time Special for our Newsletter Subscribers” (Who could ignore that!)
“Sale! Shop Dragonfly for Big Savings”
“March Inventory Sale! All Items Reduced!"
Aren’t those better than the default? It’s easy and doesn’t take but a minute or two to create an interesting subject line for your store marketing emails. Get creative, grab your customers’ attention, then see if your “opened” rate – and your eBay sales – increase. It’s worth 55 characters of your time to find out.
It’s easy to put together a store newsletter using the marketing tools section from your “My eBay” page. The first thing the process requires you to do is select the type of email that you want to send. The drop-down menu includes several choices (newly listed, etc.). After you have made that selection, on the next screen you will have several options. One of those is “subject.”
The subject line is what your customer will see first, right in their inbox. What they read there will make them decide to open the email or to simply delete it. Why leave the subject line, like so many people do, with the default “Check out my Newly Listed Items” (how boring is that?) when you have 55 characters to work with, 55 characters just waiting to make or break your entire marketing effort.
Here are some examples of subject lines that have enticed me to open and read an eBay store newsletter.
“Newly Listed Items – Hair Accessories, Jewelry, Lenox”
“100 sales, auctions, pet tips ANNIE STAR PET SUPPLIES”
“New Auctions and Tons of Sales!”
“Limited Time Special for our Newsletter Subscribers” (Who could ignore that!)
“Sale! Shop Dragonfly for Big Savings”
“March Inventory Sale! All Items Reduced!"
Aren’t those better than the default? It’s easy and doesn’t take but a minute or two to create an interesting subject line for your store marketing emails. Get creative, grab your customers’ attention, then see if your “opened” rate – and your eBay sales – increase. It’s worth 55 characters of your time to find out.
Free MLM Tip: More Creative Headlines Just for You!
Here is a great free mlm tip for you today: always make sure you use hypnotic headlines!
I have received more headline information from Art Jonak. I consider him an outstanding marketer! Here we go:
Here are headlines #26 through #30 from the . . .
''Top 50 Greatest Network Marketing Headlines List.''
26: ''In one hour I learned a plan to wipe out
my credit card debt.''
27: ''It's just like being a rock star. You write
a hit song and collect royalties for life..''
28: ''Retire with dignity and with a full-time paycheck.''
29: ''Live like a millionaire in just 12 short months.''
30: ''How a 29-year-old housewife stays at home and
still receives a full-time paycheck.''
To learn how to create great headlines that are specific
to your company, product and compensation plan, visit:
=> http://www.mlmplayers.com/headlines
Here's a Bonus Sponsoring Tip
_____________________________
===> Do you think a part-time job would be better
for you instead of a part-time business?
(Most prospects will immediately attach themselves to
wanting a part-time business. Hey, working a part-time
job until age 65 doesn't sound like much fun.)
===> Starting your own business would cost a lot of money
. . . and is pretty risky, isn't it?
(Most prospects will agree and say that's why they
haven't tried. Now they are open-minded toward a
business if it doesn't require a lot of money and is
not risky.)
===> Would a $300 a month raise make a big difference?
(Gee, that's $3,600 a year which would pay for a really
nice vacation, a better car, an occasional weekend
getaway, or the minimum payment on the VISA card . . .
This question is rejection-free. Even if the prospect
says, 'No' - that means the prospect is looking for
some serious money. And you know your prospect can't
get this kind of raise from his or her boss.)
See you at the TOP!
-Art Jonak
I'll pass on more info as it becomes available. These are great free mlm tips for you to start using right now!
Monique
Looking for a free resource that will save you years of failure and frustration? If so, click here: http://mentormonique.bigmlmtruths.com/?mad=9091
Looking for free mlm tips and free mlm resources to build your work at home business? If so, visit http://www.squidoo.com/tipstoexplodeyourhome-basedbusiness
Saturday, September 29, 2007
The BOOT is on the road - back Friday Oct 5
Unlikely to have a chance to post between now and Friday Oct 5 - but given the rumour bonanza of the last week, who knows.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Its true - TUI acquires Asiarooms
Once again search engine traffic proves an indicator of M&A activity and finally a rumour from the BOOT proves true. The confirmation is in that TUI has indeed bought Asiarooms (newswire article here). Can't believe they did it. Thanks to Nathan from Bangkok for sending through the news link. Press release claims that Asiarooms is doing 4 million bed nights a year (about 2.5million room nights) but that sounds inflated to me.
UPDATE: with help from a loyal reader have found a filing from TUI that indicates the purchase price of Asiarooms of $67.5mm ($49mm in cash and $18.5 in assumed debt). Here is the quote
UPDATE: with help from a loyal reader have found a filing from TUI that indicates the purchase price of Asiarooms of $67.5mm ($49mm in cash and $18.5 in assumed debt). Here is the quote
With effect from 28 September 2007, Pacific World Singapore Pte. Ltd. (Singapore) acquired a 100% share in Asiarooms Pte. Ltd. (Singapore), a company operating in the hotel accommodation agency business. The goodwill (33.1 million GBP or € 47.4 million), capitalised on a preliminary basis as at the acquisition date, was determined on the basis of the purchase price including incidental acquisition costs of 49.0 million USD and negative net assets of 18.5 million USD.We assume Pacific World is a TUI vehicle. Anyone out there read this differently?
AdWords Optimization Tips: Managing and Optimizing Bids
Welcome back to our series on AdWords Optimization Tips. A number of our readers have written in to ask about managing and optimizing their bids for best performance, so that is the topic we'll address today. Please note that some of today's tips are directed towards readers who also use Google Analytics, while others are general tips for all AdWords users.
When you are optimizing your bids, you should test how adjusting your bids and changes in your ad ranking affect your return-on-investment (ROI). Below, we cover a few tools and tips that can help you measure these results so you can make the best decisions for your campaigns.
AdWords Keyword Positions report from Google Analytics
If your AdWords account is linked to a Google Analytics account, the easiest and most effective way to optimize your bids is to use Google Analytics. (You can find out how to link the two accounts here.) You can use the Google Analytics Keyword Positions report in the Traffic Sources section to see where your AdWords ads appear on Google search results pages as well as in which position your ad performs best at in terms of total number of visits, conversion rates, etc. To access this report, sign in to your Analytics account, then go to Traffic Sources > AdWords > Keyword Positions. Positions T1 through T3 mean your ad was promoted to the top of the search results page. Positions 1 through 8 indicate placement or location in the right-hand column of ads on the first page, with 1 being the top position, and so on.
You might learn from this report that your ad actually converts better when it is at a lower position than a higher position and you may want to consider adjusting your bid to achieve the best performing position. However, if you do decide to increase or decrease your bids, you should still check back in a week or two to make sure that your keyword is performing similarly since changing its average position.
If you wish to automate the process of testing and adjusting bids, you can use the AdWords Keyword Positions report in conjunction with the Position Preference feature within AdWords to actually optimize your ad's position. With the Position Preference feature, you can select a specific position as a target. If you have determined that you achieve highest ROI with positions 3 through 4, for example, you can set your position preference to these positions. The system will then try to show your ad in positions 3 through 4 by increasing or lowering its bid. You should keep in mind though your changes may improve the ROI of your campaign because your ads are converting well at a lower cost, it could decrease the total amount of traffic to your site if you've specified that you'd like your ad to be in a lower position on the page. Be sure to check out tips in our Help Center on choosing settings and pricing for Position Preference.
If you use Analytics, you can check out more ROI tips from the Google Analytics Conversion University.
Traffic Estimator Tool
If you don't use Google Analytics, you can still adjust and optimize your bids using the Traffic Estimator Tool. For each keyword you select, you will be able to see the minimum bid, maximum CPC, the search volume bar, Estimated Ad Positions, and other information. The most relevant column for the purposes of testing ad ranking against ROI is the Estimated Ad Positions information. The Estimated Ad Positions column shows your ad's estimated position on each of your keywords with your current maximum CPC. If you're unhappy with the estimated ad position, enter a new maximum CPC in the Maximum CPC field and click 'Get New Estimates.' You can follow a step-by-step guide on how to use Traffic Estimator here.
Testing again and again
Lastly, you can always measure results without any special tools by simply looking at your conversions and your position, and then manually adjusting your bids until you achieve your optimal ROI. We want to emphasize that bidding higher CPCs for the keywords that you want isn't always what's best for your ROI. Instead, we recommend that you find out where the keyword is converting the best for the optimal cost. In this experimentation process, you may lower your bid too much and see conversions go down significantly or you may raise it too much and see no changes in conversions. Through testing and measuring, you should be able find the sweet spot where you are most effectively reaching your advertising goals.
For a more comprehensive range of topics related to managing bids, we recommend that you visit the Managing Cost-Per-Click and 'How do I strategically maximize my ROI?' topics in the Help Center. And you may also want to read more about the Conversion Optimizer beta.
As always, we want to know about the optimization tips you're interested in. Please email us to let us know and you may see your question answered in a future post.
When you are optimizing your bids, you should test how adjusting your bids and changes in your ad ranking affect your return-on-investment (ROI). Below, we cover a few tools and tips that can help you measure these results so you can make the best decisions for your campaigns.
AdWords Keyword Positions report from Google Analytics
If your AdWords account is linked to a Google Analytics account, the easiest and most effective way to optimize your bids is to use Google Analytics. (You can find out how to link the two accounts here.) You can use the Google Analytics Keyword Positions report in the Traffic Sources section to see where your AdWords ads appear on Google search results pages as well as in which position your ad performs best at in terms of total number of visits, conversion rates, etc. To access this report, sign in to your Analytics account, then go to Traffic Sources > AdWords > Keyword Positions. Positions T1 through T3 mean your ad was promoted to the top of the search results page. Positions 1 through 8 indicate placement or location in the right-hand column of ads on the first page, with 1 being the top position, and so on.
You might learn from this report that your ad actually converts better when it is at a lower position than a higher position and you may want to consider adjusting your bid to achieve the best performing position. However, if you do decide to increase or decrease your bids, you should still check back in a week or two to make sure that your keyword is performing similarly since changing its average position.
If you wish to automate the process of testing and adjusting bids, you can use the AdWords Keyword Positions report in conjunction with the Position Preference feature within AdWords to actually optimize your ad's position. With the Position Preference feature, you can select a specific position as a target. If you have determined that you achieve highest ROI with positions 3 through 4, for example, you can set your position preference to these positions. The system will then try to show your ad in positions 3 through 4 by increasing or lowering its bid. You should keep in mind though your changes may improve the ROI of your campaign because your ads are converting well at a lower cost, it could decrease the total amount of traffic to your site if you've specified that you'd like your ad to be in a lower position on the page. Be sure to check out tips in our Help Center on choosing settings and pricing for Position Preference.
If you use Analytics, you can check out more ROI tips from the Google Analytics Conversion University.
Traffic Estimator Tool
If you don't use Google Analytics, you can still adjust and optimize your bids using the Traffic Estimator Tool. For each keyword you select, you will be able to see the minimum bid, maximum CPC, the search volume bar, Estimated Ad Positions, and other information. The most relevant column for the purposes of testing ad ranking against ROI is the Estimated Ad Positions information. The Estimated Ad Positions column shows your ad's estimated position on each of your keywords with your current maximum CPC. If you're unhappy with the estimated ad position, enter a new maximum CPC in the Maximum CPC field and click 'Get New Estimates.' You can follow a step-by-step guide on how to use Traffic Estimator here.
Testing again and again
Lastly, you can always measure results without any special tools by simply looking at your conversions and your position, and then manually adjusting your bids until you achieve your optimal ROI. We want to emphasize that bidding higher CPCs for the keywords that you want isn't always what's best for your ROI. Instead, we recommend that you find out where the keyword is converting the best for the optimal cost. In this experimentation process, you may lower your bid too much and see conversions go down significantly or you may raise it too much and see no changes in conversions. Through testing and measuring, you should be able find the sweet spot where you are most effectively reaching your advertising goals.
For a more comprehensive range of topics related to managing bids, we recommend that you visit the Managing Cost-Per-Click and 'How do I strategically maximize my ROI?' topics in the Help Center. And you may also want to read more about the Conversion Optimizer beta.
As always, we want to know about the optimization tips you're interested in. Please email us to let us know and you may see your question answered in a future post.
ITC MAKES FIRST AGOA TEXTILE DETERMINATIONS
The U.S. International Trade Commission today announced its determinations in connection with its investigation Commercial Availability of Fabric and Yarns in AGOA Countries, Inv. No. AGOA-07-001. The determinations are the first that the Commission has made under amendments to the African Growth and Opportunity Act that the President signed into law in December 2006.
The Commission's determinations relate only to denim fabric and estimate the amount of regional African denim fabric that will be available during the 12-month period beginning October 1, 2007, for use in less developed beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries in the production of denim apparel receiving U.S. duty free treatment. The Commission reported its determinations to the President and the U.S. Trade Representative.
All six Commissioners found that the subject denim fabric will be available in commercial quantities during the upcoming 12-month period. Chairman Daniel R. Pearson, Vice Chairman Shara L. Aranoff, and Commissioners Deanna Tanner Okun, Charlotte R. Lane, and Irving A. Williamson found that the amount available will be 21,303,613 square meter equivalents (smes). Commissioner Dean A. Pinkert determined that the subject denim fabric will be available in commercial quantities within a range from 21,303,613 smes to 25,017,171 smes during the 12-month period.
The Commission's determinations are made in the context of a statutory provision that allows apparel made in less developed beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries from third country fabric to enter the United States duty free.
The statute requires the Commission to make a determination in response to a petition, and if the determination is affirmative, the Commission must make an additional determination in each subsequent year through 2012 as to the amount available in the next year. The statute also requires the Commission to determine, after each year for which it determines the fabric to be available, how much of the available fabric was actually used in apparel receiving U.S. duty-free treatment.
In the case of denim, no petition was filed. Instead, an investigation was initiated after Congress deemed denim fabric to be available in abundant supply in the amount of 30 million smes during October 1, 2006-September 30, 2007. The Commission's determinations here are with respect to availability and the amount available during the next year (the year that begins on October 1, 2007).
In coming months the Commission will be required to determine how much of the 30 million smes of denim deemed to be available during the 12- month period ended September 30, 2007, was used in the production of denim apparel receiving U.S. duty-free treatment. Any unused amounts will be added to the amount the Commission just determined will be available during the year beginning on October 1, 2007. The statute also sets forth circumstances when the President may or must remove duty free treatment if regional fabric is available in commercial quantities to make the apparel, but is not used for such production.
The Commission's public report, Commercial Availability of Fabric and Yarns in AGOA Countries (Inv. No. AGOA-07-001, USITC Publication 3950, September 2007) will contain the views of the Commission and information developed during the investigation.
The report will be available by September 30, 2007, and will be posted on the ITC web site
Copies can be obtained by calling 202-205-2000 or from the Office of the Secretary, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. Requests may also be made by fax to 202-205-2104.
The Commission's determinations relate only to denim fabric and estimate the amount of regional African denim fabric that will be available during the 12-month period beginning October 1, 2007, for use in less developed beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries in the production of denim apparel receiving U.S. duty free treatment. The Commission reported its determinations to the President and the U.S. Trade Representative.
All six Commissioners found that the subject denim fabric will be available in commercial quantities during the upcoming 12-month period. Chairman Daniel R. Pearson, Vice Chairman Shara L. Aranoff, and Commissioners Deanna Tanner Okun, Charlotte R. Lane, and Irving A. Williamson found that the amount available will be 21,303,613 square meter equivalents (smes). Commissioner Dean A. Pinkert determined that the subject denim fabric will be available in commercial quantities within a range from 21,303,613 smes to 25,017,171 smes during the 12-month period.
The Commission's determinations are made in the context of a statutory provision that allows apparel made in less developed beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries from third country fabric to enter the United States duty free.
The statute requires the Commission to make a determination in response to a petition, and if the determination is affirmative, the Commission must make an additional determination in each subsequent year through 2012 as to the amount available in the next year. The statute also requires the Commission to determine, after each year for which it determines the fabric to be available, how much of the available fabric was actually used in apparel receiving U.S. duty-free treatment.
In the case of denim, no petition was filed. Instead, an investigation was initiated after Congress deemed denim fabric to be available in abundant supply in the amount of 30 million smes during October 1, 2006-September 30, 2007. The Commission's determinations here are with respect to availability and the amount available during the next year (the year that begins on October 1, 2007).
In coming months the Commission will be required to determine how much of the 30 million smes of denim deemed to be available during the 12- month period ended September 30, 2007, was used in the production of denim apparel receiving U.S. duty-free treatment. Any unused amounts will be added to the amount the Commission just determined will be available during the year beginning on October 1, 2007. The statute also sets forth circumstances when the President may or must remove duty free treatment if regional fabric is available in commercial quantities to make the apparel, but is not used for such production.
The Commission's public report, Commercial Availability of Fabric and Yarns in AGOA Countries (Inv. No. AGOA-07-001, USITC Publication 3950, September 2007) will contain the views of the Commission and information developed during the investigation.
The report will be available by September 30, 2007, and will be posted on the ITC web site
Copies can be obtained by calling 202-205-2000 or from the Office of the Secretary, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. Requests may also be made by fax to 202-205-2104.
Free MLM Resource: How to Use Squidoo To Market Your MLM Product or Opportunity
On the internet today, there seems to be an almost overwhelming number of marketing strategies you can use to promote your MLM home business. There is one free mlm tool that you can use to generate cheap mlm leads for free. This tool is Squidoo.
Squidoo is a social network marketing site that continues to grow by leaps and bounds. With Squidoo, all you do is create a lens. A lens is like a mini-website. Once your lens is created, simply put in content that you know folks in your niche will love and rave about. The more helpful your lens, the more popular it will be and the higher it will get ranked by your peers.
Before you join Squidoo and create your first lens, keep this in mind:
-Make sure you invest time and effort in building lenses that will have folks all over the net talking about them.
-Do most of your work by hand instead of automating it; in other words, no putting out thousands of junk pages with software to just to get more inbound links.
-Keep a long term view. Your lenses may not bring you huge amounts of traffic like the #1 spots on Google, but the kind you get will be human and very targeted.
Got it? Good. Now here are the Squidoo secrets you need to use to generate cheap mlm leads (meaning free!).
-Secret #1: Make your lens useful and informative. If you know your niche well, make sure your lens gives them what they want. If you do this, they will keep coming back.
Don’t make your lens a one-stop-shop, but more a guide book which leads to a collection of the best. By this I mean your lens should have the most appropriate and useful informative gathered from resources around the Web related to your mlm product or service.
Secret #2: Make your lens remarkable. Remember, using Squidoo is a great free mlm tool that you can use to generate leads and build relationships. Try to find a way to make it stand out from other similar lenses.
Secret #3: Share it! If you are one who participates in forums, write articles, participate in online groups, blog, have a regular email address, etc. , have a signature line that points to your lens. Make it interesting enough so that people will want to click.
Secret #4: Request ratings. What happens with Squidoo is that if many people rate your lens, it causes your rankings to rise very quickly. You can get ratings by asking visitors to rate, and in your signature file (as discussed above, also put a blub about ranking it). You can also surf around Squidoo for lenses that are related to your topic. When you find a high ranked lens, rate it and then invite the lens maker to visit yours and rate it as well.
Secret #5: Don’t let your lens stagnate. What happens is if you make no updates to your lens for too long, it will slowly drop in rankings. Also, if you add new modules from time to tome, rankings improve as well. You can also write a short article (250-300 words works best), throw in a few new links, etc. Just keep things moving and growing.
Secret # 6: Get those links. You will need to market your lens just like any other website. A good way to do this is by getting links. You can get links a number of ways such as by writing articles related to your lens topic and with the same keywords, blog posts, submitting to link directories, classified ads, etc. The list is almost endless!
Secret #7: Use social bookmarking services. This is a must as Squidoo put links to them near the top of your lens. You can use sites such as Del.icio.us, Digg, etc.
Secret #8: Create a newsworthy lens. Is there anything “newsy” about your lens? You very well could create some sort of “angle” and then use it to talk to the media through a means such as a press release. If your lens isn’t “newsy” yet, you can build one just for the press and then link it back to your main lens. Pick a hot topic and you never know what will happen!
Hopefully, you have gotten some useful ideas about how Squidoo can be used as a free MLM tool to market your mlm products or opportunity, develop cheap mlm leads, and to build relationships. Plus, you can get good rankings with Google! Go now, and get your free account and watch your traffic rankings and sign-ups soar.
Looking for a free resource that will save you years of failure and frustration? If so, click here: http://mentormonique.bigmlmtruths.com/?mad=9091
Looking for free mlm tips and free mlm resources to build your work at home business? If so, visit http://www.squidoo.com/tipstoexplodeyourhome-basedbusiness
Is there another buyer in the wings for Travel.com.au?
It was supposed to be a done deal. The number one player - Webjet.com.au - buying the number two player - Travel.com.au. But things are never easy.
The online version of the Australian is reporting that Travel.com.au has "received an unsolicited third party proposal". Travel.com.au has not said who but are quoted in the Australian as saying - "no assurance can be given that such party will proceed with an offer for the company". Here is the official filing document from Travel.com.au so at least you have me finally reporting something that it not just a rumour.
So - who could it be? Please speculate in the comments section. A large offline retailer maybe? An Australian media company?
Thanks to the interested reader that sent me this so quickly.
UPDATE - Webjet have come back with an announcement saying in effect that they are the only bidder on the table, have the full support of the Board and already have 19.9% of the stock (enough to block any other bid)
The online version of the Australian is reporting that Travel.com.au has "received an unsolicited third party proposal". Travel.com.au has not said who but are quoted in the Australian as saying - "no assurance can be given that such party will proceed with an offer for the company". Here is the official filing document from Travel.com.au so at least you have me finally reporting something that it not just a rumour.
So - who could it be? Please speculate in the comments section. A large offline retailer maybe? An Australian media company?
Thanks to the interested reader that sent me this so quickly.
UPDATE - Webjet have come back with an announcement saying in effect that they are the only bidder on the table, have the full support of the Board and already have 19.9% of the stock (enough to block any other bid)
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Can search traffic be used to start a TUI acquisition rumour?
I receive a lot of strange search engine traffic. There is the simply weird stuff such as the period when I was the number one result on the German version of Google for the search term "price of an elephant" and there is the traffic that seems to confirm things such as the building stream of traffic around TravelClick acquisition rumours. Then there are the times when search engine traffic is the number one predictor of a deal - I remember the flood of Worldspan and Galileo traffic immediately before the announcement of that deal. This has put me on constant watch for strange search terms driving traffic to the blog in case I can spot something building that will lead to a rumour that will lead to a deal. Today I spotted the weirdest of the lot so far and had to share it with you.
Traffic hit the BOOT today from Google for this search term - "TUI purchase of asiarooms". Here is the traffic report. Tell me that can't be true? How is that for a combination of words that none of us would ever expect? TUI - as you know - is the European tour operator giant. They said just this week that "Acquisitions are a priority". Asiarooms is the Thailand based Asian online hotel provider famous for their very small margin mark ups of operator rates, marginal customer service and French owner. One piece of traffic on one search term is not enough to qualify as a rumour let alone getting close to being a basis for anything but scuttlebutt. Nonetheless had to share this with you.
Traffic hit the BOOT today from Google for this search term - "TUI purchase of asiarooms". Here is the traffic report. Tell me that can't be true? How is that for a combination of words that none of us would ever expect? TUI - as you know - is the European tour operator giant. They said just this week that "Acquisitions are a priority". Asiarooms is the Thailand based Asian online hotel provider famous for their very small margin mark ups of operator rates, marginal customer service and French owner. One piece of traffic on one search term is not enough to qualify as a rumour let alone getting close to being a basis for anything but scuttlebutt. Nonetheless had to share this with you.
Rumour confirmed - Opodo no longer owns Karavel
As predicted by Opodo staff member Mario Gavira (and reported here by me) , Barclays Private Equity has been confirmed as the new owner of Karavel.
UPDATE - Onelinetravelcrunch that first broke the story has been shut down. Kevin May carries more of the story here.
UPDATE - Onelinetravelcrunch that first broke the story has been shut down. Kevin May carries more of the story here.
TRIed, Tested and True
TRIed Tested and True!
If there is one body part both women and men can benefit from building, it’s the triceps. Since it’s the largest muscle in the arm, building it can give men “THE BEACH IS OVER THERE ARMS” and for women, it can harden up the ole flabbiness under the biceps.
Me, I don’t really have a specific routine as much as I have a philosophy. Train to get that Phenomenal Pump and feel my triceps swell up to their max with new mass and hardness. You all know what I’m talking about.
I’m not one to waste my reps. If any of you have ever pumped up anything…your bike tires when you were a kid, or an air hammer compactor during your summer construction job, then you know the satisfying feeling of building that pressure to the point where it is full, solid and ready to burst…that’s the sensation I need in my muscles.
For triceps I usually choose 4 exercises and hit them one set at a time.
For triceps I usually choose 4 exercises and hit them one set at a time.
1. Lying Barbell French Press (pictured above)
I start my routine with this mass building exercise. Lie on a flat bench with a narrow grip on the barbell. Hold the barbell over your face with arms extended. Slowly lower bar by bending elbows and bring the bar to the top of the forehead. Then BLAST up to the starting position and immediately start lowering bar back to the forehead, keeping the tension on the Tri’s. I do 4 sets of 10 reps focusing on keeping the tension on the muscle.
2. Triceps Pressdowns
I start my routine with this mass building exercise. Lie on a flat bench with a narrow grip on the barbell. Hold the barbell over your face with arms extended. Slowly lower bar by bending elbows and bring the bar to the top of the forehead. Then BLAST up to the starting position and immediately start lowering bar back to the forehead, keeping the tension on the Tri’s. I do 4 sets of 10 reps focusing on keeping the tension on the muscle.
2. Triceps Pressdowns
This is the second exercise in this routine. These can be done with a straight or bent bar on an upper pulley, such as a Lat machine or one side of a Cable Crossover machine. Stand with your feed directly under the bar and take one small step back. Use an overhand grip (palms down) and keep your upper arms tight to your sides. Press the bar down until your arms lock out at the bottom, then let back up slowly. The motion is the opposite of a biceps curl. One key to this exercise is to roll your shoulders back and stick your chest out and FEEL the muscle pump.
3 sets of 10 reps will be fine.
3 sets of 10 reps will be fine.
3. Triceps Dumbbell Kickbacks (pictured above)
I see so many people not performing this exercise to its full potential. I love this one and can blame this for the great definition in my triceps. Kneel over bench with arm supporting body. Grasp a dumbbell. Position upper arm parallel to floor, I even bring the elbow nice and high so that I ensure to get that burn and pump feeling. Extend your arm until it is straight. Return and repeat. Make sure to alternate arms then a quick rest (20 seconds) Do 3 sets of 10 reps each arm for maximum pump. I don’t go very heavy here, in fact I use very light weights and make sure I perform them nice and slow.
4. Triceps Dips
4. Triceps Dips
Mmmmmmm, my all time favourite triceps exercise. As a side, I do not just limit this exercise to my arm workout. Nope, I usually finish every workout, be it Back and Shoulders, Legs, Chest, whatever, with this Pump Master. Jump on the dip machine with both arms extended straight, then lower your body til your elbows are at a 90 degree angle and blast back to the starting position. Do 3 sets to failure and this will ensure that your Tri’s will be ready to burst.
Well that’s a typical Funk Roberts triceps workout. Remember focus on the pump, keep the shoulders back and the chest out, make sure there is constant tension on the triceps while doing the exercises and very little rest in between sets (20sec – 1 min). Follow this and that flat tire will be pumped up and ready for action.
Well that’s a typical Funk Roberts triceps workout. Remember focus on the pump, keep the shoulders back and the chest out, make sure there is constant tension on the triceps while doing the exercises and very little rest in between sets (20sec – 1 min). Follow this and that flat tire will be pumped up and ready for action.
Funk Roberts
Don't Rush the Beat!
(pictures taken at System Fitness)
Google and Call Centers?
A couple of weeks ago, we exhibited at a conference specifically for call center managers, the 'ACCE' show in
Our story was simple - call centers want to provide faster customer service. Their agents need to access the right information at the right time. These agents are used to Google at home, so why not give them Google at work?
The attendees really understood the story once we explained how one of our customers, a global auto manufacturer, was using the Google Search Appliance. Their agents would get questions like "Why are the brakes on my 1996 hatchback model squeaky?" While much of the information resided in 22,000 documents in their knowledgebase, their previous search system was not providing relevant results. Immediately after piloting the Google Search Appliance, they said "Straight out of the box, without any customization, we were seeing a lot better results with the Google Search Appliance."
Needless to say, the attendees of the ACCE show quickly 'got it' and understood exactly why Google was at a call center show. (Of course, from our end, the show being in
To find out more about our call center solution, read our white paper.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Only solutions deliverers
As I was saying earlier, in all my clients there is this divide between Business and Technology. "I'm a business guy, not a technology guy." "Oh, I work in IT; go ask the business folks that."
This is an unhelpful distinction.
The customer does not want business or technology or even a product. The customer just wants a solution to his problem. Now.
So we all are just solutions deliverers.
And it becomes clearer each day that our job is to work together in teams, to create the knowledge needed for the next solution. To create the metaphor of what the problem really is; to envision how it might feel to have it solved. To brainstorm, to see the whole problem, to imagine how alternate solutions might fit, to transcend the constraints, and finally yet quickly to deliver what the customer really needs to solve his problem, not what he said he wanted.
This is an unhelpful distinction.
The customer does not want business or technology or even a product. The customer just wants a solution to his problem. Now.
So we all are just solutions deliverers.
And it becomes clearer each day that our job is to work together in teams, to create the knowledge needed for the next solution. To create the metaphor of what the problem really is; to envision how it might feel to have it solved. To brainstorm, to see the whole problem, to imagine how alternate solutions might fit, to transcend the constraints, and finally yet quickly to deliver what the customer really needs to solve his problem, not what he said he wanted.
Have Compassion
Today I was in a meeting with Business and Technology folks, and I started talking about Customer Collaboration over Contract Negotiation. (Many will recognize this line from the Agile Manifesto.)
And I talked about how, always, there is distrust and tension and misunderstanding between the Business side and the Technology side. Well, at least on day 1 in every client I walk into. YMMV. With luck, we start building trust right away.
In thinking about this on the plane back home, I wanted to say something to those 12 people. And since they are not with me now, I will say it to you.
Have compassion.
What do I mean by that really?
First, the most important thing is that it is more blessed to give than to receive. More specifically, it is not about you. It is about doing for others, most especially for the end customer.
Let me introduce my second point with a story. When I teach Agile I like to start with the story of the 6 Blind Men and the Elephant. I won’t explain that story now, but one reason I like it is because that story is also related to Buddha. The compassionate Buddha, as he is known. And Buddha had great compassion for us, and our inability to comprehend all the knowledge we needed to know, and to figure out what is really important. And I say, we team members should have compassion for each other and how hard our work it, how much we need to learn. We try to solve the problems if a person who almost always is not there, and do it with a system that is abstracted and non-concrete in the extreme. And all the easy projects have already been done. Difficult work. We need compassion.
My third point is more specific. My experience is that most Technology folks have no conception of how difficult it is for the Business folks to see and be accurate about what the business need to do to satisfy their customers. The customers are changing, the competitors are changing, they don’t have time to understand what is do-able. This is extremely difficult work that only a few are truly insightful about. (In our economy, many are modestly lucky.)
On the other hand, the Business folks need to have more compassion for the technology guys. Technology work is extremely challenging, and offers great opportunities for creativity and discovery for those Business folks willing to travel those uncharted seas. And capable of escaping the dense fogs.
My fourth point starts with Deming, who has many valuable insights. Deming said that all problems in business are caused, in simple terms, by two things: “the system” and the people (vices, true inability, laziness, etc.). The “system” was all the things that were (or were not) there to structure the people and the work to get the work done. Initially he guessed that 80% of problems were caused by the system and 20% by people. As he grew older and learned more he revised that. I think he finally said that 95% of problems are caused by the system and only 5% by the people. And a leader's job is to get the system improved.
My point here is that, while you may be frustrated in some ways with your colleagues, most of your frustration is not about them, but about how “management” (maybe yourselves) have structured the system through and in which you work together (or not together).
Have compassion. Have patience. And start improving it today.
The BOOT goes to London
Am off to London on Sunday night for two days of meetings. I have to be back in Sydney first thing Thursday so will be breaking the number one business travel rule which is - spend more time on the ground than in the air. Will have a chance to the way to try out the new BA business class (I think). Will let you know how it goes.
New boss for eLong - Guangfu Cui
5 months after the departure of Tom SooHoo, eLong have announced the appointment of a new CEO - Guangfu Cui. Press release here.
Here is how they describe his background
Here is how they describe his background
This allows Expedia Asia Pac president Henrik Kjellberg to give up the role of interim CEO and get back to his day job(s).Prior to joining eLong, Guangfu Cui was the Managing Director for FedEx Kinko's China. Under his leadership, Mr. Cui positioned the company as market leader in digital printing industry in China with 16 centers and 300 employees within four years after he joined FedEx Kinko's.
Prior to joining FedEx Kinko's, Guangfu Cui worked for Procter & Gamble China for over 12 years, including two and half years working in the United States. He was instrumental in building Procter & Gamble China's distribution network and retail coverage system.
Guangfu Cui is 38 years old, holds an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BA in Law from Peking University.
A mothers happinesss, a babies innocence.. thats me and alisha
Eleven months of fun and entertainment... thats how i can express what babies give their parents during their first year of growth.just the other day my baby, alisha, was born and today shes eleven months already.she completed 10 months on the 18th of october and soon its gonna be her birthday, her first birthday ever... that will be so cute to see her blow out her candles and cut her cake.am waiting to celebrate that day in a grand way and make it a remembrance for a lifetime:)but god willing is the word:) my cutie grew so quickly right in front of my eyes and shes already so smart coz she does have her way on the computer too... so buddies, dont blame me for not responding back in time(wink) my babies got some assignments to finish.see for yourself in the pics:)
activities she loves
as the musics on, my doll wont stop herself from shaking to the rhythm and singing in her babyish style... thats the most exciting thing one can see at this stage.she even loves watching tv as much as i do!... loves bashing up her elder bro with whatever she finds, luckily i dont keep boulders in her way:)... she loves my handbag, tries to eat up everything in there like money, makeup etc but puts them back so obediently after a little scolding from me... points to everything she recognises and talks to me in a babbling way(i love this new milestone alot)coz i try to figure out what she says and that leaves me feeling so much more excited and loving towards her.
she hates
bathing:) sees the tub of water and cries but once in the water shes ok with it... yet shes loves seeing her brother bathing and cheers him in glee by clapping her hands.
games she plays
peekaboo.. either with us or with the funny bunnies on the comp... wrestling with her bro(am the undertaker,says she).. haha..
she eats
rice,dal,veggies,cerealac(rice and fruit).. recently introduced egg yolk and fish but that didnt seem to suit her.
sleep timings
that doesnt seem to match the time with her mamma and i end with lack of sleep which is why i look no less than a panda bear!
there could be some hard times when crawling makes it so much more tougher for me but the amount of happiness she bought into my life makes every moment with her seem so easy and every unfulfilled dream seeme to have come true.only those who live with babies can understand how a baby can change those dark days into lighted ones...
mommas dont you agree with me? need to share something about your baby,you are most welcome to do so in the comment box:)
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Funk Roberts
Don't Rush the Beat!
The Return of the Enterprise Superstars
Last year we established the Google Enterprise Superstars award to recognize companies that use Google's enterprise search solutions in particularly innovative ways.
Today we're announcing three new award winners.
Williams Scotsman International, a leading provider of modular space solutions, has earned a Google Enterprise Superstar award for deploying the Google Mini for site search on www.willscot.com and for setting up a different Mini to power search on their intranet inside the company. Read their story here.
eCompressed air has won the Google Enterprise Superstar award for using the Mini on ecompressedair.com, its e-commerce business-to-business website for the compressed air market. Site search powered by the Google Mini has increased website transactions by a whopping 204%! Click here to read their story.
ESAB Welding has earned the Google Enterprise Superstar award by improving their site's user experience by adopting a Google Mini. ESAB Welding previously had separate search engines for its product catalog and for its company information, but with the Google Mini, they were able to create a search engine for both kinds of content, thus simplifying the user experience on their site. Read how the Google Mini helped them.
We'll be announcing additional Enterprise Superstars over the coming weeks, so stay tuned!
Funk's Fitness Tip of the Week
Tip of the Week When doing any resistance exercise, choose a weight that will minimize the number of repetitions you have to do to reach your point of failure. If you do not have to struggle on your last rep, then you are not getting maximum results. If you want to pack on the mass, do no more than 6 to 8 hard reps before failing.
Funk Roberts
Don’t Rush the Beat!
Funk Roberts
Don’t Rush the Beat!
Google participates in Stanford AdFraud 2007 workshop
Over the past several years, Google has encouraged academic research and participation in the area of click fraud detection. Our Ad Traffic Quality team is excited to continue this support and recently participated in the AdFraud 2007 workshop at Stanford University. The workshop was attended by more than one hundred participants from academia and industry, and provided an open forum for discussing the technical and social aspects of fighting click fraud.
Dr. Kourosh Gharachorloo, who leads Google's Ad Traffic Quality engineering team, presented the opening talk at the workshop. Kourosh's talk focused primarily on the economics of online advertising and click fraud. The talk presented two frameworks modeling advertiser spend against Google's incentives to help advertisers achieve better ROI. The first framework illustrates how Google's incentives are aligned with those of our advertisers - i.e. our click fraud detection techniques improve advertiser ROI, which then leads to increased advertiser success with AdWords. The second framework shows how low-quality sources of traffic in the Google Network directly reduce Google's revenue along with the revenue of our content partners. The combined frameworks demonstrate that Google has strong economic incentives to fight click fraud, in addition to the extremely important goal of earning and maintaining advertiser trust.
Kourosh's talk also included an overview of Google's approach to detecting invalid clicks. In addition, he described the limitations of the metrics used by the click fraud detection industry to evaluate the impact of click fraud. He concluded the talk by discussing the additional data that Google discloses to advertisers, which uniquely enables AdWords users to reconcile their web server logs with the statistics in their AdWords accounts.
The Ad Traffic Quality team will continue to collaborate with the academic community on research projects and events such as the Stanford AdFraud workshop. For the latest on what this team is up to, please visit the Ad Traffic Quality Resource Center where you'll find Kourosh's presentation [PDF] and a 70-minute video of his talk.
Dr. Kourosh Gharachorloo, who leads Google's Ad Traffic Quality engineering team, presented the opening talk at the workshop. Kourosh's talk focused primarily on the economics of online advertising and click fraud. The talk presented two frameworks modeling advertiser spend against Google's incentives to help advertisers achieve better ROI. The first framework illustrates how Google's incentives are aligned with those of our advertisers - i.e. our click fraud detection techniques improve advertiser ROI, which then leads to increased advertiser success with AdWords. The second framework shows how low-quality sources of traffic in the Google Network directly reduce Google's revenue along with the revenue of our content partners. The combined frameworks demonstrate that Google has strong economic incentives to fight click fraud, in addition to the extremely important goal of earning and maintaining advertiser trust.
Kourosh's talk also included an overview of Google's approach to detecting invalid clicks. In addition, he described the limitations of the metrics used by the click fraud detection industry to evaluate the impact of click fraud. He concluded the talk by discussing the additional data that Google discloses to advertisers, which uniquely enables AdWords users to reconcile their web server logs with the statistics in their AdWords accounts.
The Ad Traffic Quality team will continue to collaborate with the academic community on research projects and events such as the Stanford AdFraud workshop. For the latest on what this team is up to, please visit the Ad Traffic Quality Resource Center where you'll find Kourosh's presentation [PDF] and a 70-minute video of his talk.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Moved to Irvine, Orange County, California
Dear Creativity and Innovation Blog Readers:
I have not been able to provide any updates on this and the sister blogs on Creativity and Innovation for the past several months. Please accept my sincere apologies for the same. In order to provide a stable and happier future for our kids, my wife and I, we have moved to Irvine, California in Orange County. Our kids have found wonderful schools, are beginning to make new friends at schools, and are showing tremendous poise as they adjust to a whole new environment. It's not been easy on our kids and us as we made this change. My wife and I are very thankful to friends, family, well-wishers and most importantly, God to have provided us the strength and faith towards making this move and getting back our family together. We are going to miss Fremont. Irvine is the safest place to live, and our kids are already enjoying the many parks, activities, schools and family outings. We pray to God to bless us for a happy future in Irvine.
I am planning to provide weekly updates on this blog beginning October 1, 2007.
Here's to Creativity and Innovation Driving Business.
Sincere regards,
Sanjay Dalal
I have not been able to provide any updates on this and the sister blogs on Creativity and Innovation for the past several months. Please accept my sincere apologies for the same. In order to provide a stable and happier future for our kids, my wife and I, we have moved to Irvine, California in Orange County. Our kids have found wonderful schools, are beginning to make new friends at schools, and are showing tremendous poise as they adjust to a whole new environment. It's not been easy on our kids and us as we made this change. My wife and I are very thankful to friends, family, well-wishers and most importantly, God to have provided us the strength and faith towards making this move and getting back our family together. We are going to miss Fremont. Irvine is the safest place to live, and our kids are already enjoying the many parks, activities, schools and family outings. We pray to God to bless us for a happy future in Irvine.
I am planning to provide weekly updates on this blog beginning October 1, 2007.
Here's to Creativity and Innovation Driving Business.
Sincere regards,
Sanjay Dalal
Rumour of the Week - Amadeus/Opodo to sell off Karavel to Barclay's Private Equity
UPDATE - Onelinetravelcrunch that first broke the story has been shut down. Kevin May carries more of the story here.
Please Upgrade to AdWords Editor 4.0 by October 3rd
We'd like to ask anyone still using AdWords Editor 3.5 to upgrade to the latest version (4.0) before October 3, 2007. After October 3rd, 2007, version 3.5 will no longer be supported. As you may already know, old versions of AdWords Editor are retired 60 days after new versions are released in order to optimize our resources and provide the best user experience for AdWords Editor users.
To upgrade, just follow the automatic download prompt that appears when you start AdWords Editor. Important note: To preserve any comments or unposted changes, you will need to export an archive of your account before upgrading. After you've completed the upgrade, simply download your account and import the archive file. For a complete list of version 4.0 features, please see our release notes. And, if you're not sure which version of AdWords Editor you are using, here's how to find out: Within the program, go to the 'Help' menu then click 'About AdWords Editor.'
To upgrade, just follow the automatic download prompt that appears when you start AdWords Editor. Important note: To preserve any comments or unposted changes, you will need to export an archive of your account before upgrading. After you've completed the upgrade, simply download your account and import the archive file. For a complete list of version 4.0 features, please see our release notes. And, if you're not sure which version of AdWords Editor you are using, here's how to find out: Within the program, go to the 'Help' menu then click 'About AdWords Editor.'
Before you apply to AdSense
Getting started with AdSense is easy, but when reviewing the applications we get, we've noticed a few common pitfalls. To help make sure your application is approved the first time around, ask yourself the following questions below before submitting.
Do I have what I need to apply?
Do I have what I need to apply?
- Website: To display Google ads, you need administrative access to the site you submit for AdSense in order to place our JavaScript ad code on your site. Adding the Google code to your site's source code will enable you to show ads, search boxes, and referral units on your pages.
If you don't have a website of your own, that doesn't mean you can't participate in AdSense. We offer a couple of options to help you easily create your own site.
First, there's Blogger, a free tool for setting up and publishing your own blog online. With its easy-to-use and customizable templates, you can create an account and start blogging right away. You can also set up AdSense ads easily through your Blogger account.
If you prefer more flexibility and control, then our web page tool, Page Creator, may be more suitable. Signing up for a Page Creator account is free as well -- all you need is a Gmail account. The best part is that you don't have to download any software or hire a designer. Once you've created your Page Creator site, you can begin displaying Google ads in minutes. - Valid payee name: Payments will be made out to the name on your account, so make sure to include your full and valid name, or that of your business, rather than just initials. If banks won't accept the name you enter in the 'Payee Name' field, neither will we.
- Valid address: We want to make sure your hard-earned money reaches you, so please also provide a complete valid address where you can receive mail. If you live in a country or territory that doesn't have a standard format for addresses, please be sure that your application includes as much information as a mailman would need to find your residence.
- Valid URL: If you manage an entire website, give us the URL of your home page. If you manage a blog or other account within a larger website, you should provide the URL of the specific page that you manage and not the URL of the entire hosting website. Don't forget to double check your URL for typos!
- Fully launched website: Since we won't be able to review websites that are not fully launched or built, please ensure that your site is live and functioning at the time you submit your application.
- Unique content: We want visitors to sites in the AdSense network to have a good experience, so please publish content that's interesting and unique. Avoid using "doorway" pages created just for search engines, or other cookie cutter approaches such as affiliate programs with little or no original content. If you're participating in an affiliate program, give people a reason to visit your site first.
- Supported language: We're constantly working to provide targeted, relevant ads in more languages. However, until then, we can only approve your application if the majority of your website is in one of our supported languages.
- Pay-To Sites: If your site participates in programs that compensate people to perform activities that drive traffic to you, we can't approve your application. Some examples of these "pay-to" programs are sites that encourage users "to click" or "to surf" or "to read email." In addition, you shouldn't encourage others to join these programs in the content, links, or third-party ads on your site.
Export-Import Bank Seminar
The Export-Import Bank's Operation and Credit Administration
Divisions seminar on Wednesday October 17, 2007. The seminar
will cover both new and exciting details on how to work with
PEFCO to improve or increase your yield on Ex-Im Bank
guaranteed loans.
The one day course is specifically designed for credit officers,
loan officers, compliance officers and other finance officials who
wish to expand or improve their medium-term guarantee
program and help to make it more profitable.
Attend this seminar and you will learn about: - The Electronic
Compliance Program- The Exporter's Certificate and foreign
content procedures and policies- Disbursement procedures for
both long-term and medium loans and guarantees.
Some past seminar attendee comments about this seminar
include:
“A strong seminar! Knowledgeable speakers, clear and
concise learning materials.”
“Excellent program, very practical and focused for our
lending needs.”
“Very thorough, well organized and applicable for our
clients' needs.”
The contact information for you to register is listed below.
If you are unable to attend this particular session, visit
their site for a complete list of seminars.
For more details of what you will hear from Ex-Im Bank's
trade specialists and from other government agency
representatives Click Here -->> Export-Import Seminars
WHEN
Wednesday, October 17, 2007 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Eastern Time Zone
WHERE
Export-Import Bank - Headquarters
811 Vermont Ave NW
Room 1143
Washington, DC 20571
Ron Coble
Coble International Business To Business Portal
Divisions seminar on Wednesday October 17, 2007. The seminar
will cover both new and exciting details on how to work with
PEFCO to improve or increase your yield on Ex-Im Bank
guaranteed loans.
The one day course is specifically designed for credit officers,
loan officers, compliance officers and other finance officials who
wish to expand or improve their medium-term guarantee
program and help to make it more profitable.
Attend this seminar and you will learn about: - The Electronic
Compliance Program- The Exporter's Certificate and foreign
content procedures and policies- Disbursement procedures for
both long-term and medium loans and guarantees.
Some past seminar attendee comments about this seminar
include:
“A strong seminar! Knowledgeable speakers, clear and
concise learning materials.”
“Excellent program, very practical and focused for our
lending needs.”
“Very thorough, well organized and applicable for our
clients' needs.”
The contact information for you to register is listed below.
If you are unable to attend this particular session, visit
their site for a complete list of seminars.
For more details of what you will hear from Ex-Im Bank's
trade specialists and from other government agency
representatives Click Here -->> Export-Import Seminars
WHEN
Wednesday, October 17, 2007 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Eastern Time Zone
WHERE
Export-Import Bank - Headquarters
811 Vermont Ave NW
Room 1143
Washington, DC 20571
Ron Coble
Coble International Business To Business Portal
Low Cost Carriers and Low Cost Hotels - when the Pods come with perks
The original hallmark of the low cost carrier (Ryanair, Southwest, Virgin-blue, easyJet etc) was "you get what you pay for". The brands pitched themselves as about cheap fares and no-frills. A seat, a destination and for everything else there is Mastercard. There have been some changes here and there such as Virgin-Blue opening a lounge and having a frequent flyer program and even Southwest announcing a plan to change parts of it's famous "cattle call" board system. But by and large the trend has been to keep the brands focused on price and to find ways to change the product to introduce more things you can charge for ( see Ryanair charging for check in baggage). So in the airline business we have a history of low cost providers with a common brand shtick around cheap, cheap, cheap - you get what you pay for.
It has been very interesting to observe that the low cost hotel model is taking the opposite approach. Accor's Formule1 was among the first to offer a low cost but dependable hotel experience sticking with the airline approach to marketing the brand. Since then we have seen a boom in brand launches around a concept of a Pod Hotel or Modular Hotel or Cabin Hotels - basically a step up concept from the world famous Japanese capsule hotel. However the brand focus for these new breed of low cost accommodation has been around "hip, happening, young, funky and convenient" - not around "cheap and no frills".
Here are some examples of these types of hotels that are trying to combine low cost with cool/chic:
As expected they make not distinction between business and leisure travellers and as a result do not do corporate rates. What was interesting though is that unlike the airline brethren, they are happy to distribute through third party websites. In the case of Qbic Patrick said that
If you are interested in reading more about some of the hotels mentioned here check out the Smart Travel Asia article Bods in Pods by Vjay Verghese.
UPDATE - Guido Van Den Elshout at the Happy Hotelier blog has a story on the ultimate cube hotel. The Hotel Everland has set up a one room suite on the roof of the Paris Palais de Tokyo where Guido reports it will receive guests for an overnight stay and museum visitors during the day until the end of 2008. Great pictures in Guido's post.
It has been very interesting to observe that the low cost hotel model is taking the opposite approach. Accor's Formule1 was among the first to offer a low cost but dependable hotel experience sticking with the airline approach to marketing the brand. Since then we have seen a boom in brand launches around a concept of a Pod Hotel or Modular Hotel or Cabin Hotels - basically a step up concept from the world famous Japanese capsule hotel. However the brand focus for these new breed of low cost accommodation has been around "hip, happening, young, funky and convenient" - not around "cheap and no frills".
Here are some examples of these types of hotels that are trying to combine low cost with cool/chic:
- Qbic - launched first in Amsterdam;
- easyHotel - across London;
- The PodHotel - of New York;
- CitizenM - also soon to start out in Amsterdam;
- Yotel - out of UK airports Gatwick and Heathrow
- Tune Hotels - multi-coloured edition in Malaysia
As expected they make not distinction between business and leisure travellers and as a result do not do corporate rates. What was interesting though is that unlike the airline brethren, they are happy to distribute through third party websites. In the case of Qbic Patrick said that
50% of the business is booked through the own website or are small groups referred from the website to the call centre, the other 50% through 3rd parties and a tiny piece of GDS onlySo in low cost hotels we have two significant differences to low cost air in terms of brand and distribution. Is a clear reflection of the greater competition and supplier spread in the accommodation business.
If you are interested in reading more about some of the hotels mentioned here check out the Smart Travel Asia article Bods in Pods by Vjay Verghese.
UPDATE - Guido Van Den Elshout at the Happy Hotelier blog has a story on the ultimate cube hotel. The Hotel Everland has set up a one room suite on the roof of the Paris Palais de Tokyo where Guido reports it will receive guests for an overnight stay and museum visitors during the day until the end of 2008. Great pictures in Guido's post.
Monday, September 24, 2007
New CPA bidding product available
We've heard your requests for a cost-per-acquisition (CPA) bidding tool so we're excited to introduce a new AdWords feature: the Conversion Optimizer beta. Conversion Optimizer helps you meet your ROI objectives by automatically managing your bids according to a maximum CPA goal. By automating the bidding process, this feature helps you minimize your conversion costs while saving you time.
Here's how Conversion Optimizer works: simply specify a maximum CPA bid and the Conversion Optimizer does the rest. It uses historical information about your campaign and automatically generates optimal CPC bids for each auction. You still pay per click, but you no longer have to manually adjust your bids to reach your CPA goals. Since the Conversion Optimizer can choose a new bid for each auction, you're provided with the additional benefit of spending money only on the search queries and sites where your ads are likely to convert. You can read more about how the Conversion Optimizer can manage your costs here.
In order to accurately predict your conversion rate and optimize your bids, the Conversion Optimizer requires that your campaign currently uses AdWords Conversion Tracking and has at least 300 conversions in the last 30 days. The Conversion Optimizer tries to keep the cost of each conversion below your CPA bid. However, if the actual conversion rate is lower than we predict, your CPA may exceed your CPA bid.
There are now two ways to bid using CPA: The Conversion Optimizer and Pay-Per-Action (PPA) beta. PPA lets you pay only when an action you define occurs (e.g. a newsletter sign-up or a purchase on your site). PPA ads are only shown in specific places on the content network -- a majority of PPA ads appear on publisher sites that use Google referrals, and a small portion of these ads also show up in AdSense for content ad units as part of a beta test. If you use the Conversion Optimizer, your ads can appear on both the search and content network. To learn more about when to use Conversion Optimizer and when to use PPA, please see this page in the AdWords Help Center.
AdSense for search launches in Vietnamese
Following our announcement about Indonesian in July, we're happy to let you know that AdSense for search is now available in another southeast Asian language: Vietnamese. Vietnamese publishers can now offer users Google search capabilities while generating revenue from ads on the search results pages.
As we've done in the past, we'd like to celebrate this launch by providing you with a few fun facts about Vietnam:
As we've done in the past, we'd like to celebrate this launch by providing you with a few fun facts about Vietnam:
- Vietnam is shaped like a narrow 'S'. Even though Vietnam is 1,650 kilometers (1,031 miles) from north to south, the country gets as narrow as 50 kilometers (31 miles) across.
- Vietnamese is the seventh most spoken language in the United States and sixth in Australia. According to the Ethnologue, Vietnamese is also spoken by substantial numbers of people in Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and the United Kingdom.
- Vietnam is the world's second largest exporter of coffee and rice.
Qantas to and from US great, American Airlines terrible
I call it when I call it. Qantas have let me down a lot but not this time. My flight and experience with them was great. Started with the new first class lounge which is fantastic. It has a full top class restaurant and has a beautiful, open and relax yet smart layout. The staff were attentive - more so than any other Qantas experience I can mention. They kept coming up to me looking for ways to help out. One small criticism was that there was no free wi-fi. I later found out from a friend that there is but you have to ask for it. This lounge is now on par with the Cathay Pacific Wing lounge in Hong Kong as the best I have been in.
Both flights were as I have been hoping for with Qantas. The VOD worked (finally), the food was served soon after take off and the staff friendly. Only complaint is that while the staff are friendly they still do not match the Cathay and Singapore staff for attentiveness. They continue to disappear for hours during the lights-out period and have to be prompted to water. But huge improvement.
They were however let down by their code share partner American Airlines who continue to serve rubbish food, downgraded me twice because they oversold and then required me to pay for food and were delayed for more than three hours out of Chicago on the way home. This meant that while I made it to my connection in LA (but only because it was also delayed), my luggage did not. I had my luggage arrive this evening (36 hours after me) but one of the bags is now missing a wheel. Is there a line here about how the wheels have fallen off American?
Both flights were as I have been hoping for with Qantas. The VOD worked (finally), the food was served soon after take off and the staff friendly. Only complaint is that while the staff are friendly they still do not match the Cathay and Singapore staff for attentiveness. They continue to disappear for hours during the lights-out period and have to be prompted to water. But huge improvement.
They were however let down by their code share partner American Airlines who continue to serve rubbish food, downgraded me twice because they oversold and then required me to pay for food and were delayed for more than three hours out of Chicago on the way home. This meant that while I made it to my connection in LA (but only because it was also delayed), my luggage did not. I had my luggage arrive this evening (36 hours after me) but one of the bags is now missing a wheel. Is there a line here about how the wheels have fallen off American?
T-List is back, soon as a book
Mathieu of radaron started the T-List back in March. It grew exponentially from there to the point where blogs such as Kevin May's Travolution have issued Recommend Lists with reduced numbers to make it more manageable. My own version is here.
Now a book is the offering. Jens Thraenhart has started a project to turn the T-List into a book. Support is growing across a number of conferences including
Now a book is the offering. Jens Thraenhart has started a project to turn the T-List into a book. Support is growing across a number of conferences including
- Canada-e-Connect Conference (www.canadaeconnect.com): Vancouver, November 7-9, 2007;
- Canadian e-Tourism Awards (www.canadianetourismawards.com): Vancouver, November 8, 2007;
- Wired-In-Travel Conference (www.wiredintravel.com): Singapore, November 29-30, 2007 (which I am presenting at); and
- Travolution Conference (www.travolutionconference.co.uk): London, November 1, 2007.
- Stephen Joyce, Publisher
- Jens Thraenhart, Editor in Chief
- Mathieu Ouellet, Editor, North America
- Yeoh Siew Hoon, Editor, AsiaPacific
- Kevin May, Editor, Europe, Middle East
When is a jar of olives not a bomb - when it is in the right plastic bag of course
Have just returned - barely - from the US. My flight out of Chicago was delayed by more than three hours. Thankfully my connection from LA to Sydney was also delayed meaning I managed to make it home rather than be stranded for the night with Tom Bradley and all his friends (my luggage has not yet made it home but that is another story).
Coming through security I encountered one of those great moments in Transport Security Administration automatism. You know the type where seemingly half-intelligent TSA offices apply a bizarre rule so strictly that they make themselves and the whole of the USA government look like a cross between a Eastern European border guard from 1983 and Southern European circus clown from 1973.
My trip through security was uneventful (if you include taking off half your clothes, stripping down my computer like it was a AK-47 and extracting my nasal spray from my bag as uneventful). The guy behind me was not so lucky.
"You're in big trouble" said the burly TSA guy gleefully grabbing a backpack off the x-ray machine and whisking it over to the inspection table (where I was sitting getting dressed, putting my computer back together and wondering if I really needed to keep the three year old nasal spray).
The TSA agent digs deep into the bag as all of us around prepare to duck, cover and soil ourselves depending on what comes out of the bag. He wiggles, heaves and strains before with an enormous sense of satisfaction his hand emerges from the backpack holding a clear, sealed plastic bag containing two very dangerous looking items - a jar of pasta sauce and a jar of olives. You would think that would be OK. We have what is obviously food in a clear plastic bag. But to the men and women of the TSA it is a non-compliant plastic bag and therefore a risk to national security.
"You are going to have to throw it away or find a ziplock bag" the agent demanded.
As the couple considered what was more valuable and which was to be chucked - the wife's perfume or the husband's food, I decided that my three year old nasal spray was well beyond it's shelf life, tossed it away and performed by good deed of the day by handing over an old, crinkly and slightly nasal spray wet zip lock bag to a couple of now very thankful almost olive jar terrorists. Thus a national emergency was averted and order to the universe was returned because the food was in a quart sized zip locked bag. True story because I could not have made this up.
Coming through security I encountered one of those great moments in Transport Security Administration automatism. You know the type where seemingly half-intelligent TSA offices apply a bizarre rule so strictly that they make themselves and the whole of the USA government look like a cross between a Eastern European border guard from 1983 and Southern European circus clown from 1973.
My trip through security was uneventful (if you include taking off half your clothes, stripping down my computer like it was a AK-47 and extracting my nasal spray from my bag as uneventful). The guy behind me was not so lucky.
"You're in big trouble" said the burly TSA guy gleefully grabbing a backpack off the x-ray machine and whisking it over to the inspection table (where I was sitting getting dressed, putting my computer back together and wondering if I really needed to keep the three year old nasal spray).
The TSA agent digs deep into the bag as all of us around prepare to duck, cover and soil ourselves depending on what comes out of the bag. He wiggles, heaves and strains before with an enormous sense of satisfaction his hand emerges from the backpack holding a clear, sealed plastic bag containing two very dangerous looking items - a jar of pasta sauce and a jar of olives. You would think that would be OK. We have what is obviously food in a clear plastic bag. But to the men and women of the TSA it is a non-compliant plastic bag and therefore a risk to national security.
"You are going to have to throw it away or find a ziplock bag" the agent demanded.
As the couple considered what was more valuable and which was to be chucked - the wife's perfume or the husband's food, I decided that my three year old nasal spray was well beyond it's shelf life, tossed it away and performed by good deed of the day by handing over an old, crinkly and slightly nasal spray wet zip lock bag to a couple of now very thankful almost olive jar terrorists. Thus a national emergency was averted and order to the universe was returned because the food was in a quart sized zip locked bag. True story because I could not have made this up.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Sgt Shanahan's War on Excess Body Fat
Sgt Shanahan's Fitness Bootcamp
100% Ripatude - 100% Results
Fitness Bootcamp #13 was amazing. As you can see more than 15 trainees came to benefit from the ultimate in strength, cardiovascular, core, plyometric and kettlebell training.
Do you want results? If yes, then I'll see you next Saturday!
Funk Roberts - Don't Rush the Beat!
prashant tamang is indian idol 3
Prashant Tamang
I've just watched the grand finale of the Indian idol 3 with my whole family and as i never thought who would win, did actually turn out the as the winner and thats prashant tamang from Darjeeling, he was a constable in the Calcutta police and thats the city from where i belong! so am happy... but i thought amit paul his rival and best friend would win.
nice that both are the best of friends and both are winners in their own way.you could see how happy pashant was when he was announced as the winner by john, he hugged amit for a few mins and then thanked his mother,Calcutta police and the public "I thank my mother, public and Bengal police for granting me the permission for participating in the show" he said.he then took amit along with him as he walked up to the front of the stage as they both held the winning prize.hes got a contract for Rs 1 crore now... and a car.so lets all wish him the best for his journey ahead.
Amit Paul
i love these type of reality shows where so many youngsters are given opportunities to bring out their talents by contesting and its not only the winners who make it big but so many new talents can see their greatest dreams come...
who did you think would win??? and are you satisfied with the results now??? please leave you comments below, on your views about the results... some people say that amit deserved to win as he had a better voice.. what do you say?
I've just watched the grand finale of the Indian idol 3 with my whole family and as i never thought who would win, did actually turn out the as the winner and thats prashant tamang from Darjeeling, he was a constable in the Calcutta police and thats the city from where i belong! so am happy... but i thought amit paul his rival and best friend would win.
nice that both are the best of friends and both are winners in their own way.you could see how happy pashant was when he was announced as the winner by john, he hugged amit for a few mins and then thanked his mother,Calcutta police and the public "I thank my mother, public and Bengal police for granting me the permission for participating in the show" he said.he then took amit along with him as he walked up to the front of the stage as they both held the winning prize.hes got a contract for Rs 1 crore now... and a car.so lets all wish him the best for his journey ahead.
Amit Paul
i love these type of reality shows where so many youngsters are given opportunities to bring out their talents by contesting and its not only the winners who make it big but so many new talents can see their greatest dreams come...
who did you think would win??? and are you satisfied with the results now??? please leave you comments below, on your views about the results... some people say that amit deserved to win as he had a better voice.. what do you say?
Squats Use 244 Different Muscles
Top 4 Exercises for Weight Gain
I want to thank all who participated in last months Poll Question. I asked "Which one of the listed exercises used the most muscles. Well 41 people answered and the results are in. 48% thought that Squats used the most muscle. 36% went with Dead lifts followed by 5% - Standing Military and 2% - Bench Press.
Because these exercises use multi-joint movements and involve numerous muscle groups as prime movers and helpers, the following exercises are best for simulating muscle-mass increases:
1. Squats - good old-fashioned squats, uses 244 different muscle groups in some matter
2. Dead lifts - including the stiff-leg version for hamstrings, targets a good number of muscles
3. Bench Press - these work the pecs (major and minor), anterior delts, triceps and even some serratus
4. Bent Over Rows - great for lat, erector and rear-delt development
Remember whether male or female, you must include squats in your leg routine. Check out past Olympian Ronnie Coleman's squat 800lbs.
Funk Roberts
Don't Rush the Beat!
Free MLM Tips: You Gotta Use Rocking Headlines!
One of the best free mlm tip I can give you is to always
make sure you use eye-catching headlines for any
type of marketing you do for you networking marketing
business opportunity.
Below are more great headlines you can use from Mr. Art Jonak.
Here are headlines #26 through #30 from the . . .
''Top 50 Greatest Network Marketing Headlines List.''
26: ''In one hour I learned a plan to wipe out
my credit card debt.''
27: ''It's just like being a rock star. You write
a hit song and collect royalties for life..''
28: ''Retire with dignity and with a full-time paycheck.''
29: ''Live like a millionaire in just 12 short months.''
30: ''How a 29-year-old housewife stays at home and
still receives a full-time paycheck.''
To learn how to create great headlines that are specific
to your company, product and compensation plan, visit:
=> http://www.mlmplayers.com/headlines
Here's a Bonus Sponsoring Tip
_____________________________
===> Do you think a part-time job would be better
for you instead of a part-time business?
(Most prospects will immediately attach themselves to
wanting a part-time business. Hey, working a part-time
job until age 65 doesn't sound like much fun.)
===> Starting your own business would cost a lot of money
. . . and is pretty risky, isn't it?
(Most prospects will agree and say that's why they
haven't tried. Now they are open-minded toward a
business if it doesn't require a lot of money and is
not risky.)
===> Would a $300 a month raise make a big difference?
(Gee, that's $3,600 a year which would pay for a really
nice vacation, a better car, an occasional weekend
getaway, or the minimum payment on the VISA card . . .
This question is rejection-free. Even if the prospect
says, 'No' - that means the prospect is looking for
some serious money. And you know your prospect can't
get this kind of raise from his or her boss.)
To learn more about creating great first sentences
and headlines, visit:
=> http://www.mlmplayers.com/headlines
See you at the TOP!
-Art Jonak
P.S.: Watch for headlines #31 - #35 to arrive soon!
I hope this free mlm tip will help you in your business.
Looking for a free resource that will save you years of failure and frustration? If so, click here: http://mentormonique.bigmlmtruths.com/?mad=9091
Looking for free mlm tips and free mlm resources to build your work at home business? If so, visit http://www.squidoo.com/tipstoexplodeyourhome-basedbusiness
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Top 5 White Foods to Eat
Labour day may have passed but don't put away all the whites just yet!.... well, maybe the white carbs can go, but the lean proteins and white pants can stay.
Yes, we've been told black list a lot of white coloured foods but we shouldn't lose sight of what is good. Lean proteins are the best metabolism boosters around.
Here are the top 5 white foods that i think everyone should eat ALL YEAR ROUND.
1. egg whites
Who doesn't love eggs? Often referred to as 'the perfect protein,' egg protein is a staple due to its health benefits and ability to be readily digested and absorbed by the body. Egg whites in particular are low in calories, have no carbs, no fats, no cholesterol and are loaded with protein. An egg white can contain up to 6 grams of protein.
2. skinless chicken/turkey breast
White meat goodness. Chicken and turkey breast are an excellent low-fat protein source. Lean protein not only helps build lean muscle mass and repair muscles, but it also helps control insulin levels and satisfy hunger pangs which tend to promote fat storage. You will find yourself naturally eating less food throughout the day if you eat some type of lean protein at every meal.
3. fish
The healthy omega-3 fatty acid contained in fish are great antioxidants, help with brain function and many other essential processes that take place in the body on a daily basis. Fish is a good source of lean protein which contains Essential Fatty acids that will help prevent certain diseases. It is recommended that you eat fish twice a week in order to reap its health benefits. This food will help burn fat and lean out the body.
4. cauliflower
Hey look it's a healthy white carb! Didn't see that one coming did you? Cauliflower boasts many health benefits. It contains allicin, which improves heart health and reduces the risk of strokes, and selenium, a chemical which strengthens the immune system. Also an excellent source of fiber, which helps to improve colon health and prevent cancer, and Folate, which aids cell growth and replication. Cauliflower can also help to maintain a healthy cholesterol level.
5. low fat milk/yogourt
Dairy products are great for weight loss when they are nonfat or skim. They have a combination of proteins and carbohydrates that makes them an excellent choice for burning fat and eating healthy since calories are low, and nutrition values high.And there they are...everything else you eat should be brown, multigrain, or whole wheat.
Posted by Estella Hom
Estella Hom will be posting articles on the Funk Roberts Fitness Blog and Newsletter. As one of the top trainees at the Sgt Shanahans Bootcamp, she brings a plethora of knowledge from herself losing more than 50lbs. I take great pleasure in introducing Estella and hope you enjoy and learn from the information that she brings to you. Make sure to stop by her blog...http://estellahom.blogspot.com/
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